The next morning the family and Harry sat at the table for breakfast. The kids, bleary eyed and hungry. The adults, keeping sleep at bay with a cup of coffee. Per usual, there came a flutter of wings through the window as Hootini flew in with the day's post and paper. Melissa untied the day's mail and gave her pet a good, long scratch in his favourite spot behind his head. Harry also fed Hootini with a rasher of bacon to curry the owl's favour. The owl delighted in the reward, hopping over to the boy in order to get more pets.
"Heh. Traitor." Melissa lightly teased. She gave the boy a smile, then turned to go through her mail. There was a letter from Corin that was something of an apology for the drama at the party, though he also pointed out that it was technically her fault for the confusion in the first place. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she read it. She had gotten similar letters from Adrian and Amy following the party. Though they had been less concerned with future hang outs and more concerned with the risk of Slytherin gossip, unable to determine if they should be the ones letting others in their year know, or even their parents. She supposed she could count herself lucky that the Slytherins who attended aren't much of the dark or high society sort. Otherwise the news would have already spread. She hadn't heard from the Weasleys, though, and that was a ticking time bomb. There's no way Ginny and Ron had kept their mouths shut from their parents. Now it was just waiting to see who they would tell over the Summer.
Thinking on that with a defeated sigh, she put the letter aside to reply to later, and moved on to the morning Prophet. The front page didn't have any associated images, but the headline was picture enough for a thousand words.
Boy-Who-Lived Endangered by Muggle Relatives!
Are you fucking kidding me?
She pushed back from the table at once to read the entire article.
In a shocking series of events, it has been discovered that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, has been living a life of abuse since the tragedy of his parents' death. While the public has been led to believe that our young hero is being raised by respectable, powerful wizards, the truth is nothing but the contrary. Living under the roof of abusive, magic-hating relatives, Harry Potter has known nothing of comfort or safety. Our investigations have revealed that the home of Potter's relatives, a seemingly quaint muggle home in Surrey, holds no appearance of the boy's existence, save for one. A mattress, scraps of schoolwork and sparse toys cramped in the confines of a cupboard under the stairs has served as Potter's home for the past ten years.
This surprising and heart-breaking revelation was first made aware on Sunday when Potter attended the birthday party of a witch in London, spirited out of his muggle home for the day in order to meet other witches and wizards his age. Underfed and dressed in ill-fitting clothes, the young Harry Potter spoke shyly of his hope for a future at Hogwarts among fellow wizards, but was revealed by one witch to be fearful of his homelife. This fear is also shared by the young witch, as witnesses revealed that -on her encountering a boggart- it took a gruesome form of Potter perishing under abuse. Such intense fear begs the question of how far this abuse stretches, and why it has not been addressed sooner by those who put the Boy-Who-Lived under the care of his muggle relatives.
While it has been difficult to ascertain the exact extent of abuse against Potter, the ten year old boy has been given one glimmer of hope from this dismal homelife. With Sirius Black's exoneration and release from Azkaban, it is speculated that he will be making a custody claim for Potter. As Potter's godfather and good friend to the late Potters, Black holds both magical and legal claim to Potter's guardianship. Though Black has refused to comment on the possibility of adoption, the man was spotted in Diagon Alley on Tuesday purchasing child-sized bedroom furniture and clothing, furthering the possibility of a legal battle.
Melissa kept reading the article, the paper shaking in her hands. Her mind was screaming a mile a minute as the article went on. Nothing mentioned his current location, or even the names of those at the party; but they had mentioned the cupboard, Dudley's second bedroom, and even brought up the existence of the Potter Will, specifically the lack of mention of Harry's muggle relatives. Thinking of those facts, she was confused and angry in turns.
"Melissa? Is everything alright?" Her mother asked.
Melissa could only shake her head. It was difficult to answer that question honestly. Instead her eyes moved back to the article's headline. More importantly, to the inscribed byline.
Annabella Soros
"Harry," she tried desperately to keep her voice level, "did my friend Dom talk to you after that boggart thing at the party?"
