Chapter 11
"No."
"Now, listen please, Professor Snape -"
"No!" repeated Severus, shooting a withering glare for good measure.
"This is not a good idea," Minerva said, shaking her head.
"It's a foolish idea!" Severus growled.
"Isn't there any other way to go about this?" Minerva inquired, showing a greater level of patience that Severus did not possess. She was taking it better than him and Dumbledore had gone quiet the moment the minister explained his harebrained idea.
"The DMLE does not have enough Aurors to spare to be placed at Hogwarts while also maintaining things back at the ministry, Professors," Fudge explained, wiping the sweat on his forehead. "The ministry has been under considerable pressure as it is and we cannot afford to lose our Aurors at present."
"Surely, you don't think politics matter more than the students, Cornelius?" Minerva asked sternly.
"Of course not," he quickly denied. "You have to understand that this is the best course of action at the present time."
"This is ridiculous," Severus muttered, moving to look out the window at the Lake. He couldn't see the Quidditch pitch from here, where Harry was presumably having a much better time than Severus was.
"Black is deranged, professor. He's dangerous. The last time someone confronted him, he blew up thirteen people," the minister had been saying this in his defence repeatedly.
"If Black got past the dementors once, what's to stop him from doing so again? He's deranged," Severus said mockingly, still looking out the window.
"The dementors have the ability to recognise people even under the influence of Polyjuice," Fudge started. "Not to mention they're furious about an escaped prisoner. They have much better chances of apprehending Black than the Aurors ever would."
Severus took a deep breath, trying to calm himself - it wouldn't do to hex the Minister for Magic. "We shouldn't be hosting such vile creatures anywhere near the school grounds regardless," he retorted.
"Severus is right, this is after all a school. The children can't protect themselves," Minerva spoke to the minister as if he were a 10 year old boy, making Severus angry. He certainly did not require fair consideration for coming up with a halfwit solution. There were too many variables and so much that could go wrong.
"Blameless children should not be subjected to the horrors of dementors, Minister," said Severus in an even voice, trying to employ every ounce of patience he could muster.
"I understand what you're saying Professor Snape, but I'm afraid there isn't much else I can do besides."
"You just mentioned they're furious, Cornelius. How could furious dementors ever be good to be placed around a school full of children?" asked Minerva.
Severus just shook his head, slowly letting out a breath. This wasn't right. But now it seemed like there was no point in arguing against it, the ministry had already made the decision - no amount of debate was going to change it. Fudge wasn't exactly asking them for permission, he was more coaxing - forcing - them to accept his hand.
Minerva was still trying to talk the minister out of 'the plan' as he put it. It didn't matter, he wasn't ready to listen to reason. Fudge just wanted to safeguard his position it seemed and the man was not being subtle enough about it. Severus heard Minerva go quiet after a few minutes, she had finally realised what Severus had.
Fudge was still stuttering, advocating his plan, he too stopped talking when he realised no one was listening to him, all lost in their own thoughts.
"Cornelius," Dumbledore had come to a decision. "I will allow the station of dementors around the castle entrances - only at the various entrances, as there is little else that can be done to safeguard my school. But under no circumstance are they allowed to stray anywhere near the grounds or my students," he said with authority.
Severus exchanged a dark look with Minerva. In times like these it was best to show solidarity and support in the headmaster's decisions no matter how much they felt opposed to it.
"Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore. I assure you Professors, you have nothing to worry about," agreed Fudge with finality and left soon after, cheerily stating that he would be 'sending an owl with the specifics'.
"I do not stand by this decision, Albus," Minerva said to the headmaster. "Dementors? In a school?"
"I do not stand by it either, Minerva." Dumbledore sighed, wearily massaging his temple. "The ministry has grounds to overrule any other decision made by the school concerning the capture of Sirius Black. It is best to take hold of what we can."
"Albus, surely the wards around the castle -" started Minerva.
"Are strong, yes," Albus interrupted, "there are also loopholes around them. They do not allow entrance to anyone meaning harm to the students, but if someone on the inside - say a staff member or someone from the board of governors - accepts the entrance of Black, there's not much we can do to stop him."
Severus' throat went dry, of course, all wards had loopholes. How had he missed this?
Suddenly Dumbledore's choice of hiring Remus Lupin did not seem like a very good one.
Severus had had his fair share of bad blood with Remus Lupin during their school years, but it had morphed into a relatively less violent academic rivalry later in the years compared to the venomous hatred that brewed between James Potter and himself. Lupin had never actively participated in tormenting Severus, but neither did he stop his friends.
