Trusts Ultimate Test

Severus looked up from the papers he was grading when he heard a soft knock on his classroom door. "You may enter," he called leaning back in his chair. He was slightly surprised when he saw Harry Potter walk through the door. It had been four days since Severus had healed his student and he'd reasoned if anything had been wrong the boy would've sought him out before now, and it was too soon for the boy to be comfortable with the amount of food already, so Severus was unsure as to what was behind this visit. "Mr. Potter, you may close the door behind you if you wish for privacy. What brings you to my classroom?"

Harry closed the door and then walked over to his potion professor's desk. "Sir, you asked I come to you if I developed any questions or concerns, well...I was wondering...is now a good time?" the boy asked timidly.

"Yes of course," Severus answered easily summoning a chair across from his desk and motioning for the boy to sit. Severus remained silent until the boy felt comfortable enough to address why he'd come.

"Well, sir, I have a couple of things, i-if that's okay?"

"Absolutely, Harry. I'll help in whatever way I can."

"Well, sir, one of the things is that, umm... whenever I eat cheese, well...I get a really bad stomach ache, sir," the boy confessed seemingly embarrassed at the admission.

"Okay, Harry, thank you for telling me that. It's probably because you have an intolerance to dairy. If I recall you have cheese during your afternoon snack and perhaps on a sandwich or two?" Severus inquired.

"Yes, sir," Harry answered.

"Well, then, that's an easy fix. I'll ensure the house-elves are made aware of this development, rest assured there are several students here with dietary restrictions. We have extensive resources precisely to help accommodate these situations. We'll simply replace your afternoon snack with...a mix of nuts, dried fruit, and some dark chocolate treats if that sounds agreeable to you, Harry?" Severus asked.

"Th-thank you, sir, that would be very helpful."

"I'm glad to hear it," Severus replied before going silent and waiting for his student to bring up the next issue.

"Umm, sir, I was also wondering...my muscles and joints have been very achy the last four days. I-is there, well, would you be willing to maybe...help me?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry, I just need a little more information to best know how to help you. Can you tell me when it started? Was there anything in particular that caused this development?" Severus inquired.

"Well, sir, Neville's potion exploded the day after we talked about Professor Umbridge. Anyway, I was worried about anyone getting hurt so I-I think my magic did something to contain the explosion. Ever since my body has felt particularly achy," Harry confessed.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Harry. May I ask why you did not tell me earlier?"

"I just hoped it would go away with some rest, kind of like when muscles get sore after an intense workout, but that hasn't happened yet, and I'm starting to get a bit worried."

"That's understandable, Harry. My best guess is that the potion that resulted from whatever mistake Mr. Longbottom made, is causing your aches and pain. There's a restoration potion that reverses the effects of potions. Since I didn't get a chance to analyze the defective potion, that is the best solution, but I don't keep it on hand so I'll have it brewed for you by the end of potion's class tomorrow. In the meantime, I can give you a few doses of pain-relieving potion to take as needed. If the restoration potion does not help, you've probably exhausted your magic in a way similar to the way an intense workout exhausts your physical body, only the magical fatigue has caused physical aches and pains. If this ends up being the case, you'll probably have to give up doing magic for a week and just rest. At the end of the week if you are still feeling achy I would need to do some diagnostic tests to make sure something more serious isn't at work. Does that all make sense and sound agreeable to you, Harry?" Severus asked.

"Yes, sir, thank you."

"Of course," Severus replied waiting for his student to either bring up the next issue or take his leave.

"Professor, I-well, I was also wondering...do you happen to know, will I have to go back...will I still be living with the Dursleys?" Harry asked nervously.

"No, Harry," Severus replied. "I refuse to allow that. I won't lie to you, Headmaster Dumbledore is quite insistent that living with the Dursleys is what is best for you, but I will not allow you to go back to that house alone. I'm sorry for the oversight, I should have kept you apprised of our conversations. Headmaster Dumbledore remains firm on you at least spending long enough under that rough for the blood wards to remain active, but I remain unmoved in my position that you would not return alone. I would probably end up going with you since I know of the situation, am a trained healer, skilled in magical dueling, and you know... not a wanted criminal. We're still deliberating how long exactly would be the necessary amount of time to keep the blood wards effective. Now, I've also made it very clear to Headmaster Dumbledore that I'd like to see you have a family to love and protect you, be there for you, provide everything you need. I know you are very close with both your godfather and Professor Lupin; however, both of them are unable to take custody of you for...obvious reasons. I also recognize that you are very close with the Weasley family, however, they are unable to provide what you need financially. We're currently working on a possible idea that would give you both of those families, but what we would still need is a legal guardian. Unfortunately, I am not willing to give you many of the details yet, because I don't want to get your hopes up before we are sure the plan will be possible, but so far myself, Professor McGonagall, and Nymphadora Tonks are all names that have been tossed out by either myself or Headmaster Dumbledore as potential legal guardians. Do you have any thoughts to add, questions, or concerns about any of what I've just told you?"

Harry stared at him for several moments. Silent and with his mouth agape.

"What are you thinking, Harry?"

