Summary: Can one person and fate make the difference in Severus' life?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, sue me and become poor.
A/N: This fic is AU, not canon.
Now to my reviewers!
juliedecarson: Thanks for reviewing, and alas I do love the angst
Elwen of Imladris: You and your hatred for Harry snort thanks
AccioSeverus: Hogwarts will be such a challenge to come hehehe
Pure Black: Thanks!
Eloquentlyspeechless: I LOVE angst, and thank you for reading it!
Lady Lily3: Hmmm this chapter is longer! Some are quite long others are not sorry but TY!
HecateDeMort: thanks!
mb: yes grrrr The Dursley's, and I love writing nice Severus, and yet he will show his other side from time to time.
rosiegirl: thank you, here is an update!
Ceyxa: Yes child abuse is horrible, and yet it does happen everyday. I also believe Harry suffered some during his stay
Again THANK YOU to all my wonderful reviewers Now to the fic!
Chapter 6
Dumbledore had not slept all night; he instead had paced the floor of his room. His mind replayed the past over and over. The wizard was for the second time in his life, without hope. The first had been that fateful night, long ago when he had arrived only to see Lily and James were already dead. He was the one who had sent Harry to stay with the Muggles, instead of Sirius. That had led the man to kill, and now he was serving life in Azkaban for it.
Now Dumbledore thought to where Severus had been. When he had needed him most, Severus had been nowhere to be found. Had Voldemort taken him elsewhere, was he trapped or worse dead? Pounding his fist on the desk he sent all the objects on it hurtling to the door, and smacking Severus right in the face as he walked through it.
"Severus." Where have you been? The Death Eaters visited Harry, and we cannot find him. Severus, McNair is dead."
Severus looked right into those eyes that used to twinkle, "I know about McNair, I killed him."
"So you were there. Then where is Harry? He must be returned before Voldemort finds him.
Severus glared at Dumbledore and, something he never thought to say escaped his mouth. "Have you lost all senses old man? Those Muggles, have beaten him, starved him, and even branded him like cattle. He will not be returning to them ever!"
Dumbledore was not one to back down. "Severus, I admire your concern for the boy, but who else has the ability to take him in? I cannot raise a child; I haven't the energy to keep up with one. Hagrid would end up causing the boy harm with one of his wild beasts, and the Weasley's have enough children as it is. Who do you think we are going to leave him with?"
"He shall remain with me. I will keep him from harm, as only I can."
"Severus, you will return him here at once, he is the saviour of the wizarding world."
"What he is Albus, is a very frightened little boy. He is only a child, and he needs love and understanding, not to be hidden away until we deem it is his time to fight for all of us."
Dumbledore sank down into his chair. "Have I been that shallow, that obsessed, that I only thought of killing Voldemort?"
Severus sat down in the chair opposite him, and stared deep into his eyes. "You are not the only one. All of us have taken his childhood from him with our cause. He knows nothing of the wizarding world Albus, the Muggles told him nothing." Severus then thought of telling Albus his deepest fears, that Harry could be his son, but he decided to wait till he knew for sure himself.
"Severus, are you sure you are able to undertake this? I mean no harm, but you are neither one of the most lovable, nor kind people I know. In fact, you have been known to go out of your way to make people miserable."
"All this is true. I do not associate with others very well, but I feel drawn to this boy somehow, and I shall endeavor to become a good parental figure. Whether you approve or not Albus, I will not be sending him back to those butchers you call his family. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some things to collect before I return, and I have a small favor to ask."
"What do you need Severus, and before you answer, tell me this. Is Harry doing well?"
Severus graced the Headmaster with a rare flicker of an emotion. "I wish I could tell you he was, but he has suffered for too long. In time he may again be a carefree child, but now he is hurt and alone, and not at all sure of whom he is. As for my request, I would like to know if you could spare a house elf."
"Go down to the kitchens and find one to your liking. Send my wishes that I require for one of them to return with you until the school year starts. You will be returning to teach won't you Severus?"
"As I have revealed myself as a spy to the Dark Lord, I have no other job than Hogwarts. Now I really must be going. I shall send word on how Harry is coming along."
Harry awoke and found himself not in the cramped cupboard, but in a nice warm bed. Sitting up, it all came back to him. The man with the dark hair had rescued him, and then told him fairy tales about being a wizard. Harry saw the sun outside, and it beckoned to him to come out. Harry was reluctant, however. He had never been outside to play. The one time he had tried to go out, his cousin had used him for a punching bag, and left Harry bleeding on the steps. His aunt had been furious, and made him clean up the mess he had caused by bleeding all over her nice clean porch. The porch he had just spent two hours cleaning.
