Chapter 30
It was two days before the final task. A little over one week before the end of the year. Severus knew that Healer Jones had worked hard with Black, and that Black with a goal had been willing to work with the Healer. But at the end of the day, some things took time.
Jones had been honest with Severus the next day. He described Black as still having random anger moments at little things, still finding his nightmares hard to deal with, still having irrational (or if you think about it, rational) moments of panic. Jones believed Potter would be physically safe around the man, but for the long term goal of godfather/godson relationship, he thought it better to not allow Potter to stay just yet. However, he would re-evaluate in a month.
And that is what brought Severus to Little Whinging on the longest day of the year.
It was evening, but it was still light outside for a few hours yet. There was the sound of a lawnmower in the distance. Number 6 had their lawn sprinkler on. Numbers 1 and 3 were watching the same channel on the television. All was peaceful in Little Whinging. Severus debated ringing the doorbell, but opted to let himself in quietly instead. He'd cast a notice-me-not charm when he arrived at Wisteria Walk and had just walked around the corner.
All three family members were in the living room. The boy's school must have finished for summer already. Severus stood between them and the television then he cast a silencing charm on the room before canceling the notice-me-not charm. The effect was varied and impressive.
Vernon went a funny colour, as if he'd explode if more room wasn't found for the blood going to his head. The boy screamed and scrambled over the back of the couch. Petunia narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.
"Good evening," said Snape quietly. The only noise to be heard was whimpering from behind the couch. Snape waved his wand and levitated the boy back onto the couch. A sticking charm stuck them all down.
"What do you want?" demanded Vernon, daring to ask the question, but a certain level of bluster had gone from the man.
"I want to know that you're holding up your end of the bargain, Mr Dursley," said Severus. "Mr Potter will be returning here in one week for a maximum stay of two weeks. I want to know how you're going to make his life here pleasant."
"Only two weeks?" asked Petunia.
It was the tone of the question that angered Severus. She sounded hopeful. As if two weeks were but the blink of an eye and the boy would be gone again.
"That is what I said, yes," repeated Severus.
"He… He can keep himself to himself for two weeks," said Vernon, carefully.
"I'm sure he wouldn't want to spend more time than he has to in your company," agreed Severus. "You aren't going to bully, threaten or raise a hand to him, are you?"
"I don't…" He didn't get any further. Snape lunged forward with no need for a wand and grabbed Vernon by the throat with his left hand, making sure his wand was in view in his right. Caught between Snape pulling him up by the throat and the sticking charm pulling him down to the couch, all Vernon could do was make strangled noises and close his pudgy hands ineffectually around Severus' wrist.
Severus looked him in the eye. "But you do, Mr Dursley. And by your tacit order, so does, did, your son."
Without moving his hands, Severus turned his head to fix his best stare on the boy, who was sitting in between his parents quite terrified. Hearing gurgling, Snape released Vernon without taking his eye off the boy. He moved to stand in front of Dudley, looking down menacingly.
"Do they know?" Severus asked, silkily. He'd put galleons on No.
Dudley shook his head.
"Diddidums?" asked Petunia.
Diddi-what?!
The boy whimpered.
"I think you should explain, boy, and remember to include why and what you've learned from the experience," Snape purred, "You never know, one day, not today, Ghosts may be relenting."
"If you've hurt him…." blustered Vernon.
"You'll what?" asked Snape with the grin of a tiger.
Vernon was silent.
"I was visited by a 'ghost'," said Dudley hollowly. "I told you I had a bad dream, you remember, the day I rang you. But I didn't really tell you about it, just that it was a dream about ghosts like in the book."
Snape refrained from making any comment about the boy's ability to read.
"Well the ghost only appears after, as a voice. H… H… His voice," said Dudley, indicating Snape.
"What did you threaten him with?" demanded Vernon, interrupting.
"I didn't threaten him with anything," replied Severus. "You were visited by a different ghost. You understand blackmail and extortion. Your son's experience was much simpler."
Dudley looked at him as if asking permission to continue. Severus nodded. Perhaps there was hope for the boy.
"I suppose it started when Potter came to Smeltings," said Dudley. "He was waiting for me in the park. It wasn't him, wasn't it?" asked Dudley.
"No, it wasn't him. There is a potion that makes one person look like another. You saw Potter, but the person was me."
"But I… I…" There was nothing but terror on the boy's face. Severus hadn't moved. He was staring down at the boy with his very best Bat of Dungeons stare.
There was only a whimper.
"In your own time, Mr Dursley," said Severus coldly.
Petunia opened her mouth. Severus raised a finger. She shut it again.
"I dragged Potter into the park," said Dudley weakly. "He said he just wanted to say hello. I… I… hit him with my Smeltings Stick." By now, his eyes had gone as wide as they could and there was no blood left in his face.
