Hope its okay, I'm a bit behind on my writing, I've just started a new study group (run by my local pagans for local pagans, its so exciting!)
Anyway, I had the next chap all good to go and then this just shoved its way into my plot last minute, so I've spent all week working on it like a mad thing getting it up to snuff. Hope you enjoy!
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Filius, Severus and Pomona were sitting together in the stands for the start of the second task. When they first saw Harry take his shirt off, they didn't really take any notice of it.
Then they noticed the scars.
"Oh, shit," Pomona said voicing Severus's exact thoughts.
"Oh, dear," said Filius, "it's far worse than I ever considered."
"I do occasionally hate being correct. I'd hoped to be proven wrong this time," Severus said irritably as Bagman made a fool of himself.
"You suspected?" Pomona asked.
"Recently," he said darkly.
Filius patted him consolingly on the elbow and said, "it does make an awful lot of sense in hindsight."
"He's not going back." Severus said flatly, "no matter what the old man wants."
"Good Gaia, no!" Pomona cried, looking horrified.
"We really must deal with Minerva." Filius said, sounding tired all of a sudden, "soon too. She really should have noticed something was up in her house long before now. Having her on side would make things far easier."
"She's a disgrace," Severus muttered darkly.
"She is under a lot of pressure, doing four peoples jobs," Pomona said gently.
Severus just crossed his arms, leaned back in his seat and let out a grumpy Humph noise.
"We'll take her to my cousin," Filius said, "he'll sort her out, and if she's clean we'll just give her a good talking to."
"I suppose you may be a help managing the old goat." Severus conceded watching in slight amusement as Potter appeared to be reaming out both the French girl and Bagman.
"I'll hold down the fort here, one of us needs to be in the castle," Pomona offered, "It's lucky its a Hogsmeade weekend, so people won't notice your gone."
"We'll gather in my rooms tonight to discuss it tonight over tea," Filius said.
"Yes. Potter seems to be finished reaming out Bagman-" Severus said, sounding far too pleased.
"Good for him," added Filius in satisfaction.
"-so theoretically, it will start soon. Bloody stupid of them to do this at this time of year. It's freezing."
"What they were thinking I don't know," Pomona beyond, "sending those children into the lake!"
*
"You swore he was safe and happy! He had scars, Albus! How do you explain that!" Minerva yelled later that evening as she stormed into Dumbledore's office.
"Good evening Minerva, would you like a cup of tea?"
"No! I would not!" she exclaimed, "I told you they were the worst sort of muggles! And now this happens! I warned you! and you said-"
"he would be safe with his family." Dumbledore said, "it was the only way to keep him safe. They are his family; I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation-"
"But Dumbledore-" Minerva implored.
"He is fine, Minerva my dear, I assure you. It's not perfect, but he is as safe and happy as he can be. He's fine. Truly"
She looked at him for a very long moment, but he just held her case with a reassuring smile on his face and said. "He truly is safest there. I assure you, he is fine."
"Keep it that way," was all she said striding off out of the office, passing a pissed off Severus on the way.
She went to bed that night with a slight headache and had odd dreams that she could not quite recall upon waking.
*
Severus stalked into the office and just glared at Dumbledore.
"Ah," Dumbledore said, looking up. "Do sit down Severus, I can already tell this is going to be a long one."
Severus just glared icily at him, "He can't go back. I have those scars. I know those scars. He can not go back."
"And yet he must Severus," Dumbledore said simply, his blue eyes boring into Severus own black ones.
"Not for that price."
"He must," Dumbeldore repeated more firmly looking at Severus for a long moment with an assessing gaze.
"But this is touching Severus. Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"
And he had, but Dumbledore had orchestrated it so Severus would hate him. Was more likely to hate him, he corrected, it was partly his own fault no matter Dumbledore's maneuvering. But there was a slightly pointed undertone that made Severus wary, he couldn't risk Dumbeldore really finding out that he did indeed care for Lily's son. So he pasted a sneer on his face.
