Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created by JK Rawling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Thank you to Annie Evans, athenakitty, jabarber69, xOx Stephanie xOx, LupeInDarkness, japanese-jew, lady sakura cosmos, Mikee, enchantedlight, ccrawley10, jackhea, esmerelda, Ookami Kage, godessa39, wolvfbfn, Dhana, Jamie46, kdalemama, lethelynn, King Dimension, bandgsecurtijaw, Zafaran, Jewelclaw Lady of the Wind, Shadowed Rains, jumping-jo, Cataclysmic, 80286, Jennijah, Silver Shadow Apparition, Gryffindors, E.A.V, Lyla Snape, writerlover101, Storyreader102, Arica, Princess of Rivendell, rayvern, firelegs, Serabi-warrior 88, and Louis IX for reviewing and for your encouragement to continue this story. CBeMe
I am sorry it has taken me so long to update, classes have been taking up all my time. Only one more week until Christmas break though!
Innocence Lost
By CBeMe
Chapter 3
The Truth Shall Set You Free
Or I am Harry Potter
Harry felt like he had been asleep for weeks. Grogginess held him as though he had slept too much.
"Sarek," a voice called. "Sarek, wake up."
The last few times he aroused he remembered a blurry person who smelled a lot like the infirmary at Hogwarts fussing over him before handing him potions to drink. He thought they helped, each time he woke he felt a little bit better.
"Sarek, it is time for you to wake up," the voice insisted.
He didn't know 'Sarek' but if he was as tired as Harry himself, he thought they should let him sleep.
"Wake up dear," the voice now seemed to be addressing him.
Pulling himself reluctantly back to consciousness, Harry blinked the sleep out of his eyes and focused on the sharp featured woman sitting beside him on the couch.
"Good. How are you feeling, Sarek?" asked the woman.
Harry could see the room clearly. He reached to his face checking for his glasses. "My name is Harry, Ms.," he stated pulling himself into a sitting position. "Harry Potter. Did you fix my eyesight?"
"You will find many things different," said the woman handing him a mirror.
His careless look into the glass changed into a steady stare. His eyes were no longer green, his hair was neat, and he looked like a kid!
"What did you do to me?" he demanded indignantly. "Great Merlin, I even sound different!"
"I did nothing Sarek. Your brother came up with the plan to ensure your safety."
"I don't have a brother," insisted Harry. "Who are you, and where am I? The last thing I remember is the will reading."
"I am Salena. I am so happy to have you with me again my son," the woman stated warmly. "Your father and brother will join us soon."
"Where are we?" repeated Harry. He obviously wasn't going to get any proper answers from this woman.
"Ah yes, we are in the Ambassadors office at Gringotts."
Harry rose unsteadily to his feet and examined the room. His eyes alighted on the ambassador plaque sitting on the desk, that much of the woman's story was true. What reason the goblins would have for turning him into a child was beyond him and he imagined that there was very little that could be done within the walls of Gringotts that the goblins would not know about.
He wondered why he was still there. If he remembered correctly Professor Dumbledore had wanted to return him to the Dursleys after the reading. He had said that it was safer for everyone. The Headmaster was right, in Harry's opinion. How many people had died in Voldemorts quest to kill him? His parents, Cedric, and now his godfather Sirius. Many more deaths must have occurred that he did not know about. Everyone would be safer if he just stayed away.
It seemed his friends had finally realized that. True, an owl could not have delivered his post through the heavy wooden boards his uncle had installed over his bedroom window. But he had not even heard an attempt, not an owl hooting outside or a letter through the post flap on the front door. The padlock his uncle secured Hedwig's cage with ensured that Harry could not have broken the Headmaster's orders.
Weeks of starvation cannot be cured with a few potions and Harry soon tired. He took a seat in the leather armchair in front of the desk and looked out the window. Thinking back he could not remember ever observing windows on the Gringotts building during his strolls through Diagon Alley. This window showed a cheerful view of the street below and a new store under construction, 'Opening soon,' the sign on the front of the shop announced. Either the window was charmed or he was not, as the woman had said, in Gringotts.
"Where is Professor Dumbledore?" asked Harry hoping the answer the woman, Salena, gave him would help him discern his true situation. If he was a hostage and needed to escape, he wanted to know that fact. Perhaps something had happened when the headmaster tried to return him to the Dursleys and he had fallen into Voldemorts hands.
"I understand that he was the first to leave after the reading," answered the woman.
