Gobbledygook
"Alright, you exchanged some gold for Muggle money, right?" Severus asked. Harry froze for a moment as he thought about it before he slowly nodded his head.
"Good. The clothes the goblins gave you could pass for Muggle clothes easy enough, so that won't be a problem. First stop, there are some Muggle fiction series I think you might enjoy." He said as they walked. "First though, have you read about or heard about Apparition at some point while at Hogwarts last year?"
About a half hour and a very uncomfortable first side-along for Harry ("I'm never doing that again!"), later, Severus was leading him into a Muggle bookstore and was practically dragging him over to the books he thought Harry might be interested in. If he wasn't, well, he tried and Harry would then be free to run wild to find something he was interested in. They naturally sent Hedwig to fly ahead to the Longbottom Manor. They couldn't exactly take her around a Muggle shopping mall after all.
When they got to where Severus wanted to go, Harry went straight for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Severus smiled slightly and passed him the Hobbit.
"You might want to read this before you get into those." He recommended. "A few things in those might make a bit more sense if you know who they are talking about and what the events were." Harry nodded his thanks and went back to browsing.
In the end, they walked out with the Lord of the Rings, Tom Sawyer, the Chronicles of Narnia, and a few others Harry thought looked interesting or remembered seeing in the school library the few times he snuck in. Harry also happened to grab a few biographies and scientific books. "Just because I'm a wizard and can do things science says can't exist, doesn't mean I can't keep up with it, I mean, they've discovered things that wizards don't seem to be able to explain, simply because they don't want to pay attention to something so Muggle. Maybe if they paid more attention to genetics, there wouldn't be so much inbreeding." He explained. He also grabbed a math workbook so he could make an attempt at keeping up with his Muggle studies.
Besides, he had a lot of money to keep track of now! Sure, Sharpaxe was doing most of the work, but he didn't want to be lazy and not know what he had simply because he couldn't add up all those numbers.
After a quick stop for a few more Muggle clothes, mostly stuff to train or lounge around the house in plus underwear, and new shoes, Severus apparated them back to the Leaky Cauldron, where they finally flooed to the Longbottoms.
Since Harry never flooed before, Severus went with him so he wouldn't get lost. The last thing he needed right now was Harry ending up somewhere like... Borgin and Burkes, or the Malfoys by accident.
When they arrived, Harry was so busy looking around in amazement that he didn't notice the little elf appear. "Can I be's helping you, sirs?" He squeaked.
"Yes, tell Madam Longbottom that Harry Potter and Severus Snape are here. She should be expecting us." Severus said smoothly.
"Oh, yes sirs, we is. We is just finishing Mr. Harry's room. I be's getting Mistress." The elf popped back out just as Mipsy popped in.
"The trunk kitchen be's stocked with food." She reported happily, glad to have someone to make reports to and inform that the job was finished. All the Potter elves she oversaw were overjoyed that the Young Master had been found again, the Manor was sparkling more than it ever had when Master Charlus and Mistress Dorea were still alive. Even though she told them Young Master might not visit the Manor for a while.
Harry smiled at her, "Thanks Mipsy." She beamed. It felt good to be thanked for her work again.
Just then Augusta and Neville Longbottom walked in. "Hi Harry." Neville said, smiling shyly.
"Hey Neville! How's your summer been so far?" Harry asked the other boy.
"Great! I got some new plants for my Greenhouse, do you want to see them later?" He asked eagerly, all signs of the shy boy Harry knew was gone. Until he noticed Severus behind Harry, anyway. He squeaked, "P-p-professor! I d-didn't, um, didn't see you t-there." He stuttered.
Severus grimaced mentally, he knew he scared the boy, but was it really this bad? Out loud, he said, "No problem, Mr. Longbottom, perhaps later you can help Harry set up his lab's greenhouse?" He suggested, Neville's eyes widened before he nodded. Severus nodded too, "I'm just dropping Harry off, but before I go, I would like to help organize his ingredients, and I would like to speak with you, Madam Longbottom, before I go as well." He said, turning to Augusta, who had been watching the boys interact with a soft smile on her face that was rarely seen. So far, she seemed to have decided to ignore the fact that Harry was completely ignoring her, a complete breach of etiquette.
