Black Eyes

Severus was exhausted and deadened to all when returned to Hogwarts after the night's events. Or that was what he thought up until Albus began to make noise about sending Lily's son to live with Petunia and her family. It was then Severus felt as if someone unexpectedly poured cold water on him. What in Merlin's name was Albus thinking? Petunia would eat Harry alive. Woken out of his stupor of grief, pain, and fatigue, he boomed, "Absolutely not!"

The other dual staff and Order of the Phoenix members in attendance all looked at him in bewilderment. Now that he had their undivided attention, he repeated in a quieter, more damning tone, "Absolutely not. You will not send Lily's son – a wizard – to live with a woman who was senselessly cruel to her sister for an ability she had no choice in having."

Albus started to argue, "That was when they were children—"

"—Lily and I may have only exchanged a handful of cards and letters over the last year, but she did tell me about her wedding and what happened with 'Tuney. That bitch hasn't changed in the slightest since we were children," Severus growled, tensing where he sat. "She hates magic just as much as she always has. Merlin, if she held any love at all for her sister still, I'm certain her hate for magic will only grow once she knows of its part in killing Lily!"

The Headmaster sighed. "It is for the best. A charm to protect Harry until he reaches of age can be created through the shared blood between Lily and her sister and he can spend the next ten years unburdened by his fame by growing up in the Muggle world."

Getting to his feet, Severus began to pace the length of the room. "Perhaps it will protect Harry from attacks of a magical nature, but what about from Petunia and her family? They may feel obligated to raise him as it's the proper, normal response of family with means when a relative dies and leaves behind a child, but they will not be happy. In fact, I reckon they will be angry and loathful and make sure Harry grows up knowing they took him in because it was expected and nothing more." He turns to face the headmaster. Meeting his glacial gaze, he asks, "You may be able to keep him alive by sending him to Petunia, but there is no guarantee when he returns to our world he'll be whole."

"What would you have us do with Harry, Severus? Have him grow up spoiled and self-important in a wizard family? If the wizard family isn't attacked and killed for taking in Harry in the first place."

Severus thought over the possibilities. He almost offered his home, Severus knew he could keep Harry as safe as he would need to be to reach eleven and beyond. He'd also ensure he didn't grow up self-important. Yet taking him in would be highly unfair to Harry and his girls. Severus and Edie were doing well enough, but with another possible baby on the way… They would be stretched for money sooner rather than later if they took in Lily's son. He would grow up with less, not more, and constantly vying for his and Edie's attention. And if Severus was honest, he feared he might not be a very good father to a boy – thanks to his own father – let alone a boy who already looked so much like his late father and Severus's ex-bully. Severus may have been neutral toward Potter before the man died, but if his son started to show he was more his son rather than Lily's… He wasn't sure he wouldn't turn cruel toward the boy.

The Order could always ship Harry to live abroad with an ambassador's family, he supposed. But would any of England's ambassadors want Harry? And if they did, would they treat him like a normal child or a little prince? Would they be able to properly protect him should someone who wishes Harry dead hear he was living in France or Canada or Belize? It could be too late for the family if the potential killer's plot was found out after they left the country. It would also be much harder to monitor them and ensure Harry was growing up well-adjusted and not spoiled or treated like a house-elf.

Finally, Severus tried to remember if Lily had any other close family they could place Harry with. He recalled something about an uncle visiting from Australia one Christmas during their first or second year of Hogwarts. Surely there had to be more family besides just the one uncle? Lily's parents had been born before the invention of the pill. Even Severus's own father had once had a pair of younger brothers, though they had died after catching polio, leaving him his parents' only surviving child when his father was about eleven or twelve.

Slowly, Severus told Albus, "There… There has to be more family on Lily's side other than Petunia. I know she had one uncle at least. Surely there are some cousins with young families or middle-aged aunts or uncles with the means to raise a child who would take Harry in and raise him happily." Addressing the room, he said, "Give me a week to find them and gauge how willing they would be to adopting an infant. If I find none or they are no better than 'Tuney, you can place Harry with his aunt, but until then…"

"Where will we place Harry in the meantime to keep him safe?" asked Minerva.

Severus gestured to himself. "Edie won't mind watching another child for a short time. She often minded several closely-aged cousins at once whilst growing up for long periods."

