Chapter 14: Muggles
Although Harry didn't quite remember his short time living as a muggle with Dumbledore, he was still quite excited to hear that they were traveling into muggle London. He had been extremely frightened when he found out his fathers would be making a small trip while they were out without him, but had been reassured consistently that he would not be left unguarded.
In fact, this had created a bit of an issue as they tried to figure out just how much protection their little boy should have while they were gone. Severus wanted every single wizard and witch available on the case, but knew that it would attract too much attention.
In the end, they had settled on the four that had become a constant in Harry's life. Remus and Sirius wouldn't let themselves stay behind, refusing to leave Harry's side. Draco and Hermione had easily attached themselves to the trip, claiming that they had never gotten a chance to get the old books Hermione had wanted for the ceremony. Plus, she had added, she wouldn't mind getting little Harry a cute outfit for her wedding.
The boy had been freaking out at the thought of his parent's leaving him to be found by the old wizard. It helped when Hermione had distracted him with the thought of her wedding. She'd had to explain everything to little Harry, and had been talking to him as a distraction until they had stepped foot into muggle London after traveling by apparition.
When Hermione had told Harry that they would have people standing up at the wedding as their bridesmaid and groomsmen, the child's eyes had lit up. Instantly, the boy had chirped that he wanted to be a groomsman. He had started to jump up and down in Tom's arms and had given the biggest puppy eyes any of them had ever seen.
Draco, having caught the situation, had instantly fallen for the big emerald gaze and nodded. "I have a best man, but he may need some help little guy." He jumped in before Hermione could claim Harry for her side. "How about you be my little best man? We can charm a little snake on your coat too, to show everyone how proud you are to be in a Slytherin family."
Harry had glowed at the idea, completely missing the half glare Hermione had thrown at her fiancé. She knew that some people that knew Harry would have had a cow if they had seen him wearing anything but the proud Gryffindor colors that he had been known by.
"Let's get you a cute outfit to wear," Hermione added. Suddenly looking very Slytherin herself as she threw a smirk at Draco. "You and I can pick it, and then we can charm it together to look good with shades of ruby and emerald."
Harry tilted his head. "What's ruby?"
"Red and green, like a lion like me. And like a snake, like Draco." She explained gently.
"Like daddies!" Harry clapped as he understood, beaming at the idea.
"Yes, and red like your uncles!" Sirius had to add in, having been listening to the conversation and quietly agreeing with Hermione. He had grown used to the brightest witch waiting to strike back at her fiancé until he had stopped, and had learned patience from the woman.
"Yeah!" Harry cheered, bouncing in his papa's arms.
They had walked towards the mouth of an alleyway before stopping to face each other. Severus smiled gently at the little boy and pecked his nose and cheek. He had to resist the urge to hug Harry tightly to his chest.
Tom didn't resist, hugging Harry tightly and placing a kiss atop his mop of black hair before handing the child to Remus. While the little boy was obviously still scared about being left without his parents, he had been given enough reassurance that he didn't protest too much.
"We will meet you back here in three hours," Severus reminded the group. "You all have your portkeys, if anything should happen, use it."
"If anything should happen to Harry," Tom added, the dark lord was softer but there were moments were the underlying threats were quite easy to decipher.
"We'll have some lunch when we get back Harry," Severus added. He was glad to see the child didn't seem completely sick anymore. It was the only reason he had agreed that they were finally okay with leaving the manor.
"Bye Daddy," Harry mumbled, his little fists tight on Remus' now long-sleeved muggle shirt. He was scared.
"I'll see you soon, kiddo." Severus didn't resist leaning in and giving the little cheek another kiss, watching as Harry stuck his thumb in his mouth to comfort himself. He was obviously withholding the urge to grab his father.
With a nod both men stepped away from the group, watching as they started towards a shopping mall before they headed into the alley. The dark lord had set laws about the muggle world, he had closed it off to almost all wizards and witches not doing a direct job for his ministry. In fact, it had been years since he had even bothered stepping foot in such a dark place.
Glancing at each other, Tom put a comforting hand on his husband's shoulder before both men apparated from the spot.
They landed in a quiet neighborhood. Each lawn was immaculate. Each house the same color. The silence of the area was almost disturbing. A sign alerted them to the street, as the dark lord and potions master stalked forward.
Pausing in front of one of the perfect houses, Severus raised a brow. It had been exactly what he had imagined when he had first met Harry Potter. The perfect home for a perfect child.
"This is the place," Severus confirmed. "Number four, Private Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."
"What goes on behind closed doors," Tom murmured gently, brow raised.
With a nod the two men made their way to the front door, noticing the lack of muggle vehicle in the drive. When their polite knocking didn't conjure a soul, Tom cast a simple alohomora and stepped inside the home.
Fortunately, none of the neighbors seemed to be home or aware of the situation, as they didn't see the two grown wizards step into the house. In fact, the silence was only disturbed by the quite closing of the front door.
Stepping into the house, Severus frowned as he looked at the photos lining the walls. It was almost a shrine to a chunky boy, from when he was a small child into his twenties. The man was only surprised to find that while the pig of a man that sometimes appeared in the photos with the child remained heavy, the boy lost the weight. He looked as if he had started to take care of himself. He also noted that the photos seemed to die down as the boy grew into an adult.