She nodded and moved to say something, until she noticed Mipsy tugging on Harry's pant leg. When he looked down, he was confused for a moment as to why she was looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes before he remembered that Sharpaxe told her to ask Madam Longbottom if she could stick around and take care of him. He gestured for her to go ahead and ask, not quite sure why she seemed to be asking for permission.
She stepped forward with her head held high, "I's being Mipsy, I's the Potter Head Elf. I being wanting to stay with Young Master, I is not seeing him for so long." Her ears drooped again with her sadness over not being able to take care of Harry all these years. Harry put a hand on her head, between her ears.
Augusta and Neville were confused. "How are you not seeing him for a long time?" She asked gently.
"Magic be hiding the Young Master! Potter elves not be finding him since Master James and Mistress Lily being killed by bad wizard!" She wailed. Harry dropped to the floor beside her and wrapped an arm around her, trying to calm her down, but not knowing what to do. Men and a woman's tears don't mix.
Augusta smiled at the little elf. "If you want to stay you are more than welcome to. I will inform Moppy that you will be primarily taking care of our guest."
Mipsy bowed slightly in gratitude before she reached up and snatched Harry's 'pouch of stuff' from his belt. "Where be Young Master's room?" She asked, still drying her eyes.
"Moppy!" Augusta called in response, "Show Mipsy here to Mr. Potters room, she will be taking care of her Master while he is here. After you show her the room, show her where everything is." She instructed when the elf appeared. She turned back to Mipsy and Harry, "Moppy is the Longbottom Head Elf, he will take care of her." She assured Harry.
Harry nodded before he had a thought. "Hey, Mipsy, let me organize my trunk how I want it ok? But if you want to go ahead and unpack things, go ahead. And if you could put the family books in their cases?" He asked. She nodded eagerly, "I cans do that." She said before popping out with Moppy.
Augusta nodded in approval of how Harry dealt with his House-elf before motioning for everyone to follow her. "It is good to finally meet you, Mr. Potter, however, from what little... Griphook told me, there was a... problem, with your last residence? He did not tell me what though." She barely refrained from calling him Prince, he had also told her that the Goblins wanted as few things distracting Harry before the next Wizengamot session as possible.
Harry turned red before mumbling something. Severus laid a hand on his shoulder before speaking. "That is part of what I need to speak with you about later."
She frowned, but nodded. Then, Neville noticed that Harry looked uncomfortable about something. "Harry? What's wrong?" He asked.
Harry looked over at him before he glanced at the adults, he almost seemed confused about something when he glanced between Neville and his grandmother before he shook his head and asked, "It's... well... House-elves. I met one a few weeks ago who was, well... he was pretty beat up. He was trying to warn me about something, and said he would have to iron his hands or something later as punishment, and then when we were at the bank, er-" He glanced up at Severus, he really wasn't sure what to call the man, and he hadn't got up the courage to ask yet.
"Call me Severus when not in class, Harry. If you wish to call me 'uncle' when you are ready, you may." Severus said softly. "After all, you used to call me, 'Unca Sevvy'."
Neville stared at the Potions Professor in shock. He felt like his world just exploded like his cauldrons always seemed to.
Harry smiled. "Well... Severus, mentioned something about a bond? And then we come here, and Mipsy won't even ask your gran a question without asking permission... what... exactly is a House-elf?" He asked quietly, not sure if he was allowed to ask questions here. He certainly hadn't at the Dursley's.
"Hm, well, House-elves are servants. Hermione might call them slaves though. See, they are bound to their families, for life. They have to listen and obey or the bond will hurt them, Muggleborns have, in the past, tried to stop House-elf 'slavery', but they never do their research properly. Because if they did, they would know that House-elves NEED the bond, they need a family to serve. Without the bond, without being able to use their magic like they do around the house, their magic gets out of control. They have very powerful magic, and the bond helps temper that. Without the bond, their magic would go out of control and they would die. There's more to it, of course, but that is basically it." Neville said, while his grandmother watched proudly.
Harry nodded slowly. That made sense. "Not all House-elves are treated well, that's why the protection is there." Neville finished.
"Protection?" Harry asked.
"What I told you about in Sharpaxe's office, about how the bond weakens the more a wizard hurts his elf. If Dobby wasn't so terrified, he could break free at any time and nothing would happen, that's how weak the bond is, and the bond with his current family would still keep his magic in check until he finds himself a new one. If he shows up again, ask him to come see me about it." Severus said. Harry nodded.
