Severus' mid-morning meeting with Minerva was unpleasant. She maintained a professional civility while chewing him out and then reviewing various policies of wellness education, teacher burnout, family leave, and the Hogwarts Points and Detentions bylaws, but Severus still left the meeting both annoyed and insulted. She had made him take notes through the lecture, as if he were still a student himself!

True to their word, the house-elves did provide him with multiple comfort food selections at lunch, including fish pie, cheese toasties, and bubble and squeak. He settled on half a cheese toastie, a large cup of water, and strong coffee to hopefully settle the last of his headache. He answered the various coworkers asking after his health in monosyllables. Poppy was the most persistent, naturally, staring into his still-bloodshot eyes suspiciously. He had to promise to call on her if he was not feeling 100% back to normal by the evening.

The headmaster had not been at lunch, so Severus took his time ascending the marble staircase to the second floor and thence to the Headmaster's Tower. "Acid pop," he said to the gargoyle blocking the entrance. He no longer questioned Albus' taste in sweets, or passwords. When the gargoyle sprang aside, he trudged onto the spiral staircase and rested his fingertips against the wall, feeling the grain of the stone slide past him soothingly. Albus was waiting for him, opening the door as soon as Severus reached the landing.

"Severus, come in, come in. Tea?" He took Severus' arm and guided him into a chair.

Severus shrugged, and Albus poured two cups of already-brewed and steaming Earl Grey tea. Severus held the warm cup but did not drink. Albus settled himself into his own chair and studied Severus behind his half-moon spectacles. "How are you feeling?"

"Better."

He sighed. "I visited your mother." Severus nodded. He had remembered that part of Saturday, fortunately, once Minerva jogged his memory. "I am sorry, Severus. Very sorry."

Severus' breath hissed out. He was a pessimist by nature and had not permitted himself to hope for much, even from Albus Dumbledore, but it was still disheartening to see the great wizard was clearly just as hopeless as he was in this case. "You see no solution, either, then?"

Albus shook his head sadly. "It is unlikely. I do not understand how this has come to pass exactly, but I agree with the healers. Eileen has become an Obscurial. Even after decades of study on the subject, I have not come across any known or even potential means of reversing the process once it begins, only of prolonging it." He hesitated a moment, then asked. "Severus, was there no warning? All my recent efforts with regards to Obscurials have focused on prevention, by identifying at-risk children as soon as possible."

Severus' lips twisted. "I admitted her to the hospital as soon as I knew something was wrong. I'm sure Healer Valerian told you the incident on Friday was the first of its kind. We had months of nothing before that."

"Yes, I know. Still, by my own research it takes years of social and behavioral changes before an Obscurus can manifest. Surely there must have been some sooner sign than this summer?"

A wave of nausea stole over him, and not from his headache. "Are you suggesting this is my fault? That I could have saved her if I acted sooner?" Severus asked quietly.

"Not your fault, Severus, of course not. But maybe..."

"If not my fault, then whose, Albus? Hers? Yours, since your 'early intervention' program failed to identify the abuse in the household when I was a child?" Not a single Hogwarts teacher had ever asked him about his home life until the fights with Black and Potter started to become truly out-of-hand towards the end of fourth year, by which time the older Slytherin students with ties to the Dark Lord already smelled weakness and were circling him like wolves.

"Severus-"

"What signs should I have noticed? When should I have seen them? I don't live with my mother most of the year, ever since I started working for you during the war and was camping out in various Death Eater households. I only see her on holidays now because I live and work here, remember? I never had a good relationship with her in the first place. Yes, she was more reserved and solitary, and I thought that was grief after her husband was murdered in front of her by a member of her own family. I thought that was normal! Why the hell would I think she could possibly stop using magic and become an Obscurial?" He fell silent, still fuming. The worst thing was, Albus' question was exactly what he had asked himself. Why did he not see, and act, sooner? Eileen's death was on him, because she had no one else in the world anymore, and he had turned a blind eye to that fact. He had remained absent and pursued his own vengeance rather than offering Eileen any real comfort or companionship. And he could have. Merlin knew he wrote to Petunia Dursley more than he did his own mother. Why was he more determined to do right by Lily than by Eileen? Bitterness over his own childhood? He could have made overtures to salvage their family, if he had wanted to. And he should have. It would have been easier than it ever had been before, with only the specter of Tobias Snape to stand between them, not the wretched man himself.

It took a moment for him to realize Albus was speaking again. He shook his head. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Albus offered a kind and apologetic smile. "I said 'I'm sorry.' You're right. There was no reason you would have anticipated something like this, realistically. That was my own frustration speaking, and suggesting it was unfair to you who are far closer to the problem than I. And perhaps there is some hope, since Eileen's case is so different from what I have seen before. This is completely uncharted territory, but we can hope that means the destination remains unknown. I have offered my continuing services to St. Mungo's and the Department of Mysteries in this matter. We will not give up, not yet."

Severus nodded, just a quick jerk of the head. "Thank you."

