SS,
I would be more than happy to meet with you.
There's a tea shop I enjoy, McCastor's, on 8th and Beluga in Dundee. I can meet you there on the fifth at noon to hear all about this time sensitive issue.
Sincerely,
N. Flamel
***
July 5th
It was still dark when Severus woke.
He showered quickly and changed in to a fresh set of clothes, forgoing his outer robes in an effort to blend in with the muggle town he would be traveling to today, and began his customary morning rounds.
First, check the potions simmering in his lab.
Potter and Black's lithium potion was nearly complete. Severus added the final ingredient and removed it from the heat. He measured out a vial for Black; a vial he could thankfully leave behind for him to pick up today. The rest was carefully stored away for Harry.
Severus carefully removed the nerve regeneration potion from stasis and checked both the color and viscosity. Once he was satisfied it was brewed properly, he bottled up a dozen vials and pocketed one to deliver to Miss Lovegood.
He checked the calendar on his wall and reassured himself that neither Theodore's potion nor the Wolfsbane potion would need brewed for a week. At which time Severus hoped he could convince Lovegood to assist him. Theodore was an adequate assistant, but Lovegood was possibly the brightest potions student Severus had ever encountered.
If she applied herself, she could surpass Severus himself as the youngest potions master in history.
Severus doubted if Theodore would feel put out with his replacement. He had been spending a decent portion of his time with Granger in the library.
Speaking of which...
Severus grabbed a vial of the potion he brewed for Theodore and Granger. The idiot boy had yet to ask him for any type of birth control and the last thing Severus needed was an infant in the house.
God knew Harry would induct it in to his alliance before it grew its first tooth.
Severus then dropped potions off at different bedrooms. Though he had Mavis pop inside the bedrooms to place them on their bedside tables. There were entirely too many teenage girls in their house for Severus to go bursting in bedrooms.
His morning tasks now complete, Severus went to the kitchen and began a pot of coffee while he waited for his child to return home.
It took approximately two cups of coffee before the first rays of daylight were peeking through the dining room windows and Harry finally triggered the wards with his return home.
Judging from the scowl he wore when he stormed inside and took his customary spot across from Severus, it had not been a successful night.
"Can I have that paper when you're done?" Harry asked immediately.
"Certainly." Severus raised his wand and idly added cream and sugar to a mug and floated it to Harry before folding the Daily Prophet and handing that over as well. "Long night?"
Harry still had on the trousers and hooded jumper he wore yesterday and was obviously disgruntled in his lack of success.
"You could say that," Harry muttered. He stuck his hand out and silently summoned a quill before circling the front page article about a muggle family found dead beneath the dark mark. "Fuckin Aberyswyth! They were in Preston night before last!"
Severus hummed in acknowledgment as Harry raved angrily about the nonsensical patterns of the death eaters attacks. For the last two nights, Harry had been out looking for the followers of the Dark Lord.
'To give them an answer for Timmy', of course. Apparently Harry would like to deny his offer to join him in person.
As only a madman such as Harry would do.
Severus had debated on whether it was a wise choice to inform Harry of what Lovegood shared with him, the cause behind her torture and her father's murder, but Severus was keeping enough secrets at present.
And Lovegood would undoubtedly tell him herself.
So Severus had not been wholly surprised that night when Harry knocked on his bedroom door and informed him that he would be out for the night and to not expect him home until morning. Harry had disappeared the moment that Severus informed him that Lovegood was physically fine and returned home long enough to inform him that her father was dead before disappearing again. And when Harry appeared at his bedroom door that night, dressed in a black hooded jumper, black trousers, and a lump in the front of his jumper that was undeniably his muggle gun, Severus had nearly lost his composure as he pictured Harry out in dead of night, dressed as some sort of burglar, hunting for death eaters.
It had been terribly amusing.
'The Boy Hero' and all.
It took an incredible amount of persuasion on Severus' part to convince Harry to take any one of his adult allies with him. Harry, Theodore, and George and Frederick Weasley made up the 'hunting party' (as Harry called it) the first night, so Severus requested that Harry find an adult who was more than a month out of Hogwarts to accompany him the next time.
