Wow. It's been a long time, and I've been a complete jerk. But I guess that's what happens when summer school and college starts up and half your school burns down in a wildfire and your computer loses half its files for no reason… I apologize profusely. However, I have been working on outlining the rest of the story, so hopefully chapters will be updated semi-quickly over the next few weeks.
Thanks to all my reviewers and especially to the-dreamer4 for pointing out a mistake I made in the previous chapter. Now, on with the story!
Previously:
"Oh, um. You're welcome. Er. It was um. Nothing." Dudley finished lamely.
"Now who is the eloquent one," Harry smirked.
"Oh, what a touching moment," came a drawling male voice from behind the two cousins who whipped around at the disturbance. Five tall figures in black cloaks and white masks stood there. "Now don't make any sudden movements Potter, or your life ends tonight."
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Chapter Five: In which a bunch of stuff happens
Harry's brain was moving faster than the speed of light. Think, Harry, think! Stall for time until you figure out what to do! he thought. If he could only reach his wand without the death eaters seeing him do it. But that would be impossible unless there was a distraction to draw their attention away.
"Malfoy! I would smile and say how nice it is to see you again, but I don't think that lying is an admirable quality, do you? I thought I wasn't due to hear your dulcet tones until the end of the school year again. Did you miss me that much?" Wow, way to be, Harry. Piss off the guy who is pointing a wand at your face. Very smart.
The figure in the front of the group of death eaters stood very still, whether from shock or from rage, or both, Harry did not know, but his plan was almost working. Then the figure relaxed and pulled the mask away to reveal Lucius Malfoy's sneering face. "Well Mr. Potter, it seems you have grown a backbone since our little meeting in June," he almost seemed amused. "Did the filthy Hufflepuff's death spur on this new development, or was it –"
"Don't you dare speak about Cedric that way you fat piece of shit!" Harry was surprised at how calm his voice sounded. It betrayed the fact that rage was coursing through his body, ready to burst from his hands at any moment. What is wrong with me?
"And tell me, Potter, what are you going to do about it?" Malfoy smirked at Harry's silence, clearly enjoying Harry's helpless state. Two of the larger masked figures chuckled stupidly. "Your anger would be touching I suppose, if it were not for someone so worthless." Harry's fury flared again. "Now, I grow tired of this useless and witless banter. The Dark Lord wants you in one piece so he can kill you, but that doesn't mean we can't play with you before we leave. I have been trying to get into your house for the past week, but unfortunately, those blasted wards that Dumbledore put up would not let us. Because of you, the Dark Lord has been taking his anger out on us, and I can tell you that it will not happen again."
"What won't happen again? The part where you don't get into my house, or where Voldy curses the hell out of you?" Come on people… where are all the people? It's not that late at night. Someone, anyone, please come!
Malfoy stopped short, his smirk gone. "Are you really that dim-witted to think that someone is going to come and rescue you? Your attempts to stall for time are quite transparent and obnoxious. I have warded the place. No one can see or hear us. You have run out of luck this time Potter."
The five figures slowly moved forward and began to encircle the two cousins. Dudley was slowly crouching into a fighting stance, although Harry was not sure what good it would do against wands. At least Dudley had not said anything stupid yet. The situation was beginning to look rather hopeless. If he reached for his wand, then the death eaters would be sure to at least stun him, if not blast a fewkilling curses at him or Dudley. What to do? What to do?
"Now, let me see," Malfoy said slowly, the smirk sliding back onto his face. "Who shall we play with first? The precious Boy-Who-Lived? Or perhaps the mudblood's filthy cousin?"
"You leave him out of this! He has nothing to do with any of this, and it's me you want!" Harry half yelled. His fury at the complete lack of appreciation for life was growing exponentially. Calm down, Harry, before you do something incredibly stupid! He told himself sharply. But how can I be calm and collected when the person standing if front of me has an insane desire to torture people for fun? If I could just get my hands around Malfoy's scrawny, pureblood neck, I would not need my wand to hurt him.
"Tut, tut, Mr. Potter. Rash outbursts will get you nowhere," Malfoy's eyes turned to Dudley and a masked figure guffawed with laughter. "However, this time, it will prolong your suffering. Since you insisted so earnestly, we will start with the muggle slime."
