Chapter Text
“You could have waited until I bloody woke up!” Ron yelled once again, throwing his arms up into the air his face flushed red in his anger. The words echoing around the empty classroom and Hermione once again thanked her forethought in throwing up a silencing and locking charm. It had been going like this for nearly an hour. Once Harry and her had saved Sirius Ron had woken up. They waited until Pomfrey had checked him over before dragging him to an empty classroom to tell him what happened while he was out, neither of them expected Ron to get so… so jealous! He had immediately reddened embarrassed, angry that Harry and Hermione had gone on an adventure without him, him! If they had only waited twenty more minutes Ron would have been awake, the adventure could still have happened but with HIM.
It only reminded him that he didn’t fit in with those two, of course it could be that the friendship was fake, Dumbledore paid him to befriend Harry, but he never said anything about having to share him with… with some mudblood know-it-all! He wasn’t told that it would be the Golden Trio, not Duo, that Hermione didn’t have to be paid to be Harry’s friend, didn’t have to struggle to hide her jealousy, didn’t even have to try and Harry liked her! He had to work constantly to keep his head level and not snap at the messy haired git, gods Harry Potter was a prat! Pretending to hate his fame, acting all innocent ‘look at me, poor abused Potter’. He had a deal with Dumbledore and that was payment for befriending Harry, it was reporting on Harry to him, the Headmaster promised he’d become famous, the boy-who-live’s best mate, said he’d go on all the adventures, that he’d even be told what the adventure was beforehand so he could out shine the famous third year.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY RON?! THAT I REGRET SAVING SIRIUS? THAT I REGRET SAVING THE ONLY PERSON WHO CARES FOR ME?!” Harry yelled, finally losing his cool. “YOU DONT GET IT! IVE NEVER HAD ANYONE! I WAS ALONE BEFORE HOGWARTS, NO FRIENDS, NO FAMILY, I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE A BLOODY FUCKING ROOM!” Ron already knew all this, Dumbledore debriefed him before school even started, it was his job to make sure that the compulsory magic that prevented Harry from telling anyone but him about the abuse stayed in tact, of course Ron had to give that away too when Dumbledore extended it to include Hermione, and cast charms on Hermione to never speak of it in case. He couldn’t even have that one thing! Couldn’t be Harry’s secret keeper! Hermione on the other hand was looking at Harry in unconcealed shock, she knew Harry’s home life wasn’t ideal, but this… “I'M SO SORRY THAT I LET MYSELF HOPE AGAINST ALL DOUBTS THAT SIRIUS WOULD BE MY CHANCE AT A REAL FAMILY, A CHANCE TO GET AWAY!”
“AND THERE IT IS! DO YOU HONESTLY THINK ANY ONE WILL FALL FOR THAT HARRY? THAT ANYONE WILL BELIEVE YOU?” Rons voice changed to mocking, “Poor abused Potter, you're life is so hard, getting away with anything and everything, everyone fawning over you just because you're parents died. They were probably relieved to leave you, no one in their right mind would ever want to be close to you.” Harry felt tears threatening to spill, but Ron continued, to lost in his anger to stop the verbal vomit. “Ha! You can’t even make you're own friends! Dumbledore pays me to stick around you! Has been since before first year,” Hermione gasped and Harry took a startled step back, something niggling in his head, as if he couldn’t quite remember something, as if deja-vu clouded his mind. “That's right, Dumbledore pays me a pretty penny to watch you so you don’t go dark. He can’t even trust you because you're no use!”
“He tells me everything, he’s told me everything about your abuse, the cupboard, the belt, being starved, he told me that you will turn dark, just like you-know-who. The only reason you're even allowed at Hogwarts is so he can watch you and make sure you do your job, because only the GREAT FUCKING POTTER can stop Voldemort,” and then something popped in Harry’s head and memories flooded, along with tears because he has been used, been manipulated. Hermione was crying behind him, confused, betrayed, and shaking. “Want to know the best thing? You two won’t even remember this because like all your mistakes you’ve made Dumbledore will make you forget, will erase your memory so you will come crawling back to me none the wiser-” ‘obliviate’ whispered in Harry’s mind, a book he read in the Restricted Section, obliviate erases one’s memory, and can even replace it with a new one. Harry wouldn’t be made to forget again. He wouldn’t let Ronald Weasley dictate his life. Without a second thought Harry tore his wand out and steadily cast the spell.
