Harry had finished the forms that night and given them to Severus in the morning. Severus had passed them onto Albus to be sent to the ministry. Only a few days later, Albus asked for Severus to come see him yet again. The old Headmaster looked serious as Severus sat in front of him, nodding his head politely.

"What is this about, Albus?" The potions master asked, sick of the impromptu meetings, "I was planning on going over Mr Potter's charms essay with him today. What I read of his attempt thus far was truly appalling. Though it is no wonder why."

"The ministry have approved you taking guardianship of Harry." Albus told him, and Severus eyebrows shot upwards into his high forehead. He leant back and crossed his legs, processing the new information.

"So soon?"

"It seems my influence at the ministry still has a rather strong hold, despite all of the allegations towards myself and towards Hogwarts, after Mr Diggory's death and the return of he-who-shall-not-be-named." Dumbledore seemed rather proud of the fact, smug even.

Severus nodded, satisfied but wanting to get on with his day, "Is that all you had to say?"

Dumbledore sighed, "There is one more step; the Dursley's must agree and sign this last form for the transfer to happen. Then it will be official. You will be Harry's legal guardian." Dumbledore slid a single piece of parchment to him over the desk.

Severus picked it up and skimmed the wording. He looked up at Dumbledore's grave face, "What else? Do hurry up and tell me."

"Severus, I am very pleased that you have decided to do this. You know that. I think the implications for yourself and Harry, and possibly the school with the mix of Slytherin and Gryffindor, will be incredibly beneficial. However, before these final papers are signed, I think it is time to talk about the restrictions these forms will place on you."

Severus narrowed his eyes, "Such as?"

"Your inability to spy for the order."

Severus grit his teeth, "You called me here to speak of my spying days? Is the loss of your spy more of a concern that Mr Potter's welfare?"

"I wanted to check that you understood the fact, Severus."

The potions master stood, angry at the accusation of him misunderstanding any situation, "What is this? Is this a realisation that you have only just had, and this meeting a rouse to make me back out of taking over Harry's guardianship?"

"Certainly not -"

Severus stared at the man who had gotten him to spy in the first place, "Why do you bring it up now, then, as the final papers are about to be signed? Why not ask me these questions and get your answers when you first proposed that I take on guardianship?"

Dumbledore did not speak for a second but motioned the chair Severus had previously sat in, and the man curtly dropped back down, "I did not want to curb your intentions Severus. As I have said I think you having guardianship of Harry is a fantastic idea. The loss of your spying is a devastation for the order, but the potential loss of Harry's life to his relatives abuse would have been much, much worse. I believe your decision is the most agreeable one, but I wanted to have the conversation about your spying before it was final. That is all."

Severus furrowed his brow, then relaxed it and sighed, "In that case, I apologise for losing my temper like that. I am simply overwhelmed. I have a teenager I once despised living in my quarters, my spying days are over, and I only dread to think how Slytherin's will treat me once their parents tell them of my betrayal to he-who-shall-not-be-named."

"The Slytherin's will treat you with respect, as they always have." Albus told him, "As for your previous feelings towards Harry, have you come to a different understanding of him?"

"I have." Severus admitted, "My previous assumptions were wrong. His appearance may be that of his father, but his heart and mind are that of his mother. I underestimated him."

"Here's to hoping that affection will grow even more, seeing as though he is becoming your legal child and responsibility." Dumbledore gave him a kind smile, "Have you planned anything for his birthday? It is only a matter of days away."

Severus frowned, "I have never planned anything for anyone's birthday."

"It might be a nice surprise for Harry." Dumbledore encouraged him, "What if we send letters out to his friends and relatives, asking if they would like to come to Hogwarts on the thirty first? Or we could floo to Grimmauld place and all gather there. I am sure Harry would appreciate it."

"We?" Severus asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Of course, I will send the letters as Harry's friends would understand them coming from me more than you, at this point. Who would you like me to send an invitation to?" Dumbledore smiled brightly.

"Oh well, we should inform the teachers in case they want to attend." Severus felt uncomfortable, he knew little about whom Harry was close to, "Mr Weasley and his family should be invited I suppose, and Miss Granger who is staying with them. I am guessing Harry would also like the mutt and the werewolf there."

"Severus." Dumbledore warned.

"Lupin and Black then." Severus conceded, "I cannot think of anyone else. He does not seem close to many of the Gryffindor's besides Granger and Weasley. He has not mentioned any others."

