Dark. Cold. And hard.

Those are the first things Harry felt when he woke up.

Well, not exactly "woke up", rather "regained his consciousness". He couldn't open his eyes, nor move his body. His head was spinning like a spinning wheel, and he could hear whispers everywhere.

- How is he? Is he alright? Talk to me, Snivellius. - James demanded.

- You are not in the position to order me, Potter. He will wake up in 3 days, maybe more. - Came Snape's malignant response. His voice was filled with hatred.

- "Maybe more"?! You are the Potions Master, how could you be so unsure about the time?! – James shouted angrily at Snape.

- Forgive me for being unable to give you the exact time but your son here had had a panic attack, it can be very dangerous if he is not monitored closely. Now, if you want your son dead I suggest you blabber some more, it can help killing him. - Snape snarled. He was getting impatient with this egotistic man.

- Calm down, Severus. Arguing with Potter only lowers your intelligence. Thus, there are more important things to do. - Lucius interfered. He gently put his hand on Snape's shoulder while glaring coldly at James:

- As for you, I think you know which is more vital: your son's life, or your "argument" with Severus.

James angrily stared at them, but said no more. He stormed out of the room with his daughter, who was always stealing glances at Snape.

Lucius sighed in relief. He couldn't bear that atmosphere any longer:

- Are you two always like that?

- Till the end of time. - Snape mumbled.

- Lucky for you, he didn't do anything stupid. - Lucius turned to look at Harry.

- Why do you say that?

- He could have hurt Harry if he had gone mad. You should consider your situation before getting caught in a quarrel, Severus.

Snape sighed:

- Alright, I will control my temper when I'm near James Potter. But there is no guarantee that I will control my behaviour. That's the best I can do.

- I understand. So, how's the boy? I was worried when he passed out.

- The boy was under a block. – Severus gravely said. - It was put on his magic core since his birth, and now, his core has outgrown the block and is trying to break it. To save him, I need to find the reverse spell, or the boy himself must destroy the block. The latter is impossible, he is too young and we cannot direct our magic to assist him. His body cannot withstand that much power. The former is feasible, but it will take too much time...

There was a moment of silence before Snape spoke again:

- What if I can't find the spell, Lucius? I could lose the boy.

Lucius knelt down next to where Severus was sitting and put a hand on his shoulder:

- Then save him.

Severus stared into Lucius' grey metallic eyes. They were cold, as usual, but their gaze softened as he continued to look into them. He was always like a brother to him, Lucius, always stood up for him and protected him.

Severus pursed his lips and nodded solemnly. Harry, in more ways than one, was his treasure. He didn't want to lose another of his loved ones. He stood up, fixed his clothing, and walked out of the room:

- Shall we go to your library?

Lucius smirked slightly and followed Snape:

- Certainly, my dear Severus, certainly.

For a while, the room was silent, leaving Harry to his own thoughts. He didn't understand what a block was, but, according to Sev's reaction, it must be very dangerous. He tried to feel his core, a method taught by Lucius, but with no avail. The core's power was simply too weak for Harry to feel anything.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. It was Juliet Potter. She stepped into the room and quietly shut the door. She walked over to Harry's bed and looked at him.

- Why does professor Snape care about you? He hates the Potter, and you are a Potter. He should hate you. He hates me, because I'm a Potter...

She trailed her hand along Harry's hair, down to his cheek and jaw lines:

- Why does he like you? You're a nobody, I am your twin sister and I didn't even know your existence.

She leaned closer to him and whispered into his ears:

- Don't even think of getting all of his attention. It's mine. But don't worry brother, - she straightened up and walked towards the door, - I'll go easy on you. I'm the Chosen One, I'll be merciful.