"For him?" spat Severus. "Expecto Patronum!"
From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe. She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded, he turned back to Snape.
"After all this time?" He asked, the 'your still in love with her' went unsaid. Severus, as always, did not bother to correct him to the nature of their relationship. What business of his was it anyway. He merely said, "Always."
Because it was true, he always had, and always would love Lily. The fact she was family and not a would-be lover was not anything the old man needed to know. And if the old man assumed he didn't really care for the boy himself, Severus was okay with that, it meant it was one less thing the old man could use as a weapon against Severus. Or the boy.
"You hide your concern well Severus, but I think you have grown to care for him." Dumbledore probed, and Severus could feel the man's mind against his own.
He shoved the man out effortlessly. It was a long time since anyone had gotten into his head and seen anything he didn't want them to see. But the man could be testing if Severus was still under his spells and potions. And that just pissed Severus off.
"He's her son, of course, I care!" Severus spat, giving up the pretence. Screw the old man. He was tired of lying, of spying, of being used, of being something he was ashamed of, of being who other people wanted him to be, "he's her son! Of course, I care."
"Since when?" Dumbledore asked curiously. It sounded like such a harmless question, but Severus suspected the old man was really asking if he'd removed the controlling man's spells and potions.
Severus deflected, "I have since I found out he was raised like me, and you turned him aside and left him to suffer. Like me. How many times did he beg on his hands and knees for help? To not go back? Was it every year or did he stop asking when you turned him away after the first time like I did? You said he was safe and spoiled!
"I did say he was safe, and he is safe there. You assumed he was spoilt." Dumbeldore corrected gently.
"As you lead me to assume! In between potions and spells! He is her son! Lily's son! How dare you take that from me to blind and twist me to your whims! I care, I always have! You blinded me to suit your will. Did you really think I would not find out? I am a potion and defence master!" he sneered.
The old man blinked at that and looked mildly surprised.
"Refrain from poisoning me next time," he snarled, "besides, as you've made abundantly clear, you need only ask me to do your bidding, we both know I have little choice."
"There is always a choice Severus," Dumbledore chided gently.
Sure, Severus thought sarcastically, death, disgrace, imprisonment and letting my sister and her son down. What sort of choice is that. And that without the poisoning and compulsions you despicable old puppet-master! You just couldn't help yourself, using magic to ensure your pawn played the parts you wanted!
Goddess below, he hated the old man. Hated the knots he had him was tied up in.
But Severus didn't say any of that, it would get him nowhere. The man was nothing if not stubborn when he thought he alone knew the best cause of action to be of benefit.
So instead Severus said, "she would have hated this! She never wanted any of this for her precious son! And you Albus, she would have been furious with! He won't go back, Albus. Enough is enough. He is a person, not a pawn. She said specifically said not to put him there! How could you so callously disregard her Will!"
"She is dead, and her son is in danger. She'd want him safe." He said sounding every bit the reasonable, caring old grandfather he liked to see himself as. But Severus still held back a flinch at the underlying callousness of the words themselves.
"But he is not safe there!" Severus insisted.
"But he is. It is the only place he is safe. You know what is at stake, you swore Severus." Dumbledore reminded him firmly.
Severus almost flinched again at what the old man wasn't saying. Remember your place, remember it is by my grace alone that you are not disgraced or in Azkaban to rot. Remember you work for me.
I agreed to work with you in exchange for her son's safety when you failed to help me keep her safe, Severus thought furiously, now you fail her son. I did not swear to help you! You came to me in Azkaban and freed me in exchange for keeping him safe. Now I have to keep him safe from you!
"I swore to keep him safe!" Severus spat out.
"And he is. He is as safe as he can be. Perhaps not as whole or happy as I would like, but he is alive. And he must stay that way."
"He is not safe!" Severus spat out, "how many children will you leave to be abused and rot out of your sight! When will you learn to see it! When will you learn that not all families cherish children the way you think they ort!"
