A New Place to Stay Chapter 19 - Harry Potter

 Harry and Snape finally crack the mystery Voldemort hinted at: Horcruxes. A library find spirals into panic, a calming draught, and the awful realization that Harry may be carrying a piece of the Dark Lord himself.  Dumbledore orders Harry to Grimmauld Place, but first Snape sits him down for the story no one told: the Hog’s Head prophecy overheard with Lucius nearby, why the Potters were targeted, how Severus changed sides, and the vow he made to protect Lily’s son. The chapter closes with a wary warning about next year’s Defense professor. A tense, character-first guardianship episode built for headphones. 

Transcript

**Chapter 19**

"Professor Snape… I think I've found it!" 

The next few weeks were incredibly busy. Harry had advanced significantly in his magic.

He could now push Severus out of his mind after just a few seconds. Each time they performed the spell, Severus found himself seeing fewer and fewer memories.

Not only that, but Harry had also mastered the entire sixth-year curriculum and was well on his way to completing his seventh year in Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, he was just starting his sixth year in Potions since Severus hadn't required him to brew many potions yet.

In all honesty, Defense was more crucial, and Severus preferred to do his brewing while Harry was asleep or reading. As much as he wanted to test Harry's limits in Potions, brewing was Severus's domain, and he preferred to work alone and in peace.

Sometimes, though, he invited Harry to join him, allowing him to brew the easier potions for the hospital wing. This way, they finished the work in half the time, which was the most efficient approach.

He would never admit it, but he rather enjoyed having company; it made the solitude feel less oppressive. At that moment, he was brewing Lupin's Wolfsbane potion and had instructed Harry not to disturb him unless Dementors were hot on his tail.

Well, that wasn’t exactly how he had phrased it, but it was the message he intended to convey. He knew he wasn't nearly as harsh as he should be, and he dreaded how that would affect him when they returned to Hogwarts.

Perhaps Harry would understand the situation and not take his words too seriously. But Severus also knew that abused children often accepted harsh words and added them to the long list of things they had been called.

The thought that detentions could take on a whole new meaning struck him hard; he realized how far he had fallen when he considered this. He had genuinely come to care for Lily's son, and the heart he believed was completely frozen was beginning to thaw.

That wasn’t good for a spy, nor was it beneficial for Harry. He should put an end to it before it went too far, but he knew he was powerless to stop himself.

“Stop.” Severus thought to himself. Not while he knew the teenager needed him—because Harry did.

He had no one else. It became clear to him that Harry didn’t trust Dumbledore, Lupin, or Black.

Those were the three people Severus had hoped Harry could turn to when he had just been “Potter” to him. Black had never been reliable.

Severus had wrongfully assumed that Harry was cared for in his Muggle home. It seemed that every adult in Harry's life had continuously let him down in some way.

He feared that his own secrets would let Harry down as well, but there was nothing to be done about it. Harry needed his help, and help he would give...

for as long as Harry allowed him to. As he brewed the potion, these thoughts filled his mind.

He could brew all the potions he routinely made in his sleep; they had become second nature to him. Finally, he set the potion aside to stand for twenty-four hours.

He had already been down in the lab for three hours. Once he finished clearing everything away, he decided to find Harry, curious about what he was doing.

Harry had completed his morning run, trained with the dummy for two hours, and eaten his lunch. Now it was four o'clock, just two hours until dinner.

Severus first went up to Harry's room, which was, as usual, spotless except for a few stray books and papers. But Harry wasn’t there.

Frowning, Severus knew this was where Harry usually spent his time at that hour. Next, he checked the library, but it was empty.

A few books were missing; he guessed he would find the boy in the private study. The term "private" meant that the Floo network wasn’t connected to the fireplace there.

He didn’t like the idea of Harry being in the other study, where the network was open. While callers couldn’t Floo through, they could still see into his study.

Lucius knew his Floo address, and Severus didn’t want to risk it; Voldemort would know within the hour if Lucius caught even a glimpse of Harry Potter. As Severus entered the private study, he found Harry there, but the boy didn’t even twitch.

He was staring intently at the book in his hands, a look of deep concentration on his face. Severus noticed the look of horror on Harry's face and felt a wave of alarm wash over him.