Harry thought about that for a moment. "Uh, yeah, we talked for a while. He apologized for bringing it up. Also asked if he could send me a letter some time. Though I told him I wouldn't be able to get any owls to my house."
"And, let me guess, he offered to do things the muggle way."
"He did." Which meant that Harry had given him his home address.
Oh, she wanted to scream!
"Melly?"
She breathed out, keeping the scream at bay. "Just give me a minute." She stepped out of her chair, pacing the kitchen for four lengths. Eventually her father got sick of the tension and stood up.
"Alright, Melly-bean, what's this about?"
Rather than answer, she just stuck out her paper-holding arm for him to grab the newspaper. She paced more as silence continued for another length.
"Shit."
"Mmhmph!"
"What is it?" Mary asked.
"You better take a look at this." Her dad sat down, the article spread out between the two adults. As they read, Melissa's frustration grew.
"Dad, Mum, Can I have the room? I need to use the phone." They regarded her with concern, but nodded in understanding, taking Harry with them to the den to finish the article. With a few more laps complete, she eventually stopped at the phone. Exhaling another breath, she looked to her small directory and dialed a number. It rang four times before anyone answered. Not too surprising, seeing as the receiving phone was kept in a secure area away from most magics.
A boy answered at the other end. "Hello. This is the Soros residence."
"YOU TOLD YOUR MUM?" She screeched at the boy.
"Ack! Melissa? This is you?" His voice hurt from the sound.
"Yes, it's me! I read the article! How could you tell her?! I told you Harry didn't want people finding out!"
"Melissa, I said I would help. This is helping."
"Helping, how? Now everyone's going to know!"
"Exactly." He replied. "People know. When they know they get angry. They get angry and tell the Ministry to take action. Now he won't have to stay at home."
"Oh for fuck's sake!" She growled. "Don't you think if it was that easy I would have done that already?"
"What do you mean?"
"I tried to get him out before and he got obliviated! Why do you think I was too scared to tell anyone? There are wizards out there who want him to stay there! Worse, now every death eater out on the street is going to come out looking for him!"
"Melissa. That will not happen. There are too many people to be hiding this with obliviation. Also, your Sirius will protect him. It's nothing to be worried about."
"Easy for you to say, you don't know who we're up against!"
"Melissa, you are muggleborn, I know the wizard people better than that."
That shut her up for a few seconds. The mind reeling at his mindset more than anything else. "Oh you did not just go there!" She shouted. "Being a muggleborn has nothing to do with this! Harry's at risk now because of this. If he dies or gets hurt it will be your fault!"
She slammed the phone down before he could answer back. She was breathing ragged. Her face was wet, she realized. Tears had sprung at some point, she wasn't sure when.
"Melody?" She turned to the doorway. Harry was standing there. Not afraid so much as concerned. They stepped towards each other, Melissa enveloping him into a strong hug. They stood there a moment, holding on tight. "It's going to be alright." He promised. How he could promise anything was anyone's guess. "They don't know that I'm gone, and I won't let anyone hurt me."
"I hope you're right, Harry." She muttered into his ear. "But that's not everything we have to worry about."
A man appeared by broomstick at the edge of Privet Drive. He eyed the suburban homes with distaste as he made his way to house number four. The disillusion quickly removed, he rapped at the door in quick succession and waited for it to be answered. The door opened, revealing a skinny woman half-familiar to memory. Her own eyes narrowed with disgust and a hint of fear.
"You!"
Severus Snape sniffed haughtily at the woman. "Where is the boy?"
"Gone." She answered stiffly. "I thought you already knew that."
That remark put him on edge. "Who took him? When?"
"Three days ago, if you must know. One of you barbarians took him while the Bennetts were watching him and wiped their memories!"
That news put him in alarm. Potter has been missing for days? He could be anywhere by now. Maybe even dead. Dumbledore will need to be informed, immediately.
Wait. That surname Petunia had given. It couldn't be...
