Chapter 3: Harry and Severus Have A Conversation
He woke up hours later to a scream. It took him a moment to remember that he had a first-year sleeping on his couch.
He rushed out of his room and found Harry whimpering and thrashing around on the leather sofa. He quickly grabbed the moving boy before he could do any serious damage to himself. Harry flinched away from the contact, but Severus continued and pulled the green-eyed child closer. He sat on the couch with the blanket-wrapped child on his lap and murmured soft phrases to calm him down.
"Shh, Harry, you're safe. You're safe and no one is here but you and me. Your Muggle relatives aren't here and no one can harm you. You're safe, Harry." Severus rubbed his hand over Harry's back softly and felt the child start to calm down. He eventually calmed down completely and looked up at his professor. Severus looked down at the boy sitting on his lap and saw the small smile. He smiled slightly as well, but it was missed by the green-eyed first-year, who was looking down and cringing.
"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, I got your shirt all wet." Harry looked frightened and expected to be berated for the use of his Potions Professor' clothes as a tissue.
When the words didn't come, Harry looked up and noticed the small, rather sad, smile on the man's face.
"It's alright, Harry. You needed that," Severus said quietly. He sighed and cursed the Dursley's to hell and back multiple times. "Besides, Harry, it doesn't have to stay that way. We do have magic." He waved his wand and cast, "Scourgify".
He sighed. He very much so wasn't looking forward to what he had to say, but knew that it was necessary for Harry to understand that he could trust him.
"Harry." The boy looked up at him and knew that this conversation wasn't going to be a good one. "What I'm about to tell you is going to hurt, but you need to know. First thing is, that I want to apologize." Those words didn't come easily, but Severus forced them out because it was past time for him to pay for his sins against this boy and his mother. Harry quickly started to protest, but Severus stopped him.
"No, Harry, I left you in that horrible house with those monsters. Or rather, I never checked on you. I never knew that you had gone to Tuney and her horrible husband, but that's no excuse. To be honest, Albus told me that you had gone to your grandparents. What I didn't know was that they were….dead," he said the last word sorrowfully, "The thing is Harry, I knew your mother and her family as a child."
Harry nodded, but kept silent.
"I was your mother's best-friend as a child and your mother was mine. Unfortunately, I, also, knew your Aunt. I would guess that she hasn't changed a bit from the spiteful-child she had been. However, that isn't the point," he paused to get his baring and say the horribly-cliché phrases that were needed, "Harry, I want you to know that I'm here for you. If you need someone to come to, I'll be here."
Harry smiled brightly and snuggled in deeper to the Potions Master. "Thank you," he replied quietly and understood that he had finally found an adult that cared for him. He knew how hard that had been for the Professor, but was very grateful that the man had done it.
However, reality set in quickly and Harry's bright expression dimmed. He knew that he was going to have to return to the Dursley's and didn't relish the idea of going back.
Severus noticed that bright look rapidly decreasing and was concerned. "Harry, what's the problem," he asked quietly. Harry quickly and defensively replied, "Nothing."
Severus, of course, knew that something was wrong and sighed to himself. He didn't relish doing this, but for Harry he had to.
He gripped Harry's chin, and gently raised his face, until he was looking the boy in the eyes. He mentally whispered, 'Legilimens'. He saw the memories at the fore-front of Harry's mind and gasped quietly.
"Harry, is that how the Dursley's treat you all of the time," Severus asked forcefully. He was horrified that anyone could do anything like that to a child, but knew that the real world wasn't such a beautiful place.
Harry's eyes filled with tears of fear and pain when he realized that his Potions Professor had somehow seen his horrible home-life. Reluctantly, he nodded not thinking it could get any worse.
"Harry, listen to me," Severus pleaded. He kept a hold on Harry's face gently, not allowing Harry to hide away from him. "You will never have to return there. Albus, or no Albus, I will not allow you to be sent back to that house. And with that thought, I do believe that we need to show Albus your memories, so I don't have to go against him." With that he sat Harry on his feet, and got up himself.
Harry jerked his head up and looked up at him with worry. "Sir, I don't want you to have to go against the Headmaster. If I have to return there, I'll go." He didn't want his Potion's Professor to go against the Headmaster, if it meant that much to him.
Severus looked at him sharply, but when he saw the expression on the boy's face, the expression softened. "Harry, please listen to me. We need to show Albus the memories, because he has much more sway than I do. I will take you away even if he is against it. However, if we have the Headmaster on our side, I can get you legally or at least be able to hide away with you somewhere a lot safer, than if I took you away without Albus' knowledge."
At that, the words finally sunk into Harry's mind that they were going to be showing the esteemed Headmaster some of his worst memories.
"NO, Professor. We can't show him. He'll think I'm weak and bad and he'll send me back anyway," Harry rambled. He was horrified, but knew that he didn't want the Headmaster seeing any of his memories.
Severus placed a finger on the boy's lips and pulled him into a hug.
"Harry, the Headmaster won't think you're weak. Did you think you're the first person to come to Hogwarts that hasn't had an ideal childhood or guardians?" Severus asked the question with a little bit of grief in his tone. He didn't want any more of the Children of Hogwarts to have to go through what he did, but he knew that The Fates wouldn't answer his prayers in this instance.
"I'm not," Harry asked, pain and relief in his tone.
"Definitely not, Harry. You are not the first and you certainly won't be the last," Severus replied, trying to keep the exasperation out of his tone. Harry winced, but knew that his question had been enormously naïve.
When he looked up at Severus again, he noticed the pain on his face as well.
"Yes, Professor Snape," Harry said quietly.
Still in the hug, Harry snuggled in deeper into the embrace and didn't let go. He didn't want to think about what he would be doing in the next few minutes and just enjoyed the feeling of the first hug he had ever had.
Severus was still looking at the spectacled-boy in his arms and knew that Harry shared his sentiments.
He was very much not looking forward to this conversation with Albus.
