Ah, so the boy was close to Minerva...well he could most certainly fix that. Now where was that bloody map?


It had been three days since Neville had been approached by Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bulstrode. To Neville it felt like he was in a living hell. While the papers hadn't published anything yet his step-grandmother had written informing him that the Headmaster would release the news that coming Friday. Neville almost groaned audibly as he realized it was only two full days and part of a morning before everyone would know. Though perhaps for Harry Snape that was a good thing. The attacks from the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and even a Hufflepuff or two had been brutal. On Sunday Cormac McLaggen, Ronald Weasley, Seamus Finnegan, Cho Chang, Anthony Goldstein, and Zacharias Smith had corner Harry. From what he'd heard Harry had been leaving the library when the six attacked and he was by himself. Before any of the Slytherins in his year or a staff memeber could get to him, he'd suffered several curses. Chang and McClaggen were second years while Smith was a third year and the damage inflicted was extensive. Though Snape had deflected some of the curses, the witness testified to that, after a while he'd been overpowered. A cutting curse to right arm had caused him to drop his wand and three breaking bone jinxes had hit at the same time crushing his left kneecap. Several other jinxes had been used and then someone had used petrificus totalus before casting wingardium leviosa and slamming him into a wall. The witness took off as soon as the group left and explained what happened to the first person he reached. Unfortunately for the group the first person found was Professor McGonagall who was apparently Harry's Godmother. Once Professor McGonagall had reached Harry the boy had tears leaking out of his eyes. The witness said Professor McGonagall started crying at the sight of her Godson, gently lifted him, and took him to the hospital wing. Shaking his head Neville stood and left the library. It was almost time for curfew and he didn't want to be caught out.


Down towards the dungeons however Harry was curled up on the sofa in his Dad's living room fast asleep. After the attack Severus had been afraid to let his son out of his sight. Every night right after dinner Harry would come to their quarters and do his homework there. A lot of nights his adopted cousins would accompany him and spend an hour or so working before leaving to give father and son some alone time. Ever since Lily had passed away Severus had been attached to his son and seeing him like that had broke his heart. Harry was his reason for everything; every breath he took, every fight he fought, and every time he stepped out of bed to another day without the one woman he loved.

He'd been forced to join the death eaters at a young age, but Lily hadn't abandoned him. She had known that wasn't who he was and helped him get away soon after. It had all started his first year when the Malfoys had sought custody of him in the magical world. Eileen, his Mom, had fought it, but when Tobias had started to hit her more Severus had told her to go ahead with it. This ensured that no owls would ever come to the Snape household and that he would only be there a month every summer. It had hurt, more than he admitted, to be taken away from his Mom, but he didn't want her life to be painful. Living with the Malfoys was only for a month a year and so he'd made it. Or rather he'd made it until he was fifteen. When he was fifteen his Mom passed away from a muggle illness and Tobias signed over full custody to the Malfoys. Lucius had protected him for years from the death eater meetings, but once he was legally a Malfoy charge there was nothing he could do. The summer after his fifth year he'd taken the dark mark and been forced to stay awake for hours on end to make potions. Once the summer was over and school started back he was prepared to break all ties with Lily, but she wouldn't let him. Finally he confesed, through tears, what he'd been made to do. Lily hadn't been repulsed though. Instead she'd taken him and held him in her arms until he stopped sobbing. After that she'd started researching and eventually made a salve so strong that as long as he put it on every morning he wouldn't feel pain when called. Severus had been grateful and terrified. Though he was protected by the headmaster, well at least somewhat, during the school year if it was found out he'd be tortured during the summer. He'd only been tortured twice for messing up potions the previous summer and he'd been one of the lucky ones. Those like Lucius had been tortured two to three times every meeting for things both they and their fathers had done. Lily had a solution for that though as well. With help from her parents they uncovered a will Eileen had written shortly before her death. In it she said she knew she would never last until Severus was eighteen and wouldn't be able to protect him. As the magical parent her will was the binding one when it came to Severus rather Tobias was still alive or not. The will forbid that Severus be given to Abraxus Malfoy and so his parental rights had been abolished immediately. Lily's family had been listed as possible care givers for him along with another family that he'd have never thought to look for...his mother's side. The Prince family had one other living relative besides Severus. Severus's great-grandmother was still alive though not in the best of health and had agreed for Severus to stay with her. That had been the turning point in his life and Harry removing his mark had been the final freedom so to speak.

Looking at Harry he felt tears fill his eyes. He had never wanted his little boy to know the pain that he'd felt as a child and teenager, but thanks to those children he did. Standing he gently lifted his little boy and carried him into his room. Harry curled against his chest automatically and once he was in his bed he curled around a stuffed doe. The doe had been his first stuffed animal from Minerva on the day he was born. After Lily had been killed it became the only thing that he would sleep with besides Severus. Severus sighed and stood heading back into the living room. Minerva would be stopping by soon to plan and he needed time to unwind before she did.