Harry could not contain his rage any more. He snarled, and with a snap, his magic burst forth and smashed into the five death eaters. Each of them was lifted into the air and blasted back ten feet, a few of their flight patterns halted by trees. Harry quickly drew his wand from his waistband and pointed it at Malfoy who was lying unmoving on the ground. He slowly advanced towards the prone figure, unsure if he should utter any spells in case the Ministry should find out.
"Dudley, run back to the house and stay there," Harry was surprised at how calm Dudley was at the moment, considering he had just come face to face with five people who wanted to torture and kill him. "Right now it's the safest place for you. I'm not sure if these are the only death munchers in the neighborhood right now. There might be more out there."
"But what about you, Harry?" Dudley asked, looking skeptical. "What just happened here? Don't you need your wand thingy to do magic? And I thought that you weren't allowed to do magic outside of school. Dad will be furious if he finds out what happened."
"Look Dudley," Harry said, frustrated. "I'm not quite sure myself, but I will try and explain everything as best as I can when I get back. Right now I need to figure out a way to get these creeps locked up safely. I'll be fine. I have my wand and I won't be caught off guard again."
"OK, Harry," Dudley said, looking slightly unconvinced. "I'll make sure to not mention this to Mum and Dad. We don't need them to over-react now, do we?" He cracked a smile and began to jog in the direction of the house, looking around surreptitiously for signs of danger.
Harry turned back to his current problem at the moment: how on earth was he going to alert someone that five death eaters – one of which was supposed to be an upstanding citizen of the wizarding world – had just attacked him and were now out cold because he had performed unexplainable magic? It had not felt like the accidental magic he had unleashed on Aunt Marge two years ago. It felt as though something dormant had just awoken inside him. He could not explain it properly. And why haven't I received a letter telling me that I'm expelled from Hogwarts? I have certainly broken the law, performing magic in front of my muggle cousin in the middle of a muggle neighborhood! Shoving aside his thoughts on this unusual magic and the Statute of Secrecy, his brain scrambled for a solution to his dilemma. Suddenly he remembered the strange occurrence that happened this morning.
"Fawkes?" He said timidly into the quiet evening air. "Fawkes," He tried, a bit more boldly. "I need your help. I need to –" he stopped. Now he was just sounding ridiculous. He waited a minute, hope slowly fading. Just as he made to go back to his aunt and uncle's house, Dumbledore's gold and scarlet phoenix burst into sight for the second time that day. "Wow. Thanks Fawkes!" The phoenix trilled gratefully as Harry patted his head.
"If I round up these death eaters, do you think you could transport them to Dumbledore? He will know what to do with them."
The phoenix let out a note indicating that indeed he could manage the job easily. It took Harry a few minutes to drag the men together and put all of their arms in the middle so they were touching. They were heavy. This way, Fawkes could grab onto all of them. For good measure, Harry pulled off the masks of the remaining figures. He recognized Crabbe Sr. and Goyle Sr. No wonder, they were so hard to move. The other two, however, looked very familiar, but he could not remember their names. Once Harry finished, the phoenix held out one of his claws, which contained a roll of parchment and a muggle pen. Harry looked at the items incredulously, the chuckled:
"What in the world is Dumbledore doing with a muggle pen?" At Fawkes blank stare, Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, never mind, Fawkes. I guess we will never be able to figure out the eccentricities of Albus Dumbledore. Since you took the bother to bring me some writing things, I guess I should write him a note telling him what just took place."
Professor Dumbledore,
Five Death Eaters just attacked my cousin and me in Little Whinging. I'm sending them to you with Fawkes. You can figure out what to do with them. Malfoy told me they tried to break into Number 4, but were unsuccessful, because the wards are still in place. Are those the blood wards that Voldemort was talking about? The ones that are in place because of my mother? I will try and remain in the house as much as possible until I can leave safely or someone sends for me. I managed to knock the Death Eaters unconscious, but this weird magic sort of burst out of me. I couldn't contain or control it, but it wasn't accidental magic, it was something else. Do you have any ideas?
Harry
"Here you go, Fawkes, that should do it. Tell him I'm sorry I didn't have more time to be more eloquent," Fawkes chuckled in a way only a phoenix could, and disappeared with the five robed men in a flash of fire.
As soon as the magnificent bird vanished, Harry set off towards Number 4 Privet Drive, just wanting to go to sleep after the eventful day he had just experienced.
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Previously, back at Hogwarts:
Severus looked up as a realization hit him. "If Lily gave birth to my son. Then that means –" he stopped, horror seizing him.
