eccedentesiast || severitus

chapter eleven | the talk

tw// discussion of child abuse.

Severus made his way behind Poppy into her office. He felt the tenseness of the looming discussion. He knew whatever was listed on that parchment would most definitely confirm the man's suspicions.

That they all had failed the boy, big time.

Poppy sat down behind her desk, placing her head in her hands after gesturing for Severus to occupy the chair sitting across from her.

They sat in an awkward silence for quite some time before she spoke up. "I don't even know where to begin Severus. I mean, how could we be three months into the school year and no one has even noticed? Where did we go wrong? I don't even - I mean - what do we do?"

Her face held an impassive expression, and she was obviously working hard to hide her nerves.

Severus sighed. Honestly, he had no clue how they had missed it, how he had missed it. He's prided himself for years on his ability to spot these sorts of situations. Nine times out of a ten, Slytherin usually reigns in all the abused children, and Severus catches them right away.

But because it was Potter? He was so blinded by the boy's father, so blinded by absolute hatred for the man, that he took it out on the child. He was completely oblivious to all the signs screaming at him now. All the warning signs blaring, and he had completely disregarded them due to a years old grudge he held.

Merlin, Lily would be extremely disappointed in Severus. Hell, Severus was disappointed in himself.

"Honestly Poppy, I think we both know what's going on here. We need to get to the bottom of it first, and figure out how in Merlin's name we missed this. How the child bloody glamoured himself for months with no magical exhaustion." The man huffed angrily. "Hell, if I am being honest, there must have been someone else casting the glamour on him without him nor us noticing. An eleven-year old muggle raised child could not have the power or strength to keep that glamour erected. But who-"

And suddenly Severus didn't need to ask that question. A deep fear settled in his chest as he recalled his meeting with the Headmaster. He knew something was off with the whole Dumbledore-Potter situation. Not particularly on Potter's part, but on Dumbledore's.

It can't be.

He recalled, just a little bit ago, the fight he had with the Headmaster. Severus had said that Poppy would find the abuse that Albus had chosen to ignore.

And Albus...

What had he said?

"Are you so sure that she will?"

Severus felt a hatred so intense, so deep, that he's never felt before well up inside of him.

Albus Dumbledore knew.

Albus Dumbledore knew, and yet he hid it from everyone for eleven years.

He had, without a doubt, casted the glamour on the boy.

"That bastard!"

*  *  *

Harry sighed as he counted the tiles on the ceiling for the fifth time. He had no idea what Snape and Madam Pomfrey were talking about, but it was obviously something serious if it was taking this long.

And Harry couldn't even leave! Snape had said he had to stay here and relax for the rest of the day. But nothing was even wrong with him! All that happened was some dumb panic attack that Harry has dealt with before. So why was he forced to sit here?