Chapter 2

Severus's eyes fluttered open. He determined that he was lying on his backside somewhere outside. Upon further inspection, he determined that he had somehow managed to be transported to the Hogwart's grounds. He was lying neatly in front of the Hogwart's lake, the home of the giant squid. How did he get here? He suddenly could not recall anything.

As he pushed himself to a sitting position, he realized that something was amiss. Gone was brown colored grass that covered Hogwarts acres, and the trees were somehow now in full bloom. He surveyed the grounds; it appeared no one was outside. The grounds were empty. Severus thought this very unusual for this time of year. Where were the students?

After he had familiarized himself with his surroundings, he realized that he by some means felt lighter, as if he was young again. His leg no longer ached, and his eyes were no longer tired. Severus stood, for the first time in years without a cane. He began to run. He ran as he had never ran before. He was free and light. He had not felt this way in many years.

As Severus came to a stop back at where he began, not feeling out of breath nor tired. A man, perhaps a little younger than Severus was, began walking towards him. He was wearing a bright blue robe and a wizard's hat with night stars racing about. Severus twisted his head slightly, who was this man. Severus had never seen him before in his life. He went to speak, but no sound came.

"Hello Severus, I have been waiting for you."

SSS

Severus went to speak again, but found no voice. He frantically gestured, how did this man know his name? What right did he have addressing him in this manner? Where was he?

"You must have many questions." The man stated.

"Your body feels like a child's does it not? When you first arrive you feel light, like you could fly." Severus nodded, how had he known what he was thinking.

"You cannot speak, I suppose it is God's way of making you listen. Don't worry you will find your voice."

"Where are you? Heaven of course. Every person who enters Heaven will meet five people. Why five? I myself do not know, but I do know that I, just like the other four people in your life were chosen for a reason. We are here to teach you the meaning of life, and the part you have played."

It took a moment for the words just spoken to sink in. Heaven? Had he died? Why was he in Heaven? What kind of cruel joke was this?

"I am not joking Severus, you died, right at this very castle." The man spoke. Severus eyes grew wide and he dropped to his knees.

"This can't be Heaven?" Severus said in barely a whisper.

"Ah, you see this isn't your heaven, this is mine." The man spoke again.

"Who are you?" Severus asked hoarsely,

"Do you not remember me? You were but a child when you knew me." He spoke again.

"Headmaster Dippet?"

"That is right, I was headmaster of this school before Albus Dumbledore. Do you remember?"

Severus had remembered. He was but a young boy when he knew him.

SSS

It was Severus's birthday. He was running through the castle, his mother unaware of where he was. He raced down the dungeon staircase. Severus was five today.

Severus stopped short of the potion's classroom. He giggled as he was playing a game with himself as lonely children often do. He wanted to surprise his father. Severus's poked his head through the door. His father was teaching.

Severus had never been allowed to venture from his rooms outside the castle during the school year. His mother had always told him to stay put, but he grew tired of the same three rooms day after day. A young boy needed adventure, he needed more that his rooms at Hogwarts Castle.

Severus leaned on the door, hoping not to disturb his father. Perhaps he leaned a little too heavily on the door because it creaked. Dorian's head snapped to the door. He frowned as he saw the little brat at the door.

"Keep working!" Dorian yelled as he glided to the door where his son's eyes grew fearful.

"What are you doing out here?" He yelled.

"Daddy, its my birthday." Severus whined.

"I do not care if it is the Queen's birthday, how dare you disrupt my class." He hissed.

"I am sorry daddy." Severus hung his head.

"I will give you something to be sorry about." Dorian swept his hand across the young boy's face. Severus wanted to cry, but he knew that it would only constitute more hitting.

"Now get back to your mother!" He yelled. Dorian turned his back on his son. He slammed the door to the Potions classroom.

Severus watched as his father left him. He was trying so hard not to cry. It was his birthday! Severus sniffled as he reached the top stair in front of the Great Hall.

"Are you lost?" Said a man in blue robes and a wizard's hat with stars racing about.

"No..No sir." He sniffled.

"You must be Severus? Is that right?" The man said.

"Yes sir." He said quietly.

"My name is Headmaster Dippet. Why were you crying Severus?" He asked.

"I wasn't crying." Severus denied.

"Then what are these?" The headmaster said as he wiped away the little boy's tears.

"It's my birthday!" He cried again.

"Well, that is no reason to cry."

"I just wanted to see my daddy." Suddenly it made sense to the Headmaster. Dorian was teaching, most likely unhappy about being disturbed.

"Severus, how about we go to the kitchens and I get you a cake, would you like that?" The Headmaster asked.

Severus nodded his head.

SSS

"Tell me do children still enjoy the lake? Do they study outside in the summer?" The Headmaster asked as he looked out at the vast body of water that covered the grounds outside the castle.

"Uh, yes I suppose they do." Severus said unsure how to address the man.

"You know, I loved the water, I suppose it was my time in Egypt made me grateful for the green grass and ocean coastlands of England."

"I put this lake in, did you know?" The man asked again.

"I believe the Headmaster mentioned something to me." Severus said, pausing thinking about his mentor.

Something felt out of place to Severus. As he looked around, he noticed that the castle was not as old as he last knew it. There was no stands around the Quidditch pitch, and Hagrid's little hut was nowhere on the grounds.

"My name is Armando Dippet, I was born in the late 1800's near Hogwarts. My father worked for the Ministry, my mother taught young magical children before they entered the school. My time as a student at Hogwarts was uneventful. I excelled in Ancient Runes, and I decided to go to Egypt after graduating and helped wizards decipher the hieroglyphs that were found on magical pyramids.

