A/N: I am so terribly sorry for the long wait for this chapter! RL has been busy and I've not had access to the internet every day like I had previously. I've made this chapter longer and hope that it was worth the wait.

This has been graciously beta read by terrier2468. :)

The two POVs (Harry's and Sev's) are both in this chapter, 'cause it works. There's also an additional POV of an OC.

Because my A/Ns tend to be so long, I've decided to leave them until the end of each chapter. I know that I tend to get impatient with A/Ns in other fics and sometimes skip over them until I've read the chapter, 'cause I'm so eager to see what happens in the new chapter.

Sooo…here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! :D


Chapter 4—Of Books, Magic, Plotting, and Rescue

(Harry's POV)

The Dursleys had told him at breakfast they were leaving for a short vacation and would be back Sunday around mid-morning. Whenever they went on a vacation, he was generally allowed to do whatever he wanted, that is if they were going somewhere overnight (Harry suspected that they half-hoped that he would run away; only half-hoped, because if he did, they wouldn't have him around to do the chores). Of course, he still had to keep the house clean and the yard had to look nice, but typically it didn't take as long with them gone. It must have something to do with my accidental magic, he mused.

Normally, he would take a trip to the library once his chores were done, as it was just down the block from the Dursleys' home. He'd seen it one day when delivering something to a neighbor for his Aunt Petunia. One of the librarians, Julie Purcell, had taken him under her wing and had taught him to read, delighted when he learned quickly (he apparently also had a photographic memory). He had soon read all of the books in the children's section, and then she had selected books for him from other sections, beginning with ones that would be easiest for him to understand. Naturally, this affected his thought processes and how he spoke, but the Dursleys never really noticed the difference between how their son and nephew spoke.

Harry scoffed quietly to himself, They're always telling me not to talk to them or make a lot of noise—that I should pretend I don't exist. It's not like they take much notice of me anyway, except to make sure my chores are done up to their standards and to "punish" me.

Having already cleaned the house, Harry smiled as he worked on pulling out the weeds that afternoon once the Dursleys had left (wincing slightly because of his bruised muscles). He recalled the first time he'd met Miss Julie, when he'd been four...

Flashback

Harry walked into the library, looking in awe at all the books. There were shelves and shelves of them! He couldn't read, but maybe he could find a book with pictures in it to look at. Making his way to the children's section, he smiled tentatively at the nice-looking lady who was placing books on a shelf. His attention was instantly captured by her bright blue eyes, which promised she was kind and gentle.

"Hello there, little one," she said kindly. "Where are your parents? You shouldn't be wandering off alone."

Harry shook his head sadly. "Mummy and Daddy're dead. Live wif Aunt an' Uncle now. Dey's gone for…" Harry thought for a moment before continuing with a shrug, "few days, I think. Mis'us Figg watches me sometimes when dey's gone, but she busy today. "

Harry was looking down at the ground out of embarrassment and missed the look of horror that crossed the librarian's face. Schooling her features into a smile, she replied gently, "You just stay here with me, then, okay? I don't want you to get hurt or taken by anyone. Do you know how to read?"

Harry shook his head. "Would you like me to teach you how?" she asked.

Harry nodded eagerly, hoping that he could keep her from finding out just how much of a freak he was.

End of flashback

Harry shook his head. She had tried to get the authorities to step in, telling him that no one deserved to be treated the way the Dursleys treated him. However, the minute the authorities had heard the name Dursley, she had informed him, they had become indifferent. He knew she had her suspicions as to why they, along with Mrs. Figg, were indifferent, but she had yet to share them. She had then tried to get guardianship of him and when that had failed, had tried to adopt him. That had also failed.

The first time she had taken him to her house to spend the night (after many months and a bit of coaxing), he had accidentally knocked over a table with a beautiful vase on it, causing the vase to smash. Just as soon as it had, it pulled itself back together. Realizing he had done something "freaky," he had automatically begun apologizing, thinking she would not want him around anymore.

