"I thought we had an agreement." Lily stated, eyes so focused that it was as if she were trying to burn a hole into the woman seated across from her. "The agreement was that you would keep a certain professor on a short leash and a I, in turn, would not make said professor's life a living hell with as much fury and wrath as you know that I am capable of."
Said Headmistress sighed, knowing full well what the woman was referring to. She had warned the woman after all, before the school year started and again the evening after the Sorting. "Lily..."
"And yet" the woman interrupted, "I have received letter after letter from my daughters about her actions during class, about how she targets them and now I have been told she has been paying quite a lot of attention to Harry."
"I understand your concerns, Lily."
The younger woman snapped back, "Do you Headmistress? I know what Hogwarts has ignored in the past, what behavior that you and the other staff have ignored in favor of keeping the school board and Wizengamot quiet. It appears you either don't understand what my concerns are, or you just don't care."
"I understand and have spoken to Professor Snape, and I assure you that I will be doing so again."
"We aren't going to push for her dismissal Dumbledore," James finally chimed in, "even if it might be called for, but if this behavior continues, we will be at the very least finding a private tutor for all three and putting it on the record as to why."
Augustina nodded, knowing full well what such a move would do to the potion expert's career. "It goes without saying Headmistress, if she tries anything physically inappropriate with any of them, her career will be the least of her concerns."
Tension still filled the air even as the elderly woman steepled her fingers on the desk, "With that said, I do believe we have another issue to discuss, one concerning Harry and his Head of House."
****
Harry Potter felt completely alone. Standing in the Great Hall, watching as parents happily doted on their children, talking excitedly about their classes, about meeting new people, about favorite professors.
In this sea of bodies and voices he was like an island, isolated from everything and everyone. He had felt this way before, but for some reason this felt worse than he could remember. He longed for his old friends, to see Hermione sitting in a corner curled up with a book, to have Ron happily chattering away about Quidditch or Chess. To just have others who knew him and wanted to be there with him, who understood what he was going through.
Maybe it was just the day, he always hated Halloween, but now there was no memory of what happened. None of the staff would be taking it just a bit easier on him, none of his friends would be asking how he was feeling or anything else.
It was both a relief and painful at the same time.
"Harry?"
Someone had called his voice from nearby, and he turned to see his two 'sisters' standing with Lily and James Potter.
They weren't his family though, hadn't raised him, barely knew him just as he barely knew them. What he knew of his own parents didn't apply here, the photo album Hagrid had gifted him in his own first year would give him no answers in this place.
Did this James play Quidditch? Was he friends with Remus? Was Sirius the same person or completely different?
Someone touched his hand, someone he didn't know, didn't recognize. Memories resurfaced of the Dursley's, of Voldemort's skin causing his scar to burn like fire, of all the unfamiliar, unwelcome, contact and all the lack of anything remotely caring or loving until he was at Hogwarts itself. He reeled back, eyes wide and hand twitching, wanting to go for his Wand just as his feet wanted him to flee.
His action caused a similar reaction from his dark-haired twin, concern so evident in her eyes it was almost painful. He took a breath, what felt like the first one in days. "Sorry, sorry just a bit lost in my own head."
It did nothing to appease his new family, but for the time being they held back pressing any further.
****
"James"
The man turned back towards him and took a few steps away from Lily and their daughters to give the boy some privacy. "Yeah?"
"Could I... ask you about something?"
He nodded, "Sure Harry, of course you can."
"What... what happened between you two and Snape?"
James Potter glanced back towards his wife, ensuring she was thoroughly occupied, before letting out a sigh and gesturing over to a pair of empty spots on a nearby bench. "Snape and your mom... er and Lily, well they have a very complicated relationship."
"I kind of figured that out from my own world, but it's obviously not the same."
"No, no I imagine it isn't. You've seen how men are treated differently right??"
Harry nodded slowly, "Like we aren't good enough."
"Yeah, well there is more to it than that. It isn't just school and the government it's also... well our culture it just sort of, objectifies us."
"Objectifies?"
He sighed, "Yeah, like how Dumbledore talked about how it was almost expected in certain circles that we would have put you up for adoption at birth? Well in certain families, especially the wealthier, older ones, it isn't uncommon to treat men as if they are property that can be handled any way they want. Although Snape isn't exactly from that type of family, as Lily will tell you, she was sorted into Slytherin, and that environment passes on certain ideas that fester in a person's mind."
"So, she said something to you instead of Lily? Something bad?"
The man rubbed wearily at his face, going so far as to take off his glasses before doing so. Suddenly Harry felt like he was intruding, picking at wounds that had never fully healed. How often had others done this to him even after he wished they would just mind their own business. "Sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to pry. Forget I asked, it isn't any of my business."
"No, no you should know. We can't just keep telling you to be careful around someone and not warn you about what could happen. We should have told you earlier in fact, and I'm sorry we didn't. It was during our seventh year, near the end of it in fact. Everyone was studying for their N.E.W.Ts. I don't know if you ever saw someone in those weeks, but it isn't pretty. Lots of stress, tempers running high, emotions on the edge of a knife... it isn't a fun time."
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