The Half-Giant Family
Chapter 4: Dumbledore's First Attempt
Severus was sitting at the large table in Hagrid's hut reading through the files Ragnok had given him regarding the Ravenclaw and Prince estates. He was still half in shock that he was now Lord Ravenclaw-Prince and kept glancing at the ring on his right ring finger that confirmed it and never seemed to fade away. He was also shocked at the sheer amount of money, properties, jewellery, heirlooms, and well, just everything that he now owned.
He had no clue what to do with any of it, or how to use a Wizengamot seat (let alone the eight he now held from the two Houses he was in charge of (five for Ravenclaw and three from Prince),) or anything, but Ragnok had given him a list of books to purchase to help him with the process, and said he could contact him with any questions he might have.
He heard Harry let out a delighted laugh and turned to see him bouncing happily on his knees, on the floor, as he and Hagrid set up the Hogwarts Express train set that they had purchased after exiting the bank earlier. They had also purchased a lot more items for Harry, including two cribs (one for his rooms and one for Hagrid's hut), chests of drawers which they brought plenty of clothes to fill, toys, books, and anything else they could think of. Severus also brought a few parenting and child development books so that he could make sure Harry was okay, and progressing as he should be over the years.
"Mummy, 'ook, twain," Harry said, and Severus couldn't help but smile at him.
He sighed, though as that familiar sting of pain came to his heart at the word 'mummy', "Yes, it is a train. Well done," he said, smiling sadly at the child.
Harry looked sad and ran carefully over to Severus, putting his tiny hands on Severus' knees, "Why you sad, mummy?"
"Lily's your mummy, Harry. Not me," Severus said.
"She my Li-ly mummy. You my al-ways mummy. She mummy in sky. You mummy down here. Like Jamie daddy in sky. But papa down here," Harry said, somehow with a stern look in his eyes.
Severus kissed Harry's head gently and held him close, not wanting to argue with the child, although still feeling he wasn't deserving of the title the toddler had placed on him.
Lily was his mummy.
Not him.
Somehow he ended up on the floor of the hut, playing with the toys alongside Harry and Hagrid, who was beaming at them both. At least until Harry fell asleep leaning against Fang who was laying behind the toddler.
Hagrid moved to carefully lift Harry up like a baby and sat in his large armchair with Harry sleeping peacefully, snuggled against the large, warm chest. Hagrid smiling down happily at the sleeping child as Severus sat back in the seat he had vacated also, looking at the two with a smile, especially as Fang rushed over to Hagrid and rested his head on the man's knee as he watched over Harry.
He was just about to say something when Dumbledore's patronus flew into the room.
"Severus, come to my office, now," it said before fading away.
Severus sighed and stood, "I should probably go and see what he wants," he said, looking at Hagrid imploringly, "Be careful. If anyone comes to take Harry, because this may very well be a diversion, show them the copies of the forms we have. They are in the smaller file. I am going to take my own copies with me. We can't take any chances," he took a copy of the blood adoption, and regular adoption certificates, as well as a copy of Lily's will reading and placed them in one of the extended pockets of his robe.
He just hoped it would be enough.
He practically stormed through the castle, hoping to get everything over with as quickly as possible.
He entered the office to find both Dumbledore and Kingsley Shacklebolt waiting for him. The Auror was only a year older than Severus but when in the capacity of his work he was rather fierce. Severus knew, however, that he didn't fully trust Dumbledore. But he wanted the Dark Lord gone enough to join the Order and actually attempt to do something.
It didn't stop his throat from bobbing in concern as he looked between the two, though.
Though he smirked when he remembered that Dumbledore had already given his testimony that Severus was a spy for the Order, the whole time. He couldn't go back on that. It was sent off to the Aurors the minute the news was received that the Dark Lord was gone. Severus had watched the written testimony, signed via blood quill, be placed in Madame Bones' hands alongside all of Severus' memories regarding the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters, the Order, and well, everything.
"What is this about, Albus?" he said as he sat, as calmly as he could manage, in the chair opposite the old man.
"The Headmaster has told me that you have kidnapped Harry Potter, Severus, is this true?" Kingsley said.
Severus sighed.
"No, it isn't true. Technically he had Hagrid remove Harry from the Potter's cottage and take him to Lily's muggle sister. And according to Lily's will," he so loved the look of shock on the old man's face when he found out she had a will, "That, in fact, was the act of kidnapping. She said in her will, which I have a copy of, that neither Albus or her sister were to receive custody of Harry if her and James died but Harry lived. She listed the Longbottoms, Black if he accepted help from Lupin, and myself as the only ones to receive custody of Harry, although if we couldn't then he would go to a loving magical family. So, since he made Hagrid remove Harry and attempted to place Harry with Petunia, he is the one who actually partook in kidnapping, since he had no right to do so,"
He finished off by pulling the forms out of his pocket and handing them to Kingsley who read them with great interest.
"You and Hagrid have both adopted Harry? You via blood adoption, and both of you via regular adoption," Kingsley said, intrigued.
Severus revelled in the wide-eyed look of Dumbledore in that moment.