"Who did you say was watching him?"
They didn't even make it til noon. A loud knock at the door had both kids sit up in alarm.
"You stay here." Melissa cautioned. They were currently in her bedroom, hoping for a quiet day of reading until things could blow over. It seems that they had hoped for too much.
Melissa went down to the main level. With little time to plan, she grabbed a ziplock and scribbled a quick note on it. It might not work, but there was (hopefully) no harm in aiming for diplomacy. Going back to the front of the house she glanced out of the window, finding the familiar form of Professor Snape. That was surprising. She had expected Dumbledore to come himself. Still, Snape has a known affinity for mind magic.
"Bennett, I know you're in there!" He gruffed. She let go of the curtain and stepped near the door.
Wordlessly, she slid the bag out of the mail slot. The label was clear for viewing. INSERT WAND HERE.
"I don't have time for games, Bennett. Open the door!"
"I don't have time, either. You could be polyjuiced into someone I trust." She doubted the sentimentalism would work, but it was worth a shot.
Thankfully, after an agonizing wait, the wand appeared in its plastic container. She hid the wand, as she had done the day before, and opened the door.
"Good morning, Professor."
"Enough pleasantries, Bennett. Where is the boy?"
"Safe." She promised. "Away from people who beat him everyday because his mother was born a witch."
That answer caught him marginally off guard, but he held firm. "An admirable belief, but that is not your call to make."
"It's not yours, either." She said firmly. At his harsh glare, the girl shivered and gave a tired sigh. It was obvious that this wasn't going to be done quickly. "Though I suppose I should invite you in to talk about it. Tea?"
The man declined tea, but entered the home like he owned the place. His eyes moved around the hallway and the doorways. No Harry in sight. She led him to the kitchen table, each sitting opposite of the other. Snape seemed to be studying her. She didn't bother doing the same. She was nowhere near as skilled as him at analyzing people, and meeting his eyes for too long would just be trouble.
"Exactly how safe do you think Potter can be in a home of muggles?"
"I should ask you the same." She answered with disdain. "That said, he's not here."
"You're a terrible liar, Bennett." He turned his attention to the dish rack. Her eyes followed the obvious lead. Four plates. Four cups. "And I will emphasize the point. You cannot use your magic. Your home is unprotected from the dark arts. Any wizard with a scrap of intelligence can find and harm him and you will be powerless to stop it."
"I suppose it's just my luck that most wizards lack logic." She shrugged. She even offered him a small smile, which he failed to return. "That said, this is just a stop. He'll be better protected soon."
The professor scoffed. "Let me guess, by Sirius Black?"
She suppressed the urge to groan. That said, she had already been practicing that argument against Dumbledore. "Can you name a single other person with a strong enough legal claim to be his guardian who also isn't going to dedicate their lives to hurting or eventually killing him?"
The professor merely scoffed. "Black is an idiot. A self-obsessed braggart and a bully. He's also too weak from his time in Azkaban to be of use to anyone."
"I can think of some medical professionals who will disagree with that." She replied coolly. "As for the rest, sure, he's a braggart, I can see that. But he's also from an old family with strong magical wards and rich enough to install more security for Harry."
The man's finger tapped along the table. He was observing her like an annoying pest to be removed. "You do realize that I can just take Potter back to that home?"
"Without a wand?" She remarked, a teasing sneer overtaking the previous stoicism. "Sure you can; and, in the time it takes to find Harry, grab him, and drag him out the door I'll have already called the police about a kidnapping attempt. That, and my mum's upstairs with the laundry. The odds of all three of us being overtaken before the police arrive isn't really in your favour, is it?"
His eyes narrowed. An expression she couldn't quite describe, but it reminded her as something of distrust.
"I knew there was more to you than you let on." He accused the girl. She remained silent to the observation. "When did you become more than that gibbering child plaguing our House?"
Melissa shrugged passively. "Seeing the corpse of a person you care about can do a lot to motivate someone."
