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A Prince in Lion's Clothing	By : Sablesilverrain Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Tom Views: 36570 -:- Recommendations : 7 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything you recognise here. I make no money off of this, and am writing it purely for entertainment. Don't take it too seriously.

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Dumbledore sat in his office, wondering how he could fix this. He’d killed the last of the Selwyns long ago and made it so no one could pin it on him. He’d also taken the embryo the Selwyn woman was carrying and held on to it until the stasis charm he had on it had started to fade. He’d planted the baby into a Muggle woman and watched, not surprised when the baby was found to have magical ability.

Lily had been an exceptional child, even before she had been removed from her true mother’s womb. The only reason Dumbledore had had to kill the Selwyns was because the Imperius curse he’d had Adora Selwyn under had started to weaken. He’d made sure the woman had left all her wealth to him before her death, and when the Imperius started to wear off, he’d seen all that money and artefacts the family owned draining from his hands in his mind’s eye. The woman would change her will as soon as she came out from under the curse. She had stopped trusting Dumbledore years before.

Lily had been the reason the charm had started wearing off. She was resisting the curse from where she was, her magic and her mother’s starting to mingle. The baby was immune to the curse and was making her mother immune as well, at least while she was still inside the woman.

So Dumbledore had had to step up his plan and get rid of the rest of the family before Adora surfaced fully.

It was a miracle, really, that the embryo had survived the long stasis, but it was all ruined now! Harry knew who he was descended from, and all the wealth Dumbledore had acquired from the will of Adora Selwyn would now go to Harry, a true descendent.

Perhaps, Dumbledore mused, all is not lost. He smiled as a thought occurred to him. Harry trusted him. Maybe he’d leave the contents of the vault in Dumbledore’s control, after all. If Dumbledore asked.

*****

Harry frowned at the letter from Dumbledore. The man wanted to talk to him.

He put the short letter in his pocket and ate, heading to Dumbledore’s office once he finished.

He got in and found Dumbledore behind his desk, waiting patiently for him. “You wanted to see me, Sir?”

Dumbledore smiled. “Yes, my boy. How are you doing?” He asked.

Harry returned the smile, determinedly not meeting the man’s eyes. “Fairly well, Sir. I got a letter from Gringotts yesterday. Apparently, the Selwyn vaults have been moved from the control of someone else to my name. I’m really glad, maybe there’s something in there that will give me a clue as to how my mother came to live in the Muggle world. I asked Hermione about it, and she said it was really strange. That the Selwyns died out about seventy years ago, and they had never, at least on record, had any squibs come from the family. Apparently, as soon as they started having fertility issues the next child born was instructed to marry a Muggleborn to refresh the line. Their magic was always very strong as a result.”

Dumbledore gritted his teeth. Damn that smart chit and her research!

“It is strange, my boy, but that is part of the reason I wanted to talk to you. That money was willed to me, to help with the war effort against Voldemort—”

“Oh. Well, if you need money, I can help. Just let me know exactly what you need it for, and I can authorize a loan.” Harry offered. “I need to keep as much as I can, though. I plan to have a big family someday.” He said with a smile.

Dumbledore saw red.

A loan!

The very thought was galling!

“Thank you, my boy, for the offer, but I am sure the Order can get by. You must have research to get back to, the First Task being only weeks away. Don’t let me keep you. Run along, now.” He shooed the boy out of his office.

Harry, for his part, was wondering how stupid Dumbledore really thought he was as he left the office.

For the war effort?

Against a Dark Wizard that had risen to power fifteen years after the last Selwyns had died?

Right.

Pull the other one.

It did beg the question, though, why exactly Dumbledore had been the Selwyns’ beneficiary.

Surely if there had been even the slightest chance of a “Muggleborn” descendent, the vault would have been held in trust for them?

Something was fishy.

*****

A week (and a second Occlumency failure) had passed, and Severus was enraged at the failure and his perceived failures as a Father. He couldn’t get the boy to open up to him at all. All he had discovered so far was that, whatever his block was, it had something to do with his obese uncle.

And that was never a good sign, Severus knew from his experience with abused Slytherins.

So, when Harry came down for his next lesson, on Tuesday, he was met with a strange sight in the Potions classroom. He looked to Severus questioningly.

“You have a block, and I am getting seriously frustrated by it. We are going to take care of this once and for all.” Severus waved to the table set with tea for two and sat in one chair, pulling out a potions vial. “This is Veritaserum.” He said. “It will cause us to speak only the truth.” He tipped the vial and poured a few drops into the tea, then poured two cups, sliding one over to Harry.

Harry took the cup. “Why dose both of us?” He asked.

Severus smiled. “Because, Harry, trust is a two-way street. If you cannot trust me, this will be an exercise in futility, all of it. And I need to learn to trust you if we are to have any kind of relationship at all.” He answered.

Harry nodded.

“This dose will make us truthfully answer one question per sip. One of us will take a sip, and the other will ask one question, anything at all. And the other will answer.” Severus said firmly.

Harry sighed, knowing that his secret was going to come out tonight. Perhaps it was better this way. If the potions master knew what he was sending Harry home to for the summer, maybe Harry could spend the summer somewhere else, anywhere else.

“I will start.” Severus said, surprising Harry. He took a sip, then stared at Harry expectantly.

Harry frowned. “Um. Who do you hate most in the world?” He asked.

Severus’ lip curled. “James Potter.” He answered.

