The Hidden Hero

Harry came slowly awake. At first, his head was fuzzy and he had a vague headache. He sat up in bed and took a cautious sip of water from the glass on the table next to his bed.

As his head cleared, Harry remembered as if in a dream the Healers who had surrounded his bed earlier that day. Wait. Dumbledore had been there too. And Snape, of all the strange people.

With dawning horror, Harry realized that this recollection wasn’t a dream. This had really happened. He dove inside his own head and searched the wall that he was accustomed to seeing there. Yes! There was a door in the wall! A door that had never been there before!

They had tricked him! The bas-ards! They had given him something in the food or drink that Ron and Hermione had also eaten. He remembered that they had looked oddly drugged before the Healers had entered the room.

Dumbledore again! He and the Healers had done this. They had rummaged around in his head. Harry gave a cry of rage. He leapt from the bed, shoved his glasses onto his face and overturned the side table there. The water glass and jug fell to the floor with a crash and water splashed on the floor. Harry gave another cry of fury.

He heard footsteps hurrying toward him. His eyes blazed as he turned to face the door. Two male nurses entered, along with a Healer. They had obviously been expecting his anger. Usually, female nurses attended to him. Without stopping to think, Harry threw himself at the person nearest him. He punched and kicked every inch he could reach. The other nurse came to the aid of his colleague and tried to pull the boy off the other man. Panting as he fought, Harry screamed, “You sons of bi-ches! You bloody bas-ard!”

“Calm down, Harry!” shouted the Healer behind him.

Harry ignored him. “Mr. Potter!” the Healer tried calling Harry’s more formal name but it had no effect on the boy. The teen continued to fight furiously. The attendants struggled to contain Harry without hurting him, but they were getting hurt themselves. The boy was in a rage and impossible to quiet.

The Healer tried again, using his sternest voice. “Mr. Potter! Stop this behavior instantly. If you don’t, we will be forced to restrain you. I’m warning you!”
But, Harry was beyond listening. He continued to swear and throw punches and kicks.

“Petrificus Totalus!”

Harry felt his arms and legs snap to his side and freeze. He was pushed back onto the bed by the attendants, who were wheezing from the fight. He was unable to move and his fury built higher and higher. He felt as if he would burn up with the strength of his rage. Struggling to harnass his anger, he sent his magic outward. It was unfocused and dispersed but strong.

Harry heard shouts above him but was unable to see what damage he had wrought. They had been inside his head! How dare they! Even Voldemort had never done that to him! The one place that was his alone – his mind – and they had invaded it. Harry screamed again inside his head. He sent another wave of unrestrained magic outward and heard more cries.

While he didn’t know what he had done, he was grimly satisfied that he had lashed back at them. Those f’ing bas-ards!

“Finite incantatem.” The body bind holding Harry was released and he jumped up from the bed once more. Looking around he noted with pleasure that the walls were scorched as if they had burst aflame. The nurses and Healer who had initially entered the room looked frazzled.

Healer Moulson had arrived, along with a score of other Healers and nurses. Harry stood shaking with anger and glared at the elderly Healer. From her raised wand, Harry could tell that she had been the one to remove the spell on Harry. She regarded him with troubled eyes and spoke in a quiet voice. “Harry. I won’t attempt to apologize. We did what we had to do. And, you’ve done the same.”

That statement served its purpose. It distracted Harry. What did she mean?

Healer Moulson answered the boy’s unspoken question. She continued in an unhurried manner, her voice at an even pitch. “You entered Voldemort’s mind to read his thoughts. You didn’t ask his permission either.”

Well, hell! That was not the same thing at all! Harry had been trying to find a way to defeat the most dangerous wizard ever known and Healer Moulson was comparing that with her unauthorized access to his thoughts?

“Needs must, Harry,” she continued, her voice carefully modulated. “That’s an old muggle expression. It means that people do what is required.”

“You had no right!” Harry fumed. But, the Healer was relieved to note, Harry’s ragged breathing had started to slow and the flush began to fade from his face. The Healer noticed the signs that Harry was calming down even before Harry realized it himself.