"You were not there?"
"The Council was summoned. I am a woman, the wife of a Council member. My presence was not requested, nor required. Your father sent for me when he realized that you were here, my son."
The situation seemed rather involved for Voldemorts work. The evil wizard usually made a big show in his attempts to kill him. De-aging his enemy, changing his features, and making up a 'family' for him, was well beyond anything Harry would expect from Voldemort. It was all very unlikely, especially after the events surrounding the Department of Mysteries fiasco.
"It seemed like a lot of people attended the reading of Sirius' will," inquired Harry.
"Yes, the full Council of Lords was present."
"Sirius said that I was a Lord."
"You are, a Lord Apparent, to be precise. You will not be able to take on your full Lordships until you become of age."
Only one more year, Harry would turn 17 the next summer making him of legal age in the wizarding world. "What is the Council of Lords?" questioned Harry. He thought he might as well get as much information as he could from the woman.
Surprise showed on the Salena's face. "You do not know? Surely they teach about our governmental system in your history class."
"No, all Professor Binns ever talks about is goblin rebellions and I sleep through most of that."
The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall interrupted their discussion. Mumbled conversation became a heated argument as the footsteps drew nearer.
"You cannot be serious! If there was a problem you would not be able to get in to help him."
"There would be questions if he did not go."
"Make up an excuse! He would be far to tempting a target to go unnoticed. What about the potions, how would you protect him from them? It could be disastrous if he were to fall under someone's control."
"As your younger brother it would not seem inappropriate if say, your parents gave you use of a family house elf upon your joyful reconciliation with them and said elf also provided meals for your family. House elves have been known to misinterpret their instructions. Something simple such as 'Look after my son's needs at Hogwarts,' should suffice," answered Lord Snape as the group entered the Ambassador's office. "It would also provide protection for you. I will be counting on you to look after the interests of the family as far as they concern Hogwarts."
Harry recognized a few of the people who entered. Red headed Bill Weasley, flushed from the argument. Alastor Moody, his fake eye hunting for dangers in the well lit room. His potions professor, Severus Snape, eyes narrowed and lips pursed into an unflattering frown.
"Hello, Griphook," Harry greeted the goblin curiously. "It is good to see you again. Bill, Professor Moody, Professor Snape."
This was not a scheme of Voldemort's invention, Harry decided. It would be impossible for the dark wizard to assemble the cooperation of such a diverse group. Two other humans and a well dressed goblin with a gold medallion around his neck led the group.
"I am surprised you recognize me, Sarek," commented Griphook. "We have not met often."
"You took me down to my vault when I was eleven. Don't you remember me? My name is Harry Potter," queried a puzzled Harry. "I guess I do look different. When will I turn back into my self?" he asked the woman still seated on the couch.
"It is permanent. We could not risk you changing back on accident, or by design," Professor Snape answered. "If father gets his way, I have no doubt your appearance will be tested for any signs of deceit."
"So they had been arguing about me," Harry thought as he examined the only wizard in the room that could conceivably have fathered the Professor. The nose was obvious, but it seemed that the younger mans had been broken a time or two. "You want me to pretend to be Snape's brother!" he exclaimed in alarm.
"No pretending is necessary. You are my brother."
Harry listened impatiently as the adults explained that he could not return to the Dursley's. The idea of never returning to that house appealed to him, it was the 'Snapes' brother,' concept that was giving him a hard time. He found the explanation about his parentage confusing at best. Born to Sendon and Salena Snape, adopted by James and Lily Potter, a second adoption to Griphook and Glade, both goblins, which would only activate with the deaths of both Potters, and finally a delayed adoption by his godfather Sirius Black that yesterday had made him Lord Apparent to the House of Black.
Somewhere in the prattle about inheritances and birthrights, Harry learned that the vault he had been withdrawing from actually belonged to Griphook and Glade who had taken responsibility for the funding of his education. He would pay them back, he decided as he debated if he had been taking too much.
The account quickly deteriorated into a squabble about the suitability of a Hogwarts education to prepare anyone for adult life in the wizarding world when Salena informed the group that Harry had no knowledge of the Council of Lords. None of this was answering the most pressing of a quickly tiring Harry Potter's questions.
"Excuse me, but I will have my sixteenth birthday in a few days and whatever you did to me has made me look like a child. How can this be corrected?"
An uneasy silence descended upon the room.
