Severus was furious. But it was an understatement. He stalked through the empty roads of London. The cold wind of the night swept past him, failing to sooth his anger. He has never felt anger this intense before today. Not when Potter and Black bullied him, nor when Potter boasted about Lily dating him. The rage he felt inside him was unmatched and he was holding himself back from murdering someone and ending up in Azkaban.
He looked around before entering the phone booth.
6-2-4-4-2
Everything in the universe was testing his patience. Why were the phonebooth elevators so slow? It’s magic. It’s supposed to be faster. Severus mentally rolled his eyes as he walked into the ministry in long strides. The dark wooden floor stretched in front of him in the minimal candle lights and Severus couldn’t help shiver at the dingy familiarity. Maybe he’ll appreciate the infrastructure better when he is in a calm mind. Pushing aside his thoughts, he looked around the empty atrium and realized for the first time in the past hour that it was too early to visit the ministry. Too early. How did he expect to meet anyone at the ministry before the work hours? The only people present would be the Aurors on the night-shift and some security guards at various levels. Severus huffed, pinching his nose and trying to think with a clear mind.
It sounded absurd to wait until the working hours, what with there being three more hours to the start of the day. No! He can’t wait that long. Striding towards the nearest wooden wall lined with numerous floo channels, Severus dug out some floo powder magically stuck to the wall beside the fireplace.
Amelia Bones
He waited. His feet tapping impatiently on the dark wood. His fingers curled and uncurled. After what felt like hours to Severus, the floo connected and he could see Amelia’s head floating in the fire.
“Severus Snape?” She looked confused and shocked at the same time. “What an ungodly hour to make a floo call!”
“I apologize.” Severus fought to hide the flush. “It is a matter of importance and could not have waited until the working hours.”
Ameli grumbled. “I am sure one of the Aurors would have helped you if you were in some trouble, Mr. Snape.”
“Madam Bones, it is not I who is in some trouble. I come with concerns about one child.”
“Child?”
“One, Harry Potter.” Severus whispered, not missing as Bones’s eyes widened at the mention.
“What about him?”
“May we talk in a more private setting?”
A mere seconds later, Amelia replied, “Move aside, let me through.”
Amelia and Severus walked towards her office in the DMLE and shut the door behind them, both of them putting up their own privacy wards.
“What is—”
“I believe Harry Potter is not being taken care of.” Severus blurted out as he slumped into an empty chair. Amelia sat across from him behind her desk, her gaze scrutinizing him.
“Severus, Albus Dumbledore had stated that Harry Potter was placed under the care of capable hands under some blood wards that would protect him from the Dark Lord and his followers. According to Albus, his residence is kept a secret, so tell me, why do you believe he is being abused?” Amelia was never the one to beat around the bush. She meant business and justice. Which is why Severus knew whom to find for his troubled conscience.
“I have been watching him for the past two days and I can assure you it is not pleasant.”
Amelia glowered at him, “If this is some nasty joke, Mr. Snape, I will have you know that I will not entertain it. Mr. Potter’s whereabouts have been concealed strongly under strong wards and charms that have rendered even my most-skilled Aurors and Unspeakables helpless at the task. So, explain yourself when you say you have been watching him for the past two days. Surely he is not at Hogwarts.”
“No, Madam Bones, he most certainly is not at Hogwarts. You see, I had taken a vow to protect little Mr. Potter. While I was unaware of his whereabouts, I did have constant painful aches that I ultimately realised were because of my vow. Albus will not disclose Potter’s whereabouts which left me on my own to search for him and make sure he was doing fine. It is not a lie when I say I had searched every possible place I thought he’d be placed at before I ended up at his current residence.” Severus sighed defeatedly as he inched closer to the table. “His current residence… it is the last place I expected him to be at. Merlin knows I did not even remotely consider it an option before failing at all other options.”
Severus knew he was letting his vulnerability show but for the first time he was unbothered by it. His mind was riddled with the child’s safety.
“He is placed under the care of his magic hating relatives. It is an understatement to say that they are treating him horribly. He is hardly three but it is certainly not affecting his relatives from mistreating him.”
“You said you have been watching over him for two days. What stopped you from rescuing him and coming to me?” Amelia asked gravely, now in a rather less hostile way.
Silence ensued as Severus collected his thoughts. “You know it has hardly been a couple of weeks before I was released from Azkaban. Witches and wizards hold a grudge. I am still a death eater to them. If I had rescued Harry from his relatives and anyone were to find out about it, they’ll assume I was finishing what the Dark Lord couldn’t and would try to take Harry away, in their possession. Coming to you was a choice I made because I believe if anyone were to defy Albus and stand up for the right, it will be you.”
“You believe Albus knows about the abuse?”
“I do not have any proof of it but I am certain he does.” Severus was furious at Albus when he repeatedly brushed away his concerns for Harry. The last straw was when he had suggested mistreatment and Albus had said that it may have been due to his relatives’ duress and that it wasn’t something to worry about. Albus promised him that he was regularly checking up on Harry and if he still thought that Harry wasn’t abused, Severus knew he had to make a choice and not let Albus know of it.
“Severus, correct me if I am wrong but I understand that you want my help to rescue Harry from his abusers and you want to take him under your wing.” Severus’s breath hitched. Yes, he did decide to take Harry with him but hearing it from someone else makes it feel more real.
Is he ready for it?
Will he be able to raise Harry?
What if he fails to be a good guardian?
There were so many questions haunting him. He looked at Amelia and he knew for once that he might not be a perfect guardian but he will be trying his best to keep Harry safe and happy.
“You are right.” Severus mumbled.
Amelia looked at him with concern and a hint of guilt as she continued, “I understand your reasons are pure but may I request a use of veritaserum? I can keep this between us with the results filed away with me. I suggest it as a precaution if in future anyone decides to question your actions regarding Harry Potter.”
Severus froze in his seat. Veritaserum. Chill ran down his spine. While he has no ill intent towards little Harry, the use of veritaserum brings back nasty memories about his stay in Azkaban. Thankfully once Amelia took over as the head of DMLE, all convicted Death Eaters were given a trial and he was able to roam freely because of his confession as being a spy for the light.
“Severus?” Severus shook himself out of the past horrors and looked at Amelia with a renewed determination. “I’m fine with your suggestion.”
A couple of hours later, Severus found himself leaving 4, Privet Drive with Amelia Bones and a little bundle in his arms wrapped in a conjured warm blanket. He took a last look at the house where they had taken down wards with a precision to not alert anyone and later obliviated the muggles of Harry’s existence. Severus knew what they had done will be considered illegal on many levels but they had taken as many necessary precautions as they could. The final safety precaution is taking Harry to Gringotts and legally adopting him. Severus smiled down at the little boy in his arms as they crossed the wards and headed back towards the apparition point.
“You’ll be safe and loved, my little monster. I promise you.”