Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
A.N. One of my dearest readers complained about the cliffy and demanded a quick update - here you are... Enjoy and please review :)
Severus strode to the apparition border, his mind going haywire. 'How could Harry allow himself to become involved in the Dark Lord's resurrection?' he thought in disbelief. 'He's his birth parents' murderer after all.'
He followed the call, expecting to be transported to a dark, cold spot such as the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, only to look around in surprise, when he found himself in what seemed to be the old-fashioned living room of a muggle house. The man, whom he knew as the Dark Lord, was standing just a short distance away. He seemed younger than he remembered him, and while he looked like his former self, his ears reminded him strangely of those of an elf.
Severus let himself sink onto his knees, uttering, "My Lord."
"Raise, Severus." A soft voice penetrated his ears instead of the incantation of the Cruciatus curse that he had expected to be cast at him. "I am not anyone's lord anymore. Please call me Marvolo."
Severus slowly stood, quirking an eyebrow in silent question.
The man, who seemed about the same age as himself, motioned him to take a seat on the sofa opposite of himself, before he called out, "Dolly."
A house-elf dressed in a white apron that was decorated with the distinctive green embroidery of the Slytherin crest popped up. "Marvolo, what can I do for you and your guest?"
Severus stared at the scene in front of him in disbelief. 'I feel as if I was in a wrong film,' he thought, when his host distracted him by introducing the elf to him.
"This is Dolly, a free elf, who followed me here, when the elder elves released me from the ritual last night. Dolly, this is Professor Snape, the Potions Master at Hogwarts."
'Harry's influence,' his mind screamed, as he gracefully accepted a mug of hot tea to try getting his emotions in grip.
"Please hear me out. I have called you here before speaking with anyone else, because I owe it to Harry that I was able to get a corporeal body again. However, you are his guardian, and to be able to meet with him in person, I need to give you some explanations in the first place."
Severus nodded, quietly, while his mind did flip-flops.
"When I was in my fifth Hogwarts year, a Slytherin prefect, just when your colleague Minerva was the Gryffindor prefect, I developed a teenager crush on a housemate."
Severus listened with bewilderment, wondering if the Dark Lord had completely lost his marbles by now.
"Druella Rosier."
Severus looked up right into bright red eyes, only to realise that they held various shades of red. He might have heard the name somewhere; however, was positive that he had not met anyone going by the name of Druella Rosier.
"Anyway, apparently, she was promised to Cygnus Black, another classmate of ours, by a betrothal contract their parents had made, before Druella and Cygnus were even born. She was wonderful…" Marvolo slowly trailed off.
"What happened?" Severus asked in a soft voice, trying to find out if there was more to the story as the words of an irrational wizard.
Wearing a blank mask, the Dark Lord continued telling his story. "One day, Black was incapacitated, and Druella agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me. Unfortunately, her father, Theodore Rosier, spied on us and put me under the Imperius curse during our Hogsmeade visit. Ever since then, I was forced to be the so-called Dark Lord and do horrible things. He even joined me as one of my followers, so that he could make sure to renew the curse, before it could wear off. I never managed to shake it off, even though I tried. Only when I lost my body, when Baby Harry killed me, the curse ended."
Severus had to try hard to not stare at the wizard, open-mouthed.
A small, sad smile crossed Marvolo's face. "I know that this might sound far-fetched, but I am willing to let you question me under Veritaserum."
"Does Harry know about this?"
Marvolo sighed. "Did I tell him? Yes. Did he understand what it meant? No. He was only nine, and somehow, my awake times always collided with his sleeping times, so that he was not very alert when I spoke with him. He did not even question me the other day, when I told him that I'd owe him a life debt if the ritual worked. He probably doesn't know the meaning of a life debt."
"Probably not," Severus admitted, thinking, 'In spite of being unaware of many things in the magical world, he's much too nice and trusting for his own good.' "Excuse me, sir, but what are your plans now?"
Marvolo remained quiet for a moment. "First of all, please do not tell anyone of my return… yet. Apart from Harry and the elves, you're the only person to know. I don't mind if you tell your wife, considering that she is Harry's adoptive mother, provided that she will keep quiet about it. I am still considering what to do and, above all, under which name I should act. I have always despised the name of my muggle father. Before Harry defeated me, I was the heir of Slytherin. According to him, he is now the heir, so that I cannot take on the name of our ancestor. Perhaps, I will go by the name of my mother, Gaunt. I am not certain yet. As to my plans, I will fight for the rights of magical people and creatures. This involves muggleborns, half-bloods, purebloods and Squibs as well as werewolves, elves, goblins, centaurs and whatever creatures there are."
Severus smirked. "Might that be Harry's influence?"
