Disclaimer: It is all mine! Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione, and Hogwarts! Oh, sorry, I must've been dreaming. Nope, none of it's mine except for, well the stuff that isn't actually in the books.

Chapter 7

"When my uncle gave me that potion, it felt like nothing I've felt before. Well, maybe from the Cruciatus Curse."

Snape fully appreciated the pain Potter felt then. If this could be compared to the Cruciatus, then Potter should feel no shame in his screaming.

"Now, the pain just appears out of nowhere. Whenever I even think about the Dursley's in someone else's presence, I feel a twinge. When you found my river," Potter said. "The pain was just as intense as the first time."

Snape was consumed in thought for a few moments, and then said, "Potter, my hypothesis, however improbable it sounds, is that your uncle was given some sort of pain potion from someone who wishes you dead."

Potter looked astonished and said, "But sir, my uncle HATES magic. He would sooner kill himself than even look at us freaks."

"Potter, I do not look kindly on being called a freak, so I suggest you forget all that your uncle has said about magic." He had the decency to look abashed as Snape continued.

"Tell me Potter. Can your uncle be easily… swayed? Say, by money or a good opportunity?"

Potter said, "Yes, sir. He is very easily bribed. But what do you mean by a good opportunity?"

"What if I came up to your uncle, Potter, and tell him I have a way solve all his problems concerning a certain nephew?"

Potter did not even seem to consider the question. He immediately said, "He would jump on that occasion, sir."

"Hmmm…" Snape was still lost in thought.

Snape saw the covered yawn and glazed look in Potter's eyes.

"Potter, sorry to be boring you, but there seems to be one problem with my theory. You leave, take a nap, while I ponder."

Potter seemed to jump at the invitation and hurried out of the room. But, he stopped at the door and turned around.

"Sir, you still won't tell Dumbledore, will you?"

Snape sighed.

"No, Potter. Not yet at least."

It seemed Potter was not fully satisfied with the answer, but decided to fight that battle another day. He turned and left, leaving Snape to his thoughts.

Come on Severus, there is no way a Death Eater would give Dursley a pain potion. They do not care about Potter in pain, only dead.

Well, maybe they were not able to brew a deadly potion.

Why not?

Maybe the wards around Potter's house prevent any dangerous potion from getting through.

A pain potion can be considered dangerous, though.

Maybe they didn't give him a POTION. Maybe they give him the means to a potion.

Like the recipe?

Yessss, like a book filled with recipes.

Why would it be that Dursley would end up with a potion for pain out of all of this?

Maybe the book had many different potions. Death potions, pain potions, etc.

Why would Dursley not choose a death potion then?

Well, that whale is still scared of magic and of the wizards at Hogwarts. Maybe he did not want to kill Potter because he thought we would come for him.

So maybe the Death Eater that gave him the book assumed he would choose a death potion, but he instead chose a pain potion?

That would seem plausible.

Dursley knew the pain potion could be used to his advantage, though, didn't he?

Yes, he somehow was able to create the same effects of the pain potion to occur over and over again.

The only way for this potion to be in the Dursley residence, though, is for them to be made inside the house.

It couldn't be.

Dursley made the potion. Yes. There are potions created solely by muggles.

The recipes are in extremely rare books only owned by the oldest Pureblood families. They never wanted muggles to get their hands on magical books and be able to do anything. It would be like the muggles and wizards are equal.

So, Dursley made a potion that causes pain and brings it back at certain times.

What times?

Whenever the boy thinks about the Dursley's in someone else's presence.

Similar to triggers in potions, is it not. Making the potions be in effect when a certain word is said, a certain idea is thought.

Yes, these books Dursley must have gotten have to be extremely dark to include pain potions and information on trigger words.

We need that book.

You know what, Severus?

What, self?

I think it's time to visit our good friend, Lucius Malfoy.

BREAKBREAKBREAK

Snape waited for the sun to set and then went into the woods. He apparated in front of large cast-iron gates. There were white peacocks strutting around the yard, and one came up to the gate.

"Tell Lucius I wish to speak with him."

Snape felt a bit ridiculous speaking to a bird, but Snape knew that Lucius would get the message. It was the sort of magic that Snape really couldn't care less about.

After a few moments, the gates creaked open and Snape proceeded quickly up the way. As he approached the front door of the manor, it swung open as well and Snape made his way inside.

"Master will see you in his study, sir." Snape peered down to see a house elf sneering at him. The house elves of the Malfoys showed even less hospitality to non Purebloods than Kreacher did at Headquarters. And that was saying something.

Snape made a point to stop thinking about Headquarter and the Order of the Phoenix. This was not the place nor the time. He knocked on the door to Lucius' study and heard a silky, "Come in."

Snape knew that he needed to tread carefully. Lucius was one of his oldest friends, but would also not hesitate to report any funny business to the Dark Lord.

Lucius was seated at his desk and did not bother to get up. Snape knew it was a purposeful show of disrespect, but he supposed he earned it for dropping in unannounced. He attempted to put a friendly tone in his voice.

"Good evening, Lucius. Sorry for the late hour, but you know how teaching is."

Lucius smirked. "Yes, Severus. I imagine working for a living is very time-consuming."

Snape ignored the barb and sat down across from Lucius.

"This is not a social visit, Lucius."

Lucius could not stop his face from frowning slightly. Snape knew he was paying attention by that opening.