You may wonder how then, I became the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Well it occurred in a rather unconventional way. You see the previous Headmistress had taken ill, and my father, who became the Minster of Magic, had suggested that I fill her place until she recovered. I was young, very young for a Headmaster. I had never taught, nor had I ever really though much about teaching.

The Headmistress never did return, and I was signed into the position at the beginning of the next term. I lived through the evils of Grindelwald, and had to deal with the constant politics of the ministry.

I was young and stupid when Tom Riddle entered his first year. I should have paid more attention when he had come to school. How ignorant I was. If I were to know the evils that he came to possess, I would have intervened. Nevertheless, enough dwelling in the past, you must have questions."

"Why are you telling me this? I don't even know you."

"I have my reasons." There was a pause.

SSS

"How long ago, did I die?" Severus asked.

"A day, a month, a thousand years. Time is of no significance here."

"How did I die?" Severus asked again.

"Potions accident." He stated. Severus's mind raced. He now remembered everything, the Sulferdell, the girl. Had he saved the girl?

"There was a girl, did she get out? Did I save her?" Severus asked.

"I cannot answer that, but someone else can."

"Then my life was truly a waste." Severus sighed.

"No one's life is a waste, for we all have a part to play and I am here to teach you a lesson in which will help you piece together the meaning of life. I am one of many people who had interactions with you in life, and now in death you will understand why." Headmaster Dippet confessed.

He began walking and beckoned Severus to follow. Severus began taking long strides, strides in which he had not taken since he was a young man.

"How did you die?" Severus asked as he now walked side by side with the slightly odd looking wizard.

"You killed me."

SSS

"No! You must be mistaken, I barely knew you." Severus said in disbelief.

"Yes, I know we barely knew each other, but it was you killed me."

"How could have I killed you?" Severus asked still in disbelief.

"It was an accident of course. You were only a child." Armando stated.

Severus did not know how to respond. He had killed a man, as a child no less. How was his life of any importance? The Headmaster seemed undisturbed by the fact that Severus was the one who killed him.

"I was born with a condition which made me vulnerable to potions. If the slightest drop would touch my skin I would become violently ill." Armando explained.

"Do you remember? You were in your father's potions lab without permission." He asked Severus again.

Severus did remember, he remembered how much he was punished by his father afterwards. He never understood why his father had been so angry.

SSS

Severus was almost six years old. He stood on a wooden block, so that he could reach the workbench in his father's Potion's classroom. He was busy pouring all different types of potions with different hues into a large black cauldron. Severus was pretending to be his father.

"Now listen to me you dunderheads! We will be brewing the imaginary friend potion. Begin!" Severus imitated his father.

Severus took out his toy wand and pretended to make magic and transform his potion into the one thing he really wanted, a friend.

"Severus, I do not think your father would like you playing in there." Headmaster Dippet said to the little boy causing to spill one of the potions onto his hands. Severus quickly wiped his hands on his robes.

"Sorry Headmaster." Severus said hanging his head.

The Headmaster waved his wand and the mess disappeared.

"Come with me." The headmaster said holding out his hand.

"Yes sir." Severus took hold of the man's hand. The little boy noticed him cringe as he touched the man's hand.

SSS

"I had a potion on my hand. You should have said something!" Severus hissed angrily.

"You needed a friend Severus, that was more important at the time, than a little reaction to a potion." Armando explained.

"But, you died! Because of me, you're dead!" Severus yelled angrily, not understanding.

"Severus, you grew up alone. You were in a castle full of children, and yet you were never allowed to play with them. You knew more magic at the age of six than most second years, but your father always expected you to act beyond your years. I may have failed Tom, but I swore that I would never fail another child."

SSS

"But I don't want to go!" Severus whined.

"GET DRESSED!" His father yelled.

"Come on my good little boy, lets find your shoes." His mother coaxed.

"Mummy, why do we have to go?" He whined again.

"Sometimes sad things happen, and we have to deal with them." Emily tried to explain.

"But it's my birthday!" Severus moaned again.

Dorian came back into his son's room and threw his son down on the bed. He grabbed the shoes out of Emily's hand and shoved them onto his feet. Severus kicked and screamed, wishing his father to stop.

"Daddy stop! Daddy you're hurting me!" Severus cried.

"Finish getting him ready Emily." Dorian slammed the door behind him.

The Snapes were standing on a hill, there were several other witches and wizards standing around. Severus stared at a large coffin. He sniffed his nose, still upset at what his father had done.

An older wizard looked intently at the boy. The man noticed how rigidly the little boy stood. His eyes were red and puffy and he kept rubbing his hand over his shins. The man knew that he wasn't crying over the funeral, for he was too young to understand.

'This must have been about something else.' He thought.

Severus glanced over to the wizard and met his deep blue gaze.

SSS

That was the first time Severus had met Albus Dumbledore, the next Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Severus pulled him back to the conversation at hand.

"But it was so trivial, if I wasn't so stupid, so childish. Why did you do that for me? I barely knew you." Severus protested, still angry with himself.

"I may have died, but you lived, and you did great things with your life. You may not think that you have, but I assure you that you would not be here if you did not."

"We were practically strangers." Severus said.

"Strangers are simply family that you have yet to meet." Armando said, now walking towards the castle's main entrance.

"My time with you is now over. I wish you the best of luck." The Headmaster said, extending his hand.

Severus took his hand and felt part of this man's life pass through him as he vanished, leaving Severus alone once again.

A/N: Surprised at who I picked? I realize that in cannon, Headmaster Dippet was the headmaster circa 1940's but I do not believe JK Rowling has said specifically when Dumbledore became headmaster; so I took liberties, forgive me. Please review.

Thanks to Turtle, Silverthreads, Hannah, and Lilith11.