Had he been wrong to let the boy read the Dark Arts books from his collection? He moved closer and sat down beside Harry, asking gently, "Harry, are you all right?"

"Professor… I think I've found it…" Harry managed to say, his voice trembling with dread.

Severus’s concern deepened as he took the book from Harry's seemingly numb hands. As he began to read, a similar horror etched itself across his own features.

Horcruxes. The Dark Lord had created Horcruxes.

A wave of sickness washed over him. "He was seventeen when he started… seventeen," Harry croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Severus sat in stunned silence, knowing Harry was right; in the diary version of Tom Riddle, the Head Boy badge had been clearly visible. As he read through everything related to Horcruxes, he felt utterly shaken.

There was no doubt that this was the information they had been searching for. He didn’t need to ask Harry why he was so shocked.

There was a vast difference between Myrtle’s death at the hands of the basilisk and the act of murder required to create such a horrific object. The existence of Horcruxes was more terrifying than the death of a schoolgirl.

"He told everyone that night in the graveyard that he had done things to ensure his survival… to stop himself from being able to die," Harry remarked, his voice regaining some steadiness. The color seemed to return to his face as the mind-numbing horror began to fade.

"Do you need a calming draught?" Severus asked, placing a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder—his only way of offering comfort. He wasn't accustomed to providing solace to others; he hadn’t done so since Lily was in his life.

Harry shook his head. No, he didn’t need a calming draught, or at least he didn’t think so.

But Dumbledore's words from his second year echoed in his mind, sending him into a spiral of hyperventilation. His world spun alarmingly, and he barely registered Severus grabbing him in alarm, summoning help.

Severus carefully prepared a calming draught, struggling to give it to the teenager. He watched Harry with growing concern.

What had the boy been thinking? What had triggered that intense bout of hyperventilation?

The concept of Horcruxes hadn’t even elicited such a severe reaction. As the potion began to take effect, Severus rubbed Harry's back soothingly.

They were both sitting on the floor now, and he hoped that the contact would help Harry emerge from his shock, providing him with something to focus on other than his obviously chilling thoughts. Gradually, Harry's erratic breathing settled into a more normal rhythm.

After five minutes of silence, Severus paused his comforting gesture and asked the question weighing heavily on his mind. "What was that all about?"

"I'm one," Harry replied, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," Dumbledore had said calmly. "Because Lord Voldemort—who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin—can speak Parseltongue.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure..."

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry had asked, astonished.

"It certainly seems so," Dumbledore had replied. "Excuse me?" Severus interjected, his eyes wide.

His voice remained steady, as it always did, but inside he felt a surge of disbelief. He didn't want to consider the possibility that Harry might be right; he preferred to think he had misunderstood.

"Dumbledore…" Harry chuckled weakly, almost heartbreakingly. "Dumbledore told me Voldemort transferred some of his powers to me.

Then I asked him if he had transferred a bit of himself into me, and he said it certainly seemed so..."

"Impossible... he can't know..." Severus quickly denied.

Harry merely gave Severus a tired, skeptical look. Harry couldn't shake the feeling that his professor had lost his grip on reality.

He found himself questioning whether Severus truly believed what he was saying or if he was simply grasping at straws. Harry pondered whether he had accepted the unsettling notion that a piece of Voldemort resided within him or if the calming potion was simply working wonders.

He had a knack for accepting harsh truths, especially when bad things happened. It was the good moments that tended to throw him off balance.

After fourteen years filled with misfortune, it felt easier to accept the negative. He could count the number of good things that had happened to him on one hand.

As for Severus, he seemed to be in desperate need of two doses of calming draught. His thoughts and emotions were spiraling; he couldn't fathom the reality of the situation.

Harry as a Horcrux? That was simply impossible, especially considering how attached he had grown to the boy.

His heart raced wildly in his chest. Then, a memory of that strange pulsating ball of magic flooded back to him, and his heart sank.

In that moment, he realized the truth: Harry was right. He was a Horcrux, and Dumbledore had known all along.

If he had felt betrayed before, it was nothing compared to the wave of anger and disappointment washing over him now. He had sworn an oath to protect Harry, yet Dumbledore had concealed something of such magnitude from him.

