Puzzle pieces
Growing up in Cokeworth with drunk for a father and precious little in the way of luxuries Severus had learned to be frugal; he was not one for unnecessary indulgence even after he began to earn his own money.
In his fourth year at Hogwarts Severus' mother, received an unexpected windfall when her great-aunt had died and left her some money. She had used some of the money to purchase her son some new items for school that year, new school robes, a cauldron, his own brand-new set of tools for potions class and a new trunk. The trunk was not top of the line but it was well constructed and with Severus’ gift for protective charms, it was perfectly serviceable even now and Severus had never seen the need to replace it.
His home was his staff quarters at Hogwarts, so his clothes remained in his wardrobe all year round and he had shelves for his many books. Only his most precious possessions were kept in his old school trunk, and it was where he stored the box of Lily’s journals he had taken from Harry’s vault over the summer.
The school trunk currently stood open and journals were spread across his bed and were being examined thoroughly by his tiny familiar. He had flicked through all of the unwrapped journals, he had cast every detection spell he knew and found nothing hidden in them. When he ran out of spells he read them cover to cover but found no secret codes. He had examined them all, except the green one, which was seemingly still wrapped in the plastic it had been purchased in and it sat unopened on his bedside table. He had been unable to unwrap it even despite picking it up every night and turning it over in his hands. If Lily had left him a message it would be in this book, he knew it and yet he could not bring himself to open the plastic. It had been almost three months since his trip to Gringotts with Harry and Severus was still afraid of what he might find when he opened the book.
The first thing he had done when he was alone after taking the journals home, was to sniff them desperate to catch the scent of Lily’s honeysuckle hand cream. Sometimes he even thought that maybe he could smell it. Lily had loved that scent, he remembered the little white pot he had asked his mother to buy for her one year at Christmas; she had been so pleased with his gift. Sometimes he thought he could feel Lily’s magic in the book, other times he convinced himself it was just wishful thinking.
Severus Snape was not a coward and yet the prospect of a letter from Lily addressed to him both terrified him and filled him with joy. Lily had appointed him Harry’s magical guardian, somehow she had convinced James Potter to agree to Severus being Harry's magical guardian. In the letter she had left with her will there had been a brief line telling him she was very sorry for her actions towards him, the rest of the letter had begged him to watch over her son. There had been no explanation, no further insight into what on earth she had been thinking when she made that decision. Lily would never have left him in such doubt which meant she had expected him to find this journal.
Leaving the books and the cat on his bed he went to the bathroom and completed his usual nightly ablutions. Once he was settled under his blankets, he gave himself a stern talking to Lily would be sorely disappointed if she could see him now; finally, he picked up his silver dagger and sliced carefully through the plastic wrapping. When his fingers touched the leather for the first time the book warmed in his hand and the scent of honeysuckle almost overwhelmed him; out of the corner of his eye he saw something glow in the bottom right-hand corner and he noticed that the journal had been embossed with his name in the same way as Lily’s name had been on all of her journals. The plastic had hidden that, so clearly this book had been purchased for him; he wondered when Lily had asked her father to purchase it, obviously, it was before that awful day in their fifth year.
Severus closed his eyes against the memory which rose unbidden in his mind; the memory of that terrible day, when he had lost everything. When he opened his eyes again he noticed three Druidic Runes carved beside his name by Lily’s hand. The runes were open heart, divine justice and the guardian rune they warmed to his touch and he ran his fingers over them several times before he untied the leather straps.
Lily had drenched the book in her magic. The feeling had not been wishful thinking after all. The plastic had been a protection barrier he realised, to prevent others from feeling her magic or seeing his name. On the first page Lily had written a spell to protect the journal and hide the contents from all eyes except for his, she had put protection runes in each of the four corners of the page. On the next page, she had written him a letter.
Severus, my dear friend,
I am so sorry. I hope one day you can forgive me for my folly. I want you to know that I forgive you too.
I was scared Sev, so very scared, when I realised you were turning towards the Dark Lord. I wanted to save you, to help you but I didn’t know how. Everyone told me you were a lost cause because you were a Slytherin and somewhere along the way I started to believe them.
