~~~~~~~~~~ November 2nd ~~~~~~~~~~
Albus and Bathilda appeared at the end of Lockspur Lane, where the Grangers lived. Albus' suspicions had proven correct, and the Grangers had agreed to take Harry and move to Australia. Bathilda had decided it would be best to get Harry to them as quickly as possible. They walked together towards the house when Albus stopped short. "Ah, the difficulties of being a headmaster. I'm sorry, Bathilda, but there is someone waiting for me in my office. Do you think you could handle the Grangers without me?" At Bathilda's nod, he handed over the adoption papers and explained where they needed signatures. After juggling the papers and Harry, Bathilda finally managed to get the papers into a pocket of her robes. Albus smiled, "I'll apparate over to the Ministry, so I can floo to my office. You will tell me how Harry gets along?" Bathilda waved at Albus before walking the last few steps up to the Granger home to deliver baby Harry alone.
Harry was still in his enchanted sleep, but Bathilda was worried about how he would react when he awoke. He hadn't eaten in nearly a day and a half, and though he was using much less energy under his enchanted sleep, the child had to be extremely hungry by this point. She hoped the Grangers would have something for the child to eat readily available, otherwise, this first encounter might not be a pleasant one.
Bathilda rang the doorbell, and within moments, Bertram had opened the door and invited her inside.
Bertram, ever the affable gentleman, greeted her, "Good afternoon, Bathilda. It's good to see you again. Valeria will be over as soon as she finishes getting Hermione up from her nap." Inviting her to the same sitting room where they had spoken previously, Bertam ushered her to a seat and then acknowledged the child in Bathilda's arms. "Is this the orphan that we will be caring for from now on?"
"Indeed. His name be Harry James, and his parents were recently killing by the same dark wizard you fleeing. Thanking you ever so much for takes him." Bathilda smiled.
"With all that your government is doing for us in exchange, I'd say it's us who should be thanking you. Besides, my wife had wanted another child, but we just couldn't, not with Hermione being so different. Now my daughter should be less lonely." Bertram extended his arms toward the child. "Can I hold the boy? I'd like to get acquainted with him before you leave, just in case he needs a familiar face to calm him down."
Agreeing with the sentiment, Bathilda handed the child over to Bertram, and, on the spur of the moment, whispered the counter charm to wake him up. As Harry slowly woke up, he opened his eyes and started squirming, but Bertram, with practiced ease, kept Harry comfortably in his arms. "So you're the newest Granger, huh? It's definitely going to be obvious that you were adopted, Harry. No black hair or green eyes anywhere in the family." Bertram smiled at the child. "Hopefully, you get along with Hermione. She's a very precocious child, and I can see her taking her responsibilities as your new big sister very seriously. Just don't let her boss you around too much."
Harry looked up at the unfamiliar face and voice and started crying again. Bertram, who had somewhat expected this, situated Harry so he could see Bathilda. He calmed a bit, but his eyes kept searching for his parents.
"He probably hungry," Bathilda spoke up. "He haven't eaten yet, and it was about his lunch time. Do you and Valaria have anything to feeding him?"
"Of course." Bertram turned to the kitchen, "Val and I went on a supply run after we sent you and Albus our acceptance. I'll be back in a minute."
As Bertram left with Harry to get him some food, Bathilda sat back and sighed in relief. Fortunately for Harry, the Grangers seemed to be the responsible sort and had prepared for his arrival. She was willing to bet they had already set up a crib in Hermione's room for him. She was so relaxed that she nearly missed Valeria walking into the room with a girl that could only be her daughter, Hermione. "Hello again, Bathilda. Hermione, this is Bathilda Bagshot. Go introduce yourself."
Hermione let go of her mom's hand and confidently bounced over to Bathilda and gave a curtsy that nearly resulted in her falling over before extending her hand. "My name Hermowne Grangy. Good meet you."
Bathilda smiled at the girl's cute introduction and shook her hand. "My name Bathilda Bagshot. Good meeting you." Hermione smiled back at Bathilda before she was distracted by the crying in the kitchen.
She turned around and pulled on the hem of her mother's skirt. "Mummy, who in the kitchen?"
"Why don't you go find out, dear?" And with that, Hermione was off. With a shake of her head, Valeria sat down with Bathilda and sighed. "She's so curious sometimes that it can be a bit exhausting. I'm glad for it, but just occasionally, I do wish she would just sit still without badgering me with endless questions… But enough about that. I assume Bertram is in the kitchen with Hermione's new sibling?"
