CHAPTER 2

"Ah, Severus," said Albus, looking up from his paperwork, as Severus appeared in his fireplace. "How was the rest of the party?"

"I met Charlie Potter, was ignored, spent some time in the garden getting some air and came back," was the rather curt reply. Wait for it, he thought. Let's see the kindly disappointment.

Sure enough, Albus Dumbledore did not let him down. "I had hoped you would make more of an effort, Severus," the older wizard said disapprovingly.

I can't believe he actually thinks the fake, sad grandfather act actually works on me, Severus thought scornfully. "I shall when Potter and Black make the same effort. Or am I supposed to thank them for calling me Snivellous in front of their guests? Try telling them to grow up, Headmaster, because I can assure you that their usual churlish and uncouth behaviour towards me did not go unnoticed and it did not make a good impression. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to get some more brewing for the hospital wing finished today as I have errands to do tomorrow."

"And what might those be? You are needed here this summer, Severus."

"I'm low on certain potions ingredients and I prefer to select my own ingredients rather than rely on the inferior ingredients the apothecary's idiot shop assistant will no doubt select for me, so I shall be stopping in at Slug & Jiggers. I would also like to make a brief stop off at my home; there are some books I will need from there if you wish me to help train the Potter brat. I will probably also undertake some other business while I am in Diagon Alley. It would no doubt be best if I did all my errands tomorrow, so that I will not need to leave the premises while you are on holiday."

"I see. Yes, that would indeed be best, Severus. Well, I have much work to complete if I am to leave on holiday this weekend, so I shall leave you to your brewing."

Dumbledore turned his attention back to his paperwork and Severus made his way back to his chambers, his mind whirling as he planned what he would need to do over the next few days. The Unbreakable Vow that Dumbledore had forced upon him required him to protect the Boy-Who-Lived above all else and his instincts and his magic were telling him very strongly that this meant taking Harry Potter far away from the influence of Albus Dumbledore.

The little boy had struck a chord with the dour man, whose heart had warmed when Harry had cuddled up to him so trustingly. Severus knew how Dumbledore had treated himself when he was alone and vulnerable and he did not want to see Harry in the same situation. Charlie Potter had powerful and influential parents and godparents to look out for him; Harry No-Name did not. The Potions Master was not sure what Dumbledore would do if he ever found out about Harry but he was sure it would not be in the child's best interest.

Regardless of the prophecy, which Severus now knew in greater detail than he had done when he took it to Voldemort, the former Death Eater did not think it right to place the burden of killing the Dark Lord on a child's shoulders when there were available adults who were more than capable of taking on that responsibility in his stead. Severus had no proof, but he suspected that Dumbledore was setting up the Boy-Who-Lived to die a heroic death should the Dark Lord ever return, and a second Potter son would not fit in with his plans. This did not sit well with the man who had sworn to protect the Boy-Who-Lived and he fully intended to train the boy to survive. As for Charlie Potter, well, if the Dark Lord did return, Severus could always find some way of warning the Potters to be wary of Albus Dumbledore's plans.

Severus immediately wrote a letter to his Account Manager at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which he sent off with his raven, Bran. In the letter, he informed Ironfist that he would like to meet with him on Saturday and he would appreciate it if Ironfist could put aside the whole day for this purpose. A goblin Healer should also be on standby, as Severus would be accompanied by a minor who would need to be checked over by a goblin Healer. Paranoid about secrecy, the dark man culminated his letter with a request for a portkey directly into Ironfist's office, as the utmost discretion was required. Fortunately, Dumbledore and the Potters were leaving for their holiday on Friday evening and would be long gone before Severus escaped Hogwarts on the Saturday morning.

The following day, Severus did his errands in Diagon Alley, before making his way to his home in Spinner's End. Once safely behind his wards, he called for Dobby.

"How can Dobby help Master Snape?" the exuberant elf inquired.

