Chapter Thirty One: Protecting Those They Love:
Severus Snape was in a foul mood, he had survived the poisoned knife from Bellatrix just fine but now he was a virtual prisoner. He knew, knew the sainted brat-who-lived had to have something to do with it he was sure of it. After his collapse he had woke up in the hospital wing with Poppy, McGonagall and the blasted headmaster over him. It was then he was informed that in no certain terms he was not going to risk his life anymore by going back to Voldemort. Dumbledore had oh so kindly told him he was not going to let his boy be harmed anymore and he was going to do what any good father would, protect his son. A day after that information Severus had headed up to the headmasters office in a full rage, he recalled what happened next.
Severus had entered the headmaster's office trembling with fury. He was paler than normal and his eyes were glittering with rage. His magic crackled around him as he stood before the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore had very wisely taken his wand and ordered him to have a seat. Severus refused and stood before the headmaster unable to speak for a moment so great was his rage. The reason was clear why he was so upset, after Dumbledore had spoke to him two goblins had come and put what amounted to an ankle bracelet that would keep him from being able to go anywhere the headmaster would not let him. Severus Snape was beyond pissed off, he was feeling very murderous at the moment and Dumbledore was fully aware he would feel this way even though he was not going to loose his boy to foolishness.
"You dare do this to me?" Severus spat standing, fists clenched in rage.
"Yes, it is not because I don't trust you my boy, I do, I trust you fully but I cannot let you go back." Dumbledore said. "I will no longer fail in my duty to you, I promised to take care of you as my son and that I intend on doing."
"BY HOLDING ME PRISONER?" Severus screamed in rage.
"Yes, if that is how I have to do it I will." Dumbledore said calmly watching Severus practically foam at the mouth. "I really do care about you my boy, if I lost you I don't know what I would do, you really are the bravest and most noble man I know."
"I am evil and wicked and I will not be swayed by your words headmaster!" Severus spat.
"You will stay where I can look after you." Dumbledore said.
"No."
"You don't have much of a choice." Dumbledore said.
"I will take poison, then you will not have me at all!" Severus snarled.
"You cannot…"
"Oho so you charmed that slave link to keep me from that did you?" Severus said his voice enough to freeze most peoples blood. "How dare you…"
"Severus you are entering dangerous waters my boy." Dumbledore said calmly though his eyes had lost their twinkle and were icy showing he was quickly getting mad himself. "You will calm down now."
"NO I WILL NOT YOU WILL RELEASE ME OR I WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU HAD!"
"Severus that is enough!" Dumbledore warned him sternly.
"No I have…"
He never did get to finish that sentence as Dumbledore, a very patient kind man had enough. He got up and walked over to the younger man, sat down in the chair Severus should have been sitting in and drug him over his knees. He summoned a ruler and began to go to work on the much younger man. Severus had howled and cursed and threatened but none of it had worked. He was way out of line and he knew it, unlike Voldemort who used punishment as a terror tactic to keep his minions in line Dumbledore used punishment very rarely and only when Severus stepped this far out of line. He had adopted Severus when he had come to him all those years ago and a father's strong hand was sometimes needed like now. Finally he got the reaction he wanted, Severus calmed down and he was able to stop beating his backside.
"I am sorry headmaster." Severus said quietly, he would not cry, not him, but he would submit and calm down. "I was wrong to disrespect you."
"Yes my boy you were, I care for you and that is why I have done what I have." Dumbledore said. "In time you will understand and hopefully forgive me."
"May I leave sir?" Snape had asked.
"Yes, but as you well know there are few places you can go now." Dumbledore said calmly.
"Yes headmaster." Severus said quietly.
He was handed back his wand and he stormed out. Now he was here, hiding where he was sure the headmaster would not look and he was not coming out! He didn't care how childish this was he was upset as he felt he was not being trusted and he was being kept form the work he had to do! He owed the world that after all the evil things he had done…
…Meanwhile Sirius Black was processing the news slowly as a stunned look spread out on his face. Severus Snape was not going back to spy for them and was once more hiding out. In his house of all places! This came from Harry who had seen Severus enter the house and storm up the stairs. Remus had filled them in on what Dumbledore had done (what he knew anyway) and why Severus was here now. Sirius uncorked another butter beer and took a large swig and put the bottle down and grinned at Remus.
"Leave him alone Padfoot he is in no mood to be bothered." Remus said.
"I know that, I do value my life, but it's funny he chose my house to hide away and sulk?" Sirius said throwing back his head and letting off a bark-like laugh. "That is brilliant!"
"Yea but you bothering him would not be funny." Harry said coming into the room and taking a seat. He grabbed a coke and began to drink it. "I think he really wants to be left alone."
"Dumbledore is really brave." Remus said. "He sent a letter to Voldemort, stating in so many words that Severus was his potions master and 'Tom you cannot have him back' or something to that effect."
"Aurors are all over England waiting for the storm to burst." Sirius said. "At least they do not have the Dementors to worry about."
"Yea, most of them have been destroyed or have gone into hiding." Harry said. "I would like to thank the person who found out how to destroy them."
"Me too." Remus said. "You were lucky Padfoot that you were in a prison that did not use them."
"Yea true that, still it was boring there! Goblins may not be as bad as Dementors but you learn quickly to do as they say or they can be very mean. Lock you up in a dark cell and leave you there for a while to get you to think."
"I thought they would use torture." Harry mused.
"What and risk killing or maiming their charges?" Sirius said giving out a bitter laugh. "No that would lower the value of a prisoner, the better health the prisoners are in the more money they make."
"Well I thought the house would be demolished while I was gone." Came the voice of Moody from the doorway where he was leaning on his staff. "Just heard Severus was here."
