Chapter 7

The truth comes to light

Severus apparated to Privet Drive and found number four quickly, he knocked on the door and when Hermione answered, he smiled and brushed away the crumbs from her mouth. "Sev….Professor Snape, what a surprise, Harry is in the lounge and is very close to a panic attack! He is in severe shock or something" Severus quickly followed his betrothed into the front room where Vernon was rubbing Harry's back in a valid effort to make the young man calm his anxiety. Petunia looked pale and washed out, as she looked up and saw Severus, she was shocked to see her childhood friend standing there.

"Severus Tobias Snape!" she cried out

"Hello, Tuney." Severus sneered "How dare you come in here and talk to me like a piece of muck on the bottom of your shoe. We were all friends once, you, me, my sister Lily and Sirius. James didn't join our group of friends until later on!" Petunia shrieked. Then she took a closer look at Severus "You don't remember any of this, do you?" Harry came out of his self-induced panic attack. "You've been obliviated too! Oh merlin, I am so sorry, professor"

Severus sat down with heavy thump and put his head in his hands "I have more blank spaces in my memory than is natural. I can only assume that this is Dumbledore's doing" Severus looked at his shaking hands "That bastard!" Harry shouted. "Look at him, Hermione, he is suffering the after-effects of the torture curse!"

"No!" Hermione dug through her bag and found the antidote to the torture curse that she had been working on for a year, she passed it to Petunia and got her wand out. "I am so sorry about this, professor" She wove a complicated spell and Severus' legs locked up as he fell backward. "Harry, open his mouth and Mrs Dursley, please pour the antidote down his throat. His organs are going to fail soon if we don't do this now!"

Harry opened the glaring Professor's mouth and gulped in fear as Petunia poured the whole thing down his throat.

Severus' body arched as he reacted to the antidote. He slumped down on the floor as Hermione wiped his forehead.

"It's over, he is healing now" Harry helped him sit up and get back onto the sofa. "Thank you, the both of you, now what was the reason for you having a panic attack, Harry?"

"My parents last will and testament reading, revealed some alarming facts. Neither of my parents trusted Dumbledore but at his insistence, they moved into Godric's Hollow under the Fidelius and spread the propaganda of the prophecy that refers to me and Voldemort. Trelawney is in no way a true seer, she was a fan of the hallucinogenic drug L.S.D and my father knew that from his school days. Dumbledore was the secret keeper. I am one of the richest lords in the U.K and I have yet to attend my godfather's will reading. Speaking of godfathers. You were named as one of my guardians in case my aunt and uncle could not take me in. But both my father and my mother had me emancipated fully so I would be able to access my family vault."

Severus let some tears fall as he knelt down in front of Harry and took his smaller hand in his own. "Truly, I am dismayed by my past behaviour towards you. The sins of the father should not be visited on the son. I am so sorry."

Harry smiled "I always knew that there was a heart underneath that cold exterior, my father and mother hold no grudges against you, professor. I forgive you and I also want you to forgive me for encroaching on your private thoughts in your pensive. I was a curious young man and part of me knew I had no right."

Severus smiled widely. "I promise as your newly appointed godfather to guide and protect you in the best way I can"

Luna and Hermione smiled at each other when they saw the healing of a friendship that could have been cultivated from Harry's first year at Hogwarts.

Luna kept looking at the Vase feeling sick and drained. It felt like the thing was watching and listening, taking everything in. "Harry!" Luna whispered, and Harry looked up to where Luna was staring "Does anyone else feel sick looking at it?"

Severus signalled everyone to be quiet, he then cast a non-verbal Muffiato'. "I must check the whole property for cursed objects" he said aloud as his eyes kept drifting uneasily to the large gaudy Vase on the mantel above the fire.

"Everyone, can you check the other rooms upstairs?" They all nodded knowing he was hinting for them to leave the room. His eyes drifted again to the Vase and he ushered the Dursley's out.

As soon as they had left the room, he drew his wand and cast the hell-fire curse at the Vase. It exploded in shards and out of it came thick black mist that screamed it's defiance at being destroyed. Severus' eyes widened as the soul fragment morphed into Albus Dumbledore's screaming face with blood red eyes. He ducked for cover as the soul fragment rushed towards him in pain and anger then it dissipated into the airy living room. Severus collapsed and was thoroughly sick.

