Ares
SS
The next day Severus keeps the tree in his line of sight and find the notice-me-not wards around the girl, her bag and the raven (definitely hers then) as well as muggle repelling wards around the whole tree.
After his daily tour, he decides to skip sitting on the bench and walks up to the tree.
“You know, you won’t find a family sitting up there hiding behind all those wards.”
“I don’t need a family.” The girl, Ares his mind supplies, remembering the name from the sticker everyone has to wear answers.
Ah, that’s how it’s going. I don’t need a guardian who cares, because adults don’t care. “So, you don’t want a place to call home? People you can go to who will listen to you? Someone who will be there for you, in your corner, no matter how deep the trouble you find yourself in?” He knows he got her thinking. Years of experience tell him, that he needs to let her choose now. He knows he might not like the choice. He hadn’t liked the choices other children had made when confronted with the possibility to get a new guardian. Severus knows forcing an abused child, even if it’s just neglected like it seems to be the case here, would only turn the child away from him. Another adult who proves themselves unreliable.
He also needs to make sure she knows the choice, she has right now. To remind her, that there is an option. “You’ll know where to find me, if you want to give me a chance.” With those words, Severus goes to sit on the bench and focuses on people watching.
The day comes to an end. Severus is about to get up to make his way (slowly) to the exit, when someone sits down on the bench next to him.
The girl doesn’t look at him and he turns back to people watching.
“I’m complicated.” She says, just load enough for him to understand, but not a whisper, no shame. A fact stated calmly.
“Me too.” Severus answers with a similar calmness in his voice.
“I tend to explode stuff.”
Severus feels his lips twitch. “I know how to fix stuff.”
“I’m different.”
“Life would be boring, if we were all the same.” He hears her huff and turns to look at her. She seems to try to find the right way of explaining, whatever she believes he hadn’t understood.
Another huff. She apparently reached a conclusion but isn’t happy with it.
She grimaces. “My magic isn’t like yours.” Severus remembers the prickle of needles.
He knows it’s his turn to say something, before he finds a response one of the childcare worker shouts for her. Waving at her to come.
Ares gets up, Severus went to catch her before she leaves, but remembers her request not to be touched just in time.
She looks at him, properly having seen his attempt out of the corner of her eyes.
“You’re not… I don’t…”, Severus closes his eyes and takes a breath to sort his thoughts. Thankfully, Ares is still there, when he opens them. “It does not matter if you’re magic is different to mine. All that matters to me, is that a magical child is not left with muggles who either don’t know about magic or mistreat the child because of it. You’re right, the impression I got from yesterday proves you are different, but that doesn’t make you less worthy of protection. You deserve a save place, where you can be yourself. A place you’re not kicked out of, no matter what happens.”
“Even if I could kill someone?”
“There was a war not even a decade ago, where I killed people. I was still allowed to walk free, because I ended up on the winning side.”
He wants to continue, but the worker, had apparently decided to collect Ares personally. “We’re leaving. I’m sorry sir, but the event is over now.”
“He wants to adopt me.” Ares speaks up, surprising Severus. Considering the surprised look in her eyes, the words had simply tumbled out of her mouth.
The woman looks between them. Questioning.
Severus collects himself first. Thankful for all the years spend listening to needs in between the words of children.
“I would like to adopt you Ares. What do you want?”
Ares shrugs. “I guess we can try. It’s not like I have anything better to do anyway.”
Severus ignores the dismissing words, knowing that it’s most likely a mask. Two can play this game though and Severus is not one to give up easily.
“I’ve never done this before. How would I go about trying?” Severus addressed the childcare worker.
“There is some paperwork you’ll have to fill out. As well as a check of your living arrangement and personal history towards any crimes. Some smaller crimes, like driving with a red traffic light or goofing around as a student are normally acceptable, but we cannot leave a child with someone who has a tendency of ending up in trouble, drinking, drugs, assault. We need to know if about any long term illnesses, allergies, diabetic, injuries that restrict movement.”
The speech seems rehearsed. Severus has experience with muggle child service from dealings as a head of house. He also knows that all wixen child adopt case pass though the DMLE, as there is no department for child service in the wixen world. There is the possibility of them ending up with another department, because as long as the girl is not known as a magical child, which most muggleborn aren’t until they turn eleven. This is going to be complicated, and Severus just hopes that if his past as a death eater is a problem, that the girl will be placed with a magical family anyway.
“You also can’t take her with you right away, as we need to finish the examination first.”