Then after that awful day…well again, I am so sorry.
You were rightly angry at what they had done to you, I could see you were devastated and yet I laughed at you; maybe I even deserved what you said to me. I was wrong to refuse your apology and shut you out. I am so ashamed.
In my defence, I had been fed several potions unknowingly over a period of I think several months. They changed me and it happened so slowly I didn't notice. I found out afterwards about the potions and there were charms on me too, if you read my other journals you will see where they started to take effect. If I had not been drugged, Sev, I would have hexed James and Sirius to hell and back for what they did to you. You know that I would have…
Severus could not read any further, the journal fell from his hands onto his bed as tears welled and overflowed running freely down his face. Lily had forgiven him.
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“I think we might need something stronger than tea,” Lucius said leaning forward and pouring two glasses of his finest brandy. He waved his hand towards the armchairs in front of the fireplace as an invitation to the Dark Lord to sit down.
“It was actually Harry’s idea to put some of my artefacts in his vault for safekeeping. I sent a few smaller items, including your item, with him when he visited Gringotts over the summer. Severus went with him to avoid attracting attention. We took some of the larger items including the progress on the elixir to one of Harry’s properties in Kent. It is a large manor house protected by the very best goblin wards. It has a cellar under the old coach house and an extensive library, it was a simple matter to conceal everything there. Not that anyone will search Harry Potter’s home, of course,” Lucius told the Dark Lord, over his glass.
“I see, well I am very impressed, the boy is quite devious,” the Dark Lord said sounding very pleased with this fact.
“Yes, he certainly sorted into the right house,” Lucius observed with a small smile. He had doubted it when he first heard about Harry’s sorting he had been pleasantly surprised when he was proven wrong.
“Hummmm, I am very pleased to hear this Lucius, I was worried when he took the stone. I wanted to discuss it with him immediately but then Dumbledore was on his way and Quirrell tried to attack him. Wretched fool…” Tom said shifting in his seat.
“Harry was attacked?” the blonde man said looking startled.
The Dark Lord made a noise which Lucius would have called a snort had it come from any other man. “No, Quirrell tried to attack him, he moved towards him as if to throttle him but Harry stunned him before he even got close. As soon as he went down I knew he was of no further use to me, so I left him, which killed him of course. “I could feel that Dumbledore was on his way and I had to leave,” Tom replied with a snarl.
Lucius did not reply. Harry had told him that Quirrell turned to dust when the Dark Lord left him but he not mentioned that Professor had tried to attack him; he wondered what else his son had neglected to mention.
“Your son performed magic that night far beyond what he should be capable of casting. I would not have expected a first-year to be able to cast the spells he cast. He is very powerful. I am not sure it is wise to leave him at Hogwarts…If Dumbledore were to find out…” Tom said carefully.
“I am certain Dumbledore knows, he was the one who bound Harry’s magic when he was just a year old. He set things up so he had full control over Harry’s power and not just his magic but his political influence and his money too,” Lucius said anger creeping into his voice and he stopped speaking. Silence stretched between the two men.
Voldemort studied Lucius carefully. The man had been one of his most faithful followers, he was titled, wealthy and a conservative pureblood. He supported a return to the old ways, and he vehemently opposed all of Dumbledore's proposed laws. If this man had taken in Harry Potter, he must have believed it possible that Harry could be swayed to their side.
“Do you think, Lucius, it might be possible to sway Harry from Dumbledore?” he asked carefully.
Lucius was shocked into speaking. “My Lord, Harry does not support Dumbledore. It was the Headmaster who bound his magic and who left him with his deplorable relatives to be starved and abused. Harry knows about all of the man’s manipulations, the letters written in his name, and the money stolen from his vault. Albus had planned to control every part of Harry’s life, from who his friends would be at school to who he would marry,” he continued his tone hard.
“I thought Harry was betrothed to Severus?” the Dark Lord said with a frown.
