A/N: Ok so this whole note is in bold, feel free to skip past if you don't want to read but I have some people to thank.
First of all Katie, thanks for not thinking I was mad for saying "I'm super into abused!harry guardian!snape fics right now" and always shouting at me when you wants a new chapter. Also for being one of my initial readers. Not really a beta but if I'm not sure about a certain passage you'll read it and tell me if it needs changing.
Next, John, you're wonderful, and I am incredibly fond of you, and thank you for reading my passages and telling me whether or not my storylines are terrible as well as dealing with my random "what ifs" late at night and hastily typed (or even deciphering my scrawl) paragraphs to portray what I mean as well as dealing with me as a person. You're brilliant, I love you to pieces and I can't wait to see you this weekend.
Finally, Charlotte, S and N. you're both brilliant people who deal with my rambling as "I wonder what *insert entirely random characteristic such as religion* *insert random character* is?" For real tho you are my homies and depending on which Charlotte you are we'll either be plant buddies for life or slutty grannies together (this is a joke she will understand please don't report me I'm not being horrible).
Also to anybody who's reading this because I sent you a link and went "read this". You're cool. You follow my instructions. We can continue to be friends.
Part of this chapter was inspired by the lyrics of "You Will be Found" from the musical Dear Evan Hansen
Once Harry was in a deep enough sleep, Snape used an x-ray charm to survey the damage. When the parchment came scrolling put of his wand, there was a sharp intake of breath. Just as Snape was composing himself, there was a knock at his door. He shoved the parchment deep into his pocket before answering. Draco Malfoy was standing before him wearing a pair of jeans, loafers and an emerald wool jumper. "Mr Malfoy." Snape drawled "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I'm sorry to intrude, Professor Snape, Sir, but I was wondering if I could have some advice on my potions homework?"
"Of course, Draco, please come inside." Snape stepped aside to allow Draco through the door. "What exactly are you struggling with?"
"I've found most of the uses of moonstones, but I'm struggling with the last few." The young Malfoy explained
"Take a seat and give me your essay." He handed the essay over to Professor Snape, who unrolled it and began to read. After a moment he began to frown.
"Is there a problem, Sir?" Draco asked
"Draco... half of this essay is in French." Snape sat down behind his desk and sighed. Draco looked embarrassed.
"Ah. That would have been the French radio I was listening to..." he bit his lip anxiously
"Rewrite it. In English this time." Snape handed back the piece of parchment. Draco picked up a quill and started to write on a fresh piece of parchment, with Severus watching his every move. Around half an hour later, Harry appeared, barefoot and still in his church clothing, with his latest Weasley jumper thrown on top, hair messier than usual. The whole effect was really quite endearing to Severus, but the boy stopped in the doorway, looking like a rabbit in headlights. He went to turn tail and flee, but Draco looked up just a second too soon for Harry to run, yet he still turned around and ran down the hallway back to his room.
Snape heard the retreating footsteps and looked towards the entranceway that Draco Malfoy was staring at.
"Was that Potter?" The blond boy asked. Snape turned his head sharply to look at Draco.
"Yes, that was Potter, and if you know what's good for you, you won't mention anything to the other Slytherin's, or anyone."
"Yes, Sir." Draco mumbled, before turning back to his essay. Snape stood up and swept out of his office towards the guest room that Harry occupied.
"Why is Malfoy here?" Harry asked when Snape had closed the door behind him.
"You may find any number of Slytherin's in my office, Harry, I am their head of house after all."
"But why Malfoy?" The young Gryffindor persisted. Snape sighed.
"He was looking for advice on his potions essay, a topic I will go over with you at a later date. Unfortunately due to Mr. Malfoy's multilingual upbringing, part of his essay was in French. I have asked him to rewrite the piece in English so that I may read it and help him. Perhaps I should set you the same questions, see how you fare." Harry suddenly perked up
"Please, Sir. I'm getting bored without anything to do, I need something or I'm going to go crazy!" Snape looked pleasantly surprised
"The twelve uses of moonstones. You may use my library, and I will have a house elf deliver your school supplies from Gryffindor Tower." Harry nodded eagerly "And for goodness sake, put some slipper on. You'll get a chill down here." If Harry didn't know better, he would almost say his professor was worried about him.
That night Severus was awoken by the sound of screaming. He bolted out of bed and through his bedroom door, heading straight for Harry's room. What he saw when he arrived was Harry writhing as if in pain, arching his back and releasing a blood-curdling scream. He ran over to the bed to try and wake Harry, to no avail against the sleeping draught he had provided the previous evening. After a moment or two he cast a silencing charm on the room, no point waking the rest of the castle after all, and instinctually sat behind Harry on the bed, pulling the child into his lap and holding him, rocking him, as he had never done before. "Shhhh, shhh Harry. It's ok, you're safe, nothing can hurt you here." He comforted, rubbing circles on Harry's back. After around ten minutes the screaming subsided into whimpering sobs. Eventually, Harry woke up enough to speak. Snape still had his arms wrapped around the boy, cheek buried in his dishevelled hair, rocking to try and calm him. With sleep in his eyes and ebony hair mixing together, Snape could almost see Harry as his own son. "What was the nightmare?" He murmured
"I-I was all alone," Harry sobbed "In the forbidden forest, or some kind of forest, because I was surrounded by trees and they kept getting closer and closer until I couldn't breathe and I realised nobody was going to save me. And then there was just this light above me, but that got blocked out and I wasn't going to get out ever."
"Shhhh, Harry. I'm here. I promise I'll always be here. I'll always find you, even when there's nobody else, I promise I will always find you and protect you." It was easy to make this promise. He had already made it once before, except last time he made the promise to Lily. He had failed in that promise, but then and there he vowed never to let the boy down again. He had already spent 15 years not protecting the child, he would now spend as long as he had keeping him safe. He realised that his life as a double agent would make this task much much harder. He could not allow Voldemort to know about his connection with Harry, and could not allow Dumbledore to place the boy in yet another inappropriate home. They had still to find him a permanent guardian, with all Lily's family being muggles and relatively untraceable, and James being related to half the purebloods in Britain, the half that were death eaters. He was related to the Blacks, which was a good sign. Maybe they could find someone in the family that would take Harry in. Severus would have volunteered himself, but knew that Voldemort would find it incredibly suspicious, as would Dumbledore. How could he take in a boy he had been openly cruel to for the past five years? He couldn't, and it broke Severus' heart to know he would have to give him up. He stayed there, holding and rocking Harry, until long after Harry had fallen asleep again. He couldn't bear to leave him alone. Even in sleep the boy wasn't safe. He would never be absolutely safe until Voldemort was dead, well and truly destroyed to the point where he couldn't return.
