Always with love, never without.

Book 1: The Beginning.

A Harry Potter fanfiction.

Written by: B. C. Perron.

**Author's Note

Disclaimer

I do not own any characters or trademark locations from the Harry Potter series.

Chapter 1

Vanessa's POV

The snow blew wildly around me as I curled up on the park bench. This was the worst blizzard to come to Godric's Hallow in a long time, so I have heard.

My name is Vanessa Arabella Potter. On October 31st, the day I turned four, my parents were murdered. I fled our house, leaving my baby brother in his crib, and my parents lying dead on the floor.

I was found and sent to an orphanage. I lived there from November 1st to sometime in April. One day I decided I had enough of the constant abuse, and I ran from the orphanage. I have been living on the streets ever since.

It was now the middle of December. Foolishly, I had left the orphanage only wearing pajamas. I had a pair of blue pants, a white and green striped tank top and over that a blue house coat. I was also barefooted.

I sobbed as I struggled to pull the thin blanket that covered me over my frozen toes. I hadn't eaten for almost two weeks. The last thing I ate was two apples I stole from a stand. I sobbed again as I remembered food.

I pulled the hood of my house coat over my head. My stomach rumbled violently. I was extremely smart for a five year old, that's what a lady at the orphanage said while I was reading a novel meant for teenagers. I understood ever word of it, and she was amazed. The other kids weren't and they teased me.

Now, while lying on a park bench, under a thin blanket, in the worst storm imaginable, I knew I was going to die soon. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I would be with mum and dad soon.

"Hullo?"

I froze on the bench. I didn't get up for where I was lying, I just stayed still.

"Hullo, young lady?" A kind voice called out.

Hesitantly, I propped myself up on my elbow, searching the park around me. I saw two figures standing near the gate quite a bit away from me.

"W-what do you want?" I called out, my voice weak. The taller of the two shifted. The other began towards me, with the taller one following slowly. The one man stopped a bit away from me. I could make out his features. He was old, with long white hair and a beard; it flowed along with the purple cloak he was wearing. He also had twinkling blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles. The other man was taller, with greasy, black hair that came down to his shoulders. He had a hooked nose and dark, black eyes. His cloak was pitch black, and billowed bat-like behind him as he walked.

"Are you Vanessa Potter?" The old man asked. The other man tensed with a look of surprise in his eyes as he looks over at the older man. When the older man didn't look at him, he turned to look at me, hatred visible in his glaring eyes.

"D-depends." I said weakly.

"On what, child?" The old man asked, his eyes twinkling madly.

"On who's asking." I replied coldly, looking from the older man to the scary man and back again.

"I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, and this is Professor Severus Snape." He told me.

The man called Severus turned to glare at Dumbledore and then back to glare at me.

"What do you want?" I asked timidly, sitting up and pulling the blanket around me.

"Why don't I explain it to you somewhere a little warmer. You must be freezing. Come with us child." Said Dumbledore kindly.

I stood up, tempted. Then I remembered what Mummy said. Never go anywhere with strange men, and Dumbledore and this Snape character qualified as strange.

"I-I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't know you." I said to the two men. Then I started running away from them. I heard the old man talk to the scary man.

"Severus, go catch her, she is very ill, possibly dying. Every second matters in getting her somewhere safe." Dumbledore told Snape.

I didn't hear anything else because I was already too far away. I knew the old man was right, I was dying. As I ran, my vision started to get foggy. I started to slow down, but then started going fast again, remembering that the scary man couldn't be far behind.

My fears were confirmed when I heard snow crunching behind me. I knew I had lost. I started slowing down, I couldn't help it. My legs gave out and I fell forward. Before I hit the ground, I was caught.

I knew the hands that caught me belonged to the Snape man, so I struggled weakly, trying to get him to let go. He ignored the weak punches and kicks I aimed at him and pulled me up into his strong arms.

"Stop struggling child. Save that strength for when you need it." He growled in my ear.

When I didn't stop fighting, he sighed.

"You're just making it harder girl. Let me help you." He said.

Tears started flowing and I kept struggling to get out of his grip.

"Please. Trust me." He whispered. I opened my eyes. My vision was terribly foggy, but I saw his face.

"Your eyes..." He murmured. Then he shook his head.

"Trust me." He repeated again. I looked into his black eyes. My eyes were foggy and full of tears, but I could tell that his eyes were black. I nodded.

"Alright." I whispered. I surrendered and stopped struggling. He lifted me up and pulled me against his chest. He wrapped his cloak around me. He started to walk back to the park. I started to tremble, not from the cold, but from fear. What was he going to do to me? I didn't really trust him, but I felt that I should. There was nothing I could do to get away from him, I was too weak.

We entered the park and the old man was still there. Snape carried me right up to Dumbledore. The old man smiled.

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" He asked.

I whimpered and more tears leaked down my cheeks. Snape spoke up.

"She was quite difficult, headmaster. She is becoming weaker as we speak. Perhaps, we should get her to Madam Pomfrey?" He suggested.

I lay my head against Snape's chest. He tensed and started to say something. I didn't heard what he said because at that moment I lost conscientiousness.