Lost Child

LOST CHILD

Chapter 3

The Minister's Plan

Harry's head spun and she felt like she was going to throw up as Snape landed in the infirmary. She barely had time to register the Matron's startled look at the still disguised Potions Master. However, before Poppy could utter a sound Snape pulled a vial from his robes. Swallowing the contents, he strode towards the nearest bed with his charge. Resuming his natural appearance he smirked at the nurse.

"Severus!" she exclaimed. "What in Merlin's name is going on? What has happened to Miss Potter?" she asked, following him to the bed.

"Potter has been injured. The Dark Lord was able to breach the wards around her home," he replied, easing the teen down onto the bed.

Harry was surprised with the gentleness of his movements but had no time to process this as a wave of nausea hit. Leaning over the side of the bed her stomach gave a great heave and she vomited on the floor. Realizing a second too late that Snape was still standing next to her. His black boots were covered in blood streaked bile. She moaned deep in her throat, leaning back onto the bed, unable to look up at the man. Her broken jaw was hanging slack, foul drool dripping from her chin. She was mortified and fully expected him to berate her. However, he simply muttered an Evanesco. Conjuring a damp flannel he deftly cleansed her face of the mess.

"Severus, I will need your help with the potions. Her jaw is obviously broken," the nurse stated. Waving her wand she removed the robe Harry was still wrapped in, unable to suppress a gasp when she realized that the girl was practically naked. Harry was covered in welts and bruises of various sizes and colors. Immediately conjuring a sheet to give her some privacy she began to assess her injuries. A parchment slowly unfurled from the tip of her wand. "Severus, how long was she with the Death Eaters? Many of these injuries are not new." She handed him the parchment unable to hide her distress.

The Potions Master merely scanned the list. Moving towards the medicine cabinet he pulled a number of vials from within. His face was set with a fierce scowl, dark eyes blazing with anger. He knew the Death Eaters had not done this. Harriet's jaw was broken, as well as her right leg. Her left wrist was purple and swollen with a badly healing fracture. Four of her ribs were also fractured and Harry's kidneys were badly bruised. Her liver was lacerated and she was severely underweight from malnutrition. It was obvious she had barely eaten anything since school had ended. However, he was angered even further when he read the last. His niece had been molested. While there was no sign of actual rape, he was able to determine that someone had attempted to do so. He returned to the bed as Poppy finished fixing the girl's jaw, enabling her to speak and swallow properly. He laid the vials down on the bedside table as the infirmary doors opened. Dumbledore swept into the room, a worried frown crossing his worn features, blue eyes blazing with controlled anger.

"Severus, how is Harriet? We need to get her to Headquarters as quickly as possible. The Minister is attempting to get custody of her since her relatives have been taken by the Death Eaters."

"Albus," Poppy interrupted before Snape could answer. "She is in no condition to be moved. Her injuries are rather severe and she is also in shock."

"Just get her stabilized enough to travel. You and Severus can care for her once she is safely away. I need not tell either of you what will happen if Fudge gets legal custody of Miss Potter."

"Indeed, Albus, those who are loyal to the Dark Lord within the Ministry would have easy access to her," Snape remarked dryly.

"Albus, I insist that you not move her until I can at least finish treating her fractures and stop any internal bleeding. Not to mention the obvious emotional trauma she has suffered." The Mediwitch huffed with annoyance, shoving the list of injuries into the Headmaster's hands. "Read this and then tell me you want her moved!"

Dumbledore scanned the list of injuries. Snape watched as the old wizard's face fell, unshed tears filling his eyes. Dumbledore looked at his Potions Master, blue eyes meeting black, and eased himself down onto the next bed. Snape immediately handed him a calming draught. This was not the time for the old man to suffer such guilt.

"Severus," he whispered, "how did this happen? Could any of the other Death Eaters have gotten into the house before Bella attempted to do so?"

"I do not believe so, Albus. While many of the injuries are new, you can see for yourself that others have been there for some time."

"I can't understand how I have never noticed any of this," Poppy interjected. "Miss Potter has been my patient multiple times."

