"Excuse me Professor."
Severus looked up from his desk after one of his second year classes to see Potter standing there politely.
"Mister Potter, what can I do for you?"
Potter bit his bottom lip for a moment, while Severus waited patiently for him to get his thoughts in order. Potter, it seemed, sometimes had a great difficulty expressing what was on his mind. Unless, of course, it was a threat of some sort, the foolish child had no hesitation when it came to expressing those.
"I was wondering if you'd help me with a project I have and if you would then I have something weird you can have in exchange," the child finally said in a rush.
Potter willingly asking for assistance? That was an entirely new experience.
"Is it a graded project for one of your courses?" Severus checked. He would likely still assist him even if so but he hoped Potter would not take advantage of him for higher grades. Not that he seemed to need it, the other Professors all raves about his prowess in their courses.
"No sir," Potter shook his head. "It's a personal project I'm working on."
"And we will not be stealing wands to give to house elves?" Severus asked, not forgetting that Potter once offered his own wand to Mavis.
Potter gave him a small smile, "Not yet sir. I'd hate for the elves to be arrested."
"Very well, I would be happy to assist you."
Potter shifted a little further as the room began filling with Severus' next class.
"Don't you wanna know what I'm offering in exchange?" he asked with a grin.
"No need," Severus assured him calmly. "If your project is legal and it is within my capabilities to assist you then I do not require anything 'weird'."
"Well you should probably have it anyway, sir." Potter's eyes looked suddenly mischievous as he edged around the incoming students and towards the class door. "It's a real riddle to me," he laughed.
Severus got the distinct feeling that he was missing a joke.
"Bring your 'weird' item tonight at seven o'clock and I will assist you," he called through the room now that Potter was nearly to the door.
"Brill, thanks sir!" Potter yelled, turning to run towards his next class.
Severus shook his head as the room finished filling with his first year students. The ridiculous child would likely be late at this rate and had not even requested a pass.
At a quarter after seven o'clock Severus was beginning to feel uneasy. It was not like Potter to be late to an appointment with him. He tried to reassure himself that the child had likely just got caught up in homework, or something with his friends, but... but Potter had a penchant for chaos. And it was more likely that the brat was terrorizing his peers, or being terrorized himself, than it was that he was late due to homework.
Severus sighed at his own sentimentality as he stood to go reassure himself that Potter was simply irresponsible and had not noticed the time rather than had found himself in some sort of trouble.
He entered the Slytherin common room, believing it was the most likely location for the brat and saw that there were a lot of uneasy glances being aimed towards the staircase for the boys dorms.
"Williams," he called, spotting his seventh year prefect. "I am looking for Potter."
Williams grimaced and shot his own uneasy look towards the stairs.
"He's up there Professor, but he's in a bit of a state. Might be safer to wait."
Severus huffed at the implication that Potter 'in a state' was a threat to him.
The child has his own housemates convinced he is infallible, he thought as he ascended the stairs.
He knocked once on the second year dormitory entrance before stepping inside.
"What is going on here?" he demanded, looking around the room in shock. It appeared as if a hurricane had struck the room. There were clothes, books, and parchments strung across the room and Potter was standing in the middle of the room appearing furious.
"Someone stole Harry's stuff," Draco informed him quickly.
Severus turned and saw that the other second year Slytherin boys were in a huddled mass as close to the wall, and as far from Potter, as they could be.
"And that was cause to destroy the room?" he demanded of Potter.
"I didn't fucking do it!" Potter yelled back. "Someone tore my stuff up! Look!"
He thrust a photo album at Severus that had indeed had pages torn from it.
"And my camera!" Potter howled. "They broke it!"
Severus could now see that Potter's belongings had indeed been rather viciously vandalized. His textbooks had been ripped and Severus could see ink spilled on his clothing.
"Breathe Potter," he said calmly. "Breathe and watch your language."
Potter laughed hysterically as he kicked a pile of his own destroyed books.
"This is-" Potter hissed something that Severus easily imagined to be another curse.
"I understand," he said calmly. "And we will find the culprit. If you will step back I will repair the belongings that are repairable."
Potter glared up at him, his green eyes so overwhelmingly bright with his rage that Severus is unwillingly reminded of Lily herself.
"Fine."
Potter steps to the side and crosses his arms angrily. If it were not for the rage that has strained every muscle in his body he may have appeared as a petulant child. Instead, he looks like what he is- an incredibly angry and dangerous well of chaotic magic.
"Reparo," Severus called clearly waving his wand in a circular motion around the room.