She smiled maliciously and left the room.

~~~

- Have you found anything, Severus? - Lucius asked. They were stuck in the library for hours, and they still hadn't found anything, not even a single clue.

- No. - Snape sighed heavily, flipping through the pages. - There are too many spells that seem to be related, I'm getting dizzy.

He put the book on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a great responsibility. If he couldn't find the reverse spell on time, Harry would die.

Lucius quietly comforted him:

- Don't worry, the boy is strong, he won't give up. He has a new life with us, and I don't think he would want to lose it. Take a rest, you will need it.

Severus remained silent. Very silent. Lucius furrowed his brows and gently shook his shoulders:

- Sev, what's wrong? Are you alright?

Lucius had known Snape since school, so he was pretty taken aback when Snape shot out of his seat, crying out:

- Oh yes, that's it! How can I be such a fool? I can't believe I have forgotten about it.

- What are you talking about, Severus?

- Gringotts! - Snape took Lucius' hand and shook it. - The goblins at Gringotts can remove the block without doing any damage to Harry's body and magic.

Lucius' eyes widened:

- Oh, that's right! Now I remember there is that kind of service there. We're such idiots. But how do we sneak him out of here? He's still hasn't woken up yet.

Snape, who now had regained his composure, thought long and hard about the problem. He couldn't just barge Harry out of here, Potter would get in his way and make things more complicated. Or, he could apparated them straight to the bank, but it was still very dangerous for Harry. He could be hurt, for Merlin's sakes. Finally, he came up with a solution to the issue.

- We could bring the goblins here. They could perform the ritual anywhere, as long as they have the necessary equipment.

Lucius thought for a moment. This could work, the only problem was how to distract Potter and his gang, that also included Dumbledore. He spoke his mind and soon, he and Severus were lost in their thought.

Tricking Potter was one thing, but tricking Dumbledore, now that's an entirely different problem. Dumbledore was known for his 'wisdom', or cunningness as they would like to call. He was a sly old man, and he would do anything to have what he wanted. A man like that must be paid attention, for if they made a tiny mistake, he would grab it and plot it against them.

After a long time of consideration, they finally came up with a plan that would, probably, work. They would start a heated debate at the Ministry of Magic about Grindelwald. It would be effective as Dumbledore was Grindelwald's best friend, he had always kept an eye on him. After that, they would trash the Potter Place, and James would have no choice but to return, leaving them alone with Harry. Thus, they would have all the space they needed for their little 'scheme'.

- This is a great plan, Sev. When it is related to Grindelwald, old Dumbly can't think clearly, he will screw up. - Lucius laughed.

- And that's where we strike. - Snape smirked slyly. - You'll start the argument, while I wreck the Potter Place.

- Why can you have all the fun? - Lucius lamented, but still made his way to the door.

- Because you're in the Ministry, and I'm just a professor. - Snape smirked and waved Lucius goodbye.

~~~

Their plan went on smoothly. The argument was not very natural, but Dumbledore didn't suspect a thing. Snape had a chance to take out his aggravation on James' manor. It was satisfying. He used a lot of Incendios and Diffindos, practically tearing the place down.

When they met up at the the Leaky Cauldron, where they were temporarily staying, Lucius and Snape had a good laugh.

- You should have seen his face, Sev, it was hilarious!!! I almost couldn't keep my composure! - Lucius exclaimed.

- Don't  get to excited, Lucius. We still have a spell to remove. - Snape smiled.

- I know. So did you get any of them goblins here? - Lucius fell into his seat.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Severus threw a meaningful look at Lucius and stood up to let a goblin in. It slightly bowed at them:

- Greetings Lords Malfoy and Snape, I am Griphook, your personal guide of the ritual. Who is it that I have to remove the block?

- He is Harry Potter. We have found out that he was under a block since birth. - Snape answered.

- That is serious. He is unconscious, I presume?

- Yes, his magic core has been trying to break free.

- If you would please let me see him, I will come up with the best treatment for Mister Potter.

- Certainly, follow me. - Snape swiftly stood up and walked towards Harry's room.

When they got there, Griphook immediately walked straight to Harry's bedside and looked at him attentively. After a while, he spoke:

- May I have some of his blood? Just a drop. I need to diagnose him.

Snape nodded his head and Griphook took out a long sharp silver needle and a piece of parchment. He took Harry's hand and poked the needle at the tip of his index finger. A drop of blood fell out and he let it stained the parchment. The smudge of scarlet slowly disappeared and was replaced by rows of words. Griphook took the parchment and had a look. Strangely, his eyes grew wider and wider as he read it. He rolled it up and handed to Snape:

- I strongly suggest you to read this. However, you would want to sit down.

Snape curiously looked at the goblin but did as he was told. He unrolled the parchment and began to read. Over time, his face went white as a sheet, his hands clenched tightly and his eyes darkened.

GRINGOTTS BLOCK AND INHERITANCE RESULTS
Test subject: HARRY JAMES POTTER

Real name: Hadrian Severus Riddle
Father: Tom Marvolo Riddle-Gaunt
Mother (Second Father): Severus Snape-Prince
Godfather: - Lucius Abraxas Malfoy
                     - Sirius Black
Godmother: - Narcissa Malfoy née Black
                       - Lily Potter née Evans
Blocks:  - Core block: Cors Oppilo - 80%
                - Inheritance block: Hereditas Oppilo - 80%
Heirloom: - Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin
- Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Gaunt
                    - Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Prince
                    - Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Black
Inheritance: Dark Elf
Hereditary abilities: Parseltongue

Lucius curiously glanced at the parchment as he was wondering what had made his friend so shock. It wasn't long before he himself fell gracefully into the chair beside Severus, his eyes gazed blankly into space.

Trembling, Severus asked the goblin:

- Are you...sure about this test?

- We goblins never lie about anything concerning a wizard's identity. - Griphook sternly answered.

Snape nodded slightly and made a gesture to Harry:

- So can you remove all the blocks?

- Certainly, now that I knew what is wrong, please leave the room so I can perform the ritual.

~🌹~🌼~

Hello mi amigos 🤣🤗 What do you think about this big twist? Quite a shocker, yeah? 😁💥 I am having a writer's block these days and I can't seem to grasp the story. Sorry that it takes a lot of time but I have to get my flow back. 🙏🏼😅