"My potions worked perfectly," the Professor snapped. "Your genes where rearranged so that you display traits from all of your parents, just in different areas and proportions than before. Likewise, there were no complications with the de-aging potion. You are now exactly five years younger that you were before. It is nearly impossible to combine those two potions but the results were absolutely flawless."
"You meant to do this?" asked Harry incredulously. "Undo it; I don't want to be ten!"
"Sarek," the elder Snape finally addressed Harry directly. "The dangers you face have grown. Albus Dumbledore knows that Harry Potter carries Snape blood. He has denied the wishes of James and Lily Potter by ignoring the instructions contained in their will. He is a powerful wizard; there is little we can do to conceal you from him. Even with your new appearance he will know who you are. The advantage of this action is that there in no possible way for him to prove that Sarek Snape is, in fact, Harry Potter."
"Couldn't he use that same potion on me again, or a counter potion?"
"No, that is the beauty of it," smirked the Professor. "The potion randomly shuffles dominant and recessive genes. A second dose of the potion would only produce yet another, different, result."
Glaring steadily at his professor, Harry slowly lifted his hand to his forehead and pushed up his fringe displaying a very recognizable lightening bolt shaped scar.
Griphook shuffled toward him. "For now," he passed his hand across Harry's forehead, "this will do. You will have to learn this magic so you can hide the scar yourself."
Harry looked in the mirror he still held in his hand. His face was unmarred. No one would suspect Harry Potter his behind the dark brown eyes staring back at him from the reflection. "Couldn't you have made me older?" he grumbled.
"You need to complete your education so we could not make you older. None of the top magical schools accept transfer students; therefore leaving you the same age was impossible," Lord Snape rattled off, his patience wearing noticeably thin. "Just accept it."
"Just accept it! You must be joking," argued Harry. "Would you just accept having to do your teenage years all over again? As if it hasn't been bad enough the first time around. You should have discussed this with me before you did it."
"He is tiring," Salena offered. "We should take him home for a nap."
"I don't need a nap."
"Penny," Salena Snape called out.
Not a second later a house elf wearing a neatly pressed, pink cotton dress appeared before the Lady.
"You have been seeing to the needs of Master Sarek Snape since his birth. You will continue to do so," Lord Snape ordered the elf.
"As Master commands," answered the elf bowing. "Young Master is tired. I will put him to bed."
"I do not need a nap!"
His objection went unheard as Harry was whisked away to the safety of Snape castle. It was the best landing Harry had endured from magical transportation. He hoped apparition was more like the house elves travel system than a portkey.
The room they arrived in, although richly appointed, looked incomplete. It was as though it had been quickly emptied of all items of a personal nature and had not yet welcomed its new owner's belongings. Not a guest room, this was meant to be a home, a shelter from the outside world, a retreat. Harry instantly loved the cherry furniture and the rich blue fabrics that decorated the room.
"Master needs bath," the elf informed him, handing him a thick white terry robe. She withdrew through a door. The sound of running water alerted Harry to the fact that he was expected to change into the robe she had provided.
Shimmying out of Dudley's hand me downs revealed Harry's ten year old self. It simply wasn't fair. He wrapped the robe tightly around his body as the pitter patter of little feet brought Penny back into the room to announce that his bath was ready.
He relished in the warm water as he lay in the large marble bathtub. Scented oils massaged his nose and eased the remaining aches in his muscles. His mind wandered as his eyes took in the elegant gold fixtures. A sharp knock on the door brought him back to the present.
"I'll just be a minute," he called as he hurriedly finished washing.
Tucked firmly under a heavy duvet by Penny, despite his protests that he was not tired, Harry's eyes started to fall shut. He struggled against his body's demands for sleep but was steadily losing when a burst of flames revealed the arrival of a magnificent phoenix. Harry smiled at the bird, wrapped his arms around the soft, feathery body that crawled up beside him, and was quickly lulled into a deep healing sleep by the phoenix's soft lullaby. As Harry slept the splendor of the phoenix faded into a speckled grey owl wearing a Gringottts crest and high security harness. Both relished in the comfort of being reunited with their friend.
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Meanwhile, back at Gringotts…
"Why cannot Sarek be tutored to complete his education?" demanded Severus.
Alberforth Dumbledore issued a soft sigh before answering. "The Lords of the Council have been attending Hogwarts since its founding. The people feel it makes them more grounded and better prepared to rule. Sarek is in a position not seen since the founding of this Council, and I have no doubt that Albus will do all in his power to limit Sarek Snape in the same way he did Harry potter. Sarek will need all the legitimacy he can achieve if he is to lead our world into a new era without throwing it into civil war.