"Definitely," Marvolo admitted. "He has a valid point in spite of his young age, and I will support him in this. I will also fight for the recognition of Dark Magic though. As you well know, dark magic per se is not evil. As with light magic, it depends on the intention."
Severus nodding his agreement. "If I am not mistaken, the Gaunt family even has an empty seat on the Wizengamot. I am not one hundred percent certain, however, as it is just about fifteen months since I accepted the seat for the Prince family, during which I was only able to attend the Wizengamot meetings three times."
Marvolo nodded in apparent understanding. "I will check that out. A seat on the Wizengamot would be a step in the right direction for my goals. However, I'd prefer to remain hidden and work underground for a while. I might even ask Harry to allow me to become a member of the Slytherin family once again, even if he is the rightful heir at this time."
"Certainly, sir," Severus replied, inwardly sighing. 'He sounds more alert than ever before, however, is he trustworthy?' he wondered.
"Severus, do you believe me?"
The question was sudden and unexpected, and Severus struggled how to respond.
"Harry seems to have faith in you, and I trust him to a certain degree, which is only limited by his age. However, Professor Dumbledore and many others will never be willing to forget and forgive, no matter whose fault it was that made you and your followers, including myself, do what we did. I don't think the headmaster would believe you, even if he questioned you under Veritaserum."
Marvolo chuckled in obvious amusement. "That's fine. Let him point me out as the enemy of the magical world, while I hide from him and work in the direction, in which I wish to change the current magical world for the better. If Dumbledore remains ignorant, he can't disturb my plans."
"What are you going to do about your followers, sir? Due to the darkening of the Dark Mark, they will know that you're back."
Marvolo let out a deep sigh. "Right now, meeting Harry and explaining things to him is my first priority. I should probably call everyone on Saturday evening. I will then explain the new situation; however, I will make sure that everyone who is not willing to follow me will be obliviated as they leave."
Severus nodded in understanding. He somehow felt fully relaxed by now, however, looked up trying to hide his shock at the Dark Lord's sudden question.
"Severus, will you be willing to remain on my side and spy on Dumbledore?"
Severus sighed. "My highest priority now is the safety of my family. Other than that, yes, I shall remain on the dark side. If your goals are as stated earlier, I will support you. However, I cannot blow my cover in front of Dumbledore for the safety of my wife and sons."
Marvolo smirked. "Understood." He raised his wand, causing Severus' hand to unobtrusively wander into his robe pocket to reach for his own wand should the necessity arise. However, the other wizard once again managed to shock him profusely. "I swear on my magic to not willingly harm Harry Prince and his adoptive family."
Severus stared at the wizard in the armchair opposite of him in disbelief. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."
"Do you by chance know if Theodore Rosier is still alive? I believe that I still have a bone to pick with the old coot."
Severus shook his head. "I am sorry, sir, but I am not privy to this information. There are two Rosier boys currently in Slytherin, who could be his grandchildren. I will try to find some information about Theodore Rosier."
"Please do so. Could you come to see me together with Harry on Saturday morning? This is the old Riddle Manor. Bandhu, Harry's elf friend, was able to pop himself here, which makes me believe that you could apparate here as well. I will check if there are any wards and if so strengthen them; however, I shall add you and Harry to the wards in any case."
Severus nodded in confirmation, before he commented. "As Harry is not able to see, he will not go anywhere without at least Lucy, his canine familiar, perhaps not even without Teddy, his bonded elf friend. Would it be possible to have them added to the wards as well please?"
Marvolo nodded. "I shall do so."
"Excuse me, sir. I have one more question. Why are you so interested in Harry?"
Marvolo smirked. "We are connected somehow. I am not exactly certain about the kind of connection; however, I can feel his emotions, and we're able to communicate through our minds. I am also very sorry for killing his parents because of some prophecy uttered by what I believe to be a fraud. I don't know the second part of the prophecy, but I don't think that it is important. Either it is a self-fulfilling prophecy or it won't come to apply if we don't know about it. Right now, I don't care about it, but I believe that we need to discuss this with Harry, perhaps even when he's older."
Severus nodded his agreement. "I believe so, too. He already has too many things on his mind for a ten-year-old, a handicapped child at that."
"Which in extension is my fault, too." Marvolo let out a deep sigh. "He seems to take everything in a stride though. Oh well, I shall see you on Saturday morning. Please return to your wife, before she assumes that I've killed you."
Severus smirked, before he took his leave, knowing that Regina was waiting for him in utmost concern.
HP
"Are you all right?"
Severus looked into Regina's face, which displayed obvious concern. He gave her a sharp nod. "Yes, I am fine. We only talked. It was strange. Whether everything he told me is true I don't know, but he swore me an oath to not harm Harry or his adoptive family as he worded it. I shall show you the memory in the Pensive."
Regina nodded, smiling reassuringly.
"Has Harry returned?"
