Severus Snape hated holidays, Holidays were always boring with no work to fill your time with, that's what Snape wanted, something to fill his time because when he is alone he thinks of his only best dead friend, Lily Evans or Potter to the rest of the world but not to him, she will always be his Lily Evans.
At this moment Snape was in his home in Spinner's End, staring out of the window, it was Christmas Eve and he was supposed to spend it in his home, not only that but the entire holiday.
two weeks alone in this cold house and the only thought on Snape's mind was that he hated Dumbledore, that man was pushing him to spend every possible moment in this awful house, he thought it was going to help him but Snape knew better because no matter what, he will never forget Lily, she may have died more than three years ago but the pain of losing her was still raw and fresh as though she has just died yesterday.
Snow started to fall and Snape watched through the window, as the snow turned his brown front yard to a beautiful sheet of white, Lily always liked the snow and Snape still remembered how she looked like an angel as she laid on the snow-covered grass, he tried to push those thoughts out of his mind but he couldn't, so he decided to take a walk, checking the clock he saw it was nearing midnight, good he thought, no one would bother him.
And so, Snape's feet carried him to the park where he first met Lily, he could remember that day as though it was just yesterday, the images flooding through his mind, he walked inside, everywhere there was a memory of him and Lily when they were still friends, when they were still innocents with no worries of the world or anything, they just enjoyed each others company.
When Snape reached the swings it took him a few minutes to realize there was a child on it, a young child barely three with black hair and rags for clothes, the little child was freezing, Snape quickly took off his hat and put it on the child's head then carried him and covered him with his clock firmly and headed to the house as fast as he could.
In the house, Snape summoned a blanket and placed all kind of warming charms that he knew on it, then covered the boy who was now sleeping on the couch with it, heading to the kitchen, he started on food, all he had was fruit and vegetables and so he started preparing some soup, the poor kid was nothing but skin on bones.
The child slept through the night and woke up early in the morning, looking around him he didn't recognize the room he was in and started to panic, he jumped of the couch quickly and the blanket that covered him fell to the floor.
The boy stared around him again, all he could remember from last night was falling asleep on the swings, he vaguely heard some woman calling his name and asking him to hold on, she was an angel with red hair and green eyes just like his, and that was the last on his mind when he fell asleep, for a second he wished to be back at his uncle's house but then remembered that he didn't want him in the house, looking at the floor as sadness engulfed him and tears started to gather in his eyes, he didn't see the man in black that appeared at the door staring at him with concern.
Snape was down in his potion lab looking for some healing potions, the child probably needed some and some nutrition potion too, he was interrupted when the wards he placed around the boy signaled the boy has woken up, it took him some time to get there because he didn't want to startle the kid with his sudden appearance, but when he arrived the sight that met his eyes was of the little child standing with his back to the door and staring at the floor, Snape cleared his throat to alert the child of his arrival.
The boy turned to look at him but quickly diverted his eyes to the floor but Snape could catch a glimpse of green eyes full with unushered tears, the boy still had the hat on his head but the blanket was on the floor, slowly Snape grabbed the blanket and put it around the boy's little shoulders who looked up in surprise and Snape stared directly to the green eyes of Lily, it took him a few minutes to get his emotions under control before addressing the child.
"How are you feeling?" he asked in a low soft voice
"Fine, sir thank you" the boy said looking at the floor again
"What's your name?"
"Harry"
"Harry what?!" Snape asked setting on the couch
The little child seemed to be thinking hard then he shrugged "I don't know, sir"
Snape frowned what kind of a child wouldn't know his own name, instead he asked "How old are you?"
The boy held up four small fingers and Snape nodded, the poor child was way too small for his age, Snape noticed then that the child was still standing so he told him to set down, the child seemed to consider it for a while, then he sat down on the couch opposite from Snape which had its back facing the fireplace.
"Are you hungry?" The boy seemed hesitant to answer so Snape went to the kitchen and brought some of the soup he made yesterday and sat next to the kid, but the child made no move to start eating, Snape decided to feed the child himself, the child looked up surprised but opened his mouth obediently and finished only half of the bowl, Snape then gave him some potions that tasted horribly but still the child didn't object.
"Last night, I found you on the swings in a nearby park. Do you remember how you arrived there?" Snape spoke slowly he had a terrible feeling in the bottom of his stomach and he wanted to know how the child came here and why he has Lily's eyes.
"My uncle was so mad and he kicked me out of the house and told me to go away, so I went away" the child didn't know why he trusted that man but something about him seemed comforting, he felt safe here.
"Why was he mad at you?" The child muttered something and Snape had to ask him to repeat himself to understand what he said.
"Because I'm a freak" Snape stared at the child next to him and he felt a surge of anger ran through him, not at the boy but at that pathetic excuse of an uncle he had.
"He told you that?" The child nodded
"Why do you live with him?"
