kbinnz - Harry's New Home

A bright flash nearly made him groan aloud. Of course that bloody reporter would take a picture of this. "Two ancient families reconciled thanks to the heroism of the Malfoy scion!" Skeeter hissed at her quill, then focused on the dark haired child in front of her. "Harry Potter тАУ do you think Hogwarts is too dangerous for you? Do you go in fear of your life? Is The Boy Who Lived living in fear?"

Harry blinked. "Huh?"

"The child is happy to be here. His only fear is for his upcoming exams," Snape put in coolly, draping one hand over the boy's shoulder and pulling him backwards to stand against him.

Skeeter's eyes widened, and the magical camera flashed. "Why is The Boy Who Lived being protected by Slytherin's Head of House and students?" she demanded.

"I'm sort-" Harry's explanation that he was sort of an honorary Slytherin broke off as Snape's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"He was sorted into Gryffindor but has ties to Slytherin as well," Snape said shortly, though he doubted that the witch would let it go at that.

Skeeter frowned. "What ties? No Potter has been sorted into Slytherin for six generations, and even his godfather was Gryffindor, no matter what the rest of the Blacks were."

"Godfather?" Harry's ears perked up.

"Are you terrified at the thought of your godfather coming after you?" Skeeter asked, swiftly stooping to Harry's eye level. "What are your thoughts about his escape? His betrayal? Do you think he's coming here to тАУ eeek!" Her interrogation of the child ended abruptly as Snape grabbed her by the elbow and bodily dragged her to the side of the room.

"You will not mention the boy's godfather to him, or I will terminate this interview and floo to the Quibbler's office with Potter. Do you understand?" Snape hissed, nose to nose with the reporter.

Her eyes blinked rapidly behind her spectacles. "Does that mean that if I don't mention the Azkaban break I can interview him?" she pressed.

"Very well." He released her arm and stepped back. Skeeter gulped down a breath and straightened her robes.

"What business is it of yours anyway?" she demanded shrilly, regaining her composure rapidly once Snape was no longer looming menacingly over her.

"He's my guardian!" Harry piped up helpfully.

Skeeter, Malfoy, and Fudge all froze, staring at Snape, who sneered back, hoping the sudden hammering of his heart wasn't audible.

"What?" Fudge exploded. "On whose authority?"

"Death Eater Given Custody of Boy-Who-Lived!" Skeeter sounded positively orgiastic at the proposed headline.

Malfoy started for his son, blood in his eye, and Draco threw up his hands in supplication. "I owled you, Father! I told you all about it!"

Lucius halted; his son's sincerity was too patent to doubt. "Obviously your dear mother didn't see fit to pass the message on," he ground out from between clenched teeth. He shot a calculating glance at Snape. "You have been busy, Severus."

"I demand to know who is responsible for this!" Fudge ranted. "That boy is supposed to be with Muggle relatives! Who decided тАУ"

"I did," Dumbledore said quietly, but the power in the calm words halted all other conversations.

"But тАУ but тАУ but I'm the Minister," Fudge said, almost plaintively.

"Yes, and you are much too busy and important to be involved in such minutiae as individual child placements," Dumbledore agreed pleasantly, speaking slowly and distinctly for the reporter's frantically scribbling quill. "Furthermore, as the person who was responsible for the boy's placement a decade ago, it was only logical that I took charge when new arrangements were needed."

"Headmaster! Why were new arrangements needed?" Skeeter called out. "Are you confirming that the boy was with Muggles this whole time? Were they unfit?"

Dumbledore exchanged a look with Snape. "Ms Skeeter, I can confirm that for several years Harry lived with relatives who happen to be Muggles. However, circumstances change, and it recently became clear that Harry was not going to be able to stay with them any longer. New arrangements had to be made, and it was with great pleasure that I learned that Professor Snape was willing to take up Harry's guardianship."

"A Death Eater entrusted with The Boy Who Lived?"

Dumbledore lost his twinkle. "Professor Snape was a spy among the Death Eaters, Ms Skeeter. His wartime service record is distinguished and has been confirmed by several others besides myself." His gaze was like blue steel. "I am certain you are not suggesting that either Minister Fudge or myself would permit known Death Eaters to teach at Hogwarts?"

"Of course not! Perish the thought! How can you even suggest such a thing?" Fudge squawked, outraged.

Snape felt Lucius' sardonic eyes on him but refused to glance his way. "Pr'fessor, what - " Harry's confused voice reached him, and he stooped to speak softly into the boy's ear.

"We will discuss this later. No questions now."

Harry bit his lip, then nodded obediently.

Skeeter quickly changed her strategy. "My apologies for jumping to conclusions," she offered nonchalantly. "But why Professor Snape? He is a bachelor, isn't he? What qualifies him to be Harry Potter's guardian?"

Snape hoisted one eyebrow and gazed at the Headmaster challengingly. Good question.

Dumbledore smiled. "Severus Snape was a contemporary of Harry's parents. They were all classmates here at Hogwarts together, and Professor Snape was a childhood friend of Harry's mother. Who better than an old friend to raise her orphaned child?"

Harry and both Malfoys were now looking at Snape in surprise, and he was ready to strangle the Headmaster with the man's own beard. How dare he share such private information with the entire Wizarding world?

Lucius' eyes narrowed. "I don't exactly remember James Potter and Severus Snape being close friends, Headmaster, and I too was at Hogwarts for part of their schooling."

Dumbledore waved a negligent hand. "Severus and Lily were always closer than Severus and James, Lucius. But you know how schoolboy rivalries flare up and die down." Snape barely managed to control his snort of rage. His persecution by the Marauders, casually dismissed as a "schoolboy rivalry"? "But when times were grim towards the end of the war, that is when people's true natures were revealed. No one did more than Severus Snape to try to safeguard the Potters while they were in hiding, and I am sure they are deeply grateful to Severus for the care and affection he is showing their son."

Now Lucius was regarding him with naked suspicion, and Snape was practically incandescent with rage at the Headmaster's blatant manipulation of the truth. Yes, he had done his best to safeguard the Potters тАУ after realizing whom he had betrayed to Voldemort by sharing that bloody prophecy. Yes, he had, technically, been a member of the Order along with the Potters тАУ but they had never seen each other, since his true allegiances couldn't be known by anyone but Dumbledore. But worst of all, how could Albus just blurt out that he was showing "care and affection" to the brat as if he actually liked the wretch? No wonder the little monster's eyes were shining like stars! And it was all because of the Headmaster's creative massaging of the facts. What was he supposed to do with the boy when the actual truth came to light?

"So I take it that Professor Snape has your full confidence, Headmaster?" Skeeter asked, her quill writing busily. At Dumbledore's nod, she turned to the Minister. "And you, Minister? How do you feel about this?"

Fudge swallowed, feeling trapped. Of course he didn't want some hook-nosed, unphotogenic nobody to have control тАУ er, custody тАУ of The Boy Who Lived, let alone someone whose wartime record was, at best, open to interpretation. On the other hand, it appeared to be a fait accompli, and to overturn it would mean taking on Albus Dumbledore. He rubbed his hands together nervously. Better to chuck the whole thing onto the old coot's shoulders тАУ that way, if there were a problem, he had plausible deniability.