Nor was it something Minerva would've mentioned to him. Since Albus was still claiming to be the boy's magical guardian, there was no way he had either. Legally, he never had been but he, like so many others, figured the child was too stupid to know any different. The sad part was until the scene in the Library, Severus had been one of those people believing Potter was too stupid to ever figure it out. Yet now that he was mentally awake, he was chastising himself over the matter. How exactly should an eleven year old child, who'd been kept away from all things magical, have found out who their personal guardian in the magical world was?
The fact that Severus was his Guardian/Protector was actually one of the things Minerva held against the boy. It shamed her that someone outside her house was chosen by the 'gamot for the role instead of herself . So there was no way she'd told him either. And as far as he knew no one else here at Hogwarts actually knew. So if the three adults who knew hadn't told the boy, how exactly was he supposed to know?
But it hadn't happened. Albus hadn't met with any of the children in question upon his return to the Castle. Not yet anyway. He'd been seen at Breakfast and walking slowly in the halls a few times. And they'd all seen the Triad trying to approach him when he was. But he missed more meals than he attended. They assumed he was stuck in his office slogging his way through the mountain of parchment that came along with being the Headmaster. He had been out of the Castle for a few days so it would've piled up on him. It was well known to all who had to deal with the parchment monster, letting it pile up was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
And while that may have been true, it wasn't why Minerva hadn't gone to him about the confrontation between Potter and the Triad. Severus, when he went to dinner in the Great Hall, was relieved to notice that once again the Headmaster seemed to be stuck in his office. Or at least he wasn't attending the evening meal. That meant he could question Minerva without the Old Man's interference.
So that evening at dinner, he asked Minerva about why she had yet to inform the Headmaster of relevant matters. She admitted, with a heavy sigh, that although she still didn't like it and felt Mr. Potter should have talked to someone about the situation before he went ahead and invoked the spell, she'd read the book Madam Pince had given her about it. She now realized there was no one he could have gone to because she, the person he should have gone to first, most likely wouldn't have heard a word he was trying to tell her. And if she wouldn't have listened to him, no one else would've either. It was quite the admission for her to make and Severus inclined his head in acknowledgment as did Filius and Pomona who had heard her as well. Like her Triad, Minerva didn't like to admit her mistakes. Unlike them she would when she had to; when she was confronted about them. But she didn't like to.
"Furthermore," she told him, "the Book made it clear the removal of the mark is in the hands of the triad. Only they can decide if and when it's ever removed. Or if it grows or shrinks in size and complexity. And given what the marks are rumored to be over, I'm being forced to admit anyone he might have gone to about it, would've shut him down without hearing a word he said. He didn't turned to an adult for advice or help because there literally wasn't one available who'd actually listen to him and help him."
Her voice was full of remorse but Severus couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for her as it was her job to always listen to and support her students. Even when she personally didn't like them or feel they were right in what they were wanting to discuss with her or get her help on. It was her duty to be available to them. All of them. She never had been with Potter and he knew it. She'd very clearly failed Potter. Over and over again. So many times even the boy himself knew he couldn't go to her for assistance.
"Reading the book told me the casting of the spell wouldn't have worked had Mr. Potter hadn't had the right to call for their judgement to begin with. The book made it clear it's a course of last resort for the person employing it. Something to be tried when all other avenues have failed," she had quietly admitted. "Because only a person truly wronged by the person the spell is cast upon can call for it and only the crime(s) admitted to by the accused against the accuser will Magic render judgement for. And if the person being judged doesn't feel they are guilty of said crimes, the spell will backlash upon the caller. It didn't backfire. That means they are guilty, Severus. Much as I don't like it, they are guilty and he had a right to do as he did. So until I can get them to admit they deserve their marks, I'm not going to be going to Albus or willingly stepping aside to let them go to him on their own. Albus' interference at this point will only hinder their recovery. And they can still recover and go on to lead happy productive lives. The book also made that clear."
To her further shame, the book had made it very clear the victim was always judged by their own magic and not by magic of another. And with Magic itself as the arbiter, it wasn't in any manner dark magic. That was why she'd overridden the copyright protection on the booklet and made many a copy of that particular bit of information to make it available to the student body. If she hadn't known of the law and punishment, it was a guarantee none of the students knew about it either. And the students needed to know the trio were judged by their own innate magic. Not Harry's.
He looked at her consideringly for a few minutes before he finally spoke. "I told you he didn't do any dark magic but you didn't believe me, did you?"
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