Note: Sorry for the grammar and spelling mistakes!

Prologue:

He is lying on his bed, on their bed. His arms are wrapped around her feminine form, he is holding her gently, feeling the warmness of her body. He smiles into her hair. It's still early, and he doesn't want to wake her up, after all, they have the whole day, the whole week. Pictures came to his head, pain and agony, but it's over now. Everything fine. He is here, alive, she is here. He has never imagined that he would ever be this happy in his house, with his wife. He didn't know that this much happiness was possible for him. Then he feels her turning around, facing him. With her eyes still closed she smiled and then leaned closer to him, falling asleep again.

xXx

Severus Snape, still so young but so damaged, is lying very still on one of the infirmary beds.

Poppy Pomfrey, the mediwitch of Hogwarts cames in. It's still early, but she has work to do, and she wants to check on he boy. No, she thinks, somehow calling Severus Snape a „boy" doesn't sound right. He has never been an ordinary boy, as she recalls. She has never seen Severus Snape doing pranks, or just fooling around with the other children. And now he is almost a man, not handsome but he a kind of wisdom that makes him charming.

She has never seen him smile. But why would he do such thing? She thinks then. She knows the background of Severus very well. Not because Severus told her, but because Dumbledore did so. It is not a secret that Severus's father has a rather bad influence on his son. Some say that he even beat him for several times. Not so long ago his mother died. An accident they say, but Poppy wondered if it was true. Anyways, the young man's life has been harder than many of the adults'. Poppy wonders how can he cope with this pain and agony, she wonders if there anyone he can talk to.

She is aware of that the young Mr. Snape has even asked the headmaster for permission to say at Hogwarts for the summer, but his request was declined.

Somehow it makes Poppy sad, that he would rather stay here than go home. It shouldn't be this way. She knows very well that he doesn't enjoy very much being at Hogwarts. But who would at his place? The Marauders (as they call himself) do give Severus a hard time. This whole thing between him and the four boys is simple madness. She knows that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to have their own difficulties in life, and she can't understand why do they mock Severus. It isn't a simple house rivalry, it is something deeper. Once Minerva told her it was about some Gryffindor girl both Severus Snape and James Potter liked, but it still doesn't give proper answers for this.

And by this she meant Severus's condition. Last night something very bad happened. Still, she is not aware what exactly. The night before when she was about to retire, Dumbledore stormed in with Potter and Severus, who seemed to be barely alive. Lupin, they said lost control and Severus happened to be there. Well, she couldn't blame young Remus Lupin for it. With every full moon, the young werewolf lost control of his mind and receives so much pain himself. She felt so bad for not being able to help him, but there was nothing to do. Thre was a potion, she, Poppy has read about it once, which would help a werewolf to prevent the transformation. But the potion required very good potion skills, and very few witches and wizard are able to perform it.

The only thing they can do is to lock him away from other students, prevent any harm. No one yet knows about Lupin's secret, only some staff members and of course Remus Lupin's friends, so it could have been an accident with Snape walking in… But no. It could not have been an accident, Poppy knows it very well. It was an other trick the four Gryffindors made to „play" with Severus and make fun of him.

But now Poppy's thoughts are stopped because her young patient is moving on the bed, he is about to wake up. She moves closer, and sats down next to Severus.

He opens his eyes, but he seems so lost.

"It's alright , you are in the hospital wing," she says in a gentle voice. She wants to comfort him, but doesn't know how.

"Madam Pomfrey?" He manages to recognize the mediwitch.

"Yes, it's me. How are you feeling, dear?" She leans closer and pulls some black hair away from Severus's face. This small act of affection makes Severus shiver. He is not used to things like this. If he was more conscious he would probably sweep away the woman's hand, but now it just feels so good, that he leans into her gentle touch. As Poppy realizes it she then strokes Severus's cheek for a moment and then speaks again.

"How are you feeling? Any pain?"

It takes him some time to realize she's asked a question but then answers in a rusty voice.

"Yes, in my ribs, and my left shoulder is very sore."

Poppy then stands up and brings some medical potions with her.

"These will help you, but I think it's better for you to say here for some more days."

After the mediwitch gives him the medications and her magical hands worked on her wounds, he feels much better.

"Can you tell me what happened last night? Somehow I can't really recall it."

"It's not my job to do it. Later the headmaster will come by and he will you everything dear," says Poppy and then stands up. She has other patients to take care of.

He is watching her as she leaves, and he wishes that she would stay and put her hands on his skin again. It must be the medications, he thinks, craving physical contact. But why her? Maybe because no one would touch him like she just did. Lily. He wishes she was there, only if she would touch him like that... But there is no hope for that. He loathes his life, and with the thought of death, of his own death, he sinks into a dreamless sleep again.

Note:

So that was the first chapter, what do you think of the beginning? I'm planning to make this story a long one, with many chapters, following Snape's story through his early years as a teacher and the HP series.