Potter watched carefully as his belongings were mostly repaired and moved to his trunk. The brat went immediately to his truck and began digging around in it, displacing the neat stacks Severus had just created.
"My clothes are still ruined," he snarled. "And the book is still gone."
"What book?" Severus asked after spotting the shifty looks the other boys were now sharing.
"That weird thing I was going to give you!" Potter said, holding up a repaired, but still stained, red shirt. "It was a book and you could write to Voldemort in it and someone stole it and destroyed my stuff."
What?
"Explain, immediately, what this book was?" Severus said sharply.
Merlin. The child had a book in his possession that was linked to the Dark Lord and he was upset over the destruction of a few easily replaced pieces of clothing? His priorities were clearly very terribly skewed.
Severus felt a slight twinge of remorse when he realized he had assisted Potter in purchasing the very clothes he was still inspecting. That meager trunk of clothing and supplies were the first things that Potter had owned. He was justified in being angry they had been vandalized and destroyed.
"I told you, it was weird," Potter muttered. "You write in it and Voldemort writes back. Luna found it in the bathroom. I was going to give it to you but it's gone."
Severus turned to the six other students who were now making their ways towards their beds since Hurricane Potter seemed to have calmed.
"Did one of you take the book?" he asked sharply, eyeing each boy closely as they answered back negatively.
Severus believed they were being truthful.
"Draco, go inform Williams to gather the Slytherin students in the common room, immediately."
Draco nodded and took off down stairs. Severus gestured towards the other loitering boys.
"Did I somehow stutter? Go. Immediately."
Severus waited until it was only him and Potter before he kneeled down beside the child.
"We can replace your clothing," he said gently. "You likely needed a new wardrobe soon regardless."
Potter looked up at him and Severus could see that he was still furious.
"It's not the point," he said. "The point is that this stuff is mine and someone tore it up. It is mine."
Severus took a steadying breath and reminded himself that it is not uncommon for children who owned nothing to be possessive over the things they do own.
"Was your camera fixed?" he asked instead, hoping to calm Potter by the proof that his important possessions were repaired.
*FLASH*
Severus had to blink back spots of white as he realized Potter had just taken his photo.
"Suppose so," the little demon smirked. "I bet that'll be a good picture."
"If I ever see it I will break your camera myself," he told him.
Potter just shrugged before gently placing the camera back in his trunk and standing.
"How will you find out who did this?" he asked.
"I am hoping to terrify someone in to ratting out the culprit," Severus told him. "Slytherin's have a remarkable strength for self preservation. Loyalty is much a Hufflepuff trait."
Potter gave him a small grin, "Brill. Let's go scare some students."
Severus nearly laughed at the confident stride Potter made on his way to the dormitory door.
"I will terrify the students. You will remain quiet," he stressed. "I will not be accused of favoritism when I inevitably punish the urchin who destroyed your belongings."
Potter gave him a small grin as he walked down the stairs to the common room.
"But I am your favorite," he called back teasingly.
"I have never said that," Severus lied. "Nor will I ever say it out loud."
He was feeling rather pleased with himself as Potter joined his friends, looking marginally more calm than he had when Severus found him. Severus thought he deserved an Order of Merlin for learning small ways to calm the temperamental boy.
"Attention!" Severus shot his wand off with a bang and a puff of green smoke, effectively silencing the whispering students. He looked around the room, particularly towards the older students, one of whom he was sure had done this, and attempted to make eye contact with each one.
"I am exceedingly disappointed in one of you," he said quietly in a cool voice. "A students property has been vandalized, destroyed, and stolen." He watched the older Slytherins carefully as he said this, there were a few sympathetic glances towards Potter, but no signs of guilt.
"While Gryffindor may be the house known best for bravery- I did not expect one of my own to behave so cowardly."
Still no reactions from any of the suspects he had originally suspected. He glanced swiftly amongst the other students and saw that amongst the looks of both fear and sympathy towards a now silently fuming Potter, Ginevra Weasley was glaring at him.
What is that girls problem with Potter?!
Severus was still rather irate that her words had caused Potter to spiral in to a panic attack.
"She just said... said she hates me. And I'm- I'm a monster."
Perhaps the famous Boy-Who-Lived was not living up to her fantasies. Pity.
"Once I discover the culprit responsible you will be serving detention for the remainder of your educational career," he said, ice lacing his tone.
