Okay. So first off, I WILL be updating Breaking the Mold soon. Second, this was just one of those times where I get an idea and I can't stop the words from coming out.

Now this chapter is dark. However, it will get lighter. So if you're looking for one of those mushy feel-good, everything turns out okay in the end, this will become that. Might take a while, but it will.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter (Characters, franchise etc) and make no profit from this.

Warnings: Male x Male relationship, mentions of rape (not Severus), blood and other bodily functions, violence, bullying, child abuse, victim blaming.

There was nothing the wizarding community loved more than a juicy story. One so full of scandal, betrayal and heartbreak that it practically wrote itself. And in the summer of 1976, that's exactly what they got.

The Prince family was an old family, pure-blooded naturally. While somewhat cautious about displaying their wealth and power to others, there was no denying that they had plenty of both. But it wasn't their wealth and power that people remembered them for, no, it was something much more scandalous.

In the spring of 1959, Eileen Prince, the only daughter of Aurelius Prince, vanished in the middle of the night. It was rumoured she'd fallen pregnant, disgracing her family by laying with a working class muggle. No one ever seemed to elaborate which part was more shocking; that she'd run off with a man far below her social standing, or she'd run off with a muggle and not a wizard. Not that it mattered, it was by far the juiciest story of the year. More so when she was never heard from again.

Now the disappearance of Eileen Prince was indeed scandalous at the time. Nobody loved to see purebloods falling from their pedestals more than their so called allies. It was after all, survival of the fittest. But eventually, her fate was forgotten by the masses. At least, until the reports came in.

In what should have been a fairly routine instance of an unforgiveable being cast within a muggle community, it quickly turned into a situation the Ministry was struggling to control. When Aurors had arrived on scene, to a terraced house on Spinner's End in Cokeworth, none of them could have expected the scene that awaited them inside.

Crumpled at the foot of the stairs, lay the body of man. A muggle factory worker known locally as Richard Tanner. Thankfully, he'd been killed by a blow to the head, and not, as they'd initially feared, by magic. With the ground floor clear of any more bodies, the Aurors had made their way upstairs. As they would later reflect, there were some who wished they hadn't.

As though it were Hansel and Gretel, droplets of blood led the Aurors to the farthest room. The walls themselves were covered in scratches and smears of what they hoped was blood, though judging by the rancid smell, they suspected otherwise. In the doorway of the farthest room, lay the body of a woman, later identified as Eileen Prince. Analysis later revealed she'd been repeatedly raped and brutally strangled, and as the evidence later showed, both her husband and his good friend Richard Tanner, had been responsible.

Further inside the room, slumped against the bed, was the body of Tobias Snape, Eileen's husband. It was he who had been a victim of an unforgivable. Though strangely, it was not the killing curse nor crucio that had been used, but imperio. It appeared that the man had been made to disembowel himself alive. It was as they'd feared, magic had been used to murder a muggle. While no one could say the man didn't deserve it, judging by the sorry state of his wife's body, the rules about these things were concrete. Any use of the unforgiveables to harm another human being, would result in the caster being imprisoned in Azkaban. No exceptions.

It wasn't until one of the Aurors heard a sound, the clanking of a chain and the soft scuffle of something moving, that they found him. A fifteen-year-old boy, with shackles on his wrists and a wand clutched tightly in his hand. He'd obviously tried to hide from them, as if he knew what their presence would mean for him. But for these men, their first thought wasn't what he'd done. But what had been done to him.

They first saw red, so much red. Still trickling from between his fingers as he clutched at his neck, clearly having been stabbed. Then there was yellow, equal parts urine and pus, as the wounds the boy bore had clearly been infected for some time. Black and blue littered much of the boy's skin, which was already a rather sallow grey, but it was the final colour they saw which had many of the men raging. White. How far things had gotten before the boy had fought back, they couldn't be sure, but from his behaviour, most assumed the worst.

Following their discovery, immediate action needed to be taken. While they undoubtedly had thousands of questions to ask the boy, he clearly needed immediate medical attention. This was made all the more obvious as the boy began swaying where he sat, before finally giving in to the darkness.

Lying in a hospital bed, with guards posted at his door, young Severus Tobias Snape remained oblivious to the storm brewing outside. As mediwitches and wizards crowded around his bed, unearthing a history of abuse he'd so desperately tried to keep hidden, the media had started a war, with him as their unwitting hero.

