Chapter Text
Today was the day. December twenty-ninth, the day that Albus Dumbledore returned from his overly-long getaway with his brother. Ever since he’d found Potter in that corridor, Severus had been eagerly anticipating its arrival. On that glorious day, he’d at last wash his hands of the whole situation, and leave the mess to Albus…
But when the calendar had finally hit that date, Severus was feeling something more akin to dread.
“Wingardium leviosa,” Harry muttered, staring at his toy wand. When it didn’t work, he shook it and said more loudly, “Wingardium leviosa!”
“Elongate the ‘o’ in leviosa,” Severus murmured, casting a brief stasis spell over his cauldron to supervise the boy more closely. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor of Severus’ laboratory, staring at the feather that Severus had conjured for him with immense focus.
“Wingardium leviosa!”
The feather wobbled off the ground a couple of centimetres, before drifting back down. Harry stared up at Severus, eyes sparkling. “It worked!”
“Indeed. Carry on practising, and see if you can lift the feather any higher.”
Harry nodded and went back to muttering under his breath, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Severus felt something in his chest twinge unpleasantly. Was he really going to send this boy back to a world where magic was utterly reviled, when even simple spells like a Levitation Charm brought him such joy? It seemed cruel.
Well, hopefully Albus would see sense and place Potter in a more appropriate household for the remaining time until he began at Hogwarts. It was clear that the Dursleys treated him dreadfully, and it couldn’t be allowed to continue for any longer. Harry had to be removed, and the Headmaster was the person with the power to make that happen.
Unfortunately, Albus seemed to be taking his time returning from his Christmas retreat. Severus spent most of his evening on tenterhooks, waiting for the fireplace to come alive with green flames, but the grate remained stubbornly absent of irritating Headmasters. Why was he taking so long to get down here? Severus had left him a note about Harry; he’d have expected to be Albus’ first priority upon his return…
He had just sent Harry to bed and had retired to his office for the night when the Floo at last activated. Albus stepped forward, wearing flowing robes of a deep maroon and a smile on his face.
“Ah, Severus! Good to see you.”
“Albus,” he muttered. Severus scowled furiously as the Headmaster conjured a squashy blue chair to sit in across from his desk, completely sidestepping the far more sensible ones he had set up.
“You chose an extraordinarily bad time to go away,” Severus said sharply.
“Well, Severus, you seem to have managed things admirably in my absence,” Albus said cheerfully. “Including, I presume, the Harry Potter situation? How did that come about, precisely? You didn’t mention it in your note.”
“He had a bout of accidental magic and wound up in my classroom cupboard,” Severus explained with a sigh. “He then proceeded to wander the castle for three days until he got into my ingredients and caused his accident.”
Albus tutted. “Quite the situation… he’s safely home now, I presume?”
“Well… not as such, no.”
Albus stiffened, eyes widening with alarm. “His injuries were that severe?”
“No, he has recovered from the accident,” he said quickly.
“Then why haven’t you returned him to Petunia?” Albus frowned. “I am certain his family must be quite worried -”
“I highly doubt that, as a matter of fact,” Severus said through gritted teeth. He glared furiously at the Headmaster. “Do you have any idea of what is going on in the Dursley household? How often are you checking in on Harry, precisely?”
“Well, Arabella babysits him, and she keeps me updated -”
“Not well enough, it seems!” Severus said loudly. “They’re dreadful to him, Albus! They don’t treat Harry like a member of the family at all!”
Albus sighed tiredly. He removed his half-moon spectacles and began to polish them lightly, his voice heavy and monotone. “I had my fears that things wouldn’t be perfect - but not being a part of the family is nothing in comparison to what Lord Voldemort would do to Harry without those blood wards. There are far more terrible dangers in this world than an unhappy home.”
“Are there?” Severus challenged. The anger in his core was starting to boil over. “You truly are oblivious! Shall I fill you in on the emotional damage that their abuse has already wrought on that boy? Believe me, there is a lot I could tell you from the time I’ve spent in Harry’s company!”
Albus was silent for a moment as he slid his glasses back on. “I can speak with Petunia, and advise her to ease up -”
“Are you genuinely that stupid?!” Severus shouted, completely losing control. “That will only make things worse, you fool! You forget how well I know Petunia Dursley - such intervention will only anger her further, and that’s to say nothing of her brute of a husband!”
“Harry must return to Privet Drive, Severus,” Albus said, shaking his head. “The blood wards are simply too important.”
“No!”
The door to Severus’ office exploded open. He resisted the urge to groan as his eyes met Harry’s. Just when he’d thought that things couldn’t get worse… his shouting must have woken the child up. The look of betrayal on Harry’s face made something squirm unpleasantly in Severus’ middle.