Potter suddenly hissed something incomprehensible in Parsletongue. It didn't take a Parslemouth to understand that it was a much more effective threat than what Severus had said. Many of the student surrounding Potter, aside from his own friends, inched away from him immediately.
It was nearly amusing to see the smallest student in the room causing the others to cower away from him by just a single hiss.
"Thank you Mister Potter," he sighed. "It would be terribly regretful if I were to leave finding the culprit in your very vindictive hands."
A few more students exchanged uneasy glances at Severus' words. He made light eye contact with them all again.
"If any of you have any information you would like to share, I will be in my office. If I discover that any of you were aware of this act of cowardly vandalism and theft and did not report it then you will share equal punishment with the culprit."
He gave them all another severe look before dismissing them and calling for Potter to follow him to his office.
As soon as they were seated in his office he looked hard at Potter.
"I would like for you to immediately explain to me every last detail about the book that was stolen from your belongings."
Potter nodded and immediately launched in to his tale.
"Luna found a little book and was writing in it. And I asked her what it was, didn't I? And she said it was a pen pal and Hermione said-"
Severus cut him off, "I am aware of what a pen pal is, I do not require the lengthy and detailed explanation that I am sure Miss Granger gave you."
Potter curled his lip slightly as he glared at Severus.
"Mione just said that it was a person you exchanged letters with to get to know better, sir," Potter said harshly.
'Loyalty is much a Hufflepuff trait,' he'd said. It was remarkable Potter did not sort there with as prepared as he always was to go to war for his friends.
Well. It wasn't truly surprising. Hufflepuff is generally though to be hard working, fair, loyal, and gentle. Potter was only one for four.
"I apologize at the implied slight to Miss Granger," he said evenly. "Please continue with the story of this book."
Potter gave him a skeptical look before nodding and continuing.
"Well Luna said she found the book in Myrtles bathroom, someone threw it in there. And she said she could write in it and the owner would write back. So I thought that was brill and wanted to make some like it, for my gang, you know? And she said I could take the book to try and copy it and I wrote in it asking what kind of magic it was and they said: 'I am a diary, a preservation of memories from my time at Hogwarts.'"
Potter took a deep breath, "And then they asked what my name was and I lied, because I'm not an idiot, am I? Said it's James. And they said 'Hello James. My name is Tom Riddle.'"
Severus sucked in a harsh breath. Potter gave him a small grin and shifted his eyes away in a move that Severus is beginning to recognize as guilt.
"And?" he drawled.
"And, sir? And nothing," Potter blinked at him in what he must have believed to be a look of innocence.
"Potter," he growled. "I would like the rest of the story, immediately."
Potter shrugged lightly, "And then I said 'Hello Tom Riddle, I'm going to kill you one day' and then I closed the book up and put it in my trunk to give it to you, didn't I?"
For the love of God.
"Potter," Severus groaned, rubbing his face wearily. "Can you name five people who you have not threatened to kill at least once?"
"Mavis, Luna, Susan... no wait not Susan..." Potter squinted off in the distance. "Have I actually said I'd kill you to you? Because I can't remember."
"You have," Severus said shortly. "How long did Miss Lovegood had that book in her possession before she relinquished it to you?"
"I'm not sure, not long I don't think," Potter shrugged uneasily. "But she didn't know what it was, did she? So she shouldn't be in trouble."
"I am not asking because I believe she did something wrong, I am asking because it is undoubtedly an incredibly dark object that could have harmed her."
Potter suddenly looked up at Severus wide eyed, "Hurt her? I-I didn't think it would have hurt her." Potter bit his lip for a moment and glanced around uneasily.
"Can you check on her?" he asked quietly.
Severus absolutely did not preen internally at the realization that Potter trusted him to check on the health of one of his closest friends.
"I will," he said solemnly. "Miss Lovegood is in my class first thing tomorrow and I will check on her then."
Potter slumped in relief and gave him a curt nod.
"Thank you sir," he said politely.
"It is my duty as a Professor to care for the well-being of all students," he said. "Not just the Slytherins."
Potter grinned lightly before looking thoughtful.
"D'you think you can help me make some for my gang? Where we can talk to each other? That's what I wanted your help with."
"You were going to trade a diary imbued with the memories and thoughts of the Dark Lord for notebooks that you can communicate with your friends during classes?" he asked incredulously.
'It's a real riddle to me'.
Severus groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping the hold back the migraine he could feel building.
Potter's cheek very well may lead to his death one day. Severus briefly thanked the Sorting Hat for giving him Potter- he would never have been able to handle the cheeky brat if he were not originally forced to.
