False Trail
Snape stared aghast at the spider-infested cupboard. His neck ached from the uncomfortable position of stooping down to look under the stairs into the claustrophobic space. The walls were lined on either side with shelves stacked high with cleaning supplies, many of which were labeled with hazardous chemical warnings. The fumes emanating from them enough to make his head spin, or was that the sight of the mattress on the floor?
The ripped and stained thing dominated the floor, even having to be tucked under the rickety shelves on one side to fit in the tiny space. Even so, it was a mattress clearly designed to line the bottom of a crib, not serve as a bed for a six-year-old. Next to the “bed” was a ratty blanket littered with holes, folded neatly as if it were a prized possession. The only things indicating that this space had been used to house a child and not a misbehaving dog were the tiny broken toys on the shelf and a scrap of paper taped to the far wall with “HaRy’s RoM” scrawled in crayon.
The child the sign referred to was standing just outside, wringing his hands nervously. His face was flushed with shame as he looked at the floor not meeting the potion master’s eyes. “See. I told you I didn’t have anything to pack,” he whispered.
Severus cleared his throat and schooled his features. “Do you have any hygiene products you will need?”
Harry looked up startled. “Oh! I should probably bring my soap and Dudley’s old toothbrush. I guess I do have something to pack.” The boy smiled and ran up the steps, coming back with a toothbrush that was missing half the handle and a crumbling bar of soap.
“What is that?” the potion master asked before he could stop himself.
Harry blushed, “Dudley’s old toothbrush. He broke it during one of his tantrums and Aunt Petunia let me have it. The soap is just for me though! She buys it so I can wash all the mud from the garden out of my hair and clothes when I’m done working!”
“Leave them,” Snape growled. “We will stop by the corner shop on the way out.” Harry stiffened at the tone and hurried to obey with a polite, “Yes, sir.” While the boy was upstairs, went into the kitchen fuming. He opened the cabinets, thinking of the poisons he could lace the vermin's food with, but found them all empty.
Harry entered the room hesitantly. “You won't find any food in there, sir,” he said nervously. “Uncle Vernon locked everything in there.” He indicated the fridge. Severus saw red as he took in the padlocked chains encircling the device. The food in there would probably be expired by the time the family retired, but they had locked it out of the child’s reach out of spite.
He had to focus on getting Harry out of this place to calm himself, but he silently promised to return and teach them a lesson once he was safe. Without a word, he took the boy’s hand and led them out the front door and down the street. They were several blocks away before Harry dared to speak. “Where are we going?”
Severus bit the inside of his cheek, trying to rain in his temper so as not to frighten the child. “To the store, I saw not far from here. I don’t have a lot of muggle money on me, but it should be enough to get you the essentials. I will take you to the wixen shopping district tomorrow to get anything else you may need for the duration of your stay in my home.”
Harry looked a little confused but nodded anyway as they entered the small neighborhood grocery store. The store clerk waved at the boy, clearly recognizing him and Harry hurried over to say high. Severus let the boy go but kept an ear on their conversation as he wandered the shelves. The young man at the counter asked Harry about his summer and a few keen-eyed questions about how his family was treating him. Harry easily skirted the questions with practiced ease, instead excitedly telling him that he was getting to go stay with a family friend.
Severus was done shopping and approaching the counter when the clerk frowned. “How long are you planning to stay with this friend? Does your aunt know where you're going to be staying?” the teen asked.
Harry smiled. “Petunia won’t mind if I’m gone, Shawn. You know she won’t” Harry admitted. “I won’t have to stay with the Dursleys anymore after today!”
Shawn stiffened and kneeled in front of the child, unaware of Snape standing just an aisle over. “Harry, how well do you know this man?” he asked urgently. “How do you even know he is who he says he is?!”
Harry frowned at the older boy. “It’s ok, I promise. He says I can come to stay with him for a few weeks while he helps me find a new home.”
The teen looked sickened by the thought, and Severus recognized where his thoughts were headed. Shawn stood abruptly and put a firm hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Harry, I need you to come with me to the back right now.”
Realizing he would not be able to get out of here without causing a scene, Severus thought quickly. He pulled his wand and discreetly disabled the camera over the register and approached the young man. “That won’t be necessary,” he drawled.
The boy turned around to face him, his eyes glinting dangerously as he shoved Harry to stand behind him. “You're not taking him anywhere!” Shawn said furiously.
Seeing no other choice, Severus delved into the man’s mind. He saw flashes of Harry as he came by once a week. Drowning in clothes and looking half-starved. He watched as Shawn joked and laughed with the nervous child. Severus felt the boy's protective anger as he watched the tiny boy struggle to walk home carrying the heavy bags of groceries night after night. He saw Shawn buying Harry food out of his own earnings and making the boy eat it in the store before he left, so he would know Harry had at least one meal that day.
Severus commended the teen for doing what he could for the child. He felt guilty for having to erase his memory, but if Albus figured out where Harry had gone, he would take him right back to his relatives. But maybe… Maybe there was another way.
On a whim, Snape changed tactics. Instead of erasing the teen’s memory, which could often lead to brain damage in muggles, he blurred the memory of Severus’s face. Shawn would remember this night, but not the man he believed to have kidnapped Harry Potter. When he woke, he would probably call the police. An investigation might even lead to the Dursley’s arrest if the neglect and abuse came out. And Albus would be left searching the muggle world for child trafficking rings, well away from anywhere Harry would actually end up. Releasing the boy’s mind, Snape caught Shawn as he went unconscious. He gently lowered the young man to the ground.
“Shawn!” Harry rushed forward, pushing Snape out of the way. “What did you do to him!”
Severus looked into the glaring tearful eyes of Lily’s child and saw a reflection of her formidable protective rage. Harry, it seemed, was like his mother in his steadfast friendships and protective loyalty. “Your friend will be fine,” he soothed. “He will only be asleep for a few minutes. We don’t want the Dursly to know where we have gone do we?”
Harry nodded sadly, moving the teen into a more comfortable position on the floor. “I won’t be able to see him again will I?”
Snape sighed, “Maybe after things have settled down, you can write to him and let him know you're ok.” Harry sniffed and wiped his eyes, but nodded. “Stay here while I alter the footage.”
Severus used some complicated spellwork he learned in the service of the Dark Lord, to alter the camera footage to show a nondescript muggle coming in with Harry and knocking the Teen unconscious before leaving with the boy. Barty had been a bit of a mad scientist, inventing a plethora of spells and charms to help cover their tracks in the muggle world. It was honestly a shame that his father's abuse had led to him running away and joining the opposite side of the war. If the man had not died so young, he could have changed the wixen world, maybe even bringing their magical technology into the 21st century.
Brushing the memory of his long-dead friend aside, Severus came out of the back to find Harry placing a blanket (still rolled up in its packaging) under his friend’s head. There was a note tucked in the store clerk's hand.
Severus picked up the note to make sure nothing was incriminating on it…
Sawn,
I prOmis I wil be Ok. Do’t Wory.
YoR Best Frend HaRy
Severus shook his head. This probably would only make the young man feel worse, but he placed the note back in the boy’s hand. Harry deserved to say goodbye to his only friend.
Gathering up the items Harry needed, Severus placed more than enough muggle currency on the register. “Come along, Harry.” The boy came over and held on tight as directed before Severus Apparated them away.