Severus Snape sat in his quarters on Sunday and sighed, a troubled frown on his face as he recalled the dream he'd had the previous night. Lily had come to him to tell him that Harry was living with the Dursleys and that they treated him terribly.
"Worse than how Tobias used to treat you, Sev," she had told him. "I know you have things you need to sort through, but please do not make him stay with them longer than necessary. You know that Albus was aware that we did not want Harry to be placed with Petunia, but he disregarded our will and altered it. We foolishly made him an executor of our will, along with Remus, Sirius, and Peter.
Remus, you know, had to flee the country because he is a werewolf. Sirius was placed in Azkaban because everyone thought he betrayed us and killed all those muggles." Then she'd added at his look of incredulity, "Sirius had persuaded us to switch our Secret Keeper from him, as he was too obvious a choice, to Peter. And he would never kill anyone unless it was necessary. Killing all those muggles would not have been necessary. And Peter…I do not know what happened to Peter, but he is not dead.
Discover moreFan community eventsGaming lore analysisAnime merchandise storeComics subscription boxAuthor collaboration networkPlease, Sev, once you've sorted through this, save my son and deal with Albus."
Looking over the letter in his hands for the hundredth time, he found his thoughts wandering. 'How could they have done it? They were upset because Mrs. Evans had effectively forced Henry to marry her and then…but it does say that Tobias was willing to marry her.' Severus ran a hand through his hair in frustration, but then stood suddenly and strode over to his fireplace. Grabbing some floo powder, he tossed it in, called out, "Spinner's End" and was whisked away to his childhood home.
Stepping out of the fireplace, he cast a Lumos in an effort to lighten the dark house. Not that it did much good, but it would take less time for his eyes to adjust this way. He scanned the room. Everything was just as he had left it after Tobias's death years ago. The dark, musty curtains drawn to keep out the world, the dark, moth-eaten furniture covered in dust. Once-white walls now had an ugly tint of brown and faded pictures still hung on the wall.
Walking forward, he stepped carefully up each creaky stair, lest he fall through one of them and injure himself. I should really get rid of this house. It's falling apart, he thought. He cautiously stepped towards what had once been Tobias' room. He'd not been in this room since he'd discovered the man's body one summer after returning from Hogwarts. He had just come of age.
Opening the door, he cast a quick cleaning spell to get rid of all the dust and cobwebs. He looked around until he spotted a small bookshelf and walked over to it. Looking through the few books there, he came across what looked to be some journals and pulled them out. Shrinking them, he stuck them in his pocket and continued his investigation of the room. Finding nothing else, he turned and exited, closing the door softly behind him.
'Now to see if there's anything in Mum's room,' he thought glumly. 'This place always has a way of making a person feel sad and depressed.' Upon reaching his mother's room, he slowly opened the door and cast another cleaning spell. Here he also discovered some journals and a few other items his mother had clearly treasured, tucked away in a hidden compartment of her desk. His mother had told him about the compartment just before she died, but he'd never gone into her room to see what was in it.
After he was done in his mother's room, he investigated what had once been his own room, to be sure he was not leaving anything behind. 'I'm going to get rid of this house. Why didn't I think to do so before? I have Prince Manor, after all. It's not like I needed to keep this house.' He stopped as he discovered some long-forgotten journals and a few books that Harry might like—at least once he was older and could read them. There was also a box of mementos that he'd collected over the years, from his time with Lily and Henry.
Shrinking each of them and placing them in his pockets, he looked through the house one last time to be sure he was not leaving anything of importance and then flooed back to Hogwarts. Unshrinking each item, he picked up one of Tobias' journals and began skimming through it to see if there was anything that might give him a clue as to why Tobias had been so eager to marry his mother.
He hummed quietly when he found the entry he was looking for.
