Chapter Four: Poppy and the Council
Severus stood for a long time in the kitchen after he placed the glass in the sink. He was thinking of what to do next with Harry. In the morning, he would have to take Harry to Poppy. Once there, the two of them, Poppy and Severus, would have to test Harry to see which parts of him were still human, or, how human were his still remaining human parts. The next thing that needed to be done was for Harry to see the Vampire Council, they needed to know who Harry was and that he was staying with Severus. After figuring out the details of how to go about the next day, Severus, too, went to bed.
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The next morning, after Severus helped Harry feed again, the two of them went to the Infirmary to see Poppy. The walk over was mainly in silence. Harry was still a little in shock towards his new situation, while Severus was simply quiet because he isn't one to speak when no speaking needs to be done.
Once in the Infirmary, Poppy guided Harry to a bed and had him sit down. Then she and Severus took out their wands. Harry instantly looked nervous when he saw that the wands were being pointed at him. But Severus quickly managed to quell Harry's fears and the morning was fairly uneventful.
Poppy and Severus discovered that Harry's aging processes had yet to slow down, on other words, he was still aging as a normal human. They couldn't tell if this would continue, or if it would stop at some point in the future, though. The other thing that they discovered was that, indeed, as Severus had noticed the night before, Harry's fangs were smaller than they should be, however, they also found that they had grown a little. Poppy decided that that wouldn't be an issue for Harry, and that eventually his fangs would reach full size and he would be able to hunt as normal.
In Harry's opinion, the exam ended none too quickly. He jumped off the bed as soon as he could. Severus led him out of the Infirmary with a small smile on his face; Poppy was openly grinning at Harry's behaviour. Then Severus led Harry back down to their quarters. This time with Severus telling Harry about what they would be doing that afternoon.
"Harry," Severus began, and Harry could tell that this topic would be quite serious, "Vampires have their own set of laws. Laws about marriage and bonding, property, feeding, and... the siring of new Vampires--"
Harry interrupted, "Like what you did to me? Is that what you're talking about?"
Severus nodded, "Yes, Harry, like what I did to you. Siring a new Vampire is simply another term for turning." Harry nodded his understanding, so Severus continued, "There is a group who enforces the laws, the group is known as the Vampire Council. They are a group of Vampires who are well versed in our laws, and they carry out the laws. Part of their job is knowing how many Vampires are out there, and who turned the new ones. Every new Vampire has to come before the Council, with their sire, to show themselves. This way we can keep track of our numbers, and also of our family lines."
Again, Harry interrupted. "Family lines?" he echoed.
"Yes," replied Severus, "family lines of the Vampires are very much like those of wizarding families, but of course, those Dursleys would not have told you anything of your culture." Severus stopped to sigh, he had to quell the urge to glare at the thought of the Muggles with whom Harry had spent the last six years with.
"Look, we're here now. Sit down, I'll get us something to drink, and then I'll try to explain it all to you, all right, Harry?" Severus said as the pair approached the portrait of Salazar Slytherin guarding the entrance to Severus' and Harry's chambers.
Harry nodded and replied, "Okay." After they entered their rooms, Harry went to the main living area to sit down and wait for Severus to return. A few moments later, Severus came out of the kitchens with a tea pot and two cups. After the tea was poured, Severus restarted his explanation.
"In Wizarding Society, there are several types of magic wielders. The categories are based on blood and are older than Hogwarts itself. First, there are the Purebloods--magic wielders born to two magic wielders. Then there are the Muggle-born--those who are born to two Muggles, as your mother was. A third category is that of the Half-bloods, magic wielders born to one Muggle and one magic wielder. There are several interim categories, but those come and go as the years pass. In addition to those types of magic-wielders, there are also those who are born to a witch and a wizard, yet they cannot use magic. We call them Squibs. They, however, are rather inconsequential at the moment, and have nothing to do with our current topic," Severus paused to take a sip of his tea before continuing. He could tell that Harry was already bursting with questions, but he knew that this would probably be easier if he could simply give the entire explanation without pausing to answer questions.
Severus went on, "Now then, of the Purebloods, there are a few family lines who remain 'untainted' by Muggle blood. These families are all very old, probably dating back further than even the Founders--"
Harry couldn't help himself, he had to ask the question, so he did, "The Founders? Who were they?" he asked, then he quickly looked down as if he were afraid of being struck for interrupting.
Severus looked mildly annoyed, but the question only served to remind Severus just how little Harry knew of his new world. He resolved to fix that as soon as possible, but for now, they needed to get this conversation out of the way. "The Founders are the four magic-wielders who founded Hogwarts. Two witches and two wizards, but we'll leave them for another day, hmm?"
Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry in a questioning glance before continuing, "At any rate, these families are well-known in the wizarding world, and they tend to make up the backbone of wizarding society, as nearly all purebloods are related in some way or form. Family is important to them, and as such they can trace their family lines all the way back to when they started, for the most part, anyway.
