This idea has been floating in my head for a while, so I'm posting it here. I haven't used this name to post stories before. Please read and review!

ReadingIsMyLife

Broken Wheels and Mended Fences

Chapter 1

Severus Snape, a well respected herbalist and horticulturalist in his town, was not known for his patience when it came to people. However, he had all the time in the world when it came to one of his experiments or concoctions. He had once stayed up for thirty-six hours straight to make sure a new healing salve had fermented correctly, never taking his eye off of it. His patience often paid off, and his products and knowledge were used widely across the province in which he lived. He even shipped select packages to out of area customers.

Currently, Snape was stirring a small pot of what looked liked weeds in a bit of water, but was actually the beginning stage of a stress relieving cream. With the utmost care, he tipped in some ground chamomile which quickly made the room smell of flowers. Eyes narrowed in concentration, he let it boil for a few more moments before straining it into a larger pot.

Setting it back down carefully, Snape cursed when the shrill ring of his telephone interrupted his train of thought. Hastily turning down the heat on the large stove, he picked up the phone with a snarl.

"What?" He barked, irritated at being disturbed. However, the person on the other line simply chuckled.

"Ah, as charming as usual, Severus." Snape rolled his eyes and heaved an impatient sigh.

"Hello, Albus. The lotion you ordered isn't ready for another few days, or so I told Minerva when she called yesterday…"

"No, I'm afraid I have something important I need to speak with you about, Severus." Albus Dumbledore interrupted, his voice completely calm. "Would you mind coming in? It's not an issue to speak of over the telephone, I'm afraid."

Snape was silent for a moment, allowing himself to wonder what the old coot wanted. "When?" He said, not hiding his anger at having to inconvenience himself.

"As soon as possible, if you could."

"Give me twenty minutes." Snape snarled before hanging up with more force than necessary. Trust Dumbledore to interrupt him right in the middle of a mixture. Mumbling a few nasty remarks under his breath, Severus placed the lid on the simmering concoction and turned down the already low heat. Who knew how long Albus would keep him there.

Albus Dumbledore was the Head Caretaker at Hogwarts Orphanage, a few miles north of town. Snape often supplied them with medicines, salves, and herbs throughout the year, and was well acquainted with most of the staff. Dumbledore had been a friend of the family when he was growing up, and often used their friendship to his advantage.

As he drove away from his rather secluded home, with a hill on one side and woods on the other, he wondered what on earth Albus had needed that couldn't be discussed over the phone.

As he pulled up in front of a large, yet homely looking building, he cursed Albus once again… even if it was just for making him waste gas driving out here.

"Hello, Severus." Arabella Figg, the ancient receptionist, greeted him as he walked through the automatic sliding doors. Snape just sneered and nodded in greeting, as was per usual. The old bat would probably die of shock if I ever replied in kind, Severus though vindictively, fighting back a grin at the familiar routine.

Heading up the creaking stairway, as he didn't trust the deathtrap that they called an elevator, he had to dodge out of the way as two small, scrambling children rushed down. He would never understand Dumbledore's affinity for children, especially the younger, misbehaved ones the he constantly encountered here.

Walking down a long hallway, he finally reached what was known as the 'common room'. Three shabby couches set up around a rather dilapidated television held the center of the room, to the right sat several gray tables and hard chairs for any game playing or studying that needed to be done. To the left were several old armchairs and various large pillows and seats for lounging.

There were currently three children on the sofas, each sprawled out across them as some cartoon character danced across the screen. Snape recognized two of them from previous visits, while one had a slightly lost look that indicated he was new. He only had to be about seven years old, from what Snape could gather.

A handful sat at the tables, one sketching in some old drawing book, a few playing a game of what looked to be poker, and two were playing a beat-up version of Monopoly, improvising the lost pieces with colored stones and any missing play money with torn pieces of paper.

Taking all of it in, Snape started when he heard a cough come from behind him.

"Excuse me, sir." Came a soft, timid voice. "I need to get through."

Turning sharply, Severus was surprised to find a pair of emerald green eyes staring at him apologetically. Stepping to the side, he allowed himself a more critical study of the boy before him.

Impossibly messy hair that was as black as ink sat atop a softly angled face, which seemed a tad too thin. The startling emerald eyes were partially hidden by a pair of wire framed glasses, and just over those, Snape could make out a peculiarly shaped scar.

Snape belatedly noticed that the boy was not extremely short, as he first thought, but was instead currently sitting in a wheelchair, and obviously could not pass with Snape blocking the hallway.

"Thank you." The boy mumbled as he passed, looking down at his lap. Snape watched as he hesitated before heading over towards the tables and quietly opened a book that he held in his lap.

"Ah, Severus, there you are!" Came a cheery voice from behind the snarky, brooding man.

