It was obvious that Molly was afire with curiosity, but as an old Order veteran, she responded predictably to Dumbledore's name. "Of course."
Within five minutes, Ginny had been dispatched to her grandmother's via the floo, and Arthur, Molly, and Severus were gathered in the living room. "I apologize for disturbing you tonight тАУ and sending Miss Weasley away тАУ but I felt it best for our discussion that there was no chance of being overheard."
Now both Weasleys were wearing expressions of concern as well as curiosity. "Is something wrong, Professor?" Arthur asked, brow creasing. "Are the boys all right?"
"Your children are all fine," Snape assured him. "I am here to ask if you would like one more."
Hm. That didn't seem to come out properly. Now they were both staring at him with their mouths open. "Not full time," he hastened to explain. "More on a short term lease."
"You're renting out children?" Molly asked, her voice rising to a squeak.
Arthur took her hand. "I'm sure it's not what it sounds like, dear."
Severus frowned. It wasn't that complicated. Honestly тАУ leave it to a bunch of Gryffindors to need everything spelled out. He decided to take it very slowly. "You have, I believe, met Mr Potter тАУ"
"Harry?" Molly exclaimed in surprise. "That sweet little bespectacled boy? My heavens, what a lovely child!"
"Ron seems to have become friendly with him," Arthur agreed. "And the twins and Percy also wrote, saying nice things. I understand he was sorted into Gryffindor." The "of course" was politely withheld, given present company.
"Indeed," Snape said flatly. "I discovered that Mr Potter's home life is unacceptable, and so тАУ"
"What do you mean?" Molly demanded. "Didn't Dumbledore put him with family after James and Lily were killed? I remember there was a big fuss because he wouldn't tell anyone where Harry was, but he assured all of us that the child was safe and well."
Severus smirked. "Apparently not. Albus made the absurd assumption that ties of blood are synonymous with ties of affection. The boy was placed with Muggle relatives who were тАУ at the very least тАУ both neglectful and abusive."
Molly's eyes grew wide. "Abusive? No! That poor child!" Arthur patted her shoulder, but he looked very grim.
"Does the Ministry know of this?" he asked.
Severus shrugged. "You may take that up with Albus, if you wish. My concern lies with Mr Potter's current situation, not why he was allowed to remain with unsuitable guardians for the last decade."
"So you want us to take Harry?" Arthur asked. Beside him, Molly stopped sniffling long enough to look up excitedly.
"Take Harry? Of course we will! I told Dumbledore ten years ago that we would be willing to тАУ"
"I am not here to ask you to adopt Harry, nor even to become his guardians. Rather, I would like you to consider providing him with a regular destination that he can visit for extended periods over his school holidays."
Arthur glanced at his wife, then turned back to Severus. "I suspect from Ron's letter that we'd be likely to do that anyway тАУ given how well the two boys are getting on."
Molly frowned. "Why can't we adopt Harry? You just said he needs a home. If we don't take him in, who will?"
"The Headmaster has another guardian in mind," Severus hedged.
"Who?" Both Weasleys demanded.
"Me," he replied coldly, hoping to avoid the inevitable reaction.
It was, as expected, inevitable. "YOU?!"
Molly recovered first. Ignoring Snape entirely, she turned to her husband. "That's it. Dumbledore is senile. You'll have to alert the Ministry in the morning."
Arthur shot an apologetic glance at Snape. "Now, Molly, let's not be hasty. I suppose that Professor Snape тАУ"
"Arthur! He was a Death Eater. And that's who Dumbledore wants to put in charge of Harry? The Boy Who Lived?"
"He was a spy," her husband pointed out. "Dumbledore said so."
Molly snorted. "Eventually. Maybe. But he bears the Dark Mark. You think he got that deliberately, just so he could be a spy? Who are his people, anyway?"
"I think he's one of the Princes, isn't he?" Arthur had by now followed Molly's lead and forgotten Severus completely.
"Well! What else do you need to know? The Princes were all Darker than pitch and even crazier than the Blacks!" Molly paused. "Well, except for that one poor girl. What was her name? The one who was quite a few years ahead of us. Elizabeth? Elaine?"
"That was my mother," Snape said with what he felt was admirable restraint.
"But there was something wrong even with her," Molly went on, tapping her chin. "Let me see, what was it? What was it? Oh yes, she married that horrible Muggle."
"That was my father," Snape pointed out.
"Yes, well, it would have been, wouldn't it?" Molly agreed distractedly. "Oh, Arthur, this is terrible. We can't possibly allow Dumbledore to do this. Harry needs love and family and тАУ"
"Potter needs attention and consistency and guidance." Snape had had enough of being ignored. "None of which he is likely to get in this household amongst your litter of children."
"Well!" Molly glared at him. "I like that! You have the nerve to come in here and insult us even as you ask for a favor?"
Arthur patted her hand. "Let's hear him out, Molly. He's right that Harry may need more attention than he's likely to get in a big family like ours."
Snape gave a jerky nod of formal thanks to Arthur. "Exactly. I meant no offense to you, but while your home is well suited to model healthy family dynamics for Harry, he also will require someone whose sole focus is his welfare. Given his тАУ difficult тАУ background," Molly began to sniffle again, "it would be unfair to place him in such a large family where his unique needs might be unmet. By having the Burrow remain a special treat for him, he will learn its valuable lessons without having to give up the attention that he can receive as an only child in тАУ " he swallowed hard " тАУ my household."
"And why are you willing to take on this role?" Arthur asked, giving Severus an odd look.
"My reasons are none of your concern," Snape snapped.
"Actually, they are," Arthur shot back, undaunted. "You are asking us to тАУ in essence тАУ co-parent with you, and a child like Harry will have needs that are complicated not only by his background but also by his likely future." Snape frowned, but couldn't deny that Weasley's delicate implication of Death Eater interest in Harry was well-founded. "We need to know what we are getting into." Seeing that Severus remained unconvinced, Arthur grinned. "Besides, if we are going to play such a big role in Harry's life, then I'm sure we'll hear plenty about you. And since most of his comments will likely be couched as complaints, it would be helpful if we're in a position to defend you."
Snape's face fell into a ferocious scowl. How dare Weasley suggest that Potter would have anything to complain about!
"Severus," Arthur said, highly amused. "Every child complains about his parents. It's normal. But if we are all going to survive Harry's adolescence, then we will need to work together. Trust us on this."
Snape didn't like it, but he had to admit the older man had a point. "I agreed to do this тАУ reluctantly! тАУ because I have a certainтАж familiarityтАж with what Potter has exerienced." He glared at the couple, daring them to ask for details, but both were quiet. "In addition, I was very close to Lily Evans. We grew up in the same neighborhood and were friends until near the end of our Hogwarts days."