By this point, they had reached what was to become Harry's room for the summer. "Here you go, dear, this is your room, Neville is just down the hall, and I am upstairs." Augusta said as she pushed the door open and stood back to let Harry see.
Judging by the look on his face, it wasn't what he was expecting.
Harry was shocked.
This room was huge! They were really going to put him somewhere like this?
He was frozen to the spot, and his jaw might as well have been on the floor. He barely registered a hand on his back gently moving him forward.
The room itself was huge and airy. It was painted a light green, with plants in the corners. The bed was a queen size, with dark green covers and what Harry guessed was the Longbottom coat of arms. Harry's trunk was already sitting at the foot of it, and the library symbol was glowing, letting him know somebody was in there, probably just Mipsy unpacking his books and putting the family ones in their cases.
There was a large floor to ceiling window along one wall, a large bookshelf and desk along another, and two doors on the third. Covering the window were light, airy dark blue drapes, and the wood of the furniture was a nice medium dark wood that looked perfect with the lighter greens.
How could they give someone like him a room like this?
"There is a bathroom through here," She said, moving to open one of the doors off to the side. "You will find everything you need in here. Dinner is in an hour, I will leave you to get settled, Neville, will you help him and the professor with his lab?" She asked. Neville froze for a minute before he slowly nodded his head, a terrified look in his eyes. Severus just sighed, did he really terrify the boy THIS much?
"Very well, I will be back in time to remind you three of dinner." The stern woman said before she left the room.
"Shall we?" Severus asked the boys, sweeping an arm out towards the trunk. "Don't forget to grant us permission, Harry. I'm not interested in finding out what kind of wards a former Curse-Breaker and Ward-Master is capable of."
Harry nodded before he put his finger on the cauldron, thinking about his access wards like Jack told him to and granting Severus and Neville permission to enter. When he opened the lid, he went down the ladder, "You have access right now. Although as soon as you leave, I will have to grant you access again before you can come back in." He called when he noticed the two were still standing up top.
In the lab, Severus looked around and nodded in satisfaction. Although he frowned when he noticed an owl perch in the corner for Hedwig. "You do know, she cannot be in here when you are brewing, correct? Even with the air filtration system in place, the fumes would be too much for an owl." Severus said, gesturing to the perch.
"Huh? Oh, Jack put separate wards up around that area, he said they won't interfere with the potions. Basically, he said the air in those areas would always be fresh, no fumes get can past those wards." He frowned. "Unless, of course, the wards somehow fail, but Jack knows what he's doing, so..." Harry shrugged.
Severus went over towards the corner and reached with his magic. Huh. Those were some heavy duty air-filtration wards. Normally using such strong wards was inadvisable near brewing potions, but these looked to be set up using Rune Sets. Then he narrowed his eyes, he didn't remember him or Harry adding those wards or an owl perch to their order. And he had a feeling that all the compartments except for the clothes space had a perch in it just for Hedwig. These perches were well made, too.
He shook his head. Considering how little Jack had asked for the trunk and even then that was only because Harry demanded that he wasn't going to take it without paying, he really shouldn't be surprised that Jack added in a couple of things they hadn't thought of themselves. Like somewhere for Hedwig to perch.
"Which door is the ingredients storage?" He asked, turning to the two doors inside the lab.
"The one with plant leaves above it." Harry said, pointing above the doorways.
When Severus looked up, he saw two small plaques above the doorways, one decorated with plants, another decorated with a small set of vials. He nodded in appreciation, Jack clearly went all out.
Generally, in trunk lab spaces like this, there was simply a brass nameplate labeling the doors, these were gold-plated, with the designs drawn out in silver to make them stand out and shine.
Yeah, despite Harry's insistence paying, he still walked away with the thing practically for free. This trunk was worth at least a thousand with all the extras Jack put into it, on top of the extras that were actually requested.
Behind him, Neville whistled and asked Harry how much he paid for all this.
"I paid 250, and that was after I had to force Jack into telling me how much he wanted for it." Harry said proudly.
Neville choked. There was no way all this thing was worth was 250! This thing was custom, which meant the STARTING price would have been 600! He opened his mouth to say something as they followed their professor into the storage room, but felt a hand on his shoulder before he could. When he looked around, the professor was giving him a warning glare that promised detentions for the rest of the year if he said anything about the low price. He slowly closed his mouth and shivered when the professor removed his hand and turned his attention to the satchel containing all the ingredients they got that day for the lab.
