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Harry Potter And The Father
Chapter 6
More Truths And Horrifying Realizations
Severus Snape woke up abruptly as he always did, he didn't like being caught unawares ever. It wouldn't do him good if he had been, he was a spy and such actions were ingrained now. He heard two voices, women's voices whispering furiously. Blinking sleepily he opened his eyes and saw it was only Poppy and Minerva talking. Minerva looked utterly furious; if she in cat form he could imagine all her hair standing on end and claws out ready to battle.
"I don't understand why or how he could do something that that!" hissed Minerva angrily.
"I don't either Min please calm down do not wake up the boys" said Poppy calmly, she had two days to get over the shock of it.
"Too late" said Severus smoothly sitting up, using a cleaning charm on his clothes and straightened them out. Normally he would die before allowing himself to be seen in such a compromising manner. However, Harry came first he would be there when his nephew needed him until the day he died.
"Oh Severus I am so sorry" sighed McGonagall sadly.
"Whatever for?" asked Severus stunned.
"Lily, Harry, Dumbledore everything" replied Minerva crisply.
"It's alright at least I have my answers" said Severus softly.
"Indeed" replied Minerva "I might as well stop going through the letters from when you first came to school. Most Muggles born's in your year are actually dead, or the ones I managed to get through"
"You began looking?" asked Severus startled, he knew she had agreed to help but the fact she had done so on her own made his heart swell.
"I did, I let you down as a child I wanted to rectify it in any way I could" responded Minerva morosely.
Severus shook his head utterly befuddled "You know I don't care about that anymore," said Severus honestly, well he didn't anymore. Hearing what McGonagall was willing to do was more than he had hoped for.
"I'm going to pay the Dursley's a visit" said Severus a vicious scowl on his face.
"Then we are coming" said McGonagall adamantly.
"Someone need's to stay with Harry" replied Severus curtly.
"I've given him some dreamless sleeping potion; he had trouble sleeping last night. He won't wake for oh, five hours yet" said Poppy.
"Fine I'm taking him down to my quarters first" said Severus knowing he wouldn't win against those two adamant women.
"Very well I can keep an eye on him from there" said Poppy nodding in agreement.
Severus gathered the sleeping boy into his arms, went through to Poppy's office and floo'ed from there. Stepping out into his quarters, he went through to his bed which he found had been changed by the elves. Instead of green it was now black, making Harry look even paler than possible. Cuddling Harry in, he used a spell to stop Harry from falling out the bed and found it very difficult indeed to walk away.
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"Let's go" said Severus after spelling the ashes from the floo out of his clothes and hair.
Three furious wizard and Witches left the school, Minerva held onto Poppy and side along apparated. Severus apparated himself, three people with fury radiating from them began walking towards number four Privet Drive.
"You" sneered Severus furiously when the door finally opened by a cheerful looking Petunia.
The cheerful look faded, the beady eyes widened and the woman paled drastically.
"What do you want?" hissed Petunia, closing the door stopping them from getting in only her head peeked out of the side.
"Harry Potter" said Severus his voice cold and hard.
Petunia swallowed audibly fear entering her eyes her giraffe like neck seemed to shrink.
Minerva McGonagall blasted her way into the home, looking furious. She went into the living room; Poppy went in too dragging Petunia in with her, silencing her wailing, she sounded very much like a banshee right then. They wanted answers and would be damned if they didn't leave without any.
"Why?" demanded Minerva.
"I never wanted the brat!" screeched Petunia as soon as they lifted the silencing charm.
"So why didn't you give him up for adoption?" frowned Poppy.
"Dumbledore. He threatened to take the charm off Dudley" whispered Petunia furiously.
"Charm? What's wrong with Dudley?" demanded Poppy.
"He had cancer as a baby with no hope of recovery, Dumbledore froze them (cancerous cells) he wont get sick again - he said he would take them off if we didn't take Harry in and treat him as we did!" said Petunia tears running down her face, she had been forced to choose between her son and nephew. Vernon didn't know about anything he hated all things abnormal but Petunia hadn't cared. Her son meant to much to her to say no to the spell Dumbledore performed. It was why she spoiled him so much the thought of loosing him was too much to bear. There wasn't an excuse for the way Vernon treated Harry, but for Petunia she had to keep him or risk Dumbledore doing as promised. She didn't know how many times she had almost given in and sent him to an orphanage to keep him safe from Vernon.
The three traded shocked looks, swallowing thickly, the more they learned the less they liked - especially Albus Dumbledore.
"Merlin" sighed Severus inhaling through his tense nostrils.
"I was so glad he was gone, the door was unlocked but both keys were with me I knew someone magical had got to him" said Petunia the relief on her face evident for all to see.
"I still do not know how you can live with yourself, to stand back and allow your nephew to be beaten so savagely." sneered Severus furiously.
"I had no choice" whispered Petunia.
"Come on Severus, let's go" sighed Poppy, there was nothing for them here.
"If Dumbledore does as he promised, get in touch with me we have our own workers at the postal office" said Minerva coolly.
Swallowing heavily she just nodded.
The three people who had been hell bent on revenge quickly left the house, not even glancing back. Each lost in their thoughts unable to believe what they had just heard and wondered how Dumbledore or Petunia could live with themselves. They were getting too many questions and not enough answers. They apparated back to Hogwarts and instead of going to the Hospital wing they went to Severus' quarters. They passed many startled students who were studying for their exams. It was one thing the normal teachers didn't do, they had Ministry officials come in and test the children.
So the last two weeks of school they didn't have classes then the best part - summer holidays.
"Blinky" called Severus.
"Yes sir?" asked the house elf looking pointedly at Severus; he was the only one he served after all.
"A pot of coffee and tea please," said Severus.
"Bring some things to eat to Blinky I'm peckish" said Minerva kindly.
Blinky looked at Severus for confirmation when he had it he popped out.
"So what do we do now?" asked Minerva sitting down on Severus' couch smiling at the potion tombs that were lying everywhere. Severus was very clean unless it came to anything to do with potions. He wasn't going to have much time to work on them now, not with a child in his life.
'POP' the tray was put down on the table before Blinky left again.
The three helped themselves to coffee or tea, Severus as usual taking his black avoiding the biscuits. He was hungry but it was nearly lunch time, so he would wait until then, Poppy and Minerva helped themselves to it dunking them in the coffee and tea.
"I don't know but I do know I'm keeping Harry away from Dumbledore, which means I'm signing the papers now" said Severus summoning the papers, unrolling them and signing them in a flourish. It was now official Severus Snape was Harry Potter's father, and not even Dumbledore could part them now.
"Do you think Dumbledore really did threaten her like that?" asked Poppy.
"Yes, she was telling the truth," said Severus growling deep in his throat.
"Perhaps he didn't know how they treated him?" asked McGonagall half heartedly.
"Do you believe that?" asked Severus withholding a snort. He knew people were less distrusting as him, Minerva liked Dumbledore and well she would be finding this hard to accept harder to realize as truth.
"No, he wouldn't go into all that trouble to threaten her if it wasn't the case" sighed Minerva.
"Exactly" said Severus pointedly.
"I don't know how he can live with himself" sniffed Poppy, the thought of letting anyone hurt a child was horrifying but to actually put him somewhere that would was just terrifying. Who was the bigger monster? Vernon for hurting him or Dumbledore for standing back and allowing it?