“We do have the right, Harry. We are Healers and we are trying to help you. But, we need not argue about this any longer. The Wizengamot is meeting tonight and they will decide what is to be done with you.”

“What?!” This news took precedence over all else. While the invasion of his privacy was unforgivable, and Harry still wanted to tear St. Mungo’s apart in fury when he thought about it, he was successfully diverted (as the Healer had hoped) from focusing on the incident. His fate was going to be decided tonight by the Wizengamot and Healer Moulson just casually mentioned this in passing!

Harry took an eager step forward. “Why hasn’t anyone mentioned this to me before? What time am I going to the Ministry?”

The witch signaled most of the people in the room to leave. Harry barely noticed. He was wrapped up in the knowledge that he would finally face the Wizengamot. The last time he expected to be brought before them, Umbridge had sent him to Azkaban without a trial instead. While the situations weren’t the same, he was going to have to plead for his freedom now too.

“It won’t be necessary for you to go the Ministry, Harry. They have all the information they need.”

Harry felt a tingle of alarm run down his back. “All the information they need for what?”

“To decide the best course of medical treatment for you.”

“Oh,” said Harry. That didn’t sound too ominous. But, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “When will they decide when I can leave?”

“There’s no question of that, Harry,” said Healer Moulson firmly. “You are an underage wizard and you will not be permitted to wander around unsupervised again.”

“That’s ridiculous!” said Harry. “I’m not a child. I killed Voldemort!”

Healer Moulson couldn’t stop the involuntary shudder at hearing the dreaded name again. But, her voice was steady and strict, reminding Harry of Professor McGonagall, when she said, “Be that as it may, you can stop wondering whether you are going to be allowed to return to the muggle world. The answer to that is no. We wouldn’t have wasted months looking for you to throw you back now that we’ve found you. So stop wasting your time and energy fighting that.”

Harry frowned and shot her an angry glare but seemed to accept what she had said. He sat back down on his bed. The Healer expected that the boy was feeling weak after the amount of energy he had released with his impressive temper tantrum. “When will I hear what they’ve decided tonight, then?” he asked grudgingly, staring at the floor.

“I imagine that you’ll be told tomorrow.”

Harry looked up again with another flare of anger in his eyes. Healer Moulson continued matter-of-factly. “It will be late when a decision is made. It can wait until tomorrow. You’re not going anywhere.”

Harry snorted. He slid himself back into the bed and rested his head on the pillow. The room was starting to spin. Before he closed his eyes, and drifted reluctantly off to sleep, he warned, “Just stay out of my head!”

*

The Wizengamot was out of control, with witches and wizards ignoring the rules of conduct to shout over each other to be heard. The news of the extent of Harry’s “injuries” reported by Healer Moulson and her team had cast a pall over the session early on. But, it was Dumbledore’s proposed solution that had acted as a bombshell.

Scrimgeour rapped his gavel repeatedly until finally the Court settled down. “Ladies and gentlemen! Please! Everyone will have a chance to be heard in due course. We must maintain some decorum.”

Turning to Dumbledore, the Minister said, “I don’t see how you can suggest such a thing! Placing Harry Potter under an indenture! The public would never stand for it!”

Dumbledore squared his shoulders and lifted his head high. “Our choice is between a bad situation or a worse one. I’m not willing to stand aside and let Harry drive himself into an early grave. We are left with limited options. The public will be outraged at first. I trust that we can make them understand that we take this step out of concern for the boy.”

“It’s out of the question!”

“I would be happy to hear any alternative suggestions.” Dumbledore waited and, at the silence, continued. “I do not make this proposal lightly. I am all too aware of what we owe to Harry. But, do not fool yourselves into thinking that Healer Moulson is being an alarmist. We heard what Harry said, during his battle with Voldemort: he said that he wished for death. He repeated this to the Aurors who brought him back from the muggle world. Harry has done so much, seen so much, suffered so much in his short life. But, he is still a child. He is only 16. We must stand in place of his parents to make the right choices for his future. I want to ensure that he has a future.”

Silence filled the chamber. Breaking the silence, Scrimgeour reluctantly asked, “How long would this indenture need to last?”