Snape nodded slightly. He hated how much he was agreeing to the things she said. It further annoyed him at how accurate and honest her answers seemed to be. She seemed to use his own logic against him. Worse, she had him disarmed without needing a wand of her own. Somehow this girl has transformed from an annoying pest into an annoying Slytherin pest. He would be proud of that, if she wasn't so obviously in his way.
"Enough of this." He stood up from his chair.
"You can't take him. You know that." She stated, forceful yet matter-of-fact.
He scowled at the girl. "So it seems." He hated the way she tried and failed to hide a victorious smile. "I will still see the boy." He stated. "I need to confirm that he is, indeed, alive and well."
She considered the command, observing him and thinking of the potential risks. "I think I can manage that. Walk ahead of me."
She directed him out of the room and up the stairs. She gestured to one door, and had him stand at the other end. She gave four quick raps, followed by two slow ones.
"Hey, Harry, crisis averted! It's one of my professors, but he wants to talk to you before he goes."
There was a pause and a shuffle behind the door. It sounded as though furniture was being moved. Eventually the door opened, and the doppelganger of a young James Potter emerged through the door. He quickly looked over the young witch, who offered him a reassuring smile, then turned Lily's eyes to meet his. Strangely, his eyes seemed to light up in recognition.
"You must be Professor Snape. How do you do?" He stuck his hand out in greeting. Severus was loathed to shake the boy's hand, yet some semblance of formality urged him onwards into the gesture.
"Under better circumstances, I would have preferred to only see you in a classroom."
The boy twitched to a frown. He stole a glance at Bennett. She offered him a nonchalant shrug, which seemed to pacify the boy.
"Right, sorry. I suppose this is all a bit much."
Bennett rolled her eyes at that. "Blame the media, Harry. You didn't do anything worth all of this trouble."
"No," Severus surmised, "these theatrics are more your doing, than anything." He accused her.
She frowned, posture defensive. "Hey, I didn't rat him out to the Prophet. I just wanted to celebrate my birthday in peace."
A knock at the front door caught their attention.
"Oh, what now?" Bennett muttered under her breath. She glanced at the two males, thinking up a quick decision. "I have to get that. Please try to behave." She seemed to be pleading to both of them. The boy nodded reasonably, while Severus could only find her insolence more annoying. He wondered, idly, if it would be bad form to put Slytherin behind in the upcoming house cup just to put the young witch in check.
As she walked downstairs, the boy looked at him curiously. "So, Melly says you teach potions…"
Melissa got to the door. Not even bothering to say hello before sliding a bag out of the mail slot. Strangely, the bag was pulled from her hand before she had let go completely. It came back almost as quickly in the shape of two familiar looking wands.
Oh, fuck my life.
She went off and hid the wands in two separate rooms. Satisfied with their locations, she went back and answered the door.
"Mister Black. Professor Salvatore." She nodded to each of them.
Sirius nodded to her with a half-frown. Professor Salvatore, meanwhile, appraised her with a smile. "I see you're taking measures accordingly. Well done, Miss Bennett."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Simply Mister Salvatore is fine, Miss Bennett. I'm no longer employed by the Headmaster." The man smiled encouragingly.
She nodded in understanding. "Mister Salvatore, then." She regarded them both with some concern. "Listen… the potions professor is here, too. I've convinced him not to bring Harry back to the Dursleys, but I'd like to keep things… civil."
Sirius raised his brows in surprise. "Why would a Hogwarts professor take Harry to the Dursleys?"
Salvatore and Melissa met each other's eyes briefly. He nodded slightly her way. "Probably to ensure his guardianship is transferred legally, rather than what looks to be a kidnapping."
"Just about." She answered. "He said it wasn't my call to make, but I got him to see reason."
"That's good." Sirius exhaled a small breath of relief. "Can't imagine anyone willing to put Harry through that hell again."
"Indeed. He may be a hard man, but Severus does respect a logical mindset."
That, right there, was the exact opposite of what Melissa wanted out of this conversation.