"Where is Harry?" Tom asked the question forming in his husband's mind. Where was the other child this family had raised?
"He's not in any of these muggle photos," Severus stated. He turned to investigate the other rooms, noting that not a single reminder of Harry was in the house.
"It's like he didn't ever exist in this home. Are you sure we have the right place?" Tom asked gently, frowning when he noticed the nod.
"Perhaps we should ask the house?" Severus suggested, lifting his wand. Immediately the curtains closed, the door locked and became warded against intruders. With another flash of his wand, the house came to life.
It was almost as if ghosts had taken over the room, moving in fast forward. It began with a small baby being picked up in a carrier at the front door to Harry growing. And what they saw, shook them to the core.
By the time Harry had received his Hogwarts letter, Severus could take no more. Tom had held onto his rage, forcing himself to watch even as his husband turned away. When the spell ended, the curtains gently opened to release in the sunlight as the door once more became normal. They were both trembling from what they had witnessed.
"Vernon dear, bring in the cake, won't you?" A shrill voice called from the lawn.
Both men froze, turning to face each other before the darkness that had swept over their expressions glowed.
"Duddy-kins is finally coming home!" The female continued, unlocking the front door. The muggles were completely unaware of the dangerous situation in which they were about to step foot.
Vernon, the fat whale of a man that had hurt their boy, waddled into the house after a horse faced woman. Both looked as if they had smelled something foul. "Dudley is a man, you shouldn't call him that!"
They completely skipped the living room, lost in their own world they missed the two figures. However, when the front door slammed shut and the curtains once more blacked out the light, silence fell.
The woman shrieked, turning to face the men in the room as Vernon began to scream about freaks. It was Tom who shut them up, taking the voice of Vernon and quieting the woman so she could not speak over a whisper.
"Little Petunia," Severus hissed. "Look at what you've become."
"You!" She spit, pure loathing in her voice.
"Me." Severus growled.
"Where are the photos of Harry?" He growled. "Where are his belongings?"
"He took them," she raised a brow, still trying to be brave despite what she was facing. "That freak took his freakish things from this house, and never came back."
"Do you know what Harry meant to you Petunia? Do you know what was happening in the wizarding world years ago?" Severus inquired.
Tom cast another spell, watching as Vernon was forced to sit on the sofa. His wife quickly followed.
"Who cares," she growled. "That freak infected our little boy. He barely comes home now! I don't know what happened, but I hope he's dead." She was vindictive, not even stopping to notice how her words were affecting the two men in the room.
"Harry," Tom corrected her loudly. The temperature in the room dropped. "Was fighting a very strong force in the wizarding world. He was up against one of the strongest wizards of all time. A wizard who highly disliked muggles, like yourselves." He took an elegant seat on the opposite sofa, looking more like a regal king. Severus stepped up by the chair, looking like a knight ready to defend his king.
"This dark wizard killed his parents. Killed muggles. Killed wizards and witches alike." He explained. "And Harry was the only protection you had. His mother's sacrifice insured that this home had a barrier against this dark wizard. But do you know what happened when Harry disappeared from your home?"
The Dursley family had grown pale at the explanation. As if the dawning understanding of the underlying threat was slowly coming to light.
"That barrier was gone," Tom supplied.
"Do you know the name of the dark wizard?" Tom asked, raising a brow as he leaned forward, settling his face on his hands as if he were fascinated by the answer that was to come.
When the heads shook in front of him, the man grinned maniacally. "Pity. For many years he went by different names. Let me enlighten you."
He sat back, looking at his wand as if he were looking for pieces of dust that had dared settle on the wood. "He started off as Tom, although most people don't know this information. Tom Marvolo Riddle, actually. He was an orphan, like Harry.
Unlike Harry, he ended up in an orphanage. But like Harry, the adult's in his life weren't very nice. He grew up with a strong hatred of muggles. While there were kind ones, some, were not so kin-"
The man was interrupted by Petunia as she attempted to protest, stopping immediately when the man screamed. "I do not like being interrupted!" He growled.
Settling back, Tom continued. "He grew into a name that most people referenced as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They had grown so fearful of his identity they did not want to say it. Plus, who knew what would happen if you said his name."
He paused, grinning and leaning back in the sofa chair as he spoke. "Now, why would I tell you this? Why would I reveal information only the closest of his informants would know?" He held up a hand, silencing any answers.
The smile that lifted the dark corner of his lips into something feral only grew worse as the couple grew pale. Severus, still standing behind him, finally spoke.
"Meet Lord Voldemort." He swept a hand towards his husband, rolling up his sleeve to show only the common death eater tattoo that adorned his arm.
"The official adopted father of one Harry Potter… or as you have instilled in the child, the freak." He spat, stepping forward. The man only stopped when Tom's hand rose up in a wait gesture.
"Ah, yes." Tom crooned. "And meet my husband, Severus Snape. The man who learned very recently that Harry was his biological child."
Both grinned, the ward that fell on the house visible to the muggle eyes. "And the two of you, are about to learn what happens to those who hurt our child."
And while the inside of the Dursley home became filled with screams, the silent neighborhood heard nothing.
Each lawn was immaculate. Each house the same color. The silence of the area was almost disturbing. Almost…