Chapter 1 – A chance encounter at the park

On one of the first sunny days in March, a stern-looking man strode into a public park in a London suburb. A small girl trailed behind him happily, her eyes already fixed on the swing set.

Severus waved his young daughter off with a slight smile and sat on a bench as she sprinted away with a laugh.

Knowing Sirena would entertain herself, Severus pulled a wrinkled sheaf of parchment from his overcoat and smoothed it out against his thigh.
Dumbledore had written again, his tone a lot more demanding now, to urge him to accept the position as potion master at Hogwarts.
Severus was having none of it.
The old Headmaster wanted him under his thumb completely, for reasons Severus did not fully understand, but it was out of the question.
He had paid his dues in the war, becoming a double agent. Had allowed that horrid mark on his body, all for the greater good.
Now Severus deserved rest. And to be there for Sirena.
He hardly ever saw his daughter during her first year, and he'd make up for that forever.

Teaching sounds appealing. But not before Sirena is attending school herself.

Too lost in his musings, the man never noticed his daughter sitting down with a ragged looking boy.

Sirena was playing in the sand box with her new friend. He'd been watching her on the swings, but didn't join. So she had flown to him instead.
Now they were building a castle. They were laughing quietly until suddenly, the small boy was pushed face-first in to the sand.
Sirena flew to her feet, fire blazing in her black eyes.

"Leave him alone, you big bully!"

Severus' eyes snapped up after hearing his daughter. Sirena rarely ever raised her voice.
He saw his little girl staring down a chubby boy, while another child was kneeling beside them, sniffling and wiping sand from his face.

Drawing himself up to his full height, Severus strode over.

"And what exactly is happening here?" he noted that his snark was as effective as ever. The chubby blonde quivered slightly.

"N-nothing, sir," he mumbled, then gave the boy on the ground a nasty glare and trotted off with his friends.

Sirena beamed at her father and then hauled the still sniffling boy to his feet.

"Don't cry. He's not going to bully you anymore."

"He doesn't really mean it, he's just angry." The dark-haired child had a soft voice. The unruly mop of hair looked very familiar to Severus.

"What's your name, boy?" he asked, none too sharply. He feared he already knew the answer.

"My name's Harry, sir. Harry Potter." The older wizard was hit with a freight train of memories when those brilliant green eyes peaked up at him through the dark fringes. It took him a second to register how drawn the small face was, and peppered with old and new bruises.
Harry saw what the man was focusing on, and panic gripped him.

"Thank you, but I need to go. Now." Before Severus could respond, or even think of a response, the boy was gone.
He could see him sprinting away, and fought the urge to follow. He needed to think about what to do with this chance encounter.

"Sirena. Time to go." The little girl looked crestfallen, but took her father's hand without fussing.
He led them behind a tree and with a sharp snap, they vanished.

They popped into a lavishly decorated drawing room, from which Severus led his daughter.
After passing through a long hallway lined with portraits, they reached a door.
Severus knocked once, and entered without waiting for a response.
"Uncle Lucius!" Sirena ripped her hand away from her father, scurried around the large mahogany desk and jumped on the blonde man's lap.

"What's all this? You just saw me at breakfast, little siren," he scolded, but his gentle gaze told her, he was happy to see her.
"Why are you back so early, hmm?"

"We encountered a little surprise on the playground," Severus informed him.
"Call for Narcissa, please. I need both of your minds, and would rather not repeat myself."

Lucius chortled at his friend and sent a house elf to fetch his wife.
While they waited, he amused his god-daughter with making an orange tap-dance across his desk.
Narcissa was greeted with the girl's bright laughter, and when Sirena noticed her godmother, she immediately skipped over to receive a strong hug. Narcissa and her had a special bond, the blonde witch having been a substitute mother to her ever since Sirena could remember.
Now she sat herself on the free arm chair and pulled the girl on her lap, looking expectantly from her husband to her best friend.

"Sirena made a new friend today. One Mister Harry Potter."

Narcissa and her husband shared a look before Lucius spoke up.

"How on earth did you just stumble over him? Wasn't he supposed to be hidden away and protected? There's still some true Death Eaters out there. Wasn't that the whole point of depriving the boy of his birthright and stash him away with Muggles? To protect him?"
"I think the Muggles are more of a danger to him than stray dark wizards. He had bruises. Lot's of them."

"Draco bruises easily," Narcissa threw in.
"Maybe Harry does as well."

"I fear that is not the case. Which is why I haven't sent Sirena away yet," Severus replied, before looking at his daughter.
"What did Harry tell you? You two where whispering before."
Sirena looked subdued as she cuddled back into Narcissa's embrace.

"I asked him where he got the bruises and he said his uncle was angry all the time. Sometimes his cousin hits him too, but Harry said that only happens when his uncle gets mad at Dudley." She peeked at her father.

"He was your friend's son, right Daddy?"

"Yes, he is. Did he say anything else?"

"He wanted to, but then Dudley pushed him," she recounted indignantly.

"Why don't you go find Draco, sweetheart," Narcissa asked.
"He's playing in his room."

"Okay."

After she'd skipped from the room, Severus sighed and accepted a brandy from Lucius.

"I told Albus not to hide him away in the Muggle world. But he said the boy would be safe with family." He spat that last word with derision and bitterness. Narcissa laid her hand on his arm lightly, and shared a look with her husband.
Severus had suffered much abuse at the hands of his father.

Lucius stood, summoning his elf and instructing it to keep an eye on the children.
Then he summoned their cloaks.

"It's no use to just wonder. Maybe he was lying, maybe he wasn't. We don't know. And we can't make rash decisions here. But we will be checking out his family. See just how angry this uncle really is. Then we can still make rash decisions." Lucius did not hide his glee at that last remark.

When he'd learned about the abuse Severus suffered in the younger man's third year, when Lucius had been the Sixth year prefect, the first thing he'd done was take the boy to the hospital wing.
The second thing he'd done, was hex the seventh year prefect who should have seen the boy's anguish a year ago.
Ever since, he'd looked out for Severus like a younger brother.
And after the birth of both their children, they had an all new hatred for child abusers.

"Your rash decisions are why I'm coming along, to keep you in line," Narcissa commented, fastening her own cloak and pulling up the hood to hide her distinct silvery blonde hair.

"Yes, the Ice Queen is going to have us on leashes." Lucius teased his wife who only shot him a haughty smirk in response.

"Severus, who's the secret keeper? Just a guess."

Severus tried to remember Petunia's address. Her and Lilly making up in their late teens had led to a sort of acceptance of each other and he had known where she moved after she married.
With a start, he remembered.

"4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. That' means..."

"That means," Narcissa growled,"the savior of the Wizarding World apparently isn't as well protected as the world thinks. Let's go, boys!"

"Splendid", Lucius exclaimed.
"Late night house call!"

All three of them, cloaked and hooded, disapparated with a crack.