Secret Snarry Swap: It's Always Potter! Title: It's Always Potter! Author:lav123 Prompted by:flaminia_x Rating: PG Word count: 2,581 words Content/Warning(s): (highlight for spoilers) *Gen/pre-slash, canon abuse* Summary/Prompt: # 25 - Something along the lines of the old trope, Snape finds out about Harry's horrible childhood and is filled with rage/empathy. A/N: This is more h/c than humour. Hope you like it. You mentioned that you don’t mind non-explicit chan. This story is set in Harry’s fifth year but nothing explicit happens.
It's Always Potter!
“Why was it always Potter!” Snape grumbled to himself.
Snape sat in his quarters in the dungeons of Hogwarts staring at the fire, deep in thought.
He hated that Potter brat. It was always him. He did not want to teach him Occlumency and yet he had to. He did not want to keep saving the boy, and yet once more he had to.
He got up and started pacing the floor.
How had he not seen it? The signs were all there. The pinched look whenever he returned after the summers. The flinch whenever Snape moved while giving him a dressing down. Damnation, he knew what to look for and yet he had missed it.
Merlin, the memories in that boy’s head! One after another: seeing him covering away from that fat lump of a man that was his uncle, a child of five having his hand burnt by that horrible Petunia, being bullied again and again by his cousin and, worst of all, the constant darkness.
He needed answers. Tomorrow, that boy was getting detention.
As he got up and prepared for bed, his thoughts were on his childhood friend. As he closed his eyes he whispered, “Forgive me, Lily.”
*****
“You're late again, Mr. Potter! Can’t you be on time even once,” Snape snapped as Harry walked into his classroom to report for his detention.
“I’m a minute late!” Harry said.
“And that is a minute after you were supposed to be here.” As Snape ordered him to get on with cutting the flobberworms that were laid out, he kept thinking that this boy did not seem beaten down. He was arrogant, defiant and cheeky, and yet the memories…they were not lies.
As the boy worked he watched him closely. Dark circles under his eyes, too thin for his age, and short, too. Both his parents were tall. The boy should have been taller. Had he been starved, as well? The rage building in Snape seeped out into his voice and he barked, “Potter! Come here and sit down.”
Reluctantly Harry moved towards Snape and sat on the chair in front of his desk.
“What?”
“You should learn some respect towards your elders, Potter. Now, tell me what your formative years were like?”
“What!” squeaked the boy.
Taking a deep breath and praying for some patience, Snape said, “Your childhood Potter. What was it like? From what I saw...”
“NO!” Harry jumped up, knocking his chair to the floor and started backing up. He looked at Snape as if he was a dangerous beast. His eyes filled with fear. In a voice no higher than a whisper, he said, “No, you…you have never brought up anything you saw before. Why are you doing this?”
“Sit, Potter, and stop acting out. I am here to teach you Occlumency and nothing more. Why would I even pay attention to your vapid thoughts? But the memories of your childhood...”
Once more he was cut off by a vehement, “NO” from the boy.
Snape lost what little patience he had and shouted, “Potter, will you stop these theatrics and sit down. All I’m asking you, stupid boy, is were you abused? To explain, if that is too big a word, were you beaten, starved, ignored, any of the above?”
“Yes, ok! Yes. Is that what you want to hear? Well you will be happy to know that I was starved, beaten, shouted at, whipped, locked up!” Tears were running down his face and his voice started to hitch. “Are you happy now!”
“Happy! You fool, why did you not tell anybody! Why didn’t you go to Dumbledore or Poppy? You do know what they did was wrong?”
“I…I…” The boy looked like someone had just stunned him. He stood shock still and looked at Snape like he was seeing him for the first time. Slowly he took a breath, calming down, and said, “I told Dumbledore that I didn't want to go back. I told him in first year, but he said it was for my own protection. I had to. What else could I do?”
“All right. What about Poppy?”
“She has always wanted to do some kind of full body scan on me, but for that she needs the permission of my guardians. I think she wrote the Dursleys, but they would never open an owl post. So...” With a shrug of his shoulders, he slowly came forward and, righting the chair he had knocked down, he sat once more. “But why are you asking me all this? Why would you care?”