Harry inwardly sighed. No surprise there. Why did he waste his question by asking that? He already knew the answer.

“Sip, Harry.” Severus instructed.

Harry took a sip, wanting to just get it over with.

“Why were you treated so badly at your relatives’ home?” Severus asked.

Harry blinked in surprise, expecting Severus to just jump in the deep end right off. Apparently, they were starting small.

“They hated magic, me, and everything to do with it. I was their scapegoat.” Harry answered truthfully.

Severus simply hummed and took another sip.

Harry wracked his brain for another question, a better one. “Have you ever been in love?” He asked.

Severus closed his eyes, as if the thought was painful, and answered in a tight voice, “Once.”

Harry nodded, took a sip and waited.

Severus opened his eyes, sighed, and asked, “What were your chores at home, and when did you start them?”

Harry shot him a dirty look for the double question. “Everything I could possibly do as soon as I could do it. I cooked, cleaned, gardened, served them meals, all of it. From the age of three for most things, four for cooking.” He said bitterly.

Severus hummed, taking another sip.

“Who were you in love with? Was it my Mum?” Harry asked, hitting Severus with a double question in retaliation.

“Yes, it was Lily. I had loved her since fourth year.” Severus said, sounding pained.

Harry took pity on him and took another sip instead of pushing for more.

“What did your relatives do to you in return for your service?” Severus asked.

Ah, there it was.

Harry winced. “What didn’t they do is the shorter list.” He told the man flatly. “They did everything.” He added, unable to meet the man’s eyes.

Severus drew in a sharp breath. “Everything?” He repeated.

Harry nodded, still staring into his tea. Beatings, starvation, humiliation, names… More.

“Harry, do you understand what you are accusing them of?”

Harry stood up, furiously meeting the man’s eyes. “Not them! Vernon! And yes, I know full well what I am saying, because that’s exactly what he did! And I’m not going to go back there for him to do it again! I’d rather die!” He shouted.

Severus was pale, shaking. “Merlin. He… And I wasn’t…” He covered his face with his hands. “I’m sorry. I should have known sooner, should have been there. I was meant to protect you. To make sure that didn’t happen to you.”

“Well, it did.” Harry said.

“Not anymore.” Severus said, raising his head to look straight into Harry’s eyes. “I don’t care if I have to steal you away in the dead of night, you will not be staying with them this year. Or ever again.” He vowed.

Harry let hope fill his heart, buoy him. “You mean it?”

Severus nodded. “With all my heart. You will be staying with me.”

Harry got up, rounded the table, and hugged the dour man tightly. “Thank you!” He said, choking on the ball of emotion in his throat.

“Don’t thank me.” Severus whispered, hugging him back. “Don’t thank me for failing you.”

Harry shook his head. “I’m not.” He said, tears in his eyes. “I’m thanking you for saving me.”

“It’s too little, too late.” Severus told him.

“It’s enough.” Harry corrected him. “You’re here with me now. Let’s just move forward.”

Severus held him tighter before letting him go and pulling away enough to see his face. “When did… How old…” Severus couldn’t finish the question. He didn’t want to bring up bad memories.

Harry knew what he was trying to ask and smiled sadly. “I was eleven. The first time.” He answered.

Severus let out a pained breath, closing his eyes again. “How often did it happen?” He whispered.

“Just once, that first year. After that, it was every time Dudley and Petunia left the house at the same time. He made sure it happened often enough.” Harry said bitterly.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Severus asked.

Harry scowled. “I did! Dumbledore told me to stop making things up! So I stopped trying.” He finished in a mutter.

Severus’ eyes flashed. “Think of that conversation. Hold it in your head.” He said, drawing his wand and pointing it at Harry. “Legilimens.” He went into Harry’s mind, and was immediately drawn into the memory.

“Sir, is there any way I can stay here for the summer? Only, my Uncle does things to me. Things he shouldn’t do. I don’t want to go back.” Harry said, sounding so very unlike the Harry Severus knew.

He sounded timid, scared. But also, very brave, to be telling an adult something so deeply personal and shameful for a boy of only eleven.

Dumbledore shook his head. “I’m sorry, my boy, but that house is the safest place for you. And your uncle may not be your favourite person, but you should not accuse him of things you don’t even understand yet. Lying is very bad, my boy. It will come back to haunt you if you continue to do so. Run along, now. Go play with your friends.”

Harry left the office, all his faith in the world seemingly draining out of him. The one adult he’d felt he could trust, and the man had accused him of lying!

Maybe wizards weren’t so much better than Muggles, after all.

Severus drew out of the memory, shaking. He’d kill Dumbledore, with his own bare hands!

Harry saw his face and tensed, and Severus forced himself to calm.

“I am not angry with you, Harry. All of that is reserved for Dumbledore right now. You were brave, to tell him. And he should have listened. Instead, he made you cut yourself off from all adults around you. We will discuss this more, and I will help you put it behind you. For now, you should get to your dormitory. Curfew is in fifteen minutes.” He smirked. “I suggest you run.” He said.

Harry snorted and left, taking off down the halls at a brisk pace.

Severus considered things as he cleaned up the tea service and table.

Dumbledore had sent an eleven-year-old back to a home where he was being raped.

The fact that he was Severus’ own son didn’t even enter the equation! Sending any child back to that was not only unconscionable, it was downright evil!

What other things was Dumbledore capable of?

Guilty of?

Severus knew he wouldn’t rest until he had found out all of it.
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A Prince in Lion's Clothing