Instead of kicking him out of her house, she had taken him by the hand and led him over to the couch, pulled him onto her lap, and explained to him that magic was not "freaky." He had stared at her in awe and she had smiled and performed some magic herself.

"You see? I can do magic, too. What you do is called 'accidental magic.' When you are older, you will go to school to learn how to control it," she had told him.

From then on, she had become his support, always showing him kindness. Truly, he often told himself, she is unique. No one else would ever treat me with such kindness. Well, except for Mum, maybe, and those other people that I can vaguely remember from my first birthday. He never told her about when the Dursleys hurt him, however. She only knew about them favoring Dudley and ignoring him, and he was determined to keep it that way.

Because of his injuries, however, he decided to forego a trip to the library this time. Not that I would be able to visit, anyway, he told himself. The soreness in my body is making this take as long as, if not longer than, it usually does. Hopefully she is not aware of when the Dursleys take a trip somewhere. Otherwise she will become suspicious when I do not show up at the library and will probably search for me.

Hurrying through the rest of his chores, he cleaned up and went inside. Sitting on the floor in the kitchen for a few moments (for, as the Dursleys were fond of reminding him, "freaks" don't get to be treated like normal people. That meant he was not allowed to sit on the couches in the living room or on any of the chairs in the house), he rested his head against the wall in an attempt to ease his aching muscles. Soon after he picked himself up and made a sandwich. The Dursleys always kept a close eye on what they had in the house, including the food, and always knew instantly if he took something he wasn't supposed to.

After eating his sandwich and washing his plate, he went to his cupboard and pulled out his last clean set of clothes. After slipping into the bathroom and undressing, he luxuriated in the shower by using lukewarm water (instead of cold) and taking five minutes (instead of three). Toweling himself dry with a towel Miss Julie had given him (disguised as ratty and worn, when in reality it was the softest, fluffiest towel Harry had ever laid eyes on), he dressed in the nice work clothes she had also given him, which she had disguised to look like Dudley's hand-me-downs that the Dursleys always gave him.

Curled up on his mattress that night, he fell asleep to dreams about his mother and her promises of the man who would rescue him.

The next morning, Harry stretched out his sore muscles, wincing from the pain of the bruising. Taking out the watch that Miss Julie had given him (disguised as a broken watch, of course), he realized it was later than he normally woke up. Hmmm…maybe being able to relax had something to do with it. After making and consuming his breakfast (which consisted of toast and tea), he began his chores and was halfway done in the house when the Dursleys got home.

Uncle Vernon scowled at him, Aunt Petunia nodded in what passed as grudging approval from her, and Dudley just ignored him, preferring to enjoy his new toys in his room.

As Harry was finishing up and preparing to start on his chores outside, there was a knock on the door.

"Boy!" Uncle Vernon shouted from the kitchen. "Go answer that door!"

Scrambling to do as his uncle had demanded, he quickly made his way to the door. Opening it, he saw a fierce-looking man, dressed all in black, with a hooked nose and obsidian eyes. Harry's eyes widened in surprise. Surely this isn't Uncle Severus! he thought.

"H-hello, sir," Harry whispered in fright.

"Hello, Harry," Severus replied gently, his face softening in an effort to lessen Harry's obvious fear. It took quite an effort, as he was usually scowling. "My name is Severus Snape."


(Julie's POV)

It was Saturday morning and Julie Purcell took a sip of tea before she went to the library, where she volunteered her weekends. During the week, she worked in a bookstore in muggle London.

On her mind this morning (as with most mornings) was her young friend, Harry, the son of her dear friend Lily. Perhaps Harry was old enough to hear the complete truth about his parents' death. He'd told her what those horrid muggles had told him about their deaths and it infuriated her. She had informed him that his relatives were lying and that they had died to protect him from an evil wizard.

