I don't own Harry Potter or the characters.

Sorry it's taken so long for new chapter. I hope that won't happen again.

Trickster32- Healers in the 70's were jerks, clearly. And Hogwarts has never been a safe place for anyone, lol. Thanks for reviewing.

Suzululu4moe- Kingsley will be cleared up here. I'm glad you liked Moody. Thanks for reviewing.

PiffyEQ- You'll find out about Kingsley in this chapter. I'm glad you liked Moody too. I just wanted someone fearless that won't bow down to Dumbledore, I thought Moody, even young moody was perfect. I like adorable Severus too.

Dreamyeyes14- Thank you. Kingsley answers inside.

Jissy2013, , guest- Thank you all, new chapter yay.

Fan girl 666- I'm glad you liked them. I thought Moody would be a good puff.

Failed to De-anon- Thank you. Severus is very innocent on some things. Bad healer for sure. Thanks for reviewing.

Jamikitsu- Sev does need all the help he can get. Dumbledore and Lily, aren't going come off great in the story. Castration for Voldemort, hmmm...intriguing.

Epiphany- Not this chapter but next will be Christmas break so we can see grandparents interact with Severus more. Thanks for reviewing.

Sorry, about all the talking up here, I've never had a fanfic so well received from now on I'll do the PM, so people don't think it's more words than it is. It's 2228 before all this. Hope you like the chapter.

When he was six years old, his grandmother told him about her ability. She was able to see things others couldn't. Things that would come to be, things that could be, and things that should never be. Early on she would tell him that one day he would be the protector of a boy that would have a special role in the future of wizarding kind. He had never really thought much about it. But because he loved her, and she was always right, he trained. His magic was strong, his body was strong and most importantly his mind was strong after all his training.

Then before his sixth year at Hogwarts she told him it was time. She said he would know who the boy was at the time. On the night of the Sorting, he knew it was Severus Snape. He had tried to get to the boy when he was taken to the hospital wing. Professor McGonagall made him go back to his dormitory.

Then the next day he found out the boy was gone. He had written his grandmother about the situation. She told him to be patient, things would work out. The next week, the boy was back. When Kingsley saw the boy take on Lucius Malfoy, he had known he was right. After that he made sure to keep an eye on him. Unfortunately, he was put in detention with Slughorn because of a fight with Lestrange. Malfoy and the others were able to get to Severus then.

But the kid didn't let it break him, he picked himself up, dusted himself off and went on. That was something that people like Dumbledore would overlook. The problem was, people like Voldemort wouldn't. Already Malfoy was whispering in his ear about the boy that had overpowered him. Maybe it was just for a second, and maybe it was because Malfoy was taken by surprise. But Kingsley saw it for what it was, power. Not just magical power but inter strength. Something Voldemort would love to torture out of someone until they followed him. With a core like that he could take whatever was thrown at him. Kingsley had seen that by how the boy was fiercely protective of the Evans girl and the Quirrell boy. While other kids would shy away from kids so overly unpopular as those two, Severus didn't, he stood up for them. Stood by them. Then somehow, he had made them popular, though Kingsley knew it was because of his fight with Malfoy and friendship with the Potter and Black heirs.

"Mr. Shacklebolt, don't you have practice?" Professor McGonagall called.

He hadn't even realized that he was late for Quidditch practice. "Yes, Professor," he said before taking off for the pitch.


Severus couldn't believe he was going through with study group. He just wanted to go back to his dorm and curl up on his bed. There was no reason to even go to the library, no one would be there. They all would think he was a freak, it would be just like back at Spinner's End.

He let Petunia drag him to the library and to their usual table. He was surprised that it was already occupied. Sitting there alone was James Potter, he had his books open and in front of him. The dark-haired boy looked up and smiled at them.

"Looks like you're feeling better. It's a good thing to because I think Slughorn is trying to kill me." The boy sighed.

If they weren't going to bring up the Daily Prophet, he wouldn't either. Remus, Peter and Gideon joined them. Black never did show up, but Severus was glad about that. He didn't have anything against the other Gryffindors but he couldn't handle Black today.


"Do you want to walk with me?" Potter asked quietly.

They were just packing everything up to get back to their dorms and put everything away before dinner. He looked over at Petunia, she was chatting to Rin.

"Sure," he said nervously.

After telling Rin and Petunia he was going with James, they set off for Ravenclaw tower first.

"I've never been this way," James said after they walked in silence for a while.

"You wouldn't, unless you were a Ravenclaw. I don't even know where the Gryffindor dorms are."

"I'll show you the entrance," James said with a smile, then it shifted. "Look, the reason I wanted to talk to you was because of the article."

Severus closed his eyes, this was what he hadn't wanted. This was going to be his life from now on. "I don't want to talk about my mother," he bit out.

"I don't want to either. I just wanted to say what she did to you and your dad was inexcusable. Also, even though what she did was bad, the work she did could help other families."

Stopping dead in his tracks he swung around on the other boy. "How in the world could it help anyone?" he snapped.

"Well, there is lots of women that can't have babies. My parents tried for years to have a baby. They didn't think she would ever have one when I was born. Some people aren't so lucky. If your mom would have worked for a potions master or became one, I'm sure women from all over would have volunteered to be tested on."

"Well, I didn't volunteer."

"No, I know. If it was me, I don't think I'd be handling it as well as you. I think I would be a mess."

Severus looked up at the boy's face to see if he was telling the truth. All he saw was honesty in the dark-haired boy's expression. "Thank you. I wasn't looking forward to Christmas break, now I want it to be here already."