Dumbledore shared a quick look with Healer Moulson. “It is likely to require at least a year. More realistically, we are looking at longer. I suggest we consider an indenture through Harry’s eighteenth birthday – a little more than a year and a half”

Members of the Wizengamot whispered agitatedly among themselves until called to order once more.

“I was as reluctant as anyone here to consider this proposal,” said Healer Moulson. “But, in addition to helping with the course of treatment, there is another major benefit. We cannot watch Mr. Potter every minute. If he were to actively decide to end his life, I doubt that we could stop him. He is a very powerful wizard. But, once indentured, he would be unable to deliberately harm his person – his very body would belong to his ‘guardian’.”

There was a short silence as the Wizengamot absorbed this information.

“How could this even be done?” objected Scrimgeour. “He is not guilty of any crime. He owes no debt. The magical binding would not work.” He said this last with a note of hope in his voice.

“There is a way around this,” explained Dumbledore. “Technically, as headmaster of Hogwarts, I am his guardian. His parents are dead, his relatives deemed unfit by the Wizengamot, and his godfather, Sirius Black also dead. In the interim period before another guardian is appointed, I am his acting guardian.”

“Are you saying that you could give permission for him to be bound?” demanded Scrimgeour.

“More than that. I would create the premise for the indenture itself. It was not unheard of, in years past, for children to be pledged as servants for the debts owed by their family. I believe that, once we choose Harry’s…protector…it will be a simple enough task for me to incur a debt to that wizard or witch and, as Harry’s guardian, pledge him in payment for that debt. The magical binding would hold.”

A shiver seemed to run through the Court. The incredible idea that Harry Potter – Harry Potter! – would be bound under an indenture seemed somehow more probable with the details of how this would be accomplished explained.

“Who,” Scrimgeour’s voice broke and he cleared his throat and started again. “Do you have someone in mind who would be…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

Dumbledore nodded. “Yes. Severus Snape.”

The headmaster stood quietly as the second firestorm of the night raged around him. He had known that his suggestion was likely to meet with incredible resistance, not least from the potions master himself. Snape had risen from his seat in the visitor’s section of the chamber where he had been sitting with the Weasleys.

“I won’t do it!” yelled Snape. His cries were lost in the general uproar. Snape was furious. That meddling, old fool! Now, it was clear why Dumbledore had requested that he accompany him to the Wizengamot. Snape had come willingly enough, believing that the headmaster had wanted him in attendance in case details of the investigation into Harry’s mind became important. Little had he suspected what the headmaster had intended.

“Are you out of your mind? He’s a former Death Eater!” shouted Scrimgeour.

“Hear me out,” begged Dumbledore. Slowly, the uproar died down and Dumbledore proceeded. “I have the utmost faith that Severus Snape would never hurt Harry. He pledged himself to Harry’s safety when Harry was an infant. He spied against Voldemort at great risk to himself because of this pledge.”

Dumbledore continued to ignore the glares directed his way by Snape. “But, while Severus will not harm Harry, he has the ability to demand of him what most wizards who seek Harry’s well-being will have a hard time doing. The extraction process is painful. Whoever holds Harry’s indenture must be committed to this course of treatment, or what we are doing here is for naught. Severus is a strict disciplinarian, as his students have complained for years.” The light humor failed to relax the somber mood in the Court.

“In this case, discipline is required. While Healer Moulson, her team, and I were looking into Harry’s mind, appalled at the horrific visions we saw there, only Severus used his time to extract one of Harry’s memories. Harry is one step closer to the end of this process. As a skilled legilimens, Severus will be able to perform the extraction himself on any day where Harry cannot be treated by a Healer.

“And, there is another reason that I would recommend Severus for this role. I believe that it is essential for Harry to return to Hogwarts. Not just to complete his schooling, but to mingle with children his own age. He needs friends. He will have to live with whoever holds the indenture. Anyone other than a teacher at the school would mean that Harry would be separated from his peers.”

“Why can’t you be Harry’s…indentured guardian?”