"Indeed. His name will Harry James. He is a bit hungry when he woken up, so Bertram gets him some food. I'm glad you be so prepared."
"Good. Bertram is pretty good with children, so he should be able to handle it. Does Harry have a last name?"
"Granger." Bathilda smiled and pulled out a stack of papers from her robes. "These be official non-magical adoption papers. Once you and your husband signed in the necessary places, everything should is in order." Albus had spent hours pulling strings to create a convincing paper trail for the newly christened Harry James Granger. He was quite thorough in making sure that all of the muggle documentation was exactly as it should be for an orphan of unknown parentage and that Harry James Potter showed as dead in all of the magical documentation, without any evidence of the Grangers now having two magical children.
As Valeria and Bathilda discussed the details of the adoption papers, which took quite a while due to Bathilda's unclear speech, Harry's crying quieted in the kitchen. As they finished up, Harry, Hermione, and Bertram returned from the kitchen. Hermione was holding Harry's hand, nearly dragging him along. The boy didn't seem very worried, though. He simply followed along, staring around wide-eyed as Hermione pulled him up to her mother. "Mummy, this Jamie. He new little brother." Hermione stuck Harry's hand out for her mother to shake.
As Valeria shook Harry's hand, she raised a questioning eyebrow at her husband. "Jamie?"
Bertram shook his head and gave a chuckle. "When I told Hermione that his name was Harry James, she decided there and then that she was going to call him Jamie. I haven't been able to dissuade her from it. Not that I tried very hard - I rather like it, to be honest." He winked at his wife.
"Jamie, let's play." Hermione dragged Harry over to a corner where a puzzle lay partially completed on the rug, and the two settled down together. Harry seemed a bit overwhelmed and hesitant, but soon they were laughing together.
As the children played, the adults made plans for their upcoming trip to Australia. Bathilda would be going ahead to settle in and pick out a house for herself and another for the Grangers. The Grangers would follow in early January after they got their affairs sorted and said goodbye to their family in Britain. Soon enough, Bathilda realized it was time to say goodbye to Harry, at least for a few months. As she left, she could hear the Grangers helping Harry settle into his new life. As for her, she was going to make a short trip back to her house in Godric's Hollow. If she recalled correctly, there were some excellent books about raising children in her family library, and she was going to need to do some research if she was going to become a babysitter at her age.
~~~~~~~~~~ M ~~~~~~~~~~
Severus nearly collapsed into one of the overstuffed armchairs in Dumbledore's office. The Death Eaters had been in complete disarray ever since their Lord had disappeared after his secret mission on Halloween. Severus had known the Dark Lord had planned to strike down a prominent red-headed witch to celebrate his return to Britain from Ireland. He had kept his specific target a secret, but all of the Death Eaters had known the main possibilities were Lily Potter, Amelia Bones, and Alice Longbottom. Thanks to the Daily Prophet article run yesterday, rumors had been spreading like wildfire among the ranks, and Severus didn't know what to think. Some said that Albus Dumbledore had dueled with and defeated Voldemort in Godric's Hollow, some said that Voldemort had somehow slain the Potters but had fallen into a trap set by the Longbottoms, and a few particularly gullible wizards maintained that Voldemort had fallen in love with a muggle and eloped to Albania! The death of the Potter family was mentioned with disdain along with the rest of the Prophet article; the dark mark remained, which meant all the Death Eaters knew their Lord was still alive. Besides, everyone knew the Potters were hidden under a Fidelius, and with Sirius Black as the secret keeper, they were untouchable. For all his failings, even Severus had to admit that Black would never betray Potter. Not that it had stopped him from worrying ceaselessly about Lily's safety.
Without the Dark Lord's leadership, the internal command structure of the Death Eaters had quickly fallen apart as Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange vied to fill the power vacuum. Personally, Severus was hoping for Lucius. As much as he considered the man a rich, amoral snob, he was still a friend of sorts and much less likely than Bellatrix to go on a murderous rampage. When Severus had escaped, she was attempting to whip up support to attack the Longbottoms on the basis of continuing the Dark Lord's work from before his disappearance. Severus made a note to tell Dumbledore that before leaving ...but after he heard how Lily was doing. Maybe if he felt particularly generous, he would also mention Lucius's much more competent plan to control the ministry by setting up a puppet minister now that the Dark Lord was gone.