"I believe, Poppy, that while she has been here for her injuries that you were simply looking for anything new. If I am not mistaken Miss Potter has become adept at hiding her injuries with multiple Glamour charms." Snape scowled, watching the girl flinch under his scrutiny.

"I knew she wasn't happy with the Dursleys but I never believed they would stoop to something like this." Dumbledore shook his head. "Harry...I..." he began, but she simply turned her head away.

"Miss Potter, I understand you are upset, but it would behoove you to look at the Headmaster when he is speaking to you," Snape commented.

"Why? He already knows how I have been treated there." Harry managed to croak, her throat sore from the smoke, turning her head to glare at the Potions Master. "After all, he's the one who left me in the care of my loving family," she bit out.

"Harry please....I really believed the Dursleys would raise you as one of their own. I knew Petunia was jealous of your mother but I thought that she would never carry it over to an infant. I had Arabella Figg send me monthly reports. She said they weren't the nicest of Muggles but she never saw them physically mistreating you."

Harry finally looked at the old man taking in his abashed appearance. She was hurt and angry that he had always refused to allow her to live with a wizarding family. Instead, she had been treated as the family servant by her mother's relatives. 'Hah, the Malfoys treated Dobby better than the Dursleys ever treated me,' she mused. 'At least the little elf was fed and warm.' She had no time to comment however, as the matron interrupted her thoughts.

"Albus, please let me finish. I need space to work. You can speak with her later. If you upset her further I will throw you out of my infirmary!" She then pushed past the old wizard and continued to cast spells over her patient, directing her attention to the Potions Master. "Severus, we need more Blood Replenisher Potion and Skele-Gro. I am having trouble slowing down the bleeding in her liver. I also will have to remove the bones in her left arm where these old injuries didn't heal properly."

The Potions Master moved swiftly over to the storage cabinet and removed the requested items. He was handing them to the Mediwitch when the doors to the infirmary burst open. Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin rushed in, panting, their faces red from running up the castle stairs.

"Albus, we need to get Harry out of here now!" Lupin exclaimed. "Minister Fudge is on his way to take her into protective custody and has already filed the papers."

"He thinks it will help to save his career if he has legal custody of Harry," Arthur commented. "He knows he probably won't win the vote of confidence coming up next week."

"I'm sorry, Albus, but Harry can't be moved. You will just have to deal with the minister and try and hold him off." Poppy looked up, a worried frown on her face.

"Poppy, be reasonable, we have got to move her. That will at least give us some time. If he can't find her I can try and challenge the decree in the Wizengamot. Harry is almost sixteen. If we can keep her hidden until then she can select her own guardian according to our laws."

"Headmaster, if we try to move her now she may very well bleed to death!"

"Then we will have no recourse than to allow Fudge custody. I may be able to overturn the decree later on, but it will be difficult," Dumbledore responded, his blue eyes anxious.

"Oh this is just great," Harry rasped. "I'm as good as dead now. We all know that Fudge is as corrupt as they come. The Death Eaters have him in their pockets. I have to get out of here!" Harry moaned, attempting to sit up in a panic. She swayed dangerously, dizzy and half blind without her glasses, her face scrunched up in pain.

"Relax, Potter," Snape responded. Gripping her shoulders he eased her back down onto the bed. "The Minister won't be getting a hold of you. I have an idea but you have to cooperate as we do not have much time. Where is that infernal cloak you inherited?"

"In my trunk back at the Dursleys," Harry replied. "I don't think you'll have time to go and get it."

"Not true, Cub. I collected your things from the house," Remus interjected, pulling her shrunken trunk from his pocket. "I also sent Hedwig free to fly back. She seemed to be okay."

"For once, Lupin, you actually did something commendable." Snape sneered at the werewolf. "Poppy give her a sleeping draught. Then we will levitate her on top of one of the empty beds in the back of the room. Fudge can't take what he cannot see. Unless I am mistaken, he will not look too closely at the unoccupied beds."

"Brilliant, Severus!" Arthur exclaimed, nodding, while Lupin resized the trunk and searched for the cloak.

"That will give us some time, Severus, but you know he will have the castle searched and watched," Dumbledore remarked. "The only other way to keep Harry out of his clutches would be if she had any other living relatives who would be willing to take custody. Blood laws over rule Ministry Decrees of that nature; but as you know Lily had no other relatives besides Petunia. James' family was wiped out by Voldemort in the first war."