"Severus-"
"No, I begged you for help, and you turned me aside, but he is Lily's son! She would hate to see him like this! I will not stand for it!"
"Severus! Remember!" Dumbledore said swiftly, "He is in more danger than perhaps anyone, but myself realises."
Remember that you still have me by the balls more like. If I stand aside I damn my soul but you'll damn me if I don't play to you tune. That's what you really want me to remember, Severus thought with silent fury, and you still have the gall to claim her son is safe!
"I know you could not have missed the boy's scars! The boy you insisted was pampered! and implied was a spoilt brat! That is neither spoilt nor safe! He suffers?
"Severus" Dumbledore sighed, "He is safe. So I have prioritised keeping him alive. Yes, he has suffered. I knew he would when I left him there. I knew I was condemning him to dark and difficult years. That I regret. And yet, knowing how important it was that my plan should succeed, I cannot afford to ruin it with comfort and sentimentality. Voldemort may be quiet, but we both know he is on the rise." Dumbledore implored urgently.
"Your mark is proof of this," Dumbledore added pointedly.
Another subtle probe at his sins, his mistakes, his failures. He did indeed sit down in one of the armchairs now.
"Voldemort is returning," Dumbledore said, and Severus suppressed another flinch at the burn the name still caused in his mark. The old man still used it as a subtle reminder of Severus's sins and the price he was now paying.
"He will not rest until Harry is dead. His followers will be scared, angry, desperate, and dangerous, almost as terrible as he himself is, as I am sure you are also aware," Dumbledore continued. "His followers won't rest until Harry is dead. He must be kept safe, and none of them will think to look for him in the muggle world.
He is protected by ancient blood magic. Lily's death keeps him safe. You would not have him give that up for a little bit of comfort? Do you want her death to be in vain? For her sacrifice to be wasted so carelessly?" the old man asked beguilingly.
Severus fought back a snarl and kept his face carefully blank. How dare the man! But he kept his face studiously blank and calm as he always did and kept his mind shut tighter than a steel trap. He would not let the old man's kind and gentle mask fool him. He could not help Harry from Azkaban, even if it would be worth it to hex the old goat's balls off.
"She would not have wanted this, as you well know," Severus stated with forced calm "and is he really safe when the threat comes from inside the walls not from without? Did you check on him?"
"They are, his family. I put my trust in Lily's blood."
"She didn't, and that requires love," Severus sneered, "its clear petunia does not care for the boy, especially if that happened to him! Lord knows the petunia I knew as a child was a mean, spiteful bitch! Goddess knows how many time she made Lily cry and not because she pulled her hair and punched her! She doesn't give a damn —"
"I don't care what she did as a child, She took him," Dumbledore cut across him. "She took him. She may have done it grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still, she took him, and in doing so, she sealed the charm I placed upon young harry. His mother's sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give him."
"It's not worth—"
"While he can still call home the place where his mother's blood dwells, there he cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in harry and her sister. Her blood became his refuge."
"And does he call it home? How could he if that's what happens to him there!" Severus sneered, "has he ever? Have you ever even checked on him or those wards?"
"Of course I checked-"
"So you knew his condition then and still sent him back! And the wards did they ever rise?"
"They did rise I have instruments monitoring the magic on the house. I would know if there was nothing there or something wrong with the wards. But if it would make you feel better, I will, of course, recheck them." Dumbledore offered mildly.
"He must return Severus." Dumbledore continued earnestly, "he must be able to call it home, or Voldemort will have a far easier time harming him."
"And of his followers? what of them?" Severus sneered, struggling to keep his magic leashed.
"It is safe, they won't find it even if they thought to look. He must return. It may not be the happiest place, but he is safest there."
And is it worth it old man, selling a boy's soul, his childhood and happiness to stay your dragon? is it worth it.
"My answer is that my priority is to keep him alive, better he is safe and not quite whole then dead."