You see, in the wizarding world, family was everything. They gave you status, money, power and protection. And for those lucky enough to receive it, they even gave you love. Now for Severus, his family was gone. He was now an orphan, a half-blood at that and a criminal no less. Even his young age should not have been enough to gain much sympathy. He'd broken the law, cast an unforgiveable, and as tragic as it may seem, he would be sent to Azkaban. Only, someone uncovered the truth.

Within hours of his admittance into St Mungo's, Aurelius Prince met his grandson for the first time. While he had three others from his own two sons, Septimus and Maximus, it did nothing to lessen the sheer joy, rage and fear he felt as he approached his daughter's only child. Joy at finding the only living reminder of the little girl he'd lost, rage at the bastards who'd hurt him so and fear that even despite the staff's best efforts, he'd still end up losing him.

Without needing to be prompted, the head Mediwitch launched into a list of the boy's injuries. The list was long, appallingly long. The stab wound to his neck had been the most urgent injury they'd dealt with. By some miracle, the blade had only nicked an artery instead of cutting straight through it. Even a few millimetres to the left and his grandson would have bled to death. Then they'd been faced with what the Aurors had reported. With the evidence smeared into his hair and splattered over his skin, they'd been convinced that the boy had been violated like his mother. At least until they actually examined him further. While it was clear those monsters had touched him to some degree, there was no evidence to show he'd been breached at either end. At that news, Aurelius wept.

The relief was short-lived. Several bones had been broken and healed improperly, multiple scars had littered the boy's back and chest and worryingly, the boy was almost two stones underweight. Further analysis had revealed a lifetime of malnutrition, along with poor circulation and a weakened immune system. The road to recovery would be long, even with magic on their side. And truthfully, many of them feared the boy would not survive it.

Outside of St Mungo's, there were many who were quick to condemn the boy. After all, he'd broken one of the most important laws of the wizarding world and murdered a muggle in his own home. They so conveniently ignored the fact that it was Severus' home as well, and that the muggle he'd killed had been his father. Fortunately, the media were not so quick to ignore this vital piece of information. Still, these people persisted in their quest to see the boy locked up. After all, he was a Slytherin and a half-blood, without power or protection. It should have been so simple.

It wasn't.

Come morning, the entire wizarding community was faced with the story of a lifetime. The lost daughter of the esteemed Aurelius Prince, found raped and murdered by muggles. Her only son, found chained like an animal, having used an unforgiveable to protect himself from the man who sired him. He was a boy who'd only ever known abuse, who sources confirmed had been bullied relentlessly throughout his school years. Those sources also confirmed that Severus had been left to handle it all alone. To say there was a public outcry was an understatement.

Mothers and fathers clutched at their children as they read about the atrocities one poor boy had been forced to face alone. His schoolmates, older and younger, remained in a state of stunned disbelief as the details were announced over the coming weeks. It was true few of them had ever liked the boy. But to know what he'd suffered, what they'd done by laughing at his pain and spreading rumours behind his back, it forced many to take a good hard look at themselves. For those that didn't, their parents soon would.

It may have seemed strange that just one boy could make such an impact, one so unlikeable and unloved no less. But with the discovery of his heritage, and the backing of his newly discovered grandfather, Severus now had a family to provide the protection he se desperately needed. And no one, absolutely no one was foolish enough to go against a Prince. For while they may not have held the most wealth or power, they undoubtedly held the most knowledge of any of the purebloods. With every member becoming an elite in their chosen field, and every child displaying an unusually high intellect, they were not a family you would want to make an enemy of. But for now, none of that mattered. All that mattered was Severus.

By the time Severus finally regained consciousness, the wizarding world had become embroiled in a debate so heated, it was covered by the front page of every single paper for weeks. It all rested on what Severus had to say. As soon as he was well enough, having been forced to consume multiple potions on an almost hourly basis, Severus was finally put on trial.

"You have been accused of casting an unforgiveable on a muggle by the name of Tobias Snape. As you are aware, casting an unforgiveable on any human being is punishable by imprisonment in Azkaban for life. How do you plead?"

The room waited with bated breath to hear what Severus had to say.

"Guilty" Severus answered. Worryingly, he showed no emotion while doing so. Showed no sign of even being aware of where he was.

"And do you have anything you wish to say in your defence?"

