Who am I really?

Title: Who am I really?

Summary: AU!! “You cannot be Harry Potter. Harry Potter died thirteen years ago, along with his parents. Only his twin brother survived, ‘Theodore Potter’.”

Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me. This magical world and everything in it belongs to JK Rowling and her publishers.

Warnings: Okay, this will be a BDSM fic, for certain, but only later on in the fic. This is Snarry slash, Snape will be the Dominant but it will be very different from ‘Life as I know it’, Harry will stand up for himself more…

Also, and I’ll say it only once; this is not going to be a Dom/sub ‘by the book’ kind of fic. I’m going to write it as I see fit and where I think this or that should happen, I’ll write it so… so, no ‘by the book’ facts in this fic!

AN: I’ll tell you now, as I know not all of you have read “Life as I know it”, I will not be able to update over weekends, ever. I will try to update at least three times a week but I’m ‘aiming’ for once a day.

Wowwers: Your questions can both be answered by reading the summary actually… ‘Harry Potter died thirteen years ago, along with his parents’ – doing the math I figure that he will be fourteen at the moment – the fic goes along with canon on that fact, Harry was one year old when Voldemort attacked his/their parents on Halloween… err… his parents are both dead.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to the fic…


Chapter 2: A life turned upside down.

Severus could see that the boy, whom he was almost certain now, was another Potter brat, had mostly tuned out the conversation between the headmaster and himself. He didn’t know whether to be grateful for that or not.

While the headmaster didn’t explain his reaction to Potter’s sudden appearance, he had certainly not made any attempt to hide the fact that he was not shocked to see the boy alive.

Severus would get to the bottom of that at another time, for the time-being, they had to figure out what to do with the boy.

Just letting the boy go was out of the question. To let someone with magical abilities, a wizard borne from a pureblood line – even though his mother was muggleborn – to just let that person go out into the world without training and sufficient knowledge of the wizarding world was like letting the boy go with a sign stuck to his back “Come get me, I’m magical and easily influenced”.

The years the boy had lost would have to be made up some way or another and from the twinkle that temporarily blinded Severus from the headmaster’s direction, it would fall upon him to think of how to rectify this little ‘slip-up’.

The boy became alert once again when the headmaster addressed him.

“Now Harry, I believe that you yourself have very little knowledge of the wizarding world, correct? Yes, yes, that will be corrected, not to worry. Professor Snape here has graciously agreed to escort you when you go shopping for school supplies. Before that though, we have a serious little issue that we will have to sort out first.”

Severus scowled at the headmaster. Graciously agreed indeed! No need to mention that the headmaster had informed them both of that little arrangement at the same time…

“I believe Professor Snape here have mentioned to you that you have a twin brother. Theodore is a very nice young man who has strived to live up to the expectations the world has placed on his shoulders.

You will find out the details at a later date but for now, you need only know that your brother is a ‘celebrity’ of sorts in our world and that he had defeated a very powerful and evil wizard when you were both only one year old. We are all in his debt.”

It was very hard to suppress his snort, but Severus managed. As if he’d ever be in that spoiled brat’s debt! The little ingrate was the one in Severus’s debt. He’d saved his ungrateful hide more times than he cared to count. The sheer number of times that Potter – Theodore – had blown up his own cauldron had set a new record, back in second year already. The previous person to hold the record was a fifth year back in 1987. The poor girl was scared of her own voice for crying out loud! She had managed to blow up the whole Potions classroom twice in the five years that Potions was mandatory and had landed herself in the infirmary an average of fifteen times a year because of an overflowing, boiling cauldron – or an allergy to some ingredient or another.

Potter had surpassed her number of visits to the infirmary because of an accident in his class during his second year when he had burned himself while lighting a cauldron – how the boy had managed that when you used a spell to light the flame under the cauldron still remained a mystery to Severus. The boy had landed himself in the infirmary a grand total of eighteen times that year. Severus was still waiting to see if he’d break the record of the number of times she had blown up the classroom, he was halfway there already and two years still remained before the boy would – hopefully – not have to return to his classroom.

Severus was brought back from his thoughts by a hesitant voice. Oh, the other Potter brat. Just what Severus needed, two Potters in the school at the same time, in the same year, and most probably, in the same class as well!!

“Sir? The headmaster said that you’d be able to show me to my temporary rooms.”

Severus looked down at the boy as he processed what was said. When he finally managed to bring meaning back to the words he looked to where the headmaster was sitting only to find the old man gone. Leave it to the old coot to slip out when Severus was distracted!

“And just how do you think I would know where your rooms are?”

“Er… sir… the headmaster mentioned something about a dungeon” Severus could not miss the shudder that went through the boy at the word “and er… that it was in the same ‘wing’ or something as your quasers or something.”

It took a moment to sort all that through his brain but when he did, Severus had to suppress a snarl at the headmaster’s cunning.

“It is quarters, not quasers, and yes it is in the same wing as mine – that means that it is close to my own rooms, just a hallway down.”