"Despite the show of unity the Council displayed for the reading, it is in shambles. Years of inactivity have left once strong alliances nonexistent. It will take time to rebuild the Council to the strong ruling body it once was. Time Sarek can use to unite the Wizarding world under a single banner, and time for him to cement his control over his own families as well as gain the allegiance of others.
"His presence at Hogwarts will also limit Albus' control somewhat. I find it odd that the potion that was affecting you did not seem to have the same influence over Sarek. It could be the goblin blood, certainly, but I think this must be explored. Sarek may have more friends at Hogwarts than we know in which case he may be better protected than you anticipate."
"Speaking of Sarek's security at Hogwarts," Moody inquired. "What exactly are we facing and how can we best ensure his safety?"
"How is Albus explaining the disappearance of Harry Potter?" Sendon asked.
"He is claiming that Harry has run away and has the Order of the Phoenix out looking for him. He has also set Harry's friends to writing letters explaining the danger he is in away from the Dursley's house," replied Severus with no small amount of distain.
"So his friends think he has run away," pondered Sendon. "Do we know where exactly Ron and Hermione fall in all of this?"
"Hermione may have been a fortunate accident on Albus' part. A Mudblood friend would make Harry Potter undesirable to the Council ensuring that he could not gain enough support to oust Albus as leader," commented Alberforth.
"Ron is the youngest son of the Senior Secretary to the House of Black. With restrictions placed on the succession of Lords it would be interesting to know how Arthur is funding his children's education. He would have difficulty sending one child to Hogwarts on his salary from the Ministry."
Bill, who had been leaning against a bookcase taking in the conversation suddenly found himself at its center. "You are correct. It took all my father had, including a mortgage, to send me to Hogwarts. The acting Lord of Dumbledore offered assistance for my brothers' educational expenses. Charlie is paying his portion back now that he is working. Percy was granted a scholarship during his first year and has already paid what little was owed. Fred and George dropped out; I don't know what arrangements have been made on their parts. As for Ron, he was originally offered a scholarship as well as the loan. He was granted full scholarship sometime during his first year. Ginny was not offered any funding at all. I was going to pay for her, but father said to save my money so that my children would not incur such debts. Other provisions were made, but I do not know the details, only that father seemed saddened by them."
"What would make Albus prefer a scholarship situation over control thru debt?" asked Sendon.
"It might be worth your while to look into the scholarship rolls for the past hundred or so years," commented Moody. "Actually, explore the entire financial records for Hogwarts over that time. I am positive you will find them enlightening. And may I remind you that there are other means of control besides debt."
"Ron's situation needs research, but he will have little contact with Sarek anyway so I don't think he is an immediate threat. Right now I am more concerned about Fred and George. The have included Harry Potter as a partner in the store they are opening. If Albus has any influence at all over them, we need to break their connection either to Albus or to Sarek," insisted Griphook.
"The boys stood up for Harry at the Order meeting last night," mused Moody. "They might, if given the opportunity, take his side."
"Harry gave them one thousand Galleons to start their business without asking anything in return," added Bill. "I am positive they support him over Albus. They have even been refusing to join the Order, despite the obvious pressure they have been put under."
Griphook summoned a clerk to fetch Fred and George Weasley to an urgent meeting concerning their account.
As the debate moved onto the full effects of the potion Albus was using at Hogwarts, Penny returned.
"…it feels like I made up the false memories," grumbled Severus. "It's almost as if I was changed, like the other memories are from a different side of myself."
"That is correct," barked Moody. "From what I have been able to find out about the Suspicions Thoughts Potion, it simply makes you susceptible to the anchor's suggestions about what you should think. You make up the actual thoughts and memories to fit the suggestion yourself."
Severus sat down heavily.
"How are we going to keep that potion out of Sarek's food? I don't think a single house elf will do the trick. Albus will be desperate to gain control over him at any cost, if he can't get to him directly I wouldn't rule out his using another student to do the job," continued Moody.
"Penny will see to him," insisted Sendon. "Sarek Snape is not the unprotected orphan Harry Potter was."
"Why did you give Sarek to the Potters anyway?" demanded Severus.
"I left his placement in Penny's hands. Penny, why was Sarek delivered to the Potters?"
"I followed Master Sarek's bird, Master."
