Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Left For You	By : Araea Swiftwind Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 24796 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and in no way reflects the views of J.K Rowling or the affliated companies that own Harry Potter. I make no money from the writing of this story and do this of my own volition for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
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Title: What Lies Beneath

Author: Araēa Swiftwind

Pairing: Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, Neville/Luna

Rating: M as precaution

Warnings:Language, adult themes, AU, slight OOC, slightly against Dumbledore, slight Weasley bashing, Hermione bashing, pureblood idealism, evolution of feelings in preteens and the discovery of sexual activities by minors, and probably some other stuff I haven’t through of yet. You have been warned. (I also reserve the right to omit anything that is in the warning from the story if I decide that it just doesn’t fit. I may or may not change the warning to reflect the absence of stuff.)

Notes: So, I’ve been getting a lot of comments that seem to be hinting that they don’t like or understand Harry’s eloquence. I just want to say that, after living with Severus for a month, it should be safe to assume that Harry is going to have a much better vocabulary and sense of propriety. Severus is not the type of man who will allow a child to whine or speak in half sentences. And from here on out, Harry will be spending a lot more time with the Malfoys, who we all know never allow Draco to speak like a heathen. (And, if you’ve ever actually spent time trying to teach children manners and propriety, you will find that it really doesn’t take as long as most people think, and can be quite easy, depending on the child.)

< @ @ @ >Chapter Two< @ @ @ >

A week after Harry had convinced the Malfoys to take care of him while Severus was teaching at Hogwarts, he approached his guardian to ask him about magical adoptions. Harry was nervous about broaching such a subject with the dour man, but he felt the need to assuage his curiosity. He climbed the stairs slowly and knocked softly on the door to the potions laboratory.

A voice called out through the door, impatience clear in every word. “What is it, Harry? I’m in the middle of a complicated potion.”

Harry winced and looked down at his feet; ashamed at interrupting the potions master when he was clearly busy. He had been told time and time again not to bother the man while he was brewing unless it was an emergency. He was starting to think that asking about something so delicate at a time like this was a bad idea. Losing his nerve, the boy turned to walk back down the stairs and look at books in the library. The door opened before he could turn all the way around and he found a scowling Severus looking down at him.

“If you are going to knock on the door and interrupt my train of thought, the least you could do is state the reason for the interruption.” The man was clearly irritated at having been drawn away from his work. Harry could see past the man’s legs the workbench against the far wall. Looking up just a bit more, he could see the softly simmering cauldron sitting above a low flame. The smell of henbane, mugwort and dragon liver permeated the air, almost making Harry gag.

The raven-haired child gulped and swiftly looked back down at his shoes. His eyes were watering from the intense fumes that were wafting out of the room. He sort of felt like he deserved the discomfort, though; it was never a good idea to bother Severus when he was in a bad mood. Harry thought he really should have known better than to pester the man while he was brewing.

“Harry, I will only ask you one more time. If you force me to wait on the answer beyond that, you will be severely punished; do you understand me? Why did you interrupt me?”

The too-thin child took a deep calming breath and looked up into the obsidian eyes of his guardian, his own eyes still watering and his chest tight from the fumes. “I had wanted to ask you about magical adoptions and what you thought of them, but I see that now really isn’t a good time, so I’ll just go downstairs and entertain myself until you are done.”

Finely arched black eyebrows rose towards Severus’ hairline. He hadn’t expected Harry to know anything about magical adoptions, nor had he expected the boy to come and speak to him about something so serious and delicate. He knew the boy was more intelligent than most children of the same age, but it never ceased to amaze him when the child said something so mature.

“Harry, who was it that told you about magical adoptions? I don’t recall Lucius or Narcissa bringing it up while they were here. Did Draco mention it while the two of you were playing in the garden?” The black eyes held a hint of curiosity in them, urging Harry to respond truthfully.

“Yes. He said that they weren’t that complicated and that if you magically adopted me, then not even Headmaster Dumbledore could take me away from you. And I’d never have to go back to my relatives’ house again. But, I told him that just because it makes logical sense to do something like that, doesn’t mean you’d actually want to. I also told him I’d ask anyways.”

The sallow-skinned man nodded in understanding. The boy’s nervousness was obvious in the way he was shifting from foot to foot and the way he was having trouble maintaining eye contact.