"Who did you take with you last night?" Severus asked.
"Charlie and Susan," Harry mumbled as he scoured the paper for any hint of where the Death Eaters may be next. "Me and Draco are going with Sirius tonight."
"Draco and I," Severus corrected him. "And I hardly consider your dogfather to be an acceptable adult companion."
Harry glanced up at him, his eyes no longer hidden behind his glasses and all the brighter for it. "D'you wanna go tonight instead? I can tell him to piss off?"
"No," Severus chuckled lightly, pleased as he always was to be ranked above the mutt. "I do not."
Harry agreed to alert Severus if he found anything and Severus would apparate to his side then. He had no desire to go traipsing around Great Britain with Harry and his friends as they searched for the men who attacked Lovegood. From the sounds of it, it seemed as if the Dark Lord had realized that Harry would be searching for stray followers to pick off, and had them rather more contained than they had been before.
"I do need to talk to you though," Severus said. He could not push this off any longer, it would be best to deal with the argument that surely awaited him now rather than when the others were awake to witness it. Severus waited until he had Harry's complete attention before continuing. "I have an incredibly important meeting today and will not be home for your meeting."
Harry's jaw dropped for a moment before he schooled his expression to one of cool disdain. "Our incredibly important meeting is to talk about breaking your friend out of prison and finding Timmy and his death eaters. Ya know, the ones threatening to kill my friends if I don't join them? What could possibly be more important than this?"
Severus looked in Harry's obviously irritated eyes and bit back the retort he had on the tip of his tongue.
"I am afraid it is my business and quite private," Severus said with a practiced lightness to his tone. "I trust that you can manage your 'gang' without my assistance today."
Severus underestimated Harry's current level of frustration at his lack of progress in avenging Lovegood's attack. Or, equally likely, he overestimated the amount of sleep that Harry was currently operating on.
"That's bullshit," Harry spat, slapping the paper on the table in anger. "Why don't you just be honest with me. I thought we didn't fuckin lie to each other?"
Severus pushed down his needless guilt at the truth in Harry's words and managed to speak with an incredible amount of calm that he did not feel. "We do not," he agreed. "However, I am allowed to maintain some privacy in my life and this is one of those times that I must request you respect that privacy and know that I will inform you about it in due course."
Harry's eyes narrowed until he was completely glowering across the table. "That's bullshit and you know it," he said accusingly. "How would you like it if I didn't tell you about my plans, huh? If I said 'oh sorry Sev it's private."
Severus grit his teeth and mentally reminded himself that Harry is the brat he created. He placed an emphasis on honesty between them, and created a code that Harry carried strongly when it suited him.
Also, Harry was not entirely in the wrong.
"I would say that was fine and would respect your privacy," Severus said tightly. "As I expect you to do mine."
Harry held his eyes for a long moment before his lips twisted in to a mocking smirk. "Bet," he said. "Have fun at your secret meeting. Just don't get pissed when I do this back to you, yeah?"
There were brief flashes of time where Severus wondered if it would not simply be easier to just kill Harry and be done with it.
They were rare, but this was another of those times.
Nicholas Flamel better have answers that negate whatever mischief Harry will undoubtedly enact as repayment for Severus' secrets.
Severus suffered through the silent looks of anger Harry shot him throughout the morning as he lingered in the dining room in an attempt to speak with Nymphadora before he left.
Which also subjugated him to conversation with various 'housemates' through the morning.
"Good morning sir," Granger said politely as she and Theodore entered the dining room shortly after Harry finally left in an indignant huff. "How are you?"
"I am well, and yourself?"
Theodore abruptly looked up and met Severus' eyes for a moment before turning a bright red color in his face and snatching a stack of toast from the endless buffet the house-elves kept replenishing. Granger shook her head as the boy turned on his heel and stormed from the room.
"Sorry for his rudeness," Granger said with a small giggle as she poured two glasses of tea and balanced them on a little tray. "I think you embarrassed him with the potion you left."
Amusing.
