Second Place - Drama

Severus followed the tantalizing scent of the orange poppy seed scones into the kitchen. He owned no house elves and knew Bill could barely boil water so he was mildly surprised to discover freshly baked goods. He hung his aubergine Master�s robes on a hook in the hallway and strode into the fragrant kitchen. The dark wizard greeted both of his house guests with a quick peck to their lips before helping himself to tea, juice and scones.

Breakfast in the Snape kitchen was a rather awkward affair. Harry was quiet, too quiet. Bill and Severus granted the younger wizard the space they thought he needed and spoke to one another casually about current affairs in the wizarding world. Aconite delivered "The Daily Prophet" and the older wizards conversed about mutual acquaintances mentioned in the news articles. Harry glanced at the front cover, but declined to read it.

Severus polished off the last scone. He complimented Harry on his culinary skills and then wondered aloud how Harry could cook so well, but be abysmal in Potions. Harry relaxed slightly at the unexpected but gentle teasing.

The last of the tea and coffee was poured as the wizards readied themselves for the start of the workday. Severus noticed Harry�s packed messenger bag tucked into a corner. He reissued his invitation for Harry to stay for a few days, mentioning several books in his library about career planning.

Harry tried to find a way to gracefully decline the offer of refuge but the proper words would not come. They all knew the situation was difficult for Harry. It was more than the awkwardness of waking up beside a one-night stand. Malcolm�s unexpected betrayal left the green eyed young man with an uncertain future.

Bill jumped when the first tinny stanzas of the "1812 Overture" chirped in the quiet kitchen. He stared at Harry�s messenger bag, the source of the noise.

"Cell phone," Harry replied mildly. "Accio cell phone."

Harry caught the flying cell phone in the same casual manner he had always caught a snitch. He activated the device.

"Hello?"

In the silence, they could hear an alarmed male voice at the other end. "Corvus? Thank God! You weren�t hurt, were you? You�re not injured?"

"Elliot? Elliot, calm down. Alistair didn�t hurt me. I�m fine."

"Alistair? What the fuck are you talking about? Your whole row of flats is in flames...there�s casualties...I was afraid you were trapped."

"I�m fine, Elliot. What happened?"

"It�s arson, Cory. I can smell the petrol a block away."

Harry�s pale face paled even further. "Alistair."

"Alistair? You think that fucker has something to do with it?"

"I don�t know...He found me last night... tried to force me to...but I got away."

"Fuck. Look, you need to come down here. The police want to speak to everyone...Mr. Shaw has to know if there�s a need for damage control...We�ll meet you there. Don�t talk to anyone until you talk to Mr. Shaw...an hour?"

"Yes," Harry replied distractedly. "I�ll be there in an hour."

Harry stood just downwind of the ash and smoke as he watched all of his possessions disappear into the inferno. He felt cold reality pour through his veins. Homeless. Unemployed. Used. All he owned now was whatever he had thrown into his messenger bag the evening before, Hedwig and his wand.

Before panic could entirely cloud his thoughts, he was jerked back to a semblance of calm when a sobbing elderly woman flung her arms around him. She was covered in soot, dressed only in a nightgown, flannel bathrobe and quilted carpet slippers. Her body trembled from both shock and the early morning chill. Harry wrapped her in a blanket someone thrust into his hands.

"It�s all right, Auntie Edna." He gently rubbed her back, feeling tears sting his eyes. She had lived in the apartment across the hall from Uncle Leon for as long as Harry could remember. The woman had always had a sweet or toy for him when he was a small boy and had taught him the basics of cooking as he grew older. He was gratified to hear a small yip coming from the pocket of the bathrobe. Edna�s miniature toy poodle peeked up at him. The old woman�s life revolved around her beloved canine as much as Harry�s life did around his Hedwig. "Gingersnap is safe, too."

Severus stood beside them, his sharp eyes scanning the curious crowd for attack. His keen nose had picked up not only the odor of petrol but other accelerants as well. It was definitely an arson fire, but, not knowing the history of the other residents, he could not automatically assume Alistair or his bodyguard guilty of the deed although the timing of the event did lend credence to his assumption.

Bill rudely shoved aside still another news photographer, invading their personal space, trying to get the "poignant shot" of the traumatized fire victims. Muggle or Wizard, the press were parasites. He could tell by the way his young companion�s shoulders were shaking that Harry was also in tears.