Harry felt that Draco was getting his hopes up, but being as young as he was, he couldn’t stop himself from wishing it weren’t so. So he asked, knowing—or at least assuming—that he wasn’t going to get the answer he was looking for.

Severus turned and looked back at his quietly simmering potion, weighing the necessity of finishing it against the importance of discussing Harry’s fears. With a sigh, the man realized that his potion would have to wait. If he didn’t explain the adoption process to Harry, the boy would continue to wonder what might happen, and dream of what could. He casually flicked his wrist and put the potion under a stasis spell, preventing it from moving on without him.

The man adopted a more genial expression than he normally wore, knowing that the upcoming conversation was going to be difficult and most likely end fairly poorly. “How about we go downstairs and discuss this, hm? I’ll make some tea and see if I can’t explain the process to you in a way that will make sense. The Wizarding world can be quite complex, and even though you are a brilliant child with a sharp mind, some things just take more effort to understand.” He placed his hand briefly on Harry’s head and slightly ruffled the boy’s already mussed hair. With a slight smile, only barely visible, he preceded the boy down the stairs and into the kitchen.

A few complicated flicks of his wrist later and Severus had a pot on to boil and cups, saucers and tea bags floating out of the cupboards. They all landed with soft sounds on the kitchen table, awaiting the water. The man let out a solemn sigh and steepled his fingers, making sure that Harry was looking at him and not the floor before he began.

“Draco was right about magical adoptions usually being quite easy. In most cases, the person seeking to adopt the magical child simply writes a letter of intent, signed in their blood, and it is processed and approved. In some cases, the process takes longer—say in the case of a child who has several other relatives all seeking custody, or in the case of grandparents vs. stepparents. In few cases, the adoption can take a very long time, or even be denied altogether.”

Harry was staring in fascination at Severus while the man was explaining what might happen. Draco hadn’t explained much the week before, so all of this information was new and interesting. Severus levitated the pot over to the table and used his wand to pour out two cups of water, releasing the tea’s natural aroma into the room. It smelled like jasmine.

“You think that the Ministry will deny your petition for custody.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. I believe that, even if I had the most well written letter of intent, the Ministry would still deny my petition for custody because I am a former Death Eater. The only way that I would be able to gain custody of you would be to either have Dumbledore speaking for me, or petition in another country, though the second option provides it’s own set of complications.” Both males took cautious sips of their tea, replacing the cups on their saucers when it lightly scalded their tongues.

The small boy asked, “Is there really no other way? What about going through muggle legal channels? Wouldn’t it work if you had Aunt Petunia go down to the courthouse with you and sign over her rights directly to you? Wouldn’t the Ministry have to let you then?”

Severus smiled softly at how naïve Harry still was. He didn’t understand yet that the magical world didn’t work as easily as the muggle one did. Everything was more complicated, especially when it came to the hero of the Wizarding world. The usually stoic man’s smile turned a little sad when he thought that the naivety couldn’t last, and that Harry would learn the hard lessons sooner or later. He just hoped that he’d be there to explain things when that happened.

“Harry, nothing is as simple as it seems. Especially in the Wizarding world. There is a lot of prejudice against people who fought on the wrong side of the war, and even though I was pardoned because I was a spy for Dumbledore, many people still think I belong in Azkaban. I was lucky that Dumbledore believed me to have cut all ties with the Dark Lord when he fell. If it weren’t for him speaking out for me, I would surely be rotting in a cell as we speak.”

“Like my godfather, Sirius Black?” The bright green eyes dimmed a little and the boy took another tentative sip of his jasmine tea. It was still warm, but cool enough to drink.

“Yes, like Black. He was unlucky. Dumbledore didn’t speak up for him like he should have. He didn’t save your godfather, and he was the only one who could. No one knows where Wormtail went after his altercation with Black, but most of us Death Eaters know that he was a servant of the Dark Lord. If I had proof, I’d share it with the Ministry and free him.”

“But, I thought you didn’t like Sirius. He always made fun of you in school, and tried to hurt you. Why would you save him from life in Azkaban?”