"We shall deal with that later," Snape responded, turning his attention back to Harry. "Miss Potter, if you would drink this we could speed things along," he stated, pressing a Dreamless Sleep potion to her lips. "I have added a pain relief potion as well. No need for you to be moaning or moving about causing the cloak to fall off."

Harriet glared up at Snape but did as he directed. She relaxed almost immediately as her discomfort ebbed. 'Hah, who ever would have thought that Snape would actually want me to use Dad's invisibility cloak.' She grinned inwardly, before slipping off into darkness.

"Quickly, Poppy, we need to get her onto the other bed. A small group of wizards has just crossed the wards. It won't take the Minister long to get up to the castle and into the infirmary," Dumbledore commented, while the witch carefully levitated her patient, before gently lowering her onto the designated bed. Snape then covered the sleeping girl with the cloak so that all that was visible was an empty bed. "Arthur, you and Remus should head to Headquarters. Too many of us here will arouse suspicion. Use the Floo in Poppy's office. Severus, pretend to be organizing the new infirmary stocks. I believe you sent several boxes of potions up here earlier today?"

"I did, Albus, so unless Poppy has finished putting them away I shall do so now."

"I still have two boxes over in the corner, Severus." The Mediwitch pointed to the carefully crated boxes inside of her storage closet.

"Then we shall be off," Arthur remarked, motioning Lupin to follow. The two men disappeared into the office and a moment later the Floo sounded.

"Come, Poppy, we shall have a spot of tea in your office while we await the Minister. He should be here shortly." Dumbledore's blue eyes were twinkling madly as he seated himself in front of the Matron's desk and she took her usual place behind it. The tea tray appeared and she was just pouring it when they heard the doors burst open.

"Dumbledore, where is the girl?" Fudge's voice boomed out as he entered the room accompanied by Percy Weasley and Aurors Shaklebolt, Dawlish, and Tonks.

"Cornelius, there is no need to shout," Dumbledore admonished, coming out into the infirmary. " At this time I have no idea where young Harriet is."

"What do you mean? Wasn't it one of your people who disappeared with her? I am told she was injured."

"Alas, Cornelius, I am searching for her myself. The young man who seemed to have rescued her was no one I recognized."

"Do you think he is one of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters?" Fudge questioned, his face blanching.

"Albus described the man to me. I can tell you that he is not a member of the Inner Circle," Snape said, coming from the storage closet. "He may, however, be one of the Dark Lord's lesser followers or a new recruit."

"Albus, how can you take the word of this Death Eater? If Potter has been captured along with her relatives Snape could be lying to protect himself and his Master," Fudge spat.

"Enough Cornelius!" Dumbledore's blue eyes flashed angrily. "You know as well as I do that Severus is no longer a Death Eater. He was not even at the Dursley residence when the attack occurred."

"Poppycock, he could have been behind one of those gruesome masks."

"Actually, Minister Fudge," Poppy interrupted, "he has been here with me all day helping to replenish the infirmary's potions supplies. So unless you are implying that I am in cahoots with You Know Who I suggest that you apologize this instant!"

"I beg your pardon, Madame Pomfrey, I did not mean to imply..."

"I should hope not!" she huffed, turning back into her office.

"In any event, Dumbledore, I need to make a search of the castle to be certain she is not here. I have been granted Ministry custody of the child for her protection."

"Do you have the documentation to support your claim?" Dumbledore pretended innocence, frowning at Fudge over his spectacles.

"Indeed I do. Weasley, where are the papers?"

"Right here, Minister," Percy answered, removing the document from his briefcase, handing it to his former Headmaster. Dumbledore scanned the parchment carefully before looking up at Fudge.

"This states that unless any living relatives can be found that Harriet will remain in Ministry custody until she comes of age?"

"That is correct," Fudge replied smugly.

"Very well, Minister, I presume that as I'm Head of the Wizengamot that you have sent me a formal copy?"

"Weasley, did the necessary copies go out to the Wizengamot and Department of Wizarding Children's Services?"