"Uncle Al!" Harry shouted with joy.
He leaped over the table and hugged Moody and would not let him go. He had thought he was going to loose his uncle and had been very upset after the battle at the ministry. Moody let the teen lead him to a chair just this once and he sat down resting his battle weary bones. He was lucky to be alive, the curse shot at him would have killed him if not for the new armor that he was testing for the Weasley twins. His being here was proof it worked as he had got off light with a fresh new scar to show for the spell damage. Harry sat down looking much happier and Sirius was glad his godson had grown up with two great wizards. He should have been there but he was here now and that was what mattered. As Moody said in the raising of Harry "the more the merrier" and it was really true as Harry glowed from all the love given him. Harry did look serious for a moment as he was thinking on something.
"I Crucio-ed Bellatrix when I thought she had killed you." Harry said looking at his bottle of coke. "I enjoyed it and it bothers me that I did enjoy it. If not for uncle Moony I am sure I would have killed her."
"Well sometimes when one is in the heat of battle things can happen." Moody said looking at Harry intently.
"But I enjoyed it!" Harry said looking up his green eyes filled with angst. "Does that make me as bad as Voldemort?"
"No, not at all." Moody said. "Ye feel remorse for what you did and ye feel horror at using that curse. He feels nothing like that ye are far, far better than him, ye have your mother t' thank fer that. Now why don't you go an' talk with professor Snape?"
"Oi how come he gets to and we don't?" Sirius grumbled.
"Because they need t' talk." Moody said firmly.
Severus refused to look up when the door to the attic opened and Harry quietly stepped in. He sat down cross-legged across from the potions master who refused to even look at him. Of course the brat-who-lived would come here, probably wanted to talk and Severus was in no mood to talk. He drew his legs up closer to him and looked at the floor. His actions were defensive and childish all at once. Harry sat there and said nothing and Severus started to get irritated. Oh joy was the brat waiting for him to speak first? He was not going to and so he sat fuming for an hour and Harry did not move all that time. Finally Severus could not stand it, he spoke first.
"What do you want Potter?" He snapped.
"I wanted to make sure you are alright sir." Harry replied.
"I am fine, now go away!" Severus snarled.
"The headmaster is not a bad man sir." Harry said refusing to move. "He really cares so very much and sometimes that can get in the way of clear judgment as he told me. However he is right in you not going back to Voldemort."
"I have to go back!" Severus said.
"Why?" Harry asked getting Severus to look up at him. "I mean why sir, there is no reason for you to go back. Besides the headmaster wrote a letter saying that Tom can't have you anymore."
"Isn't that lovely." Severus said bitterly. "Now the dark lord is going to hunt me down."
"Well not really, he thinks that the headmaster is keeping you to get back at him." Harry said smiling. "I would have loved to see his face when he got that letter."
"You find this funny Harry?" Severus asked arching an eyebrow.
"Yes sir, it is." Harry said. "He is going to lose, evil never can win no matter how hard evil tries."
"What good am I then?" Severus asked. "I have nothing else to offer."
"That is not true sir! You are a brilliant potions master and great wizard sir. I have admired you since I was a little boy when I first saw you sir."
"You have?" Severus said looking at Harry keenly. "Are you mental Harry?"
"Well maybe, I what you have done and it's okay sir, you really did try to save lives. My parents dying was no fault of yours. Voldemort killed them with the help of Peter Pettigrew and he is dead. I plan on taking out Voldemort myself."
"Just how will you do that?" Severus asked.
"Well I have to do so with a power he knows not." Harry said thinking. "What if I shoot him with a Glock or machine gun sir? That would be brilliant."
"Indeed it would Harry." Severus said actually smiling. "I would love to see that."
"Cool, then that is how I will kill him then." Harry said getting up. "Will you come downstairs, Aunt Molly wants to fret over both of us as I am sure she thinks we are too thin."
"You are getting dangerously informal with me Harry." Severus said standing a small smile in on his face.
"Sorry sir." Harry replied.
He lead Severus from the attic and down the stairs to the kitchen where Molly put a plate of her baked goods before them. Severus took a cauldron cake and sat down munching on it while Remus and Sirius stared at him then went back to talking to each other. He could not resist a prank of his own and so he snuck his wand out under the table and pointed it at the two marauders. He wordlessly did a color changing charm on them and put his wand away bringing his hand back up to the table. Molly turned around and saw Sirius with purple hair and Remus with blue and she just started at them then looked around the room for the guilty party.
"Ah Moony your hair is blue." Sirius said staring at Remus' hair.
"Padfoot you hair is purple." Remus replied staring at the very purple hair of Sirius.
"SNAPE!!" Both roared turning on Severus who was talking with the Weasley twins.
"Is there a problem?" He asked then seeing their hair he arched an eyebrow. "Interesting color choices gentlemen."
"We are on his side." Fred said calmly.
"Yea we will defend our dear professor." George added.
"If any of you fight in here you will be very sorry!" Molly snarled rounding on the wizards her wand out. "You will be cleaning the house without magic!"
The wizards settled down and Moody smiled as he had seen the whole thing that Severus had done. He looked over at Remus and Sirius who were now plotting how to get Severus back. Moody knew they never could as Severus really was always one step ahead of them at all times. He summoned a pumpkin pasty to him and started to eat it watching Severus talk with Fred and George. For what the headmaster had done to him, thanks to Harry he was dealing with it very well. He was needed alive and the headmaster had done what he could to keep him alive by not letting him go back to Voldemort…
Okay so it is a bit…Harsh how the headmaster is keeping Severus in line. However I think what Harry said to him got him thinking. So he now is going to protect his boy by forcing him to stay away from Voldemort. Sure Snape is not happy but really it is for his own good.