A cry went up in the crowd as something exploded in the inferno. Bill could tell by the brilliant color tinting the flames that another of Harry�s magical artifacts was gone. The cursebreaker wondered if anything could survive the destruction and what questions would be raised by fire inspectors sifting for clues amid the remains.

A female officer escorted Edna to a waiting ambulance to have her checked for smoke inhalation. Harry declined the offer of medical assistance, stating he was merely a bystander, and had not been caught in the fire.

Severus wrapped his arms around Harry�s shoulders as the young man fought to control his emotions. Another explosion echoed off the surrounding buildings. The dark wizard handed him a handkerchief and Harry took it with a soft "Thank you."

"It�s all gone..." Harry whispered. "All gone...the pictures of my mum and dad, my dad�s cloak...my modeling portfolios...my clothes...books..."

"But you�re safe, and Hedwig is safe. Everything else is just an object..." Severus consoled the young man for the loss of his possessions and his home. He thought of the photograph of Harry at the beach with his "Uncle" Leon and couldn�t help be a little pleased at its destruction. With Harry�s life and career in shambles, perhaps now was the time to plot his reentry into the wizarding world � the world he truly belonged.

Bill and Severus jumped protectively in front of Harry as a large man in a chauffeur�s uniform pushed through the crowd. He was shouting a familiar form of Harry�s alias, "Cory!"

Harry peaked around Bill. "It�s all right, Bill. That�s Elliot."

Elliot nearly pounced on the small man, touching him, hugging him as a mother would a toddler who had fallen from a swing set. Severus felt an unexpected pang of jealousy as the man checked his Harry over. When Elliot assured himself that Harry was unharmed, he straightened up and stared at the two tall men beside his young friend.

Severus knew that they made an odd pair. He was dressed in finely tailored black wool trousers and a black cashmere turtleneck. His lank hair was tied neatly back in a low ponytail at his neck. Bill, on the other hand, had not had time to shower and looked as if he had just crawled out of bed. The bright red hair was in a messy braid down his back and his chambray shirt looked slept in. Elliot looked from Bill to Severus and back to the fang earring.

"Mr. Shaw is waiting to speak with you...and your friends." He peered at the wizards.

Without hesitation, Harry jumped in with introductions. "These are two old friends from my boarding school days. I ran into them at Tommy�s the other night. Doctor Severus Snape now heads the medical research department at an East End hospital. He used to teach me Chemistry. And Bill Weasley...yes, Elliot, he�s Fred and George�s older brother. Bill is visiting from his home in Egypt. He is an archeologist, specializing in ancient Egyptian artifacts."

Bill looked at Harry oddly. "He�s met Gred and Forge? You let them out in public?"

Elliot laughed, the tension broken, and muttered something about comedians and how nice it was to meet a normal Weasley for a change. Bill arched his eyebrow and Harry shrugged.

"We owl occasionally and meet on neutral territory several times a year to discuss new product lines at the joke shop. Silent or not, I am one-third owner and they, unlike others, have not abandoned my friendship."

Robert Shaw was an impeccably dressed barrister in his late forties. He spoke privately with Harry; Severus could not hear what was said, but could see Harry�s agitation. After several minutes, Harry was sent off with Bill and Elliot to a corner teashop. Leon�s son beckoned Severus into the back seat of the automobile.

"So, Dr. Snape...what is the nature of your relationship with my young half-brother? I hardly see where a medical researcher and a male model would travel in the same social circles."

Severus looked down his hooked nose at the barrister. He could appreciate bluntness, but he did not like the insinuation in the man�s voice. Shaw�s inflection on the words "male model" held a note of contempt.

"Let�s not play games, Mr. Shaw. I attended boarding school with the young man�s parents and I taught him myself for seven years so I know he is not related in any way to you. I also, by the way, know the true nature of his relationship with your father."

Shaw rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I have spent what seems like a lifetime cleaning up my father�s messes. This fire makes things very difficult...if it were just an electrical fire there would be few questions, but...arson..."

"You are afraid that in the course of the investigation the truth about your late father�s activities will come to light. Perhaps it is time to stop protecting a dead man."

