Nervous, definitely nervous, Harry recognized, realizing that he had to get himself under control. He had a feeling that flippant answers in the interview wouldn't help his cause.
Darswaithe took a moment to survey his dungeon surroundings, saying, "Very interesting down here. I was in Hufflepuff; never thought to see the inside of Professor Snape's private residence. It's less austere than I would have thought."
Draco made a face at the mention of Hufflepuff. Thankfully, he was behind the casewizard at that point, so Mr. Darswaithe didn't see. All Harry needed was the casewizard getting offended enough to deny the adoption. He tried to warn Draco with his eyes, but couldn't give him too harsh a look, not with Darswaithe looking at him.
"Mr. Potter," the casewizard enthused, teeth gleaming in a wide smile. "A pleasure to meet you, I must say. A great pleasure indeed!"
At that, Draco began pretending to gag, but he wiped the expression from his face and assumed a neutral, bored visage when the casewizard turned to greet him as well. "So, Mr. Malfoy. Your application recently came before us. Dire circumstances, very dire. How are you finding it, being emancipated from your parents?"
Draco managed to look even more bored. "Oh, all right."
"It can't be easy making so many changes at once," Darswaithe sympathized, shaking his head as though he were lecturing to someone who held an opposite point of view. "First your family, and now your living arrangements..." He clucked his tongue.
"Severus is very good to take me in," said Draco sincerely.
"Quite so, quite so," murmured the casewizard as he thumbed through a sheaf of papers. "I'll need to speak with you as well, but I believe I'll begin with Mr. Potter."
Draco shifted to a laconic, careless stance, his silver eyes puzzled. "Harry's the only one getting adopted, you do realize?"
"True, but you reside here as well, so I'm interested in what you have to say." The casewizard turned to Dudley, glanced down at his papers, and said, "Now, you must be Mr. Dursley, I expect? Harry Potter's cousin?"
Harry put a hand on his cousin's arm before any tears or blubbering could start. "Yeah," the pudgy boy said, his voice twanging with sadness. "Yeah, I am."
"My condolences on your loss." The sympathy was perfunctory at best, which Harry thought a little bit strange in a social worker. Because Vernon was relevant to Harry's application, Darswaithe must know the awful circumstances of the death... Well, perhaps his main focus had to stay on the adoption.
Dudley sighed, his eyes beginning to water despite Harry's calming palm moving down to his wrist.
"Shouldn't Professor Snape be here?" Harry questioned to distract Dudley.
"My colleague is interviewing him as we speak," Mr. Darswaithe replied. "It's policy to conduct separate interviews. We don't want his presence influencing your answers, or vice-versa. Later, we'll visit with the two of you together."
That made sense, Harry supposed, so he nodded.
"Now, is there a place where we can speak privately, Mr. Potter?"
"Uh, yeah. Professor Snape changed his office wards so I could let people in," Harry murmured. He'd also altered the spelled door so it would open to Harry's touch. "This way."
Draco cleared his throat. "Ah... can I take your cloak? Would you care for any refreshment before you begin?"
Harry flushed, realizing he probably should have thought of all that. He just didn't have much practice at being a host, though. Definitely, he didn't have Draco's perfect manners. Sometimes, Harry felt like he might as well have been raised by a family of baboons.
"No thank you," the casewizard refused, pulling his robes about him as though he might be cold, when it was really quite comfortable in Snape's magically heated quarters. "I'll be speaking to you in a bit, then, Mr. Malfoy. And a bit after that, I might want to exchange just a few words with you as well, Mr. Dursley."
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Once they were in the office, Darswaithe did in fact take off his robe, slinging it over the back of his leather armchair before he seated himself and began the interview.
"You've been attending Hogwarts for over five years." Holding a self-inking quill poised on parchment held magically rigid by some spell, Darswaithe questioned, "How would you characterize your relationship with Professor Snape over the course of that time?"
Harry nibbled bit on his lower lip, then cut it out when he realized he was doing it. It wouldn't do to look anxious, would it? Just like it wouldn't do to be too forthcoming with his answers. Cunning, misdirection, just enough truth to sound reasonable... "Um... let's see. Well, I've had him for Potions the whole time. It's not my best subject so there's been a little tension in that regard, I guess. Way back in first year, though, he started looking out for me. First there was this hexed broom, and then a werewolf, and most recently on Samhain he rescued me from Voldemort himself. So... I'd say we have a pretty good relationship."
Harry tensed, expecting to be asked any number of follow-ups, but all the casewizard said was, "I see," before jotting down some notes and moving on to something else. "Have you discussed the adoption with your friends?"
"Oh, sure," Harry said, stretching the truth way beyond recognition as he continued, "Draco knows all about it."
"Just Mr. Malfoy, then?"
"Um, well, my other friends haven't been down since it was all decided," Harry explained. That was true enough, though it was misdirection all the same. Harry wasn't going to breathe one word to his friends, not until the thing was finalized and done.
"How did Mr. Malfoy react?"
What to say, what to say. "It took him a day to adjust," Harry explained. "Not because he doesn't think the Professor and I won't be good for each other.... but because, well.. you know about his situation. His family just disowned him; it only stands to reason he'd be a bit sensitive right now."
"Hmm," the casewizard said, continuing to write. He glanced up at Harry after a moment. "You're in a unique position, to say the least, being the Boy Who Lived, and Professor Snape... well, it's no secret in certain circles that he bears the Dark Mark. Any concerns in that regard?"
Harry felt like his eyes were bugging out. "Oh, no, no. Of course not. Not at all." He gave a nervous laugh. Wasn't Dumbledore supposed to have taken care of this sort of query?
"Oh, come now," probed Darswaithe. "You must have given the matter some thought?"
"Professor Snape is absolutely trustworthy," Harry declared. He pushed up with his palms to sit up straighter, and looked the casewizard in the eye.
"My understanding is that until quite recently--the incident at Samhain, to be exact--he attended Death Eater gatherings and was in the full service of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?"
"He attended, yeah," Harry explained, "but he wasn't in Voldemort's service. Don't you know what he was really doing?"
Harry was almost ready to end the interview right there, because something just wasn't right, but at that, the casewizard nodded sagely and said, "Oh, of course. Spying for the cause of Light. Yes, a few of us at Family Services do know that. I had to be certain that you fully comprehended it. Do you understand?"
Misdirection from a Hufflepuff? It seemed odd, but Harry nodded.
"All right then," the casewizard continued. "We're aware that Professor Snape no longer attends Death Eater meetings, but it's a matter of concern to us that You-Know-Who is presumably still calling him through the Dark Mark. How is he managing to resist?"
"I... I don't know. He is managing, though."
"Has he complained of his Mark burning? Or conversely, mentioned that it's not?"