"Indeed. We felt it prudent to make sure no one could take him from us as best as possible. We think Hogwarts is a fine place to raise him to help bring unity to the school, to protect him, and to help him to learn as much as possible should the Dark Lord come back and go after him again. Though we will move him if necessary. We feel like raising him here will help prepare everyone, and unite everyone against the Dark Lord, and will, therefore, mean we have more people to help us on our side, and more children will be saved from following in their parent's footsteps, or from the pressures of the school rivalries and opinions," Severus said and his lips quirked up at the sides when he saw Kingsley smirk.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea indeed, Severus. Or should I call you Lord Ravenclaw-Prince now?"
Severus smirked when Albus' eyes almost bugged out of their sockets.
"Severus is fine, Lord Shacklebolt,"
Kingsley smirked brighter.
"Good. Have you taken on the proxy for the Potter House also?" Kingsley said.
"Yes, and the handful of other Houses Harry is the Heir to," Severus said.
Honestly he thought his mouth would be killing him for days with the amount of smirking and grinning he was doing. The best entertainment, it seemed, was the facial expressions that one Albus Dumbledore could pull, and how quickly they morphed into something new.
He knew that Kingsley was enjoying the show also, the man's dark eyes sparkled with amusement and his lips were upturned.
"Right, well, since no crimes have been committed by you, Severus, why don't I escort you back to wherever you came from? Just to check on Harry of course and make sure all is well," Kingsley said, a grin on his face.
"Of course, we were just in Hagrid's hut. Have a good day, Albus," Severus smirked at the old man, and led Kingsley out of the office and down the stairs.
"Well done, Sev," Kingsley said as they walked down the corridor.
"Thank you, Kingsley," Severus said, a tad confused.
"He seemed rather persistent when I talked to him about needing Harry to go to Petunia. I don't know Petunia personally, but Lily talked about her enough for me to know that she wouldn't have raised Harry well. With you, and Hagrid though, he will be raised with love and protection, and well, the whole of Hogwarts will be safe, and returned to the way it was meant to be," Kingsley said softly, "Especially since you are a bearer," he whispered that part but Severus heard it and sucked in a breath.
"How…"
"You are listed as Harry's new mother on the adoption certificate, you would only be listed as mother if you were a bearer. It is why I didn't show it to Albus. Don't worry, though, I won't tell anyone, and I won't be using you for your gift. You should only have a child if you want one, with someone you want children with. You shouldn't be forced into it for your magic, or the child's magic," Kingsley said, smiling at Severus gently.
Severus' throat bobbed again.
"Is it a gift?" Severus asked.
Despite how much he yearned for it, there were times when he felt like he could really do without it. What was the point if he wasn't lovable enough for anyone to want him?
"Sev-"
"No, I have been here a year so that Albus can keep an eye on me. I didn't join the Death Eaters because I wanted to, I joined so I can spy on them, because he wanted me to, and I wanted to keep the children safe, to keep everyone as safe as I possibly could. And yet he didn't trust me enough to let me do my own thing. I was forced to work here, among children who I yearn to care for and protect with every ounce of my being, of my magic, and I have to treat them like shit because he makes me. He makes me go against my very magic every day of my life, and it hurts. But I do it, to be able to continue protecting them and helping them as much as I can. Really, though, I just want to be myself. I just want to protect them from everyone, even him. But I can't, and it tears me apart inside,"
He didn't know why he was being so open with the man he had a tentative, relatively new friendship with. Perhaps it was because he was an emotional wreck from the last few days, and Harry coming into his life, and well, memories and everything else.
"Why can't you be yourself? What is he holding over you to make you be mean to the students?" Kingsley sounded genuinely concerned which shocked Severus.
"Everything," he sped up slightly but Kingsley caught up to him a couple of seconds later.
"What does that mean, Sev? What is he doing? Maybe I can help? You shouldn't have to hurt yourself and your magic every day because of him. You shouldn't have to hide yourself from everyone around you,"
"It means everything, Kingsley. My memories, the safety of the students, Azkaban, my parents, Lily, the Marauders… everything,"
"I'll help you fight it all, Sev. I promise. However I can, I will help. We will get rid of him if we have to. But please, be yourself, Sev. I don't like the thought of you in pain every day because you are going against your being. The students need someone they can truly count on. The other Professors, as good as they are at teaching their subjects, they don't really care about the safety or happiness of the students. But you do, and they need to know that someone cares. If we are truly going to unite everyone against Vol… You-Know-Who, then they need to know they have someone who cares enough to help them with their situations at home as well, to help them with their parents or family if needed. They need to know they have someone who cares enough to show them that it is okay to be themselves, and not who others are forcing them to be," Kingsley said passionately.
Severus looked at him, trying to believe that he could be himself, that they could fight Albus on this. But he didn't know how to believe it. He had lost faith in the world, in people, in everything, a long time ago.
"Just try, Sev. For Harry if anything. He needs you to be strong for him, not to be in pain. And if Albus says anything about it, which he really can't if he wants people to question him or accuse him of being an arse, and worse, then I will do whatever it takes to keep you, and Harry, as well as the students of this school, safe," Kingsley said sincerely.
