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Sister don't you judge it
Just keep it to yourself now
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Before the students even left for the summer, Severus began plotting with Dumbledore about what information he could report to the Dark Lord. As the Dark Lord already knew that Potter was well-protected at his aunt's house, they both quickly agreed that Severus should convey that information. Dumbledore also decided that the Dursley house should be under constant surveillance by Order members, and that Severus should report this detail to the Dark Lord.

Severus didn't have to wait long for his summons. He was unsurprised to find the Dark Lord waiting for him alone in an isolated cottage.

"Severus. Sit with me. We have much to discuss."

"Thank you, my Lord," Severus said as he took a seat. He did not presume to sit back in the chair.

"Tell me what you know of Harry Potter's protections."

"I'm afraid that you might already know much of what I am to report. Harry Potter is very well protected indeed by his mother's blood-attacking him in Surrey is impossible. Dumbledore has even seen fit to appoint a round-the-clock guard to the house. The best news on this front is that there should only be one person guarding the boy at a time. However, as I said, a direct attack on his home is impossible."

"I thought as much, Severus. Thank you. Any plans on the boy will simply have to wait until he returns to Hogwarts."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Severus, there is one more bit of information I need-a piece of information that you are uniquely qualified to help me with."

"Oh?" Severus ruthlessly maintained his calm. He was ready for this. Whatever it was.

"You see, Severus, Harry Potter should not have survived the night of my return. There is no law, no magic, than can possibly account for his continued survival. I have been over the events of that night many times, and the only answer I can come up with-preposterous as it may sound-is that I don't yet have the answer. You might say that I am lacking critical information."

Well, shit, Severus thought. He's on about the goddamned prophecy.

But what he said out loud was, "If I can procure the information you require, you know that I will, my Lord."

"The prophecy, Severus. Remind me of its exact wording."

Severus hesitated slightly. If the Dark Lord were to decide that everything from his downfall to his botched return was the fault of a misreported prophecy...Severus feared that his career as a spy might be coming to a rather inglorious end.

But it was far too late for misgivings. Having nothing to lose, he closed his eyes and repeated: "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies."

There was a ringing silence in the room. The Dark Lord finally broke it. "You remember the words quite well, Severus."

"I have tortured myself with it enough through the years, my Lord." And that was nothing but the bald truth.

The Dark Lord gave him an indulgent smile. "I have no wish to punish you for reporting what you knew, my half-blooded friend."

Severus did his damnedest not to flinch at the appellation-he had no idea what was meant by it.

The Dark Lord continued. "No, in fact, I recall that you were quite wary about me attacking the boy at the time-you said it would be prudent to wait for more information." He paused, and Severus dared not meet his eyes. "I am belatedly taking your advice, Severus. I assume Dumbledore has not shared any more of the prophecy with you?"

Severus shook his head slowly. "However," he began-almost sure that the Dark Lord already knew this-if Severus knew it, surely it was common knowledge to the well-informed. "My Lord, surely you have heard rumors of a Hall of Prophecy, deep in the Department of Mysteries?"

"I may have heard rumors. What do you know of it, Severus?"

Severus closed his eyes, trying to recall. What he'd heard was most likely baseless, as were most things one heard about the Department of Mysteries. He decided to use this. "Forgive me, my Lord, but most things one hears about the Department of Mysteries are fanciful stories told to the gullible. But there must be a kernel of truth in some of them." He opened his eyes. "There is a hall, in the Department of Mysteries, which stores every single prophecy made by every Seer. The prophecies are stored in glass jars, like memories. They are each clearly labeled by the Seer, the receiver, and the parties about whom the prophecy refers."

The Dark Lord nodded. "In the Department of Mysteries."

"The full prophecy must be there, my Lord."

Severus was able to take his leave of the Dark Lord's company soon after, and he reported to Dumbledore immediately.

"He's after the prophecy," he said without preamble.

Dumbledore nodded. "It is logical that he would want to know the full contents."

"I told him about the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries." As he said it, he felt a sudden stabbing fear: had he revealed too much to the Dark Lord? He'd had no choice-there was a good chance the Dark Lord already knew of the Hall of Prophecy, and had been testing Severus.