It hit him hard how little trust the old fool had in him, despite his countless efforts to prove his loyalty. "I will remove it, Harry, I promise," Severus declared, the conviction in his voice surprising even him.

Harry offered a slight smile; he knew that if anyone could be trusted to try, it would be Severus Snape. Life had a peculiar sense of humor.

Who would have thought he’d come to trust Snape with his life and believe he would help him? If someone had told him that last year, he would have laughed in their face.

Yet here he was, ready to take it all back. It felt good to know that someone truly cared about him and his wellbeing.

Everything Harry had done during these trying times had led him to this moment. The weeks spent at Prince Manor had made things clear for Harry.

He had gained nearly a stone and a half, and his muscle mass was becoming increasingly noticeable, especially when he wore t-shirts. Despite the grim news surrounding him, he felt a warmth inside; this was undeniable proof that someone loved him.

It had been right in front of him for weeks, and he was only just realizing it now. “Thank you,” Harry said, his voice tired.

Everything felt like it was collapsing around him. He never would have believed that at the age of twelve, Dumbledore would have told him the truth, only for him to dismiss it.

No doubt that was exactly what Dumbledore had intended, to keep him in the dark until the right moment. “Severus?” Albus Dumbledore's voice boomed, his head floating through Prince Manor's Floo system.

Severus was already aware that someone was using the Floo; after all, he controlled the wards. He strode through the halls and into the study briskly, keeping his expression neutral.

He was furious with Dumbledore, but he knew showing it wouldn’t help, especially if he wanted Harry to return next summer for training and to attempt to remove the Horcrux. He doubted he would find a way to remove it this summer—not with everything else on his plate.

Severus was a practical man and understood his limits. Between training Harry, preparing potions for the hospital wing, attending Order meetings, and, of course, dealing with Death Eater meetings—not to mention completing his lesson plans—he was incredibly busy.

“Yes?” Severus asked coolly, stepping closer to the fire and arching an eyebrow. “Bring Harry to Grimmauld Place,” Dumbledore instructed simply.

“Why?” Severus inquired, raising his eyebrow even higher. “He shall remain there for the rest of the summer,” Dumbledore replied.

“Fine; when should I bring the brat?” Severus asked, feigning indifference. “Tonight, at eight PM,” Dumbledore specified.

“Very well. Is there anything else?”

“else?” Severus sighed, his frustration evident.

“No,” Dumbledore replied, clearly pleased with the news he had just shared. With that, he vanished as swiftly as he had arrived.

Severus left the study and made his way to Harry's room. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since they had discovered Harry was a Horcrux, and Severus knew it was time to share what he had learned.

Otherwise, Harry might assume he was withholding information and resort to getting it through his visions. He knocked on the door and waited for Harry to say, “Come in,” before stepping inside.

Through their Occlumency lessons, Severus understood how much Harry valued his privacy and appreciated the room he had been given. After spending ten years confined to a cupboard and then being provided only a mattress and rickety furniture, it was no surprise he felt this way.

Severus wondered if Harry was anywhere near ready to confront those he was angry with. “What’s wrong?” Harry asked, noticing the tension in his teacher’s posture.

He braced himself for news he wouldn’t like. “Sit down,” Severus instructed after a brief pause.

Without hesitation, Harry complied. “Dumbledore has ordered you to go to Grimmauld Place for the rest of the summer,” Severus explained.

His frown indicated he wasn’t pleased with this decision either. “Oh,” Harry said, his heart sinking.

He had truly come to love it at Prince Manor. Dumbledore didn’t realize that, yet somehow, he was still managing to complicate Harry’s life.

He felt a growing resentment toward Dumbledore. “It’s time you knew everything.

Your Occlumency has progressed very well, and I’m pleased with your efforts,” Severus told him. He didn’t offer praise lightly, so Harry understood that he genuinely meant it.

“Thank you!” Harry said, a soft grin spreading across his face. Nobody had ever praised his work before.

Sure, a few teachers had said, “Well done, Potter,” or awarded him “three points,” but this felt different. “Gryffindor, Potter,” Severus thought to himself, but that was really all it was.

They praised everyone, not just him. Severus's attention was solely on Harry, and he wasn’t just saying it in a classroom full of students.