"That is correct, Severus." Dumbledore said, the twinkle back in his eyes.
"Harry Potter is my son?" Severus yelled, before fainting dead away.
Dumbledore stared dumbfounded at the empty chair that his potions master had just occupied. Did Severus Snape just… faint? This day just keeps getting more and more unpredictable. Well, I'll just wait for him to wake up on his own. No need to rush him. With that conclusion, he summoned some tea from the kitchens and conjured up a tea cup with a flick of his wand. He sat chuckling quietly to himself for about twenty minutes, watching the sun sink behind the mountains. Fawkes was sitting by his side, trilling contentedly as Dumbledore patted his head.
Unexpectedly, Fawkes snatched a roll of parchment from his desk and stuffed his beak into an open drawer, withdrawing a muggle pen. Dumbledore chuckled at his companion:
"Fawkes, how did you know where I kept those? What are you doing – " but before Dumbledore could finish his sentence, Fawkes disappeared in a flash of fire for the second time that day. "Really, Fawkes, I must insist that you discontinue startling me like that. It really is not good for my health…" Dumbledore gazed at the grandfather clock and let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose that Severus has napped for long enough. After all, I'm not paying him to sleep."
Just as Dumbledore made to enervate his colleague, Snape groaned and sat up slowly, trying to grab onto the chair he had been sitting in. Clutching his head, the potions master gave the headmaster his "you-embarrassed-me-and-now-you-are-going-to-pay-dearly-for-it" glare (Glare #4). Dumbledore, on the other hand, was not the least bit worried. He had seen this particular glare too many times to be anxious. The younger man would calm down in a few minutes.
"OK, old man," Snape growled, the glare still adorning his face. "You have two minutes to explain how Harry bloody Potter is my son, and why I did not know until now, and the explanation had better be good."
"Severus," Dumbledore sighed. "I really do not understand what is unclear. You loved Lily very much, and when two people are married they – " Snape cut him off:
"That's not what I meant, old man, and you know it!"
"Severus, please calm down – "
"I will NOT calm down!" Snape jumped to his feet. "You wouldn't be acting like someone put a dozen cheering charms on you if you just found out you had a wife and a son you never even knew existed! Especially if you had spent every moment hating him because you thought he was the son of whom you thought was your childhood enemy! You have NO idea of what I am going through right now! Now explain!"
"Severus, I do not know what you want me to explain," Dumbledore held up his hand as Snape made to interrupt him again. "Please, let me talk to you for a moment," as Snape sat down grudging, Dumbledore went on. "Lily did not find out she was pregnant until after your memories were obliviated. She really had no choice in the matter, but to seek a false marriage. After Voldemort vanished that Halloween night, you and I both knew that he was not truly gone, and it was inevitable that he would return. With that in mind, I thought it would not be safe for you to regain your memories, in case you needed to continue spying in the future."
"But why now, Albus? Why give me my memories back with the Dark Lord newly resurrected? You need a spy in his network now more than ever."
"There are a few reasons. The first is that having knowledge of your son in your mind carries the same risk of discovery that being a spy has. If Voldemort can find one, he will find the other. It is true that you are now in more danger than ever before, but if there is one thing that I have realized over the years, it is that you are quite stubborn and would rather make your own choices, then have me make them for you.
The second reason is because of your son. The spell has to be reapplied every five years. Your son turns fifteen in less than a week, which means – "
"Which means that the spell has to reapplied this summer," Snape finished. "But how did you reapply the spell when he was younger? Surely he would have remembered you."
"You forget that I can make myself invisible when I wish to. I apparated to Number 4 Privet Drive with the hopes of catching him outside. I was lucky those days and I managed to reapply the charms quickly and then returned to the castle. No one knew I was there."
"Did he seem happy to you?" Snape asked quietly.
"I will be perfectly honest by telling you that I did not stay long enough to observe him fully. This brings me to my third reason. I have long heard rumors that Harry's life with his muggle relatives is not a good life. I knew the moment I left him with his aunt and uncle that he was not have the best childhood, but unfortunately, the blood magic fueling the wards was too important. I had to sacrifice some of his childhood happiness in order to secure his survival. I have always regretted leaving him there, but I would rather have him grow up with the opportunity of living his own life than to leave him in a venerable situation where one of Voldemort's followers might find him.
