The rain was falling hard when the man appeared at the corner of Privet Drive. He scanned the street to make sure no one had seen him appear. As he made the walk to number 4, the sun was rising, and the streetlights were beginning to go out.

He reached the driveway and heard an awful scream from what sounded like a scared toddler. He knocked on the door and waited. A shrill woman answered the door and gasp.

"You, what are you doing here?" Petunia asked trying to sound intimidating, knowing that the man in front of her could be much more terrifying had he wanted to be. "You and your kind are not welcome here, you took her to your freak world and what do I get in return, a dead sister and freak boy that I now have to care for."

"I am here for the boy; he has been placed in my care now so I may lighten your burden that you so graciously took on." He spoke. Petunias face looked shocked. This man had no claim to her nephew that she knew of. Her sisters once best friend, the boy that had betrayed his best friend, Severus Snape.

"What claim do you have to him? You are neither parent nor family at all?" She said shocked. A small toddler came tumbling down the stairs behind her. Petunia turned and saw two children, one laughing at the top of the stairs and the other at her feet with a cry forming on his face. "You clumsy freak, learn to walk properly and that would not happen."

"How dare you speak to my son that way!" Snape said in astonishment. "He was placed with you for you to care for him, not torture and humiliate."

Upon hearing the voice at the door, the small toddler perked up, he knew that familiar voice, a voice that comforted him only days ago. "Dada!" screamed the toddler.

Snape stepped into the door, past petunia and scooped the toddler into his arms. "Daddy is here, Harry. I told you Daddy would never leave you. I am here now. Do you want to go home now Dragon?"

"Pafoo? Pongs? Moon? Worm? Home?" Questioned the toddler in an excited voice.

"Yes, Harry, they are waiting for us at home." Snape said, knowing only two of those names would be greeting Harry.

"You can't take him, Dumbledore said he had to be here, some sort of blood protection. And how are you, his father? You and Lily were not married. She married Potter?"

"As it happens, Lily and I were married. Potter was a cover. To protect herself and Harry we needed Voldemort to believe I detested the Marauders, and it worked. Unfortunately, Lily was not spared as Voldemort promised. We'd hoped he would simply be destroyed by Harry, as Harry was the one prophesied to be able to destroy him. Now, Petunia, if you could collect Harrys belongings, we shall be on our way."

"You…. Married Lily? But how, you two had a falling out when you were 15, she came home upset saying your friendship had ended. I was at the wedding, she married James Potter. How is this possible?" Petunia said in shock.

"James and I took Polyjuice potion, so that everyone would believe she married him. But in truth she married me, as I signed the marriage certificate using my name. Dumbledore was our officiant if you remember, he knew of the masquerade and helped us forge our union. Once Voldemort was destroyed, his true parentage and Lily and I's marriage was leaked allowing me to get custody of my son. It took a few days, as Sirius had to be cleared for the betrayal of that rat!" Snape said as they walked into the living room. "Now as it is still early, I assume he has not eaten as he gets up at 7 and it is but 7:10, would you mind if he eats before we begin our journey home."

"I have oatmeal and eggs ready for them." Petunia said as she lifted Dudley into his highchair, moving Harrys to where Snape was. "I will feed my son and then collect his belongings."

After Harry had a full belly, much to Petunias disgust as Harry ate more than Dudley had, Snape had a bag flung over his back and bundled Harry in the blanket in which he had been sent. He bid Petunia goodbye and began the journey home. They look the Knight Bus, as Harry was too young to apparate. They arrived at Prince Manor just before lunch. Harry knew the grounds well, and upon seeing the serpent topiary he began to get excited.

"We are home now, Harry. Should we see what is for lunch? Maybe your favorite, mac and cheese?" Snape said as he cuddled his son. Harry had his face and hair but the eyes of his mother, the same deep emerald green that he had fallen in love with when he was but a child. Lily. Snape thought sadly. Lily had known of the prophecy, knew not to be in the room when Voldemort came. She was supposed to have let him pass. As had James. Why? Why had they not listened? His best friend and wife would be alive had they done what was planned.

"Pafoo!" Harry said running (well more like a penguin waddle) up to the door where Sirius had appeared. Moony appeared behind him. "Moon! Pong? Worm?" Harry looked for his other two uncles wondering where they were. A tear escaped their eyes as Harry walked around looking for the other two Marauders.

"Little Dragon, Prongs and Wormtail are not here. I am sorry young one. But look, Padfoot and I are here, along with Daddy. And we love you so much." Moony said as he took the small boy into the living room. Harrys toys were neatly put away in his bins. Harry walked up to his toys grateful to have his toys back, Dudley never shared his toys and Aunt Petunia had screamed at him whenever he tried to play with them. Harry had been given a sock and broken toy car to play with. He grabbed his stuffed Dragon and his toy broom.

