Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other character. This text was not written in order to make any profit. All the characters you can find in the text belong to J.K. Rowling.

THE DAY WHEN LIFE STARTED TO CHANGE

CHAPTER 1

Bitterness Of Realisation

Severus Snape sighed. It was the third week he was spending on Privet Drive. This summer wasn't light for him. He recalled the evening four weeks ago. It was only a few days after the beginning of summer vacation.

III

"Oh, Severus, I'm glad you made it so quickly." There was something in the Headmaster's voice that told him that whatever he was about to hear wasn't going to be pleasant "Please be seated"

Severus slowly walked to an old chair situated near Dumbledore's desk and sat wondering what was the news he was going to hear in a moment.

"As you probably know, Voldemort has been trying to find a leak among his followers for a long time. You managed to look clear for many years but this time it seems he started to suspect you. The situation is serious. During the last meeting he gave each Death Eater different information about the attack that was being planned. He wanted to know which information will reach the aurors. I was suspecting something like that might occur, but unfortunately a few young aurors ignored my warning and went to check the place you told us about from the meeting. In result, I'm afraid that your role as a spy is over now. By appearing at the next meeting, you would only risk your life and any information given to you couldn't be trusted anyway."

"What am I supposed to do then? Sit here in case the Dark Lord suspects me, waiting for the others to do all the fighting? You know me, Albus. You know as well as I do that if you forbid me to go to this war at your side, I will go alone without hesitation." The Potion Master's voice began to rise.

"Calm down, Severus. Your role as a spy is over. That's for sure. Adrian Pucey, our former student will take your place. He has already been forced by his family to take the Dark Mark and he has offered us his help. I'm sure you remember him. He used to be in your House."

Snape nodded. It was ironic how much the story of this boy reminded him of his own. He could still remember the day when his parents, upon seeing their pressure not working as well as they desired, finally threatened to kill him if he didn't take the Dark Mark.

He could remember the circle of Death Eaters looking at him when Voldemort's wand touched his forearm. He would never forget the burning pain as the mark sank into his skin. Nor the eyes of an innocent Muggle he was ordered to kill to prove his loyalty. This was the first time he had ever used the killing curse. He shivered.

After that ceremony, he went straight to Dumbledore and begged the man to kill him. He could not believe that because of him being scared of death, he started killing himself. He was a proud man and he felt disgusted by what fear for his life had led him to do.

It was then that Albus asked him to become his spy. Since that moment he had always been one. Only Dumbledore knew about it. For others he was just a wizard from a dark family or, for the better informed, a Death Eater. But thanks to the Headmaster no one had quite enough to prove him guilty. With time he started to define himself as Dumbledore's spy. He didn't think he could start living another life and now he had obviously reached the point when he would have to.

"Are you listening to what I'm saying, Severus?" The Headmaster's voice brought him back to reality.

"I'm sorry, Albus. I got lost in thought."

"Since you can't be a spy anymore you will have to play another role. From what I know, you don't get along very well with Aurors and if any of them spotted the mark on your forearm it wouldn't help you befriend them."

"What's your point, Albus?" Potion Master became impatient. Everything was going in the direction he feared most. Being trapped in his own inaction.

"After the events of the last summer I started to think I may need a skilled wizard to help Arabella Figg with keeping an eye on Harry. I believe you are the best person for the task at the moment."

"Me?" Overcome by shock at the man's suggestion he failed to keep his composure. "You don't want me to take care of that little, impertinent, spoiled... I mean Harry Potter?"

"Actually, that is exactly what I want you to do. Well, perhaps 'taking care of' is a bit exaggerated. You will just keep an eye on him to make sure he is safe. You won't even need to show yourself, let alone talk to him. In fact, I don't believe it would be advisable for you to do that. Can I trust you to handle that?"

"Yes Albus. You can," he replied after a deep breath to calm himself. "Besides, it could have been worse. I could have been forced to work with Mad-Eye," he made an effort to eliminate the tension, but had to admit that he had failed.

"Then it's done. You will be staying at Arabella's house. Just make sure you have some Muggle clothes before you go."

III

After three weeks at Arabella's, Snape started to wonder if the company of Mad Eye would be that appalling after all.

He was sick of cats by now. He had a feeling that the very first thing he would work on when he came back home would be a potion that scared cats away. On the other hand, cats really seemed to like him. Which, of course, made things worse. The only way to get rid of about fifty meowing companions (he had never made an effort to count them) was to go outside. He was just walking by the house number four wondering if it was better to miss supper or to try to put up with the feline hordes when he heard someone yelling inside the house.

"Come here right this second, boy! It's not even ten o'clock and you have had a whole half an hour rest today. I don't even want to hear you are tired. You should spend time doing something useful. Take the pieces of vase and put them together. I want the vase to look like new in no time. If it doesn't, there will be no food for you today. I'm sure it was your fault Dudley tripped and broke it anyway. For that, you shouldn't be getting food anyway. So be glad that I want to give you a chance. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, uncle Vernon," another voice, a very familiar voice in fact, replied.

"And where do you think you are going?" There was the angry voice again.

"To get some glue to..."

"You were going to get glue and waste it just because you made my son trip on the vase?" The voice was suggesting that its owner was about to boil.

"But uncle Vernon, I need the glue to fix it and I wasn't even there when it happened..."

"Enough! I'm sick of your impertinence boy! Put the vase together and you won't be getting food today anyway," the voice shouted.

"But uncle Vernon... it's going to be the third day."

"Silence boy! Haven't you heard what I've just said? I'm sick of it. And it is your fault, so stop your stupid complaining and start working. You've already wasted enough time today!"

"Yes, uncle Vernon," the voice replied quietly.

Severus was standing outside, petrified after what he had just heard. Wasn't that some kind of hallucination? Of course Arabella had told him that the Dursleys weren't the best people she has ever seen, but she was known to exaggerate. And he had always considered Potter to be a spoiled child, proud because of something he actually owed to his mother's sacrifice. What he had just witnessed showed him that by judging this boy he might have made one of the biggest mistakes in his life.

TBC

A/N: It's odd how naive parts your own story may seem to you when you revisit them after a long while. But starting with this chapter the story is being revised, which possibly might give it a chance of being completed.