The Rules of Life

Title: The Rules of Life

Summary: There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley’s when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

Warnings: This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don’t know what this means then please don’t read the fic – you won’t understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don’t read if you don’t like!!

SickPuppy: Harry didn’t get the 'twin wand' because it would have given his identity away (though he himself doesn’t know it). Dumbledore would have found out and then all hell would break loose. :)

Severus did not put voice to his thoughts though, for that would be foolish beyond words. Giving a stiff goodbye to Albus, Severus left the office to take on this new mission.

The Potter brat would certainly feel his wrath when he found him.

Chapter 3

Houses of exact likeness filled both sides of the road. Severus walked with determination and purpose towards number four Privet drive. Various scenarios played through his mind of how this day could end. Hagrid was a good man and Severus knew that if there were anything to find, he would have. That the man returned to Hogwarts without the brat caused Severus a measure of concern.

Sufficient proof and explanation could lesson the Headmaster’s disappointment and anger if Severus was to fail in this mission but he would certainly feel the consequences of such an outcome.

Striding up to the door, Severus knocked purposefully and waited impatiently for someone to open the door.

A young boy, about twice as big as his age would suggest, opened the door. Severus could see from the boyish features that the brat was around eleven or twelve, while his body was big enough to fit two of his age.

“I am here to speak to your parents, get them.”

The boy flinched a bit at the cold tone of his voice but quickly straightened and held the door between the two in a futile attempt to protect himself.

“Dad!!! Someone are here for you looking!”

Severus flinched at both the loud voice and the mangling of the English language. Did the boy not go to school?

Thundering footsteps heard from within the caused Severus to look towards the stairs as a man who could only be the boy’s father appeared on them.

“What do you want?”

“Mr Dursley, I presume?”

The man gave him a suspicious look before he nodded.

“I am here to enquire about your nephew, Harry Potter.”

Severus worked very hard to keep any infliction from his voice, lest the other man realize that he could not care less what happened to Harry Potter.

A blank look crossed the man’s face at the name before a puzzled frown appeared.

“I do not have a nephew named Harry Potter. I don’t have a nephew by any other name either.”

That would explain the blank look at the name. Severus thought to himself. Memory altering spells were never foolproof and in this case, the trigger to any kind of reaction was the name ‘Harry Potter’.

“You have never heard of Harry Potter before?”

The blank look appeared again at the name, before clearing and becoming a frown.

“There was a man here earlier this week, asking about the same boy. I don’t know anyone by that name.”

Severus could see it was the truth. The man had no idea who Harry Potter was and definitely did not know about magic.

Brandishing his wand, Severus watched the man closely but the only change was a slightly curious expression that appeared, quickly replaced by a frown.

“Legilimence”

Severus skimmed the man’s surface thoughts, quickly found ‘Hagrid’s visit’, and then moved on, a bit deeper into the man’s mind.

The last few year’s thoughts were easy enough to access, if a bit scattered. When Severus came to the memories of seven years back however, he met with a block – further encouraging his belief that someone had tampered with the man’s memories.

Using a bit more force, Severus pushed past the block and couldn’t help but flinch a bit at the memories that assaulted his mind. Pain and fear lingered thick in the air as a huge man towered over the small form of a shaking boy. The boy had bruises littering his body and a raw looking slash across his left cheek. Severus thought a knife had inflicted the mark and it was about three days old at the time.

The boy cowered back as the uncle advanced and Severus felt something stir in him that he had never before encountered – helplessness.

He could do nothing but watch as the man backhanded the boy and then kicked the small body into a cupboard under the stairs.

Rage and nausea waged for dominance in him but Severus squashed both feelings down. After a few more minutes of searching, Severus was no closer to an answer than when he started and he retreated from the man’s mind.

The man staggered back as Severus released the spell but other than wincing at what Severus knew would be a painful headache, the man displayed no outward sign that he had been affected by any of the memories Severus had discovered.

The memory charm is blocking those years even now, after I uncovered them. Severus could not say if he was pleased or enraged by this development. He wanted nothing more than to curse the man for abusing a child, a wizard child no less, but at the same time he was relieved that the man knew nothing of the boy and could thus not search for him. Severus shuddered at the thought of what would have happened to the brat had he stayed with his relatives all these years.

But where on earth is the brat? Severus thought to himself.

There was no doubt in Severus’s mind that a wizard or witch had taken the boy, but whom or where was anyone’s guess.

Thinking back on the block, Severus knew that the magical signature was familiar to him but he could not place it now. He would investigate it further when he was back at Hogwarts, for now though, he would have to find out as much as possible from these people.

The woman was the next to encounter Severus’s wand and he was not at all surprised to encounter the same block as with her husband.

Severus was disgusted at the way the woman treated the Potter brat and almost gagged when he came across a memory of baby Potter having his diaper changed after three days of wearing the same nappy. The smell as well as the damage done to the little boy’s bum and legs, made Severus retreat from the woman’s mind.

Severus vowed to himself that he would one-day exact revenge on these people for what they did to an innocent little boy. It did not matter that he himself hated the brat; he would not have done what these people did.