They sipped tea for a moment in silence, seeming both equally shame-faced at how that conversation had gone. Then Albus cleared his throat. "There was another matter to discuss, which Minerva brought to my attention yesterday upon my return from St. Mungo's."

Severus grimaced. "I told her I would tell you about that."

"Evidently, she thought it might slip your mind, or that it was too important to delay telling me. Which it is," he said pointedly. Severus could tell the usually calm and stoic headmaster was actually quite outraged by Severus' activities and was trying to hide it. "Severus, what were you thinking, going to see Petunia and Harry?"

"I was thinking about Lily," Severus said. Albus' expression morphed to that of the compassionate but professionally disappointed teacher, the same one he had used every time after one of Severus' schoolyard feuds dramatic enough to reach the Headmaster's office. At twenty-three, Severus was getting too old himself for that to work, however. So rather than waiting for the impending lecture on responsibility and self-sacrifice and whatever else, he headed Albus off. "What were you thinking, leaving him there with no intention of making contact until further notice? Did you know Petunia and her whole family were hiding Harry and pretending he did not exist for an entire year before I visited them for the first time?"

"I... did not." Albus sounded quite taken aback. This was the first time Severus had ever really criticized him since they started working together. "I explained the blood protections in my letter," Albus said, more to himself than to Severus.

"Did you remember to write your letter at the muggle reading level? Or provide a way for them to ask questions if they were confused about it? I hope you recall Lily and Petunia's mother was murdered by Death Eaters as well, which Petunia figured out easily enough even though no one told her the details at the time. You're so sanctimonious about intervening for Obscurials early, did you know Petunia and her husband had every intention of trying to squash the magic out of Harry if I hadn't warned them not to?"

Albus leaned back and steepled his fingers, his face turning ashen. "I take it you believe me to have been incredibly foolish," he said quietly.

Severus snorted. "Yes. But that is in the past. The family is doing better. Their problems are ordinary ones now." He smiled briefly and without mirth. "In fact, the first time I realized my own mother was so ill was when I went to her on Petunia's behalf, for advice on handling accidental magic in such a young child."

"Will you tell me about your experience with them, Severus? From the beginning."

Severus nodded tiredly and summarized his four visits to the Dursley's, his enchantment of the Protean journal, his pertinent conversations with Petunia, and what he had observed of Harry at his most recent visits. When he was finished, Albus' first question was, "Why did you introduce yourself to Harry as his uncle?"

Severus shrugged. "It's an easier story than the truth."

"And harder for me or anyone else to pull you back out of that family now that you've ingratiated yourself so far," Albus observed disapprovingly.

Severus grinned. "There is that. Being part of his life... it is important to me, Albus." His grin faded. Especially now. He would have no one else, soon.

Albus frowned. After a moment, he spoke with an air of decisiveness: "I will not try to forbid you from continuing this venture. But I do have some of my own requirements."

Severus pursed his lips but nodded for the headmaster to continue. "Firstly, you will keep me informed from now on. I would like updates at least quarterly."

He fought not to roll his eyes. Albus had been perfectly content to ignore the three-year-old entirely until Severus had pointed out the foolishness of that plan. "I'm your spy amongst the Death Eaters not amongst the Dursleys. I'll let you know if something happens that should concern you, but I'm not going to interrogate Petunia and Vernon or unduly influence their parenting practices on your behalf."

Albus shrugged. "I'll ask after them at Christmas at least."

"Fine."

"Secondly, I know Lily is your chief concern, but you are not to disparage James. You must not let your history with him tarnish Harry's imagination of his parents and his pride in his heritage."

Now Severus actually rolled his eyes. "I know that. I have kept my opinions absolutely to myself, both around the children and around Vernon. Petunia already knew I didn't like James, but much could be said of her as well, and she is just as good at biting her tongue as I am. You see, this is why I don't like talking to you and Minerva about my problems. You two don't trust me. Even Petunia Dursley has more faith in my competence and sincerity than you do, and she is one of the most suspicious people I have ever met!"

Albus' eyes widened. "Severus, that is not true. Of course I trust you."

"You trust me to try to do the right thing by Lily, which you define as bowing to your master plan," Severus corrected. Their relationship had always been lopsided, with Severus transitioning straight from Albus' trouble-making student to his lowly, oath- and guilt-bound weapon against the Dark. It had taken awhile, but Severus realized he wanted something besides that, now. He shrugged. "During the war, that was absolutely true. I felt... so guilty. I did not trust my own judgment, but I trusted yours. I trusted your judgment right up until I sat in Petunia's parlor for the first time and learned she was hiding Harry in a cupboard. Then I realized you might be just as fallible as I am." He looked down for a moment. "I still respect you, Albus. Of course I do. And I do have faith in your ability to lead us, should your suspicions of the Dark Lord's eventual return prove true. And you can absolutely believe me when I say I would do everything in my power to honor Lily, and therefore Harry and Petunia." He grinned again. "But you really have to trust someone else with the details once in awhile, and not just Minerva. Her mind may be a filing cabinet, but she's just one woman."