“To my lasting regret, Harry harbors great resentment against me. He views me as the instrument of his childhood abuse and he blames me for not doing more to save him from Azkaban. This indenture will be an enormously difficult adjustment for Harry. I believe that Harry’s distrust of me would add to that difficulty. He bears no particular love or hate toward Severus. He views him as just another teacher at Hogwarts.”

Snape could contain himself no longer. He waved his arms wildly, crossing and uncrossing them in front of him in vehement rejection of the proposal. “I don’t care what reasons there may be to support my taking on the brat.” Gasps from the Wizengamot at this unflattering description of their savior. “You take a lot upon yourself Dumbledore! I have never said that I would agree to be Harry’s … protector… or whatever else you want to call it. I have no intention of being saddled with him day in and day out for months on end. You wouldn’t have to worry about him killing himself! I would kill him!” Snape ignored the angry muttering from the witches and wizards watching. This felt like a personal battle between him and Dumbledore.

At Dumbledore’s lifted eyebrow and quizzical look, Snape snarled. “You know why, old man! He is just like his father! Arrogant! Refusing to listen to rules! Thinks he’s king of the world!”

“Now, now, Severus,” chided Dumbledore, gently. “I don’t think anyone can fairly accuse Harry of believing that he’s king of the world.”

“It’s just a matter of time! He’s the spitting image of his father.”

“He may look like his father, but his concern for others is from his mother. They say that eyes are the windows to the soul. It is Lilly Potter’s soul that is shining through Harry’s eyes.”

Arthur Weasley spoke up, unexpectedly. “I always heard that Lily was arrogant herself and fancied a Quidditch star. That’s why she hooked up with James.”

Snape went wild. “That’s not true! She was the most gentle and loving creature that ever existed. She didn’t care about fame. She only started seeing James Potter because he never left her alone. He was always trying to get her attention. Always sniffing around! He was her second choice! I was her first! She loved me!!”

There was a shocked silence in the Chamber. Snape’s eyes flew wide and he turned an accusing look on the headmaster. He saw the little nod of thanks that Dumbledore awarded Arthur Weasley. Dumbledore had planned this! He had wanted to drive Snape to admit his love for Lily Potter. Snape flexed his hands, opening and unclosing his fists. If only he could wring the headmaster’s neck!

Dumbledore continued quietly, “As I said, I believe that we can trust that Severus will never harm Lily Potter’s son.”

Speaking through gritted teeth, Snape said, “You may want to wrap it up in a nice little ribbon, but you can’t hide what this really is. We are talking about binding this boy to be an indentured servant. Whoever is the Golden Boy’s master will be vilified and hated. I won’t do it!”

“Yes,” admitted Dumbledore. “This task is both an enormous responsibility and an enormous burden. Which is yet another reason why you are the logical choice. Most other witches or wizards wouldn’t be able to stand this pressure. But you are strong. Perhaps one of the strongest and bravest men I know. You have been living with suspicion and dislike for years but have followed your course unflinchingly. And, when Harry is well, you will have proved to the world that you are not a Death Eater by having been the instrument to cure him!”

Scrimgeour turned a considering eye on Snape. “It is true,” the Minister mused, “that it would be best if Harry continued at Hogwarts, maybe making a few public appearances from time to time, so that everyone could be assured that he was doing well. But, basically out of the public eye.”

“So that everyone can pretend blissful ignorance that he’s here unwillingly!” accused Snape.

Far from taking offense, the Minister seemed pleased that Snape understood the situation so well. “Exactly!” the Minister smiled. “Now, I must insist that there be no more outbursts in this Court.”

Obediently, a few witches and wizards raised their hands and waited to be recognized by Scrimgeour. However, there were surprisingly few questions as most of those assembled seemed resigned to the course outlined by Dumbledore. Snape raised his hand and tried to speak further but the Minister refused to recognize him.

Scrimgeour had realized, as Dumbledore had expected him to do, the benefits of distancing the Ministry from the indenture. By appointing Snape to the role, the Minister was hopeful that the whole fiasco could be made to look like Hogwarts business. Harry would return to school and everyone would just view this situation as a teenager being forced to complete his education. Nothing alarming in that.