“Obliviate!” and Ron’s eyes went glassy, Harry focused on the task ignoring Hermione who was backing away from the situation, still shaking. “You yelled at us for not bringing you, we tried to explain but it wasn’t good enough, we even begged for forgiveness, then Hermione yells at you to grow up and storms out dragging me along. You are angry with us, you want to make us suffer so you refuse to talk to us until we come back to you begging for forgiveness, because we are in the wrong. We should have waited for you to wake. After we left you sat in here fuming before stomping up to Dumbledore’s office and report what happened.” Harry turned to Hermione and gently took her shaking hand and lead her from the room, tears running down their cheeks and brought Hermione silently to the Commons, and up to the boys Dorms ignoring everyone, most used to her going into the boys dorms any way.
He lead her to his bed and sat her down before slipping into the bathroom and grabbing a cloth and a basin of cold water and went back to the bed, drawing the curtain and putting up sticking charms and silencing ones before sitting across from Hermione who was sat cross-legged by the Headboard. He dipped the cloth into the water, wrung it, and scooted close enough to gently clean the tear streaks off her neck and face, his hand still shaking and mind racing.
“Harry?” She said quietly, looking at him still so confused. “I… I don’t get it.” and Harry couldn’t help the little watery chuckle that he let out at hearing the brightest witch of their age saying I don’t get it, the chuckle confused Hermione for a second before she glared half heartedly at him, but she felt some of the tension leave realizing Harry was still Harry… but Ron… she doesn’t even know if this is a dream or not.
“The obliviate charm, have you heard of it.” She nodded hesitantly, she heard of it of course Harry thought, “Ron, Molly, Ginny, Percy, and Arthur have been drawing money from my account since I was 8, Dumbledore has been since my parents were alive although discreetly. I learned that after first year when I snuck from the Dursleys and went to Gringotts in hopes of learning about being a heir, but I learned a lot more. When I went back to school Dumbledore he… there's this skill called Legilimency, it’s rather unknown but some powerful wizards are able to penetrate someone's mind, see their thoughts and memories, he did that saw that I was getting suspicious so he obliviated me… it wasn’t the first time the first couple times was to remove memories of me fighting back at the Dursleys. During second year Ron snapped, just like this, but he mentioned that his whole family only took him in for his money, that even when the whole thing was planned, the Chamber, Ginny, I still made it all about me, it was right after everyone was talking about me being the Slytherin’s Heir.
“So Dumbledore obliviated me once again. Today… when Ron was talking I felt a weird nagging in my head, like this has all happened before, Ron yelling must of pulled at the memory, since they aren’t erased but… suppressed more like. I think it reminded me of last time, and then like flood gates, the obliviates broke. I remembered the spell, and I know that if I left the memory of our fight that Dumbledore would obliviate me, which isn’t so bad, but he would of had to obliviate you too, and you're not part of this yet, not really.” Hermione took a deep breath and looked at him with pity. “No. Please don’t pity me Hermione.”
“This isn’t pity, this is just me… sympathising?” She tried, knowing she was feeling bad for him, but how could she not?! Harry huffed a laugh then Hermione spoke again, Harry was wiping his own face off with the cold cloth, Hermione still had silent tears spilling. “Harry… will you tell me about the Dursleys?” Harry took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he let it out slowly, and nodded. Hermione was safe. He had checked using Goblin means to make sure, hired investigators.
“I was left on Petunia and Vernon Dursley’s doorstep in the middle of the night. Petunia was mom’s sister, and once mom started showing signs of magic, it freaked her out, but jealousy was the main emotion. Being a witch mom was more attractive, learned faster, developed faster. Her parents fawned over Lily, even though they didn’t understand what she could do. So they stopped talking once Petunia left, finding me on the doorstep with a letter that said her sister died, by magic her least favorite thing, and she was now stuck with her nephew. She could tell I was magic, so the abuse started early, I was feed half as much as her own baby son, Dudley whose a few months older, they were kind enough to buy Dudley a new baby mattress and give me the old one but it was slid into the boot cupboard. That's where I stayed for ten years, on a baby cot in the closet.” Hermione was looking at him in shock, a little choked sob leaving her throat as she threw her arms around him, and he continued, holding her close, glad he wouldn’t have to look her in the face as he told every embarrassing detail.
