Adopting Fate

They were up to something.

Whether it be James Potter has rose from the grave to darken Severus’ doorstep once more. Or someone who somehow made a Polyjuice potion of the bane of his childhood. Or a shapeshifter. Or he was dreaming. It did not matter.

James Whoever-he-really-was Potter and the chit were huddled together on a hospital bed in the hospital ward…plotting. After Snape had called the boy out on his outrageous lie, they had clammed up. Guilty, of course. Of course.

The logical course they all seemed to agree on, was that they should head to the hospital wing, and let the matron, Madam Poppy Pomfrey, look over the teens. They were looking a little worse for wear, and the potion master did find them in the middle of the forest, passed out cold.

Snape had showed them, he snorted, for they clearly knew the way, to the hospital wing, and had pushed them none-too-gently onto beds before stalking to a corner and perching there -suspicious and annoyed because he’d left his basket of ingredients behind, while Poppy did her thing. She ran test after test, frowning and running some again. Asking questions of both the children and of Snape. The children were dodgy with answers.

Because they were guilty and clearly up to something.

Severus Snape knew it.

Madam Pomfrey finished her seemingly endless scans and went to her office to go over them again. Snape remained in his corner and the children soon merged to one bed, huddled together, whispering. The potion master narrowed his eyes.

Guilty.

Up to something.

The matron stepped to her doorway and caught Severus’ eye and he swept into her office, closing the door behind him. He ignored her gesture to take a seat, and instead perched himself where he could see out the office window. Watching.

He made brief eye contact with the boy, whose eyes widened in alarm, before he looked down, and leaned towards the girl. Whispering. Up to something. Guilty.

“Severus.” Poppy pulled his attention away from the teens once more, “We need to find out about these children. Their scans. I can’t. I’m not sure. I don’t know.” She paused frustrated, “We need to talk to someone. Preferably someone in the ministry. Someone who can handle childcare. Someone who specializes in child abuse.”

Snape’s gaze sharpened on the matron and she cleared her throat, “The boy has years, and years of malnourishment. And a whole hornet’s nest of side effects from that. Where ever he’s been brought up, the years have been unkind to him, and I suspect the people who raised him, were even unkinder. He had a curse of some sort very early in his life, has minor injuries cropping up here and there until he’s around Hogwarts age.” She paused, took a breath and held out the papers from her scans, “He has basilisk venom in his system, where would one even get that. I’d ask how he could even survive that, but he also has Phoenix tears in his system.” She looked out towards the children, “He’s been tortured, a few times throughout his teens and very recently with the Unforgiveables. Someone has carved “I must not tell lies.” into his hand.”

“Bloody hell.” Snape’s legs almost seemed to give out and he sat hard on the end of the desk. He suspected that Poppy was being lenient because she said nothing about it.

“The girl” she shifted in her seat, “Much better childhood, a few scraps, bumps and bruises. Something you’d expect from a normal childhood. Treated the muggle way, suggesting she’s at least a half blood, more likely a muggle born.” She bite her lip, “She also has basilisk…residue…in her, not venom, more like she was petrified. She’s also been recently tortured. Recently starved. Someone has carved ‘Mugblood’ into her left arm. They used the Cruciatus Curse on her.” Pomfrey took a deep stuttering breath.

Snape could understand how she felt, “They are just teenagers.” He breathed out, “Who would use the Cruciatus curse on them? I haven’t heard of any sort of attacks from the old crew.”

Poppy laid a hand on his forearm, “They used all three on him.”

“Impossible. There have been no known survivors, except for…which is impossible…unless….aging potion? But they wouldn’t know how to make that their first year.” He said, talking in almost riddles, trying to work the puzzle through. “Call Minerva, have her check that her precious Lions are in bed, just as I suspect them to be.” He turned his glare to the children once more, “and once we prove that that isn’t remotely possible, we drag the truth out of them.”

^v^

Minerva McGonagall swept through the office floo, and demanded answers on why she had to check on her lions. They were, of course, where they were supposed to be, sound asleep. It was the middle of the night after all.

Poppy went through the list, Severus interjecting where necessary, as they all stared out the office window to the children. While they waited on Minerva the children had been whispering quietly. The boy kept watch on the adults in the office, meeting Snape’s glaze a few times. Through the glass he could see the boy encourage and even prodding the girl to rest. He gently pushed and pulled until she was laying on the cot. Laying on her side, curled tightly in a ball, tightly against the boy as if she could crawl inside him. Snape, from this angle could just barely see her wand tightly in her hand.

The boy had started off keeping a keen awareness of their surroundings, glancing around the room often. Then every so often. Then his chin started to tilt forward, jerking back abruptly a few times, before it settled against his chest. His eyes closed. His wand in his lap, his right hand resting over it. His hand looked relaxed, but Snape was willing to bet it was not. What had caused them to be so war wary? They were far too young to had been through the last war. And there had been no uprisings as far as Severus knew. But something obviously happened.

“…Verus?” The Transfiguration teacher called him back to attention, and he realized he’d zoned out of the conversation.

“Yes?” He asked turning back to his coworkers.

Minerva straightened in her chair, “We were discussing what our next step should be. Dumbledore is still out, not expected to be back until Halloween Eve, we can’t wait that long to handle this.”

Severus wanted to tell her it was her job, as Deputy Headmistress, but refrained. He was tired and cranky but understood that this couldn’t wait, “We should blood test them.” That would be the quickest way to get answers. “One of us will have to take them to Gringotts to get tested.” He looked meaningfully at his fellow teacher hoping to convey it was up to her.

“You’ll have to do it.” She said either not reading him right, or not caring, “I can’t leave the school unattended and it wouldn’t be in our best interest for Poppy to leave either, just in case.”

Snape ground his teeth, “Of course Minerva, first thing in the morning.” He turned his attention to the kids, “Should we separate them?”

“I don’t think it will cause any harm to let them rest together, I doubt they would get any rest apart.” Poppy said.

Snape nodded his agreement, and took his leave. Tomorrow would be another day. He walked out the office and through the ward, just as he reached the door, he felt a presence behind him. He whirled around. There was the boy.

“Sir.” He said in a tone that Severus couldn’t identify, he reached into a bag that the girl had been carrying and pulled out a basket. Severus’ basket, “You accidently left this.” The boy held it out to the potion master.

Snape reached out and took it and no sooner the boy was scurrying back to the bed, climbing on carefully and shifting himself until he nearly cocooned the girl. Wand on his lap, hand resting in that deceptively casual way.