"You disgust me," Severus spat, angry that he thought he'd be able to change anything, that he thought he may be able to get Dumbledore to dee the harm he was doing.
"So I suspected," Dumbledore said calmly, "but you will still do my bidding, won't you my boy?" the question was not a request but a command-veiled threat.
"Of course," Severus said shortly, he knew how this worked. The old man insisted he had a choice. But it wasn't really a choice, not when he cared too much.
He wasn't going to get anywhere. Dumbledore didn't care. Not about the right things, not about the little people he only saw as pawns in the bigger picture of the wizarding world as a whole. The man had had to much power and responsibility for too long.
Harry was as trapped as he, he thought with a defeated sight. Lily would be rolling in her grave. Things really had got no better, he thought morosely. They were still trapped in a mess, just like when she died. When would it ever end?
But he had colleagues now, he reminded himself. It wasn't him and lily against the world any more. They'd work something out together and do it themselves. They'd come up with a way to keep the boy safe from Voldemort and Dumbledore.
*
Severus stalked into Filius's rooms and with ought a word automatically flicking his wand, setting up a series of complex secrecy and pricy wards.
Filius and Pomona didn't even raise an eyebrow at that Filius just said, "we've done that already you know."
Severus just glared, and added a Muffliato charm for good measure, "one can never be too careful as a spy."
Fillips nodded conceding and poured Severus a large mug of tea with a heavy splash of Goblin whisky.
"We have a problem. A big steaming pile of dragon dung of a problem," Severus said in the way of explanation, taking a grateful sip of his 'tea.'
"How is a big pile of dragon dumb a problem?" asked Pomona, "sounds delightful."
Despite himself, Severus felt a glimmer of amusement (as she had probably intended) and snorted. He appreciated his colleagues attempt to lighten to mood.
"A new problem?" Filius asked, "or much as we already assumed or the latest article by Skeeter slandering the boy?"
"Or the fact neither of us could find Mr Potter after the task to check he was okay?" Pomona added.
Severus sighed, he wasn't surprised.
"We looked from top to bottom, no-one we asked has seen him including the house-elves. All we could get out of them was, 'he be's safe and well in the castle, Mistress Potts.' You is not be worrying" Pomona said doing a startlingly accurate imitation of an elf.
"After today's paper, and the number of people that will have seen clear signs of the abuse now, it will be all over the castle by morning." Filius worried.
"We'll have to be extra careful to watch out for hexing and bullying in class," Pomona said, "children can be astonishingly unkind."
"As can the paper," Severus muttered darkly, "if she's started writing about him again, there's no way skeeter will miss this. I shudder to think what she'll turn it into."
"We should check on him tomorrow, hold him back after class and check he's doing okay, now everyone basically knows he was abused."
"Who has him first?" Severus asked, mentally reviewing their schedules.
"I do, second-period, Gryffindor Slytherin fourth years."
"Good, see how he's doing. I don't know whether it was brave or stupid to so carelessly show those scars, that vulnerability, "Severus shuddered at the thought. "It's another thing they can use against him," Severus muttered.
"True," said Filius, "but they found out on shameful maybe he was tired of hiding, or just didn't care and why should he hide it? It's nothing shameful. Just unfortunate, tragic and infuriating."
"Or maybe," Severus said slowly, "he wanted to use it as a 'fuck you' and as a weapon against his guardian."
"We'll need to figure out who his magical guardian is, it should be Minerva I think," said Pomona.
"Hagrid now," corrected Filius, "with the un-housing, but we really must get her checked, she should have noticed something was wrong."
Severus snorted darkly, "actually I'm pretty sure Dumbledore is his guardian. And what is worse we'll get no help from him."
"No?" asked Pomona.
"The idiot is determined the boy must go back!" Severus fumed, "the callous, uncaring, scheming old puppet-master!"
"What aren't you saying, Severus?" Filius asked astutely.
"Not much, just the usual," Severus dismissed with the careless ease of someone regularly ignored their own wellbeing.