Severus picked up the satchel and looked around, pleased with what he saw. Jack obviously knew what he was doing when building these compartments. He hadn't known what to expect when Jack told them it would only take two hours to do six compartments, but it hadn't been the level of craftsmanship he'd already seen in both the library and here.
"Alright, pay attention you two. Some of these ingredients should never be mixed unless its part of the recipe. The only way they can be safely mixed even then is because of the other ingredients that neutralize them or form a buffer between them." He said, opening the satchel and starting to empty its contents onto the table sitting off to the side. With that, he started his lecture on which ingredients were to never be mixed on the shelves, and which ones should be grouped together on the shelves. Basically, he grouped them together based on what kind of conditions they needed to be stored in to prolong the shelf life as long as possible. Some items, like the bezoar, never really went bad, but others would eventually. He walked them through which ingredients did best when stored in cool environments, which ones were best in hot and dry environments, and which ones were somewhere in between. Because those ones would go in the middle of the shelving.
During this, both Harry and Severus were amazed. It was like Neville was a completely different person. They were having an impromptu potions lesson, and he wasn't nervous or tense at all. "Mr. Longbottom, why are you not this relaxed in class with me?" Severus finally asked.
Neville stiffened for a moment before he continued sorting the plant ingredients based on how they should be grouped. "Um, well..." He glanced at Harry, who nodded encouragingly, "In class, you terrify me. Your always sweeping around, snapping and snarling, and, well..." He trailed off. "It makes me nervous, and then I forget what I'm doing, and I've never been able to figure potions out in the first place."
Severus nodded. "The reason I am like that in class, is because Potions is the most dangerous subject at Hogwarts. Yes, I realize that Charms and Transfiguration have their own dangers, but there, if you make a mistake, Minerva or Filius can easily counter it and it only affects you. In potions, you make a mistake and blow up the potions, you could injure everybody in the room, depending on what stage you were at with your potion. Once we get to the more complicated potions in coming years, mistakes could potentially kill other students. The reason I am even harder on the Gryffindors, is because I have a role to play. I won't go into details, but people, especially most of the Slytherins and their parents, expect a certain attitude from me. Even the Headmaster expects it of me." He sighed. "I have to play my role if I expect to be able to protect my godson." He said determinedly, making himself busy by hanging dried herbs and plants from the ceiling, not looking at either boy.
"Which means that you will have to go back to 'hating' me during the year in class." Harry said slowly.
"Yes."
Harry nodded. He had expected as much, really. As soon as Severus let slip his comment about 'the other Death Eaters' in the bank when they were talking about why Severus treated Harry the way he did during the year. "Are we still going to be able to do tutoring sessions? If your being watched like that." Harry said in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone, focusing his attention on the jars in front of him.
Severus snorted. "Getting away from a bunch of students for a bit and disappearing won't be a problem." He said, dropping a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezing before he started double checking that the boys had the ingredients grouped properly and the proper charms were in place over the shelving. He nodded when it was done. "Good job, boys. Mr. Longbottom, try to relax in class. You getting tense and nervous only makes things worse. You did a good job here. You clearly know the ingredients, when making potions, just focus on your knowledge of Herbology when handling the plant ingredients. Unfortunately, during class, I will have to go back to my, 'snapping and snarling' as you put it."
Neville nodded and hesitated. "Thank you, sir. I never really thought about combining Herbology with Potions. I'll try it." Severus nodded, then he pulled out a parchment and started the list of ingredients that would be raised in the Greenhouse area. When he was done, he handed it to Neville, considering Herbology and plants were practically Neville's life.
Suddenly, Harry felt somebody outside his trunk through the wards. He cocked his head, "I think your gran is outside the trunk, Neville." He said.
Neville frowned, "How do you know that?" He asked.
"The wards."
"Oh."
"It must be time for dinner, then." Severus said as he herded the boys out of the storage room and back up the ladder.
"Dinner is ready. Are you going to be able to stay, Master Snape? Or do you need to go?" She asked.
He shook his head, "I can stay if that is alright. I still need to discuss a few things with you later if you don't mind." Severus said.