Harry, careful of his injuries, crawled out of the bed. When his feet touched the floor it was cold, and it sent shivers up his spine. Harry was going to ask the dark man if he could go outside, just for a few minutes to feel the warmth of the sun. Harry went into the kitchen, and the sitting room, but did not see him anywhere. Next, Harry stumbled back up the stairs, flinging open door after door as he called to the man named Severus, but he did not appear.
"He's left me here," Harry thought, slowly sliding down against the wall to fall into a heap on the floor. "I knew he didn't want me either." Pulling his knees up to his chest, Harry rested his chin on his knees and sat lost in his thoughts. He sat there for awhile before he swiped his tears away. "If he doesn't want me around, then I'm leaving." Sucking back the scream that wanted to come out, Harry dragged himself down the stairs, and out the door, but once he was outside, he had no idea which way to go. Taking a chance, Harry began to walk to the right, out into the meadow.
Soon he was surrounded by the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Everywhere around him were flowers of every color. Temporarily forgetting his plan to escape Harry sat down among the flowers and stared up at the sky. He recalled the man warning him not to go past the borders of the meadow, something about certain death. Right now though, Harry was content to look at the clouds, and breathe in the fragrance of the flowers.
Severus apparated outside the house, one of the Hogwarts house elves in tow. Once inside, the elf named Lotty went to work cleaning up the sitting room. Severus not hearing even a peep from Harry, decided he must be sleeping still and went to wake the boy.
When he opened the door to the room his eyes fell upon the empty bed, and at once a stifling feeling of panic arose in his chest. Severus rushed from room to room, slamming open doors and calling out the boy's name. When he had searched the entire upstairs floor, he went down and almost tripped over Lotty near the couch. "Have you seen a small boy?" he shouted at her, his distress becoming too much for his natural reserve.
"I saw someone out in the meadow at the back of the house. Is that who you is referring to sir?"
Severus sprinted out the door, everything forgotten except reaching the boy. He had told Harry no one could get past the boundaries he had set, no one but his immediate family, and they were all dead. Severus had done this to keep the Death Eaters from ever finding him here, and now Harry was only a few yards from them. "Harry!" he yelled out to the boy trying to get his attention.
Harry sat up where he was, and saw the dark man running towards him. He looked upset, and Harry had learned long ago that look meant certain punishment. Besides, Severus didn't want him, he had left him all alone. Harry did the only thing he could think of, he took off running.
Severus' heart leapt into his throat. Harry was running to the boundary, and there was no way he was going to catch him in time, not even with the boy so badly injured. "Harry, stop. Don't go any further. Harry, stop this instant!" Severus roared. His raised voice only seemed to make the child run faster. Severus could only watch in horror as Harry crossed the boundary. Sinking to his knees, he let the tears roll down his face. Lotty the house elf ran up to him, and knelt beside the stricken man.
"Why is sir crying? What can Lotty do for sir to make him feel better?"
"You cannot help me, the boy is gone. The wards that surround the boundary keep out all who are not family, and he just crossed them," Severus choked out.
"Would you like Lotty, to go and collect him sir?"
Severus shook his head no. "It is my job. I will go and get him, but I will be back to return you to Hogwarts." Severus rose, walking with his head bowed low, for he had just killed the hope of the entire wizarding world. As he approached Harry, he could see the boy was lying face down on the grass. Severus knelt down, but was almost afraid to roll the boy over. He had seen death before, and even caused it, but this was different. Taking in a deep breath, he steeled himself to see the nightmare he had allowed to happen, but he was so startled he cried out. As he had grasped the boy's shoulder to roll him over, Harry had tried to jerk away.
"Leave me alone! I know you don't want me. I'll go away now, I tripped or I would've escaped."
Harry was taken back as Severus grabbed him up in a bone crushing hug. "You are alive" was all he kept saying over and over, and it was starting to worry Harry.
"Of course you can see I'm alive, now could you let me go, you're hurting me."
Severus finally found his ability to speak again. "Why would you think I did not want you? Nothing could be further from the truth." The look in Harry's eyes was one of incomprehension. "There will be time for questions later, for now let's get you inside."
Harry allowed himself to be picked up by Severus, and without realizing it; he laid his head down on the man's shoulder and fell asleep. Severus Snape walked back into the house, not carrying Harry Potter, but carrying his son.