When all questions had been addressed and the only hand remaining in the air was Snape’s, Scrimgeour said, “Now if there are no more questions from voting members of the Wizengamot, I will call for a vote. All in favor of placing Harry Potter under indenture until his eighteenth birthday without further reference to this Court, raise your hand.”

After counting the votes, Scrimgeour called for objections as well. When the votes were tallied, the majority of the Wizengamot had agreed to the indenture. There was a feeling of palpable depression in the air. A few of the witches had tears in their eyes.

The Minister took a deep breath and shook his head. “I can’t believe that we’re doing this,” he muttered under his breath. He continued aloud, “Does any voting member wish to be considered to hold the indenture?”

No one volunteered. The discussion that night had brought home to everyone the dangers of serving in this role.

“In that case, all in favor of Severus Snape?”

“Wait!” called Snape. “I didn’t agree!”

He was roundly ignored.

There was no need to do a roll call of the objections; it had been unanimous. Snape was chosen.

The potions master narrowed his eyes and glared at all assembled. “You can’t force me!” he spat.

Scrimgeour leaned forward in his seat and turned beady eyes upon the other man. “This refusal to act in the best interests of the boy could be misconstrued, Snape. You could have us thinking that maybe you are a Death Eater after all.”

The threat was clear. Snape turned red from fury but held his tongue.

“Good,” said the Minister, leaning back. “Let’s proceed. There is no point in delaying. It would be best if Harry could be removed to Hogwarts before the public is advised of this… accommodation. Dumbledore, I look to you to perform the ceremony by tomorrow morning.”

Dumbledore inclined his head in agreement. With a few more words in closing, Scrimgeour brought the Wizengamot session to an end.

The Weasleys, seeing the look on Snape’s face, left as soon as they could, although they would have liked to speak with Dumbledore about Harry.

Snape stalked over to Dumbledore. A lesser man would have drawn back in fear. “You!” Snape began. Dumbledore lifted an eyebrow in interest. It made Snape even more angry. “You…you…think you can just pull our strings and have us dance to your tune!”

Calmly, Dumbledore replied, “You, more than anyone, know that some scars can sear the soul. While Harry is too angry to be able to think clearly now, there may come a time when he would welcome guidance and understanding from someone who shares some of the same experiences.”

“I don’t care! He is not my concern!”

Dumbledore looked stern. “Should I remind you that you are partly to blame for Harry’s lack of parents?”

Snape turned pale. “That was low!”

“My principal concern is not your sensibilities, Severus. That boy deserves to be happy. I will not be squeamish about taking whatever steps I believe are appropriate to help achieve that end. Now, let us discuss how I will incur a debt to you that will be satisfied by the indenture.”

*

Harry was awakened the next morning by a nurse informing him that he was shortly to have visitors. She told him to get dressed. Harry was eager to know what the Wizengamot had decided the night before. The fact that he was being allowed out of hospital clothes must mean something, but what?

When Dumbledore and Snape entered his room, Harry recalled the last time he had seen them. He felt his anger rise at how they had entered his mind but he forced himself to hold his tongue. He contented himself with giving them an angry glare and refusing to greet them politely.

Snape seemed pissed off too. Harry wondered why. It wasn’t as if Harry had tried to enter his mind without invitation!

Dumbledore led the conversation. “Harry, there are so many things I want to say to you, I don’t quite know where to start.” Harry refused to speak but Dumbledore had not been expecting this meeting to be easy. “I have long wanted to apologize profusely for so much of the past. Leaving you with your relatives, not trusting you as Mark Twist, not protecting you from Azkaban. There were reasons for all of my actions but the result is that you suffered. I can only say I’m sorry for all that has happened.”

“Sorry doesn’t begin to cover it!” Harry burst out.

“I know,” admitted the headmaster. “I don’t really expect you to forgive me. Someday, you may understand that people in positions of power are sometimes forced to make very difficult decisions.” The teen took on an obstinate expression, clearly unwilling to forgive.