She nodded, "Of course." She said as she led them out of the room and towards the dining room, where she observed Harry hovering over his food like he thought it was going to be taken away, how Harry could barely even finish half, and after all that, she wasn't surprised when Mipsy popped in after Harry was done eating and handed him a potion that she suspected to be a Nutrient potion.
During the whole meal, Neville and Harry mostly talked while the adults listened, although Harry was reluctant in the beginning to talk a whole lot, he didn't know the rules of this place! What if he broke a rule, what would they do? He never knew what to expect from adults that weren't his aunt and uncle. Those two, he knew that if he messed up, failed to do something in time, or used accidental magic, he would be locked up in his cupboard and given even less food than usual. At school, he never knew what to expect. So much depended on the teachers moods that week, how bad punishments were going to be, or if there even was a punishment. One week, you could do something wrong and get detention, but do the same thing the next week, and you could only get ten points taken. The teachers were weird like that. The only one who was really consistent was Severus, and most of his nastiness was apparently an act.
But this was a new place, he hadn't even been told the rules yet. That, and he was extremely confused by the way Neville's gran treated Neville. Neville was her grandson, not her son, yet she treated him like a son. A little cold and distant, perhaps, but...
When the other three were done, Augusta spoke up, "Neville, why don't you go show Harry the Greenhouses before you two get ready for bed? The professor and I have a few things to talk about." She said.
Harry frowned and looked at Severus uncertainly, but he only nodded encouragingly.
Neville nodded and stood up, "Yes, Gran. Come on, Harry. I want to show you some new plants I got! I'm also pretty sure I have most of the list the professor gave me, too."
Harry overheard Augusta comment about not seeing her grandson this excited in a long time as he was pulled out of the room, with Severus watching the whole thing in amusement.
When they got out, Harry thought the Greenhouses were incredible. There were plants everywhere, there didn't seem to be much order to it either, yet it seemed like there was some sort of chaotic organization.
"As long as one plant doesn't try to strangle another, I mostly let them grow wherever, like plants should. I'm out here almost all the time taking care of them." Neville said proudly.
"Its amazing." Harry said, looking around.
Neville grinned before taking out the list Severus gave him, he started walking the rows, checking against the list they had. He already knew, of course, what he had, he just wanted to double check that he remembered right and that the plants in question were healthy enough for any cutting they took to survive being transplanted. He'd been having some problems this summer, the house-elf he'd left in charge of the Greenhouses while he was at Hogwarts hadn't known what to do beyond making sure they had enough water and the temperature stayed constant. Which was his fault, he should have made sure the elf knew what to do, but he still almost lost a few of his more valuable plants.
"Here, this is my newest, brought it in from North America, a magical Venus Fly Trap. Unlike their 'Muggle' versions, these ones can send their own equivalent of a Stunner at their victims, make it easier to catch. Don't worry, though, Gran had wards put around it so I don't get stunned every time I come in here. Magical Venus Fly Traps are rare. They can mostly be found around Ancient Ritual sites, a lot of which have been destroyed by Muggles over time. At these sites, the magic saturated the ground and air around the areas and affected every living thing nearby. And you would be amazed how many Ancient Ritual sites there are in South America. Unfortunately, South America is something of a magical preserve. Meaning, you need special licenses to be able to raise or buy anything originating there, except for potion ingredients, but..." He shrugged.
Harry was fascinated, he never heard about any of that.
Neville scowled as he tried to stun the fly trap so he could tend to it and show Harry the inside of its mouth, he had to try a few times before he actually got the spell. When he finally got it, he pulled Harry closer and opened its mouth before he sighed, "Maybe everybody else was right, maybe I am a squib. I've heard people talking about feeling a connection with their wands, but I just don't feel it."
"Isn't that your wand?"
"No, it was my dads."
"Then that's why!" Harry exclaimed. "Ollivander told me that the wand chooses the wizard. That wand never chose you, its probably fighting you every time you pick it up! And what's a squib?"
Neville looked startled, "A squib is the opposite of a Muggleborn, they are a non-magical born to magicals. So, the reason I can't do magic, is because I don't have a proper wand?"
Harry nodded. "Probably."
Neville bit his lip before he seemed to muster up courage, "I'll, uh, talk to Gran about it... sometime." He said before checking the time. "We should head in, Gran likes me to at least be in my room by ten, when I actually go to bed is my business." He said as he led Harry out and back up to the Manor, he dropped Harry off at his room, "Breakfast is usually around eight or nine, and the elves normally make something special if we have a guest overnight. Good night, Harry."