“You're sending me away!” Harry cried.
Severus winced. “Potter -”
“But what did I do wrong?” Harry demanded. “I tried so hard to be good! I can do even more, I swear - I'll be quiet, I can do all your housework, and I don't take up that much space at all, I promise! You can put me anywhere, and I’ll never, ever disturb you, just please let me stay!”
“Harry, come on,” Albus said gently. “Surely you miss your family?”
“No! I love staying here!” Harry protested. “The Dursleys hate me!”
“But they’re your family, Harry!” Albus’ eyes crinkled. “Why would you prefer to stay with a near stranger to your aunt and uncle?”
“Because they don’t even want me around!” Harry’s eyes had grown glassy. “Professor Snape is so nice to me! He feeds me breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I get my own bed instead of the cupboard. He lets me use magic and doesn't ever lock me up for it, and he doesn't hit me at all, even after I wrecked his classroom!”
“Instead of the cupboard?” Severus demanded, horrified beyond words.
“Please don't send me back!” Harry begged, rushing forwards and burying his face in the side of Severus’ robes. “Please, please, please!”
“The cupboard, Harry?” he prompted again, struggling mightily not to sound too angry. Now would be a terrible time for the child to clam up. “What do you mean by that?”
“That’s where I sleep,” he mumbled into Severus’ side. “The cupboard under the stairs. That’s what I mean, I really take up no space at all. You can put me anywhere.”
“I’m not going to make you sleep in a cupboard, Harry,” Severus said, clenching his hands into fists. He was so disgusted that he couldn’t even look at Albus for fear of what he might do. “Now, this conversation is not your concern, and you ought to go back to bed. It’s late - come on…”
But the boy wouldn’t move, not even when Severus tried to prise him off. Harry kept his fists firmly latched into Severus’ robes, like sheer force of will could prevent his removal from Hogwarts. Severus prayed for patience, and looked back up at Albus. He was intending to give him a certain exasperated glance - one that transmitted the message of now look what you’ve done - but faltered slightly once he met the Headmaster’s eyes. They were wet with tears, which spilled down his crooked nose as he stared at Harry’s small, trembling form. He looked like somebody had punched him in the gut.
“Do you see what I mean?” Severus said through gritted teeth, gesturing to the child attached to him. “You truly intend to return him after that series of confessions?”
“Severus,” he said hoarsely, “I did not know the extent. You must believe me…”
Albus turned his face away and stared at the floor. Severus didn’t speak. He could see the conflict written all over the old man’s face; being confronted with the consequences of his poor decisions was truly affecting him. Harry’s situation was sitting on a knife’s edge.
Severus, who was too scared to put a foot wrong and potentially wreck everything, took a moment to reach out and carefully lay a hand on the back of Harry’s head. The boy was still trembling, holding fast to Severus like a koala in a tree. He made a mental note to lecture the boy about eavesdropping; this situation wasn’t one that Severus would have wanted him to walk in on. Still, Harry’s untimely interruption might have been the push Albus needed to change his mind. Having the product of your bad decision making in tears and terrified tended to be rather persuasive…
Albus was still silent, face crumpled. He was staring at Harry, still. Severus decided now would be the time for another nudge in the right direction.
“It’s been eight years, Headmaster,” he said softly. “This isn’t the world it was when you dropped Harry off at Privet Drive. The world is not full of roaming Death Eaters seeking vengeance, and the Dark Lord is gone.”
“I wish he was, Severus, but we both know that isn’t true.” Albus glanced down to Severus’ left forearm and sighed.
“He’s as good as,” Severus said vehemently. “His followers all believe him to be dead or powerless, and the Dark Lord himself is trapped as an incorporeal wraith, roaming somewhere on the continent far from here. The wards don’t matter when there are evils in this world outside of him, Headmaster - evils more pertinent to our current situation.”
He cast a significant look down to Harry.
Albus nodded slowly. He looked every one of his many years.
“Do you want an Obscurial on your hands?” Severus finished. “Because it’s getting to that point. Drastic intervention needs to be taken, Headmaster. Please, I beg that you listen to me before it’s too late.”
That, it seemed, was the final straw. Albus’ shoulders slumped, and he ran his weathered hands over his face. After several more moments of silence, during which he recomposed himself a little, Albus’ eyes dropped from Severus’ face to the back of Harry’s head.
“I am very sorry, Harry,” he said hoarsely. “When I left you to your aunt, all those years ago, I… well, I had harboured the hope that she would treat you like a second son. It seems that I was bitterly mistaken.”
