Severus returned home to Spinner's end and poured himself a stiff drink. The blankets Potter had slept under were still jumbled on the sofa, so Severus folded them neatly, and put them away before dropping onto the cushions.
Potter was an abuse victim.
Merlin.
The boy had not suffered as much physical trauma as Severus himself had as a child, but he had been neglected, roughly handled, and gaslit for almost his entire life. That was a volatile combination for a developing mind to process, especially since he would not have any strong memories to compare the toxic treatment against.
The boy was vulnerable, malleable, and with the sole exception of Severus himself, the first adult wizard and potential male role model to take an active interest in him was Lucius so-good-at-lying-and-manipulating-people-he-avoided-azkaban Malfoy.
Perhaps most frustrating of all, Severus had no idea what to do about any of it. He had left the boy with his tormenters. He had watched passively as Lucius sank in his claws. He had come home, and not gone straight to Albus Dumbledore to report everything he had seen.
Because that was another thing. The boy's mistreatment was obvious to look at, with even the slightest critical eye.
Severus himself had been dead-set on hating the child, in seeing the worst in him, and he had been unable to ignore it for longer than five minutes in the Dursley's presence.
Albus either hadn't checked up on the boy's condition at all, or he knew what was going on in that house, and had allowed it to happen.
Neither possibility inspired much confidence in the man's interest over the boy.
Hel, Severus had heard one tidbit about the cupboard under the stairs, and had immediately suspected abuse, but Albus has brushed his concerns aside. He had intended to send Hagrid, of all people, a man who had a tender heart for mistreated creatures, but was utterly blind to dangerous environments, to retrieve the boy, and when that fell through, his second choice had been a man who had been bullied by the child's father, and who had a vested interest in disliking the boy.
Severus did not like thinking ill against the headmaster's intentions, but something was not adding up.
And then there was Albus' insistence that Potter 'see the wizarding world as something worth saving'. That was ominous. As was his odd request to ensure the boy saw Severus retrieve the philosopher's stone from the bank. There was no rational reason for insisting upon that, unless he meant to test, or perhaps to bait, the boy in some way.
So, now Severus was left with a choice. Should he tell the headmaster everything about his meeting with Potter, and subject himself to the man's rulings on the matter, or hold at least part of it back, and ensure that the boy got some level of protection, even if Severus could only do so much?
If he told Dumbledore about the boy's homelife, he would either intervene on the boy's behalf, or insist that everything was fine. If he told Dumbledore that he had placed some basic protections for the boy's benefit, and was intending to stay in close communication with the child over the next month, Dumbledore would either give him one of his annoying trademarked knowing looks, complete with twinkling eyes, and allow the communication to continue, unhindered, or he would step in to stop it, citing Severus' safety, and his own need for a spy. If he chose that route, he would either delegate someone else to check in on the boy, or he would leave the child to languish alone, again.
If he told the headmaster about the Malfoys, the headmaster would either allow that relationship to continue, simply keeping an eye on what he could, he would attempt to actively sabotage the relationship, or he would attempt to introduce a competing surrogate family and best friend for the boy, one of his own choosing,
Severus could not imagine how devastating it would be for Harry, if he was coerced into dumping his chosen friendship with the Malfoys in favor of a planted replacement, only to find out later that any and all resulting relationships were the result of manipulations or lies. Potter would probably never trust anyone, ever again. Severus wouldn't.
On the other hand, if Severus told the headmaster of Lucius Malfoy's assumption that Severus was getting close to the boy for his own political interests, and for the Dark Lord's convenience, then perhaps he would not have to worry about keeping Potter at arm's length. He could even get the headmaster's blessing to earn the boy's trust, and offer his own warnings about Lucius' intentions.
The danger of the Dark Lord returning and demanding that Severus use his public closeness with the child to lure him into a trap was still there, but if Potter instead learned to trust Lucius Malfoy, it was a redundant fear, and at least Severus would have the chance of stepping in to save the boy from Lucius' ambition.
Dumbledore had no way of preventing Potter and the Malfoys from exchanging letters over the summer. If he did decide to intervene and forcibly cut ties between them, he would have to make Harry want to cut ties, with or without Severus' help. That would mean telling the boy about Lucius' past, but Lucius wasn't stupid, and neither was Narcissa. They had already planted seeds to counteract such claims.
By the time Harry reached the Hogwarts Express, Severus had no doubt that the boy would know every sordid rumor that had been leveled against the Malfoys in the last twenty years, and be well versed in every one of Lucius' excuses that had kept him free and in favor all this time. Potter would not be blindsided by the truth.
And if that didn't work, Dumbledore's next most likely point of attack would be Draco.
That… could go either way, honestly. Pre-teen friendships were volatile even without outside interference, and Draco was no doubt spoiled and entitled, but Harry was stubborn, and lonely, and didn't want to be famous. If he saw Draco as a true friend, he would fight for that friendship, no matter what obstacles Dumbledore put in their way.
Severus groaned as he stood, his drink long empty, and went to his potions lab to continue his work. Stasis charms were only effective for so long, and felix felicis had several expensive ingredients he did not want to go to waste.
Liquid luck. If only he had started brewing it earlier, he could have taken a drop or two before meeting Potter, and avoided a lot of this headache.