"Night, Neville."
When Harry was alone, he decided his brain was too active to go to bed just yet, so he decided he might as well go through his new clothes and sort out his old trunk with his school supplies. He thought he might keep it, and just keep it for his school stuff. All his clothes and personal stuff could stay in his new trunk. To avoid suspicion, he could show up with his new one shrunk and hidden away inside his old one, pulling it out in his dorm or something.
It was a good thing Mipsy hadn't emptied it out and gotten rid of it.
Augusta and Severus waited until the boys were gone and Severus erected a privacy ward just in case they decided to come back and listen in. Augusta raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it.
"Griphook didn't tell me much, only that he needed somewhere to stay the rest of the summer." She said, eyeing Severus. "But first, how about you explain the sudden attitude change. I was expecting Minerva or Albus to be the one bringing the boy, not you."
Severus raised an eyebrow and decided it would be beneficial to his health to explain most of what he told Harry and what happened. He didn't go into specifics, some of it was private between him and Harry, but she would get the more important details.
When he was done, she sat there quietly sipping the tea that was brought about half-way through his explanation, "Your telling me, that you are one of two appointed to be that boys godfather, and you've had to act otherwise for the past year or face Azkaban, where his other godfather is currently sitting, innocent of all crimes, despite the efforts of both you and the goblins to free him. Said other godfather also happens to have blood-adopted the boy. And that boy, the Heir to the wealthy and influential Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and who knows what other Ancient Houses, knew NOTHING of his inheritance until yesterday." She said, quietly seething. Severus nodded.
"And his home situation? I saw the way he ate." She continued after a minute of sipping her tea to calm herself. She didn't want to go off on Severus, it wasn't his fault. Although she did have to wonder why Severus hadn't gone to get the boy years ago.
"I don't know either, Griphook and Sharptooth were the ones to rescue him, they haven't told me anything yet though. All I know is what I've seen and what the Healers told me." Severus said. "He's afraid somebody will steal his food, he can barely finish half of what's in front of him, and he's on Nutrient Potions for the next three months. His growth is permanently stunted as well." Severus sighed. "He told me earlier today when we got lunch that the only medical care he has ever received since the night his parents died was the two times he ended up in the hospital wing at Hogwarts last year. Then of course, he spent last night in the Gringotts infirmary for reasons. He never got his eyes checked, so he will need to visit an oculist, and he will also need his shots. He never even got the Muggle ones. The clothes he was wearing today were given to him by the goblins after they burned the rags he used to be wearing."
She stared at him, "And what is being done about his former guardians?" She asked in a barely controlled voice. She was having to draw upon every ounce of her Pureblood upbringing to not lose control of her emotions and magic.
"As per Lily and James Will regarding the monthly stipend they received, in the event that none of that money was actually used for Harry's upbringing, which it wasn't, the guardians in question automatically forfeit any properties they own to the Potter estate along with half of their net wealth. After that, the goblins have leave to deal with them however the goblins deem fit. I believe that Sharpaxe might already have sent people to get them, and take them to the mines." Severus explained with a smirk on his face.
She nodded in approval before she looked thoughtful. "So, a visit from a human Healer is in order, as is an oculist. You already took care of his school shopping... did you get him formal attire? I'm assuming you got him a new wardrobe today if all he had was rags." Severus nodded. "He will also need to be taught as much as I can about legal procedure and Pureblood etiquette, he will be going before the Wizengamot session in two weeks..." She said thoughtfully. He nodded.
"Alright then. Is that all?" She asked.
"Yes," Severus said as he checked the time. "I should be going. Albus gets in a strange mood when I'm gone from the castle too long without telling him, and I've been gone all day, plus most of yesterday."
She nodded and stood up, leading the way back to the floo. "I will be back in a few days, if that is alright, to deliver his Nutrient Potions, the goblin Healers only gave him enough for the week, I'm told they knew I would want to make his personally, its well known that I don't trust potions that are not mine." Severus said before stepping in the fireplace.
She nodded, "That's fine. I will see you in a few days then."
When he was gone, she sighed and stood there for a few minutes before she turned to check on the boys before she went to bed herself, it was after midnight after all.