“When I was three my Aunt started to have me help her in the kitchen, and by four I was made to make breakfast everyday, it built up until I was cooking every meal and only given the scraps, which weren’t many with an obese Uncle and Cousin. I’d be allowed water and bread every evening for dinner, sometimes it would be just the end piece or a moldy piece. I learned early on how to best make water last, to drink from the sink since I wasn’t allowed to serve myself. The first time I was hit I was five and over cooked Vernon's egg, so Petunia slapped me for being ungrateful. Uncle Vernon started to hit me regularly after that, and my Aunt only laid a hand on me when I messed up meals. Eventually hour long spanking punishments morphed into slaps and punches, dragged by my hair, days in the cupboard with no food. When I started school I did better than Dudley, I could read at an 8th grade level, I was above most everyone three years my senior, but when the Dursleys got the report card-” his throat closed off, it still hurt, it hurt so much. “I thought that if I proved I was good, did all my chores, mowed the lawn, and got good grades they’d accept me… love me.” Hermione's arms tightened. “But Petunia was cooking dinner, heard Vernon express his anger at me doing better, and turned around and hit me with the hot skillet. The hamburger in it spilled on my bare feet, shoulder, hair, grease dripped down my arm and face…” and he broke off into a sob, he tried so hard for so long, and it was all so fucking pointless, Hermione pulled back and was shocked to see Harry looked different. He had scars on his neck, bruising as well, his face was sullen and beyond pale, and scars just like he explained, rivets like sweat marks down his face, over one eyelid. His eyes were closed as he shook with his sobs.
Hermione gripped his shoulders and told him that he didn’t have to talk anymore, that she didn’t need to hear anymore and he opened his eyes with so much sorrow, but so thankful, but Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with a sob, and Harry turned covering his face, he was ugly, ruined, disfigured. He never let his glamours down, but he thought Hermione would still like him without them. A hand pulled his hands away and turned him to look at her and she examined the eye that hid behind the grease burned scars. It was miky, the usually emerald green irus was filmed over nearly grey in color and unseeing.
“The grease was so hot and thick, she was using oil with the meat and they refused to get me treatment.” He whispered, Hermione smiled at him reassuringly.
“Harry, I don’t care what you look like, you know me, do you really think I thought ‘hey look, the boy with messy hair and glasses and that other with red hair and fat face are attractive, I’ll befriend them’” Harry snorted and she continued. “We will get through this Harry. You will.”
“Dumbledore knew.” Harry said after a couple minutes of silence, and Hermione looked up to listen.
“He visited yearly, went through all our memories, he knew I was being abused, charmed them to make them hate and fear me more, gave me potions to make me okay with it.”
That night Harry kept his glamours down for the first time while he slept, he and Hermione spent the night planning, talking, discussing. After Harry wiped their faces once more he laid down, rolling his eyes as Hermione hesitantly asked if she could stay the night, too scared of what she learned, sure she’d have nightmares of a cupboard and a child slowly going blind in a cupboard.
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Harry poked his hand from the invisibility cloak and knocked on the door, the sound seeming to resonate and echo through the cold dungeons, Hermione looked around hurriedly, paranoid someone would find her, it had been three days since ‘the reveal’ as they dubbed it jokingly, humour one of the things helping them through it. Hermione was having issues sleeping alone so every evening she’d go up to her dorms, pull her bed hangings, slip into her nightgown and invisibility cloak before slipping up to the boys dorms to Harry who knew how nightmares can be. They’d talk about what their worry’s were, one being that they would be obviated again, or slipped potions, have their minds penetrated. They were careful during the day, made sure to cast longing and pitiful glances at Ron, making sure to hide their disgust as he revelled in the attention, the power. They bemoaned to their own friends how they just wished that Ron would forgive them. So far it was working, but they were emotional, brash. Well Hermione more than Harry who could hide his emotions well, act well from years of practice before Hogwarts.
They weren’t naive enough to believe they wouldn’t slip up, wouldn’t get caught, they knew very well they were no match to Dumbledore. So they talked about how they would do this. They got a journal, disguised as their first years charms book and wrote everything down, and left a note in their drawer and pocket that said ‘wingardium leviosa’ but when tapped and spoken the code, which was the mispronunciation of the spell it would reveal a note that said to ‘study first year charms’ to deactivate was the proper pronunciation. They got the idea after studying the Marauders map. Yet that wasn’t enough and they knew it, they needed an ally, someone who could be impassive, someone to trust. It only took them two nights to decide between McGonagall and Snape, and ended on Snape. McGonagall wasn’t only loyal to fault to Dumbledore, but also brash and emotional. Snape could keep quiet. Snape had protected them before.