“Yes, he is, the contract Albus made was not valid. It seems as though Lord Fleamont Potter and Lord Gilbert Prince made a family betrothal contract just days before James and Lily died. We don't know why they would have done such a thing when there was no previous alliance between the families. Severus believes Lily had a hand in it, however, it happened, and it was very fortunate. Albus was Harry’s magical guardian at the time he made that contract with Molly Weasely, it would have been valid if not for the previous family contract. Though it is possible Arthur would have torn it up when he discovered it, he was not pleased when he found out about it,” Lucius told him.
“I see, and so young Harry is not on the side of the light,” the Dark Lord mused.
“I don't believe Harry is on anyone's side just yet My Lord, but I do know our esteemed Headmaster has failed to gain his trust. I would say Harry’s allegiance is yet to be decided. He is very intelligent and very clever, but he struggled to learn at school due to his aunt neglecting his early education and starving him. Dumbledore hired a tutor for him, Miss Esther Daniels, it might just have been the old fool’s biggest mistake, but it was very fortunate for Harry. Essie taught him how to think like a pureblood, she encouraged his innate Slytherin traits and provided him with the means to keep himself as safe as possible. He has used that knowledge to take care of himself for most of his life. He won't be easily swayed but he will be a powerful ally for whoever manages to sway him. He ran rings around Fudge just a few weeks ago,” Lucius replied smiling proudly.
“Did he indeed, I would like to hear that story,” Tom replied settling further into his chair.
“Certainly my Lord,” Lucius said, settling back to share the story of the day Harry met the Minister for Magic.
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Ginny Weasley woke up suddenly; she was cold and her body ached all over. The wind cut through her thin pyjamas which were damp from lying on the grass and she shivered. She pushed herself up off the cold ground and carefully assessed her body to her relief she was not injured.
The sun had not risen yet, it was just a faint pink light on the horizon, she had to get out of there but she had no idea where she was or in which direction to walk. Looking around carefully at her surroundings she realised she was on the south side of the Castle where Hagrid kept all his animals. Breathing a sigh of relief she stumbled forward towards Hagrid's hut slowly making her way up the uneven path which would take her to the Castle.
The Entrance Hall was blessedly empty as she crept through the huge double doors and made her way up the stairs to her dorm in Gryffindor Tower. This was not the first time she had sleepwalked and woken up somewhere strange, the first time it happened she had woken up on the floor in the second-floor corridor. The second time she had ended up in the girl's bathroom on the second floor. That day she had been woken up by a furious ghost, screaming at her to get out of her bathroom.
Ginny was scared and confused but she had no idea who to talk to about what was happening. Whatever it was that was happening had started after she took Harry’s diary. She was not sure if the diary was the cause of it or not but either way, if she told anyone, then they would take it and then Harry would hate her. There was also a very small but persistent part of her which simply did not want to give the diary back to Harry.
The Fat Lady scolded her as she dragged herself to the common room entrance and gave the password but thankfully she let her pass. She dragged herself up to her dorm, all she wanted to do was sleep. She collapsed onto her bed and drew the curtains, she was so tired she fell instantly asleep. It was not until she woke up several hours later, she realised her pyjamas were covered in rooster feathers.
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Harry was in a pickle, he had lost Tom’s diary. It had been gone for almost three weeks now and he had looked everywhere he could think of to look for it. He had retraced his steps back to every classroom he had a class in, he had searched the library, the Great Hall and the common room he felt like he had searched the school three times over. The worst thing was that his mind was foggy about the diary, like something was blurring his memory of it. He could not remember when he had last had it, he racked his brain but he could not think of anywhere else to look.
The only other possibility was that someone had picked it up after he lost it and that thought made him sick to his stomach. He was reasonably sure by now that the diary was a Horcrux. That was why it had called to him when he took it into his vault. The soul piece in the diary had called to the soul piece in his scar.
If the diary was a Horcrux then the piece of soul it contained would be able to possess someone like the Dark Lord had last year with Quirrell. He had to find the diary, Tom in the diary had tried to push his way into Harry’s head on a few occasions over the summer but Harry had been able to push him out, he was all too aware another student might not have the power to force him out.