"Dobby, I would like your help on Saturday to pack my belongings at Hogwarts. I can't pack before then, as the Headmaster might visit my chambers and become suspicious. Are you able to enter the school without the Hogwarts elves knowing?"

"Yes, Master Snape. Dobby can do that."

"Good. Then I'll call for you to collect Master Harry and bring him to me. We'll be at Gringotts, where a goblin Healer will check him over and see what they can do about the Dark magic in his scar. While that's happening, I would like you to pack up my belongings, both at Hogwarts and here. Everything must be removed from both locations on that day. The only things I wish to take from here are my books. From my chambers at Hogwarts, I want my Potions equipment and ingredients, which I will pack myself on Friday evening and leave in a trunk in the bedroom of my chambers at Hogwarts, and my books and clothes. Here is money to purchase some library trunks for the books. Do not shrink the books as it might damage them, so buy as many trunks as you need. The trunks themselves can be shrunk after they've been packed."

"Yes, Master Snape. Dobby will do that," said the elf happily, pleased to be given orders without the violence that always accompanied commands from the Malfoys. The arrogant Pure-blood family looked down on magical creatures and, consequently, did not treat their elves well; kicks and hexes were commonplace.

"Very good. Please can you go and ask Gillie to measure Master Harry for clothes and shoes and bring the measurements to me. Then you should go back to the Malfoys until I call you again."

Sending Dobby back to the Malfoys, Severus stopped to consider where they would live. He needed a property with the strongest possible wards, well out of Britain. Well, that was easy. One thing that no one knew about him, not even Dumbledore, was that he had inherited his maternal family's property and vaults overseas. The property in Britain was a crumbling ruin, which he had decided to leave to the elements. Thanks to this red herring, the wizarding world assumed he had not inherited the Prince estate and Dumbledore was the only person who knew Severus had in fact inherited the British holdings. Dumbledore was not interested in the manor and Severus had managed to transfer the monies out quickly, before Dumbledore thought to ask if Severus had inherited any wealth, so when Severus informed him that his vault held only had the money he earned himself, Dumbledore believed him. However, Dumbledore had refused to allow Severus the most valuable part of his British inheritance, namely the Prince seat on the Wizengamot. Upon Dumbledore's insistence, Severus had therefore named the old schemer as his proxy because the Unbreakable Vow permitted no other option. However, while the British branch of the Prince family had been impoverished, the substantial Prince fortune and main property were overseas, in Switzerland, and unbeknownst to Dumbledore, Severus had inherited it all, as the only remaining member of the House of Prince. The idea of the clean, fresh, mountain air appealed to Severus and he thought that his peaceful estate in the Swiss countryside would be the perfect place to raise Harry.

Just like in the Muggle world, the magical world also acknowledged Switzerland as completely neutral. This meant that the Swiss Ministry would not hand him over to Dumbledore or to the British Ministry should Dumbledore ever discover where he was and come after him, since magical Switzerland held no extradition treaties with any other country. Gringotts in Switzerland had the magical equivalent of Muggle numbered bank accounts, which no Ministry could touch, not even if the account holder were convicted of a crime or died without heirs, and Severus had transferred all the Prince estate to such an account as soon as he came into his inheritance, leaving only his earnings in his vault in London.

When Dobby popped back with Harry's measurements, Severus went to do some shopping. Harry desperately needed clothes. Putting on some of the Muggle clothing he kept at his home in Spinners End, he apparated to Manchester city centre and went shopping. Entering an appropriate department store, he snagged a sales assistant for advice.

"Excuse me, Miss. My five year old son has just come to live with me full-time and I need a completely new wardrobe for him but I'm not sure what to buy. Would you mind helping me, please? I'm willing to put myself in your hands completely."