No matter. He could not change the outcomes of their trip to Diagon, now.
He would think on his next step more as he brewed, but he was confident that he was closing in on his decision.
He wanted to set the conditions of his interactions with Potter on his own terms. It was his life, and his risks, to take. If Albus knew that Severus wanted to be an active part of the boy's life, that choice would be taken out of his hands. His relationship, or lack there of, would become an assignment, and would never be truly organic.
Dumbledore had no viable way to interfere with the Malfoys until after the term started, so it was not pressing to enlighten him about that danger, just yet. Severus could do more than Dumbledore could to steer the boy away from that particular threat, so long as he was subtle. It would be disastrous if Potter complained to his new little friend that Professor Snape had been saying mean things about his father.
Mostly, Severus wanted the boy to be safe. The precautions he had put in place would help, and if Potter followed through, and wrote to him honestly about his homelife, he could step in, if needed, but having the boy relocated would be ideal. Maybe. Depending on where he was sent. The whiplash of going from neglect and insults to unquestioned praise and constant hero worship could also be detrimental on the boy's psyche.
It would be a good test, though, to tell Dumbledore about the neglect and abuse, but not the steps Severus had already taken to countermand them, and see how the headmaster reacted. Would the headmaster step in, or do nothing? And if he did nothing, and Severus learned that the boy's situation had grown more dire, the revelation that the Malfoys were zeroing in on the child might be the leverage he would need to get the boy moved into a friendly, light oriented wizarding home.
The rest, he would have to figure out, later.
He brewed in silence, second guessing himself, even as he tried to focus all of his attention on his work. By the time the brew was ready to simmer, untouched, for the next forty-eight hours, Severus had worked himself up into an anxious mess.
He should have gone straight to the headmaster and gotten his report over with, rather than letting it fester in his mind. There were too many variables to consider, too much that he might be missing, too much that could go incredibly wrong!
Downing a mild headache relief potion, Severus decided to stop stalling.
Cracking his neck, and flexing his fingers a few times, Severus flooed into to his Hogwarts private quarters, and made the trek up to the headmaster's office. He had been tempted to floo straight there, but did not want to risk barging into a private meeting. He took the time to run over his plan one more time, in his head. He would pretend to dislike the boy as much as he had expected to. He would not mention the Malfoys unless he needed to, as leverage. He would bring up the abuse, and see what Dumbledore did about it.
He hoped Albus was not busy; it had been a long, mentally exhausting day, and Severus just wanted to go to bed.
Blessedly, the man bid him enter when Severus knocked, and he swept into the room and sank into one of the chintz chairs that faced the headmaster's desk.
"Ah, there you are, my boy!" Albus greeted him, eyes twinkling. "How did it go?"
"I got your package," Severus replied tersely, tossing the small, wrapped item carelessly onto the desk.
"And the boy?"
Severus rolled his eyes. "The boy's alive, and he has everything he needs for the school year."
"Very good."
"Petunia and Dursley are as tasteless and vile as always."
"You do have a way of holding onto childhood grudges, my boy."
Severus grit his teeth. Like children could not experience things worth holding grudges over. People's characters did not change the moment they came of age.
"There was one thing, Headmaster," he said, leaning forward as if reluctantly, and steepling his fingers under his chin. "The brat was small for his age, and painfully thin. He appears to be chronically underfed."
"Active children are often thin, Severus," Albus said dismissively, as if Severus was not chronically exposed to what healthy eleven-year-olds looked like, every year.
"It's more than that, Albus. He told me that he is regularly denied food as a form of punishment. He was often locked in that cupboard under the stairs for extended periods of time, and was expected to sleep in there every night before his Hogwarts letter arrived. His cousin physically bullies him, and Vernon threatened to 'beat the magic out of him' right in front of me."
Albus paled. Good, at least the man was not entirely indifferent. "Is he in danger?"
"Nothing appears to be life-threatening at the moment, but the psychological effects on the boy could be devastating. You said it yourself, Headmaster, bitterness and resentment can be dangerous, if they grow unchecked."
"Severus, the boy has to stay there."
What? "Why?"
Albus looked grave. "When the boy survived the killing curse, I believe it was Lily's sacrifice that made it possible. I believe her death enacted a powerful blood-magic ward over the boy, that was strong enough to save his life. That magic is still active, to an extent, and will continue to protect the boy, but only if he remains home to a blood relative – to one of Lily's blood relatives. Petunia is the only option."
Merlin. That was certainly a complication. Severus would need time to consider the implications. "And if the boy's safety is in danger, if he stays?"
Dumbledore frowned, and took a moment before answering. "It is only for one more month, before school starts. You said yourself, it is nothing life-threatening, and one month will not make a significant difference to his outlook on life. Perhaps next summer, we can arrange to limit the boy's time there, and keep him properly monitored. I don't want to make the boy suffer, Severus, but he will need that protection, sooner or later. You seem quite protective of him, though, despite yourself."
"He's still James Potter's brat, through and through," Severus spat, "but he is also the child I vowed I would protect. I intend to take that seriously."
"Very well. If that is all, I'll let you get back to your brewing."
"Goodnight, Headmaster."
Severus left Dumbledore's office in a daze, trying to make sense of the man's revelations.
Powerful blood-magic? What had Lily done?