There was only one thing he could do now, and that was to throw himself on Severus' mercy. The Halloween Feast was on Saturday night and he was meeting with Severus the day after. Sunday was always a quiet day most Slytherins stayed in their common room but the day after a huge feast the whole school would be quiet. The two had planned to spend the day together in Severus’ quarters while the entire student population recovered from the previous night's festivities. He would confess everything to his guardian and if he was still alive after that he would do whatever Severus advised him to do to fix it.
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The Dark Lord had stayed until late talking to Luicus about Severus and Harry and making plans to collect the diary from Harry’s vault at Christmas. Lucius agreed to ask Severus and Narcissa to continue their research about the elixir; while the Dark Lord would begin searching his library for information. They further agreed to wait until after Voldemort was completely restored to contact the rest of the Death Eaters and plan how to re-introduce Tom Riddle into the Wizarding World.
Narcissa had waited for her husband in their bedroom; the Dark Lord had not called for her to be present so she had stayed away. When Lucius finally came to bed it was very late. He slid into bed behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her and she turned to face him. They did not talk about anything, instead, they wrapped themselves around each other and slept; everything else could wait until morning.
“Severus wants me to see about getting Sirius Black released from Azkaban,” Lucius told his wife the next morning over breakfast.
They had still not discussed their previous night's visitor, which would come soon for now Lucius was trying to keep their conversation normal; this however was very unexpected news for Narcissa.
Narcissa blinked at her husband in repose to his bombshell. “Sirius Black? My cousin Sirius Black?” she asked, shock clear on her face.
“Hmmm, yes him. Severus thinks that Dumbledore allowed him to be imprisoned to keep him from raising Harry. He was named Harry’s Godfather you see, he would have been given custody without any questions. If Black had been able to take him, Harry would never have gone to Lily’s relatives.” Lucius explained.
The woman frowned. “I thought he was the Potter’s secret keeper, I thought he betrayed them. He was found guilty of betraying them to the Dark Lord.”
“That's what everyone thinks,” Lucius agreed. “...but Severus pointed out that Black was never a Death Eater and I have found no record of a trial ever being held. I am beginning to think Severus might be right,” the lawyer replied.
Narcissa shook her head in denial. “Severus hates Sirius!” she exclaimed. “He and James Potter terrorised Severus at school. You know what the two of them did to him in his fifth year!”
“I know and that is apparently why Severus is so convinced. He says Black and Potter were as thick as thieves and there is no way Sirus Black would betray James Potter like that,” Lucius told his wife.
Narcissa hummed she could not dispute that logic. Black and Potter had been insidious bullies but they were tight; they always had each other's backs. “So what will you do?” she asked. She had to admit there was some merit to Severus’ argument, even though she was shocked that he would make it.
Lucius finished his last mouthful and wiped his mouth. “I think, I will go and see Amelia and ask her if she knows anything. She was not the Head of the Department at the time but, she should be able to get some information,” he told her.
Narcissa put her knife and fork down on her empty plate “Right and the Dark Lord?” she asked finally, addressing the elephant in the room.
“There is an artefact which belongs to him, which I sent to Harry’s vault for safekeeping. I will retrieve it for him when the boys come home at Christmas. He wants you to continue your research into the elixir, Severus too as much as he is able to at school. Our Lord is going to search his own library for books on alchemy. Then we will see where we are at Christmas,” Lucius told his wife with a small shrug.
Narcissa gave her husband an incredulous look. “That’s it? That is all he wants?” she asked in a disbelieving tone.
“That’s it, for now at least,” her husband replied meeting her eyes with a guarded expression, which Narcissa had not seen on her husband's face for many years.
Wiping her mouth with her napkin, Lady Malfoy stood up from the table with dignity befitting her station. “Very well then, I shall be in the library if you need me,” she said shortly.
Lucius reached across the table and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. “It will be ok Cissy, I promise,” he told her.
The woman squeezed her husband's hand and gave him a small smile. “You can’t possibly know that Lucius, but I appreciate the sentiment,” she replied and headed to the library to continue her work as ordered.