"Of course, sir," she said with a smile, leading him over to the children's department. She idly wondered why his son would need all new clothes but decided it was not her place to question this. He's probably had a growth spurt and has outgrown his clothes, she thought. Picking up a basket, she started selecting trousers, shirts, t-shirts, sweaters, socks, underwear, pyjamas and a coat. She also picked out some shoes, sandals and slippers, using the measurements Severus had handed to her as a guide. "I've chosen a selection of different types of casual clothes, with one or two smart outfits. A little boy who'll be running around getting dirty when he plays needs more casual clothes than smart ones. They all wash easily and wear well," she assured Severus. "Does your son have any toys or books?"

Of course the boy will need mental stimulation, he thought, appreciating her suggestion. "No, he doesn't. Can I buy these here?"

"You can buy a few things here but you'd be better off going to book and toy shops rather than a department store," she replied, mentioning a couple of names. Seeing the lost look on Severus' face, she continued. "I don't know your budget but for toys, to start off — you can always get more things later — I'd suggest Duplo or Lego, basic building blocks, jigsaw puzzles, toy vehicles, action figures and animals — dinosaurs always seem to be popular with little boys — perhaps a soft toy to cuddle up to in bed, colouring books, crayons and coloured pencils, paints, maybe Play Doh or Plasticine or some other kind of modelling clay, some toys or games that will make learning his letters and numbers and how to tell the time fun, possibly even a child's musical instrument. Also some outdoor toys, like a football, smaller bouncy balls, perhaps a tennis or badminton racquet, maybe a bubbles kit, a bike or a pogo stick. If he hasn't ridden a bike before, stabilisers might be a good idea. Perhaps also a swing or slide or climbing frame, maybe even a trampoline. The toys should be labelled with the recommended age group but I'm sure you can ask the sales assistant for advice if you need it. The books should also be divided in the shop according to age group."

Severus nodded, grateful for the recommendations he received from the helpful shop assistant, especially her thoughtfulness in suggesting that Harry might like to cuddle up to a soft toy in bed. Not having had toys himself as a child, Severus really was out of his depth here. He thanked her for her help and advice and after paying for the clothes and a soft, knit blanket in a multitude of brightly coloured patchwork squares for Dobby to wrap the boy in when he collected him from the Potter home, he went to the nearby bookstore before apparating to Toys'r'Us. Trying not to gape too obviously at the vast array of toys and games, he now understood what the shop girl had meant when she said her suggestions were just an initial starting point. Making his way through the unfamiliar environment, he gathered together the recommended toys and games, even some of the big items like a swing, climbing frame and trampoline, as they would encourage a little boy who had spent his life in a cupboard to run around outside and be active. Of course, it helped that he could apply safety and cushioning charms, so that Harry would not hurt himself if he used the outdoor toys unsupervised.

Standing in front of a selection of cuddly toys, Severus paused. He had intended to pick up a simple teddy bear but out of the corner of his eyes he saw a fluffy, plush, snowy owl. Something about it clicked within him and, without questioning his gut feeling, he reached out to add that to his cart instead of the bear. He probably doesn't know what a bear is anyway but I imagine he will have seen post owls, Severus reasoned.

Shopping complete, he apparated back to Spinners' End and changed back into his usual wizarding robes. He packed all the things for Harry into a holdall that was in a cupboard, adding extension charms to it so that everything could fit inside. He then shrank the holdall and tucked it in his pocket, before making his way back to Hogsmeade, where he stopped off briefly at the Hog's Head Inn and had a quick word with its proprietor, Aberforth Dumbledore, and with Ambrosius Flume, the owner of Honeydukes. From there, he returned to Hogwarts, carrying the basket of potions ingredients he had purchased at Slug & Jiggers. Arriving back in the school, he was met by Dumbledore and was very grateful that the holdall with Harry's things was safely hidden inside his pocket.

"You were rather a long time, Severus," the Headmaster said disapprovingly.

Severus repressed a sigh. "I took the opportunity to do some maintenance on my house while I was there. There was a broken window, some tiles missing on the roof and a few other things that had to be dealt with sooner rather than later. As it's in a muggle area, I had to deal with it using muggle means, which took some time. It's all complete now, though."