However, I believe that he is now old enough to decide for himself who he wished to live with: his mother's sister and her husband, or you, his father. If he wishes to stay with his aunt and uncle and continue to live his regular life, than nothing changes. We reapply the charms and he returns to the Dursley's house for the remainder of the summer. However, if he chooses to live with you than Harry Potter must disappear. It would be far too dangerous for both of you should anyone find out, even his closest friends or one of the other staff members. Of course, you can always assert your guardianship and lay claim to him, but somehow I do not think he would take that quietly. He is not the sort of young man who appreciates people planning his life for him as if he did not exist."
"What do you mean 'Harry Potter must disappear?'" Snape was slightly confused on the subject. "How are you going to hide the wizarding world's most famous celebrity from everyone?"
A flash of fire interrupted their conversation as Fawkes came into view along with five men in death eater robes. The phoenix glided over to Dumbledore, crooning proudly as he delivered Harry's letter into the headmaster's outstretched hand. Snape quickly stunned the figures to ensure they would not wake up suddenly.
"How on earth did Fawkes manage to mysteriously appear with five Death Eaters?" Snape asked, looking incredulously at the men slumped on the ground. "Lucius Malfoy and Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, and Nott? They are a slippery lot, Lucius being the most slippery of all, but this should have been impossible!"
"It seems that your son had a busy day," Dumbledore chuckled, holding out the letter. "Do you wish to read his letter he sent me? Very concise and quite interesting. He seems to have inherited some of your powers."
Looking confused, Snape took the letter and read it slowly. "Not very eloquent," he snorted lightly. "But short and to the point. How on earth did those death eaters manage to find him though? I thought it was supposed to be impossible."
"I have a few theories," Dumbledore said. "Most of them dealing with Lucius Malfoy."
"Do you think that was actual wandless magic he performed?"
"I have no doubt it was wandless, but whether or not it can be repeated is to be seen. Perhaps with a bit of training, he can use it to his advantage. It is clearly powerful, considering he knocked out five grown men in one swoop. I'm surprised he did not kill them on accident. However, he has provided us a means of hiding himself, should he chose to do so."
"What do you mean?"
"I will explain should the need arise. For all we know, Harry might not want to change anything about his life."
"Why is it all up to the boy? Shouldn't I have any say in the matter? What if I don't want to be a parent?"
Dumbledore looked at Snape with such a piercing gaze the younger man thought his mentor was boring into his soul. "Can you honestly say that you would abandon your child to muggle relatives who dislike him because of his magic? Yours and Lily's child? After all that has happened, don't you think he should at least be given the opportunity to have a loving parent in his life who does not want to use him because he is the Boy-who-lived?"
"But I don't know the first thing about being a parent! How would I know what to do? Bloody hell, he is a teenager!"
"Do you think that you would be alone in this? I would certainly be here if you needed my help, and although the rest of the staff would be unaware of your son's identity, I know for a fact that Minerva has always wished that someone on staff had a child for her to help take care of. All of us would be here to support you."
"He hates me Albus! I have never given him any reason to like me in the past four years. I have gone out of my way to make him hate me!"
"You might be surprised, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. "Harry has an incredible capacity to love, despite every trial he has undergone. He has gone through experiences that would break a normal person, experiences that turned Tom Riddle into Voldemort, yet Harry remains noble and caring. He has surrounded himself with friends who would die for him, who love him for who is he is, and not for the title the world has given him. All he wants is to be a normal child, but life is not giving him that option. If you give him the opportunity, I think he will take it."
Snape sat silently for a few minutes, contemplating the decision. "Very well," he said at last. "You can tell him about me and then let him decide what he wished to do about it. You can do it just before school starts up again."
"Severus, I will tell Harry if you wish, but I think it would be better if it came from you. Or, would you rather he view the pensieve memories himself?"
"Yes, yes. That would work just as well, I suppose," Snape said distractedly. "When shall someone fetch him?"
"Tonight."
"Excuse me? Why so soon?"
"Because, Severus, the spells would have to be reapplied by his birthday which in less than a week, and also because my plan has to be put into motion as soon as possible to avoid any mishaps."
"Mishaps? What crazy hair-brained scheme have you come up with now, Albus?"
"I already told you, I will not say anything until Harry decides what he wants to do. Now," Dumbledore said, standing up. "I would like for you to go and fetch Harry from his aunt and uncle's house as soon as possible. You will need to apparate right up to the wards on their house in case any other of Voldemort's followers are there attempting to breach the wards. You will not be allowed to apparate through the wards, so you must appear in a secluded area. There is a cluster of trees nearby that I have found useful from time to time."