"I…"
"And along the way we can gather evidence against the man for all the things he has done, has tried to do, and just dig into his past and Hogwarts, and whatever else we can find to try and sort out the mess that is this country at the moment. I mean, honestly, I don't trust the man, never had. I always thought the war was fishy, but I wanted to end old snakey enough to fight him. Dumbledore has too much power, and he isn't focussing on the school the way that he should be. He needs to be sorted out before the students get drastically hurt. And I will work with you to protect them, whilst also protecting you,"
The passion in the man's voice was striking. Severus felt safe with his friend, safer than he had ever felt before. It was weird, and yet… good. Nice even.
He supposed he could try.
Maybe.
He just hoped it didn't come back and bite him in the arse.
"I… I can try," Severus said quietly.
"Good," Kingsley smiled softly at Severus, "Thank you. I hate to think of you in pain. Whatever it takes, Sev, we will make this school a safe place for the children again. And the country, too. I promise,"
"I certainly hope so," Severus admitted, his head down as he started walking to Hagrid's hut again, wanting to be close to Harry, Kingsley walked next to him.
When they got close to the hut, however, they found that the door was open, Hagrid was in the doorway, a crying Harry in his arms, and two Aurors were there, questioning him rather angrily, even as they held the certificates in their hands, and the copy of Lily's will.
Harry's eyes lit up when he saw Severus coming towards the hut and he called, "Mummy," wriggling in Hagrid's arms until the man set him on the floor and Harry ran over to Severus, asking to be picked up.
Severus picked him up gently, settling him on his hip as he walked over to the Aurors, ignoring Kingsley's happy grin.
"Hi, Kingey," Harry said to the man beside Severus.
"Hi, Harry, how are you?" Kingsley said gently, smiling at the boy.
"Sad 'cause Li-ly mummy and Jamie daddy not here. But happy with mummy and papa. Bad peo-ple want to take me 'way 'ough," Severus had never heard a toddler talk so much as Harry, but he knew Lily, and knew that she would have tried teaching him everything from the moment he could sit by himself. Especially reading and talking.
He idly wondered if Harry did know how to read any words yet. He knew magic helped some with child development and could help children learn to do things slightly earlier, but Harry was definitely a little more advanced than any toddler of fifteen months he had seen. Not that he had seen many.
Although maybe it was because he was clearly comfortable with Severus and Hagrid.
For whatever reason.
"Don't worry, little one, no one is taking you away from your new family, I promise," Kingsley said.
"Auror Shacklebolt, they kidnapped the boy," the young female Auror said fiercely.
"No, they didn't. Severus has the right to raise him, as per Lily's will, and they have adopted him. Hagrid took Harry from the wreckage at the urging of Dumbledore, so if we are to try anyone for kidnapping it should be Dumbledore for going against the will and assuming he could do what he pleased with a toddler who had just lost his parents," Kingsley said firmly.
"These documents could be faked," the young male Auror said.
Severus recognised them both, they had just graduated from Hogwarts the year before, so they were both clearly in training still. Kingsley, however, had finished his training last year, and so had more power over them.
"They aren't faked. They have the goblin's seal of approval on them, the seal which cannot be faked at all, by anyone because of the magic involved. They are also signed by King Ragnok himself," Kingsley said, remaining as firm as ever in regards to his work, "Now get back to the Ministry, you have actual work to do before the day is out,"
The two junior Aurors looked like they wanted to argue but they nodded and stormed off instead, rather like petulant children.
"Thank you, Kingey," Harry said happily as he snuggled into Severus' chest, causing the Potion's Master to blush slightly.
"No problem, young Harry. Now, I should probably be off, too. I also have actual work to do before the day is out," Kingsley chuckled, shaking his head.
The Auror handed the parchments back to Severus who took them with a 'thank you'.
"Thank you, Kingsley," Hagrid said gratefully, shaking Kingsley's hand.
"No problem. I will come and visit soon so we can catch up. And so that I can see Harry of course," he grinned as he tickled under Harry's chin, causing Harry to let out a delighted laugh, "See you soon, little one,"
"See soon, big one," Harry chuckled.
Kingsley also chuckled before saying his goodbyes, giving Severus a friendly look with an edge of… something Severus couldn't quite identify in it, and walked towards the gates.
Hiya, how are you all?
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Kingsley/Sev is coming. It is honestly a ship that I have been loving lately, as you might be able to tell with a couple of my works. Also, if I were to make a Spotify playlist for each of my fanfics with songs that remind me of them, or hint at future parts of the stories with certain lyrics, and songs that I think the characters would like, etc. would anyone be interested? Just a thought I had, I love music and there are so many songs that make me think of my fanfics, the characters, the stories, etc.
I also have a Facebook group called Maraudering_Paige which you are all welcome to join if you want to and are able to. It is where we can talk about Harry Potter, fanfics, life, share memes, and more. It is also where I have an update schedule and will be keeping you up to date on what I am working, both with original works and fanfics, and everything else I do or want to do. So if you are interested then feel free to join, I am more than happy to accept everyone into the group.
I hope you are all having an amazing day!
Kind regards,
Paige xx