When she opened Harry's door, all she saw on the bed was a lump in the middle of a lot of pillows. Did she even want to know where they all came from? It looked like he tried to build a... what did Muggles call it? A fort? It looked like he tried to build one of those to sleep in the middle of. Before she closed the door, a beautiful snowy owl flew in and landed on top of the lump, nestling down before turning to stare at her. She narrowed her eyes at the bird. "Normally," she whispered, "Owls aren't allowed in the manor itself. Keep that in mind, pretty one." She warned before she closed the door softly.
She didn't see Hedwig ruffle her feathers and preen over her victory. She also didn't hear Harry quietly asking Hedwig to behave, that the Longbottoms were being generous in taking them in when they didn't have to.
The next three days were busy for Harry. His first morning there, Augusta received a letter from Sharpaxe requesting her and the boys presence in Conference Room three at Gringotts in two days, on the thirteenth.
After breakfast, Neville and Harry spent most of the morning getting cuttings and moving them to Harry's trunk. After that was done, they spent the rest of the morning with Augusta helping them set up the lab and the afternoon was spent with Augusta holding Harry's first 'Pureblood lesson', as Harry called it.
The next two days went much the same way, the mornings spent with one or both Longbottoms helping Harry organize his trunk compartments, followed by Pureblood lessons and getting his summer homework done. On the morning of the visit to Gringotts, Augusta had a home visit from an oculist scheduled, she figured it was safer if Harry went out into public as little as possible right now.
"Good morning, Madam Longbottom, Heir Longbottom, how are you today?" The oculist, a Prewitt by the name of Albert, asked them both.
"We are well, thank you. Your patient is this way." She said as she led him through to the dining room, she had decided that it would be polite if she provided a larger surface for him to use if he needed it, and the length of the dining room table would certainly provide him that.
"Excellent, anything you can tell me now, so I know what to look for in particular?" He asked as he
followed.
"Yes, for one, the patient is Harry Potter. For another, he has never been to an oculist, not even a Muggle one, and has been going around with the wrong prescription glasses since who knows when he got them."
Albert choked on air when he heard the name, but when he heard the problem, he returned to his professional behavior. "That's not good, hm, there is a potion that can hopefully heal most of the damage caused by having the wrong prescription, but without knowing how bad his eyes were before receiving those glasses, I can't say for sure. It wouldn't be able to heal all of it anyway, potions are amazing and can do amazing things, but they can't solve everything." He said. Then he paused. "I'm having a hard time coming up with a reason for him never seeing an oculist before now, though."
Augusta shrugged as she opened the door to the dining room, "All I've been told is that his Muggle guardians were not suitable and are now, or soon will be, having their stay in the goblin mines."
He raised an eyebrow and decided not to ask. "Ah, Mr. Potter, how are you?" He asked the boy sitting at the table looking nervous.
"Fine, sir." Harry said in a small voice. He really didn't know what to expect. He'd only ever been seen by a medical professional three times in his life, after all. One of them hadn't even been human!
Albert nodded and placed his bag on the table, which he tapped before turning to Harry, "Take off your glasses for me?" When he had them, he tapped the lenses with his wand, noting the fact that they were literally being held together with a strange mixture of magic and tape. Turning, he wrote down the prescription of the lenses Harry was wearing before he turned to his now open bag, picking up a small mirror, "Keep your head here and look at the ceiling for me." He said as he gently held Harry's head where he wanted it, so that Harry had to roll his eyes upwards. He lit his wand tip and held the mirror under Harry's eyes against his cheek bones. He frowned. He did not like what he saw. He hadn't seen eyes this bad in someone so young in a long time, the pupils weren't dilating properly... another couple of years like this and he might be blind. Luckily this was somewhat reversible. And when he was older and his eyes were settled, there were procedures he could go through to undo the damage, the wizarding version of lasic surgery.
"Neville, would you go show Master Snape through? He has the rest of Harry's nutrient potions." Augusta quietly told Neville in the background.
"Roll your eyes to your left, good... now to the right... alright, down." Albert said. He frowned again. He hadn't even done anything yet to figure out the boys prescription, and he was already angry over how bad his eyes were. "Well, you are severely near-sighted." At Harry's confused look, he conjured up a replica of the eye, "In order for you to see, light passes through this lens here," He pointed to it, "And goes to the back of the eye to hit the retina's, nerves then take that information to the brain, I uh, happened to go to Muggle University to study alongside my apprenticeship." He said to Harry's questioning look at the fact that the was explaining this scientifically like he imagined a Muggle doctor would. "To be near-sighted, means that the light isn't hitting the lens correctly, and therefore is actually coming up short on its way to the retina.*"
During his explanation, none of them noticed Neville bringing Severus back into the room.