"I see. And you will not be leaving the premises while I am away?" the old man said warningly.

"No further than Hogsmeade," Severus replied. "Unless you plan on keeping me prisoner here?"

"Oh, Severus," Dumbledore sighed, laying on the guilt trip yet again. "I do wish you wouldn't be so antagonistic all the time."

"You want me to be all warm and fuzzy? I'm sorry, Headmaster, but if you recall, I have a role to play, and I can't afford to break character. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

Without waiting for a response, Severus swept past Dumbledore and headed down to the dungeons. His life under the control of Albus Dumbledore was fast becoming intolerable and Severus would be very glad when he finally managed to get away from the man who was as big a tyrant in his own way as the Dark Lord. Severus spent the following day trying to avoid the Headmaster and breathed a sigh of relief when the meddlesome old man had finally departed that evening. Once Dumbledore was safely out of the way, Severus quietly packed up his potions lab, secure in the knowledge that with the Headmaster out of the castle, no one would come looking for him. He left the rest of the packing for Dobby, as the little elf would easily be able to do it all with a snap of his fingers. He had wanted to pack his potions stores himself as some of the items should not be packed with magic.

Late that night, Severus sneaked into Minerva McGonagall's office, having first disabled her wards. He wanted to see the Book of Names, which was in her possession because she had to send out all the school letters. Searching through the entries for those who would begin their schooling at Hogwarts in 1991, he was saddened to see that Harry Potter was not listed. Instead there was a listing for Harry-Elf No-Name, formerly Harry James Potter (disowned). Potter's lack of acknowledgement of the child must have had the same effect as magically disowning him. Potter and Lily said so often that they only had one child, that magic must have accepted that as fact, he realised.

Severus was not certain if the portkey he had received from Gringotts would pass through the school's wards and, not wanting to alert Dumbledore of his escape, which would happen if he crashed through the wards, no matter how far away the old meddler was, he made his way out of the castle by foot the next morning. Even though it was early, he was still stopped by Minerva McGonagall.

"Where are you off to, Severus?" she asked sternly, her tone demanding an answer.

Knowing that she would report to Dumbledore, he heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Since we're on holiday at the moment, I'm going to try and behave like it for a while and get away from the school for a couple of hours. I'm going to have a leisurely breakfast at the Three Broomsticks and then indulge myself at Tomes and Scrolls bookshop before returning to this infernal castle. Now, if you will excuse me, Minerva."

Ignoring her pursed lips, he made his way down to Hogsmeade, where he did indeed have breakfast at the Three Broomsticks. A few minutes before his timed portkey was set to go off, he paid for his meal and ducked into an alleyway. Seconds later he felt the familiar pull in his stomach as he was whisked away by the portkey. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was in a private meeting room at Gringotts.

"Good morning, Master Snape. It is good to see you but I thought you said you would be accompanied by someone else?"

"Good morning, Ironfist. Thank you for giving me your valuable time today. If you will excuse me for one moment. Dobby!" he called. With a pop, the elf was in front of him.

Pulling the blanket out of his pocket, he gave the elf his instructions. "Please go and get Master Harry. Wrap him in this blanket and bring him here — you'll need to unshrink the blanket first. Then, please follow the instructions I gave you the other day. Once everything is packed, please come back here. Oh, and Dobby? I know that you did not truly bond with the Malfoys but whatever shreds of bond there may be, please break them now."

"Yes, Master Snape," the elf squealed and disappeared. A minute later, the little elf was back with the small boy, wrapped up in the new blanket. Severus knelt down in front of him. "Hello, Harry," he said gently. "Do you remember me?"

Harry nodded. "Master is bubble man," he said. "Harry-Elf likes bubbles."

Severus pulled out the holdall from his pocket. "May I have your permission to use my wand to unshrink this," he asked his Account Manager.