"Hm," the headmaster said, which Severus found woefully inadequate.

"Dumbledore, if such a place exists, tell me it is well-guarded-for that is where the Dark Lord is going to focus his energies."

"There are safeguards in place, of course. Though we could probably assign someone to watch the door to the Department of Mysteries."

Severus looked up sharply. "Headmaster-"

Dumbledore interrupted, "Of course we would not wish to anticipate him. Perhaps we should wait for Voldemort to make a move. His first attempt to breach the Ministry will doubtless fail, and after that, we could place a guard over the door."

This hardly comforted Severus.

"What troubles you, Severus?"

"Headmaster...the prophecy. Should the Dark Lord hear it in its entirety-"

"Doubtful, but go on."

"-would that be detrimental to the fight against him?"

The headmaster looked at him gravely. "The prophecy is worded like many prophecies; it is likely to be clear only after it has been fulfilled, if indeed it is ever fulfilled. However, it specifically contains references to living, and dying, and surviving, and Voldemort is wholly incapable of understanding which of those concepts are the same and which are different."

Severus usually made a point to show no reaction when the headmaster said something particularly abstruse, but at the moment, he was tired. He sighed. "So, what you're saying is...what, exactly?"

"Severus, if Voldemort could hear the prophecy in its entirety, I am confident he could still not predict the future."

Severus nodded, but it seemed the headmaster was holding back. He prompted, "However..."

"However, I think we can be confident that Voldemort will continue to make attempts on Harry's life, whether he hears the prophecy or not."

Severus closed his eyes. "Yes," he said.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Tell me, Headmaster. Does Potter know the full contents of the prophecy?"

Dumbledore hesitated for a few moments, and Severus felt his stomach drop, as the silence spoke eloquently of the headmaster's answer. Finally, Dumbledore said, "I'd rather Harry not even know of the prophecy's existence."

Severus stood. "Then you should reconsider. Keeping the prophecy from Potter doesn't protect him; it just keeps him from understanding why a madman wants to kill him."

He tried to make a dramatic exit but Dumbledore had sealed his door, which made Severus feel a bit stupid as he stood there jiggling the handle. "Severus, Harry is a little young yet to understand how living and dying are alike, and how living and surviving are different. I will tell him, but not yet. I will not justify my reasons further than that. You must trust that I will tell him when he's ready."

This disturbed Severus. He had never heard Dumbledore make excuses before.

Severus was not summoned to the Dark Lord's side again for a long while. Unfortunately, it was he who had to seek out the company of the Dark Lord.

It started with a Patronus from Dumbledore which simply said: "Harry is in trouble for the use of underage magic. I'm leaving for the ministry now. Be prepared for anything." Severus was at his potions lab at Hogwarts at the time, making a batch of bruise salve for the hospital wing. He quickly applied a Stasis Charm and went to find Minerva.

He was torn between hoping Potter had a good reason to use magic, and hoping that Potter was simply an idiot boy. He was in idiot boy either way-what possible need was there for him to perform magic while protected from external harm with elaborate wards and with an Order member nearby, keeping watch?

He found Minerva inside her office still seated at her desk, just as a silvery weasel arrived and spoke in Arthur Weasley's voice: "Harry used the Patronus Charm, evidently in front of his cousin. Dumbledore is here and we're getting more details." The weasel disappeared.

Minerva looked at Severus. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then said, "Dumbledore received notice from the Ministry that Potter has been expelled. He's gone to sort it out."

"Can the Ministry expel a student?"

Minerva snorted and gave him a withering look. "Of course not. But they're likely rewriting the bylaws now."

"Who was guarding Potter tonight?"

"Mundungus."

"Shit," he said before he could stop himself, but Minerva didn't even blink. He continued, "Well, what does Mundungus say happened?"

"Arabella says he wasn't even there."

"Shit," he said again. It flowed more evenly this time. "Tell me: why would Potter need to cast the Patronus Charm in his own home?"

"He wasn't at the house, Severus. He was just down the block."

"SHIT. He left the HOUSE?"