A sardonic smirk appeared on Severus’ face. “Because, he is probably the only person who actually has a right to your custody. If he weren’t in Azkaban, he’d be the one who took care of you. As idiotic as the man used to be, when it comes to you, I’m quite certain he’d be more than capable of meeting your needs—not only the physical, biological ones, but also your emotional needs. For all intents and purposes, he is your last family. I’m positive it was in Lily’s will that you should be taken care of by Black or Lupin should anything happen to them.”

Harry’s eyes glittered with hope. “Could we maybe find mum’s will and see who it says should take care of me? I know that Sirius is in prison, but what about Mr. Lupin? And, you said you used to be friends with mum, is there any way that she could have appointed you?”

“No, Harry. Though Lily and I were friends when we were much younger, I pushed her away with my scathing words and my poor choices. Your mother was ever Dumbledore’s supporter. She was livid when she found out that I had followed Lucius into service of the Dark Lord. She refused to let me explain my actions, and we never spoke again after that conversation. She never knew that I begged, on pain of death, for the Dark Lord to spare her that night. I don’t even know if she would have cared.”

The little boy reached as far as he could to pat Severus’ hand. He knew that memories of his mother hurt the potions master. It had been four years since her death, and he still couldn’t forgive himself for his part in it.

“Severus, I don’t blame you for my mum’s death. You weren’t there, so you couldn’t keep her safe. The Dark Lord answers to no one. He is the one who made the choice to kill her, to try and kill me. Your only chance at making it all better now is to do what you can to keep me safe, isn’t that what you said?”

He snorted derisively. “Your memory is far too good, Harry. You remember things I’d rather you’d forgotten. Do you understand now why attempting to adopt you isn’t a good idea?”

Harry shook his head. He realized that the adoption probably wouldn’t go through, but he didn’t see the harm in trying. Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. With Harry’s more advanced maturity level, it was easy for him to forget that the child was still only five. There was only so much he could understand without it spelled out for him.

“What about Mr. Lupin? You said that there was a chance that mum appointed him to look after me in the event that her and dad died, and something happened to Sirius. I don’t see why we can’t try and have you adopt me, and if it doesn’t work, find Mr. Lupin.”

“First, Mr. Lupin is a Dark Creature, Harry. The Ministry would be far less likely to give him custody of you than they would me. Second, if you were any other child, attempting to adopt you wouldn’t be a bad idea. After all, there is always a chance that they might accept. However, you are not any other child. You are Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived. You are the Hero of the Wizarding world, Ender of the Dark Lord. You are very special, and anything that has to do with you automatically makes front-page news. We have been trying to keep your whereabouts secret. Do you remember why?”

The child nodded. “You said before that if no one knows where to find Harry Potter than no on can harm Harry Potter, right? But, what I don’t understand is who wants to hurt me?”

“There are still many Death Eaters out there who are unaccounted for. Some of them are still sore that you finished off the Dark Lord. I also have my suspicions about Dumbledore. In the last three or so years that you had been with the Dursleys, he never once checked on you to make sure that they were treating you well. He didn’t do a background check on what type of people they were either. It leads me to wonder if he has blind faith in them, or if he simply doesn’t care, so long as you aren’t in the Wizarding world to be hunted down by Death Eaters.”

Small black brows furrowed in confusion and disbelief. “Surely you don’t think Headmaster Dumbledore wants to hurt me? Isn’t he supposed to be the leader of the Light? Doesn’t he stand for unity and hope and goodness and stuff?”

Severus quirked an eyebrow at Harry’s word choice, but let it slide. “Yes, Dumbledore is the leader of the Light. However, that does not mean that he has to be good all the time. He simply has to be better than the Dark. The Dark Lord is known for mercilessly killing people, torturing muggles and brutally punishing his servants. So long as Dumbledore acts like he cares about everyone, then people will think that he cares for everyone. When it comes to you, out of sight, out of mind. If you aren’t in the Wizarding world, then what happens to you won’t be common knowledge. No one will know if your relatives beat you, or if you were starved within an inch from death. And if they don’t know, Dumbledore doesn’t have to be held accountable.”

“But that makes it sound like it’s his master plan to have me suffer, and not only suffer, but suffer in silence, away from prying eyes. Like…like some kind of muggle serial killer. But, it doesn’t make sense. He’s supposed to care.” Tears were forming in the jeweled green eyes of the little boy, and Severus very much wanted to hold him and make the tears stop. However, his pride stopped him from doing it. He had a reputation to maintain, and if one child believed him to be nice, soon all children were going to expect the same behavior.