The door opened with a hissed ‘what do you want?’ before Snape’s eyes narrowed at the air. Harry and Hermione pulled the hood down, careful to keep their faces as emotionless as possible, Harry did well but the fear in Hermione’s eyes was plain as day. Snape was about to snap at them, yell at them for using that bloody cloak, make a comment about how it was no surprise that James son would be arrogant enough to use the object, but then his eyes connected with Harry’s emotionless green and he knew that this wasn’t the time. He stepped back as if to provide enough room to close the door, but the tilt of his head told them otherwise and they slipped in as Snape spoke into the hall as if reprimanding someone for playing doorbell ditch on him.
When he walked back to the sitting room he found Hermione and Harry standing beside each other, Hermione gripping the others arm tightly while Harry whispered to her, Snape waited in the doorway and cast a quick spell to listen in before they noticed him enter.
“Hey, you need to calm down, we will be okay. It’s Professor Snape, he is trustworthy, we both know this,” Snape felt his eyebrows rise at the Potter heirs words, the boy was comforting her, pulling her against him and murmuring in a familiar way and saying that he was trustworthy.
“We don’t know that Harry, he may have saved us but that could very well be under Dumbledore’s orders, he could very well go straight to the Headmaster with all of this. Even if he doesn’t don’t you think their are recording charms here?”
“Oh, most definitely but this is Snape, they would be his not the Headmasters.”
“It’s in Hogwarts Harry, the Headmaster can take over any charms within the castle at any time, it says so in Hogwarts a Histor-” Harry turned Hermione around and placed his hands on her cheeks with a stern look and her face became nearly emotionless as she reeled in her emotions. Yet her eyes betrayed everything.
“We. need. Help.”
“Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, perhaps it would do well for you to sit and explain what is going on. And I assure you that I have no listening or recording devices in my rooms. Dumbledore or other.” They both jumped but moved to the couch. Looking at him skeptically. Severus would never do this unless he was sure, but he was pretty sure that this wasn’t something to take lightly. These two were acting weird. “If it would make you guys more comfortable,” he sneered at the word, and to his surprise both Gryffindors eyes narrowed instead of widening in ignorant hope… yes he would do this. Plus they were talking about the Headmaster as if they realized he was dangerous, something many failed to do. “I will make a magical vow in exchange for your own.” unsurprisingly Hermione immediately perked up at recognizing the term. Yet Harry recognized it as well narrowing his eyes.
“Ye-” Hermione began but quieted as Harry set his hand on hers to stop her, Snape quirked a curious brow at the boy as Hermione looked at him confused.
“Never agree to anything without having all the facts Herm, we don’t even know what he wants us to vow.” Harry said looking at his nose, which was rather weird, why wouldn’t they meet his eyes… they couldn’t possibly know about Legilimency, could they? And when did Potter ever think before action?
“Very good, Mr. Potter.” Hermione blushed lightly but squeezed Harry's hand in thanks, Snape found himself thinking on the twos newfound closeness. They’ve been touching nearly non stop, Hermione looking to Harry for support, and comfort whatever happened he needed to know, and everything.
“You two vow to tell me the whole story, everything that even remotely has to do with the situation, and I’ll vow secrecy, I will not show, tell, or write anything I learn. This will keep even Legilimens from finding the information.” He threw in the last part to test his theory that they knew the term and as Harry hesitantly nodded, followed by Hermione he had. “I, Severus Tobias Snape-Prince, swear to never share information I’m provided by Hermione Jean Granger, and Harrison James Potter through any means, magical or otherwise, unless given strict permission, or let Lady Magic strip me of my magic and life, so mote it be.” His wand flashed and Harry raised his, reaching his hand out and grasping the Professors, Hermione raised her wand and gripped Harry’s wrist, Severus gripped hers, creating a small triangle with their hands.
“I, Harrison James Potter-Black, swear to tell Severus Tobias Snape-Prince the truth, and the whole truth to the best of my knowledge, and anything that proves vital to said truth. I swear to never share any information provided by Severus Tobias Snape-Prince through any means, magical or otherwise unless given strict permission, or Lady Magic may smite thee, so mote it be.” Hermione made the same vow, and their clasped hands flashed and Hermione looked at Harry expectantly. Of course this would have to do with Potter.
“We need help.” and the rest of the night was filled with shocking revelations, Snape knew Dumbledore was manipulative, controlling everything from behind the scenes, but not to this extent. Abuse, potions, obliviates, theft… by the time the two Gryffindors left they had a rough plan, and Severus knew that a change was happening, what change? His guess was as good as any others.
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