“Mr. Potter as much as I think you are an obnoxious, disrespectful cretin, I seem to have been under some misguided assumptions about your home life and if there is one thing I don’t like, it is not knowing.”
“So you're curious or something?” The boy looked relieved.
“Or something. This may not be known to you, Mr. Potter and I tell you this in utmost confidence; if I hear that you have repeated what I am about to say I shall personally make sure that you live to regret it. Are we clear?”
The boy swallowed, but still said, “Yes.”
Taking a fortifying breath, Snape said, “You know how I feel about that father of yours, but you may not know that your mother and I were…friends. She was …important to me. Hence, as much as it pains me to say this, I feel that I should not let this pass. No child should be treated that badly, and to see that happen to Lily’s child...” Snape shook his head. “No, I cannot let this pass.”
“So, Mr. Potter, what we are going to do is take this to the headmaster. We are also going to call in that beastly dogfather of yours and see if we can come up with a way to get you away from those horrid relatives of yours.”
The boy had visibly tensed at the mention of his father and godfather, but had wisely kept quiet. Now, tentatively, he said, “But what can they do? It’s the only place Dumbledore said that I would be safe from Voldemort.”
Snape flinched at the name, but replied, “We shall see, Potter. Now go. We shall be meeting the headmaster tomorrow.”
******
“Harry, my boy! Come, come sit down. Would you like a lemon drop?” Dumbledore said as soon as Harry walked into the headmaster’s office the next day after school. Harry shook his head declining the sweet and Dumbledore continued, “How are you? Professor Snape said that he wanted a meeting with you, me, Sirius and Professor Lupin. He, however, did not tell me what this was all about.”
Harry looked around, searching for the grim potions master and on spotting him, immediately turned away. Looking at Dumbledore, he said, “It’s nothing, sir.”
“Nothing, Potter!” growled Snape, from the corner he was standing at. “Get this into your head: I am not here to tell tales. I am merely providing you with an opportunity. It is up to you whether you want to use it or not.” Harry looked up at him with surprise.
“Come, my boys! What is this all about? Why all the mystery, Severus?” Dumbledore looked from one to the other with a puzzled expression.
“That is for Potter to tell you, Headmaster. Where is his dog…godfather and friend anyway?”
Just as he said it, the Floo flared and Black and Lupin stepped in. Harry was immediately on his feet and rushed to hug and greet the two men. Once they were all settled, with Black and Lupin flanking Potter's chair, Sirius said, “What is happening, Headmaster?”
“I don’t really know, Sirius. Severus said that it was imperative that we all meet to discuss an issue of great gravity.” Dumbledore turned to Snape, “Now can you tell us, Severus, what this is all about?”
Snape turned and looked at Harry. “It is up to you, Mr. Potter.”
Black was immediately on his feet. He snarled, “You don’t have to do anything he tells you to, Harry. Has he been troubling you?” Not waiting for an answer, he stalked to Snape and grabbed him by his collar and attempted to shake him.
“Get your filthy paws off me, Mutt. I know that your Azkaban addled brain may not be able to understand what civilized behaviour is…”
He was cut off by a soft, “Why? Why couldn’t you just let it be?” Harry had his head down and was addressing the carpet.
Black immediately let Snape go and rushed to his side. “What happened, Harry? Just tell me and I’ll make sure that Snape pays for whatever it is.”
Harry curled up more into himself and said, “I have finally found someone who loves me, Snape. How can I risk that?”
Not waiting for Snape to answer, Black immediately got onto his knees in front of Harry and, gently holding his shoulders, said, “I’ll never stop loving you, Harry. No matter what. You are my godson and are very dear to both Remus and me.”
From Harry’s other side, Lupin leaned forward and put a hand on Harry’s shoulder and said, “Tell us what is wrong, Harry?”
Looking up, Harry, in a soft voice, said, “The headmaster knows.”
With a concerned frown on his face, Dumbledore enquired, “What, Harry, what do I know?”
“You know how the Dursleys treat me. Snape just wants me to tell you that. But I told him! I told him you know.” His voice steadily rose as he spoke.
“Harry, I know that they are not kind to you. I wish they had showered you with love, but at least you are safe there,” Dumbledore said, with regret colouring his voice.