"The truth would kill my mother. And the press would tear Corvus and Elliot apart."

"Elliot? How does he fit into this?"

"Aside from the fact that he brought Corvus to my father to molest every other weekend for years and did not report it? Elliot was also one of my father�s...�nephews�. I do not know how many other boys he had...an investigation will bring them out of the woodwork and destroy them as well...The Shaw name is an old and respected one...I will not have a dead pervert drag it through the mud."

Severus looked into the man�s eyes. They held the same shadows he often saw reflected in Harry�s eyes. In a very quiet voice he asked, "And, were you one of your father�s �boys� as well?"

Shaw�s shoulders deflated. "All three of us...my younger brother committed suicide...officially he lost control of his Porsche � he couldn�t face the shame...But Corvus, he was always Father�s favorite."

"Do I detect jealousy?" Severus asked incredulously.

"No, relief. Corvus was the only boy he ever took back after he reached puberty...As long as Father had Corvus, he didn�t turn his attentions to his grandchildren or any other child."

"You paid for your children�s innocence with the life of another innocent? Surely an intelligent man like yourself could have found a way to keep him away from your children."

"But Corvus wasn�t innocent...he was already..." Shaw paused, at a loss for a word.

"Damaged?" Severus asked sharply. "He was six years old. How can you face him knowing what you condemned him to?"

"I was trying to prevent my children from suffering what I did...I didn�t personally know Corvus at the time so he wasn�t real..." Shaw stopped midstream. He shook his head. "It wasn�t until later I realized that in many respects I was no better than my father..."

"So you salved your conscience by letting him stay in your father�s flat? What are you going to do with him now? Cut him loose and hope he�ll remain silent? Hope Alistair doesn�t get his hands on him?"

Shaw reached into his pocket and handed Severus a bank cheque. The dark wizard looked at the tidy sum of the check. Snape reached over and tucked it back into the man�s breast pocket. He did not hide his distain.

The barrister stared out the automobile window at the milling crowd, expecting the trio to be returning soon from the teashop.

"Corvus is actually coping the best out of all of us, you know? I have been paying for him and Elliot to attend counseling sessions with a private therapist for years and I will continue to do so for as long as they think it is beneficial."

"Don�t delude yourself. He is probably not doing as well as you think � Harry is an excellent actor."

"Harry?" Shaw smiled. "Is that his real name? I couldn�t imagine his parents would have been cruel enough to name him Corvus Corax...figured it was my father�s weird sense of humor."

"Latin for blackbird."

"I thought it meant raven, but no matter. They are essentially the same thing."

"It is an appropriate alias. So what is the next step?"

"You have all mentioned Alistair. There is a restraining order against him, but it�s obviously just a worthless piece of paper." Shaw shook his head. "He�s such a pretty little thing and years with Father and his own uncle have left him with the self worth of a gnat. He truly believes that his body is his only asset. And that leaves him open as prey for pornographers like Alistair."

"And we both suspect Alistair had something to do with the fire. What is your next move? Harry has become a target."

"I could ring up a few of my contacts within the police department...But Corvus Corax needs to disappear. There are charred bodies in that row of flats...if we let the authorities assume he is one of them..."

"No." Severus said suddenly. "Does Corvus have a legal identity or is he just an alias? And an alias attached to the Shaw name would trigger an official investigation. Actually Harry Potter would need to die...Alistair�s connection to Mr. Potter goes back to before Harry ever met your father - before Corvus Corax ever existed. But let�s not be too hasty, Mr. Shaw...Forensics will be able to identify the remains of the fire victims in short order. Harry, or Corvus as you call him, needs to disappear for awhile."

"Protective custody? He testifies against Alistair and..."

"And what?" Severus glanced out the window. He could see Bill Weasley�s trademark red hair approaching in the distance. "Your police can not protect him. You said yourself that there was a restraining order in place... what protection is a piece of parchment?"

Shaw handed Severus back the bank cheque. "I want you to take him. Your colleague could take him back with him to Egypt. There�s more than enough to support Corvus for years. He needs a fresh start, maybe a new identity. He needs to be away from perverts and predators."

"And what makes you so sure Bill and I aren�t perverts and predators?" Severus asked silkily.

"I saw how protective you both were of him. You care for him a great deal. Maybe you can convince him he�s worth something."