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The Headmaster was sitting in the Minister for Magic’s office waiting for the wretched man to appear. Fudge had demanded he attend this meeting and yet he had the gall to not be there when Albus arrived. He had a mind to leave again he had many more important things to do today, such as figuring out how to get Harry to trust him.
Ron and Hermione had failed spectacularly and Albus had lost valuable allies in the Weasley family. He also had Augusta Longbottom well and truly offside; she was another pureblood who did not trust him. The Longbottom family had always been neutral in the Wizengamot but Albus knew that anyone who was not with you could easily be swayed against you. It was unlikely Lady Longbottom would join the dark faction but it was one more vote he could not be certain of now.
Albus had obtained an unprecedented level of power after his defeat of Grindelwald, which in truth had barely been a victory. People assumed it was because he was a Light Wizard that he captured rather than killed Grindelwald; the truth was he had been unable to bring himself to kill the man he loved. It was a weakness which he had managed to hide but no one could maintain the level of power he had forever, not without proving his worth. He had to kill the next Dark Lord or his pawn did at least.
Harry Potter surviving the killing curse had been a gift he had not expected to receive but he had certainly milked it for everything he could. Being Harry’s guardian allowed him to control the narrative, people wanted to know that Harry was protected, well-cared for and well-informed. Albus had given them that, and he had used it to his advantage at every opportunity. He might have stretched the truth a little but the result had been that the Wizarding public ate out of his hand.
True, he had not expected his little pantomime to be quite so much of a lie as turned out. Hiring Esther Daniels had seemed to be a good solution to Harry’s academic struggles, no one need ever know he had not been properly educated as long as he could hold his own at Hogwarts. Harry did not need to be clever Hermione Granger would ensure he knew everything he needed to know.
Unfortunately, Harry had been more than a bit downtrodden; he had been forced to fight for his survival. Albus knew that children who were abused at home often developed Slytherin traits. He could admit that Harry was very much like Severus, even a little like young Tom Riddle, but that was essential for him to be an effective, self-sacrificing hero. He would need some cunning and the ability to do whatever it took to succeed in his task. Albus was aware that his own Slytherin traits had kept him in his position of power. However it was his Gryffindor traits which made people trust him, Harry should have had those traits too, if only his blasted Uncle had been able to refrain from beating the boy senseless.
He should have listened to the Daniels women when she came to him. He realised now he ought to have used her differently. He should have allowed her to take the boy out of school and instructed her to teach him to be a wizard and to be the hero the Wizarding World expected. If Harry had known he was the hero of the Wizarding World it would have fuelled the arrogance he should have inherited from James.
Black’s betrayal of James Potter had been unexpected and Albus had never understood why Sirius had turned on his friends. In the end, the reason did not matter. The important thing was Black was out of the way, with Lupin off playing envoy to the wolves and Pettigrew thankfully dead. Albus had never taken to that boy, there was something about him, something that was not quite right.
Albus had not trusted him at all, James was such a fool. Trusting Peter then falling in love with Lily Evan’s; it had been such a relief when the prophecy had been made and Albus realised James would not be the one needed for Voldemort’s downfall.
Harry Potter would be the one Harry’s birth had put Dumbledore back in full planning mode. If Harry was to be prepared for his predestined role Albus had work to do and he had done it.
When Voldemort returned he would face his final downfall at the hands of Harry Potter. However, Voldemort could not return until Harry was ready, and Harry would not be ready if he continued to resist the Headmaster’s plan.
It was fortunate that Voldemort had yet to show his face, though Albus was at a loss as to why. He had the stone after all he should have been able to brew the elixir. It was a complex potion of course but Severus could do it, he had been sure Voldemort would seek out his Potions Master and spy for this reason.
Although, Severus had been there the night the stone was lost, trying to save Albus’ hapless Gryffindors from their misadventure. He had taken Hermione and Ron to Poppy when he found them at the Chess set and then he had returned to find Neville. Perhaps Voldemort had seen him and no longer trusted him, that would be very inconvenient for his plans.