"Then what happened?" asked Severus.
"I went back to school and carried on like nothing had happened. Until the next day. I had a dream about a ghost of summer present, it included stuff I've done to Potter. I remembered it when I woke up. Please, can you make it stop?"
"You can make it stop, Mr Dursley. I'm sure you've worked it out by now."
"What have you done to him?" demanded Petunia, unable to keep quiet.
"Mr Dursley," said Snape, looking at Dudley.
"I woke up and I didn't think very nice things about Potter. I imagined how nice it'd be, (not that it is, it's bad, I shouldn't)," he added really quickly, "To give Potter another kicking for disturbing my dream." Dudley cringed briefly, before exhaling in relief.
"And that's when my backside felt like someone had taken a ruler to me."
"What?!" demanded Vernon.
"There was nothing there. The feeling was gone less than a minute later. I thought it was cramp. There were no marks, I looked," he added, embarrassed to talk about it. "But it happened again at breakfast when again I said how good it'd be to hurt Potter."
"And what have you learned since?" asked Severus.
"I can think about or talk about it, and that's OK," said Dudley, "But if I want to hurt him, or think it's a good thing to hurt him, I feel it again. The next two weeks were bad. I kept thinking how much I wanted to hurt him and hurting myself. It took me that long to work out the pattern. I've tried hard since to not think I want to hurt him, but it's hard, because sometimes I don't see why I shouldn't."
"Does it happen less?" asked Severus. Dudley nodded. "In one week, Mr Potter is going to return here for two weeks. If you raise a hand to him in anger, I don't mean if you accidentally bump into him in the hall, I mean if you mean it, it won't just feel like a ruler, and it'll last a lot longer. Do we understand each other?" asked Severus.
Dudley whimpered.
"A verbal answer if you please."
"Yes, sir," replied Dudley.
"How dare you?" demanded Petunia.
"How dare I what, enact some fair play, Tuney?" asked Severus. "Ensure Potter's safety? I know neither of you particularly raise a hand to him. You have your son do it for you."
"When he deserved it!" snapped Vernon.
Beside him Dudley yelped and squirmed on the sofa.
"You might want to consider not reinforcing poor thinking on your son, Dursley, he seems quite susceptible to ideas from you."
"You bastard!" yelled Vernon.
"It takes one to know one, Dursley," replied Severus. "Now, a couple of things before I leave you to your evening. Mr Potter's room. Fix it. Clean it. Decorate it. Chores, Mr Potter will not lift a finger while he's here bar keeping his room tidy. Food, Mr Potter will have three meals a day and any snacks he wants. Friends, he will leave to go visit some occasionally. Visitors, I may drop in to see how things are going. You won't want to disappoint me now, would you?" he asked silkily.
"Oh, Severus, I was looking for you earlier," said Minerva, "There's something I want to discuss," She had bumped into him on the way up to the staffroom that same evening.
"I was visiting an acquaintance, Minerva," said Severus, "My office or yours?"
"Come to my study, we'll put our feet up in there."
When Minerva had summoned refreshments she got down to business.
"Are they going to be compliant?" she asked.
"Right now they're scared enough to do exactly as they're told. However, perhaps four, maybe five days in, they're going to need a reminder."
"Good," she said with some satisfaction. "I've been thinking. I wouldn't advocate letting Sirius anywhere near the truth, but should Lupin be told something of a falsehood, something that let's him know Harry's home life isn't ideal? Perhaps drop a hint that there's a favourite child and it's not Harry."
"That thought occurred to me when the four of us met in Albus' office the other day. I think it'd be unfair on him to have to hide it from Black. Lupin and Black are being very open and honest with each other. They both have trust issues."
"So when do we tell them?" asked Minerva, "We can't hide it forever and we certainly can't let Harry do it. That would be beyond awful for the boy."
"There are a number of things they should know that they don't. They should know about Potter's home life; they should know what we know about Albus' concerns about Horcruxes; they should know simple things like Potter's cursed egg. The problem is, none of these things are easy and neither of them is fully grounded. Give it time, and we talk to Jones next week after he's talked to Potter."
Minerva nodded. "There's still the task left to do. How is he doing? You're supporting him to compete, aren't you?"
"I am, and he's actually doing well. He's planning, he's problem solving, he's chosen some good techniques, he's prepared. I wouldn't put money on him to win, but he'll certainly do better than Delacore."
"You've been good for him, Severus, thank you. I couldn't have been the same influence and support."
"He's certainly given me a few more grey hairs," said Severus, awkwardly ignoring the compliment.
"Merlin, I'll be glad when this year is over Severus, I'll sleep for a fortnight."
"Curl up in your cat basket for a full eighteen hours."
"Do you want your eyes clawing out?" asked Minerva sweetly.