Always being four against one, hadn't worked out all that well for Severus even if he gave back as good as he got when he had the chance - which wasn't so frequent. He hated the humiliation he had suffered by their hands. He hated that the things that had happened well over a decade and a half ago still managed to get under his skin.
Lupin could have stopped them, had he chosen to - that was what irked Severus, even now. Lupin never did right by the privilege that came with being in a position of authority. He cowered behind his friends, letting them dictate his every move. Severus despised him for it.
Now with Black aiming his wand at Harry, Severus didn't want to take any chances. He'd give up anything to have someone as ludicrous as Gilderoy Lockhart around instead of Lupin at the moment, if it meant Harry's safety. Would Lupin go back to cowering behind his friend? As long as Black wasn't captured, he would have to keep his guard up when it came to Lupin.
Another year of being on edge for Severus, and he was not looking forward to that.
Was bringing in dementors the only way to safeguard the castle, now?
Minerva was still discussing the wards with the headmaster. She walked over to Severus after a few minutes, asking about Harry - Albus absolutely had to blow that horn, didn't he? - and hurried off in the direction of the Quidditch pitch when he told her where she could find her student.
Severus hung back in the headmaster's office as she left, still stationed at the window.
"What do you wish to discuss, Severus?" Dumbledore did not beat around the bush today; in fact, it appeared that their talk with the minister had revealed a more sombre side to him.
"Lupin."
"What about Lupin?"
"I have been quite accommodating about your questionable recruits for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, Dumbledore. Do you really think it wise to have Lupin on the premises at the moment?" Severus asked, irritated.
"I distinctly remember you being amenable to it just yesterday, Severus."
"I wasn't amenable," Severus gritted out, finally turning to face the headmaster. "I just hadn't spared it much thought."
That brought the twinkle back in Dumbledore's eyes. "You, Severus? Not being thorough?" he asked, smiling now and Severus thought he preferred the sombre Dumbledore more.
"My mind was preoccupied," he all but growled. Severus had been worried about having left Harry - looking overwhelmed and exhausted - alone back at Spinner's End. He had rushed to his office to floo home the minute they were dismissed.
"With?" prodded Dumbledore, and Severus wanted to blast that twinkle in his eyes.
"Harry wasn't feeling well," he said shortly with a warning look not to pursue it. "I'm asking you now, Albus," he added.
"Remus Lupin being here is optimal if we wish to stop Black from entering the castle."
"This is a ploy? Again? After what happened with Quirrell?"
"Quirinus was the ideal choice then, as Remus is now, considering the present circumstances - even you admit that he is quite adept when it comes to defensive magic."
Yes, Severus had admitted that, grudgingly.
"This isn't about being qualified, Albus. You wouldn't have hired Lockhart if it was," he spat back, properly annoyed.
Lockhart was a whole different story altogether. That fraud had been hired specifically for his theft of 'heroism'.
"Gilderoy Lockhart was quite happy with my offer," Dumbledore stated, like that single sentence explained everything, unfurling a piece of candy and popping it into his mouth to punctuate.
"Caramel squares, Severus?" he asked, extending the bowl, Severus shook his head.
This conversation is going nowhere.
"What makes you think Lupin will stop Black? The wards, Albus. What if he unwittingly accepts Black's entrance into the castle?" Severus asked, steering the conversation back. He didn't understand why Dumbledore kept seeking out trouble in the form of Defence Professors.
"I realise the both of you have had your differences in the past, but I assure you that Remus would never allow Sirius Black anywhere near Harry."
"This isn't about Harry. The whole student body will be in danger if Black manages to get around the wards." The situation was grating on Severus' nerves.
"Oh, but it is about Harry, my dear boy. Remus would never put him in danger - unknowingly or otherwise," Dumbledore said, the very picture of calm.
"He hasn't cared about the boy in more than a decade, Dumbledore," Severus felt the need to point out.
"And you have?" he was asked in return, almost accusingly.
"I swore to protect him, I have been performing my duty," Severus hissed, crossing his arms defensively. At least he thought he had been.
"Ah, yes. Your duty," Dumbledore said sharply. "Is that all it is?"
"What more do you think there is?
"He is flying around the Quidditch pitch as we speak, Severus. You've been more attuned to the conversation today that he's within arm's reach than you were yesterday."
"Discussing Filch's innumerable rules and debating with the minister about having dementors around students are hardly the same thing," he replied drily.
