Chapter Two: Uncle Severus

~~***~~ Four Years Later~~***~~

"Uncle Severus?" Young Draco Malfoy called out. His father had just made him use floo powder to get to his Uncle's House. His Father left him at his Uncle's house whenever his Uncle was home from teaching school. Draco enjoyed time spent at his Uncle's house. But this time Draco really did hurt his father had beat him too much. Draco didn't hear a response from his uncle's room… he open the door slowly and saw his uncle lying on the bed. Draco climbed up next to his uncle and began to shake him.

"Time to wake up…" Severus didn't move. "HEY! Time to wake up…" Draco went to touch the side of his uncle's face. Draco flinched his hand away his uncle was ice cold. "Uncle Severus?" Draco whispered. Draco panicked and flew to the fireplace. he grabbed the powder and stepped into the hearth and yelled "Remus!" he fell out of a fire place not far away… a small apartment.

"Draco?" He heard a scratchy voice ask. "What is it Draco?"

"It's Uncle Sev… he won't wake up and he's cold." He managed to say to the Werewolf without fear this time. Draco didn't start crying he knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Come here Draco." Remus said quietly leaning down and picking up the five year old. "It'll be alright." Remus apperated the two to Snape manor more accurately into Severus's bedroom. "Draco sweetie can you go sit in that chair over there while I work on your Uncle Sev? Please?" Draco nodded squirming out of Remus's un-concentrated grasp. 

Remus looked over Sev's body… he was gripping his right arm and he was cold very, very cold. Searching for an answer on the young potion master's bedside table he found it. Several potions were there dreamless sleep, an energizer, strengthening potions, and painkillers, all untouched except the dreamless sleep.  The bottle was on it's side and nearly empty. 'He probably thought it was a painkiller' Remus thought as he searched for the right potion to pour over the young man's lips. He found it, he quickly pored the powerful energizer into Sev's mouth. He also placed a blanket around his friend's body and cast a warming charm on it. Severus woke with a start.

"Remy?" He questioned his one time lover.

"Shhh… Draco came and got me, just like we told him to." Remus whispered softly.

"Why? What happened?" Severus looked around franticly for the boy.

"He's in the chair right over there…. you took too much "dreamless sleep" and you got the worst reaction minus dying."

"Draco?" Severus asked the boy.

"I'm over here."

"Come here Draco." Draco followed orders quietly and quickly. Remus lifted the boy onto the bed and Severus reached out to hug the boy. When Severus had his arms around the small five year old, he flinched and started crying. "What is it Draco?" Severus was now no longer concerned about himself rather about the boy in his arms now instead.

"He hit me again," Draco cried sitting in Severus's legs as Severus tried to make himself sit up. Remus looked at the boy horror on his face.

"Lucius beats this boy?" Remus bellowed angrily. "He has no right no child with loving parental figures should have to go through this!"

~~**~~ Number Four Privet Drive**~~**

"Vernon stop, he is only five for Christ sake!"

"Petunia! I KNOW HOW TO RAISE CHILDREN!" He shouted at her before going back to belting the small raven-haired boy. Harry Potter was crying his uncle was beating him because he had accidentally dropped his glass on the floor and it had broken. Harry had immediately begun to pick it up to throw away the pieces but his uncle had heard the glass break, and it was too late. Harry was being held by one of his uncle's huge fat beefy hands and being whipped by the belt that was usually around his uncle's beer belly.

"VERNON! STOP THIS NOW!"

"WOMAN YOU WILL RESPECT ME!" He bellowed back at her. He let go of Harry quickly turned to petunia and slapped her so hard that she fell down hitting the small table in the hall way on her way down.

"MOMMY!!" Yelled the young Dudley running over to his fallen mother.

"YOU BOY!" Vernon said turning his attention back to the boy who was his nephew. "You will sleep in the broom closet under the stairs!" His uncle finished with him dragging his to the cupboard shoving him in and locking the door behind him. Harry fell asleep crying.

~~**~~ Snape Manor Three Years Later~~**~~

"Uncle Severus, why am I always dropped of here during the vacations?" Draco asked.

"It was the deal I struck with your father. I would become a Death-Eater if I was allowed to share custody of you when I wasn't at Hogwarts." Severus said calmly while he applied a salve to one of Draco's new bruises and wrapped it with cotton bandages.

"Why?" Draco asked trying to pry further.

"Because your father has always abused you and I wanted you to live to adulthood." Severus said seriously.

"I saw the picture… of you and that lady… who is she?"  Draco said changing the subject to a completely different topic.

"Where did you see that picture?"

"Under your pillow where you keep it. She is pretty…"

"Draco can you keep a secret?"

"From who?"

"Everybody except Uncle Remus."

"Yeah." The boy replied. Severus was taking a big risk telling the young man this but he had never lied to him before.

"Well Draco that woman was Lily she and I were in love, but she got married to another man."

"But why didn't you get married to her?"

"Because she loved us both, and your dad would have hurt her if he found out about the two of us."

"Wouldn't you have just fixed her up if that had happened? Like you do for me?"

"No Draco, he would have hurt her even worse. There is another part of this story if you want to know." Severus stopped and continues to treat the freshly bruised boy with salve and wrapping the boy in gauze. "Okay shirt on pants off."

Draco did as he was told. "What else is there?"

"Well you see Lily and I had a child. Everyone thought he was the child of her husband but he was my child."

"So do they live together as a family now while you just have me?"

"No," he was about to start crying but he couldn't, "they don't live together anymore. When the baby was a year old… The Dark Lord attacked their house and he killed Lily and James. But the baby Harry he survived." Severus had stopped tending the boys bruises to let his tears flow.

"You mean that you are Harry Potter's dad!"

"Yes Draco I am."

"This is so COOL!!"

"Draco you can't tell anyone. IF you do I will get in a lot of trouble. Your father will label me a traitor and he will try to kill me, do you understand Draco?"

Draco nodded and patted his uncle's head. "You miss him don't you?"

"Yes Draco, I miss him very much." Severus confessed before starting to dress the bruises on the boy's legs.

"Don't worry… I will make friends with him I promise."