When Filius just eyed him, Severus sighed said, "Just leave it Filius. A reminder of blackmail and to do as I'm told, nothing more. There is nothing to be done about that. This is about Potter, not me."
Filius let out a small little dissatisfied sound but let the matter drop, though Pomona looked both angry on his behalf and tired. As if the world had greatly disappointed her.
"So we'll need to sort something out for him ourselves, as both sets of guardians are incompetent," declared Pomona.
"Uncaring, spitful, dunderheaded, morons," spat Severus spitefully.
"Gee Severus, tell me how you really feel!" Filius joked before becoming serious and saying, "It would be tricky, but maybe we can get guardianship overturned, get the will pulled out," Filius suggested.
"It was never enacted." Severus put in, "I tried to look into the will but was shut down hard."
"We'll need to look into it again." Filius said, "I'll make some subtle enquiries with my family at Gringotts."
"We could kidnap him as a last resort," Pomona suggested to Severus's slight surprise.
"The best way to do that would be Polyjuice. Impersonate his relatives and take him somewhere safe," he said rolling with the idea, "but I'm out of bicorn horn and boomslang skin, which are proving difficult to get at the moment. Some little shit stole it from me," he said darkly.
"Oh?" Pomona asked.
"I'm fairly confident in the identity of the culprit, and I'll persuade the brat to return it," Severus murmured irritably. How dare the brat steal from him, again, when he was trying to help him!
"Make sure he doesn't scrub his fingers right off in detention, they do need fingers for wand work," Filius teased.
Severus smirked.
"But if we did kidnap him what would we do with him?" Pomona said, "We all live here, except you Severus."
"I live here. And while I inherited Spinners End, (Goddess I loath the place), it is both a dump and known to Death Eaters. It would not be safe not when I can't ward them out. They have to be able to reach me there to keep my cover. Not that it is likely they will drop in. It would raise too many questions. The flat I shared with Lily was sealed upon her death, it was hers, so that's to be expected. But when the will was sealed, the flat stayed locked up by Gringotts.
"Having him here would be safe, but that wouldn't fly with Dumbledore I suspect," Filius pondered.
"Potters remarkably good at going undetected though," Severus said.
"As we've all learned this year, the poor dear," Pomona said, "still to keep him hidden away all summer?"
"Where else could we keep him?" Filius said, "It will need to be us unless there is someone else who could keep him safe and actually have his best interests at heart. Who else do we trust?"
"Hmm, who indeed..." Severus hummed drinking more tea, "That is the problem, there are few who would have his best interest at heart. We shall have to think about it. Perhaps..." He trailed off pondering.
"It would be safe here, we just need to work out how to do it." Pomona said, "and he's comfortable here. Better here than in a strange new place with strange new people."
"We'd have to either get Dumbledore out for the summer, or keep him busy, and the boy hidden," Severus said.
"Not entirely unmanageable, the man is often gone over the summer, Minerva does a lot of his work. But keeping him from noticing or being informed would be challenging," Filius said
"Minerva could handle him. She spends more time here over the break anyway. We need to get her checked over first. It's her we need on side, especially to keep him from noticing perhaps, as deputy she could help with that." Pomona put in.
"Hmm, what about getting in touch with his goblin manager? Severus said.
"Or reporting them to the Wizarding Child Services?
"You know the ministry can't keep gossip to itself to save its life, he'd have no privacy! Just imagen what the papers would do to the boy. It's bad enough as it is! " Filius said.
Besides with the sway, Dumbledore has whats to say he won't step in and clear things up with Child Services, so they don't look into it.
"He wouldn't," Pomona exclaimed, almost choking on her tea in shock.
"What's to say it hasn't happened before," Filius wondered, "we'll need to look into it and see just how far things have gone."
"We could just curse his relatives," Severus said, topping up their tea and adding a liberal dash of goblin whisky, "then he'd not be able to go back anyway."
"We'd need to not get caught," Pomona said.