"Snape." Sirius spat the name in disgust. "You let Severus Snape in your house?"
Melissa couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"You seem surprised, Black." Snape mocked from behind her. "Frankly, given your own track record, I'm surprised you've been allowed anywhere farther than a leash can keep you."
Oh, crap. She turned, finding both Snape and Harry at the foot of the stairs. Snape's arms were crossed, a sneer on his face. Harry looked between the two of them in confusion.
"Snivellus." Sirius mock-greeted. "You look as depressing as usual. Though I can't say you've aged well."
"Careful, Black. Between the two of us I doubt you've healed enough to stir much of a fight."
"What's going on here?" The voice of Mary Bennett appeared from the top of the stairs, making her way down to the gathered group.
"Oh, look, a distraction." Melissa muttered thankfully. "Hey, mum, sorry, it's just a bit of a cock show, here."
"Melissa!" The woman gasped.
"Right, right, sorry." She ducked her head bashfully. She looked between the four adults quickly. "Mum, Harry, these are my professors. Professor Severus Snape, my potions master and head of house. This is Marcello Salvatore, he taught us defence this past year. Professors, this is my mum, Mary."
"How do you do, gentlemen?" She tentatively shook Snape's hand, then did the same for Salvatore once they stepped fully into the house. "So, might I ask the reason you've all come to visit?"
Snape answered first. "I've come to return Mister Potter to his home."
"Let hell you are!" Sirius growled, stepping closer to Snape.
"Hey! Hey! Hold on!" Melissa stood between them, arms raised to stop Sirius. "We already talked about this. He's not taking Harry anywhere. It's fine."
"Persuasive as you have been," Snape interrupted with a sneer, "I still disagree that this home can offer any sort of protection for the boy. He needs to be protected from those who may do him harm. An unguarded muggle home can offer no such protection."
"Oh, what, like you can-?"
"If you please, Mister Black." Salvatore rested a firm hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Mister Snape is correct in having concern for Mister Potter's safety. That said, and to answer your question Mrs. Bennett, Mister Black has invited me to visit your home so that I may install such protections into your home."
"You are?" Melissa and Harry asked in unison.
"Yes. After today's announcement, we agreed that this is the best course of action until you can be taken elsewhere."
The room was full of curious and considering looks. Snape, though, seemed less convinced than the others. "And you expect me to believe that you can conjure enough wards to protect the boy from former Death Eaters?"
"I trust him to do it." Sirius replied curtly.
Snape scoffed at that. "Like how you trusted Pettigrew?"
That remark sent Sirius over the edge. He knocked Melissa aside and ran at Snape, fist flying and connecting to the man's jaw. The blow sent Snape -and Harry- sprawling against the stairs. There were shouts all around as Snape threw the man off of him and struck Sirius with his own blow. Sirius went for another blow, only to find himself flying across the hall.
Melissa watched in shock as her defence professor tossed Sirius away as though he weighed next to nothing. Snape was still moving for the attack, though now in the other professor's direction. With an arcing wave, Salvatore lifted his metallic arm, palm out, towards Snape.
"Depulso." The man summoned.
A beam of pale indigo light slammed into Snape, launching him into the next room. With a more intricate wave, a green and purple light emerged from his hand in the shape of a runic circle, surrounding Snape before he could stand. At that time Sirius had stood up. He began to walk towards them, only to be encased in a similar circle.
"Holy shit." Melissa whispered in awe.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Salvatore bellowed to the sputtering fighters. "I don't know what history you two have, but this childishness must end!" He turned to Snape first, with a look of deep disappointment. "As you can see, Severus, I am more than capable of creating protections for this house. I have been steeling against curses and traps as a commander of Los Caballeros de la Espada y la Cadena longer than you have been alive." He then turned to Sirius. "As for you, I would expect that a man hoping to take on the role of parent would know how to keep his temper in check and not put himself and his child into needless danger."