“Oh.”

Severus had hoped that one Potter brat might be more articulate than the other but it seemed his wishes fell on deaf ears.

Knowing that it was futile to try and negate the headmaster’s decision, Severus stood and with a swift order to “follow or die a gruesome death by a vicious monster”, the boy fell in step behind him.

Just as they turned the last corner to the hallway Severus believed the headmaster had in mind for the Potter boy, said brat decided to speak up.

“Sir… I was wondering… I don’t mean to be a bother but… you see… I’m new to all this wizarding stuff and well… er…”

“Whatever it is boy, just spit it out so I can get on with my own life.”

“Yes sir. Sorry sir, umm well, could you maybe help me think of a suitable name sir? Only, I’m not familiar with wizarding names and don’t want to sound too… what was the word? muddle?”

“Muggle. What do you mean; help you think of a name?”

“The headmaster sir… he said it would be best if I didn’t let anyone know who I really am as it would cause to much trouble, especially for my …. for Theodore Potter.”

Severus stopped short as he heard the boy’s answer. He had always known that the headmaster was a master manipulator but this was going a bit far.

“I see, and did the headmaster mention anything about funding for your school years - funds for your equipment and books?”

“He said he’d take care of it as he did not want to take the money from Theodore. Does that mean that Theodore has money? Did my parents actually leave us with something? Me??”

Severus cursed the headmaster ten times over for leaving this specific task up to him.

“Yes Pot, Harry, or whatever your name will be. Your parents were fairly wealthy and they left your brother, you, with an adequate amount of money.” Seeing the confused expression on the boy’s face, Severus explained. “Adequate means ‘enough’, ‘sufficient’ and in your case, ‘plenty’. So yes, you were left with enough money to see you through school and beyond. The headmaster it seems has his own plans and now you are not privileged to make use of that money.”

The boy looked deep in through and Severus could almost see the wheels turning in his head. So the boy wasn’t really as stupid as he looked.

“I understand sir.” The way it was stated and with the certainty behind the words, Severus had little doubt that the boy understood everything concerning the money he was supposed to share with his twin and the relationship they would be unable to have now because of the headmaster’s meddling.

Severus showed the boy the rooms – which was only two doors down from Severus’s own quarters – and bid the boy goodnight. Before he could exit however, the boy had stopped him with a hesitant question.

“Sir, could you, I mean, it is at all possible that I could maybe read some books? A dictionary perhaps?”

The question was most probably the most absurd Severus had ever heard in his life but he did not laugh. He could see that the boy was dead serious and thought that all was perhaps not lost with this boy… if he was willing to work and learn, he could become a formidable wizard.

“I’ll see what I can do.” And with that Severus quickly left to plan his own little meddling and cunning, against the headmaster. It would not be easy as the headmaster was a master manipulator but Severus had done it before, a few times, and he would once again succeed. He had never before been as determined as he was now.

*------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Harry took in his surroundings. Everything had happened so quickly and nothing had really penetrated his brain, now, as he stood there in his own rooms, the whole day came crashing down on him and he had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing everything as it should be and that it was not just a figment of his imagination.

Nope, still there. He had not dreamed it all up!

Running from the sitting room where he had been standing, to the first open door he was delighted to see a huge bed with warm covers and even some pillows. Oh, this was a dream come true!

His stomach grumbled at that moment but he paid it no heed. He had eaten a banana for breakfast and he was sure the apple was still somewhere in his pocket but for now; he just wanted to take in his surroundings.

The quarters - as Professor Snape had practically spelled out for him – was spacious but… what was that other word… adequate furnished. That didn’t quite sound right and Harry suspected that as with ‘sufficient(ly)’ in a sentence like this, ‘adequate’ would have a suffix added to it to fit better with the sentence, thus it would be adequately.

Harry reminded himself to look up the words as well as the word ‘nuisance’ when he had the chance. He loved learning new things.

As he had rarely had the chance to learn new things at the orphanage, well, other than what the lovely caretakers taught, and seeing as his old guardian had never let him do anything he wanted to, much less taught him anything, he just loved to learn new things now while he could.

He was torn from his musings as a funny looking creature literally ‘popped’ into existence right in front of him!

Harry let out an undignified squeak and back up against the wall.

“Orby is sorry to frighten you young sir. Orby is wondering if sir is hungry, sir?”

Harry took deep calming breaths as he watched the strange creature. Other than just suddenly appearing in front of him, he/she had not done anything; yet.

“Hungry? I.. you.. hungry?”

“Sir is talking funny, young sir. Orby is making you big dinner sir then Orby is be taking it to you. Where is you to be waiting young sir?”

A strangled sound escaped his lips; it sounded something between a sob and a laugh.

“I’m not talking funny Orby. You is talking… are talking funny. See, now you have me talking garbled speech and mixing my tenses!”

“Oh, oh, Orby is so sorry sir. Orby is bad elf! Bad elf for saying bad things about young sir.”

