The rest of the Easter holidays were quite tense, the Potters tried by all means to start a good relationship with their eldest son, but he, knowing their reasons and being unable to forgive them for their many years of neglect, wanted nothing to do with his family, a feeling that Brian responded to with the same intensity.
While Harry was trying to hide in every possible way to get a few minutes of peace, his parents were desperate because all their attempts were falling on deaf ears. They had tried everything and when they asked what they could do to their friends they found that while Sirius was very understanding with the couple (he too had tried in vain to start a relationship with the teenager), when they consulted Remus they were met with only contempt and harsh words from him.
"And what do you want? Hmm? For almost 13 years you have ignored the boy at the very least and despised him if not. Do you think that by saying sorry everything will be fixed?"
"But we..." The redhead began.
"You've been neglectful towards him for as long as he can remember. To be honest, I think you're just two people he has to live with until he comes of age."
"Don't say that! It's not true, it can't be true..."
"You better accept it, Lily... it's the truth."
While his parents were having that conversation with Remus, Harry was in his room packing his things to go back to school, which seemed like it would be his sanctuary for the moment... At least until his parents returned to normal, or accepted that nothing they said would have any effect.
It was strange to think that in just a few months he would finish his third year at Hogwarts and that this would also be his last as a student... Objectively he knew that he had achieved quite an academic feat, but subjectively he found it impossible to understand why there weren't more students who could do it. That somehow made him sigh with satisfaction, he had achieved what was considered impossible, and most importantly without any kind of help.
Then, ignoring the conversation going on downstairs, he went to sleep... he had a long train ride to Hogwarts the next day, and if he knew his brother, he would try to get into some mischief on the way to school. Sometimes it was hard having such a spoiled brother.
The morning of the return to Hogwarts was perhaps even more tense than Easter week. The Potter couple continued to discuss the hope of a more favorable situation between their eldest son and them. Hopes that were dashed when the boy was cold with them, speaking to them only as much as necessary.
Harry knew he was being spiteful and that he shouldn't have behaved like that, but from his point of view it was more than justified... one couldn't behave as if someone didn't exist and then expect that when you remembered their presence you would be welcomed with open arms.
[T/N: Dam right Harry, don't give in!]
So he got on the Express without even turning around to say goodbye to his family. Why? Had he never said goodbye to them before? And he went to find his friends or to get an empty compartment for them. It wasn't too difficult to find them, he just had to find the one that made the most noise and there they were, the Weasley twins.
Entering the compartment was almost like coming home. There was such a welcoming atmosphere that he quickly forgot about the week he had spent with the Potters, enjoying a peaceful and pleasant trip.
Meanwhile, and unbeknownst to the young Hufflepuff, the Potters had gone to Dumbledore's office as soon as the train left the station with the intention of whining to him about how their eldest son wanted nothing to do with them and how they didn't know how to fix the situation.
The old man listened to them with his characteristic kind expression, while inside he plotted how he could turn the situation to his advantage. Harry had turned out to be a loose end, since being blinded by Brian and his great possibility of being the Savior, everyone, with a few exceptions, had overlooked him throughout his childhood.
It was a surprise to everyone present when the boy received his Hogwarts letter, for so many years he had been considered a squib that it was shocking... but that was not all, from the first moment, the boy showed extraordinary potential, and yet he ignored him expecting even greater results from his younger brother.
That was perhaps his biggest and most unfortunate mistake, because if he had shown a certain interest in the Hufflepuff, despite everything, today he would have had him totally in his favor. Instead, he ignored him or made it difficult for him and as soon as Brian arrived at school he showed his obvious favoritism, even interceding when the Gryffindor attacked his brother, leaving him with very serious injuries. All those mistakes had put him in his current situation, the boy did not want to know anything about the adults he should look to as mentors, and instead, he had put his points of view on those he could not control... like Severus's teachings.
That was another sore point, because although Severus was someone totally dedicated to the light, he was too independent and uncontrollable, which made the boy out of his power until he finished his apprenticeship and then he could no longer mold him into someone willing to sacrifice himself for the cause.
He dismissed the couple with a few conciliatory words, and then set out for the opening banquet, vowing to keep as close an eye on the boy as possible.
The next few weeks were pretty normal, students and Professors seemed to have just remembered that the end of term exams were just around the corner, as was already customary at Hogwarts around this time.