"And how will I know where that cluster of trees is? I have never been there before."
"True. Why don't I just create a portkey? That would be easier, and you don't even have to walk out of the castle to get there." He grabbed the muggle pen Fawkes had returned with and tapped it with his wand, muttering Portus. The pen glowed bright blue for a few seconds before settling back into its normal hue of light.
"There we go!" the headmaster said brightly. "Now off you go! Oh, and Severus," he added. "Try not to aggravate the boy. He might be a tad bit hostile towards you at first, but try not to take in personally."
"Thank you, Albus," Snape snapped back. "I'll try and keep that in mind when I'm holding myself back from strangling the boy because of his cheekiness and arrogance."
"Now, now, my dear boy. You should realize by now that Harry is not James. You cannot go around assigning characteristics on people because of blind prejudices that should no longer exist. You know how James truly was now, and as you are Harry's father, I think you should be more worried about his sharp tongue and death-glares."
"Please, Albus, I can assure you that there is no possible way in hell, that the boy can best me in the glares department. I have been practicing them on my peers and the dunderheaded students for years. As for his 'sharp tongue,' that boy has no more wit than the Weasleys have gold."
"Actually, I hear that the Weasley twins have come into a fair amount of gold recently."
"Really Albus, and where would you have heard that from?"
"A smart man never reveals all of his sources of information, Severus," Dumbledore stated matter-of-factly. "You of all people should know that. I would have used the phrase: 'a magician never reveals his secrets' but I was unaware if you were familiar with the phrase and I did not want you to appear ignorant."
"Of course I have heard the phrase before. Lily was a muggle-born. She made sure to 'educate' me in all the necessary muggle terms. After her parents died and Petunia started acting like even more of a bitch dating that muggle, she had very few ties left to the muggle world."
"Yes, I imagine it must have been a difficult time for her."
"It was a difficult time for all of us, Albus." Snape growled. "Lily most of all. She was facing danger at every turn between our secret marriage and her being a muggle-born. She would have been the prime candidate for an attack by the death eaters. Having her in the Order certainly did not help."
"Although I was never in her situation exactly, I know I can understand the pressure she was under." Dumbledore glanced at his grandfather clock once more. "Goodness me, it is getting quite late and you still have a son to pick up. Now, when you have collected him and all his belongings, I want you to bring him here to my office. If you hold the portkey and say "home" it will send you straight here. Good luck, Severus, and do try not do damage the poor muggles."
"Why would I want to 'damage the poor muggles?" Snape asked, arching a single eyebrow skeptically.
"But why would I spoil all the surprises, my dear boy? However, you never know when parental instincts will kick in."
Snape snorted loudly, something quite out of his usual character, muttering something about crazy, senile old men as he took hold of the portkey. He felt a tug behind his naval as he was whisked off to an unknown part of England, wondering how on earth he was going to do this without causing a ruckus.
Dumbledore watched the man he had come to consider a son disappear from his office. He let out a very quiet chuckle as he imagined the scene that was about to take place between father and son. Little did he know just how much of a ruckus Snape would be causing in Number 4 Privet Drive.
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Harry had never been more glad to see the front door of his relative's home than that night. After all the craziness of the day, from that vivid dream to the lovely visit from five murderous death eaters, he was glad to be safe under the wards, even if he did not understand them. Dumbledore had told him that the wards would keep him safe, and he fully trusted in Dumbledore, but he was still a bit confused about the whole thing.
Why did I need blood wards to keep me safe when I was growing up? I understand the need for them now. Without them I would have been killed in my sleep or woken up to Voldy Wart's smiling face in some dungeon. Harry frowned when that thought came up. How did those death eaters know that I lived here? It's not as if anyone besides Ron and his family knew, and I should hope that none of them would betray me to Voldemort. Any of them would be killed on the spot for being a blood-traitor.
Harry opened the front door and quickly shut the door behind him. Even if there were wards up, he was still wary of people watching him. Simply because they could not come in to the house, did not mean they could not spy on him. Thank goodness his aunt always kept the curtains shut to keep nosy neighbors from looking into their sitting room at night. Sometimes, Aunt Petunia is a blessing in disguise Harry though wryly, a smile forming on his face.