Nobody had ever taken the time to check his work and praise him for it—until Severus. Wasn’t that what fathers did with their children?

He wasn’t sure; he had never had any good examples. Vernon Dursley was hardly what anyone would call a proper father.

He allowed his son to grow to the size of a large walrus… or maybe an elephant. It was hard to compare, really, since he had never seen either animal in his life.

Severus silently wondered if this would be the last grin he would receive from Harry. He prayed to Lily that Harry would forgive him for what he had done.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to take Harry back to a time before his birth, before anyone even knew Lily Potter was pregnant. At that time, Lily had just married James Potter, and everything was different.

“Let me take you back to the year 1979. I was nineteen years old, and no doubt you can figure out that your parents and Sirius were the same age.

You also know that I willingly joined the Dark Lord years before. I had just passed my mastery in Potions, and the Dark Lord wanted me to approach Dumbledore and become a teacher… a spy for him.

At that time, I was eager to prove myself to him. When I first met Voldemort, he wasn’t quite as horrendous looking.

You see, Harry, my father was an abusive man who loved to beat on my mother and me. As much as I loved my mother, I also hated her for not standing up to him, for not leaving him.

She was a witch; she could have overpowered him in a matter of seconds. My childhood was very lonely until I met your mother when I was eight years old.

Those three years before attending Hogwarts were probably the best of my life. Lily was sorted into Gryffindor, while I was sorted into Slytherin, but somehow our friendship managed to endure.”

“Survive the different houses and the fact that our housemates were doing everything in their power to separate us.” Severus hadn’t intended to delve into all of this, but he desperately wanted Harry to understand.

He hoped Harry wouldn’t react the way he feared when he learned the truth. Harry listened intently, absorbing every detail from his Potions Master, especially anything regarding his parents.

So much had been kept from him. He couldn’t forgive Black for lying about his mother.

Even though he would have been furious and confused about why his mother had befriended Snape, he still wished he had known the truth. “Nothing the Marauders did truly bothered me until our fifth year.

I ended up calling your mother a rather nasty name for Muggle-borns. I’m afraid our friendship was never the same after that.

I sank deeper into the Dark Arts and Potions. I began to associate with boys from Slytherin, which your mother was not happy about.

They, like me, had a fascination with the Dark Arts, and soon they began to tell me about a man who wielded great power and a group that wanted to keep the wizarding world separate from all Muggles. Given my upbringing, I agreed with them.

By the end of my sixth year, I had made my decision.”

“Black had sent me down to the Shrieking Shack one night during the full moon…” 

Harry gasped, his green eyes widening in shock. Surprisingly, there was no sense of betrayal, just a mixture of shock and worry.

The most unexpected thing was the sympathy and understanding reflected in his gaze. Of course, the memory of what had happened during Harry's third year lingered in his mind, and they had been much younger then.

“Your father somehow found out what Black had done and decided to be the idiotic Gryffindor he was and… rescue me.” The words were incredibly difficult for Severus to express. He shuddered at the thought; he wouldn’t have needed rescuing if it hadn’t been for Black in the first place.

Harry shuddered too, the thought of Draco weighing heavily on his mind. Malfoy's involvement in my past makes me sick to my stomach.

"That, I'm afraid, set me on my dark path. I formally joined Voldemort a year later.

He was quite pleased to have a Potions Master in his ranks, and at the time, I felt honored that he would consider allowing me—a half-blood—into his circle. How foolish I was not to realize who he truly was.

But I digress; I followed Dumbledore to the Hog's Head, where his brother Aberforth works as a barkeeper."

Harry's eyes widened in astonishment. "He has a brother?"

"He does indeed, and he looks a lot like him as well.

I wasn't alone; Lucius Malfoy was with me. I managed to get closer to the room Dumbledore was in than Lucius did, who was thrown out first.

I only wish I could say the same for myself," Severus sighed sadly. Here it came—Harry was finally about to learn the truth about why his parents were killed.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat; he had never heard his teacher sound so heartbroken before. Whatever was coming next felt incredibly grim, perhaps even life-altering.