“Don’t think too much about it. The point of this whole discussion was to explain to you why I cannot petition the Ministry for custody of you. It would alert Dumbledore that you are no longer residing with Petunia, and he would swoop down on us faster than you can say ‘boomslang skin.’ I wouldn’t be able to protect you anymore if that were to happen. So, for now, we must go on like this.”

Harry nodded slowly, showing he understood. He didn’t like it, and he was worried that Headmaster Dumbledore could still come and take him away at any moment, but he understood that Severus just couldn’t be the one to adopt him. In a last ditch effort to give himself more security, Harry asked his last set of questions.

“What about Lord and Lady Malfoy? Could they petition for me?”

Severus’ eyes widened in shock. It seemed that while they boy had said he understood, he had missed the central theme of the conversation. The potions master pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a long pull on his tea. He would have to make sure the boy understood the full implications of anyone petitioning for custody of him.

“Harry, I need you to listen to me very carefully. It is not simply dangerous for me to petition the Ministry for custody of you, it is dangerous for anyone to petition. The majority of the Wizarding world knows you exist, but not where to find you. The Ministry would be very cautious about who they allowed to adopt the savior, and when word got out that one person wanted to adopt you; there would be a frenzy of people vying for the honor. Everyone would want to own the savior, be in charge of his upbringing. There might even be some Death Eaters that tried to coerce others into petitioning for you just so that they could control you. There would be no way to keep the process quiet, and so no way to prevent the uproar and danger that the whole situation presents. I’m afraid that unless Dumbledore endorses someone, or Sirius is found innocent, you cannot be adopted.”

At those last four words, Harry began to cry in earnest. It was hopeless, utterly hopeless. He would never belong to a family that loved him. He’d never be safe from the Dursleys. He’d have to hide from Dumbledore forever, which meant that he couldn’t even go to Hogwarts when the time came. It wasn’t fair.

Severus couldn’t take it anymore. Reputation be damned, he was going to comfort the child that stole his heart. Harry was his last remaining link to Lily, and it seemed like a betrayal of her memory to let the boy suffer on his own. He slid out of his chair and knelt before Harry, pulling the small sobbing boy into his arms.

“Ssh, Harry, it will be all right. I won’t let anyone take you away. I’ll protect you from Dumbledore, and anyone else who says I’m not fit to keep you. I will do anything and everything within my power to make sure you are safe. Tomorrow we’ll make a trip to Little Whinging and make Petunia sign over her legal guardianship to me. Even if I can’t petition the Ministry, I can petition the muggle courts. And if we have to hide in the muggle world to keep Albus from taking you, I’ll gladly do it. You are too important to me to let go of you now.”

The man and boy held on to each other for what seemed like hours, both releasing tears at the thought of being ripped from each other. Harry was happy, too, that Severus was willing to do whatever it took to keep him. He felt like he finally found someone who loved him, someone who would keep him safe. Severus was determined not to fail Lily a second time. He would keep her son safe and make sure the boy knew he was loved. He would do anything for the memory of Lily.

TBC

A/N: I received a review from the person below, and it really made me angry. I felt insulted and defamed. However, after letting a little time pass, I’ve decided that it doesn’t really matter as much as I thought it did. Below is my response to that person (much watered down from the original scathing words I had prepared.)

Angel Kellar: I’m sorry that you feel that way about my characterization. My portrayal of children comes from almost a decade of raising children and teaching them to speak in several different languages. Until about six months ago, I was in constant contact with children from early in the morning until late in the evening, teaching toddlers from the age of 2 to the age of 7 how to speak correctly and how to behave like civilized humans. I have to wonder, really, how often you’ve been in contact with young children. Most children by the age of 3 are speaking in complete and coherent sentences, and by the age of 4 have started their early education (usually Head Start.) By 5, all children across the world are expected to start school, unless they are raised by nonconformist hippies. While I don’t disagree that most four and five year olds are cute, intelligence and higher reasoning aren’t, in my humble opinion, things that detract from that cuteness. (I’m sure anyone who’s seen a toddler sing a long song or explain why Jesus died on the cross can attest to that.)
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