Chapter One

Normal P.O.V.

"What was that?" a very upset, but calm, Severus Snape asked the bane of his existence, Dumbledore as he sat in the headmaster's office.

"Well since you are the only one to have your lesson plan finished, you are the only one we can spare to send to retrieve young Mr. Potter." Albus Dumbledore said with that damned twinkle in his powder blue eyes. Eyes that could turn icy in a split second. Snape's jaw tightened so he wouldn't start sending curses at the goat faced man.

"Very well, I will leave right now." he growled out in a displeased tone. He gracefully stormed out of the office with a sweep of his formal black as night robes. He missed the crazed, knowing look in icy blue eyes.

'How dare he force me to do this just because I finished my work on time unlike those lazyarses!' Snape thought as he stormed to his room in the dungeons. Saying Snape was pissed would be like saying Bellatrix was only slightly off in the head. He was way passed pissed.

'Why should I have to pick up the child with HER eyes?! I will have to watch the little mini-James soak up all the love and pampering being thrown upon him while he never once thinks about what Lily did for him.' His beloved friend Lily and even that arse James gave their lives to protect the brat from a mad man, and the boy had never seemed truly sad or upset when his parents are talked about directly in front of him. Of course Snape couldn't blame just the brat for all of this. The true fault for Lily's death lay at the feet of one Albus Dumbledore. Snape suddenly shook his head slightly while standing in front of the door to his rooms. He spoke the password to the portrait of a noble woman with long black hair, pale skin, and wearing a long black dress.

"Anguem." She smiled at him and with a nod allowed him in. He strolled through the living room. He stopped to look around it lost in thoughts of the past. The room was on the large size with deep forest green walls. The hardwood floors are covered by brunt orange plush rugs. The fireplace was roaring with life warming up the room. In front of fireplace sat a plush black leather loveseat and two matching black leather sitting chairs. In between them was his glass top and dark cherry wood coffee table. Behind both the loveseat and chairs where bookcases filled with all sorts of books made of the same dark cherry wood. Snape shook his head again and walked over towards the door on the far wall.

'That was the past. I should focus on what is happening now.' he berated himself. He walked into his bedroom. He took no notice of anything but his wardrobe that sat adjacent to his far left. It was made of the same dark cherry wood that was his favorite. He quickly switched his formal robes for one of his usual black potion-brewing robes. Once done changing, and with his wand tucked away safely, Snape turned to leave when he spotted something by his four poster bed. It was a large black duffel bag that he used to carry healing potions of all kinds. Though it was a muggle bag, Snape had placed many different charms on it. Muggles did make some useful things every once in a while he supposed. A wary look crossed his face.

'Why are my instincts telling me that I will need my medical bag?... No, why would I need that?' The idea was ridiculous to Snape. The Potter brat was nothing but spoiled by those muggles that he called uncle and aunt. Snape went to walk out the door but froze. He wasn't the Dark side's top spy for no reason. He had learned over the years that his instincts were hardly ever wrong. Those instincts have saved many lives in the past. He never dismissed them, so on his way out, Snape grabbed the bag.

"Well time to go pick up the Potter brat." Snape growled to himself as he closed the door to his rooms.

Everything was quiet in Little Whinging, Surrey when Snape arrived. Though, that may have been because it was close to midnight.

'I hate being out this late, but I have no choice. Can't be caught just appearing in a muggle area.' Snape though while he sneered at all of the cookie cutter houses. He would never understand why muggles wanted to live in a place where they might just walk into the wrong house.

'Which house was it again?... Oh, number four, right...' he thought while walking down the sidewalk of Privet Drive. He came to a stop in front of a cream colored house with a beautiful garden in the front yard that wrapped around on either side towards the back. A large bronze number four was placed beside the door. He sneered again at the typical muggle home before stalking up to the white painted door. He went to knock, but the door was pulled open so fast that Snape could only blink at the figure standing in the doorway before he recognized her. He would know the blond horse-like woman anywhere.

"Petunia...!" Snape was shocked by her appearance. Her long blond hair was half pulled up into a bun and half falling out. The dress she wore was torn in several places. Her too-pale skin showed off a collection of bruises. Her already thin body was even thinner, and Snape could see her bones wherever her clothes didn't cover her. Once again she moved before he could and grabbed the front of his robes to pull him inside. She was surprisingly strong despite her skin-n-bones appearance. When she got Snape into the house, Petunia shut the door and turned to the wizard with a solemn look upon her face. Snape and Petunia have known each other since they were both small. He knew that something was very wrong, and he suddenly felt the ice of dread fill him. He walked up to her and took her by the shoulders.

"Petunia, what is the matter with you? What is going on?" Snape always did hate not knowing things. Not knowing leads to death in his line of work. Petunia took his hands in her's while shaking her head. When she spoke, she had an almost dead look in her eyes.

"Forget about me! I can take it... but you have to save him!" She said in a low but hurried whisper while pulling him towards the staircase. "I have his things packed and ready. Now you go and get him!" Snape, for all his wisdom, was still confused by her statements.

"Who are you talking about woman?" At any other time, Petunia would have smacked him for the 'woman' comment, but now was not the time.

"Harry, who else would I be talking about?! You're obviously not here to get my son." she was a little annoyed now. Snape, who had been eying the stairs, turned to look fully at her. He could see in her eyes the fear and anger that she was feeling, but surprisingly enough it wasn't directed at him. All the same, Snape narrowed his eyes at her in a glare.

"I am tired of these games! You will tell me what is going on." When she made no move to speak, he screamed at her, "NOW!" She jumped at his yell and backed away. A look that spoke of great emotional pain crossed her face. She turned from him and stared at the wall.

"Just go up the stairs. There is a door with multiple locks; everything will be clear if you go into that room." Petunia said in barely a whisper of a voice before turning and walking to the living room. She did give him a look over her shoulder before walking into the room. The look said 'Get Moving!' At that look, Snape decided to get to the bottom of this. He started up the stairs slowly while he drew his wand while thinking upon her final words.

'Why would some one put multiple locks on a door unless it was to keep others out...' then a flashback of his past caused him to think of it differently, 'Or to keep something or some one in!' With that thought in his mind, Snape's feet seemed to move faster up the stairs and down the hallway. He had barely taken a step into the hallway before he heard a strange sound coming from farther down. Snape unconsciously tilted his head to the right slightly as he moved closer to the origin of the strange noise. It sounded like a man banging or hitting a wall or other hard surface. Now, Snape was no fool, but when he found the noise to be coming from the door Petunia had told him about, he was a bit confused.

'Why would a man hitting something clear anything up?' He was now standing in front of the door that apparently would clear everything up. Said door was slightly ajar. Snape looked closer at it. There were at least nine different locks on it and a small pet flap at the bottom. He had to raise an eyebrow at this. He was looking at the pet flap when a small whimper from within the room itself caused his head to snap up. He slowly started to open the door with a sinking feeling forming in his chest. As he pushed the door open, the banging noise increased and a loud male voice grunted.

"Scream for me, BOY!" That was it! Snape quickly pushed the door open completely and walked a few steps into the pitch black room. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he was more shocked than he could ever remember. With an almost silent gasp and wide eyes, he made quite the sight.

'It can't be...'