Dumbledore sighed regretfully. It was too much to expect a boy of sixteen to understand the terrible dilemmas that a leader might confront. Dumbledore knew that, if faced with the same decisions again, he would make the same choices. But, that didn’t mean he didn’t regret the consequences of his choices. Looking at the too thin, pale boy standing so proudly and defiantly in front of him, Dumbledore wished that he could banish the shadows haunting those bright green eyes. Instead, he knew that Harry would soon believe that Dumbledore had betrayed him yet again.

Well, he had never been one to shrink from following the necessary course of action. So, taking a breath, he continued, “I am also sorry, Harry, for having invaded your private thoughts. Once again, you have every right to be furious. But, as I believe Healer Moulson has already explained, we took this step in the firm belief that you are at risk and we need to intervene to provide you with the necessary medical assistance.”

Harry’s jaw clenched. “I don’t need any help. I certainly don’t need anyone poking around in my head. You had no right to be there.” Harry’s voice became louder as he kept talking.

“I am sure, Harry, that you would like to continue to express your extreme displeasure with us about what happened yesterday. However, as you are aware, the Wizengamot met yesterday night. Would you prefer to take this opportunity to yell at us or should I tell you what was decided by the Wizengamot?”

Harry tightened his lips in annoyance and waved for Dumbledore to continue speaking.

“All right, then, I will not keep you waiting. It has been decided that you will return to Hogwarts to finish your education.”

Harry considered this. It was not unexpected. He wasn’t happy that he was being forced to do anything, but returning to Hogwarts was certainly preferable to remaining at St. Mungo’s.

Harry nodded curtly in understanding. Dumbledore continued. “While at Hogwarts, you will need to continue a course of treatment. That treatment entails loosening some of the memories that you have.”

Harry was confused. Giving up the silent treatment, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“Some of your memories are acting like a poison in your mind. We need to reduce the effect of those memories by easing how deeply they are embedded.”

Harry started to look alarmed. Dumbledore went on. “When we visited your thoughts yesterday, were you aware of how Professor Snape scraped at one of your memories?”

“Yes,” whispered Harry. He recalled the horror of the memory that Snape’s probing had made him relive and the pain from whatever Snape had been doing.

“That particular memory, while still horrific, is not seared into your thoughts with the same intensity as before. This same process will need to be done with many more of your memories.”

Harry staggered backwards. “No!” He understood. They meant to go inside his thoughts again. They meant to see his private memories.

Dumbledore continued as if not interrupted. “While at Hogwarts, you will meet daily with Professor Snape or a visiting Healer for about an hour. They will work to loosen the hold these memories have on you so that, over time, they will no longer overwhelm you.”

Harry shook his head in mute rejection. Dumbledore turned to Snape and, addressing the potions master, asked, “Are you willing to accept the service of Harry Potter in satisfaction of my debt?”

Looking like he would spit nails, Snape said, “I am.” It was the first time that Snape had spoken since he entered the room.

Dumbledore swished his wand through the air and Harry felt a strange humming throughout his body. His heart gave a little squeeze and his breath caught in his throat. He reached up a hand to soothe his throat but the sensation had already lifted.

Harry wasn’t sure what had happened but he was alarmed. “What did you do?” he asked. “What’s happening?”

“I do not want you to be alarmed, Harry…” began Dumbledore.
“People are always saying that to me before they do something I don’t want them to do!” snapped Harry.

The headmaster smiled. “You are no doubt right, Harry. But, it is nonetheless true that everything we are doing, we are doing with your best interests in mind.”

“I am the judge of what is best for me!”

“I regret having to disagree. It is the irritating habit of adults to believe that they know better than children.”

“Just like you thought it ‘best’ for me to go to Azkaban?!” Harry accused furiously.

Dumbledore’s smile disappeared. “Harry, leaving you in Azkaban was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. For what it’s worth, I want you to know that we tried to free you, but we failed.”

Harry looked at Dumbledore intently. Was it true? Had Dumbledore tried to save him?

The headmaster continued. “I know that you’ve paid the price for many of the decisions I’ve made to help us defeat Voldemort. And now, I fear that you will once again feel that I have betrayed you. But, I promise you, I care about you and am only doing what we believe necessary to help you.”