"Indeed," Severus agreed lightly. "Perhaps you could inform Theodore that if he is a man enough to require the potion that he is certainly a man enough to get breakfast without blushing."
Severus smirked to himself as Granger left rather quickly, sporting her own blush and sputtered apologies.
This could be the key to getting rid of the 'roommates', he thought to himself idly as Narcissa entered the dining room and nodded at him. Discuss safe sex and get the teenagers to simply flee from his presence.
The idea was not without merit.
"Good morning Severus," Narcissa said in her soft tone as she sat at his left-hand side. "Have you decided to mingle with the peasants today?"
Severus poured her a cup of tea, which she accepted with a grateful nod. "I have not," he told her, ignoring her jab. "I have an appointment shortly that I must leave for."
"Ooh, I'm certain Harry will be furious," Narcissa said with an inappropriate amount of cheer in her voice. "Have you already told him?"
"I have," Severus said. "And he is quite unhappy."
"Of course he is." Narcissa let out a tinkling laugh as one of the house-elves, one who was not Mavis, brought out another pot of tea. "Thank you Blippy, how are you holding up?"
"Blippy is doing good ma'am," 'Blippy' said with a short bow and a toothy grin. "Blippy and the others are being much happier here with their Masters than they were being without them."
"Of course you are," Narcissa crooned with a sweet smile. "I'm very happy to have you free from that disgusting place. Positively appalling how they treated you."
Severus withheld a disbelieving scoff, certain it would be unappreciated. He had once seen Narcissa fly in to a fit of rage when one of the elves in their manor allowed Draco, who was a toddler at the time, to destroy one of her designer gowns.
Apparently she was evolving with the times. Or, more likely to be accurate, she was evolving as the current protector of her son required her to evolve.
Severus believed Narcissa would kiss Albus himself as a passionate lover if it meant protecting Draco. Revamping her view on house-elves was nothing in comparison.
"Will you be needing anything else sir?" Blippy asked Severus, interrupting his privately amusing musings.
"No, thank you," Severus said.
"Severus is waiting for someone," Narcissa said with a keen accuracy. "And if he has already spoken with Harry, I would guess that it is my niece he is waiting for."
Severus refused to rise to Narcissa's bait as Blippy tittered and bowed out of the room.
"I am waiting for Nymphadora," he said stiffly. "I need to speak with her before I leave."
Narcissa let out a quiet laugh as she looked at him through her hooded eyes. "She spoke with Andromeda about you, you know," she said slyly. "I admit that I had not imagined the two of you to grow so close, but it does make sense. Both intelligent, successful in your respective fields. Nymphadora is quite attractive too, even if I would never wear that shade of pink."
"Good morning."
Severus had never been so happy to see Susan Bones in his life.
"Miss Bones, good morning," Severus said hastily, ignoring Narcissa's pointed look at his obvious dodge of her line of conversation. "How did—"
Severus cut himself off as he immediately averted his eyes to the ceiling and Narcissa let out a surprised huff of a laugh.
"Susan, darling, I believe you're a touch underdressed," Narcissa said reproachfully.
Which was an understatement.
Severus had not considered the fact that teenage girls in his home during summers could consist of dramatically underdressed teenage girls, as the copious amounts of bare skin from Bones was now proving.
Severus had never before appreciated Granger's modesty.
"I'll just be..." Severus trailed off as he got to his feet and moved with haste to a different room. He heard the beginnings of a very polite disagreement breaking out between Narcissa and Bones behind him.
He desperately hoped Narcissa won the disagreement, but he had a queer feeling that the headstrong woman had met her match in Bones.
Severus entered the sitting room and nearly turned back to the dining room.
When had his residence become some form of a hostel for so many people?
'I would be more than happy to take over Potter's guardianship.'
Aah. Yes. That was the moment.
God damned Harry Potter.
"Morning Snape," Black said from his seat in the middle of the sitting room floor, surrounded by red-heads. He glanced up at the clock before grinning, "Or, almost afternoon, I guess."
Underdressed teenage girls or Black and a band of Weasley's?
