[Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters.]

Setting: 6th Year, Hogwarts. Characters: Severus Snape, Lily Evens, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin. (Those are the main characters anyways.)

This is also important, THIS IS AN AU! The falling out between Severus and Lily never happened in their fifth year, just something to point out.

The situation with the Perfects has changed as well, now only two are picked total. It just makes the story easier.

Chapter 1
Potion Explosion Marks A New Beginning

It was just any other day at Hogwarts, every student went about his or her own business. And just like always, Lily Evens and Severus Snape walked to potions class, chatting about the Exams that were coming up after Christmas, today was their last day before students started going home for the holidays, which meant today was cut into half, only two classes. About ten feet behind them walked the Marauders, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, known amongst themselves and Prongs, Padfoot, and Mooney. Peter, another Marauder, was trailing behind them.

Upon entering the potions classroom, they took their seats at their usual tables. Lily and Severus sat next to each other on the farthest table second from the top. Remus and James took the table behind them on the row before them, while Sirius brought up a seat to join them.

Chatter amongst the students continued until the Professor entered the classroom.

The assignment that day was by far the most unusual one they had had the entire year. They were to take a random potion from a Seventh year potion book and complete it before class ended. One student from every table got up to get the needed ingredients for their potions, some looking at other people's tables to make sure that they weren't doing the same one.

Once everyone sat back down they were finally allowed to get started. Some where eager to start, while others dreaded it, knowing that they would fail. The chatter was kept to a minimum in the classroom, as no one used anything but inside voices, it was a procedure used for a long time to insure the Professor could hear when a student called on him or her if a potion got out of hand and something went terrible wrong.

The Marauders for their part, except for the ever level headed Mooney, thought this was very unnecessarily, especially since not a single potion had gone "terrible wrong" during their entire Hogwarts years. Unknowingly to them, they would very soon change their mind.

Sirius Black, for his part, had never liked potions. He understood it just fine, but it was boring to him and in his view a waste of time. Not that he participated much, he usually left that to Prongs and Mooney, throwing in a few ingredients here and there when needed so they wouldn't get on his back so much for not doing anything.

It was usually then, during the middle of class when it seemed it would never be over, that he occasionally liked to throw in ingredients to Severus's potion, but he hadn't been able to do that lately, considering that now, during their sixth year they were allowed partners during every potions class. Which meant that Lily was always partnered up with Severus, not that Sirius much cared for the girl, but his best friend James did, and he knew that he would make James mad if he were to mess up Lily's potion, even if it was to get at Snivellus.

But at that moment, Sirius honestly didn't care anymore, anything to cut through the boredom of the class. Grabbing a Lizard's kidney, he quickly chucked it into Severus's cauldron when both Severus and Lily were busy looking at their potion book and the Professor wasn't looking their way.

Of course though, that meant it flew right in front of both James and Remus, as they were siting to his right. They both followed the kidney with their eyes, stunned and surprised, as it fell in to the cauldron. Neither said a word though, and what was the point, it was already to late anyways.

James, being at the farthest corner of the table, was the first one to note that something was going very wrong with the potion. As everyone knew, when you messed up a potion and it started to bubble that an explosion was usually followed shortly after. Quickly he sprung into action, who knew what monstrosity it could make once it exploded, and he didn't want his precious Lily to get hurt.

"Look out!"

He yelled, grabbing Lily by the arm and harshly pulling her away, just seconds before the potion when up in flames, and an explosion of gas erupted form the cauldron. Instead of going straight up or expanding in the room, all of it quickly engulfed Severus, who stood there with a look of terror on his face before the dark purple fog hid his whole body.

Screams where heard in the class as everyone moved and backed away, most running out of the classroom, as was standard procedure but some, including the Professor, Lily, James, Black, Lupin, and Peter stayed, only moving to the front of the class, waiting for the fog to break.

The dark purple fog circled around the boy for some moments, and not a sound was heard. Until finally the fog suddenly and swiftly at great neck speed slammed into the floor, spreading into every direction, before harmlessly disappearing into thin air. All six people in the room were shocked to find that Severus was no where in sight.

The Professor slowly made his way over to where Severus had once been standing. The room was silent except for the close to sobbing sounds coming from Lily, who feared the worst had happened to her friend.

The Professor quickly took note of the strange bundle laying on the floor.

He swiftly bent down and picked it up cautiously and unwrapped it from the clothes that was the only thing left of his student. Out popped a head of black hair belonging to a small five year old. Obsidian colored eyes looked up to the Professor gooseberry ones.

Professor Slughorn, after being brought out of his dazed state, dropped the rest of the clothes except for the shirt that was now over five sizes too big that was now wrapped around the young boy, who was no doubt Severus, who thankfully still had his memories intact, he deduced after a few quiet murmured questions to the child.

Lily's quiet sobs where brought to a halt by the quiet voice. She looked up, her and the others started at their Professor as he turned around with a child in his arms which remarkable resembled Severus Snape. 'Oh no.' All five students thought as they started at the child.

"You are all to follow me to Professor Dumbledore this instant, except for you Peter, you are to go ahead of us and tell the remaining students in the hall that class is dismissed, I don't want word about this to get out yet. After that you may go and pack like the other students." The Professor said, and Peter went out. A few moments later he popped back in and nodded, signalling that all the other students had left, before quickly scurrying away.

The Professor left the classroom with the bundle cradled in his arms; four students following after him.

The Professor had since left, leaving Severus in Lily's arms to attend to other pressing matters.

Dumbledore, for his part, had not seemed all that shocked, he lectured, and half an hour later it was decided that James, Sirius, and Lupin were going to be the ones taking care of him during Christmas break, while an anti dote was going to be made, as Lily had already arranged plans, otherwise she would have volunteered for the job.

Letters to all the parents, except Lily's of course, were made to inform them of what had happened. Of course, James and Remus didn't let Sirius take all the blame, though they had nothing to do with it, they insisted that they had planned it out.

All parents, some more reluctant than others, agreed to let the boys stay during the break. All three older boy's parent's were understandably mad, though it perplexed Headmaster Dumbledore that Snape's parents didn't seemed at all bothered by the situation, though he said nothing so as not to alert the others in the room to the problem.

Back when a Perfect was picked from every house, leading in four Perfects every year, each had their own quarters around where their houses stayed. Now though, as there was only two picked, the quarters were no longer in use, and hadn't been in some time.

It was decided that they were to use the Hugglepuff one, and it was known that that particular house had the most students leaving for home during the holidays. They were told that house elves had already stopped by and dropped off everything that they would need, clothes, their stuff, food, towels, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, toothbrushed, books, and other necessaries.

Lily had followed the boys down to the quarters before dropping off Severus, she did have to leave after all. While the boys were getting things moved around and just generally explored the large house like space, Lily knelt down in front of Severus.

"I have to go now Severus, but I need you to do something for me. We both know that none of the boys like you very much, so you need to try to keep off their bad side for me, ok? It will make it a lot easier for you." She said softly to the child. Severus nodded, slightly afraid of what was to come.

She kissed his forehead, something that even surprised her, before getting up and leaving.

Severus looked around the large living room. There was a couch, a chair, and a table. He slowly walked over to the couch and carefully sat down on it. he pulled his knees up to his chest, the shirt easily covering his legs, as he wrapped his arms around his legs. He guessed that Dumbledore was too occupied with getting everything dealt with to fix his clothes. Not that he much minded.

He heard three pairs of footsteps coming towards the living room, and he groaned as he slammed his head into his knees to hide his face, it was going to be a long Christmas break.