Dumbledore sighed. His duty had often been in conflict with Severus' feelings about the boy. Now it seemed, Dumbledore didn't really know Harry well enough to say anything about him either way.
"We're not talking about Harry," Severus stated.
"No?" Dumbledore asked, peering over his spectacles curiously.
Severus just stared back without responding. The last time they had talked about Harry was when Severus had ended up yelling at the headmaster for not checking up on the boy. He didn't think this conversation would fare any better than the last on the subject.
"Remus will not hurt him," Dumbledore sighed and Severus nodded slightly. Severus would not let anyone hurt him.
"Dementors or not, Albus, Black is a dead man if it happens to be me that spots him. He is not going to prance in here and finish the job for his Master," Severus told the headmaster, viciousness pronounced in every word as he turned to leave.
"Such vindictiveness is not very forthcoming, my boy."
"You would know, wouldn't you?" Severus grumbled, opening the door as Dumbledore chuckled.
--
Severus breathed a sigh of relief as he finished the calculations. Wolfsbane Potion was a complicated brew. Miniscule corrections in temperatures that looked insignificant on paper had drastic consequences in improving the quality of a potion.
Severus packed away his work and leaned back on the chair, his thoughts now straying to Lupin, who had been the one apologising for Black's ' prank' in their fifth year - along with an extremely silent James Potter standing next to him - and promised not to bother him anymore.
That had lasted for all of two weeks, until their O.W.L.s and Black had announced he was bored. To Lupin's credit, he had held up that promise by not even joining in with his friends as a spectator. That had also been the day Severus regretted most sometimes. The day Severus had lost the only person who was willing to see past all the darkness in him.
Severus would hold Lupin to a grudging professional respect - he did not hate the man, not as much Potter and Black anyway.
If Dumbledore had gone to the extent of bribing Lupin to get him back to the magical world, there was definitely more than just one ploy at play. And, if Lupin proved to be even half as trustworthy when it came to Harry, he'd give Lupin a chance, for now, and see how it panned out.
Severus was still deep in thought when Harry knocked on the open office door.
"Done already?" Severus asked, clearing his throat, "Here I am, wondering if I would have to drag you back by your cuffs."
Harry laughed, not the silent snickers and chuckles that Severus was used to hearing, a full laugh - which made him look more like the teenager he was.
Severus had seen this side of him exactly once before. He would never forget the purely scandalised look on the child's face as he found out that Lily's favourite colour had been 'Slytherin green' as the boy called it.
Harry vehemently denied that his mum would ever like a colour that was associated with the rival house - "No Gryffindor would like to be seen wearing or even preferring such a controversial colour, sir!" - and argued that Severus was more likely "having me on" as he put it.
That had Severus explaining that Lily, who sometimes wore green - "Yes, Harry, Slytherin green" - even to Quidditch matches, because she liked it and didn't care for controversies. The boy still wasn't convinced with it, as he huffed and decided to let the topic drop.
But it made Severus realise that this had to have been the only conversation where he saw the thirteen year old side of him, instead of the tiny adult being responsible for himself.
Sometimes Severus wondered if Harry let go at least in front of his friends.
Severus motioned him to sit and almost immediately a glass of water appeared on the desk in front of the boy - the house elves just knew - which he gulped down after a soft 'Thanks'.
"Did you enjoy your time?"
"Yep! I spoke to McGonagall!"
"Professor McGonagall," Severus corrected involuntarily and Harry waved him off, bubbling with excitement. "What did she have to say?"
"Those are Gryffindor team secrets! I'm not telling you." How very like Minerva to discuss play strategy when she was presented with such a clean opportunity, after all she had fought to bypass school rules to make a first year her team's seeker. "Your Slytherins are going to lose spectacularly!"
"We'll see about that," Severus scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "You talked about quidditch the entire time?"
"You should have seen her! She was almost giddy! I don't think she even remembered to ask about homework or anything else," the boy laughed lightly. Minerva would be giddy. She loved anything and everything when it came to Quidditch.
"Lunch?"
"Yep. Are we going back home?" the boy asked, "I didn't realise just how much I'd missed flying until I was up in the air," he went on innocently, failing to notice that Severus had stopped breathing at the word 'home'.
Severus hurriedly composed himself as he moved to the door, beckoning the boy to follow. "You can go back to the pitch after, if you want. I have a few tasks I'd like to complete first."
"Oh," the boy trekked behind as Severus walked deeper into the dungeon.