His heartbeat quickened, but he steadied his breath, a skill he had learned long ago. Nobody at Hogwarts knew he was ever afraid; he never showed it...

and he never would. "Albus was interviewing Sybil Trelawney for the Divination post.

I could hardly believe it, but I reported back what I’d heard, along with Lucius Malfoy. The exact words were, 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...

born to those who have thrice defied him... born as the seventh month dies...' That's all we heard.

I thought that was all I had heard, until many years later," Severus said softly. "Do you understand what I've just told you, Harry?" he asked, noticing Harry hadn’t reacted.

"You say this was in 1979?" Harry asked, his voice steady. "Yes," Severus confirmed, swallowing hard.

He wondered bitterly when Harry would finally get up and curse him. He knew he would let him; he deserved it and much worse.

“A year before I was born… wow. I never knew the woman could see out of a paper bag, let alone predict anything.

Or rather, I hadn’t until the end of my third year,” Harry said. “I was just a year old when he came after us, so he knew for nearly two years and did nothing?

He suddenly decided it was me? That I would have the power to kill him?” He shook his head, trying to make sense of it all.

“You were the only one born on July thirty-first. Although there were fears that Alice Longbottom would have her son on that same day, she didn’t.

Her son was born on the thirtieth of July. You were born just before midnight, truly as the seventh month died a day later,” Severus explained.

“He still considered the Longbottoms, but in the end, it was your family he chose to target. He believed you would be the most powerful since you were similar to him… a half-blood.” 

“What made you change sides?” Harry asked, a feeling stirring in him that he already knew the answer.

He had been curious about Severus's shift, about why he had started spying for Dumbledore in the first place. “The moment he told me he was targeting the Potters, I asked the Dark Lord to spare her.

Then I went to Dumbledore and begged him to save Lily. I would have faced Azkaban, anything really; I promised Dumbledore I would spy for him if he would protect her,” Severus said wearily.

He felt not just physically exhausted, but emotionally drained as well. He couldn’t believe how Harry was reacting.

Was this how Lily would have responded? Not blaming him for what he had done?

He recognized how much Harry resembled his mother, and it made his heart feel lighter and freer than it had in a long, long time. Severus didn’t bother telling him how Dumbledore had...

Severus reacted to the realization that he had only wanted to save Lily. "As you now know, Pettigrew was feeding information to the Dark Lord from the moment you were born.

I didn't know who the spy was. They eventually went into hiding, and I thought I could finally breathe a little easier, that she would be safe from this war.

But a week later, my life came crashing down around me." 

He paused, the horror of that moment still vivid even thirteen years later. Dumbledore had delivered the news, and Severus had gone to see for himself, unable to believe it could be true.

He had closed Lily's eyes and mourned her before fleeing back to Dumbledore, just before Sirius Black arrived. "What did you do then?" Harry asked softly, wanting to give Severus the same understanding and support he had received.

It was a chance to let him unburden himself, to share his feelings with someone who could truly understand. Severus had been there for him since he arrived at Prince Manor, and now Harry wanted to repay at least a small part of what he owed his Potions Professor.

"I went back to Dumbledore in November, and he wanted me to reaffirm my allegiance to him. I swore to protect you, or rather your life, and in return, I asked him never to reveal my unrequited love for Lily," Severus explained.

"She did love you, you know, just not in the way you wanted," Harry said gently. "I love my friends, and I haven't known them nearly as long as you were with my mum.

I'd do anything for them... unless they joined him, I suppose.

But I like to think that wouldn't happen."

"I joined the teaching staff at Hogwarts soon after. I originally sought the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, but Dumbledore refused to give it to me.

So, I became the Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin House when Horace Slughorn retired," Severus continued, managing to steady his turbulent emotions. "Has that position always been cursed, or is it..."

“Just my luck?” Harry asked dryly.

“Contrary to popular belief, people have lasted longer than one year,” Severus remarked with a sardonic tone, clearly reverting to the familiar persona that Harry had come to know over the past few weeks. “The next one’s going to be the same, I’ll bet,” Harry grumbled.

“Ah, about that… there’s something you must know about your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher…” Severus began reluctantly. It was true that Harry didn’t seem to have much luck.

Severus could only hope that Harry would heed his warnings and avoid getting into more trouble.