Chapter Two: Witchcraft on Wisteria Walk

The end of March came in with blustery weather and storms that kept a lingering chill around the castle; it was as if winter was continuing to cling, despite the determined push of spring. Perhaps the unpredictably and overall nasty weather had seen that the castle was emptier than usual for the Easter holiday.

Less than a handful of students in each House had elected to stay behind, while their classmates departed in drizzly weather for the Hogwarts Express on 23 March. Severus himself had only three students in all of Slytherin House who would remain in the castle over the two weeks between the end of the spring term and the summer term. With no need to keep an especially close watch over either the Pucey brothers or Ambrosia Flume, Severus planned several projects and activities, and he looked forward to the peace and reduced activity the break was lending him.

On the first Monday of the holiday, during the lull in rainy weather, Severus had made plans to forage for Potions ingredients for a restock of his private stores. A light breakfast in the Great Hall would support the above-average activity required for scouring the Forbidden Forest for magical ingredients and non-magical herbs or plant parts. Severus had only just settled down beside Pomona Sprout, who was as cheerful and warm as ever in her morning greeting, when –

The Great Hall doors opened, loudly echoing with the very small number of students and teachers within.

Minerva McGonagall was striding between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables with a stricken look upon her face.

She had fully recovered from her bout of Dragon Pox in February, unlike Professor Herbert Beery, and she'd returned to her duties as Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House as if she'd never contracted the magical illness; Professor Beery, on the other hand, had died from his illness and his replacement, Professor Flitwick, was still being integrated into Beery's former post as Head of Ravenclaw House.

Minerva hadn't been so pale or unsettled since she'd had to be removed to St. Mungo's Hospital.

Severus exchanged a concerned look with Pomona, as Minerva quickly swept up the dais and came to stand before Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster stood slightly at the deep distress on his Deputy Headmistress's face.

"Minerva, what's happened?" asked Albus.

Minerva held out a plain white envelope that Severus recognized as a Muggle post envelope. "Albus, Potter's guardian wrote back with the response to his Hogwarts Letter. That – that awful woman! She rejected his invitation to Hogwarts. She's written to say that that he won't becoming here in the autumn!"

Her voice was low, aware enough of the dozen or so students who were chattering and laughing amongst themselves. Severus had no trouble hearing her nor did Pomona. The shock that he felt was not chased by the crushing joy he had often fantasized he'd feel if he ever learned that Potter's son would not be going to Hogwarts. Instead, the very unexpected rejection of Hogwarts by the Boy Who Lived was – Severus frowned, realizing the piercing ache in the pit of his stomach was worry. Albus seemed similarly alarmed, coming to his feet fully.

The plain white envelope was opened, and its letter read again. Albus sighed, heavily.

"I suppose it is her right, considering that she is his legal guardian. I am most – perturbed, however, that she's made such a decision." Albus shook his head, adding as if to himself: "This won't do. Harry needs to be here at Hogwarts, it was expected that he'd return here when it came time for his schooling. Whatever reason would she have for keeping him away?"

Minerva scoffed, angrily. "Pure spite if anything. I told you what I witnessed that day you brought him to those awful people. I told you, Albus, they were the worst kind of Muggles and having the Boy Who Lived turned over into their custody – "

Albus silenced Minerva with a sharp glance. "Minerva, please. This is not the place for this discussion. Let's retreat to my office and from there, we'll figure out what's to be done."

The Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress didn't so much as look at either Severus or Pomona, as the pair swept back down the dais and out of the Great Hall. The very low discussion between them sounded like the buzz of hornets and with a deepening of his frown, Severus figured that one of them must have cast a Muffling Charm.

"Well, that's not what I would have expected would happen when I sent his letter out all those weeks ago," said Pomona in a troubled voice. "I know that it had trouble arriving to where he lives, which is of course with his guardians, but –" The Herbology professor bit her bottom lip, as if struggling with how to say something. A beat later, Pomona pitched her voice very low and shared with Severus: "Little Harry Potter has grown up with Muggles? The Boy Who Lived hasn't even been in the Wizarding World, this entire time? I know the Ministry has been keen on ensuring his privacy. I mean, of course they would, he's the most famous child of our time. But I at least thought – well, I had assumed, I suppose – that he was with relatives of our kind, you know. I had no idea that The Boy Who Lived was being raised by Muggles! Did you?"