Albus took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, not looking at him. "You feel very strongly about this... vocation you have taken on."

"Obviously."

"I do trust you, Severus. I hope you can believe that, even if I have apparently failed to show such to you to your satisfaction." He toyed idly with one of the odd silver instruments on his desk, then appeared to reach some internal resolution and looked back at Severus' face. "I will go along with this, as I said, but we should consider how to do the thing properly. It was not my intent for Harry to rejoin the wizarding world until he was much older, and... I still think it will be difficult for you to be the one to tell Harry about his father and find ways to speak well of James with your history."

"It will be, but I can do it."

"If you are to be Harry's uncle and Lily's brother, perhaps we could introduce someone else to represent James? Not another pseudo-uncle, but a friend at least. Remus?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Severus said evenly.

"Come now, I know you two have had your differences, but surely..."

"I don't think it is a good idea for reasons other than never liking Remus, even though he was admittedly not as much of a bully as James and Black."

Albus raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Indeed?" He sounded amused. Severus was back to being a student, his two seconds of being a quasi-peer used up.

Severus continued coolly, "In fact, I have three reasons. Number one, Remus is a werewolf and therefore closely monitored by the Ministry when he is traveling in populated areas. Macnair has returned to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and we don't want him to learn Harry's location, for all his supposed Imperius-cursed innocence."

Albus frowned and nodded in clear acknowledgment of Severus' logic.

"Number two, Remus may be a half-blood, but he never lived in the muggle world, even as a child, because of his condition. He doesn't blend in, not as I can. You've only been to Little Whinging once at night, yes? Trust me, Remus would stand out like a sore thumb in that neighborhood with his scars and the general malaise of lycanthropy, even assuming he went in muggle clothing. He would draw unwanted attention, which neither we nor the Dursley's want. And number three, possibly most importantly, Petunia and Vernon have final say in who they allow enter their house and interact with their children, not you. And they don't want even more wizards around, certainly not now. Petunia didn't even want you to come by when I mentioned it at my first visit."

"You did?" Albus asked, taken aback yet again by that part.

"I did, in case she wanted someone else, more trusted, to verify what I had told her."

Incongruously, Albus suddenly chuckled and raised his teacup in a kind of toast. "I am chagrined for the third time this afternoon, Severus. You are quite the clever man, and doing a good job. My apologies for underestimating you. I might have liked to know sooner... but I will not hold it against you for keeping this secret."

"Er...thank you."

"After all, I have been keeping secrets from you as well. I am not quite so addle-brained as I must seem as to leave young Harry totally unmonitored." Severus raised his eyebrows. Albus beamed. "Did you ever meet Arabella Figg? Lovely woman. She moved to Little Whinging last year. She's not nearly as good at infiltration as you, though. The most she's gotten back to me are passing conversations with Petunia when they meet on the footpath, all long after your first contact. She never said one word about seeing you, or even 'Petunia's brother,' or anything about the Dudley-Harry problems you mentioned earlier..."

Typical. No, Severus had never met Arabella personally, but he knew all about her, as Albus was perfectly aware. She was a squib, and she had no living family in the magical world anymore. During the war, several Death Eaters had taken it upon themselves to "cull" what they considered "diseased" bloodlines, meaning any that had produced squibs in recent generations. They were some of the worst killings in the war, with whole families wiped out indiscriminately, including children. Arabella had only survived because Albus himself had extracted her when Severus sent word of the ongoing massacre; the squib was always killed last, whether from expedience or sadism Severus wasn't sure. Severus knew for a fact Argus' few remaining family had died the same way, with Argus himself unreachable in Hogwarts. The McKinnons...

Well, there was no point in being offended at Albus' little subterfuge. The man had fingers in more pies even than the Malfoys, for all he pretended to be a guileless eccentric, all his titles mere honorifics.

"I'm sure you'll be filling her in on this conversation?" Severus asked drily.

"I like my spies to be reasonably well-informed. It makes them much happier with me."

Severus smirked. "That it does." He paused, and then said reluctantly, "I'll have a quarterly update ready for you at Christmas." If Arabella Figg was going to be watching for him now, it would be difficult to conceal anything noteworthy anyways, not to mention pointless. He wasn't working at cross-hairs with Albus, not deliberately.

"Thank you, Severus. I knew I could count on you. More tea?"

Author's note: There is no cannon so far as I know as to what happened to Mrs. Figg's or Mr. Filch's family, so that was some macabre license on my part. Also no mention of the McKinnons having a squib in the family, but it seemed like an explanation in keeping with the blood-purity extremism, since there's not a lot of other argument to wipe out an entire pureblood family when you could conceivably take all the children, adopt them out/marry them off, and indoctrinate them instead like real-world terrorist groups tend to do (Islamic State and Boko Haram come to mind). Also, decided to up the rating to T because of the nasty war references. I'm not planning on putting anything explicit in the story ever, but it's a bit much for K+. Will continue to update Fridays and/or Sundays.