"My mommy and daddy died in a car accident" the casual tone that the boy used to say that sentence suggested that the little child didn't even remember them,
"And you live now with your uncle?"
The boy nodded " my aunt and my cousin too"
"Do they call you with that name too?" The boy nodded again and tears started to fill his eyes this time he couldn't hold them because the man held him close and let him cry on his shoulder and he couldn't help it when the words started running out of his mouth
"Th...they hate me, I t...try to be go...good and don't do freaky stuff b...but I ca...can't stop it, I really don't mean it, and yes...yesterday I, I made uncle's belt go away w...when he w...wanted to hit me, I didn't mean it, I wa...was so scared and it just happened, don't hate me too, please, please"
With every word the child said the grip Snape had on him tightened, with every second passed he saw more similarities between the child and himself, but Snape had something more than the little kid ever had, he had a mother and a friend that loved him but Harry had no one, he was alone and Snape wanted to change that. From the boy's rant he figured that Harry is a wizard and a strong one for sure and to meet him in Christmas Eve it was as though it is a Christmas present, to him or to Harry? He didn't know, but he knew one thing, he will never let Harry go back there, even if he had to take him in, he saw a flash of the shock on his colleagues' face and nearly smiled for the first time for years.
Harry cried himself to sleep and Snape didn't have the heart to put him down on the couch, so he carried the little kid to his room, then headed downstairs and started cleaning the house, if he was going to take care of Harry then he should at least make the place convenient for a child his age.
Snape was half way done cleaning when he had a floo call from the headmaster, kneeling in front of the fireplace he addressed the headmaster
"Yes, Albus"
"Severus, please come over" The headmaster seemed concerned which was strange
"Right now?" Snape was not ready to just leave the little boy alone
"Yes, my boy I'm afraid it's urgent"
"I'll be there in five minutes" Snape said and Dumbledore nodded and disappeared
Snape turned to go upstairs and was surprised to see Harry standing in the door way with a look of utter panic on his face
"Harry, something is wrong?" He asked kneeling in front of the panicked child
Harry spoke hesitantly and in a low voice " His head w...was in the fire"
"Don't worry Harry" Snape said reassuringly carrying the child to the couch " it's a way of communication between us wizards"
"But there are no such thing as that" Harry said as Snape sat on the couch with Harry in his lap
"And who told you that?" Snape asked and Harry looked down at his hands "my uncle"
"He was wrong Harry, I am a wizard, you too are a wizard"
"But I'm just Harry"
"You are a wizard or else you wouldn't be able to do all this strange stuff, like making your uncle's belt go away" Harry slowly raised his head to look in Snape's eyes, green eyes met black ones and Snape knew what Harry wanted to ask
"You are a wizard, Harry and a great one too, never let anyone else tell you that you hear me" Harry nodded and smiled a pit
"Now I will be going for a short time and will be back soon, don't panic or go anywhere" Harry nodded and looked at Snape as though he wanted to ask something
"If you want to ask me something Harry, just ask don't be scared" Harry considered it then decided to just do it, the man was nice so far, right?
"You didn't tell me your name, sir?"
"Severus Snape, you can call me Sev though"
"Sev, I like this name" Harry smiled then looking up at Snape he asked
"Can I go to the bathroom, Sir I mean Sev?"
"Yes Harry, it's upstairs second door to the right" Harry nodded and got off Snape's lap when he reached the steps Snape called for him "you can use the toilet Harry, whenever you need it, OK?" Harry nodded and took off upstairs while Snape went through the floo to the headmaster's office.
Snape came back an hour later and he was fuming, Dumbledore ordered him to check on the Potter brat and he had to talk to Petunia of all people, Merlin how he hated her, but all he got was that she didn't know where the little brat is and she didn't care, Snape didn't care much either, he had a child alone in his home and that child needed him.
Entering his house he saw the little child asleep on the couch, apparently he was waiting for him, Snape prepared the lunch then woke Harry up to eat, the boy washed his hands and face, then joined Snape in the kitchen he was rubbing his forehead absentmindedly and Snape thought he may had hurt himself, he had checked him yesterday and the boy was fine except for some bruises which Snape had healed.
"Harry come here, does your forehead hurts?" He asked concern in his voice
"It only stings a pit" Harry answered but allowed Snape to look at his forehead and Snape was met with a lightning shaped scar.
Snape stared at the child in front of him it could not be right, could it?
"Harry, what is your aunt's name?"
"Aunt Petunia, why you ask, Sir?"
"It's nothing, now eat you must be hungry" Harry nodded enthusiastically
All the hate that Snape ever felt for the Potter brat was melting away like an ice cube in a hot summer day and Snape could no longer see neither the son of his school nemesis, nor the son of his best friend Lily, he only saw Harry, just Harry.
A/N: So what do you think? love it, hate it? does it need something?
Please read and review
This is only a one shot, I don't know if it will be more than that, only time will show us
Thank you for reading