Harry slowly raised his tearstained face, but kept his fists knotted in Severus’ robes. “Please don’t make me go back to them, Mister Dumbledore. I promise I’ll be good if you let me stay.”
Albus flinched as though struck. Harry’s luminous green eyes stayed fixed on the Headmaster’s face. Severus knew from personal experience how damn hard it was to say no to that earnest face…
And it seemed that green gaze had the same impact on the Headmaster, whose wavering resolve cracked straight down the middle.
“I am sure you’ll be very good, Harry,” Albus said, voice catching slightly. “And… if you have no desire to return to your aunt and uncle, then I see no reason to implore you to do so.”
You’d have thought the sun itself dawned within Harry as those words were spoken. “Really?”
Albus nodded. “Really.”
Harry finally let go of Severus’ robes and began bouncing on the balls of his feet. Severus wouldn’t have been shocked to see him actually leave the ground and begin to levitate.
“Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Without further ado, Harry rushed forwards and flung his arms around the Headmaster, face buried in the man’s long, silver beard. Albus chuckled lightly, and the lost twinkle in his electric blue eyes finally regained a little of its spark as his hands came up to pat Harry on the back.
“You have nothing to thank me for, my boy,” he said gently. “Quite frankly, it’s the least you deserve.”
Harry jumped back, face still glowing. “I really get to stay with Professor Snape?”
Severus winced, finally comprehending the misunderstandings at play. “Harry, I don’t know if that’s -”
“Well, Harry, since you and Professor Snape have been getting along so swimmingly, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to see how things pan out, hmm?”
Severus’ jaw dropped. “Headmaster! I really don’t think -”
“I do,” Albus said merrily. “We can discuss the details later.”
When Harry isn’t present, they both left unspoken. Severus regarded Albus with one of his fiercest scowls possible. He just couldn’t stop meddling, could he?
Harry, of course, registered none of this tension. He was bouncing off the walls. “Thank you so much!”
“Stop jumping about like that,” Severus said irritably, rubbing at his temples with two fingers. “You are entirely too excitable for this time of night. To bed, Harry. You should already be there.”
“Alright. Night, professor!”
Harry managed one last happy little hop before dashing away through the office door. When it closed, Severus finally thought to cast several privacy wards at the thing so that the boy wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on anything else before whipping around to glare at the Headmaster.
“Really, Albus?!” he snapped. “I never agreed to that!”
“Well, he has to stay somewhere,” Albus replied calmly.
“So send him to quite literally anybody else! Half of wizarding Britain would be lining up to take in the Boy-Who-Lived!”
“One of the many reasons I sent Harry to his aunt was so that he could grow up outside of such influences,” Albus said. “You are one of the few people I trust to treat Harry like a child, not the Boy-Who-Lived. You are also a powerful wizard, one capable of protecting Harry of arising threats inside and out of the castle."
“And are you forgetting why I am in this castle?” Severus demanded. “For my job? I can’t supervise Potter all day long!”
“I imagine that the hours during which you will be teaching would line up perfectly with the hours that Harry would be away at primary school, hmm?” Albus’ eyes twinkled infuriatingly. “I am certain that our colleagues would be more than happy to babysit while you attend to Head of House duties. I would certainly be willing to offer my time up, if you needed the help, and I don’t doubt that Minerva or Pomona would be thrilled to have Harry around!”
“But did you ever consider actually asking me before telling Potter he can stay? What if, shockingly, I do not feel like caring for a nine-year-old?”
“Potter, is it now? I heard you calling him Harry, earlier…”
“That is besides the point,” he said, feeling a bit flustered. “What makes you think that I, of all people, am qualified?”
“Magic brought him to you, Severus,” Albus said with a wry smile. “Harry could have ended up anywhere in Hogwarts - anywhere in Britain, as it seems - but he ended up in your classroom. That is no coincidence.”
“Albus, I shouldn’t,” he said again, reaching up to knot his fingers in his hair. “I am absolutely unequipped for this!”
“I notice, Severus, that you say you shouldn’t, not that you won’t.” Albus laced his fingers together. “You two have grown attached, it seems.”
“I have not!” Severus protested indignantly, knowing that he was a liar. “And shouldn’t you find a proper family to send him to before that attachment grows? He’ll only get hurt!”
“Try it, Severus,” Albus implored. “Give it a month. If you find that after that month has concluded that the situation is not working for you, then I will look for other options. Are you amenable to that?”
He should have said no. He should have continued to remind Albus of his long list of disagreeable qualities…
“Why are you so insistent on doing this?” Severus asked instead. He felt entirely wrong-footed. “I know you have some secret reason for insisting I take care of him…”
Albus smiled at him. “Because I happen to think you’ll be very good for each other.”