Hermione had reached her wits end that night too. Ron being knocked out playing chess and Neville returning to the infirmary unconscious had been too much for her. It had taken some quick thinking and careful memory modifications to ensure she did not go home and tell her parents the truth. It had been a complete mess and Harry had not even been there.
Dumbledore was still lost in his rumination when Fudge came back to the office and walked in like he had not just kept Albus waiting for forty minutes. “Apologies Headmaster, but something came up,” the man said without remorse. “I have just been to see Amelia and it seems as though we have a few things to discuss,” the Minister continued in a tone Albus could not decipher.
“What things Fudge?” Albus demanded. He had been wrong-footed by the Minister's abrupt return. However, he would not be disrespected; not by Cornelius Fudge, who was, after all, only the Minister for Magic because Albus himself had refused the position. “You can't keep me waiting this long then make demands Cornelius. I am the Chief Warlock, the Supreme Mugwump and Headmaster of Hogwarts!” he said angrily.
Fudge was not impressed. Albus would be lucky if he retained even one of those titles after the coming storm. “Well for starters Headmaster, there is the matter of Harry Potter being left with his mother's muggle relatives. You were the person who did that Albus and you didn't check on him,” Fudge said furiously.
Albus was slightly startled by the attack. “I trusted Petunia to do the right thing. Harry is her nephew, after all, her dead sister's child,” he argued.
Fudge snorted. “You also sent a half-giant to collect Harry from his relatives and then he ends up in the direct care of a former Death Eater.”
Albus bristled “Hagrid is completely trustworthy, as is Severus Snape, I have told you this many times Minister.”
“Hummm well, we shall soon see. There is also the matter of the Potter’s wills. There were wills, Albus, Lily’s has turned up,” Fudge continued his barrage.
Albus opened his mouth but Fudge continued to talk. “Then there is the matter of Harry’s introduction to the Wizarding World. It didn't happen while he was growing up did it? No, it did not, otherwise you would have known he was being beaten and starved.” the Minister raged.
“This is all a slight misunderstanding…” Albus began in his soothing grandfatherly tone.
“Does the name Esther Daniels mean anything to you Albus?” Fudge asked with a calculating look on his face.
Albus paled and Fudge went on. “You see I had young Mr Potter here in my office over the summer. I expected he would know all about the workings of the Wizengamot. You told me he had been taught everything - but he knows nothing, Albus. He mentioned that a woman, by the name of Miss Daniels, taught him to read and write. He told me that before she turned up when he was seven, he could not read and write. Harry did not write those letters, did he, Albus?” Fudge demanded.
“Well Miss Daniels, may have assisted him but I assure you the opinions were Harry’s…” Albus began.
Fudge went red in the face and slammed his fist down on his desk. “She did not assist him,” he spat out. “...and Mr Potter had no opinions, he knew nothing about any of it,” Fudge roared.
Albus sat back in his chair his mind was spinning. What exactly did Fudge mean Harry had been in his office? When had that happened? No one had told him about this, not one of his spies mentioned Harry meeting with Fudge. He knew Severus had brought Harry into the Ministry for the meeting with Amelia Bones but no one said anything about Fudge.
“Cornelius, you are getting all worked up over a small misunderstanding…” Dumbledore tried soothingly.
“Oh, am I?” Fudge snorted with derision. “Well, we shall soon know the truth. Amelia collected memories from Mr Potter and she and her team have viewed them. They won't tell me what they saw but Amelia went to Gringotts today to request Lady Magic’s judgement on your contract with Miss Esther Daniels.”
Albus paled further and said nothing.
“This is not looking good for you, is it Albus? I suggest you start to think about just how you want people to see the great Albus Dumbledore, because from where I am sitting, either you were complicit in Harry’s abuse or you were negligent in your duty as his magical guardian. A role you were appointed to by the ministry,” Fudge ground out, still furious but slightly calmer after his explosion.
Albus did not know what to say he was stunned, he would have to speak to a lawyer, this was not good. It was not good at all.