Severus liked his odds against Black, Ronald, Charles, and George.
He eyed Frederick and silently swore that he, at least, better be on Severus' side in any conflicts.
It would be a shame if Harry were not available for his proposal at the end of this month.
"Afternoon," Severus said stiffly. "You're all quite early for the meeting."
"I'm just waiting for it to be over with so I can get some sleep," Charles said around a yawn.
"And I live here," Frederick added with a cheeky wink.
A wink that held no weight as Severus knew Harry had been playing vigilante with Charles and Bones all night.
Though Severus did suddenly consider taking Harry somewhere for his birthday. Perhaps Asia? They had an intriguing view on dark arts that Harry would undoubtedly appreciate.
"I needed to talk with Harry," Black said. He glanced around the room with pointlessly hopeful eyes. Did he believe Severus was hiding the child within the sofa cushions? "Have you seen him?"
"He left the dining room in a huff about an hour ago," Severus said. "I believe he was going to shower, or perhaps assassinate the Minister, it is hard to tell."
Ronald snorted and mussed up his already messy hair as Severus gingerly navigated around them—
Why were they seated on the floor? Did none of Harry's endless guests understand decorum?
—to take a seat on the chair nearest the front door.
"Well I guess I'll just talk to him after," Black sighed dramatically. "I just need him to let Trent stay here for a few days in August. Moony and I are having a joint bachelor party before the wedding then taking a little weekend trip afterwards. Oh!" Black looked up at Severus and gave him what he likely thought was a charming smile.
It was not.
"What are you doing for Harry's birthday? Because I was thinking of taking him to the States for a few days, be good to get him some fresh air, away from all this chaos, eh?"
Severus heard Fredericks's tiny inhale and smirked slowly.
Frederick's jest as to where he slept at night was likely much less amusing now.
"Just Harry?" Severus asked blandly. "I see no problem with that."
Truthfully, if Severus' meeting with Flamel went poorly today, then it would be good for the child to experience a bit of traveling. His previously sardonic thought had quite a bit of merit. As much as Harry plays the part of the war general and vigilante, he was still a teenaged boy who deserved to experience all that life had to offer him.
God knew how much longer he would be able to experience such things.
"What days were you thinking of going Sirius?" Frederick asked quickly, undoubtedly rearranging his own schedule. "I- uh- had a thing- a party- planned for Harry's birthday."
"A thing?" George laughed. "Do you Freddie? Have a thing? Hmm?"
"Well... uh..." Black's eyes flickered between the twins uncertainly. "I was thinking the last week or so of July? If Snape didn't mind?"
Severus inspected his nails and lifted one shoulder carelessly. "If Harry agrees to it, I have no problem with you taking him. It would do him some good to travel, would it not Frederick?"
"Course," Frederick agreed through a clenched jaw. "Harry's never been out of the country before."
"Great," Black said. "Thats all set, just need to see if Harry will go or not."
Frederick shot Severus a heated glare that Severus smiled wryly at.
You aren't quite so funny now, are you?
He would step in if he were not wholly certain that Frederick had enough cunning in him to find a way to still present Harry with his opulent ring.
Severus kept an eye on the clock while the others delved in to meaningless conversations about traveling as it got closer and closer to time for him to leave. Severus nearly, very nearly, decided to ask Black to do him this favor instead when the front door finally opened and it sounded as if someone tripped over the entrance step.
How Nymphadora could be so diligently careful and poised during a full-on battle and yet trip over the same step she has known existed for months was beyond Severus' understanding.
However, it was rather charming.
A fact he would admit to no one.
"Hello!" Nymphadora cried cheerfully as she stepped in to the sitting room. "What's going on in here then?"
"Is that my niece?!"
Severus got to his feet quickly and grasped Nymphadora's wrist as he pulled her through the closest doorway. It was already eleven o'clock now and he would not be kept from this appointment by Narcissa's incessant need to poke at his... friendship.
"Nymphadora, would you do me a favor?" Severus asked as soon as he pulled the door shut and warded it silently.