Frowning slightly, she wondered what her grandfather, Albus Dumbledore, had in mind for Harry. Obviously, he had something in mind. She recalled Lucius telling her that her grandfather had had him deliver part of the prophecy to Voldemort. Pursing her lips in anger, she thought, He'd better not be planning on using Harry to end Voldemort. Merlin help him if he is, he will have hell to pay. I will find out the whole prophecy if it's the last thing I do! He will not get his hands on Harry! Smirking slightly, she realized that her befriending Harry early on had been a very good thing indeed.

Her smirk widened when she recalled that the sorting hat had told her she belonged in Slytherin. Your grandfather has seen to that with his treatment of you. Once she assured the hat that she was sure she could not yet afford to go against her grandfather's wishes, it had relented and had placed her in Gryffindor.

It was after the welcoming feast that her friendship with Lily Evans had been renewed.

Ah, yes, for you see, she had known Lily Evans and had been friends with her before she and her uncle Abe moved closer to Hogwarts. In fact, she had been friends with Severus, as well, before she met Lily. She remembered the day she'd met him, at a park, when they were seven.

Flashback

"Hi, my name is Julie, what's yours?" she asked the dark-haired boy she'd found sitting on a bench in the park.

"S-severus," he replied hesitantly.

"You look like you've been hurt. My uncle can fix you up. Come on, I'll help you to my home and introduce you to him. He's really nice and takes great care of me," she spoke gently.

Nodding slowly, he winced as he stood and stumbled a bit when he tried to walk. Wordlessly, Julie slipped an arm around him to help him walk. Knowing he would never make it without it, he allowed her to help.

End of flashback

Thereafter, they had spent time together and he had slowly opened up about his home life. Just after she turned nine, she had met Lily and got to know her, then introduced her to Severus (she was very protective of her friends). Sadly, soon after that Julie and her Uncle Abe had moved to Hogsmead. But she was glad that he would still have a friend.

Severus, however, had felt that Julie had abandoned him and would not speak to her at all. In their third year, Lily had finally convinced him that Julie had had no choice, but he felt by then it was too late for them to renew their friendship, plus he was already getting grief from his Slytherin classmates for maintaining his friendship with Lily as she was a Gryffindor and a muggleborn. He didn't want to add to that. "He told me these were his reasons for not renewing his friendship with you. Maybe once we graduate you can try being friends again," Lily had said optimistically.

"I doubt he wants to give the Marauders another reason to prank him. Not that they really need a reason," Julie had replied darkly. "I can understand his reluctance and only hope that one day he and I can be friends again," she had added, a tear rolling down her cheek. She had sobbed her heart out when she'd had to leave Severus and Lily behind and it had torn her to pieces that she couldn't again be friends with Severus. Her friendship with him had been one she had cherished, as she had her friendship with Lily, but she had been closer to Severus when she and her uncle had moved to Hogsmead.

Julie had been part of the Order of the Phoenix, so when Lucius had begged them for help after seeing the gruesome death of a former classmate, those capable of Legilimency had tested him. All had been satisfied, as it was clear that he had all his barriers down for their benefit, and she felt they had all done a thorough search. She had, at the very least, been satisfied that he had truly changed and was now on their side.

Julie, naturally, had worried about Narcissa's reaction and had gone to speak to the woman on Lucius' behalf. They'd had nothing to worry about, however, as Narcissa had also seen some of the things that had troubled Lucius. The Malfoy matriarch had also discovered that Voldemort was not really a pureblood, which she had gleefully shared.

Then, Harry had been whisked away from Godric's Hollow soon after Voldemort had killed Lily and James. She still remembered how futile it had been for her to ask her grandfather where he had been taken.

Flashback

"Grandfather, I'm wondering about Harry's whereabouts. You know that Lily was my best friend and I wish to know where her son is now," Julie told her grandfather.