"'It's a real riddle to me,'" he grit out through his now clenched jaw. "Potter, for fucks sake, do you have a death wish?"
Severus could hear the grin in Potter's voice as he casually replied, "I have no idea what you mean Professor. But riddle me this, how did Voldemort put his memories in a diary? And how did it send messages?"
Against his will Severus felt his lips twitch so he lowered his hand and looked at Potter's smirking face.
"Without examining the book I truly have no idea," Severus grimaced at the sobering thought. It could be a prank or it could be an incredibly dark artifact lose in a castle full of children.
"But I wrote in it and I'm fine, so Luna will be fine too, right?"
"I have never lied to you before and I will not do so now," Severus said carefully. "While I believe that Miss Lovegood will likely be fine, I can not know for sure until I speak with her tomorrow."
Potter stood and gave Severus a look that was much too grim and serious for a child his age.
"If she's not then I need you to come find me, sir. Luna is one of mine and I can't help her if I don't know if somethings wrong."
Severus inclined his head in silent agreement, he would never agree with a child's demands out loud, and Potter wished him a good night.
Once he was alone Severus talked himself out of bringing the idea of a cursed diary to Albus. No doubt that Potter would somehow be blamed for it and Severus did not know if he would be able to handle another crisis of that magnitude again this year.
He also thought very carefully about Potter's words.
'Luna is one of mine.'
'This stuff is mine'.
Perhaps the boy would never have been a candidate for Hufflepuff. Was Potter fiercely loyal to his friends or incredibly possessive?
Severus occluded the reminder of the Dark Lord's own penchant for possessive behavior right out of his mind. Potter was cruel, vindictive, powerful, and perhaps even possessive. But he was no mad man. And if he was, then Severus supposed the Wixen World had both Albus and Riddle himself to blame.
What is a child aside from what they are molded to be?
***
"Miss Lovegood I would like you to remain behind for a moment," Severus called lightly towards the end of his first year Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff class.
Lovegood did not respond aside from a slight nod as she intently scrubbed her cauldron free of any remaining potion. Severus admired her technique for a moment- she truly seemed to have an innate understanding of the multitude of ways that potion accidents could happen. He had high hopes that the girl would continue with his course to her NEWT year.
After the bell rang Lovegood smiled up at Severus from her desk.
"Yes Professor?"
Severus had watched her carefully throughout class and had not noticed any obvious differences in her. She spoke in the same airy tone she always used, she moved with her usual waltz-like grace, and she brewed as impeccably as she always had.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
If it had been any other student Severus may have been more subtle, more cunning, more sly. But with Lovegood he could tap dance a polka and the witch could tell every individual within the castle and not a single soul, save Potter perhaps, would believe her. It was cruel and unfair, but useful for his current needs.
"I'm content," she smiled. "How are you feeling Professor Snape?"
"I am also content, thank you." Severus truly was fond of this mad little honest witch. "Mister Potter informed me that you had found a diary where you were conversing with a boy named Tom Riddle?"
Lovegood nodded, "I think poor Tom is very lonely. He didn't seem to have any friends."
Severus nearly choked at the declaration that the diary imbued with the Dark Lord's teenaged memories was 'very lonely'.
"He reminds me of Harry," Lovegood hummed.
Which, actually did cause Severus to choke on his own saliva.
Dear God.
"Pardon me," Severus cleared his throat. "How so?"
Lovegood suddenly looked intensely in in Severus' eyes and he was caught in her light silver glow.
"Don't you see it?" she whispered. "He's so angry and alone and he's going to change the world."
Severus felt a tremor of unease at her declaration. He felt a shade of magic accompany her words- as if she was either willing her words to be true or magic had already declared it to be so.
"Potter is- remarkable," he acquiesced. "However, I wish to discuss you. Have you felt different at all since speaking with... Tom?"
Luna blinked a few times and her once piercing eyes returned to their typical dreamy stare, as if they were looking right through everyone.
"No Professor, I feel just like I always do. Though, I suppose that's much different than most people."
Severus studied her carefully once more before accepting that she did not seem to have any lingering side effects from her encounter with whatever the item may have been.
"Very well Miss Lovegood, I shall write you a pass for your next class."
Luna gave him a soft smile as she accepted the pass and left his office.
'He reminds me of Harry.'
'He's going to change the world.'
***
"Severus, my dear boy, have you been withholding information from me?"