"Not only Muggles, but Muggles of the worst kind," said Severus, quietly and flatly. While Pomona was marveling over the news that The Boy Who Lived was in the care of Muggles, Severus knew exactly which Muggle he was in the care of – the only Muggle relative he had, after his mother's death. That was more disturbing to him than the surprise that he wasn't being hidden and protected in the care of one of the many Wizarding relatives James Potter had. "You said there was trouble with him receiving his Hogwarts letter, when you sent it out last month?"

Pomona nodded. "Originally sent out to a home in Surrey. Then it came back, I put upon a more advanced Location Charm, and when it left, the address was still in Surrey. The owl must have gotten confused, but I made sure it was set upon its proper course. Nothing came back until – well, I guess just now, judging from Minerva and Albus."

Severus narrowed his eyes.

Petunia Evans had hated magic and all to do with it, since before Lily had gotten on the train to Hogwarts. The first summer that he and Lily had returned to Cokeworth from Hogwarts, the sisters had had a terrible row that had been the spark in a years-long feud. Each summer, Severus had remembered witnessing plenty of enmity and bitterness between the Evans sisters. Especially from the Evans sister that was not a witch. By the time they were fifteen, from what Severus remembered – Petunia had left for university the summer before their Fifth Year and Lily was not speaking to her older sister, not even to say goodbye. The following summer, when they were sixteen, Severus was no longer friends with Lily and had deservedly been shut out of anything more about her life. The sisters might have made up and become closer before Lily's untimely death; certainly, if he didn't have his own bad memories to suggest otherwise, Severus could see a mending of fences having brought up Petunia's guardianship of her sister's child. Or, they might not have.

Severus didn't know what kind of woman the sharp-tongued and sometimes cruel girl of his childhood had become. His last memories of her had been of a too-tall nineteen-year-old girl who had disdained him and her sister for discussing the preparation of their magical exams, the O-Levels that all Fifth Years took, when she was doing real things, such as going to university to get a degree and have a real, useful career wasn't brewing potions or waving silly magical wands.

He didn't know who Petunia Evans was now, but he was sure that she wasn't a suitable guardian for a magical child – even if the magical child was Potter's son.

All plans of foraging and taking advantage of the few days without rain before the Full Moon disappeared under the new, striking puzzle that had been put before him. He excused himself from the table without having eaten breakfast as intended.

Something was amiss with the guardianship of The Boy Who Lived.

He wanted to find out what it was.

Petunia had thought that she'd be relieved, once she'd sent off the letter that would let that school know that neither Haesel nor Dudley would be attending. She wasn't.

Instead, Petunia found herself second-guessing and doubting the decision she'd made, after several weeks of sleepless nights and tears and utter worry.

The decision to say no seemed to be the most logical and sound.

The Wizarding World had taken her sister from her, then gotten her killed.

The Wizarding World was the reason why Haesel was an orphan.

If Lily had never gotten her Hogwarts letter, if she had never followed that awful boy to that magical school that was out of reach to her and their parents – perhaps Lily would have never died. Maybe her sister would have lived longer than twenty-one, if she had never known she was a witch and had never gone to that school that had taken her for seven years nor disappeared into that world that had ended her life too soon. The Wizarding World was not safe, magic had gotten her sister killed, and there was no way that she would allow her son – her only child! – to be taken from her into a world where he couldn't be protected from whatever it was about magic that took and separated and killed.

And, if it wasn't safe for Dudley, then it wasn't safe for Haesel either. She had chosen to be responsible for her sister's daughter when she'd taken Haesel in and she would not be responsible, if she only protected her child and not her sister's child, too.

The answer was no. As a mother and an aunt, she couldn't allow this to happen, and she hoped that her decision would be respected.

Petunia was beginning to believe that her answer had been accepted, in the week after she'd sent off the letter, and there was no reply. By the time that Dudley and Haesel had been let out of school for the Easter holidays, she began to breathe a little easier with every day that had passed without an owl or letter from the people she hoped to never hear from again.

The threat of magic and the Wizarding World seemed to be behind them, by the weekend of Easter.

On Good Friday, Petunia began preparing for a lovely and perfectly mundane Easter weekend with her son and her niece, who were completely unaware that anything as startling as a Hogwarts letter had come for either of them back in February. She would pick up their church clothes from the dry-cleaner, get the children from carpool, and enjoy the cheerful speculation and bickering from Dudley and Haesel on what treats would be within the Easter eggs that they planned to hunt for in the neighborhood along with the other children.

