As Potter is to Snape

Chapter 37

Severus nodded. "I would."

"And you enjoy having him?"

"Yes, very much so."

"You yourself were adopted, correct?" Evelyn asked.

"I was. In the beginning of my fourth year."

"And would you say that that made you more open to taking in Harry?"

Severus looked down at his hands, gripping the armrests of his chair as he considered her question. "I suppose," he finally answered.

"How did you come about being asked?"

"The Headmaster asked me to take him in after Harry's relatives made it clear that he was no longer welcome at their home."

Evelyn nodded as she shuffled through her notes, looking for one in particular. "This was when he accidentally used magic and Marge Dursley had to be 'deflated' by the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. Is that right?"

Severus worked hard to keep the smirk off his face. "Yes, it is. Harry had been afraid of being expelled from Hogwarts so he ran away from their home and was picked up by the Knight Bus, which brought him to London."

"Ah, yes, and you picked him up there the next morning?"

"I did." Severus wasn't sure where this line of questioning was headed but he hoped it ended soon. He had little patience for people who asked questions that they already knew the answers to.

"How did Harry react to that? Was he alright with you taking over guardianship of him?"

"Not at first, no," Severus replied.

"Why is that?"

"I suppose because he was afraid. He didn't trust many adults to have his best interests in mind. And rightly so, considering the adults who had been in charge of him the last twelve years."

"Did he trust you?"

"No."

"But he stayed with you anyway?" Evelyn asked. "Why was that?"

"That's something else that you would need to ask Harry. I can only guess, but I believe that out of everyone, Harry trusts the Headmaster completely. He was the one who told Harry he would be staying with me."

"How did the first few weeks go, then? I imagine it was quite a shock for Harry. His whole life had been turned upside down. Did he handle that well?"

Severus sighed. "They were difficult, of course. It was certainly a learning experience for the both of us. Harry didn't know what to expect from me. He didn't know how he would be treated. He was angry and scared."

"Would you say that he trusts you now?" she asked.

Severus nodded. "I would."

"When do you think that he started to put more trust in you?"

Severus watched the flames in the hearth as he thought back on his time since Harry had come to live with him. He tried to pinpoint the exact moment that he thought Harry had started trusting that he was safe with Severus. Was it the night he had gotten sick? Or maybe it was after Draco had come to visit? He glanced around the living room of the Manor and shook his head slightly. Maybe it was when the topic of staying with him permanently came up?

"I don't know," Severus finally answered. "It seems like something I should remember but I don't. It seems both like Harry has only been here for a very little while and also like he's been here for years. Or like he has always been here."