The men were silent in either surprise or shame at the easy defeat and berating. Salvatore didn't wait on their responses. The man simply turned to Mary and offered her a polite bow. "I apologize for this outburst, Mrs. Bennett. I had no intention of bringing trouble to your home."
The action seemed to have the rest of the household and guests stupefied.
Mary, too, blinked in surprise, but managed to compose herself. "Well, it seems to me that you stopped the trouble more than caused it. No need to apologize, sir." She then looked at each of the children. Harry had scrambled a few steps up the stairs, while Melissa had been keeping her distance near the door. "Are you two alright?"
"I'm fine, mum."
"I'm alright." Harry answered.
"Good." She then eyed the trapped men, her demeanor shifting from apprehensive to defensive. "I think it would be best for everyone if you two left. I'm sorry, Sirius, but I think you both need time to cool your heads."
"I quite agree." Salvatore nodded. "I will be able to complete my work by sunset and have the rest of the preparations ready for you tomorrow, Mister Black."
Neither of the trapped men seemed to want to agree. Though, finally, Sirius relented.
"Fine. But I want my wand back before Snivellus here tries anything funny."
"You'll get your wand back after you pass the doorway." Salvatore instructed. "And Severus will remain here until you apparate home. I won't be having you two duelling on the front lawn."
"Fine." Sirius gruffed. The ward was removed and he shook off the enchantment like a bad case of fleas. As he walked towards the door, his eyes landed on Harry. The boy's worried face made him falter in his steps. "Sorry about all this, pup. I'll come by tomorrow when he's gone." The tone only slightly in disgust in the end, but sounded somewhat chastised overall.
As this happened, Melissa went off to retrieve the man's wand. Once she heard the door close, she went back into the hall and slid the wand out of the slot. Salvatore asked her to watch out the window to confirm Sirius' presence. It was only when he disapparated that Snape was released.
As he walked by the former professor, Snape fixed him with a withering glare. "So that you are aware, I will have to inform Dumbledore of the current situation." Snape cautioned.
The elderly gentleman nodded solemnly. "I would expect nothing less."
It was cold, but about as civil as anyone could expect between them. Like Sirius before him, the ritual of leaving the London home was repeated with Snape, and suddenly they were down to four.
"Okay," Mary exhaled a long-held breath, "I'll be the first to say it; but what on earth was that about?"
Harry could only shrug. "I have no idea."
"Ahh…" Even Melissa was at a loss at how to explain it. "Well… if I were to bet money on it, those two didn't get along in school."
"And that's worth starting a row in our home?" It was rhetorical, but her mother had a point.
"Unfortunately, much as I feel Mister Black should not have made things physical, I do have to put fault on Severus by bringing up that Pettigrew fellow. That was uncalled for."
"No kidding." Melissa sighed. "Well, at least the house is still standing." Her demeanor suddenly brightened. "And that was so cool! Wait, how did you even do that? I didn't know your arm could make wards?"
Even Harry perked up at that mention. He had never seen magic beyond what little he and Melissa would practice when they were younger. To see that display completely blew him away. "I didn't know you could do most magic at all without a wand."
The former professor merely smirked. He lifted his metallic arm, it's runes had now dimmed to a soft glow. "A tribute to the runemasters of Morocco. The wizards of North Africa work most of their magic through gems, stone, and metals."
The change in conversation seemed to make the previous drama fizzle out of existence. Harry, curious and excited, asked the grown wizard any question that came to mind about the runes, other wizard communities, and eventually on defence in general. Melissa and her mother let them have their impromptu lecture, sneaking off into the kitchen to prepare lunch and talk quietly to each other about the troublesome encounter they had endured.
Things seemed to fade out in stages. Her mother felt safe enough with Salvatore around to give him back his wand, especially once he got to work on making those magical protections around the house and property. When evening came, he was introduced to Jake, who greeted him warmly and invited him to stay for supper and however long he needed to work. It helped the household slide down into a state of comfortable caution. Everything in mind enough to not be naïve, but just out of mind enough to go about their mostly ordinary lives.