Palm Saturday saw Petunia and her son and niece shopping for the groceries needed for Easter luncheon and she was persuaded into letting them go to the cinema, the arcade, and for ice cream, before sternly declaring the spontaneous evening out to be over with because of church in the morning.

Petunia had no idea that by the following morning, witches and wizards would be in Surrey, specifically because she'd rejected them – and their determination to find her and her sister's child would see that their lives would never be the same again.

"I see no reason for me to be involved in this, Headmaster. This appears to be directly the problem of the Headmaster and the Deputy Headmistress – not the Potions Master."

Severus stood stiffly before Albus and Minerva, having refused the seat they'd offered him. He felt a small prick of satisfaction that Albus had to look up at him, because he was still seated.

"On the contrary, Severus. I see several excellent reasons why you should accompany Minerva and I to Surrey." Albus peered over his square-framed glasses at Severus and said, very carefully: "You've known Harry's aunt since childhood and there is a longstanding relationship as a friend of the family. Perhaps you will put her at ease, unlike Minerva and myself. She has never met Minerva and I have only corresponded with her twice through letters. A familiar face might make all the difference in this delicate matter."

Severus fought down the bitter, humorless laugh that he wanted to let out. Instead, he declared very coldly: "As you well know, I haven't been friends with Lily Potter since I was sixteen. I've not seen Petunia for a year before that. I am nothing to that family. I haven't been for a very long time. Thus, my answer stands: no, Headmaster, I will not accompany you to Surrey."

Albus sighed. Minerva, however, came from around the desk where she'd been standing beside Albus in their appeal to him.

"Severus, Albus won't be frank with you, but I will: we have reason to suspect something is awry with Harry and his home life and we'd like you there, in case there is Dark activity or something dangerous responsible for our suspicions." Minerva looked at him directly. "I'm aware that you and Lily were estranged at the time of her death, but I would like to imagine that whatever part of still cares for the memory of her would want to help us be sure that her child is alright. We're not asking that you – do anything, so to say. We'd simply like you to come along in case you're needed."

Severus glared in silence for several long moments.

He had lashing words about how he wasn't an Auror and they should be asking the Ministry for this support, instead. He had even more cutting words about how he didn't care that Potter's child wasn't coming to Hogwarts and good riddance. He had already said no, damn it, and they should have accepted that as an answer, but –

He had felt something was amiss, as well, and this would be his chance to see if his own suspicions were correct.

As he had begun to practice reminding himself: Potter's child was Lily's child, as well. If he meant as he'd promised her gravestone, that he wouldn't see her sacrifice have been made in vain…this was something he couldn't pass upon without making a mockery of his responsibility and duties to Lily's memory and her child.

Albus and Minerva had been very clever to appeal to him in this way. It was the only thing more powerful than his hatred of Potter, the devotion he still felt to the first friend he'd had and the friend who loss destroyed him the deepest.

"Very well," said Severus, with barely concealed ill grace. "When do we leave?"

Albus had the good sense to not look as relieved as he surely felt at Severus's agreement. Severus appreciated his serious, thoughtful gaze more than whatever expression would have come from the slight twinkle in his too-blue eyes.

"Meet us back here before sunrise, tomorrow. Expect us to be away for a few hours. Pomona will mind the castle with Filius until we return, hopefully before dinner."

Severus nodded, tightly.

At least he had until morning to prepare himself.

He had been anticipating several more months before he had to be faced with the new impact Lily's death would make upon him, with the arrival of her child as his student for the next seven years. He had thought he'd had a little bit more time left before he'd have to know the child that he had promised to protect but scorned the existence of because of how deeply lost it proved Lily to be to him. His time had been cut short and within hours, he'd have his deepest wounds picked at by having to faced with Lily's family again –

Even if it was her awful sister, who he had hadn't known since they were children, and still couldn't believe was the guardian of a child as important as The Boy Who Lived.

Their discreet trip to Little Whinging had started off well enough – and then promptly taken a horrifying turn, when they'd arrived at Number Four, Privet Drive.

Albus and Minerva were dressed tastefully as an older Muggle couple, while Severus stood Disillusioned a few steps back. They figured it was the most mundane approach, to appear as ordinary as possible to Petunia, who had not known either of her late sister's old professors. Severus thought something was odd about the cookie-cutter perfect house that Albus and Minerva stood on the doorstep of. He couldn't place the oddity, however.

With narrowed eyes, he watched as the door opened slowly. He didn't know what Petunia's husband looked like but the man who stood in the door seemed like the type of fellow Petunia would like – plain, nondescript, and utterly Muggle. The conversation was brief. Severus learned why, when Albus and Minerva hurried back down the drive to where he was standing.