His wife shook her head, her expression turning sad. "No."
'Harry,' he thought to his son. 'I wish to apologize to you and to explain a few things. Please come home as soon as possible. I am sorry for shouting at you.'
Before he could explain to Regina that he had contacted their son through telepathy, a distinctive sound penetrated his mind alerting him to the fact that Harry had returned.
"Harry, will you please make yourself visible?" His voice was soft, and, to his relief, his son immediately obeyed, looking at him with what Severus recognised as a defiant expression.
"I am sorry. I should have trusted that you knew what you were doing."
Harry merely nodded, as he busied himself playing with Lucy's ears.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He forced himself to remain quiet, as he continued. "Apparently, the Dark Lord completely changed his attitude and promised to not harm you; however, I could not know that."
"I'm sorry." Harry's voice was barely audible.
"If you decide to participate in so important matters the next time, please be so kind and inform your mother and me beforehand."
"Yes sir."
"Thank Merlin you're both back. I was so worried," Regina said, smiling, as she lowered herself into the seat next to Lucy, causing the canine to immediately make space in front of her, so that Regina could gently caress Harry's cheek.
"I'd never do anything to endanger the baby." It only came out as a whisper.
"Harry, we know that." Regina's voice was soothing, and Severus observed in relief how Harry's expression slowly lost its earlier tension.
"Sorry for implying otherwise," he added. 'Thank Merlin for Regina. She's absolutely brilliant,' he thought in relief. "On Saturday morning, we're going to visit Marvolo together."
A small smile crossed his son's face. "May Lucy and Teddy come?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, sir."
HP
On Friday evening, Severus asked Cicero to supervise the twins' brewing, stating that he needed some time to speak with Harry and explain some things to him.
'What do we need to talk about that's going to take the whole evening?' Harry wondered in surprise; however, did not voice his question but simply followed his adoptive father home with Lucy in tow.
"Let's sit in the kitchen and have some cocoa," Severus suggested and to Harry's amazement heated two cups of milk with a flick of his wand, before he added cocoa powder, just as he had done in the muggle world, whenever Dudley had wanted cocoa. "Lucy, it's all right to sleep. I trust that Harry will be fine," the older wizard addressed the canine in a soft voice, causing Lucy to lick the professor's hand in gratitude, before she lowered herself under the table and let herself fall onto Harry's feet.
Harry slowly sipped the hot beverage, which was as delicious as the cocoa made by the elves used to be, while he intensely listened to his adoptive father's explanations.
Severus told him about the Dark Lord, who had done bad things and finally killed Harry's parents, before Harry had managed to vanquish him, probably with the help of his mother's protection.
"When I met Marvolo yesterday morning, he explained that he had been under the Imperius curse. Do you know what this specific curse is?"
"No." Harry shook his head.
"If I cast the Imperius curse at you and tell you to, for example, jump up and down on both feet like Teddy uses to do, you will automatically obey. The curse forces you to do things, which you do not even wish to do."
"So, someone made him kill all these people?"
"Yes. At least that's what Marvolo told me. If you wish to be sure that what someone tells you is true, you'll have to question the person under Veritaserum. I trust that you've heard of it?"
"Truth serum, yes. Remus told me about it."
"Well, I did not question Marvolo using Veritaserum. Therefore, I am not one hundred percent sure if that's what really happened."
"Why would someone force someone else to kill people?" Harry asked, incredulously. "Marvolo told me that he is very sorry for killing my birth parents, and he doesn't feel evil…" He slowly trailed off.
"I know that you can feel if people are good or bad; therefore, I trust your assessment to a certain degree. Otherwise, I might have questioned him under Veritaserum. Nevertheless, we must be careful around him. Even if he doesn't feel evil, he might be a good actor and a good liar at that."
Harry nodded in understanding, recalling how his aunt and uncle had always believed Dudley no matter how much he lied.
They talked about it until Regina, who had returned home in the meantime, entered the kitchen.
"Severus, Albus just floo called. He asks you to accompany the two Rosier boys into his office. Apparently, their grandfather died earlier tonight, and their father wants them to return home for the weekend."
"Rosier?" Severus gasped in apparent surprise. "All right, thank you, Regina. I shall go and fetch the boys. Harry, I believe that it's time for you to go to bed anyway."
"All right. Good night, sir, and thank you for telling me so much," Harry replied, smiling. He leaned down to gently wake up Lucy. "Come Lulu, let's go to bed," he cooed, carefully caressing the fur behind her ears.
When Regina came into his room and gently tucked him in ten minutes later, Harry felt very much cared for. "How many weeks before Felix is going to be born?" he asked, sleepily.
"About fifteen weeks," Regina replied, smiling. "Good night, Harry and Lucy."
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. I appreciate it very much, and my muse really needs the feedback. Thank you.