Albus didn't look terribly pleased with Severus's proposed plan, but Minerva and Hagrid seemed happy enough to let Severus find a more suitable home than Petunia's for Harry. It was a relief they were willing to trust him, a former Death Eater and rival of James Potter, with finding Harry a good home. He had feared they would balk at the idea of him being the one to search for more family or just at him questioning Albus at all. For them, and for Harry, he would do his best to find a family for the boy where he could grow up happy and loved, but humble.

-o-O-o-

The morning after Voldemort's defeat and the murders of the Potters, Severus walked into his family's quarters with Lily's son on his hip. From the lounge area, he could already hear that Edie and the girls were awake and eating together in the kitchenette. He turned his attention to Harry, who was rubbing tiredly at his eyes. The toddler couldn't have gotten much sleep last night and would probably need a kip after breakfast. But before that, introductions had to be made and explanations given.

"I hope you're an attention-whore like your father," Severus muttered to Harry before he straightened out his shoulders and strode into his family's kitchenette. Of course, as soon as he did, Darla and Edie fell silent in the middle of their conversation and the babies paused in their breakfasts to stare over at him and the toddler in his arms.

After a few seconds passed, Edie seemed to regain her senses and put down the spoon she'd been using to feed Lottie and got up to put the baby in the twins' highchair. Approaching with a smile, she asked, "Why, who's this handsome lil'fellow?"

He let his wife take Harry from his arms and coo at the toddler before he whispered, voice hoarse, "Harry. Lily's son."

Edie's gaze honed in on him, the hazel hue fading to a bleak gray. "Is tha' so?" she replied. "Is Lily…?"

Severus nodded.

Bouncing Harry a little on her hip, Edie sighed. "Her husband too, I'm guessin'?" asked Edie.

"Yes," he said. "And for it, the Dark Lord is gone."

His wife's mouth fell open and her eyes grew large. "No!" she gasped. "Really? He's—" she cast her gaze back to their daughters and Darla. Lowering her voice, she said, "Dead?"

He pursed his lips. That was the prevailing belief, but Albus had seemed little convinced Voldemort was finished. He was sure it would be like pulling teeth to figure out why that was in the coming years. "So it seems," he answered finally.

Edie's brows furrowed, but smoothed in the end as she dipped her chin. "Good," she replied. Attention once more on Harry as the toddler made a grab for a loose lock of her hair, she smiled at him. "Wha' are yeh doin' with Harry? Doesn't he have family he should o' been sent off ter already?"

Severus shifted uneasily. "He does," he answered. "But… Lily's sister's family is not one I would trust Harry's well-being with."

"Oh no, Severus Snape, don't tell me yeh told Albus we'd take him in without talkin' ter me—"

He put up his hands. "No, that's not it!" he assured, "I said we would watch him while I looked into different family we can send him to live with where he will grow up safe."

"Aw," piped up Darla, shocking him into stepping back with how close she was to him and Edie. When had his little sister learned to be so quiet? "I'd have liked a nephew."

Severus scowled at her as Edie's expression twisted. "Maybe yeh will," his wife remarked in an uneasy tone. "There's a fifty percent chance o' one."

Darla cocked her head in befuddlement while Severus found his eyebrows shooting to his hairline. Was that Edie's way of telling him she planned to go through with her latest pregnancy? He wanted to ask, but out of worry it was not, he refrained. It was best not to raise Darla's excitement about the subject of another baby so soon. Even if his wife did decide to have this one, they were still early in her pregnancy and she could, Merlin-forbid, lose it.

Appearing to have shaken off her confusion, Darla reached over and tugged on Edie's sleeve. "Can I see baby Harry anyway?"

Severus frowned. "No," he told her. "Harry needs to eat and be put down to rest. He's had an eventful night."

His sister pouted at him and crossed her arms as she fell away from Edie. As she petted a quietly snuffling Harry's hair, Edie told Darla, "Go an' finish yer breakfast before it gets cold."

"But—"

"Now, Darla," Severus nearly growled at the girl.

His sister gave him a nasty glare before she huffed and stomped off to the breakfast table. Turning his attention back to Edie, he said to her, "We won't be keeping him long. A week, at most," he promised. "I told Albus you'd care for him while I searched for other relatives of Lily who may want him."

