Guilty as Sin

CHAPTER 2

“So how is he Severus?” Albus reclined awkwardly in his chair beside the fire, knowing without having looked that Professor Snape had entered his office.

“A few bruises, a nasty rash and a black eye but nothing that could possibly harm his attitude. He’s still as sour as he was last week.” Severus helped himself to a glass of brandy from the decanter on the man’s desk before casually sitting himself on the seat opposite the headmasters. The old, gray haired wizard sighed heavily, his eyes closing in despair behind his half moon glasses. In all his years as both a student and a teacher at Hogwarts, Severus Snape had never seen Albus Dumbledore look so defeated.

“I do not know what has become of him Severus, he was doing so well.” Pointedly Severus kept his mouth shut, knowing himself that the boy was never doing ‘well’ he was just simply coping. The visible signs had been there for months but the boy had a way of hiding things from others. It was perhaps the only thing he and the boy actually had in common and Severus could see past all the masks the boy had erected. It had started with the death of that ‘Diggory’ boy. Not a real great loss that Severus could see but Harry and a few others had taken it hard. It had been a spiral of decline then and Severus had merely sat back and watched as each card in the stack had given way, leading in the end to what Harry was now, a bitter, resentful and angry young man. “The ministry are bombarding me with restrictions concerning his movements, the forms alone are ridiculous. He’s a boy for Merlin’s sake not a criminal.”

“A boy he may be Albus but in the eyes of the law he is every inch the criminal his godfather was.” Severus sipped from his glass of brandy savoring the warmth of the liquid trickling down his throat. It had been a very long day, and judging from Potter’s display in the bathroom it was going to be an even longer year.

“Ah yes Sirius. Harry was quite fond of his godfather, it is such a shame that he must grow up without his presence. Family is so important in a young man’s life.” Albus it seemed was paying absolutely no attention to what Severus had said, not that the man did usually anyway. Still it was annoying and Severus pursed his lips together irritably as he watched Albus roll a sweet wrapper back and forth in his hand. “We must endeavor to be sensitive to Harry’s loss Severus, we must become his family. He will have to look to someone for guidance now, I am perhaps hopeful it will be you he comes to.” At this comment Severus practically chocked on his brandy as he stared at the headmaster as if he’d grown two heads.

“You can’t be serious headmaster. The boy and I barely tolerate one another’s presence let alone share conversation. The mere idea that he might seek me out for guidance is laughable. I agreed reluctantly to supervise his detentions but I refuse out rightly to become his wet nurse!” Severus stared pointedly at the old wizard opposite him, who at length sighed deeply.

“I understand your position Severus but I do not know to whom else to turn. It is clear to me I hold no influence over him any more and I fear anyone else will have just as little influence on him as myself. No, it is you who must guide him back on the right path, for only you seem to still capture his attention. He has strayed too far…”

“Strayed?!” This time Severus couldn’t hold his tongue any longer, and looked incredulously at the headmaster. “Harry Potter is not a sheep headmaster, he is an arrogant, overconfident young boy with an attitude problem just like his father was. What you may term as ‘straying’ I call rebellion. If you have not seen it coming then I certainly have. Harry Potter’s behavior is simply the culmination of year’s worth of pressure and restraint boiling to the surface. What the boy needs is a firm kick up the arse and a severe attitude readjustment.” Severus drained his glass and slammed it down on the side table as he strode towards the exit of the office. Secretly the headmaster smiled to himself waiting until Severus was just about to leave before speaking again.

“And that my dear boy is why I am confident you are just the person to sort Mr. Potter out for us.” Severus spun around in the doorway and glared at Albus in disbelief but before he could give an angry retort the headmaster had waved his hand and the door to his office had slammed shut in the Potion Masters face.

Still fuming Severus stalked back down into the relative safety of his dungeons where he could seethe in private. If Albus thought he was the wizard to sort ‘Potter’ out then Severus was going to do just that. By the time he was finished with Potter, the boy would wish he’d never have been born…

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>