kbinnz - Harry's New Home

His decision made, he moved smoothly into press mode. "Well, Rita," he said, smiling widely, "as you have heard, as Minister of Magic, I am unable to give personal attention to every child custody case in Wizarding society, even for such a child as The Boy Who Lived. I place my trust in our agencies to ensure that our children's welfare is carefully supervised, and of course, with Headmaster Albus Dumbledore taking personal charge of this case, I will accept his word that he has found an appropriate guardian for little Harry."

Skeeter stooped to where Harry was frowning in indignation over that "little Harry" crack. "And you, Harry? What do you think of your guardian? Did the Headmaster choose wisely?"

Harry glared up at the reporter. "It wasn't the Headmaster's choice," he snapped, sounding remarkably like the Potion Master. "It was mine. I asked Professor Snape to be my guardian."

Skeeter blinked. "You did? Well. Er, Professor, this is unexpected, but it appears you have the support of the Minister of Magic as well as the head of the Wizengamot and The Boy Who Lived."

"He also has the support of our family," Arthur Weasley put in. "We were friends with Harry's parents and have long had an interest in the boy's welfare. We have missed him these ten years and have been delighted to renew our acquaintance with him since he began at Hogwarts. And we have seen him with his guardian and consider Professor Snape an excellent choice for the role."

"Another testimonial," Skeeter said, though the speculation in her eye failed to match her bright, cheerful tones. "My, my, Professor тАУ you must be a truly remarkable man to receive such accolades."

"He is!" Harry answered, not liking the witch's sickly sweet comments. "He's brilliant. An' he's got everyone in Slytherin and Gryffindor looking out for me. And when those four boys tried to jump me, everyone helped out. Hermione stopped them when there was no one else around, and then Draco and Ron went and got help, and then Draco saved Ron from the Crunchy thing тАУ "

"Not 'crunchy', 'crucio'!" Draco hissed.

"Erm, right, crucio thing while everyone else stopped the others. And Professor Snape's got me a room and clothes and a broom and тАУ" Harry finally stopped as Snape's grip on his shoulder tightened painfully.

"That's enough," Snape said quietly, though internally he was fuming. Little monster! After all Albus did to try and gloss over his Muggle relatives' neglect, the little idiot starts spouting off about being given clothing and a room, revealing how much he appreciates such basic necessities.

Happily, Skeeter appeared to be sidetracked. "A Malfoy and a Weasley working together. My, my тАУ what is your reaction to all this, Mr Malfoy? Haven't you known Professor Snape very well for many years?"

Lucius regarded Snape steadily. "Have I known Professor Snape? That's an excellent question, Ms Skeeter. It is certainly true that we were both at Hogwarts for a few years."

Harry beamed. "And they were friends then, and now Draco an' me are friends now!" He slung an arm around Draco's neck, and Skeeter instantly took a picture. "C'mon," Harry urged, pulling Draco towards the other students. "Come meet the others who helped in the fight."

Skeeter, scenting a front page story, followed. "So these are the brave students who helped foil your attackers, hmmm?" Fudge trotted after the reporter, unwilling to have her attention move away from him.

Dumbledore followed to provide introductions, leaving Snape and Malfoy alone, staring at each other.

"Well, well, Severus. So you really were a traitor," Lucius said, his voice quiet but full of deadly malice. "I should have known better than to trust a dirty little half-blood like you."

"And if you were such a loyal servant, Lucius, shouldn't you be rotting away in Azkaban as a martyr to the cause of pureblood superiority rather than pleading Imperius and disavowing your Lord?"

Lucius' glare should have incinerated him on the spot. "What kind of game are you playing, Severus? How much longer do you expect to be able to cower behind that old fool Dumbledore? When the Dark Lord returns, His wrath will тАУ"

Severus yawned. "Oh, Lucius, you sound like a teenager. I had expected more from you."

Malfoy blinked in confusion. "What?" How could Snape be so immune to his most threatening manner? Didn't he fear Voldemort's vengeance?

"Look at the Headmaster, Lucius. He is, as you say, a very old wizard. Powerful, yes, but Time is more powerful than anything else, and how many more years do you imagine he has left?"

"But then what are you doing? When the Dark Lord returns тАУ"

"Lucius, the Dark Lord is hardly in his first blush of youth. Yes, he's younger than Dumbledore, but so is most of the Wizarding world. I'm disappointed in you. We were both little more than children during the first war, but now тАУ I had hoped you'd grown up."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lucius demanded.

"As children, of course we must follow another. But times change. People grow up and come into their own power."

Lucius snorted in derision. "You really imagine you're powerful enough to stand against either Dumbledore or the Dark Lord?"

Snape sighed. "You have so little vision, Lucius. Does Narcissa have to explain the Daily Prophet to you every morning?" Ignoring the other man's rising fury, Snape continued, "Dumbledore's power is waning as the years march on. The Dark Lord was already defeated once by a mere baby. What do you think will happen as that child ages?"

Malfoy shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Lucius, the Dark Lord has already been defeated once. When he returns, don't you think he stands a good chance of being defeated again?"

"But that was just a fluke. A random chance."

"Think like a Slytherin, Lucius," Snape said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Do you truly believe that a Dark Lord at the height of his powers can be defeated by 'a fluke'? And if he can, was he ever really as powerful as you believed him to be?"

"So you prefer to ally yourself with the old man? Why?"

"The old man is here тАУ the Dark Lord is not. And the old man will not be here forever. When he dies, there will be a power vacuum regardless of where the Dark Lord may be. Who do you think will take Albus' place as the Defender of the Light?"

Lucius followed his eyes to the messy haired child eagerly assisting the Headmaster with introductions. "You can't believe тАУ"

"Don't be na├пve, Lucius. Would you ever have been able to drag a reporter of Skeeter's stature out here if 'The Boy Who Lived' hadn't been involved in last night's fracas? The Wizarding world has already accepted him as Dumbledore's de facto successor. The Dark Lord will have no choice but to defeat or suborn him upon His return. That child will be at the nexus of Dark and Light Powers for the foreseeable future."

Lucius sneered. "And by being a good little lapdog to that old coot, you hope for тАУ"

"Haven't you realized by now that I'm not a particularly good little lapdog for anyone?" Snape demanded silkily.

"You mean you're grooming the Potter brat in order to present him to the Dark Lord?" Lucius struggled to understand.

"Lucius! Be a man! You are a wizard in your own right, not a teenager who has to join an older child's gang. Dumbledore's power is on the wane. The Dark Lord is missing and will have to rebuild his forces after He returns. Why would I ally with either group?"

"You're setting the boy up as a third power?" Malfoy breathed, his eyes widening. "Merlin, but you have a pair on you!"

Snape allowed the trace of a smile to flicker on his lips. "Let us just say that when the Dark Lord returns, He may find that His biggest challenge is neither Dumbledore nor the Ministry."