"Naturally," Dumbledore replied, "but I do not wish for anyone else to know where he is. He is safe where I have placed him and that is all you or anyone else needs to know," he added firmly.

Julie had been livid over his silence and vowed to find Harry.

End of flashback

Her grandfather's continued refusal to tell her where he'd placed Harry had caused her to turn her back on him and the majority of the wizarding world, and she settled in a neighborhood not too far from the Dursleys. She had been, unfortunately, unaware that Privet Drive was where the Dursleys lived, until the day little Harry had walked into the library. Because he was too small for a three-year-old, Julie had not immediately recognized him, although her heart had skipped a beat when she'd seen his eyes. Lily's eyes, she remembered thinking. But he is too young to be Harry.

Sighing, she stood up and began preparing for her day, wondering when she would next see Harry.


(Severus' POV)

After his trip to Gringotts, Severus returned to his quarters in a fairly good mood. Sitting in his chair by the fire that was merrily crackling in its grate, he began planning on how to make the Dursleys sign the guardianship papers. Petunia knows very well I can easily force them to sign the papers. If I pull out my wand, she will no doubt be afraid I might actually use magic on them. Smirking evilly, he debated as to whether he should exact revenge on them before he took Harry to safety. No, he decided, it's better to wait and plan that part for later. Then Harry won't have to see what I do to them.

He continued to plan how to get the signature he needed and decided a few harmless hexes would be enough to scare them out of their wits if they were too stubborn. It was too late to contact Lucius, so he decided that he would talk to his friend in the morning. They needed to plan how to work around Albus Dumbledore.

An owl flew into his quarters and upon taking the letter it brandished in his direction, he recognized that it was from Gringotts. Scanning to the bottom, he noted that it was from Griphook and he began to read.

Mr. Snape,

I have successfully transferred Mr. Potter's vaults and have gone over the documentation for it. Enclosed are copies for your perusal.

The monthly payments that have been made to the Dursleys will be stopped as soon as you bring the guardianship papers in. The funds that were illegally removed will be replaced with funds from Albus Dumbledore's vault at the same time. Any other items illegally removed will be retrieved at that time, as well.

Please let me know if there is anything else that we can do for you.

Sincerely,

Griphook

Severus looked at the figures of the monthly payment to the Dursleys and growled. They were being given a small fortune every month to keep Harry and, according to what Lily had said in her letter, were not using it for him at all! No doubt they also made Harry believe they took him in out of the supposed kindness of their non-existent hearts.


The next day, he was just finishing up breakfast when his floo flared and out stepped Lucius. I should have known. They always eat their breakfast at a ridiculous hour. It's Sunday, for Merlin's sake! Do they not know the concept of sleeping in? It's a good thing I've already had my coffee, he grumbled to himself.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Severus, but I wanted to know how things went yesterday," Lucius said in greeting.

After he took the last bite of his breakfast, his plate and coffee mug disappeared to the kitchens to be washed by the elves. Standing, he indicated for Lucius to follow him.

"We should be able to circumvent Albus and his plans, but it will take careful planning on our part," Severus informed him.

"Naturally," Lucius replied. "Harry is welcome to stay with us if you ever need him to. You know," he added after a long pause, "I may know someone who can help us work around Albus. She used to be part of the Order and was frantic when Albus wouldn't tell anyone where he'd placed Harry."

Severus frowned. "You think she will help us? How do you know she will not tell Albus that we have Harry?"

Lucius grinned. "Because she's refused to so much as be around him after he refused to tell her where Harry was. She's been great friends of ours since I turned away from the Dark Lord." He frowned slightly. "My only concern is that I doubt she knows that you also turned from the Dark Lord. By the time you came to the Order, she had already left the wizarding world behind. You may have to let her legilimize you, otherwise she might not let you anywhere near Harry—Narcissa and I had to allow her to do so before she trusted us."