"Obviously," Severus said
"What about cursing his relatives into treating him, right?" Filius said.
"Can that even be done without Imperio?" Severus asked Filius shrugged.
"And warding the shit out of the house," Pomona added, "we need to do that too," she said, taking another gulp of her tea.
"If he must go back better to plan for it, and have contingencies in place," Filius said.
"He should not be going back at all! Lily would have hated this and would move sky and earth to keep him safe. She would not stand for this."
"She would have relied on us to look after him and keep him safe," Filius lamented, "we have failed her greatly.
"But we will not fail her any more," Pomona said, "we're hearing now and doing something, she'd understand."
"She wouldn't," Severus said, she held a wicked grudge and pulled no punches when someone she loved was concerned," Severus said.
"Albus will probably go to a lot of trouble to send him back I wouldn't put it past him to try and force the boy, we'll need to be very careful." Severus went on, "Even with spells and things what to guarantee he's safe in that house? Abuse is not just physical! The fear alone being around them is just as bad, as I suspect."
"But if we fail we need something in place in case he is trapped there, look what Albus did to you," Filius pointed out.
"I see your point. We'd need to make sure the house is warded and monitored, so he is actually safe from the inside threats as well as the outside ones. But it should not be our first plan, we need several outs for him first" Severus when on.
"What about..."
*
Several hours of plotting and drinking whisky spiked tea (with more whisky than tea if the opening of the second bottle was anything to go by), Severus burst out, "for Hekate's sake! Can we just kidnap Minerva tonight? At least that would be one problem out of the way."
Pomona snorted, and Filius let out a giggle as Severus continued, "She'll be asleep right now. Stun her in her sleep take her through to your cousin get her sorted out," spat out Severus some frustrating hours later after.
"Kidnapping colleagues is apparently frowned upon my dear Severus," Pomona said.
"And it's bad as I hope it is (I don't really want this to be her true actions, it would be such a shame for her to be this callow truly..." Filius started.
"I know, I know, it could take a while," Severus finished for him flapping a hand impatiently, "I wasn't serious. We'd run out of time tonight if she's a real mess of magic, and she'll miss class tomorrow. Then he'll know somethings wrong with her. He already knows I am on to him, no need for him to work out others he's potioned are clean too. Us, the boy; if he catches wind of all of us, he may panic. She's his right-hand," he went on.
"He can't afford to obviously break his plan too much. The weekends the best time. He's less likely to notices. Especially with the hustle and bustle of Hogsmeade. he won't notice if we go to Hogsmeade with her for lunch and lip out into Gringotts" Severus rattled off, effortlessly rattling out plans and contingency plans.
"I do hate it when you drunk plan and are still so smart it puts the rest of us to shame," Pomona said with mock grumpiness.
"I am not drunk," Severus said, looking horribly affronted.
Filius let out a laugh which turned into a snort.
"We've done a whole bottle of goblin whisky between us, and just cracked the second one open. That stuff is good strong shit," Pomona said matter of factly.
"I'm half-goblin, and I'm a bit drunk," Filius said, "and it takes us longer to get drunk on the stuff that you humans."
"'sides," Pomona pointed out, "you're talking with your hands, and actually showing expressions on your face. You only do that drunk! You keep your self shut up tighter than a venomous tentacular seedling the rest of the time."
"Shut up plant lady," Severus grumbled far more good-naturedly that he usually would have, proving her point.
She snorted then giggled.
"So maybe I'm a bit drunk, who cares?" Severus said, "My house is taken care of for the night, I am not spying right now and am safe in good company. I can get a bit drunk after a shitty day, hell a shitty term. At least I do not have first years in the morning." Severus goaded.
Pomona's touched smile turned into a groan, and she swore creatively.
Severus smirked wickedly, but a few amused chuckles slipped out. Still, he made a mental note to send over some hanger potion for them the following morning.
"So," Filius asked, "any other bright ideas?"
"Well," suggested Severus, "we haven't considered...