As he sank further into the chair, Severus thought about the events of the last day. His skills had been in high demand. In their quest for news of the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters had needed bottles of veritaserum to interrogate captured aurors and then batches of polyjuice to make use of the information. Even after all that, Lucius had urgently requested another batch of wit-sharpening potions to help him with his schemes, and Severus could do nothing but oblige. He hadn't slept since Halloween, and even his specially modified pepper-up brew could only do so much. He had found that being a spy and saboteur was much harder than honest work, even as a Potions Master. He had modified the veritaserum to allow the aurors to speak half-truths, created polyjuice that would run out just a little too early, and crafted Lucius' potion to simply make him feel more intelligent, instead of actually assisting him with his plotting. His modifications were subtle, and it was unlikely anyone, even the Dark Lord, would be able to find any fault with the potions. Any unfavorable results would be blamed on the incompetence of the Death Eaters who helped Severus brew.
It was a crude setup by necessity. His Lord often needed more potions than Severus alone could produce, yet he also couldn't spare any of the death eaters to be Severus' permanent peons. As a result, Severus had to constantly supervise them to make sure they weren't going to make an unusable broth or accidentally blow themselves up. In the end, Severus had decided to write instructions on a board for all to see while he alternated between yelling at them for incompetence, supervising their meager efforts, and brewing the more complex potions himself. At times, he felt like he was babysitting a horde of dunderheaded students, but the Dark Lord didn't trust anyone else to supervise.
Just as Severus began to nod off in the incredibly soft chair, the fire lit with the green flames of a floo connection before Dumbledore strode through back into his office. Severus immediately shook off his drowsiness and turned his attention to the aged headmaster. He had important questions for the old wizard. When Dumbledore's eyes fell upon him, a myriad of emotions flickered across the man's wrinkled face. Severus had known the man for years, but couldn't interpret what many of them meant. The only clue was the lack of twinkle in the headmaster's eyes: Dumbledore knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation.
Dumbledore took the chair opposite Severus, yet behind the desk, making Severus feel oddly like a schoolchild again. "Professor." Severus nodded wearily towards the other wizard, "I trust you know the truth about what has been happening for the past several days? The Death Eaters don't believe the Prophet, and, quite frankly, neither do I."
"Ah, yes, my boy. The truth. It is both beautiful and terrible and must be treated with great care. Have your associates been able to find Voldemort?"
Severus winced. "No, but not for lack of trying. Everything has been hectic since he failed to return on Halloween, and yet, all the Death Eaters know he isn't dead - the Dark Mark is still etched into our souls, as inescapable as ever. But I ask you again, what has truly happened?"
"The Dark Mark remains? Show me." Severus silently ground his teeth. The old man was being as irritating and evasive as ever. Yet, he stood up, held out his left arm over the desk, and pulled the sleeve back to his elbow to reveal the Dark Mark. Dumbledore reached out and examined it, trying to feel the connection with his own magic. "Astonishing. It feels somehow weaker than it did before, but the connection definitely remains. It is as I feared. No mere child could have destroyed Voldemort."
Severus jerked his arm back and sat down in his chair, once again covering up his mark. "Explain."
Dumbledore sighed and got up, turning away from Severus to pat the baby Fawkes, newly reborn.
"Halloween night, I came back to this office after the feast to discover that several of the charms I use to keep a general eye on Voldemort had violently disengaged, destroying the object they were attached to."
Severus leaned back into his chair, and let out a silent sigh of relief. The years of espionage had not been kind to the potions master. Then something the headmaster had said made him tense again. "What did you mean when you referred to a child?" Lily had given birth to a boy about a year ago, hadn't she? He had been so jealous of Potter at the time, but worse, the boy had made Lily a red-headed mother, and thus a target.
Dumbledore turned back towards his former student, gently looking at him. "Mr. Snape, no one has been able to find Voldemort since he attacked the Potters at Godric's Hollow on Halloween night. According to the ministry's scryers, Lily's child was the last person to see Voldemort before a massive explosion claimed them both."
Severus stared at Dumbledore. "How is that possible? There is no way the Dark Lord could get past the Fidelius! Black was the most fanatical member of Club Potter there was!"
Dumbledore sighed. "He fooled us all. Evidence of his magic was found at the Potter residence, but before he could be found, he killed several muggles along with Peter Pettigrew in downtown muggle London. He was arrested yesterday morning, and I expect he will be in Azkaban before nightfall today."
There was a pause in the conversation as the logical conclusion of these events hung thick in the air. Severus could barely get the words out, but he had to know. "And what about Lily?"