"There is some information that I have stumbled upon. And it troubles me slightly. I am hoping you can shed some light."

Lucius turned his mouth into a smirk and raised his eyebrows. Snape could see that Lucius was planning on making it seem like he was humoring Snape. But Snape knew exactly how to get information out of his friend.

"As you know, Lucius, I am teaching Harry Potter the art of Occlumency."

He put emphasis on the teaching. The story that the Dark Lord thinks is that Dumbledore asked Snape to teach Potter Occlumency. Snape agreed to keep his cover but is actually weakening the boy.

Snape was momentarily saddened to realize that his story to the Dark Lord isn't as far off as it should be.

Snape mentally shook his head and continued to address Lucius. "I don't like being kept out of the loop, Lucius. Especially when it comes to the boy."

"Don't you realize that if anything happened to him then it is me that Dumbledore will immediately turn to? 'Why, Severus, did you not know about this?' 'Are you the one who did this?' Etc."

"Everyone blames the Death Eater first. That is why the Dark Lord is so careful to only finish off Potter himself. I am his most valuable resource."

To that, Lucius gave a very audible scoff. "Really, Severus? You are the Dark Lord's most important follower? You can think that all you want, but it is obvious that he is just waiting for you to show your disloyalty. Even now he doubts you."

"Your opinion is neither here nor there, Lucius. The point is that if someone on our side messes with Harry Potter in any way, it negatively affects us all. So why then, Lucius, have I discovered that Potter's muggle relatives have a book filled with dark potions?"

In all honesty, Snape was expecting Lucius to deny this implication. He already had follow up points laid out in his head that would entice Lucius to finally admit it. But, they were not necessary.

Lucius smiled and said, "You always astonish me, my friend. How did you know it was me?"

"Not many people could own such a book, and not many people would think to give it to a muggle. It had your type of scheming written all over it."

"Ah, Severus. You caught me. Even the Dark Lord doesn't know. We have grown tired of him obsessing over that boy. You are not around him as much as us, but it was becoming clear that the Dark Lord would never rise to power while he was so preoccupied with one child. As you know, we are expressly forbidden from killing him. But if somebody else killed him…"

Lucius let the sentence hang provocatively. Snape still had some questions, however.

"Why would Dursley kill him with a potion when he could just kill him any time? If that desire was really in his heart, what has stopped him these 15 years?"

"I know the simple minds of muggles, Severus. They fear killing us by any normal means. Plus they have already seen how Potter could magic himself out of certain situations. Most muggle poisons don't work on wizards."

"But how would Dursley know that?"

Lucius' grey eyes sparkled in mirth. "Oh, it might have slipped out as I was convincing him to kill his nephew."

"You let him keep the book?"

"He hates magic more than anything else. I knew he would take the secret to his grave."

Snape sighed and made sure to look frustrated. Not that it was very difficult at that moment. "But Lucius, Dursley didn't follow your brilliant plan. Now I have to clean up the mess."

The blond man did not even pretend to look abashed. "What did he end up doing, if I may ask? There were many interesting potions in that book."

"Unfortunately for you, it is none of your business. And you can't make the Dark Lord force it out of me, since it would be you on the chopping block if you ever told him of your positively brilliant plan to go against his wishes. Thank you for your time, Lucius. Until next time."

BREAKBREAKBREAK

Snape glanced at the clock. Five minutes until Potter was due to arrive for their Occlumency lesson. Before this lesson started, though, Snape had some matters to discuss with the boy.

He heard a knock and said, "enter." The boy walked into his office and sat in his normal chair.

"Potter, I will cut to the chase. You have, for lack of a better term, double magic. People were never meant to suck out an infant's magic and bring it into themselves. It was too strong so you forged a magical link with the closest sink. Can you guess who that is?"

"Vol… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"The Dark Lord would have been the closest sink to deposit the magic, but he has closed off your link since the Department of Mysteries. Unfortunately, I do not have that tempting option. I must press my mind to yours 3 times a week."

"Wait, Professor. You are saying we have a link? Is it that rope that I see in my mind?"

"Yes, Potter. It formed after you sucked out your cousin's magic that first time. And until I figure out how to get rid of it, we will be stuck with each other's… emotional inclinations, it seems."

Harry was about to respond but Snape cut him off.

"This bond is only the tip of the iceberg, Potter. Don't you see, it's bonding our magic together. Just because the Dark Lord has closed off your connection now doesn't mean he will not reopen it at a later time. Luckily, the Dark Lord does not know how to reopen it without eye contact."

"So it is ok then, right professor? I mean, I'm not planning on locking eyes with Voldemort in the near future."

"Don't say his name! You stupid boy, you are protected. But now there is a link between us. There is a closed link to the Dark Lord. And there is a fourth link that you formed when you took Delaney's magic in the first place!"

Potter's eyes widened in alarm. "Does my mother's protection extend to Delaney, d'you think?"

"I have no way of knowing, Potter. It has become clear to me that it is too dangerous to keep Delaney at the Dursley's. She is a link to the both of us. I shudder to think what could happen if the Dark Lord got his hands on her. I have a feeling that he could drain not only her, but both of us as well, of our magic."

"But what does that mean, Professor? I'm not following."

"It means that the Dark Lord will have an added power of 3 people's magic as well as the ability to drain and kill us at any time."

"So, we're doomed?"

"How childish, Potter. But yes, we're doomed."