Severus looked up as Albus came in to his office on the last night of February. It was nearly unprecedented for the Headmaster to meet with the Professors outside of his own office. Albus' flashing blue of his eyes had Severus discreetly flicking his wand in to his hand.
"I'm afraid I do not understand what you are talking about Albus," he said carefully. He checked his mental barriers to ensure that Albus was unable to find any of the multitude of things that Severus was currently hiding from him.
Albus stood in front of his desk, looking much like the feared Leader of the Light, as he gazed at Severus with disappointment.
"Explain this then," he said, his tone even but laced with ice. Albus placed a newspaper on the desk top. Severus took it as an opportunity to move to his own feet. It would do no good to appear as if he were opposing Albus intentionally, but it was just as poor of a decision to remain seated while the air was thick with tension.
He slowly pulled the paper towards himself, keeping all of his senses apart from his vision, focused on the powerful threat in the room.
DAILY PROPHET TOP STORY: The Boy-Who-Got-A-Guardian!
The writers for the Daily Prophet are happy to announce to the
Wizarding World that one of our journalists was able to uncover that the newly formed guardianship for Harry Potter was approved yesterday. Our Wizarding Hero is an official ward of Hogwarts Potion Master, Severus Snape. Severus Snape, formerly accused Death Eater and exonerated
spy for the light, filed for guardianship for Harry Potter mid-January and the Ministry rushed to ensure it was completed once Mister Potter requested it himself. "Of course I trust Mister Snape with Harry!" Minister Fudge said
during the unannounced and closed court hearing. "Snape has proven to be a brave man who has assisted multiple children from abusive families to find safe residences. Our dear lad is in safe hands with Mister Snape."We at the Daily Prophet would like to be the first to congratulate
Mister Snape and Mister Potter on their newly formed guardianship. Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter for more updates on the Boy-
Who-Lived. -Daily Prophet Authors
Severus saw the date on the newspaper was listed for tomorrow.
"I reached out to an old friend and requested advance previews of the paper to be kept ahead of any impending news that might impact our school," Albus said, seeing where Severus' gaze had flicked. "I admit I am curious to know why you were granted guardianship of the boy and did not come to tell me."
Severus desperately wished he could say that it was because he had not yet been officially informed. Especially if the hearing had only ended hours ago, as the article seemed to indicate.
"Madame Bones told me that Potter requested me as a guardian and I accepted," he said calmly, meeting Albus' eyes and willing him to accept it as the truth. "I did not know if it would go through with my past and I was unwilling to share the information if it may have been fruitless."
"And you believed it to be so unimportant that I would not want to know?" Albus asked, gracefully sinking in to a seat across from Severus.
Severus weighed his words very carefully.
"I admit that I believed you would be pleased if Potter was placed me with rather than an unknown family whose loyalties may have been less clear."
He knew Albus would misinterpret him. Severus' own loyalties had been made very clear the night that Lily died. He had sworn a vow to protect Potter from all threats even at the risk of his own death. He made no such vow about Albus himself nor the supposed 'Light Side'.
Albus appeared thoughtful so Severus also slowly sat in his own seat. He kept his wand firmly grasped though. This conversation could go a number of ways.
"I assumed you would be willing to take up your previous position when Voldemort returns one day," Albus said, shaking his head slightly. "I don't see how that could be possible when our whole world will be aware of the boys placement with you by morning."
Severus inclined his head in acknowledgment. "That does pose a rather large obstruction to that plan."
Internally Severus was practically shouting with glee. He would never again be forced in to his role as a double agent. He could atone for his mistakes by ensuring Potter's continued survival and more than that- he would ensure Potter actually lived. He hoped that Lily would find that a more worthwhile goal than playing spy and passing secrets.
"It is a blow to our side Severus," Albus said grimly. "I do not know if we will find another person so trusted by Voldemort to come to us willingly."
Severus thought of Regulus Black, Barty Crouch, and Evan Rosier- all previous Death Eaters, all victims of abusive families, and all dead. He considered all of his students who he has had to help escape abusive homes with no assistance from Albus.
"Perhaps we will if we try harder to connect with the students who would be most likely to be drafted by the Dark Lord," he said lightly.
"We may be able to find another to take over the boys guardianship and prevent this press release from airing at all," Albus said with a frown, ignoring Severus' statement altogether. "Molly Weasley would be thrilled to take in the boy. Or perhaps even Remus Lupin? You would only have to sign the consenting forms."
"No."
Albus raised his white brows in surprise as he finally truly looked at Severus.
"I'm sorry my boy, what?"