Nymphadora's eyes were glimmering with mischief as she batted her eyelashes up at him. "You pulled me in to a cupboard to ask me for a favor? Awfully forward of you, Sev."
Severus glanced around quickly and closed his eyes in momentary mortification. "Apologies," he said as he fought down the heat that was burning the back of his neck. "I was attempting to escape Narcissa and was not thinking."
"I don't mind," Nymphadora grinned, her previously coy playfulness gone. "What's going on?"
"I have an appointment today that cannot be rescheduled," Severus said. "I need you to facilitate Harry's meeting. Attempt to dissuade him away from blatant vengeance against Lovegood's attackers and keep the foolish brat from either breaking in to Azkaban or being placed there himself, can you do that?"
Nymphadora nodded slowly, "No."
"I cannot ask anyone else," Severus hissed without any true heat to his words. "You are the only adult without an agenda who I can trust to keep Harry from being arrested for five hours, at a maximum."
"I... I'll be honest, okay? I'm flattered that you trust me, but... but do you really think I can keep Harry from ordering everyone to go blow up Azkaban or something mad?" Nymphadora whispered heatedly as her eyes flashed a dark crimson.
... did Nymphadora's eyes change color when she was irritated? That was... was quite unexpectedly endearing, in a way.
Another mad fact that Severus would be keeping to himself.
"Then what?" she asked. "You're going to be furious when you get back because it's impossible. You're asking too much here. You know it's impossible."
It was impossible.
Harry had never listened to an adult in his life, it would likely be a moot attempt on her part. Though, it was a necessary one.
"I will not be furious if you are unable to do it," Severus assured her. "Please, Nymphadora, all I am asking is that you do not let this meeting delve in to an actual mob that ends with Harry's arrest. I have no one else I can ask and I cannot miss this appointment."
Nymphadora squinted suspiciously at him for a long moment before finally sighing and jabbing him in the chest with her fingernail. "You might not be worth this much trouble," she said with a lopsided grin that belied her words. "I'm not playing stepmum to Harry bloody Potter."
Severus was caught so off guard by her that he wasn't sure if the laugh bubbling inside him was hysteria or not. He let out a single and short exhale of air, "I am worth no trouble at all," he said truthfully. "Five hours, Nymphadora, that is all I am asking of you."
"Five hours," she agreed curtly.
Five hours.
***
Severus arrived at the restaurant Flamel sent him to, precisely at two minutes until noon, and then hesitated outside the door. He had no idea what Flamel looked like and would prefer not to go shouting either of their names in an attempt to find him.
It wound up being a needless concern.
As soon as Severus entered the tea shop, his eyes flew immediately to the only occupant aside from a woman in an apron behind a counter humming along to a radio as she rearranged muffins in a cabinet.
The sole patron had to be Flamel.
The man was sitting at a small wooden table beside the window, directly across from the door. Severus eyed him for a moment and took in his powder blue muggle suit and his short white beard and matching shock of white hair on his head before he approached him.
He also took note of Flamel's blatant disregard for the Statute of Secrecy as he stirred his tea with his finger above the mug. A quick glance to the unconcerned worker of the shop told him this was not a new development.
"Hello," Severus offered his hand politely as he approached him. "Severus Snape, we corresponded."
"Ah, the famous one!" Flamel got to his feet and shook Severus' hand enthusiastically despite his bewilderment. This close, Severus could see that Flamel's eyes were a startling pale blue, nearly white in their coloring. "Yes, yes, have a seat. I wasn't expecting you!"
Severus checked his wristwatch subtly and reassured himself that he was exactly on time. "Apologies," he said as he took his seat. "I may have misunderstood the time difference between us."
"No, not that," Flamel chuckled and waved his hand airily. "I meant I wasn't expecting the mysterious 'SS' to be Severus Snape. I've read your works, you know, good ideas. Yes, you've got quite a mind for potions, don't you?"
"I suppose so," Severus allowed with a touch of humility. It was vindicating, in a way, to be recognized for something aside from his link to Harry. Potions were something Severus studied hard, had a passion for; it was good to know the recognition of that had not gone to the wayside in favor of Harry's hijinks.