Minerva leapt up from her seat and came at Severus. "Yes, he left his house, Severus Snape, because he cannot spend every single day and night inside that worthless house with those worthless Muggles!"

Severus had backed up a step, but refused to back up farther. He leaned in to Minerva's space. "Has anyone thought to TELL the Boy Who Lived that the best way for him to continue to live is to STAY INSIDE HIS HOUSE?"

Minerva drew herself up, just as the Floo flared and brought a note from Sirius Black. They read it together: "I've just told Harry that he mustn't leave the house, and I found out that Arthur has already sent him the same message. He shouldn't be leaving again."

Minerva crumpled the note and threw it at Severus, who ignored the gesture. She sat back down behind her desk and he continued with his questions. "Why did he use a Patronus Charm?"

"Arabella says it was dementors."

"Dementors." Severus finally sat down in a straight-backed chair in front of Minerva's desk. "Dementors, as in more than one dementor?"

"She said there were two," she said, without meeting his eyes.

"At least..." He stopped and cleared his throat. "At least he had a good reason."

Minerva laughed without humor just as a silver phoenix swept into the room. Dumbledore's voice informed them, "Harry is not expelled; he will instead face a ministry hearing later this month. He will be staying with his relatives until it is practical to retrieve him."

Severus leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. His stomach was clenching up again. He didn't mistake it for hunger this time. "Shit," he said. He raised his head and looked Minerva in the eye. "Shit," he said again, for lack of anything better to say. The child-the idiot child-had been able to produce a Patronus well enough to repel two dementors, after having just barely survived the nightmare experience in the graveyard a month before. Severus couldn't think of many grown wizards who could do as much. He lowered his head back into his hands.

He could probably produce a Patronus right now, even though his last couple of months had been pretty bad-what with his insane former master returning to corporeal form and all. But he was an adult, and moreover, he wasn't willing to test his abilities against a dementor-let alone two of them.

It had been three years after Lily died before he could produce a Patronus at all.

He was startled by the sound of breaking china on the stone walls, and looked at Minerva in confusion. "I've always hated that teacup," she explained levelly. She picked up a saucer and said, "This saucer, too," and flung it against the wall, smashing it to bits.

Severus stared at the wall where the saucer had hit. "I have to report to the Dark Lord," he said.

"I know."

"I must see what he knows of this."

"I know."

She picked up the sugar bowl and threw that, too. It exploded against the stone wall, producing a satisfactory puff of sugar. She sighed.

"Did you also hate the sugar bowl?" he asked.

"No," she said sadly. "I actually rather liked it."

"Minerva...if the Dark Lord planned this...I honestly had no idea of it."

She looked at him for a long moment. "I never doubted that, Severus."

He didn't suppose she did. She was Gryffindor.

So Severus had to seek out the Dark Lord's company, and approach him with proper amounts of glee, approval, and just a little bit of confusion at being left out of the plot. But Severus needn't have prepared himself so well; the Dark Lord knew nothing of the dementors. None of the Death Eaters knew either.

So he retired to his home in Spinner's End, more confused than when he left Hogwarts. He spent the evening looking through his mother's old books, idly looking up Monitoring Charms. Most such charms were used by parents on young children. He wondered if Lily placed one on Potter. If so, the charm would have died with her.

He found several different charms that might work for Potter: some would alert the caster if the object were in mortal peril (though Severus imagined that charm would be bad for his mental health); some were designed to detect pain (this one would be even worse). One promising charm allowed a parent to determine the location of his child at will. Severus imagined all of the situations this would help with Potter. Then he started to think of all the possible applications of the charm, and felt a few moments of panic. Reading over the casting notes, he realized that only a blood relative-more specifically, a parent-could ever hope to cast the charm. The magic could not be modified to operate outside of the parent-child relationship, which was a great relief to the spy.

The next morning, he realized the implications of his research and cursed himself a fool. Even if he knew Potter's life was in danger, he certainly wouldn't be one to rush in to save the idiot child. The boy already had more than his share of defenders and pseudo-parents: Dumbledore, Minerva, the Weasleys. His duty was only to clean up the messes left when everyone else had failed.