Dumbledore heartily agreed, "I believe that a small gathering of people would be appropriate. I am sure the boy will appreciate it very much; given the state of his previous housing I doubt he has ever had a birthday gathering or party. Perhaps you should ask the house elves to rustle up some of Mr Potter's favourite delicacies for lunch on the day."

"Hm, if you say so. Arrange for it to be at Grimmauld place, though. The last thing we need is for Black to enter the floo network and bring the aurors down upon Hogwarts on Mr Potter's birthday." Severus shuddered at the thought. He noticed that he'd been switching between calling his ward Harry and Mr Potter, but the potions master couldn't quite decide which suited him best. He opted for the more professional, distanced title most of the time, but occasionally the informal use of the boy's first name slipped in.

Dumbledore chose not to mention it. He too had been switching between Harry's first name and last name, unsure of what Severus was comfortable with, "Excellent. I will arrange it. In the meanwhile, I will leave it to you to have that final form signed. It must be signed willingly, Severus. Once the signature is written, the papers will disappear and the transfer will be complete. You will receive a letter within a few hours notifying you of your new responsibility, and Mr Potter will receive one detailing his new guardian."

"Is there any way of stopping Mr Potter's letter reaching him, or for me to receive it? I would like to be the one to tell him."

"I will make sure you will be sent the letter, as his guardian, to be passed on whenever you wish."

"Good. What about the Dursley's?"

"They will receive a letter within twenty four hours, notifying them that they are no longer held responsible for Harry, and that the income they have previously received for housing him will be stopped."

Severus nodded stiffly, standing up and taking the form by his fingertips, "Excellent."

"Severus?" Dumbledore spoke his name just as he reached the door of the office.

The ex-spy turned and cocked an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"Don't hurt them too badly. And if you do, don't leave any evidence."

HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

Severus had made his apologies to Harry and left Hogwarts, apparating to the same back alley in the Little Whinging estate that he had arrived at only a few days before. He walked through the quiet roads, and anyone who passed him bade him no attention, despite his unusual appearance.

As Severus reached the Dursley household, he took stock of the exterior. The car's tires were dirtier than they had been, and leaves littered the path. The flowers were dying from lack of water, the mud around them caked and solid from lack of care. One of the windows had bird excrement on. This was the result of Harry's absence over the past few days.

Severus stalked up the path, the leaves crunching underneath his feet. He heard loud voices from within, and stood listening for a second before knocking, his knuckles rapping on the door. His wand was already in his hand, hidden in front of his robes so any passer-by could not see it. Petunia was the unfortunate soul to answer the door. She had marigold rubber gloves on, dirty and stained. Her hair was frizzy and she seemed agitated. She was wearing her usual attire, a flowery dress cut just below the knee, but there was a mud stain on the hem.

"Snape." She hissed as she took his appearance in, and he smirked at hers.

"Mrs. Dursley. May I come in?"

"Brought the boy back, have you? Finally realised that he is ours and not yours, hm?" She sneered, shoving him aside to look for Harry, her head turning left and right and left and right, "Well, where is he? You know you can't keep him. We are his guardians by legal right."

"We'll see about that." Severus said darkly, pushing the tip of his wand into her stomach. She gulped and stepped back, clearly frightened by the magic he emitted, "Open the door, Mrs Dursley, and let me in. Unless, of course, you want your neighbours to see this display. No? You don't? Excellent choice."

Severus barged past her, and she scuttled to get out of his way, closing the door behind him. Severus kept his wand in his hand as he entered the living room. Vernon Dursley was laid out across the sofa, beer in his hand despite it only being ten o'clock in the morning. His fat son was sat in an armchair, guzzling coca cola, which he promptly spat out over the carpet at seeing Severus again.

Vernon looked at him with indignation, "You!" He snarled, "Where's the boy? Where have you taken him?"

"Hogwarts." Severus said simply, looking around the room. It had begun to gather its first layer of dust, not having been cleaned by Harry for several days as it usually would have been. The television was blaring some stupid muggle show.

"Well bring him back." Vernon continued to snarl, struggling to get his lumbering weight up from the sofa so he could stand. Severus stared at the whale man for a moment, before using a simple spell to push the man back into his seat. Vernon cried out at the use of magic against him, in his house, "No! Don't you dare use your tricks against me in my own house! How dare you! How dare you! What did you do to me? What have you done to me?"

Severus turned his wand on Petunia, and silently used magic to move her across the room. Petunia wailed as she was forcibly sat next to her husband, and cowered and whimpered next to him. Severus stuck them in their places, including the child, and they wailed even louder as they realised what he had done.