"Hello, Albus." Severus greeted, shaking the man's offered hand. Albus Dumbledore was what most would call eccentric. His long white beard and hair could easily be tucked into his belt, and he often wore bright, eye catching colors as well as a pair of half-moon spectacles that sat upon a long, crooked nose.

"Aren't they wonderful, Severus?" Albus said softly with a sad smile. Snape raised an eyebrow as the older man gestured to the children in the room.

"I wouldn't be the one to ask." Severus said impatiently. He had a least a dozen more things he could be doing right now.

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore gave a soft sigh, his eyes twinkling in mirth at some unknown joke. "Would you step into my office for a moment?"

Snape followed Dumbledore with a slight frown. Whatever it was must be important, or it had to do with one of the children.

Albus placed himself behind his worn desk, while Severus situated himself on one of the stiff, ancient chairs in front of it. Dumbledore picked up a file that had been lying on top of the desk, and handed it to the scowling man in front of him.

Severus took it wordlessly, and opened it only to see the unsmiling face of the boy he encountered in the hallway. Raising an eyebrow, Snape shifted through some of the papers, stopping when he got to the next picture, taken about five years previous.

It was of the same boy; he could tell by the raven mop of hair. Only his eyes were closed, and his nude body stretched over a hospital bed. Bruises, cuts, blood, and various other marks decorated the boy's body.

Shocked to the core, Snape barely kept his face in its usual stoic manner. Flipping through the medical reports, words jumped out at him. Words like 'abuse', 'long term', 'malnutrition', and 'permanent damage'. Some of those hit a little too close to home.

Glancing up at Dumbledore, Severus noted that the bright blue eyes were no longer twinkling, and instead held a great deal of sadness.

Taking an extra second to make sure his voice was its usual tone, Severus stared back down at the file.

"Who did this to him, and what am I supposed to do about it?" He demanded, tossing the file back on the older man's desk. Dumbledore sighed softly.

"Harry was moved into our custody five years ago, when he was eleven." The old man started. Snape settled back in the chair but remained tense.

"His parents died when he was just over a year old, and was subsequently moved into the care of his Aunt and Uncle, who were his only living relatives. Unfortunately, nobody took the time to check on the family's household, or the deceased's relationship with her sister."

Snape's gaze flickered to the file on the desk, remembering the horrendous photographs.

"You're telling me his family, his aunt and uncle, did this to him! To their own nephew!" Severus' usually calm voiced was laced with shock and venom. Albus just nodded.

"One night, on Harry's eleventh birthday, his uncle went farther than usual, and caused some spinal damage. The authorities found him when a neighbor was walking past and happened to glance inside and see Harry lying on the ground. Unfortunately, this was three days after Harry's birthday."

Severus barely kept control of his features, but fury and empathy waged within him. His own father hadn't been that bad, but he knew what it was liked to be abused. After a moment of silence, the older man continued.

"Harry spent four months in the hospital for multiple broken bones, malnourishment, and three of his vertebrae were crushed. They did what they could, but Harry will never be able to walk again. He can feel, they repaired his nerves, but he can't move anything below his hips."

"Poor boy…" Severus muttered, his eyes going distant. He didn't notice the slight twinkle reentering the caretaker's eyes. Suddenly, the obsidian black eyes focused back onto Dumbledore.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" He asked sharply, feeling a curl of dread enter his belly.

"Severus…" Albus began in an urgent, but calming tone.

"Harry has been placed in nine different homes within the past five years. Nobody that has tried taking him in has been able to cope with a physically and emotionally scarred child, especially one with special physical needs."

"Unfortunately, this has left Harry very unstable and emotionally detached. He's gotten quieter and quieter. I fear for him, Severus." Albus said softly, but there was a heavy impact in those words.

"Harry needs help, guidance, and someone to be a constant in his life. He needs someone who genuinely cares for him, and that can treat him like a normal child. We do not have the staff or the facilities to keep him here for a long period of time, Severus. Harry needs a home."

Severus took this all in with a calculating gaze, and his eyes widened with astonishment.

"You certainly aren't asking for me to take him in, are you Albus?" He demanded.

Albus smiled. "You're the best person for the job, Severus."

"Absolutely not! I'm horrible with children, and I haven't the patience-"

"Severus." Albus cut the herbalist off. "You can empathize with what he's going through. You have a large enough home for him to be comfortable. You have more patience than you have credit for. And you know money is no issue. We are happy to reimburse you for any extra cost that housing Harry might bring."

Snape sighed, burying his face in his long-fingered hands.

"What if I can't do it?"

"Then we will simply find Harry another home. I have faith in you, Severus. Do this, for yourself and for Harry."

Snape bit the inside of his cheek and ran through all the protests bouncing around his mind. He had many of them, but none of them seemed credible anymore, or they made him look incredibly selfish.

He thought for a few minutes, and waited a minute more before speaking.

"All right."

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