Harry watched in horrified fascination as the elf began banging his head against the wall.

After three minutes had passed and the elf had yet to stop his self mutilation, Harry stepped over and put his hand against the wall.

The elf banged his head forward once again but quickly looked up when he realized he had banged right into Harry’s hand.

“Orby is so sorry sir! Young sir be not putting your hand there!”

As the creature once again surged forward to hit his head against the wall, Harry grabbed him by the shoulders to stop him.

“Don’t do that!! Why are you hurting yourself?”

“Orby is bad elf. Orby is punish himself for being bad elf.”

Harry still didn’t know why the little creature would insist on doing something like that but let it go for the moment.

“What were you saying before all this started? Just when you entered the room…”

“Oh yes, yes, yes sir! You is being hungry young sir?”

“Do you mean: ‘Are you hungry Harry?’ If that is your question then yes, I am a bit hungry but I don’t have any money on me to pay you for anything.”

“Young sir is not be paying anything!! Oh, the other elves they be very hurt to be paid for making good sir food.”

Harry was beginning to get used to the somewhat garbled speech of the little creature and was astounded by what he could understand from the last sentence.

“You mean you don’t want payment for the food? You’re going to give it to me for free?”

“Orby is brining your food right away sir and is not taking any money from good young sir.”

As the strange little creature disappeared the same way he had just appeared a while ago, Harry took a good look around his new ‘home’.

How things had gone from sleeping under old newspapers in an abandoned warehouse, to living in a castle and sleeping in his own room, on his own bed, were still a mystery but he was delighted with the changes and turns his life had taken.

The little creature appeared once again five minutes later and Harry could do nothing but stare at the amount of food laid out in front of him.

When the little thing made excuses and was about to leave once again, Harry quickly stopped him and asked him to share the meal – Harry was definitely not going to be able to eat it all.

“Orby is not be sitting with good young sir! Orby is flattered young sir is be asking but Orby is not be saying yes. Orby good elf and not be going against headmaster sirs wishes.”

“So the headmaster forbade you to eat with me?”

The little creature looked as if he was seconds away from chopping off his own hands or feet as punishment for what he had said but Harry stopped him and sent him on his way.

He would have to observe the old man a bit more, but for now, he would certainly not trust the headmaster as far as he could throw him. Considering that Harry was about one third the size of the old man, there was little doubt about how much he trusted him at the moment.

*---------------------------------------------------------------------*

Severus waited impatiently for the brat to open the door. Just because the headmaster had manipulated the situation just so, and had effectively caught Severus in the middle of this whole ‘debacle’ did not mean he was going to be lenient with the brat. So-what if it was five thirty in the morning, he had things to do during the day but first had to escort the boy to get his school supplies. There was no reason for him to wait until a reasonable hour to take the boy out, he had time now and if that didn’t suite the brat then he could go on his own for all Severus cared.

“What’s with all the banging?!?”

Severus’s scowl intensified as the boy opened the door. “Be ready in five minutes. We’re leaving and I’m not going to wait for you.”

Making his way into the room, Severus settled down on a couch and poured himself some tea after a house elf popped in with the tray.

Four minutes and fifty-two second later – not that Severus was counting or anything – the boy walked out of the bathroom and came to stand in front of Severus.

“I’m finished sir, if I may ask; where are we going?”

“Shopping.” Was Severus’s curt answer and he swept by the boy to open the door.

“Do you always use the door? Even when you’re alone in a room, or with only one other person present?”

Severus stopped and turned around with a fierce scowl on his face.

“Of course I always use the door! What did you think I’d do? Change into a worm and crawl inside on the floor… I think not!”

The boy looked as if he was holding back on a laugh and Severus just itched to be given the chance to yell at the boy for doing something as ill-mannered as laughing at a Professor.

“No sir. That is not what I meant. Are you, do you really, can you really change into a worm sir?”

A sound did escape the boy this time but Severus commended the boy on blanking his face not a moment later.

“No Har… boy, I can not change into a worm by my own will but I’m certainly capable of turning you into one with my wand.”

The threat had the desired effect and the boy stopped his questioning.

“If that is not what you meant, what exactly did you mean by ‘do you always use the door?’.”

“Just what I said sir; I mean, I don’t always use a door; actually, I very rarely use a door. Why go through the trouble of opening a locked door if you don’t need to?”

Severus was quickly losing patience with the boy but it looked as if he - Severus didn’t know yet what to call the boy – had realized it as well for he went on to demonstrate just exactly what he had meant by not needing to open a locked door.

As the boy disappeared right through the thick stone wall Severus could honestly say he had never been more shocked in his life.

End Chapter 2

What did you think? Review please!!!

Oooohhhh, I’m so excited at the moment. I’m getting a new car!! Sorry if the first few chapters are a bit short but I’m busy with the negotiations and everything. I promise, by next week I’ll be writing my normal length of almost 5 000 words per chapter…