"Stop. Making. Noise." Severus barked at them. The Dursley's became silent, apart from the slightest of whines gracing their lips. Severus non-verbally shut the television down, and the house was quiet, "You will not be getting Harry back."

"He is ours to keep." Vernon spoke, trying to act brave in the face of a man who terrified him, "Thanks to that old man, Dumbledore was it? He gave Harry to us."

"Not gave," Severus thundered, and the Dursley's shrank back, "Entrusted. You were entrusted with the safety of your nephew, entrusted to keep him safe because he is your blood and kin." He pointed at Petunia, "The son of your sister."

"Don't mention that freak to me. She was never my sister." Petunia spat.

"She was." Severus told her, "She was, and she would murder you in cold blood if she was here today, witnessing how you have treated her only son. Unfortunately, she is not here, but I am." His smile was sadistic and cruel and terrifying all at once. It pleased him greatly to see the fear on the Dursley's faces.

Vernon looked up at him, "What can you do? You can't do anything to us."

"Oh, yes I can." Severus replied, and he took the form detailing the transfer of guardianship from his pocket, "But before we talk of such things, you will sign this form, releasing Harry into my care. You will never see him again."

"Don't be ridiculous," Vernon spluttered, "You won't ever get us to sign such a thing. He is ours."

"Stop saying that." Severus demanded, "You will sign it, or the consequences will be… severe."

Vernon looked at his wife, and then back at Severus, "You dare to threaten us… In our home!" Severus was surprised that the fat man could be so stupid.

"It isn't much of a dare when the victim is as useless and stupid as you, Dursley." Severus mocked, "If you don't sign this, I will use everything in my power to make you miserable for the rest of your life. I served one of the most psychotic minds this world has ever seen. I know how to drive you and your wife and your son so far into insanity that you will never see light again. I know how to torture you until you weep and beg for death." Severus said, truthfully and menacingly, shoving the form towards Vernon, "Sign."

Severus stopped speaking, and was suddenly overcome with the smell of urine. He looked, disgusted, at young Dudley Dursley, who was red in the face and wet at the groin. Severus flicked his wand and the smell left the room, but Dudley was none the drier.

Vernon watched the display and turned to his wife, who held tight onto his arm. She gave a quick nod to him, flicking her eyes towards Severus and his outstretched hand, and Dursley reached forward as far as his stuck butt would allow him. Severus handed him the form. Vernon looked around for a pen, and Severus handed him a quill with a smirk. Vernon took it with disgust, holding it like a diseased animal was grabbing onto his hand.

"Where?" He said hoarsely. Severus walked closer to them, and leant over him. For the umpteenth time, Vernon and Petunia shrank back, as Severus pointed to the line on which they had to sign.

Vernon signed, and Severus nodded to Petunia, "And you."

Petunia took her hands from her husband's arm and reached for the form. She shakily signed her name next to her husband. She shrieked when the parchment glowed green and disappeared into thin air.

Severus smirked triumphantly. He was officially Harry's guardian. These idiots would never lay a hand on him again. He had kept his promise to Lily. He was doing right by her son, "Good. Thank you for your co-operation." He taunted the Dursley's, who were still stuck to their seats. He twirled his wands around his fingers, smirking as they tried to get up.

Petunia glared at him, "We did as you asked. Let us go."

"Oh, no, I can't do that yet." Severus shook his head, "I haven't finished."

The three Dursley's stared at him, "You… You said you wouldn't do anything if we signed!" Vernon fumed. He pointed a fat finger at Severus, "You lied!"

"I did not lie, because I said no such thing. I said if you didn't sign the consequences would be severe. You have signed, and therefore your punishment will be, instead, only moderate. Well, moderate in comparison to what I could have done."

"You… you!" Petunia spat, but she was trembling with fright.

"You will feel tired, constantly." Severus told them, flicking his wand towards them to set the spell in place, "Walking up the stairs will drain you as much as a day of physical exercise. You will never feel clean. You will feel hunger like you have not known before. Your clothes will not fit you. Your brain will not be able to process simple information. This is your punishment for what you did to Harry. You made him feel so tired, and hungry, and uncomfortable, and unclean. Now, it is your turn. Your punishment will last as long as it was inflicted upon him. For the next fourteen years, you will feel like this."

The Dursley's whined and protested as they felt the spell take effect. Severus left them to it, making sure Dudley's was a lesser version of his parents. He went into every room of the house, and spelled it dirty. Every room became filthy. As he went, he took photos with a muggle Polaroid camera.