Severus clenched his wand tightly beneath his desk as he stared in to Albus' eyes.
"I said no. I will not relinquish guardianship of Potter. I made a vow to protect the child and I believe it supersedes any need of me to return to the Dark Lord, who may not accept me regardless after all this time. Potter stays with me."
Albus' tone dropped several degrees as he coldly asked, "And if I say that this decision will end your career here? Will end your protection by me?"
Severus forced himself to remain calm. Albus' legal protection was no longer needed now that Severus had been vouched for by the Minister of Magic, no doubt thanks to Potter himself. And he could find another career easily with such a recommendation, despite his prior affiliations.
Severus forced a blasé mask to cover his features. "Then I shall withdraw Potter and we will leave," he said. "I will not allow him to remain a student in a school I am not welcome in."
Albus' cold demeanor defrosted almost immediately. Severus could almost believe his soft smile was genuine if he had not always been so expressive with his eyes.
"My boy, there is no need for that. Of course you will remain here, this was just a shock. In time perhaps we will see that this was the wise decision. Certainly no one could teach Potter to walk the right side more than you."
Albus reached across the desk and patted Severus' hand with a gentle fondness in the lines of his face. The lack of a single sparkle in his eyes belied his grandfatherly actions.
Albus stood and gave Severus another (false) smile.
"I hope that you are prepared to protect the boy. He seems to require it more than most."
Severus stared at the empty doorway long after Albus departed.
'I hope you are prepared to protect the boy' was rather ominous.
Severus glanced down at the paper and allowed himself to finally let out a small pleased smile, despite Albus' manipulations. Potter was a menace, a hurricane of chaos, and a magnet for destruction and violence. And he was Severus' to protect and guide and follow.
And there was not a damn thing anyone could do about it now.
Severus carefully placed the paper in his desk drawer and checked the time. He scowled when he saw that it was much too late to find Potter and inform him of the official approval.
He would just go find the child in the morning before breakfast so that Potter does not find out through the morning news.
No problem.
When in Potter's entire life, ever, has he made anything simple for Severus?
Never. Not once.
Severus had went to the Slytherin room, hoping to find Potter before breakfast only to be informed by Ronald Weasley that his insomniac ward had left 'ages ago'.
Severus scoured the halls searching for Potter and the closer to eight it got the more worried Severus was. Surely the world would not be so cruel to force Potter to find out that his guardianship had changed through the Merlin damned newspaper.
He eventually had to succumb and enter the Great Hall where he lurked discreetly behind the banners. His eyes immediately went to the Slytherin table which was filled with whispers and gossip and flickering gazes aimed toward... Potter.
Potter who was hunched down in his seat and was being whispered to by Susan Bones.
"Marialos," Severus murmured, placing an effective eavesdropping spell in place.
"-going to be different," Miss Bones whispered. "He's not like your Uncle."
"Shut up," Potter hissed. "You don't know anything."
"Then why are you upset?" Bones whispered back, showing an act of bravery to the point of foolishness.
"I'm not," Potter clearly lied. "I'm fucking happy. I'm fine."
"This is wicked," Ronald Weasley said loudly. "The Heir of Slytherin now the ward of the Head of Slytherin?" He shook his head and laughed boisterously.
"I gotta go," Potter declared, standing abruptly. "I need to check on Sevvie before class."
Severus quickly made his way out of the Hall and followed along behind Potter until they were alone in the corridor.
"Potter, I wanted to speak with you," he called.
Potter spun around and had such an effectively blank face that Severus was worried he was overly Occluding again.
"Professor," the child said neutrally. "Good morning."
Severus ignored his attempt at feigned nonchalance.
"I did not know until late last night. I regret that the newspaper was able to infiltrate the hearing and broke the news before Amelia informed us."
Potter gave him a faint grin and shrugged, "It's fine. It's done now, right?"
Severus very slowly stepped closer to him, "It is done but... if you regret your choice in guardian I have the power to undo it."
Potter looked up sharply at that and Severus quickly corrected himself, "Which I would only do at your request. No other reason at all would compel me."
If the Headmasters veiled threat and or the target it painted on his back with the Dark Lords followers could not sway him- nothing would.
"Brill sir," Potter said calmly. "This'll be brill."
"'Brill'," Severus repeated impassively. "Potter- you don't need to hide from me."
Potter gave him another joyless smile.
"I'm not hiding. It'll be brill."
Severus watched as Potter turned in a different direction of the owlery and walked off.
Severus was clearly doing excellent as the now official guardian of Harry Potter.