"Tha's fine," Edie agreed. "But wha' happens if yeh don't find any relatives besides Lily's sister?"

Severus fidgeted with his wand. "He will go to her," he admitted. "Lily performed some rather spectacular magic to protect Harry and the blood shared between Harry and 'Tuney will make sure that spell continues to protect him over the coming years."

"Oh no, absolutely not," Edie said, though, it was in a cheery tone to Harry, who she was in the midst of a tug-of-war with over a lock of her hair. "If it comes down ter it, we will be keepin' him an' Darla will be gettin' tha' nephew she's after."

There was a cheer from the breakfast table and he shot a look of warning at his sister. "You know I would prefer that as well," he started, "but how would we be able to afford him in addition to—"

"Sev'rus, no," Edie said with eyes molten gold in their determination. "It might be harder an' there might not be much ter go around if we keep him, but we'll make it work. Poor is better than no love." Some of the gold fades away in her gaze, returning it to a slightly warmer version of her usual hazel eyes. "I'd know," she mumbled. "I grew up with no love."

He sighed and carded his non-wand hand through his hair. "All right," he said. "All right."

-o-O-o-

After five days of searching Muggle records and censuses, Severus finally found a cousin of Lily's mother living in England. He was in his late thirties and married with no children. Records showed he worked for an insurance agency as an accountant and his wife was a substitute teacher for the primary schools in her area. The most interesting thing, however, was he and his wife lived in a town not far at all from where he and Lily grew up. After this discovery, Severus decided his first order of business was to visit the place. To his relief, it wasn't a factory town like Cokeworth, but one that looked to have agricultural roots that were slowly being developed into something more suburban. He counted that as a positive toward the cousins who lived here and began to stroll through it in search of their home.

When he found it, he stared at the two-story red-brick house and felt satisfaction. It looked like a proper home with at least two bedrooms and a garden. Harry could grow up happy here if the cousins were kind people and interested in taking in a child. As he continued to stare at the home, a black automobile rolled up the drive and parked just outside the garage. Severus turned his head and watched a man step out of the vehicle. He was blond and thin, much as Petunia was, though the shape of his face reminded him more of Lily. Not by much, however, as his jaw was far too square and his eyes were set farther apart than Lily's on his face.

"Hello, can I help you?" he called upon spotting Severus.

Severus paused a moment to consider how to proceed. Did he shake his head and come back another time? Or did he try and talk to the man now about Harry? After a moment of contemplation, Severus decided now would be best. He was running out of time and Lily's cousin deserved at least a day or two to consider if he wanted to become a father to Harry, nevermind speak with his wife and anyone else whose lives would be altered drastically by adopting Harry. Stepping toward him, he asked, "Are you Raymond Cross?"

"Yes, I am."

Putting on a professional smile he had used while working as a clerk at Mr. Mulpepper's apothecary, he said, "May we speak a moment? I have some unfortunate news to share with you about your cousin, Lily Potter. Or perhaps you'd recall her better as Lily Evans?"

-o-O-o-

November eighth, 1981 Harry Potter was not left in a basket on the doorstep of a house of strangers, but placed in the out-stretched hands of Raymond Cross's wife, Lynne Cross. Instead of being held like a muddy pup – as far away from the body as possible – Harry was brought right next to his adoptive mother's heart and his face was stroked as if he was a precious jewel. There was no letter that explained Harry's presence or history to be read and cursed at by Raymond Cross, but there was Severus there to pass along some final advice and promise he would come back in just shy of ten years time to explain the circumstances of Harry's adoption to the boy for them.

Severus shook hands with both of the Crosses and thanked them for what they were doing as much as they thanked him for giving them a son. He said goodbye to Harry and wished him many years of happiness with his family. Of course, the baby understood little of what he said, but still, he smiled and offered a garbled goodbye of his own. As he left the new family to return to his own, Severus didn't even feel the need to look back. He knew the Crosses were good people who would raise Harry with love and ensure he grew up happy and strong.

How did you like the end? Is it Good? Bad? Meh?

Be on the lookout for the next fic in the Family Branches series! It's called All Is Well and will be uploaded on Monday :)

Thank you all for reading!