Ironfist nodded, waiting patiently for an explanation while Severus dealt with the little boy. Severus unshrunk the holdall and pulled out the snowy owl plushie, to which he had already applied an Impervious charm so that it would not get dirty. "I brought you a present, Harry. Would you like to play with this?"

Harry looked up at him with big eyes. Severus smiled at him and the little boy tentatively took the plushie from him, eyes wide with wonder as he held the owl tightly in his arms. As he reached out to take the plushie, the blanket fell from around his shoulders. Severus spread it out and sat Harry down on it with the owl. "Will you be a good boy while I talk to Ironfist?" he asked and Harry nodded his head, beaming with delight as he cuddled the soft toy.

"Harry-Elf is a good boy," he said.

"Yes, you are," Severus agreed warmly. Patting Harry on the head, Severus moved aside with the goblin.

"Why is that child wearing a pillowcase? Why does he call himself an elf?" the goblin growled.

"I was at Charlie Potter's birthday party last week and sneaked off for a cup of tea in the kitchen. There, I discovered Harry in a cupboard. When I questioned the Potter house elf, she informed me that..." Severus told Ironfist everything he had discovered about Harry Potter.

"I checked the boy for every type of charm or curse that I could think of to explain what has happened but found none. The only thing is the Dark magic in his scar and I don't believe it would have that type of effect. It would appear that in the aftermath of the Dark Lord's attack on the Potters, his parents were so concerned with the twin who Dumbledore decreed to be the Boy-Who-Lived that they completely forgot all about the existence of Harry." As Severus finished his story, Ironfist let off a string of curses that had the dour man lost in admiration. He sat and listened politely to the goblin, very much in agreement with the sentiments being expressed.

"So what are you planning to do about this, Master Snape?" Ironfist inquired through gritted teeth.

"I would like the goblins' assistance with a number of tasks. Firstly, I would like him to be checked over by a goblin Healer. I doubt he has seen once since he was a baby and there's very strong Dark magic in the scar on his forehead.

"Secondly, I would like to adopt him. Since no one knows that the Potters had a second child and, in fact, they tell anyone who asks that Charlie is an only child, it would appear that according to magic, Harry is not a Potter, despite the Potter blood running through his veins. The Potter's elf has confirmed he's not a Potter, as has the Hogwarts Book of Names, so there should be no impediment to the adoption.

"Thirdly, I would like to fake my death in order to take Harry to my family estate in Switzerland. However, I'm tied by an Unbreakable Vow to Dumbledore and as long as that bond exists, he will know I'm alive. I know that Unbreakable Vows can't normally be unbound without the agreement of both parties but there was something strange about this one. Filius Flitwick was the bonder and it didn't feel like wizard's magic. I know he doesn't venerate Dumbledore as an infallible saint like the rest of the wizarding world seems to do and I have a feeling he might have used goblin magic so that it could be unbound without Dumbledore's agreement. The problem is that Dumbledore Obliviated him immediately afterward and he therefore doesn't remember anything about the bond. I would like it to be examined to see if it can be unbound. If so, I'll need an explosion at my house in Spinner's End. I want the old man to believe I was running away from his control and that breaking the vow killed me. Dumbledore will believe I died if the vow is shattered at the same time as the house explodes. It's important the damage be such that Dumbledore won't expect to find my body — perhaps the house should be completely incinerated, with nothing but ash left. The house next to mine is empty and boarded up, so it doesn't matter if that sustains some damage but the house next to that is occupied and I don't want that to be damaged. I need the expertise of the Goblin Nation to achieve such a controlled yet devastating explosion and I want only goblins to be involved; your human employees should not find out about this. I trust the Goblin Nation but I'm not sure there are any humans I trust right now.

"Fourthly, I would like my Dark Mark to be examined to see if that can be removed. Fifthly, I want new identities to be established for myself and Harry. Finally, I have here my last Will and Testament, which was written on the first of August and was witnessed by Aberforth Dumbledore and Ambrosius Flume, leaving everything to my 'cousin,' Rennard Benedict Prince — the name I have chosen for my new identity. I want the Will to be actioned immediately upon my 'death,' before Dumbledore has a chance to try and suppress it and claim my estates."