The family who lived there was not Petunia Dursley, her husband, and her son and nephew.

The wary man who answered the door, half-dressed for a Muggle church service, had politely informed the three of them that they were the Bridgewater family and had lived here since the autumn of 1982. Mr. Bridgewater had kindly insisted that he didn't know anything about the previous owners of the house that had been his for nearly a decade. They had purchased this house from the elderly couple who'd lived here hardly six months before passing away; as they didn't know much about that couple, he couldn't say if they would have known the Dursley family that they were looking for, either.

Surprised by this, Severus watched as Albus cast a discreet spell that would reveal the most recent traces of magic that had been performed in area.

All three of them were shocked when the spell revealed that no trace of magic had existed on or in this house since right when the Muggle man had said he and his family had begun living there: the autumn of 1982.

The roar of panic that was felt when they realized Harry Potter did not live in the last known address that Albus had left him at propelled Albus, Severus, and Minerva to Apparate back to Hogwarts. Minerva had seemed like a cat that had been kicked at, as she raced back to the castle and made a beeline for her office. Albus and Severus were on her heels. The information that Minerva had been in pursuit of was the scroll that was keeping track of acceptances and rejections of the recent round of Hogwarts Letters that had been sent out. When she found it, she let out a small cry of relief.

"He's still there in Little Whinging – only, he lives on Wisteria Walk, not Privet Drive."

Severus didn't share in this relief and instead, his concern deepened.

There could be perfectly reasonable or logical reasons why Petunia and her family had moved, but why hadn't Albus known this? Why had he only seemed to realize that The Boy Who Lived was not where he had last left him until just a while ago? Severus had never once inquired or cared about anything to do with Potter's son, only having been told ten years ago that he was in the care of relatives and would be raised away from the voracious fame and focus that was rampant in Wizarding Britain because he'd survived the Killing Curse.

He now found himself very uneasy at what this panicked journey was revealing about the care of the child that Lily had given her life for.

A feeble sunlight was shining down upon Little Whinging when Albus, Severus, and Minerva arrived in Surrey for a second time that morning. This time, they were confident in their short pace down Wisteria Walk; they arrived at the opposite end of the street from Number Three and Severus noted that the houses on this street weren't as compact as the ones on Privet Drive had been. Perhaps the addition of Potter had necessitated a larger home? Severus wasn't sure why it didn't feel right to go with the normal assumption, when it came to the Potter child.

All he knew was that when they'd arrived at Number Three to find the car gone from the drive and no answer at the door, the matter of Harry Potter and his Hogwarts letter becoming more complicated than it needed to be.

"I'm to assume based upon the first Muggle we encountered, Potter and his family are at church," Severus grudgingly speculated to his colleagues. "Tradition among Muggles for Easter is to attend a church service, perhaps an activity for the children in celebration of Easter, then a luncheon or dinner."

Minerva nodded. "So, they should be home soon enough? The Muggle that answered the door at the other home was getting dressed as if to leave. Perhaps that means Harry and his family are already at this church service and will be back shortly?"

Albus didn't answer, frowning deeply; clearly, he was troubled by the idea that The Boy Who Lived had been dwelling in a home that held no trace of the powerful magical wards and protections he'd laid specifically for the Boy Who Lived. Severus and Minerva waited for him to say something or give directions. After a few moments, Albus came to a decision.

"We will wait here for Harry and his relatives to return." Albus looked at the pair of them, seriously, adding: "I must find out what's going on here. I'm afraid I've been too reliant on the system I had in place to ensure young Harry's safety and wellbeing. We must see for ourselves what lifestyle has led to Harry's guardian refusing to allow him to come to Hogwarts. We must wait until the Dursleys return with their nephew."

A quick round of Disillusionment Charms had the Headmaster, the Headmistress, and the Potions Master of Hogwarts disappear from sight. Unseen by the Muggle eye, they crossed the street to wait upon the opposite sidewalk – and thankfully, they weren't in for a very long wait.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, a sedan turned onto Wisteria Walk and pulled into the drive of Number Three.

Severus had his uneasy suspicions, Albus had his panicked fears, and Minerva had her angry accusations of what they'd find when the family unloaded from the car.

Nothing could have prepared any of them for what they witnessed Petunia Dursley and the two children that were with her.

The two children who were a boy and a girl, instead of two boys, as expected.