The young Hufflepuff continued with his usual routine, studying, practicing with Ginna, and stopping attacks as the visions came to him. All of that was already normal in his life, although it was also true that the arrival of letters was a daily presence, much to his annoyance... The fact that his parents had suffered a sudden desire to meet him did not imply that he wanted them to meet him, quite the opposite.
It was about a month later, when this perfectly planned routine was broken by being called into the Headmaster's office... thinking that perhaps it was his parents who had opted for a more direct approach, he was on the verge of refusing to go, but finally he submitted to the inevitable.
To his surprise, instead of his parents, he found himself confronted by the man who had been elected Minister of Magic a few years earlier, Cornelius Fudge. The man sat opposite the headmaster, drinking a cup of tea, while they engaged in what he believed to be a friendly conversation. The truth is that, despite appearances, the situation was quite tense between the two.
As soon as he entered, the two turned to look at him intently, one with a wide smile, the other with sparkling eyes. After getting over the initial surprise, the boy gave a slight nod before sitting down in the chair that was empty and obviously waiting for him.
"Harry! Oh, I'm so glad to see you. I've been looking forward to meeting you so much."
"Minister..."
"Mr. Potter," the Headmaster began, "the Minister has come specifically to see you and speak with you."
"You wanted to see me, Minister."
"Well, my boy... I wanted to meet you in person, after all, you are making history... never in the entire history of Hogwarts has anyone managed to complete their courses at Hogwarts in just three years."
"Oh, Merlin..."
"It's quite an honor to meet you, my boy, quite an honor."
"Fine, thanks."
"Have you thought about what you want to do when you finish this year?"
"Well... I'm going to do an apprenticeship in potions, sir."
" Really?" The man asked with a rather strained smile "It must be very difficult to get accepted by any of the current Professors due to your age. Plus, with your academic resume, it should be very easy to find another career option."
"What do you mean, Minister?" Harry began.
"Well, the Ministry would be willing to take you on as an apprentice in any field that was within our reach, I even have a proposition from the Department of Mysteries, if you wanted to become an unspeakable..."
"I am very flattered by your offer, Minister," said the boy, taking a sip of tea, causing the minister to smile with joy.
While the minister looked as if Christmas and his birthday had come early, the Headmaster was cursing in every language he knew under his breath (and he knew many).
He should have seen that move coming from the Ministry, after all, he was the one who was carrying it out. It bothered him greatly, because if Snape's apprenticeship was already a tangent beyond his control, then so was this, but much worse.
" Perfect! Then I'll start making preparations for when you finish the school year, I'm sure no one will object..."
"I told you, Minister, that I was very flattered by your offer, not that I was going to accept it " the teenager cut him off.
" Excuse me? " The man looked at him as if he had slapped him. "Harry, I don't think you understand how difficult it will be to get accepted into an apprenticeship, no master is going to trust a boy of almost 14 years old."
"I know, sir, but you seem to forget that I already know a potions master, in fact, I have been taught by him."
"Snape," the Minister murmured sympathetically.
"Yes, Professor Snape is a fully certified Professor, in fact, he is one of the youngest Professors around."
"But as far as I know, there is a rivalry between Professor Snape and your family... he will never accept."
"In fact, Cornelius, Severus accepted young Mr. Potter as his future apprentice months ago," the headmaster explained, his eyes sparkling. "I assume the corresponding administrative work was filed in the main Ministry Building."
"Yes, yes, of course... Of course." The Minister murmured with a somewhat strange expression.
"Then unless you, the Minister, wish to discuss something further with our young Mr. Potter, I think he should take his leave, if I'm not mistaken he is about to begin his Charms class, is that not correct Mr. Potter? " Dumbledore said with a happy expression.
"Yes sir."
"Oh, well, I won't keep you any longer, Harry... you know, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the Ministry."
"Yes, of course, don't worry Mr. Minister, I will do it."
After that, both the Minister and the boy left the Headmaster's office under the watchful gaze of the old man who had a rather self-satisfied expression.
It was true that he didn't have Harry under his control, but at least the Ministry didn't either. And he also had to remember that no matter how independent Severus was, he was still one of his men and under his orders... yes, there was still hope to make the boy an asset to the order. He had to plan everything very carefully if he wanted everything to go well, it wouldn't be a good idea for the plan to fail due to lack of foresight.
[T/N: Never mind, I thought Albus had seen the light but nope! If you enjoyed this chapter then leave a comment, write a review, and drop some stones. If you want to read the rest of the book then check out the P@treon or the Ko-fi. Also don't forget to check out "my" other book, A Gamer in Game of Thrones]
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