"Now, the right prescription can redirect the light so it hits the lens correctly, letting the light hit the retina correctly. I have to say, if you had been given the right prescription years ago when you first started having trouble seeing distance, your eyes would not be this bad. Look straight ahead at this chart for me." He said as he set up a Muggle eye test chart on the far wall and pointed his wand between Harry's eyes, making him go cross-eyed to keep the wand in view, "Try to ignore the wand, and look straight ahead... alright, just relax and try not to blink too much." He said as he started running spells to determine Harry's prescription. When he got it, he wrote it down next to what his current glasses was and frowned. That was a huge difference. On a scale of one to ten, his glasses were a two while his eyes were a six.
"Yes, I think the potion will be needed in this case... do you perhaps, oh, Master Snape, I wasn't expecting to see you, but it is good you are here. I need an eye potion, of this strength." He said as he passed the details over to Severus, who looked at it with a raised eyebrow before nodding.
"This should only take fifteen minutes... May I use your lab, Madam Longbottom?" He asked.
She nodded, "Neville, why don't you show Master Snape where it is?" He nodded and again left the room.
"While he does that, why don't you go ahead and pick out some new frames?" Albert suggested after pulling out a small case and unshrinking it before opening to show a collection of empty glasses frames. "And here is a list of charms I can put on the frames as well, they all come with unbreakable charms on them, as well as anti-summoning charms, so you will not have to worry about them being summoned right off your face as somebodies idea of a sick joke. Honestly, it is not funny suddenly being blinded because somebody thought it was funny to steal your glasses." He busied himself with getting some lenses out and ready to put into the frames. A few minutes later, Harry had a black wire-frame pair picked out, along with a spare set that was gold.
Albert nodded and fixed some lenses into them right when Severus came in with the potion. "Alright, then. Harry, if you could drink that, and keep your eyes closed for a few minutes afterwards while it works... good. Now, did you decide on any additional charms to add to your frames? Or do you want to leave it with just the unbreakable and anti-summoning?"
"I think I'll leave it." Harry answered.
"Ok," He said as made sure the chart was still where it needed to be. "Its been a few minutes, open your eyes slowly, let them adjust. Good. Now, look at the chart again." He ran his spells again, grinning when he had the results. His eyes went from the six, down to a four. He turned to the pairs of glasses Harry picked out and started tapping the lenses to get them the right prescription. He also charmed them to be auto-correcting.
"Here you go, Mr. Potter." He said as he handed the black pair to Harry, who put them on and started looking around in wonder, who knew the world could be so clear? "Now, those are charmed to be auto-correcting, meaning they will automatically change with your eyes, however, those charms will only last for two years, maximum. Which means, in two years, call me or another oculist for another appointment to get a new prescription if needed." Albert said as packed his bag again. Harry nodded, still looking around in wonder.
"I will show you to the floo." Augusta said. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I didn't want
to let him run around with those things on any longer than I had to." She said as they walked.
"No problem, madam. It was my pleasure to help out." Albert said with a smile.
She smiled too and nodded when they reached the floo. "Give this to Gringotts, they will ensure the proper amount is transferred from my vault to yours." She said, handing him the slip of parchment, granting him authorization to take the amount written out of her vaults for services rendered. The matter of who would pay the oculist had caused quite the problem between her and Harry yesterday, she hadn't even considered letting him pay, it was her job as his temporary guardian to pay for things like basic medical needs after all, but apparently he really didn't understand the concept of children not supposed to be providing for themselves.
Once he was gone, probably off to his next appointment, she went back to the dining room, where she saw Severus and Harry talking about Harry's past few days at Longbottom Manor.
She clapped her hands to get their attention. "Come along, we have a meeting at Gringotts to get to." She announced once they were all looking at her. The boys in the room all nodded and got up to follow her back to the floo room, Augusta had a feeling this was going to be an interesting meeting.
*I am extremely near-sighted. However, if I happened to get any part of this wrong, I apologize now.