Discover moreMobile app premiumFictionPress content promotionWriting contest entryBook series guidesFan FictionMy life will now go as planned. I was approached today by a man and a woman seeking to hide the fact that the woman became pregnant out of wedlock. The man is already married, so they asked if I would marry her, promising me a nice sum of money. Yes, yes, this will work out nicely for me. She will work and provide the income and her brat can keep the house clean once it is old enough. Her name is Eileen Prince. The only drawback is that she has magical powers. I have informed her that there will be no magic used around me or in my home. She has agreed to this. Hmmm…once her brat is born, I may have to beat the magic out of him. Yes, that will work nicely—I can take out my frustrations that way.
Severus dropped the journal in shock. Tobias had married his mother so that he could be lazy. His temper immediately flared, causing the room to shake ominously. He felt that it was such a pity that Tobias was already dead. Because if he had still been alive…
A malicious glint entered his eyes, but just as quickly, it disappeared. He instead crossed over to his potions cabinet and pulled out a calming draught, downing it in one. Once it had taken effect, he continued skimming through Tobias' journal, but there wasn't much of worth after that one entry.
Sinking back into his chair, he sat there, trying to wrap his mind around everything. The shock had finally worn off that Lily was his sister and that Henry was his father. He recalled all of the things that Henry had gotten him on their outings, telling him whenever he protested that, "You are like a son to me, Severus. It is only natural that I would buy things for you."
He recalled how Petunia had always scorned them for their abilities to do magic on the rare occasions they were at the Evans' home. They generally preferred to go to a park or to explore the shops in town. Sometimes they would even go to the city.
He recalled a comment Lily had once made. "I rarely ever see my parents in the same room together. Mum spends most of her time with Petunia, while Dad spends most of his time with me. Even when we're in the house, Dad often praises my abilities. I don't think I've ever heard him praise Petunia for her accomplishments. It's probably why she's always so bitter towards me—and probably contributes to her hatred of magic."
He sighed. His thoughts were wild and scattered. He was distracted from said wild and scattered thoughts by the sound of the floo flaring to life and he watched as an aristocratic blond stepped out of the fireplace. Lucius Malfoy, his second best friend (second only to Lily, although, she was dead now, so it was impossible to have a conversation with her). The blond had turned spy for the Order and Dumbledore well before Severus had, after witnessing the brutal murder of a former classmate. It had taken a while after Severus also began spying for Dumbledore, but the two had eventually come to trust each other again.
"Lucius, a welcome distraction from my thoughts," Severus greeted him.
"Severus," Lucius replied. "What do you mean a welcome distraction from your thoughts? Care to discuss what's going on?" he added while making himself comfortable in the chair next to his friend and pouring himself a cup of tea from the tray that had popped onto the side table between them.
Severus sighed and explained the situation to his friend. Talking about things always made it easier for him to sort through whatever was troubling him, even if it happened to be an imagined conversation with Lily. He even told Lucius what he'd discovered in Tobias' journal. Lucius sat there looking stunned until Severus told him about Tobias' reason for marrying Eileen.
Lucius jumped up from his chair and began swearing, adding to Severus, "If he weren't already dead, Severus, I would go and show him why Death Eaters are so feared! And I would make sure he died a slow, painful death for everything he put you and your mother through! His reason for marrying your mother disgusts me!"
The look on Severus' face was grim as he took a sip of his tea. "Indeed," he concurred. "I was thinking the same thing after I read it." He watched, alert, as Lucius sat back down. "I am uncertain, however, what to make of what my mother and father admitted about my father being unfaithful to his wife, even if she did coerce him into marrying her."
Lucius frowned thoughtfully. "Well," he said slowly, "try to think of how you would feel if you were in their place. Both were in love and unhappy because they couldn't get married. Your father was unhappy with the woman he was married to, but he didn't want to put his daughter through the trauma of a divorce. It does appear as if he was remorseful for his unfaithfulness, although perhaps not for the right reasons. And besides, you would not have been born. Be thankful they gave you life."
Severus' face took on a contemplative look, and then decided to let it all go. Remaining upset about it wouldn't change what they had done. Besides, at least they had acknowledged that they were wrong and had asked him for forgiveness, and like Lucius had said, he would not have been born otherwise. So he nodded to acknowledge his friend's wisdom and asked, "You came here for a purpose. What can I do for you?"
