Harry's New Guardian (A Snape Mentor/Adopts Harry Fanfic) Book 1

Chapter 3: Guardianship

Harry smiles at Snape as he passed him. Snape puts his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry looks back at him. Snape said, "Thank you for defending me, Mr. Potter." Harry nods, "You're welcome, sir. Good luck." Snape nods and lets go. Harry goes outside the office and waits. Snape sits down and looks at Theodore. Harry listens at the door just as Snape had done moments earlier. Theodore said, "Why do you want to be Harry Potter's guardian?" Snape simply said, "Because I am more than capable of raising, Harry Potter. More so than the Dursleys." Theodore scribbles on his clipboard for a few moments, then said, "It is rare for a former death eater to adopt a child. Even more rare, when that child is Harry Potter." Snape glares at him as he continues, "Now, I know Harry Potter trusts you completely as do Albus Dumbledore here. From what Harry has said, you have been taking good care of him. How can we be sure, despite what Harry have said, that you won't turn the boy over to You-Know-Who himself, when and if he returns? The boy can be fooled into believing that. See this from our point of view." Snape glares daggers at him as he said, "I may have been a death eater in the past, but that does not define who I am now! I will never turn the boy over to the dark lord! He will have to go through me to get to the boy! I will die protecting Harry Potter! I have sworn not only to Dumbledore, but to my only friend, Lily, that I will protect the boy until my dying breath! If that means being his guardian, then so be it!" Theodore looks slightly surprised at how Snape reacted to his question. Theodore scribbles for a bit. then said, "Very well. Why do you want to be Harry Potter's guardian? What is your reason for making this decision?" Snape said, "To provide better care, than what the Dursleys were providing him. They were clearly neglecting him and starving him. He deserves better treatment. It also keeps my promise to Lily and Dumbledore." Harry listens, feeling angry that this Theodore still believed that Snape would turn him over to Voldemort. Snape sure showed him wrong. Theodore said, his expression calculative once again as he looks at Snape , "You don't seem to truly care for Harry Potter. From what I see, you see this as a duty, rather than truly caring for him." Harry listens, he already knew this, but did Snape really care about him? Snape narrows his eyes at Theodore, "What do you mean by that?" Theodore smirks slightly, "Simply put, in my years in helping children find a loving family, most wizards and witches were driven to adopt a child, because of how much they love that child and want to raise that child as their own. To hear that you only want to be Harry's guardian out of duty rather than love is.... concerning." Dumbledore looks interestingly at Snape. Snape's eyes flashed in anger once again. He closes his eyes to calm himself. In doing so, he starts to remember all that has happened so far, since he picked Harry up from the Dursleys. His actions around Harry has changed. He had gotten used to having Harry around as well. He didn't feel so alone anymore. He even felt proud of Harry when Harry successfully brewed the Boil Cure potion. The warm feeling stirs up in his heart again, but this time, he allowed it to fill his heart. He knew now what that warm feeling was. He was beginning to care about Harry. He hated how the Dursleys treated him, how the boy was never loved. How the boy's childhood almost mimicked his own. At first he felt it was to keep his word to Dumbledore and Lily, as well as getting the boy away from the Dursleys. But now that he had gotten to know the boy and saw what this boy was really like, his reason for wanting to be the boy's guardian has changed. He had meant what he said, when he told the boy that he wanted to teach him all he knew. The boy even accepted him, regardless of his past. Something he wanted for so long. Then he realized something else, he no longer hated Harry. That hatred he had for him, was gone. Seeing so much innocence in the boy's green eyes, changes the way he sees him. Everyone else in the wizarding world will see him as the boy who lived. He saw him as just a boy named Harry Potter. A boy who has been thrown into this celebrity status when he was just a baby. A boy who needs a parental figure who can teach him right from wrong. Who will protect him and teach him how to defend himself. Who will keep him safe and guide him. Would Lily wanted him to raise the boy as his own? Did he have what it takes to do so? He hears a soft female voice that sounded strangely like Lily's. The voice said, "Take care of my son.... Protect him..." Snape thought to himself, 'I will Lily, I promise.' He's never let anyone get close to him, until now. He will allow the boy to get close to him. They will have to trust each other now. The boy knew so much already. He knew his answer now. Lily wants him to raise Harry as his own and he didn't trust anyone else to do it. He was doing well so far in taking care of the boy. He can do this. Not just for Lily, or Dumbledore, but for Harry and himself. No one is going to stop him.