"Bah, no need for modesty!" cried Flamel. "Revolutionized the Wolfsbane, didn't you? How did you come up with the idea to mix the aconite with the myrrh before adding it to the brew?"
Severus relaxed in his chair at the familiar topic. He allowed the discussion of potions to carry them through two glasses of tea before an opportunity arose for him to bring up his true purpose for the appointment.
"Brains like yours live forever," Flamel said with a happy sigh. "Perenelle, my wife, had such a thirst for potions and the ways they could be improved upon. She would have given anything to talk with you, rest her soul."
Aah. Terrific. How likely was Flamel to help the child who stole the stone that would have kept his wife alive?
"Apologies, Mister Flamel, I had not heard that she had passed," Severus said.
"That was the intended side-effect of us agreeing to no longer take my elixir," Flamel said with a soft smile. His eyes were soft, wistful, but not teary. "I'm hoping to join her in another fifty years or so. I've taken more of the elixir in the past, so it takes longer to wear off, you understand."
Severus lifted his chin, as if he understood. "Of course," he said. "That does bring me to the topic I had hoped to discuss with you..."
"Hmm? The stone?" Flamel chuckled. "You and every other witch or wizard hoping for immortality or endless riches, Mister Snape."
"It is not for me that I am asking," Severus said slowly. "I truly have no desire in extending my life past it's natural course, and have no need for 'endless riches'."
"Oh?" Flamel folded his hands on the table and gave Severus a bemused smile. "Well, let's hear it then."
"Would you take a vow, to not share what I share with you with anyone else? I apologize for asking, but this is an incredibly important and delicate issue."
Flamel gave Severus a crooked smile as he scratched at the white scruff on his chin. "I'm afraid I can't do that," he said with a true note of apology in his voice. "I've learned the hard way in my life, secrets lead to more problems. Anyone who tells you otherwise just has something to hide. I can tell you I won't tell anyone what you're asking though, and I'm a wizard of my word Mister Snape. Would that work?"
Well, it wasn't as if Severus had a great many options.
"I suppose it will," said Severus slowly. "Would you permit me to place a privacy shield up then?"
"No need! I placed one as soon as you sat down!"
Severus blinked slowly at this energetic enigma of a man.
He never even saw the man do as much as twitch a pinky.
Although, that explained why no one had been by to take their order.
"Of course," Severus said with more certainty than he felt. "My question is about your Stone—"
"You don't look like you want to live forever," Flamel cut in. He leaned across the table, squinting at Severus with his unsettling pale eyes, as if he could weigh a persons desire to live based on their eyes. "Nope," he sat back in his seat and smiled. "You aren't looking for immortality or untold riches, are you Mister Snape?"
"I am not," Severus agreed curtly. "My question, of which I assure you is asked with no ill-intentions, is if the drinker of the Elixir is able to be killed?"
Flamel's lips twitched harshly before he burst in to a loud laugh. "Well no one's ever asked me that! Good Lord, Mister Snape, are you intending to kill me for my stone? I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm afraid I don't have it anymore."
You're doing excellent Severus. Truly. You can tell how much you want to save Harry's life. The only man who can help you now believes you want to kill him. Excellent work.
Severus grimaced at his own internal, rightfully deserved, flagellation. "I did not mean to alarm you, Mister Flamel, I assure you I meant that as a true academic question, not as a threat."
Flamel was still beaming across the table at him. He raised one of his bushy brows in a show of good-natured skepticism. "Do I look alarmed?"
He did not.
It would be rather insulting if he had not already admitted to casting a silent and wandless privacy shield that Severus had been unable to detect.
"And I don't think this is for academics is it?" Flamel asked with an uncanny accuracy. "Mister Snape, forgive my blunt manner, but I'm nearly 700 years old. Why don't you just tell me what you came to tell me and let's see if I can help you, hmm?"
Severus had never taken so many risks in his life before. He had always lived within the shadows, hiding his intentions and his desires in carefully chosen words. It extended his life well past where it should have ended it, and it was all for naught now.