"You...you want me to be loved? Protected? You...you would be willing to live at the Dursleys just to heal me? You...you would be willing to be my...my legal guardian? Why? That-why would you go through all that trouble?"

"Harry, you deserve to be loved. You deserve to be protected. You deserve to have your needs met. You deserve to be a child who doesn't worry about how to eat, how to keep from being beaten, how to maintain a house of four alone. You deserve a family, whatever that looks like. I would live at the Dursley's home to keep you from ever being hurt by them again. I would be there to ensure you get the food you need and are treated well by them. I would be honored to take legal responsibility for you because you are a good kid who deserves a family, whatever that may look like. But, the choices will ultimately be yours to make...within reason that is. Headmaster Dumbledore and I are working hard to present you with suitable options that provide you with what you need because we care about your wellbeing, Harry." Severus replied candidly.

"Th-thank you, sir. I'm not quite sure what to say other than...thank you...so much," Harry replied.

"You are welcome, Harry." After several moments of silence, Severus prompted the boy, "Are there any other questions I can answer for you? Any other concerns? Anything bothering you?"

"No, sir, thank you. I'll leave you to your work. Thanks again," Harry responded and Severus almost smiled as the boy left clearly deep in thought.

Trust Defended

"Harry, where have you been?" Ron yelled as soon as he noticed his friend walking into the common room.

"I had some questions for Professor Snape," Harry answered simply.

"Oof, why didn't you just ask Mione? I'm sure Snape was an absolute git about it right? And he held you after class just the other day for nothing! He's such a bloody-" Harry didn't let his friend finish.

"Ron, Professor Snape isn't like that, and you shouldn't talk about him that way," Harry said with quiet confidence.

"What are you talking about mate? Of course, he is! He's the absolute worst!" Ron complained.

"No he's not the worst, Ron," Harry said calmly. "Professor Umbridge was the worst. Voldemort is the worst. People who hurt innocent human beings are the worst. Professor Snape is far from the worst. He might not be perfect, he might be harsh, he might seem scary, but he's never hurt innocents," Harry reasoned.

"Where is this coming from? Are you feeling okay, Harry?" Ron asked seeming genuinely confused.

"I'm feeling fine, Ron. I've just come to realize that Professor Snape is not everything we used to think of him. After everything with Professor Umbridge, he's...well, he's helped me a lot. I trust him."

"You've lost your marbles, mate," Ron argued.

"It's fine if you feel that way, Ron, understandable even, but you won't change my mind. Professor Snape is...well he's a good guy."

Ron rolled his eyes as he said, "Next thing, you'll be after me to start doing my homework and following rules too."

Harry laughed, "I don't know if I've lost that many marbles, Ron. Rules are made to be broken."

"They absolutely are not, Harry James! You take that back," a feminine voice squealed from behind the boys.

Harry and Ron both flinched as they said in unison, "Sorry, Hermione."

"Better, now, Harry, Snuffles wrote you. Hedwig dropped the letter on your bed. Just thought you'd want to know," Hermione said.

Harry's face lit up with a grin as he bounded up the stairs to his room.

Dear Harry,
it's been a while since I've heard from you, pup. I had to hear about Umbridge from Moony, what's that all about. She didn't hurt you, did she? I know you said you had a lot of detentions with her, and I'm worried about you, pup. How are your classes going? Is Snivellus still being unbearable? Any epic quidditch plays you want to share with me? You know, it's super boring being caged up all day every day. The most excitement I get outside of your letters is playing pranks on Moony but even your old Snuffles is running out of ideas. Hey, I don't suppose you have any ideas for pranks I could play, do you? Alright, Harry, it's been good talking to you. I'm so proud of you and love you so much. Keep up the good work.
I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good,
Snuffles

Harry sighed contently as he reread the letter. Then he took out a parchment and his quill and ink and began to craft his response.

Dear Snuffles
Sorry, I haven't written recently, things have been pretty hectic lately. Don't worry about me, just make sure to stay safe, and I'll be sure to keep you more apprised of Hogwart's latest drama. Classes are actually going really well with Professor Umbridge gone. I wonder if Professor Lupin will be asked back? You really shouldn't keep calling Professor Snape that awful nickname. It could be really hurtful, ya know? He's been very helpful recently. Professor Umbridge was unbearable, Voldemort is unbearable, the Malfoy's are unbearable, Professor Snape just isn't warm and fluffy.
Our last game was against Ravenclaw, I went into a pretty epic nosedive to catch the snitch, but when the Ravenclaw seeker noticed he decided to try the same thing I was doing and just be faster. Pretty smart idea, if I do say so myself, except he underestimated the amount of control that's needed to do a high-speed nose dive. I had to pull up his bucking, shaking broom to keep him from hitting the turf, but I managed to catch the snitch with my other hand. That was a good win. And the Ravenclaw seeker didn't get hurt. I was so relieved.
I'm sure you're super bored, but trust me, whatever boredom you're experiencing now is still better than going back to Azkaban, and I'm sure you'll come up with a bunch of pranks to add to your already extensive resume.
With love,
Harry Potter

Harry tied the letter to Hedwig and sent her off with a content smile.