As they waited for a response, Albus Dumbledore watched the child with concern. It was a situation he'd never imagined he'd be put in. As head of the Wizenmagot, he was required to oversee this. But as the media had revealed, he'd indirectly contributed to the abuse this boy had suffered by allowing him to return home. And of course there were the allegations of bullying. Even he couldn't deny that the boy had been bullied relentlessly. He'd even been attacked by his fellow students, a werewolf no less. And what had he done? When the boy was at his most vulnerable and afraid, he'd prevented him from ever being able to speak of it. He'd failed Severus. He truly had.

"Will…will you make sure they bury her right? M-my mum. Sh-she…she's dead because of me. He's dead because of me. They both are. J-just…don't put them together. Not after what he did to her. Please?"

You could have heard a pin drop. Absolutely no one knew how to respond.

"Y-you understand how serious this is, don't you Mr Snape? You will be sent to Azkaban for the rest of your life. There will be no escape. Are you sure there is nothing further you'd like to say?"

Once again there was silence. As the seconds ticked by, the tension grew and grew. Finally, just as he was about to speak again, Severus spoke.

"I knew what would happen before I cast imperio. I knew what it would mean, what it would do to me. But I still did it. M-my father killed my mum. Him and that piece of shit friend of his. I-I heard her screams, heard her crying. But I couldn't stop it. I never could. They had me chained up so I couldn't escape. Had taken my wand so I couldn't help her. Then when she tried to fight back, when my father agreed to what his friend wanted, th-they killed her. There was a crash, and then another one and then…nothing. That's when I knew she was dead. How could I let him get away with that?" Severus asked, his voice cracking.

After a shaky breath, Severus continued. "I-It was wandless magic. It got me free. Free enough to find them. My father…I killed him first. I-I had to. M-Mr Tanner, he ran. H-he saw what I did and he just…just ran. I-I had to stop him. So I hit him. Just once, as he was going down the stairs. It…it was enough. Then I heard the Aurors and I…I hid" Severus admitted.

Albus allowed his tears to fall. Had Fawkes been with him, he strongly believed his faithful friend would have cried too. He was not the only one.

"And what did your father's friend want?"

A strange emotion passed over the boy's face. One of revulsion mixed with fear that had everyone on the edge of their seats.

Severus swallowed, but said nothing more.

"I am afraid we will need you to answer the question Mr Snape."

No one was prepared for the sudden magical backlash that erupted. As though a tornado had hit, parchment scattered about, young women clutched at their dresses and people shrieked as they clung to their chairs for dear life.

Severus paid no attention to any of it. All he could see was spots of darkness, slowly drowning out any colour. All he could hear was the rush of blood in his ears, as though he were at the beach. He trembled where he sat, his hands shaking almost violently as he tried to focus. And just as it all became too much, he finally spoke.

"Me. H-he said he wanted…me."

Severus knew no more.

By the time Severus had been revived, their decision had been made. One that would undoubtedly make history.

"Mr Snape. You have been accused of casting an unforgiveable on a muggle. You have pled guilty and accepted what consequences these would bring. However, while the law is indeed absolute, we cannot knowingly ignore the circumstances that forced you in this position. After much discussion, it has been accepted that the wizarding world has failed you. That…that we have failed you. We have heard testimonies from people who know you personally, from people you may call friends or even enemies. And they have shown us that we should be looking deeper."

Severus blinked, why were they taking so long? He was guilty, he'd even admitted it himself. What more could they possibly want to say? It was over. He lost. He always lost. Why would now be any different?

"Mr Snape is hereby sentenced to remain in his grandfather's custody indefinitely. He is hereby banned from ever stepping foot in Cokeworth and its surrounding regions again. He will be carefully monitored and his wand shall be kept in his grandfather's possession until such a time as it is deemed suitable for him to return it. He will be required to attend monthly evaluations by a trained healer. He will need to prove that he is of stable mind and body before he can be discharged. Should he break any of these conditions, he will be imprisoned. Case closed."

He was dreaming. A cruel, cruel dream, but a dream nonetheless. Except…why wasn't he waking up?

"Sleep Severus."

As commanded, he slept. And slept. And slept. By the time he awoke, he would find himself in a very different world indeed.

Now I'm going to be realistic about updating this. I will eventually, but not before my other fics. Yes, it's probably stupid to start a new fic when I have 4 others on the go, but when I have an idea I like, it motivates me to write. Nowadays my free time is very limited, but I will update this at some point.

As always I welcome reviews.

KB