"Why would Dumbledore do that?" asked Ironfist, busy making notes.

"Because he would see it as his right. He has already forbidden me to take up my seat on the Wizengamot and forced me to make him my proxy. I want to reclaim that seat. The Will states that not only does the seat now go to my 'heir' but the proxy is in abeyance, pending instructions from that self-same Rennard Prince."

"I will summon a Healer and a Curse Breaker to examine young Harry and yourself," said Ironfist, with a nod.

"Please, they must be goblins. Despite their loyalty oaths to Gringotts, I can't be sure that your human employees won't somehow manage to find a way to tell Dumbledore about seeing me here today."

Ironfist pressed a bell and gave instructions to the younger goblin that came running in. The goblin disappeared and Ironfist turned to Severus, who was checking on Harry. "Why have you not dressed him in clothes?"

"I brought some with me but I wanted you to see with your own eyes that he was wearing only a pillowcase before I tried to dress him. I am also concerned it might scare him, since he has no recollection of ever having worn clothes before. I could, of course, give him a Calming Draught but I don't want it to interfere with whatever the Healer might need to do to remove that Dark magic from him. That is more important than clothes right now."

At that moment, two more goblins entered the room. "Master Snape, these are Healer Cutwell and Curse Breaker Sharpspike."

Severus greeted the goblins and sat down beside Harry while Ironfist rapidly explained the situation in his own tongue. Explanation over, Severus picked Harry up and sat down on a chair with Harry on his knee while the goblins examined the little boy. Harry was apprehensive of these fierce looking creatures and shrank into Severus' embrace. Fortunately, Dobby had returned by then and he used his bond with the little boy to calm him. The goblins first did a heritage test to clarify that Harry James Potter had indeed been disowned and was now Harry-Elf No-Name, then they began to run some diagnostics on his health. As the goblins examined Harry, Severus could see their anger growing.

Their examination finished, Severus gave Harry to Dobby. "Please keep Harry busy, Dobby, while I talk to Healer Cutwell and Curse Breaker Sharpspike. There are more toys in the holdall, if you need them." Dobby nodded and took the little boy back to the blanket that was still stretched out on the floor.

Severus approached the three goblins, who were conferring angrily in a corner. "May I ask what you have found?" he asked, politely but firmly.

Ironfist nodded. "It seems that Harry has a piece of the Dark Lord's soul inside him," he snarled.

"How is that possible?" asked Severus in consternation.

"Have you ever heard of Horcruxes?" Ironfist asked.

"No. I don't believe I have."

"They are abominations. A wizard named Herpo the Foul created the first one many centuries ago. It's a container in which a piece of ones soul is stored in order to attain immortality. It anchors the soul to earth if the body is destroyed. To mutilate ones soul thus makes the one perpetrating this abomination less than human."

Severus listened in growing horror. "Can you remove it? Will it harm Harry if you do?" he asked frantically.

"We can indeed remove it. We will simply transfer it to another vessel and then destroy that. It may hurt Harry when we do so, as it will not want to release its hold on the boy and will therefore struggle to remain within him, but we will give him a Sleeping Draught and he will not feel the pain," Healer Cutwell reassured him.

"That explains why Dumbledore is convinced the Dark Lord will return. Can you tell from that if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named made more than one of these abominations? The Dark Lord used to talk about having gone further than anyone in achieving immortality. Perhaps he was meant that he had made several Horcruxes," said Severus.

The goblins looked at each other uneasily. "To make even one is an offence against nature. To have made multiple Horcruxes is..." Words failed the Healer.

"Yes, we can do that. Such abominations cannot be permitted to exist. We shall check for more Horcruxes before we destroy this one," said Curse Breaker Sharpspike sharply.