Aware of Dumbledore’s ability to be completely ruthless, Harry’s eyes widened in panic. “What do you mean? What have you done?” he asked softly in alarm.
Dumbledore hesitated. Harry’s anxiety built. It was so unusual to see the headmaster unsure of himself.

“Just tell him, for Merlin’s sake!” urged Snape.

With two sets of angry eyes focused on him, Dumbledore felt it would be wisest to finish the explanations quickly. “The Wizengamot has agreed to appoint Professor Snape as your guardian of sorts until your eighteenth birthday.”

Snape snorted. “Oh, this is ridiculous,” he said. Taking over, he explained, bluntly, “Potter, you have been indentured to me for the next year and a half. During that period, you will obey my orders, which will include the order for you to open your mind for the Healers and myself to be able to loosen the memories that are causing you to have a death wish. There!”

Harry swayed on his feet. There was a horrible ringing in his ears. He had the horrible and humiliating sensation that he was going faint as he had done when he had been accused of killing Professor Moody.

He waited for the lightheadedness to pass. He swallowed hard and looked back at the older wizards. They were waiting for his reaction. Harry gathered up his dignity and, trying to maintain his composure, said bitterly, “Is this how I am to be repaid for killing Voldemort?”

Dumbledore refused to back down. “No, Harry. You will be repaid through receiving the gratitude and love of the wizarding world.”

Harry ignored this. “You’re unbelievable! How could you do this to me?” He forced himself to think clearly. “And that spell you just performed. It’s already done?”

Dumbledore nodded. “Yes. You are now bound to Professor Snape.”

“What does it entail? Do I have to … clean his rooms, make his meals?” Harry thought back to the chores he had to do while at the Dursleys.

Snape spoke up. “If I wanted to you do those things, then yes. You would do that, and more. But, I have no desire to see your presence any more than strictly necessary. You will attend Hogwarts as a student. You will continue to reside in Gryffindor Tower. You will come to my office every day at 8 o’clock at night for your treatment. Either I or a Healer will be there.”

“But, if you ask me to do anything, I must obey?”

“There are parameters. I cannot ask you to do something illegal, for example.”

Harry looked at Professor Snape with new eyes. He had never liked Snape but he had never disliked him as much as his fellow Gryffindors either. Now, this man was in control of him. Would he be mean and controlling like Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon?

“Do you promise not to order me to do anything other than for this memory thing that Professor Dumbledore was explaining?”

Snape shook his head. “I do not make any such promise. The reason we have had to take this extreme step, Potter, is because of your refusal to listen to your elders. Your refusal to act rationally. There may be other situations where you will need to do as you are told.”

Harry clenched his teeth. “Any time I disagree with you, you will say I need to do as I am told!”

“I will make no promises. However, I will try not to abuse the position in which I find myself. I can assure you, Potter, I have no desire to hold your indenture.”

Something in his tone made Harry realize that Snape was telling the truth. It made him feel marginally better that the professor was not happy about this situation.

“Gather up your things, Harry. We should be leaving,” said Dumbledore gently.

Harry shrugged. “I’m ready.” There was nothing that he needed to take, as he had already changed into a wizard’s robe that the hospital had provided. He had no personal items with him. Thinking of a new worry, he asked, “Will everyone know? You know? That I’m a…a servant?”

“You will not be treated as a servant, Harry,” said Dumbledore.

Once again, Snape was more blunt. “They will know of the indenture. It is sure to be reported in the Daily Prophet.” Seeing Harry’s stricken expression, the man softened slightly, and continued, “We will not stress the fact nor will you be asked to perform such duties as will remind them of your status.”

Harry flushed in humiliation. He closed his eyes and swallowed. When he opened them again, he gave no hint of his dismay. With a proud and haughty stare, he told the watching wizards, “I am ready to leave.”

Dumbledore hesitated. He wished that he had words of comfort to offer the boy but he suspected that Harry would not be receptive to anything he had to say.

Snape, in his typical gruff manner, said, “Come, Potter. You should be worrying less about your having to obey orders I may give you – which you should do whether you are under a spell or not -- and more about whether you will be able to pass my potions tests considering your lack of schooling the last year and a half.”

And with those cheering words, the potions master turned and led the way out of the room.