As well as being disgustingly dirty, in the kitchen, the fires on the hob refused to ignite, the oven did not work, and the refrigerator shut down. The electronics broke, so the household would always have to be cleaned by hand. In the hallway, Severus stopped by the cupboard under the stairs, and locked it with the most complicated charm he knew. It would never be opened again.

In the master bedroom, he made sure they would never get a good night's sleep, and always feel tired and downtrodden, by jinxing the bed to feel unexplainably uncomfortable. He jinxed their wardrobe to crumple their clothes and muddy their shoes, so they could never dress well again. Again, the room was impossibly dirty.

In young Dudley's room, all of his toys and electronics vanished, leaving the space stark and empty. Harry had never had toys, after all. Other than that, he left the young boy's room alone. He knew Dudley had only been following his parents, but Harry had told him the games and tricks that had been played, so the boy had to have some punishment. He was fifteen after all, he could have chosen a different path from his parents.

In the bathroom, mold began to grow. It covered the shower walls, came up the plugs of the bath and the sink, and started to fill the toilet. Severus almost gagged at the smell, but the sight was immensely satisfying.

He entered the spare bedroom that had been Harry's hell for so many years. He banished everything in there, leaving it blank. From the window, he could see the garden. Harry had told him how he had been made to prune all the flowers and cut the grass three times a week. Severus flicked his wand and the back garden grew to become a jungle of long grass, weeds and thorns. He charmed it so that, no matter how hard the Dursley's tried, it could not be cut or tamed, but would continuously grow back. He took several pictures of that.

He left the room, ridding the door of its five locks on the way, and walked down the stairs. He re-entered the living room, and spoke to the Dursley's in a calm tone, "Your punishment will end in fourteen years – the same amount of time you neglected to care for your nephew."

A few flicks of his wand broke their television, made their sofa uncomfortable, stopped the internet connection, blocked the chimney, and made their current clothes dirty. He twirled his wand, wondering if that was it, if that was all he should do. Satisfied, nodding to himself, he unstuck the Dursley's. He knew they would not move until he had left the house.

He directed his last words at Petunia, almost sorrowful, "Lily will always be your sister, and Harry will always be your kin. I hope you realise that, in the years to come."

He turned on his heel, not taking the time to see her reaction, and strode out of the house. He didn't do anything to the front garden, but a quick swipe of his wand made the car's windows crack in a most pleasing way. He was halfway down the road when he heard the screams beginning to erupt, still loud despite his distance from the house.

He couldn't help but chuckle. He was proud of his fine work. The pictures the Polaroid camera had printed out showed the disgusting nature of the house, and Severus flicked through them as he waited for some muggles to disappear from view of the apparition point.

When they were gone, he apparated; he felt the tug behind his stomach, whisking him away from Little Whinging for what he hoped was the last time.

HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

On returning to his quarters in the dungeons of Hogwarts, he found Harry on the sofa, going through his fifth year charms book. The Gryffindor looked up at Severus coming through the door and smiled, "Hey. You were gone for a while."

Severus checked the time on one of the quarter's clocks, it was just passed twelve. Making the Dursley's house look awful had taken longer than he had thought it would, "I was just taking care of some business." Severus said smoothly, hiding the pictures in his cloak pocket.

"Hogwarts business by the looks of it." Harry guessed.

"How did you come to make that conclusion?" Severus questioned.

Harry pointed to his robes, "The past few days, just around the quarters, you have been wearing muggle clothing. You wouldn't put on your dark, frightening, wizarding robes to go and speak to just anyone. Right?"

"Frightening?"

"Well, it is a pretty imposing costume, Sir." Harry grinned.

"Costume, eh?" Severus further probed the boy, crossing his arms.

Harry grinned more, "Oh please, the reason you are so scared I can ruin your reputation is because I know the information that could do it. I know there is more to you, now, than the scary black robes bat-of-the-dungeon look."

"Well, what a relief, how pleased I am that you know me so well." Severus said sarcastically, "Let me change and we will have lunch before going through your charms essay. I trust you were working on it while I was gone."

Harry looked guilty at his book, "I did some of it."

"Some of it?" Severus cocked an eyebrow.

"Ok, I only did the research. I'll do more this afternoon." Harry promised.

"You better," Severus warned, "No ward of mine will let his grades slip."

"I'm not technically your ward yet." Harry said to him cheekily, and he passed to his room to change.

Severus smirked and did not reply. He would wait till the boy's birthday to tell him the news. He only could dread how Black and Lupin and the red-headed Gryffindor's would react, but there was nothing that could be done about that now.

It was official.

He was the legal guardian of Harry James Potter.