The youngest Dursley looked at Severus with fear clearly written on his face – both his parents were walking around with blank expressions and did not answer to his calls.

Loath as he was to use ‘Legillimence’ on someone so young, Severus could not see any alternative.

Facing the boy, Severus once again uttered the spell and could not disguise his shock at the easy and ‘block free’ access to the brat’s mind.

It became clear however, that the boy held no more answers than his parents did concerning Potter’s whereabouts. The brat had returned from school one day to find his parents sitting calmly at the kitchen table, and when asked, denying any knowledge of a boy named Harry Potter.

The youngest Dursley had accepted it as a fact and thought that maybe his father had finally ‘done away with the brat’ as he always threatened.

Severus released the boy from a spell a bit more gently that he did the parents.

Suppressing a snarl at not obtaining the necessary information on the Potter brat, Severus bid the Dursley’s goodbye – only receiving a vague answer from the boy as both parents were still staring off into space.


Severus spent the journey back to Hogwarts thinking about what to tell Albus. The headmaster would not be pleased with him, that was a given, he just hoped Albus would hear him out before turning him away.

The walk to the headmaster’s office felt shorter than ever before and just as Severus stepped up the revolving stairs a thought that had plagued him since leaving the Dursley’s became clear in his mind.

There was no scar on the brat’s forehead while he cowered from his uncle. The memories from the woman and boy held a ‘Potter with scar’, while the uncle’s had a ‘scarless’ Potter.

The revelation stopped him dead in his tracks and only one thought flashed through his mind as he entered Albus’s office:

It's Harry! That's why the signature was familiar; Damen took Harry Potter! Severus doubted the man knew who he had bought that day.


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


It took all Severus’s willpower to blank his expression and keep it that way as he told Albus of his night’s findings.

The thought that Patterson could be Harry Potter filled him with a strange mix of emotions.

He did not like the brat – Patterson or Potter – but with both boy’s he had found something that took the edge off his hatred. Both boys endured childhoods no one should ever even think about, much less experience.

If Patterson was Potter, Severus could not fathom how the boy could be as calm and reasonable as he was.

Albus interrogated Severus endlessly about his visit and in the end; Severus suggested the headmaster look at his memories in a pensieve.

It was tricky to alter a memory and even more so while under pressure but Severus worked carefully to merge the memory of a Potter without the scar with a Potter with the scar. The uncle’s towering frame lingered in his mind as if to taunt him and Severus suppressed the feelings welling inside him.

Watching the memory with Albus, Severus found himself intrigued by the headmaster’s lack of reaction to the treatment of the boy. A sad look briefly crossed the old man’s face but a frown and a look of concentration soon replaced it.

Severus watched him carefully to see if the headmaster recognized the magical signature, but the sigh of disappointment was answer enough.

“I will investigate this further Severus, thank you for sharing your memories; it did make up for the fact that you yourself did no further investigating of your own.”

Severus nodded at the headmasters words and disappointed tone. He was not the least bit surprised that the headmaster was disappointed in him but it did surprise him that the man showed no other sign of being frustrated with the lack of useful information.

“Of course Albus, if that is all?”

“Yes, yes, better make sure your young charge did not blow your rooms up – Merlin knows what such a young boy could do if left to his own devices.”

Severus snorted at that – it was something he himself would have said under any other circumstances.

Turning, Severus left the chuckling headmaster behind as he thought about what to do with this new development.


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


The boy sat on the floor in front of the bookcase and as Severus entered the room, he jumped up with his head bowed.

Though Severus had not given him express permission to read these books as he had at his house, he was glad the boy felt comfortable enough to do so himself.

“You need not jump up every time I enter the room, Mr Patterson. Please, continue with your reading, Merlin knows kids your age need all the help they can get.”

The boy complied at once and immersed himself in his reading again.

Severus studied the boy carefully. He could not detect any excessive use of magic around the boy but with careful inspection, he could feel a faint tingle of magic centered on the boy’s forehead.

No doubt lingered in his mind as to the boy’s identity and Severus could not help but marvel at the boy’s unconscious use of magic.

To maintain any spell for longer than a few minutes took immense concentration but to maintain it nonstop for weeks if not months took both concentration and power.

“The school term starts tomorrow; do you have all your school things ready? Good, I will walk you to school in the morning but only this once, thereafter you will have to make your own way there.”

The boy nodded and they spent the rest of the evening in silence – Harry reading and Severus preparing for the coming term.

Severus left the boy in his quarters as he made his way to the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. He would stay there the requisite time Albus asked for and then return to his charge.


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


Severus shortened his strides a bit, as he realized the boy had trouble keeping up. The boy carried a small muggle type suitcase and though the boy refused his offer to carry the bag, he cast a lightening spell on it.

The boy looked a bit apprehensive about the new school and Severus could not blame him. He would explain to the teachers there about the boy’s situation and though he doubted the teachers at the school would cause the boy any discomfort, children gave no thought to the consequences of their actions or words.

“Your teachers will help you with any trouble you might have and if any other problems should arise, let me know.”

Harry nodded and Severus conceded to the thought of calling the boy ‘Harry’ until he decided to tell the boy himself that he was one of the most famous wizards in their world.