Severus scoffed. “You came to that conclusion after witnessing a five minute interaction.”
“Call it a hunch.” Albus rose to his feet, vanishing the gaudy armchair with a flick of his wand. “Now, perhaps you ought to attend to your young charge? I somehow doubt he’s asleep.”
“You’re probably right about that…”
“You’ll do a fine job, Severus.” Albus nodded his head. “We’re here if you require any assistance.”
“I notice you still haven’t actually asked if I want to do this!” he said irritably.
Albus, who had started his journey to the fireplace, paused and turned around. “Are you saying no, then?”
Severus didn’t respond. He should say no, he really should…
Well, Albus had made a couple of fair points. Anybody else would take Harry in, treat him like the Boy-Who-Lived, and he’d come to Hogwarts with a head even more inflated than that of his unfortunate father! Severus couldn’t allow for that in all good conscience, right?
And he liked Harry’s company. He was polite, and curious, and had made Severus realise how bitterly lonely his self-enforced isolation was. He could imagine how nice it would be, after an arduous day of teaching students who hated him, to come home and spend time with a child who actually enjoyed Severus’ presence, and whom Severus rather appreciated in return.
If you wanted something done right, you ought to do it yourself, Severus had always thought. How could he leave the situation in Albus’ hands after the disaster of the Dursleys? No, Severus might not be perfect, but he knew enough to hopefully manage a nine-year-old’s needs without Harry expiring under his care. Someone had to stop shirking their responsibilities and tossing the child about like a hot potato…
And if Harry really had his heart set on it…
“I’ll try your month, if you truly insist,” Severus muttered.
Albus beamed. “I’m proud of you, my boy! We’ll hash out the details tomorrow.”
He threw a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace and vanished back to his office, leaving a slightly horrified Severus to stand alone and truly reckon with what he’d just taken on. He felt faintly like a Hippogriff was sitting upon his chest. Had he really just agreed to become Harry Potter’s guardian?
After taking several minutes to compose himself and calm down, Severus decided that his extensive list of concerns could be shelved for the time being. Many of these things were issues that could not be reasonably dealt with until tomorrow, anyway. There was one thing that Severus could do - he could go into his quarters, make sure Harry was sleeping, and then go to bed himself.
Surprising no one, Harry was not asleep like Severus had been so desperately hoping. Instead, he was sitting bolt upright on the sofa, practically vibrating. Severus did his best not to groan, thinking that might send the wrong message.
“Harry, if you refuse to sleep, at least lie down and try,” he grumbled, summoning a vial of Headache Reliever. Severus would have a fully-blown migraine by the end of the night at this rate…
“Who’s the Dark Lord?” Harry asked.
Severus finally gave in and groaned aloud. “It’s another name for the man who killed your parents.”
“Oh - Voldemort, right?”
Severus hissed. “Don’t say it!”
Harry ducked his head. “Sorry.”
Severus downed the Headache Reliever, praying for patience. Really, what had he just taken on? Was he experiencing a flight of his mental faculties?
“Why does a school headmaster get to decide who I live with?”
“Because he’s also a very powerful wizard who has far too many assorted jobs and titles.” Severus scowled. “Why aren’t you lying down?”
Harry shuffled further under the pile of blankets, still watching Severus closely. He frowned. “You’ve been out here sleeping for too long, I think. I’ll set about Transfiguring you a bedroom of your own tomorrow.”
If he had been intending to make Potter sleep, that was the wrong thing to say. His eyes grew to the size of saucers.
“I get my own room? Really?”
Severus bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, trying his utmost to resist sarcasm. It would not land well, given that Harry had every reason to believe he wouldn’t have a bedroom. The cupboard under the stairs, indeed…
“Yes, really,” Severus said quietly. “And you can decorate it however you’d like.”
As Harry beamed at him, the anxiousness and exhaustion plaguing Severus seemed to abate for a moment, replaced by something softer. He was abruptly reminded of the reasons why he was doing this…
Harry simply deserved better than what he’d had. If Severus was the one to give him the childhood that he'd been deprived of so far, then so be it.
“Good night, Harry.”
Surprising even himself, he reached out a hand and placed it briefly on the boy’s forehead before using his wand to flip off the lights.
“Thanks, professor,” Harry whispered.
Under the cover of darkness, he felt comfortable exhibiting a small smile. “You have nothing to thank me for, Harry.”
After all, Albus was right. Harry had been good for Severus. In such a short time, Severus could already tell that he was changing for the better.
I hope I’ll do you proud, Lily, Severus thought as he slid the door shut. He might not have you anymore…
But I’ll do my utmost to be the next best thing.