Snape was furious; he stalked up to Dumbledore’s desk and slammed his hand on the surface. “Not kind! You foolish old man! You think you know everything. Well, you know nothing. Just like before, when I came to you asking for justice, you chose to see the bigger picture. Once more you ignore what is right in front of you, but who cares what happens to your pawns, right?”
“Enough!” roared Dumbledore. Everyone fell back, surprised at the fact that he had raised his voice. “Severus, how could you say that? You know I care for you. I regret what happened in the past, but to equate what happened to you with this situation. You cannot make accusations like that without telling me what is happening.”
Snape remained silent. With a sigh, Dumbledore shook his head. “I do not know what brought this on, Severus. But I seriously think you need to take stock of what you are doing. Dragging up the past and playing with students' emotions in the process is reprehensible. I am disappointed in you.”
“Stop. Please stop.” Harry got to his feet and continued, “He is just trying to protect me.”
“Harry…” Black interrupted.
“Really! Please listen. Don’t blame Snape. He just wanted me to tell you that my relatives neglected me, ok? As far back as I can remember, if I said a word out of line in front of my uncle, I would get the back of his hand. If I didn’t finish the chores, I would get his belt. I cooked for them, I cleaned and I did everything that Aunt Petunia ordered me to. I lived in a cupboard for the first ten years of my life and I ate whatever scraps they threw away. I hated it! I hate that when I go back each summer, it just becomes worse. I think that they keep hoping that they will lock me up and then one day they will open the door and just find me dead. But I know it is better than getting tortured by Voldemort. Having faced that creep down, if my choice is between my relatives and Voldemort’s dungeons, I’ll take my relatives. Besides, this way, nobody else gets hurt.” Taking a deep breath he looked up at Dumbledore and said, “But you know all this. I will be a grownup and not complain. I understand what is at stake.”
Dumbledore kept shaking his head. He backed up into his chair and collapsed, looking every day of his age, choked out, “Harry! Merlin, Harry! I did not know. Oh, my child, I am so sorry, I did not know.” Tears rolled down his face and he looked shattered.
“How could you!” Lupin shouted. “I came to you every year as he was growing up and you said he was fine. How could you not have checked?” His eyes had a distinct yellow tinge to them. Turning to Harry he enfolded him into his arms and rocking said, “My cub. My poor little cub. I am so sorry.”
“The blood wards…they…they…” Dumbledore choked out.
“They protected him from what was outside the house. Not from the people within.” Snape said, looking down at the headmaster from the other side of his desk. Slowly he walked around it and put his arms around the old man, who wrapped his arms around him and cried.
“Headmaster! Please don’t cry.” Breaking away from Lupin’s hold, Harry rushed to the headmaster's side and awkwardly patted him on his back.
Looking up, Dumbledore said intently, “I did not know, Harry. I swear on my magic, I did not know. If I had, I would have moved heaven and earth to get you out of there. I am sorry, child. I am so sorry.” Bowing his head, he placed it on Harry’s hand and cried.
“Sirius!” Lupin shouted. They all turned at the alarmed cry.
They found Black foaming at the mouth and Lupin holding onto him. ”I’ll kill them. Let me GO! I’ll kill them all!” Black growled, struggling in Lupin’s hold.
“Calm down, Black. You are not helping,” Snape snapped.
This just riled him up more and he shouted, “Let me go. They are dead.”
“Please, Sirius,” Harry said, “They are my family. Don’t hurt them.”
This got Black's attention. “Harry, don’t say that. They have no right to have done what they did. I shall make them pay. You do not need to protect them.”
“But I want to protect you. If you go after them, I’ll lose you. Please, Sirius, I just got you,” Harry begged.
Sirius slowly calmed down and walked with Lupin up to where the other three stood and wrapped his arms around Harry. “I am so sorry, I did not protect you Pronglet. I should have. I am your godfather and I did not do my job.”
“No. It was not your fault, Sirius. Nor yours, Remus.” Harry drew Lupin into the hug as well.
Snape found himself huddled together with the rest and could not believe he had let himself get into this situation. A group hug! Ah! He slowly moved away but a hand shot out and caught his arm, keeping him where he was. Looking down he saw the hand of one Harry Potter. He looked up and met green eyes filled with a look that had never been directed at him. It was a look of gratefulness, warmth and absolute trust.
Letting himself be drawn near, he thought - Why was it always Potter!