"So, Serpent, how was Petunia? No doubt as horrible and shrill as we remember." Sirius asked as they sat and watched Harry play, waiting for lunch to be ready. "Hopefully Harry wasn't too traumatized having to be there for two days. I told Hagrid to take him Dumbledore, not her."

Snape had been outraged that instead of taking Harry to Hogwarts as he should have been, he instantly took him to his aunt. "She is an excuse of an aunt, and her son is a spoilt brat. To think Dumbledore thought she was suitable…"

Two Days Ago

"James! Lily!" Snape yelled running up to the cottage in Godric's Hollow. It was Halloween night; Snape had felt through his Dark Mark the destruction of Voldemort and knew that Harry had done it. He rushed inside the house and found it destroyed. He found James first, upon realizing what had happened he slowly walked up stairs and could hear Harrys panicked screams. He moved faster through the debris. He fell to the floor upon seeing Lily. His love. His Lily. Harry calmed slightly upon seeing his dad. "Da(hick) da(hick)…" He said hiccupping as his eyes dried. Snape grabbed him out of the cot and hugged him tight. He then sank back down to Lily and held his family. "Mama…. Mama…" Harry said as he looked at Lily, her eyes were open, but Harry could not understand why she wasn't comforting him. He began to cry again.

"Harry, shhh, its ok, Mommy loved you so much. Daddy's here now, shhh my little Dragon." Snape cried as he comforted his son. "Mommy will always be in here, Dragon. Though you may not be able to see her, she is always with you. Watching over us. Mommy would want us to be happy, that we still have each other, Mommy and Prongs won't be back sweety. But they will always be in our hearts." Snape pointed to Harrys heart. Harry pointed at his heart and said "Mama".

Snape gathered Harry up and grabbed his blanket, it had been a gift from Gran Longbottom. Harry and Neville both had one. She had taken Lily in when her mother died during their 6th year. Petunia was already of age and had begun a life with Vernon, the bastard that hated magic and anyone who was associated with it.

As Snape and Harry exited the house, Sirius appeared. The look on Snapes face told him all he needed to know. "I'm going to kill that rat. We trusted him. Why? Why kill them both like that. Why would Wormtail turn on us."

"Power, greed, I don't know. But Harry needs us, we have to protect him. The death eaters will be after him." Snape said.

They walked down the street to where Hagrid was waiting. He was instructed to take Harry to Dumbledore at Hogwarts while Snape had to go keep his cover with the Death Eaters, as well as lead the Aurors to where the mass of them were gathering. Sirius was going after Wormtail to bring him in as well.

"Hagrid, take my bike. You should reach Hogwarts by morning. Harry should fall asleep soon." Sirius said. He had enchanted the bike to fly (something Arthur Weasley had helped with secretly).

"Dragon, you are going to go with Hagrid for a while. I will meet you soon. Daddy loves you. Here take your owl." Snape tucked Harry into the sling Hagrid had around him. "I love you, Dragon." Snape kissed his forehead, along with Sirius saying his goodbyes. They watched as Hagrid flew off into the sky and stood there until Hagrid and Harry were out of sight before going to their respective places.

Two hours later, after Bellatrix and all the other Death Eaters were caught and arrested, Snape found Wormtail cornered by Sirius in an alley. Wormtail tried to escape by blowing up the alley (killing 12 muggles in the process) and when he transformed into a rat, was caught by Snape. They took him to the ministry where he was questioned under Veritasirium. After he was sentenced to Azkaban along with every other Death Eater, minus the Malfoys, as a pensive memory proved they were forced my Lucius father. Sirius felt a soft spot for Lucius upon seeing the same cruel treatment he himself endured by his father and mother. Malfoy was welcomed into the Order by Dumbledore, after explaining to him that he had a son to protect and could be useful as a spy along side Snape.

After two days of trials, Snape asked Dumbledore where Harry was, believing that he was being cared for by Minerva or Molly Weasley, who taught the children of professors in Hogsmeade that were to young for Hogwarts. After many questions Dumbledore admitted to him that he was with Lily's sister Petunia, which enraged Snape. He told Dumbledore that as Harrys father (which he denied having leaked to Rita Skeeter who instantly wrote about it in the next days issue of The Prophet) he was the one Harry should be with. Dumbledore tried to say that Harry may be better off away from all of this and that by Lily's sacrifice, there was a blood protection Petunia gave him.

"I am his father. My blood also runs in his veins. And also, Lily has told you on multiple accounts that Petunia is NOT her first choice. You should have taken him to Molly or Alice, her best friend? Lily was adopted by Augusta Longbottom after all. Or did you forget about that little fact?" Snape fumed with anger, only imaging the horror Harry must be facing being with an aunt who despises what his mother was. He instantly blew out of the headmasters office, and upon reaching Hogsmeade, disapparated to Privet Drive.