Severus breathed deeply then bent forward a touch closer to Flamel. "What do you know of horcruxes?"
Flamel was patient as Severus shared his story. He began with the night the horcrux was implanted in Harry's mind and ended with all that Barty had discovered and worked on in his experiments.
He had indicated that Harry was in possession of Flamel's stone without outright implicating the child in its theft. It would do no good if Flamel refused to assist the child once he discovered Harry had stolen his most coveted belonging.
Flamel had merely chuckled though, "I told Albus to destroy it. I knew I wouldn't have the heart to do it and Perenelle wouldn't either. Your boy can keep it if he likes."
As if Harry would give it up at this point.
Flamel asked a few questions, asked for a few clarifications, and was overall quite focused and thoughtful while Severus took this risk.
"This is quite the problem," Flamel said after Severus was finally finished. He rubbed his upper lip as he stared off in the void, thinking of all Severus shared with him. "Horcruxes are nasty business, I'm surprised this Voldawart took such a risk."
And Severus was surprised that Flamel lived as such a recluse that he did not even know the Dark Lord's name.
Apparently, as Flamel so baldly stated, 'the Dark Lord of this decade' was not a concern to the man.
To each their own, he supposed.
"You have never encountered a horcrux before then?" Severus asked, a bit desperately.
"Never," Flamel admitted, his eyes refocusing on Severus now. "I've heard of them, of course, who hasn't? But to split your soul seven times? Store a piece in a baby? It's disgusting. Poor Barry."
"Harry," Severus corrected him lightly. "Harry Potter."
"That does ring a bell, now that you mention it," Flamel muttered. "Potter... Potter... Is he from the Peverell line? I think I remember being related to some Potter's from Ignotus' line."
"I... perhaps?" Severus said, bewildered. "You may have read his name in the news, he's rather well-known."
"Ah, I don't read the newspaper," Flamel flicked his hand irritably. "Bunch of lies, isn't it Mister Snape?"
Fair enough.
"And you want to kill the horcrux inside young Harry without killing him, quite noble of you... Let me think here..." Flamel looked out the window as he rubbed his face lightly. "If Harry drank the elixir, could he withstand the murder required to remove the horcrux? Hmm..."
Severus extended an incredible amount of patience as Flamel stared out the window, muttering to himself. At some point, after Severus saw that his story had taken up three of his five allotted hours, Flamel grabbed a small spiral-bound muggle notebook and pencil from his pocket and began scribbling quickly as his muttering continued.
Which was an incredibly hopeful sign, in Severus' opinion. Though, as he was a rather desperate man, perhaps that was a fools opinion.
It was nearly three-quarters of an hour later when Flamel finally held his notebook up with a victorious glint in his eyes. "I've got an idea!"
An idea.
Delightful.
Severus waited silently for Flamel to elucidate, then coughed lightly when it seemed he needed prompted, "Yes?"
"So! In order to decide if someone can survive being murdered while taking the elixir, then we need you to try and kill me."
Severus forgot himself as he gaped across the table at Flamel. "You cannot be serious."
"Very much so," Flamel said with unshakeable cheer. "You need answers to save your boy, and I'm the only one that can provide them."
"If I- if I kill you..."
"Then I will join my wife on our next great adventure," Flamel said with a wistful expression. He reached across the table and patted Severus' hand gently, "I think I've lived quite long enough, don't you?"
Severus had no response, which caused Flamel to chuckle quietly.
"Do you want to try and save your boy or not?" he asked Severus seriously. "This is the only surefire way you'll know if it could work. Hmm? Why don't you come over to my house and you can even use my wand to do it. Wouldn't do Harry any good if you got arrested for murder, would it?"
Severus debated the dilemma silently for a moment. In the end though, it was a simple question:
What wouldn't he do to save Harry's life?
***
"You look like you could use a drink," Nymphadora snorted as soon as Severus stepped foot in the sitting room of Invisibility Way much later that night. "Let's share terrible days. You can start by telling me why you're four hours past our five hour agreement."