"At any rate, Vampire family lines are like that. We do have families, you know. Here, however, is where it gets more than a little tricky. A newly sired Vampire is counted as the next in the family line of the one who turned him. However, there are cases where the Vampire who did the turning is unknown, as in my case. When that occurs, the wizarding line is moved over and counted as a new family line. I am not the first Snape, but I am the first of the Vampiric Snape line. You, Harry Potter, are the second of that line. As such, you will receive a new name. Henry Alexander Potter-Snape. Since you are the only heir to the Potter line, another old Wizarding family, we cannot drop the Potter name. However, I must add my own family to yours. Do you understand, Harry?" Severus finished his rather complicated explanation and hoped that he had made it simple enough for Harry to understand.
Harry thought it over. Slowly, he nodded his head. "Yes, I think so, Severus," he said Severus' name shyly.
Severus smiled at the young boy. "Excellent!" he praised, "Now, this afternoon we must visit the Vampire Council. You need to be accounted for. They need to know who you are, that I turned you, and that I am, indeed, caring for you."
Harry nodded, "I understand."
Severus smiled again. "Good," he said, "Now, how does lunch sound to you? Then we will go to the Council."
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That afternoon, Severus guided Harry through the use of the Floo and soon enough they found themselves in a cave in a hidden part of Ireland. Severus helped Harry up after the latter managed to fall through the floo network--despite traveling with Severus. The two vampires were greeted by a hovering sphere.
The sphere looked the two over and said something to Severus that Harry could not understand. He watched as Severus conversed with the sphere for several moments. Then the sphere took off, leaving Harry looking at Severus with an inquisitive expression.
"Greeter," explained Severus briefly, "someone will soon be down to take us to where we need to be."
Just then, a female vampire stepped into the room. She glanced briefly at Harry, and then looked again when she saw how young he was. Her eyes widened briefly with surprise, and she sent a questioning look towards Severus. Severus ignored her look and simply gave her a pointed look. She nodded and began to walk away with Severus not two steps behind her. Harry hurried to follow them.
Harry and Severus ended up deep in the cavern, there they were left by their guide. Severus walked forward, holding Harry's hand to pull him along. Finally, they reached a point where the lamps flared on and before them was a long table with seven seats on it. Behind the table, a door suddenly opened and out filed the enigmatic Vampire Council.
Harry watched with wide eyes as the seven Vampires filed into the room and sat down. After the Vampires were all seated, Severus bowed before them and said, "My lords." Then he shoved Harry lightly to indicate that he should do the same, so Harry repeated his gesture, albeit a little clumsily.
"Severus Snape," greeted the Vampire seated at the centre of the table. Harry couldn't see his face, actually, he couldn't see what any of the Vampire's looked like as they all had their hoods up. "What business do you have before us today?"
Severus pulled Harry in front of him and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders. "My lord, I have come to register this young one as the next member of my family line. I turned him a week ago."
"One so young, Severus? That is unheard of," said a Vampire seated on the left end of the table.
Severus bowed his head in a respectful nod. "Yes, my lord," he said, "We had no choice, the boy would have died..."
Despite the fact that he could not see the Vampire's face, Severus was certain the being was frowning at his response. "Severus, we do not interefere lightly..."
"My lord," Severus inclined his head in an acknowledging bow, "the boy is... important... He is Harry Potter."
Silence ruled the room after Severus' grave announcement. Finally, the Vampire nodded. "Ah," he said in a knowing tone, "this does place a different perspective on matters. Very well then. We accept him as your heir. What is to be his name?"
Severus glanced at Harry. Harry looked up at him with a nervous expression, but Severus' expression was reassuring so he nodded slightly. Severus looked back to the Council. "Henry Alexander Potter-Snape," he replied surely.
This way, Severus had decided, Harry would be able to keep some of his name yet be able to hold onto the Snape name as well, because, well, they had to face it: Harry Snape simply didn't fit.
Harry looked up at Severus after the man's pronouncement and gave the man a small smile. Severus squeezed Harry's shoulder reassuringly. The Vampire Council noticed the actions and glanced amongst themselves knowingly.
"Well, Severus," said a female voice--she hadn't spoken before, "It appears as if you and young Harry have already formed a relationship."
Severus glared at her for noticing, and she chuckled lightly. "Hold, Severus," she said calmly but with a warning in her tone, "I meant nothing by it. In truth, I believe that this will be good for the both of you."
Severus' glare softened and he nodded once, shortly at the Vampire. "My apologies," he murmured.
Then the lead Vampire spoke up again, "Severus, go now, take your child and teach him our ways. We will meet again in ten years to check on his progress."
Severus nodded again and bowed. "My lords," he said, "I thank you." Then he took Harry by the hand and led him out saying, "Come, Harry."