"I filed them as soon as Miss Potter became a ward of the Ministry Sir." Percy gloated at Dumbledore, who simply smiled benignly.

"Then I suggest you begin your search immediately. Although, I can state that you will not find her anywhere within the castle. It would also behoove you to send someone over to St. Mungo's. Harriet's benefactor may simply have been someone who wished to assist her and took her there. I was about to do so myself when you arrived."

"Dawlish, get over to St. Mungo's and see if the Potter girl has been brought in. Auror Tonks, go back to Auror Headquarters and see what you can find out about the man who took her. Weasley, get back to the office and wait for any information while I go with Shaklebolt and search the castle," Fudge barked out his orders, a triumphant gleam in his eye. He had finally outsmarted Dumbledore and gotten control of the savior of their world. His career would be salvaged after all.

Dumbledore watched impassively as the group turned to leave, catching Kingsley's eye on his way out, giving him a wink. The tall dark Auror smirked, knowing that Dumbledore had just pulled something off on the Minister. The old wizard waited for a few minutes until he was certain the coast was clear before putting up a silencing spell for safety.

"Poppy, go over and check on how Harriet is doing," he instructed the witch. She hastened over to do as he wished. He then turned towards the Potions Master. "Severus we may be able to hide Harry until school opens, but if I know Cornelius he will try and remove her from Hogwarts. She may have to remain in hiding and be tutored at Headquarters unless we can find a way to get around the Ministry Decree."

"I understand, Albus. Will you be able to fight the decree and get custody of Potter?"

"No, he purposely had it worded so that only a blood relative could retain custody over the Ministry. I fear we may be in for a bit of trouble unless we can rescue Petunia Dursley."

"Headmaster, you can't honestly be thinking of sending the girl back to that woman? Petunia has treated the child abominably and someone in that house tried to molest the child."

"I know, Severus, but if we can get to Petunia perhaps we can convince her to give someone else custody by letting her avoid prosecution."

"Albus, how could you even think such a thing? That woman deserves to be drawn and quartered."

"Just the same, Severus, let me know if Voldemort summons you. Perhaps you will be able to get Lily's sister to safety?"

"Headmaster, even if I could rescue the woman, have you forgotten that the wards have fallen around her home?"

"I am aware of that Severus, but I can try and rebuild them. I just need to find out why they collapsed in that manner. Voldemort should never have been able to break through them." Dumbledore shook his head, still unable to determine what had gone wrong.

"Perhaps it was not the Dark Lord that caused the wards to collapse."

"What do you mean, Severus?"

"Could her family have disowned her? Would that have weakened the wards?"

"It could, but not in the manner that they failed. If she had been disowned they would have simply collapsed all at once. Instead they appeared to be failing slowly, as if they were being disintegrated somehow."

"I see." Snape scowled. He really did not want custody of the brat, even if she was his niece. He would protect her for Lily but preferred to do so from a distance. Yet, he knew that only a true blood relative could get custody, which Petunia was not. Lily had been a Snape. His heart clenched in pain. So much had gone wrong. If only his mother had told him while she was alive.

"Albus," Poppy interrupted his thoughts. "Harriet is sleeping comfortably. If all goes well we can move her in the morning to Headquarters. She will be asleep until then. Once the Minister and his flunky are gone I will be able to put up some monitors to better follow her condition."

"Excellent, that at least is good news." He waved his wand to dispel the silencing charms around the infirmary.

"Headmaster, if you have no further need of me I shall be in my quarters," Snape stated.

"Of course, Severus, it has been a long day and it is not over yet."

"I agree." He nodded, heading towards the doors, contemplating this new complication over Potter's custody. He had reached the door when he jolted to a stop, gripping his left arm. "Headmaster..."

"I understand, Severus. Do what you must and please be careful. Do not risk yourself needlessly."

Snape spun on his heels and headed towards the stairs. It would do no good to be late. He was sure the Dark Lord was going to have some fun with the Muggles. As much as he hated Petunia at this moment he still did not wish to see her tortured in that fashion. He passed the Minister on his way towards the front doors. Apparently his search was over. He was returning back towards the infirmary speak with Dumbledore. Snape merely inclined his head and raced off to the meeting...

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