note at bottom

Five days later, Snape found himself arising early in the morning so he could make the trip to Surry for his noon appointment with Surry Social Services. His mind was muddled with anxious thoughts as he performed his morning routine and made himself as presentable as possible. He was so distracted by the what ifs of the coming hours, that he burned his toast, put salt in his tea instead of sugar, and even bumped into furniture while moving about the rooms-nothing that he had ever done before.

Snape's nervousness increased tenfold when he finally left his house a bit after ten to make the hour and a half trip to Surry. His knuckles were white as he gripped his car's steering wheel while navigating through windy roads. His mind ran a mile a minute with possible scenarios.

He shows up to his meeting with Social Services. Harry takes one look at him and immediately starts crying. Or maybe Social Services somehow finds out about his less than innocent past. Or even worse, Social Services decides he's an unfit guardian and places Harry in foster care or an orphanage. Each new thought caused him to grip the steering wheel even tighter.

If Snape thought that the drive from Spinsters End to Surry was torture, it was nothing compared to when he actually arrived at the Social Services office. His check-in at the front desk went smoothly, and the offer of tea for while he waited was eagerly accepted. But then the fifteen minute countdown to his meeting began.

Rationally, Snape knew that fifteen minutes wasn't a long period of time. It could have easily been passed by reading an enjoyable article on the newest potion discoveries from Potions Monthly, his favorite magazine. But sitting on a fabric-wrapped wooden chair in a room painted bright blue, listening to the seconds tick by on a nearby clock while the secretary bustled about behind the front desk felt like agony.

Finally-finally-the clock struck noon, and a woman emerged from the door located behind the front desk to escort Snape to the meeting room where he would be debriefed over Harry's current situation, before actually meeting the child himself. He and the woman sat in chairs opposite from each other, a coffee table littered with snacks and drinks between them.

"My name is Andy Jules," the woman introduced, "and I am an employee of Surry Social Services." She leaned forwards and held out her hand, which Snape shook firmly.

"Good afternoon, Miss Jules, my name is Severus Snape" he replied, trying to keep his chaotic emotions from showing. Some must have slipped through however, as Jules let out a small encouraging smile, before releasing his hand and leaning back to grab a manila coloured file.

"This," she presented, getting straight to business, "is Harry Potter's official file. It includes all of his current medical and school records, as well as important documents such as his birth certificate. Since you expressed a wish to perform an official adoption when you made your appointment, while in this building you get access to this file." She handed it over to Snape, and he flipped through it briefly, noting important information, before setting it aside to review more in depth at a later time.

Jules continued, "I am going to briefly review the adoption process and Harry's past with you before we bring Harry himself in for the meeting." At Snape's nod of understanding she continued. "The adoption process will be long, most likely spanning over the course of several weeks. During that time, you will be evaluated extensively to confirm that you are a suitable guardian. Several more meetings will be held in this building and your own house, both with and without Harry. These meetings are to create a sense of familiarity between the two of you, as well as to allow Social Services to review your current living situation. At the end of this process will be an extended waiting time while guardianship files are officially filled. If, after this meeting, you decide to continue down this route, another meeting will be set up relatively soon to explain the process more in-depth."

Here she paused for a few moments to let Snape take in all of the information, and then continued. "It is important that you know Harry's past hasn't been a happy one. His previous guardians mistreated him horribly both verbally and physically. It has left a lasting impact on his mind, and I'm afraid that Harry is very wary of any stranger he comes into contact with. If you wish to adopt him, one of the requirements we have of you is proof that Harry trusts you and is comfortable in your presence. We're hoping to achieve this through the meetings set up in the adoption process, but this responsibility is largely going to fall on you to achieve."

Jules paused again to sip some water and let Snape mull over what she had said.

Meanwhile, Snape's mind was in chaos. The intensity of the adoption process was intimidating and not at all what he had expected. While he was familiar with many things in the muggle world, it's legal system-especially when pertaining to family matters-still escaped him.

The information of Harry's past was also weighing heavily on his mind. His treatment as a young child is so similar to how mine was, he thought bitterly, and look how I turned out. A sour, snarky old man who can't let go of the past. Silently, he vowed to do his best by Harry, if only to try and protect the child from he could become in the future.

His attention returned to Miss Jules when she began speaking once again. "Today, we are just going to have a short cursory meeting with Harry. He will be brought into this room, and the two of you will be introduced. You will explain who you are to him, and why you are here. A few minutes of informal chatting will follow, during which you will hopefully create a connection to Harry. Afterwards, he will leave to return to his foster family, and you and I will reconvene to schedule the coming meetings and sign some legal documents. Is this all clear?" Snape confirmed his understanding. "Wonderful! If you will please wait here for a few minutes, I will go and retrieve Harry." And with that, Jules exited the room and left Snape to his thoughts.

To the untrained eye, Snape might have seemed fine, perhaps even contemplative as he sat silently staring off into nothingness. In reality, however, he was actually sitting straight-backed and rigid in his chair, and his face was set into the blank sheet he had developed over the years.

Inwardly, he was freaking out. In just a few moments a boy was going to walk through those doors and meet him for the first time. A boy who had been through so much hardship and pain already in his young life. A boy whom he desperately just wanted to run off with and shelter from the world.

Eventually, Snape heard footsteps approaching the room he was in. Quickly gathering himself, he turned and found himself staring into the deep emerald green eyes of Harry Potter.

note:

What's up my dudes, I'm back! Sorry for skipping out for like 6 months, but honestly this fic has been the last thing on my mind. Quick life update: I finished my first year of college, and I'm currently taking some summer classes, so that sucks. On a better note, I'm trying to get back into casual reading, so I recently made a huge pile of all the books I've accumulated over the years but didn't read and I'm working through those. I think there was 58 last time I counted, so please wish me good luck...

Also thank you so much for the comments on the last chapter! I think there were 13 total, which is honestly so amazing! I expected to get 0 since this fic had been abandoned for so long…

Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, and hopefully I'll have another one up within the next 6 months again lol