Calling the boy ‘Patterson’ while he knew it was ‘Potter’ would be more difficult to manage than simply calling him ‘Harry’.

Explaining the situation to the teachers at the school, Severus left the boy to his first day at Wizarding School – or any school for that matter.


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


Severus was surprised when the headmaster called him to his office a week after the school term started. It was not the summons itself that surprised him, but rather how long it took the headmaster to come back to him on the status of the ‘Potter problem’.

“I am afraid that we have discovered nothing more on the whereabouts of Mr Potter. My investigators have all returned empty handed and most have become despondent and fear that there will be no positive end to this investigation.”

The headmaster looked truly troubled about this but Severus kept the knowledge he had to himself.

“It is possible that one of Voldemort’s Death Eaters is responsible for the boy’s disappearance, if that is indeed the case then we will have to expect the worst.”

Severus resisted the urge to tell the headmaster that he was stating the obvious.

“The boy is lost to us Severus, I fear we will have to accept the fact that the prophecy might indeed have been about Neville. The boy’s parents did defy Voldemort three times, and survived. Voldemort also marked him as an equal by orphaning the boy – I know it was Bellatrix that tortured his parents but it was still on Voldemort’s orders.”

It was clear to Severus that Albus was grasping at straws and he could not help but loathe the man for ruining the lives of children. That he had ruined Harry’s life by leaving him with his despicable relatives was not enough, no, he had to go and ruin another young boy’s life. Severus did not like the Longbottom boy – after one day in the same Potions lesson as the boy, Severus feared for his life – but even he would not wish this fate on the boy.

Severus bade Albus a quick goodbye but the headmaster was lost in thought and did not even hear him.


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


The days passed with little excitement and Severus quickly became used to the fact that every night, after returning from his classes, Harry would sit on the floor by the bookcase, multiple books open in front of him. Harry’s excitement over school and his subjects surprised Severus somewhat but he realized quickly that, as something new, Harry worked hard to do his best and was awed by even the most simplest of magic performed.

When Severus returned to his quarters late one Friday night after another discussion regarding Neville Longbottom with the headmaster, he found Harry fast asleep on the floor, a book still open on his half-crossed legs. The position looked very uncomfortable and without a second thought, Severus bent down and picked the boy up.

Though still very light for a boy his age, Harry had filled out a bit and was not as dangerously thin as when Severus first found him.

Laying the boy down on his bed, Severus stood back and watched the young face for a moment. Harry’s face still had the boyish features associated with youth but Severus knew that as soon as the boy opened his eyes, his whole face seemed to mature three years. The eyes alone looked like that of an adult, an adult who had experienced more in life than one man ever should.

Tucking the blankets tight around the boy, Severus retreated from the room and softly closed the door.



Severus felt a bit disoriented the next morning and knew without looking at a clock that he had slept later than usual.

Whenever he felt like this he knew his day started out wrong and it was very seldom that it improved as the hours passed.

Quickly making his way to the bathroom, Severus took care of his morning ablutions, and then moved toward the kitchen.

Harry was already clattering about in the cupboards while keeping an eye on the eggs on the stove as he entered. Severus left him to it, knowing that the boy needed to feel that he did his share of things in and around their quarters in order to earn his keep.

The boy was too young still – despite his history – for Severus to explain the difference between acting like a child and acting like a slave.

Severus allowed some things while he drew the line with others. The boy had mercifully stopped adding ‘Master’ at the end of every sentence he wrote – only writing it after every second or third…

The ‘Prophet’ was open on the table and Severus skimmed through the pages. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and for a moment, Severus was uncertain about what he was seeing.

Harry had his back to him and was busy stirring the eggs, the boy’s hand reached out into the air and caught the milk that had first caught Severus’s eye. Proceeding to pour a bit of milk in the egg mixture, Harry went on as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Severus sat speechless for a moment before his thoughts realigned themselves and he was out of his chair and at Harry’s side within seconds.

“How did you do that!?!”

The boy gave a silent cry of surprise and a gurgling sound made it passed the boy’s throat before he swallowed hard and lowered his eyes again.

Severus cursed himself for his harsh demeanor with the boy but quickly straightened and took a step away from the boy to give him some space.

After another minute of tense silence, Severus asked more calmly:

“How did you move the milk from its place in the cooler to your hand without saying a word – which I know you can’t, and we will address that at a later stage – but also without a wand?”

Harry looked at him with wide eyes before lowering his head again and flicking his wrist a bit. Severus puzzled over the behavior for only a moment as in the next second the boy was clutching a plate from the table in his hand.

A bright smile split the boy’s face and his eyes shone with pride at what he had done. It dimmed quickly however as Severus could not smooth the puzzled frown off his face fast enough.

Harry once again lowered his eyes and bit his lip nervously – Severus wondered when and where the boy had learned this habit.

He sighed deeply as he looked at the downtrodden face and ushered the boy to the living room for a long discussion.

End Chapter 3

Sorry its short but I type this while at work and this morning has been a bit hectic. I will try my best to make the next one longer!

From the next chapter onwards, a chapter will be a whole school year, the next one the summer vacation, then another school year, etc. etc..

Please review!!!