Lucius smiled slightly. "Draco and Cissa have commented that it has been a while since you last visited us. Since you seem to be busy today, perhaps you'd like to come for a visit next weekend? You could bring your nephew with you, too. It should be all sorted out by then, right?"
Severus nodded slowly. "Yes," he replied, "it should be sorted out by then. Speaking of which," he added with a glint in his eyes, "I think I'm going to take a trip to Gringotts. I do not wish to run the risk of either Albus or anyone at the ministry finding out."
Lucius nodded. "Good luck, my friend. Let me know how it goes, and if you need any help in dealing with those muggles," he said before stepping into the floo and being whisked back to Malfoy Manor.
Making quick decisions, Severus placed the things from Spinner's End, along with the letters he'd been sent, into his room. After warding his bedroom door with a combination of hexes and curses—lest Dumbledore come in through the floo and decide to snoop around—, he proceeded to his lab to make a paternity potion, so that he might prove his relationship to Harry Potter. After the potion was done, he placed it in a vial and then added two drops of his blood. Pouring it on a piece of parchment, he watched in satisfaction as it showed that his birth father was Henry Evans, and that Lily was his sister. Taking the parchment in hand—and after retrieving the letters he'd received and then re-warding his room—he then flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and made his way to Gringotts.
Not even bothering to glance at anyone or to take notice of the other shops, he entered the beautiful building, nodding respectfully to the goblins standing sentinel at the doors. "I would like to speak with Griphook," he respectfully informed the only available goblin. Goblins were very cooperative when treated with respect.
"Of course, Mr. Snape, if you will wait just one moment, I will see if he is available," the goblin replied, walking towards the door that led to Griphook's office.
Meanwhile, Severus looked around and took in the crowded wizarding bank. 'It's getting chillier—everyone's getting ready for the colder season. I should, too. But I'll wait until I can take Harry away from those blasted muggles and take him shopping,' he told himself.
The goblin returned and informed him that, yes, Griphook was currently available and indicated for Severus to follow him to Griphook's office.
"Mr. Snape," Griphook greeted him. "What can I do for you?"
"Mr. Griphook," Severus replied. "It has recently come to my attention that I am the son of Henry Evans, and thus am Lily Potter's brother. I have also recently discovered that, against the wishes of the Potters, Harry James Potter was placed with his aunt Petunia and her husband, instead of with me. Petunia and her husband are both muggles and hate magic with a passion. I wish to obtain guardianship of my nephew without Albus Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic finding out."
"Ah, yes, of course, Mr. Snape. We will have to do a paternity test and I will pull out the copy of the will that the Potters left with me. I will also need to know how you came by this information," Griphook informed him.
"Of course," Severus agreed and pulled the letters, as well as his own paternity test, from a pocket in his robes before explaining to Griphook what they were. Griphook told him that they would need to do their own paternity test for protocol's sake, to which Severus agreed.
After the paternity test was done (it showed the same results as the one Severus had done) and the will looked over, Griphook nodded firmly. "It would appear, Mr. Snape, that Albus Dumbledore altered the will at the ministry. Of course, he showed it to Ragnook, who is in charge of the Potters' vault, so that he could get their vault key. He is a rather greedy goblin. I assure you that I will look into whether anything has been illegally removed from the vault and I will be in touch with you. Charge over the Potters' vault will also be moved to me, to insure that nothing like this happens again. Here are the guardianship papers. You need to get the Dursleys to sign them to prevent anyone else from discovering that Harry Potter's guardianship has changed. Good luck, Mr. Snape."
Severus smiled at the goblin. "Thank you very much, Mr. Griphook, for your cooperation." Griphook nodded and then showed Severus out the door.
Severus Snape regained the malicious glint in his eyes as he flooed back to his quarters in Hogwarts. He had some plotting to do tonight and then he had a boy to rescue tomorrow.