He peered through the curtains and noticed a dark figure standing in front of the house looking right at him. He snapped the curtain back into place, a jolt of panic shooting through his stomach. He peered back out the window, and the figure was gone. Stop being so paranoid, Harry he scolded himself. You are only going to make yourself miserable acting like this all the time. You are completely safe from harm in this house.
"What are you doing, boy?" a voice thundered out from behind Harry. He almost jumped a foot in the air, the voice startled him so much. Harry felt a large, meaty hand grab his shoulder hard and soon found himself face to face with his very large and furious uncle. What have I done this time?
"What were you doing, peering out the window like a deranged criminal?" Spittle was flying from his uncle's mouth. "Do you want the neighbors to think we are spying on them?"
Harry bit back the retort he was thinking. What does he think Aunt Petunia does with every moment of her spare time when she isn't cleaning? She is the one he should be worrying about, not me. He opened his mouth to attempt a lame excuse.
As if Uncle Vernon could read his mind, he cut Harry off and shouted: "Don't you even think of trying to change the subject boy or blaming your freaky habits on us! If I had had my way of it, you would have been thrown back out onto the streets like the filth you are!"
They heard the front door shut and whirled around to see who had come in. They heard pounding in the hallway and realized that Dudley was headed into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon turned his attention back to Harry.
"Now, answer me, boy," he growled menacingly, grabbing at Harry's collar. "Why were you home so late? What sort of freaky business were you up to this time?"
"Nothing, Uncle Vernon," Harry said as politely as he could with his windpipe being constricted by the fat man's grip on his shirt. "I took a walk to the park, saw Dudley pass, and knew that it was time to come back. I took the long way home, that's all."
"Don't lie to me boy!" his uncle shouted. "I know you are up to something no good. Your aunt is making excuses for you more than ever now, and don't forget that I caught you putting rubbish into my son's head earlier! But you haven't fooled me. I see straight through that dim-witted plan of yours. If you think you can pull the wool over my eyes, think again, boy! Any more abnormalness and it's back into the cupboard for you. You still deserve punishment from what happened last summer."
"Uncle Vernon, I swear I wasn't doing anything!"
"It's true dad!" Dudley said, entering the room. "I saw him in the park on my way home. All he was doing was sitting there. He wasn't up to anything."
Harry felt relieved for a moment. Did Dudley just stick up for me? His relief was short lived as his uncle let out a terrible roar and backhanded him across the face. Harry smashed into the wall and crumpled to the ground, clutching his head where he could feel blood pouring out from where something sharp had cut open a wound. He tried to stand back up, but his uncle knocked him down again, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"ENOUGH! You have corrupted my son for the last time!"
"Dad!" Dudley shouted, running forward. "What are you doing? Are you mental?"
"WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?" Vernon shouted, shaking his son by his shoulders, as if some foreign magic would siphon out. "Son, this is your no good freak of a cousin? Why are you trying to protect him? He's completely brainwashed you!"
"No dad," Dudley said boldly. "I'm finally doing what's right. You have no right to treat Harry like this! What's he ever done to you?"
"That's it boy," Harry was shocked at Vernon speaking to Dudley like that, until he turned to face Harry. Then he understood. "You will NEVER return to that school of yours!" Harry saw his uncle grab a poker from the fire pit and raise it up over his head. Just as he was about to bring it down on top of Harry, his uncle stopped, strangely frozen, unable to move. Harry sat there in shock, unable to process what had just happened.
Is this more unexplainable magic? I didn't even feel anything! What is going on?
"I do believe that I have seen enough abuse, you filthy, half-swine, pathetic, miserable muggle," came a low and dangerous voice from across the room. Harry looked around frantically, trying to figure out where the apparently disembodied voice was coming from, but the room seemed to be spinning in front of his eyes. He was losing so much blood.
I know that voice… but where have I heard it before? The room swam back into focus for a few moments, just in time for Harry to see the last person he ever expected to see in his aunt and uncle's living room. Even Voldemort would have been more likely to appear here, and he had blood wards to break down.
"If you lay another finger on that child I do not believe I will be able to stop myself from tearing you limb from limb."
I must be going mad… or dreaming. There is no way that the greasy git, miserable old bat, also known as Severus Snape, could be here defending me against my insane uncle! Before Harry could process anything else, however, the room swirled around in his vision once again, and he fell deep into unconsciousness.
Next Chapter: We see this scene played out from Snape's point of view, and Harry is given some shocking news…