"Don't worry, if anyone gives you any trouble your friends will take care of them."

"I can't ask Petunia and Rin to take on a whole school."

"I'm not talking about just them. I'm your friend, so are Remus, Peter, Sirius and Gideon."

Severus shook his head. "No, I just help you with your work."

"Maybe that's how it started but we're friends now. You are stuck with us, whether you like it or not."

Despite himself, Severus smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be friends with them. Not Sirius though, never him. Maybe. "Where was Sirius today?"

James looked down and ran his hands through his messy hair. "He's got detention."

"Detention? What did he do?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Tell me," he said firmly. It was something, he knew it.

"Some of the other kids were being stupid. They were saying some stuff, Sirius jinxed them. Got caught by Professor Sprout, he's helping her in Greenhouse One."

Anger filled Severus, just when he was thinking about calming down on his campaign on Sirius, and where was he? Picking on students he felt did him wrong.

"What was so bad that he just had to jinx them?"

James hesitated. "I don't really want to say."

"Why not? Were they innocent too?"

"Innocent too?"

"Never mind that. Why did he do it?"

James sighed. "I don't think this, neither do any of your friends. Most of the school doesn't think this, it's just some stupid students."

"Go on."

"Some second years were calling you things."

"What kind of things?" He started to get a bad taste in his mouth.

"They called you he/she, but Sirius shut them up. Any one of us would have. We won't let them talk that way about you."

"I'm not very hungry anymore. I'm just going to go back to my room," Severus said before running off, ignoring James' calls for him to stop.

He had to get away, he could hear James' feet behind him. He knew James would be expecting him to go back to Ravenclaw tower. Instead he ran up the stairs, them changing twice on him. Running away was becoming second nature now. Soon he was running down the left corridor on the seventh floor. He just wanted some place to hide. He skidded to a stop when a door appeared out of nowhere. All his insides were screaming for him to run away, but fear of James' making him go to the Great Hall scared him more.

Slowly, he reached out for the door. He opened it, just to peek inside. But then he heard feet on the stairs, James on his heels, he just knew it. Running in, he the shut the door. Spinning around he was shocked to see the interior of the room. A plush chair was in the middle with several filled bookcases near. In the corner was a nice comfy looking bed.

"What is this place?"

Was this some Professor's room? No that couldn't be, because the door just appeared. He decided to stay for a while. If it was someone's room he would just tell them he got lost. After all, with the rich colors surrounding him all he wanted to do was snuggle down on the chair and read one of those books. So, that's what he did. He also liked that the room seemed to be in his house colors. It wasn't that he hated the others or thought his was better, it was just familiar…comforting.

He picked a book at random from the nearest book case.

"Flight of Fancy: A True Guide to Quidditch by Luveda Brushier," Severus read outloud. "Pass."

He put it back and grabbed another. "Legilimency: Level One. By Rothcorn Warton.

Severus was intrigued, he had never heard of Legilimency before. Opening the book, he got lost in the text.


"Where's Severus?" Petunia asked.

James shrugged. He had looked all over for the boy. He thought he had him once but the stairs between the fifth and sixth floors changed on him. Severus was nowhere to be found. He knew he shouldn't have told him about what those idiotic kids were saying. They were just jealous. Severus was already better than the second and third years.

"I lost him. He found out about why Sirius had detention."

Petunia nodded. "We can't keep racking up detentions. There has to be a way to shut them up for good."

All of them had gotten detentions that day for defending Severus. Luckily, his, Rin's and Remus' wasn't until Saturday. Petunia had detention every Friday for a month for hexing her sister. They had all heard Lily when she said some awful things about Severus. They were in middle of switching classes. She said to one of her friends that she couldn't be friends with Severus anymore because he'd been altered, made a monster. That if he had any children they would be deformed. She then started spouting off about if he did have a child it would be against God; because he was a boy and would have to be with a boy. That was all Petunia could stand. She started hexing and didn't stop until McGonagall pulled her by her robes away.

He had never heard someone speak that way about relationships between two men or women. His mother had told him once that muggles weren't as accepting of those kinds of relationships. He had asked because they were in Muggle London when they saw three men chasing after two other men, throwing things at them. Calling them names. His mother shouted at the men chasing the other men, they turned and ran away. She told him most that hate people for who they are, are cowards. Always stand up for others. He had forgotten about that until today when the school seemed to descend on poor Severus.

"We'll figure something out. Whatever we do, we don't leave Severus alone. Well…as soon as we find him."

The others nodded. James felt as though someone was looking at him. He looked around but couldn't pinpoint who it was.

At least Christmas break started next week, Severus would be away from the bullies for a while at least. Also, Rin and Petunia got permission from their parents to spend it with Severus at his grandparents. After his mother was arrested, the Ministry put Severus into his grandparents' custody. It was in the paper too but he thought Severus hadn't read that part.

When James asked Petunia and Rin if their parents would miss them during the holiday, both said their parents seemed happy to be rid of them for more time. He didn't know Rin's story but he knew Lily spoke so well of her parents. He didn't know how two girls could have two so different views of their parents.

His were amazing but he knew some weren't, like Sirius' parents or Peter's. Sirius was coming home with him for the holiday but Peter was stuck with his parents. He was a pure-blood but his parents never wanted children, and they made sure he knew it. James' parents said he could invite him home too, and he did. For a whole two days Peter was excited. They chatted about what they would be doing over the holiday. Remus' and his parents would be visiting with them for a few days. But then the owl post came one morning. His parents said no…and that was it. James promised himself, when he had kids, they would always be treated well and wanted.