"I am truly sorry, Severus. There were no survivors. As we both know, Voldemort knew better than to leave people alive who would seek revenge later. If you can, take comfort in the fact that Lily is likely the one who set the trap that eventually destroyed him."
At those words, Snape's world came crashing down. He had killed Lily. Despite all his efforts to right the wrong, he had killed Lily. He would never have the chance to apologize, and make amends. He would forever carry the burden of knowing that the woman he loved since before he even knew what the word meant had died hating him, hating what she thought he stood for. And he had no one but himself and his own choices to blame.
He remembered when he discovered the Dark Lord's ridiculous interpretation of the prophecy - how on earth did riding on wings of fire equal red hair?! He remembered his despair when he found out how he had put Lily in danger. He remembered diverting the Dark Lord's attention to Ireland. He remembered betraying his friends and begging Dumbledore to protect her. All for naught.
Despite his turbulent emotions, Severus kept his face impassive. "All dead?" His voice tightly controlled, Snape rose and said accusingly, "You couldn't keep her safe. You promised me you would."
Dumbledore sighed, "Lily was betrayed. We can only be thankful that, with her sacrifice, Voldemort's reign of terror has ended."
"That's a cold comfort, Albus. Especially since we both know it not to be true." With a sweep of his cloak, he headed towards the door.
"Mr. Snape," Severus paused but didn't turn around, "If you need protection from your erstwhile allies, I can protect you here at Hogwarts from both the Death Eaters and the Ministry. You are quite excellent at potions, and Slughorn could retire any day now." Without a word in response, Severus left with his robes billowing behind him.
He would consider Dumbledore's offer later. For now, he needed to get away. His emotions were roiling violently just under the surface, and he refused to allow the headmaster to see him fall to pieces. As he exited the school, he encountered a group of first years, most likely headed to Herbology class. They were in his way, and he gave them a look promising eternal suffering if they bothered him, so they all quickly scrambled away in terror. Severus Snape was an intimidating man at the best of times, but at this moment, he was at his most terrifying. Continuing through the now deserted courtyard, Severus reached the gates and apparated away.
Appearing in his deserted, dilapidated home at Spinner's End, he opened his liquor cabinet and drew out a bottle of firewhiskey. Sitting in a threadbare loveseat, he took several gulps and felt his tight emotional control start to slip.
Lily was dead. Severus killed her. Even her son was dead. Severus had killed him as well. Hundreds of witches across Ireland, dead, and the blame rested nowhere but with him. Lily was dead! Lily was dead! How could he have been so stupid?!
He drank more firewhiskey, but the pain refused to dull even the slightest bit. He could only see his past mistakes and the terrible present they had wrought. He had joined the Death Eaters straight out of Hogwarts. They had offered him acceptance, respect, and, most of all, power. He had delighted in killing muggles, envisioning each and every one of them as his abusive father. He had gotten almost everything he wanted in life! And what was the result? Lily was dead, and the remains of his broken life stretched out ahead of him. How hollow everything seemed now.
His sorrow and rage couldn't be contained as his magic started to run wild, his control weakened by the alcohol. Glass shattered, and the few electric appliances in the house short-circuited. As the ancient house creaked, Severus' anger turned toward the structure itself. What did he need this house for?! What good had it done him! He had only kept it for the precious memories of Lily that resided in this small town, but now those memories would bring him nothing but pain. Rising, he threw a powerful blasting curse at one of the walls. Watching the wood shatter, he finally felt the pain dull. He threw a cutting curse at the furniture, and the pain dulled just a little bit further. He continued through the house, using progressively darker and darker spells. With each bit of the house that he destroyed, the pain lessened.
After a particularly powerful curse that was once used during fortress sieges, the structure gave a final groan before it could no longer hold its own weight. Severus apparated outside to the ward line as the house collapsed in upon itself. Still unable to bear the pain, Severus lifted his wand, and flames shot forth. The house burned, but Severus was still not satisfied. He summoned all of his pain and anger and cast Fiendfyre at the smoking pile of wood. In moments, the remains were consumed. Snape grappled with the flames, bending them to his will and dispelling them before they could break his wards to consume the whole neighborhood.
Standing over the ashes of the place that once contained both his best memories of Lily and his worst memories of his father, the anger at last left him completely. As the wind swept the ashes away, Severus collapsed to the ground as a broken man, finally allowing himself to be overcome with tears.