Sendon then remembered the tiny baby owl that had appeared, much to his and Salena's surprise, at Sarek's conception. The bird had been Salena's constant companion throughout her pregnancy, hooting softly to her stomach and sleeping by her side, but disappeared suddenly the night Sarek had been sent away. It was not unheard of in the wizarding world that when an important child was born that they should have an animal choose them for a companion while they were sill a child. It was said that Merlin himself had been joined by his phoenix before first birthday. But to be chosen from conception, if only by an owl, Sendon imagined his younger child to be very important indeed.
"What about the other families? With the Council in disarray we may see a few attempts to seize control. A few of the Lords, while upset with Albus' actions, would most certainly like to be in the position he put himself into as Head of the Council of Lords and sole ruler of the UK 's Wizarding Society."
A knock at the door announced the arrival of the Weasley twins. Most of the gathered party hurried into the back room, leaving the door ajar so they could hear the coming conversation. Griphook and Bill made themselves comfortable before the goblin signaled that the waiting young men could enter.
"Gentlemen, I am Griphook manager of your business account, thank you for coming on such short notice. I have received information concerning debts you owe that were not included in the business plan we discussed. It is imperative that suitable arrangements are made for these debts so that they do not affect your business."
Fred and George looked to Bill wondering why he had told the bank about their debts. "They are private debts, incurred for our education. We are planning to pay them out of our share of the profits from Weasley's Wizard Weases. We know we need to pay them off as soon as possible, that is why we are only reinvesting 50 of the store profits, the rest we are releasing as our pay, and Harry's. We each plan to pay our debt out of our third, that way it won't interfere with the business or Harry's share as our partner."
"What collateral is securing the loans?"
"Nothing, it was an unsecured loan."
"Do you have the paperwork for the loan?"
George unshrank the pocket file they stored their legal documents in and handed it across the table.
"This is not completely unsecured," explained Griphook. "Look here. 'The lender may demand payment in full at any time, in the event the
borrower cannot repay, the lender may repossess the borrowers possessions to recoup their losses.' This is why the loan must be paid off as soon as possible. Who negotiated this for you anyway?"
"Our father, he probably didn't realize."
"Yes well. As it stands now Albus Dumbledore can take everything you own at any time. How do you want to handle this?"
"We don't have enough money to pay it off right now. The best we can do is to make the largest payments we can after we start earning pay. Dumbledore wouldn't take our business anyway, would he?"
"I understand Harry Potter is missing." The twins nodded. "What would Albus Dumbledore be willing to do to find him?"
Two pairs of eyes opened wide, quickly looking between their brother and the goblin. "He would do anything to get Harry back. Even disregard Harry's own preferences. He keeps sending him back to those Muggles after all, and he knows Harry hates it there."
"So you see the problem. If Albus Dumbledore thought controlling your business would help him control Harry he'd take it from you in a minute. We need to think of some way to relieve you of this debt."
Fred and George looked down at the bottom line. 'Auto-updating Balance: 70,000 Galleons' it said. There was no way they could come up with that kind of money. Not for a very long time.
"If I am reading the situation correctly Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore may soon be parting ways. May I ask which side you intend to aid?"
"Harry, of course, he's our friend! We will always take Harry's side."
"Than I have a proposition for you. Harry Potter has indeed disappeared and he will not be seen for many years. This, however, does not mean that he is gone. Sarek Snape will be starting Hogwarts this year."
"You mean…"
"Yes, Harry Potter will sell his share of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to Sarek Snape. Young mister Snape will also increase his monetary backing of the company by 70,000 Galleons which you will then borrow from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to pay off your debt. You will pay back the loan from your company. This will, Remove Albus Dumbledore's influence over you, as well as separate Harry Potter from the company. It will be best for all involved."
"But Harry…"
"Sarek Snape can sell his share back to Harry Potter when appropriate. The priority now is to prevent anyone from using Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to get to him."
"Bill?"
"I think it is for the best. Harry would want you free to pursue your own ideals. This will achieve that."
"We don't even know this Sarek Snape. He's a Snape!"
"I have met him. He is just a boy turning eleven in a few days, I think you'll like him. Perhaps your influence will improve the Snape disposition."
"That is our point! Have you ever seen Snape joke, laugh, anything?"
Griphook looked amused as he drew up the new contracts. It seemed Harry had three of the Weasleys on his side.
Thank you for reviewing. I appreciate your input and advice. CBeMe