"Professor!" Harry rushed into the room with his wand out. "What was that?" he gasped. Luna came into the room next and rushed to help Professor Snape as Luna's father cleaned up the vomit stained carpet. "Help me, Mr Dursley?" Luna asked, and Vernon helped eagerly. Severus managed to seat himself on the sofa as he put his head in his hands and wept. "That was a Horcrux, a soul fragment of Dumbledore"

"A what!" all the occupants cried out in dismay. Severus bid them to all sit down. "A Horcrux is the darkest of magic"

Harry looked clueless as Severus explained it "A Horcrux can only be created by committing a murder in cold blood, murder is what splits the soul, especially if the person feels nothing, no love, hate, pain, regret. Injustice, they just don't feel"

"Well, how many of these 'soul vessels' could Dumbledore have created then?" Luna asked, and Hermione stood up then. "We have no idea but seven is a favourable magic number but then again so is three, I would more than likely go with seven."

Harry was even more dumbstruck then "Still, why seven?"

Luna's eyes widened as a thought from the past hit her like a hammer.

"My mother made a prophecy exactly seven days before her death, by the gods, Sir, you were there, I was just seven years old and I have a feeling that this was the true prophecy" The young lady looked at petunia with her silver eyes. "Mrs Dursley, did your mother have five miscarriages before you and your sister?" Petunia nodded as tears came to her eyes. "It was so traumatic for our mother, she told us they were all girls."

"You were born two years before Harry's mother?" Severus stated. Petunia nodded confirming Severus' suspicion.

"What are you saying?" Vernon asked "Lily was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Petunia, it is possible that Dumbledore placed a magical block on yourself with the letter that he left on your doorstep with Harry."

Vernon gawped as he did the math. "My beloved wife has always loved gardening and growing things, she has always had green fingers. She is a natural and whatever she grows in her garden seems magical, naturally."

Harry took a second look at his aunt petunia and realised something. "You are a hedge-witch, it means solitary practitioner and proficient in the art of harvesting of natural magic. Herbs, plants, you showed me some of your old primary school reports, you were brilliant at home economics, chemistry and gardening. Do you know what they all said?" petunia could not remember "They all said you would make a wonderful landscape gardener or designer. What made you give it up?" Harry asked genuinely. "I don't know but I was keen to go to University and study a degree in Floristry and Gardening, Science also a passion of mine. Chemistry and Botanical science mostly. Then I fell in love with Vernon and we married then we had Dudley and I….I don't remember" Vernon looked worried

"That whiskered old wanker. He is the catalyst. He spread the propaganda of that phoney prophecy." Harry growled out. "Don't swear, Harry" Luna gently reminded him. "Sorry, Aunt Petunia" Harry muttered sheepishly.

Severus wanted to get back to the main point of contention. "Luna, do you remember what your mother said, specifically? Her….Miss granger, would you kindly write this down?" Severus paled when he nearly slipped up. Harry saw the look between Hermione and Severus but didn't comment on it. He did secretly smile though.

Hermione got out her notebook and pen ready to write down the true prophecy. As Luna started speaking, Hermione raptly listened and wrote.

"Two sisters born"

"One a seventh daughter"

"The elder sister follows her intuition and grows pure magic"

"A young heir of the founders is to be conceived"

"He shall unite all creatures in earth, air fire and water to bring peace to both worlds"

"To unite the wizarding world in black and white and rebirth the wizarding world in Grey"

Luna's Father, Xenophillius jumped up in excitement. "That is amazing, Harry must be the heir of the founders as he embodies all of the qualities of all the houses of Hogwarts. Harry is ambitious and loyal, friendly and kind, Brave and heroic. He has intelligence in abundance and a mischievous cunning Slytherin side but not in a nasty way, Harry would never play a prank on someone to hurt them."

"It seems there is always more to you than meets the eye, Harry?"

Harry grinned cheekily "The sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin" Severus gawped then face-palmed himself "Merlin's teeth, save us from inquisitive curious Gryffindors!"

"Hey!" Hermione gasped outraged as her hand smacked Severus upside his head.

All the occupants of 4 Privet drive burst into laughter then.