Severus let out a heavy breath of air as he fell on to the sofa. "I am quite certain I have had the more taxing day," he informed her. "I was held up by my appointment. I assume nobody was arrested in my absence?"
"Not for a lack of trying," she scoffed as she summoned glasses and grabbed a bottle of vintage wine.
"Thank you," he said gratefully as Nymphadora slid him a drink. "How was the meeting?"
"Terrible," Nymphadora said with a pained grimace. "Harry wanted to go blow up Azkaban and kill all the death eaters inside."
Of course he did.
"Sirius told him if he blew up the prison, that the dementors would run free. So Harry changed his tune and told Cissa he wasn't breaking Lucius out unless Voldemort didn't do it by Easter," Nymphadora went on as she poured herself a glass and sat directly beside him. Close enough that he could feel the warmth of her body.
Which was quite a contrast to the cold body he just left behind in a cozy cottage in Scotland.
"So then Harry said it needs to be 'a top priority' to find Voldemort's hiding spot, so he can—"
"Go kill the free death eaters," Severus interrupted her with a small sigh. "Obviously."
"Obviously," Nymphadora agreed with a teasing lilt to her tone. "He told the others that the death eaters will be targeting them and their families and said it was 'one last warning to save themselves now'."
"I presume no one accepted his gracious offer?" Severus asked drily.
"Not a soul," Nymphadora said cheerily. "Also you have a few new housemates, Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones are staying for the foreseeable future."
Severus knew that Harry certainly did not want his friend to be tortured, Harry cared quite a bit for Miss Lovegood, yet he was wholly unsurprised that the brat twisted the attack as an excuse to move his friends in to their home.
"Delightful."
"Oh, and Bill and Fleur are going to ward the hell out of Fred and George's shop. Harry offered to pay them to do it and I thought he was going to get in a fight with Bill and George both over it."
Severus closed his eyes and tilted his head back on the sofa. "And where is Harry now?"
"'Death eater hunting'," Nymphadora used her fingers to emphasize the quotations. "It was pretty much a good hour or so of Harry trying to divine from wild conspiracies where Voldemort and his followers were while Susan egged him on and Sirius and I tried to calm him down. You didn't miss much."
Severus rubbed a weary hand across his eyes. "I also did not accomplish much," he admitted. "I could have remained here for all the good that has occurred from my meeting."
It was an unexpected jolt of surprise when Nymphadora reached over and laced her smaller and softer hand with his. He glanced down and found that it was not an unpleasant surprise, simply a surprise.
When had a person, aside from Harry, ever initiated physical contact with him? When had a person ever so easily grasped his hand in an effort to offer a small touch of comfort?
Severus tried to rack his brains, though he was coming up embarrassingly short.
"You can tell me what happened, if you want," Nymphadora offered quietly. "I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."
Severus stared at their entwined hands as he considered it.
If he died tomorrow, who would work to complete the task? Who could he trust? One of the schoolchildren Harry surrounds himself with? Amelia, who is still in Albus' order? Black, who will be required to take over caring for Harry? Lupin, who has quite enough on his plate with treating the mental traumas of these wixen forced in to a war? Narcissa, with her own agenda and loyalty to her family?
Severus would not be Albus or the Dark Lord with their desires to keep all their secrets close to their chest. Not when the stakes were so incredibly high.
If the Dark Lord got his wish and ended Severus' life, he needed to know that someone else was aware of the stakes in this game of cat and mouse between Harry and the Dark Lord. This game between Albus and Harry.
Nymphadora was intelligent, powerful, and, most rare it seemed, not dealing with copious amounts of mental illness that would distract her from the task at hand. If he had to trust someone, Nymphadora seemed an adequate person to choose.
Severus summoned the bottle of wine with his free hand and refilled both of their drinks.
God knew they would need it.
"I killed Nicholas Flamel. And-"
Severus felt as if a dam were breaking inside him as Lovegood's prophecy she spoke the night she arrived battered his mental barriers:
'All roads lead to the same end. All roads have the same destination. All roads lead to his death.'
"And Harry is going to die."