Severus sighed. "Well, we'll deal with that when we get to it, I suppose." Pulling out the letter from Griphook, he added with a growl, "Griphook informed me of the amount that has been illegally removed, on a monthly basis, from the Potters' vault for the Dursleys as 'compensation' for having Harry dumped on their doorstep."

Lucius' eyes widened as he read the figures ("One thousand galleons per month?!"), then grinned maliciously when he read Griphook's reassurance that the monthly payments would be stopped and the amount taken would be replaced with money from Dumbeldore's vault once Severus returned with the guardianship papers. "I wonder how they're going to explain the shortage of galleons to him," he said as he handed the letter back to Severus.

"They'll figure something out, I'm sure," Severus replied. He then explained his plans for getting the Dursleys to sign the guardianship papers, and added, "I hope that you will help me plan and execute revenge on the Dursleys?"

"With pleasure," Lucius gleefully responded. "Are you planning on rescuing him today?" At Severus' nod, he frowned. "I promised Draco and Narcissa that we would go sight-seeing today. Quite frankly, I was surprised she didn't want to take the opportunity to go shopping, but I won't complain. I should probably get going."

"Of course," Severus said. "I'd better get going, too. Who knows what one more day in that household will do to the poor boy." Lucius nodded grimly and flooed back to his home.

After gathering up the guardianship papers and placing everything he did not want the headmaster to find within his room, Severus again warded them and left. Once he had reached the outside of the castle, he made his way past the anti-apparition wards and apparated to an alley near Privet Drive. Quickly walking towards number 4 on Privet Drive, he failed to notice the library he walked past, or the brown-eyed woman who noticed him and then hastily stood to whisper it to the librarian at the front desk.

Walking up to number 4 Privet Drive, he knocked on the door and waited. He scowled when he heard a shout of, "Boy! Go answer that door!" Hearing a bit of scrambling, he knew that it was mostly likely Harry that had been spoken to and his scowl deepened.

When the door opened, he noted the messy black hair that so perfectly resembled James Potter's and the boy's widened green eyes. Lily's eyes. But he's too small! Those horrid muggles! I can only hope they give me a reason to hex them!

"H-hello, sir," Harry whispered.

He's afraid of me! Normally I would be delighted by that, but I can't have my nephew frightened of me if I'm to help him recover from the Dursleys' treatment of him! So, he made an effort to be kind, although it was not what he usually did, especially with children. Softening his expression as much as he was able to, he replied in as gentle a tone as he could manage. "Hello, Harry. My name is Severus Snape."


A/N: What do you think? Was it worth the wait? Oh, and regarding Harry's way of talking when he was three, if I messed up again in getting it right for his age, blame it on the Dursleys. Anything that goes wrong with and in this story will always be their fault. And Dumbledore's, since he placed Harry with the Dursleys. ;)

And please, if you have any ideas of ways to get revenge on the Dursleys for what they did to Harry, please let me know. I'm open to any and all ideas! :) Thanks!

Also, to anyone else who's curious, Harry will not get over the effects of the Dursleys' abuse "magically" and despite appearances, Severus really hasn't quite adjusted to Harry being his nephew. Right now, Harry's situation is what he's focusing on. Yes, he hated Harry, but knowing the Dursleys abuse Harry has helped him overcome much of his hatred towards Harry. He thought that Harry would be a lot like James—which contributed quite a bit to his hatred—, but he knows that with the abuse, it is unlikely. Also, with James' apology, he is a lot less inclined to hate James and, by extension, Harry. Talking things through with Lucius has helped him sort through most of the situation, but he's still getting used to Harry being his nephew and Lily being his sister. He's just focused more on saving Harry right now than on thinking of Harry as his nephew. It will take him time to adjust, though not as much time as it will take for Harry to overcome the abuse. :)

Chapter 5 is done, but it might be a bit longer before I can get it up, because of internet, and I'd like to try to stay one chapter ahead. I'm working on chapter 6, but it's not done yet. Once again, thank you for your patience! :)