Warning major character death.
Longbottom Guest House October 31, 1981:
Severus was beyond angry, how dare anyone attack a family with a new baby like this? He had been planning to see Lily and James and had swung by the Longbottoms home to find it in chaos. Sirius and Peter lay dead on the floor but so too were several death eaters, two of the Lestrange brothers, Malfoy, Nott and Yaxley. There was whimpering and he found Frank shuttering. Quickly Severus got his pain potion in him and headed upstairs to where Alice was huddled with infant Neville. She was alive and well and the baby was unharmed. She made a motion with her eyes and Severus turned a shield spell out quick to block the one sent by Bellatrix.
"Oh baby Snape wants to play." Bellatrix said in a mocking tone.
"I am a master curse breaker, please put down your wand." Severus said handing three vials to Alice, "I trust you know what those are for?"
"Yes thank you." Alice said quickly emptying the earth, salt and holy water around her in three circles.
"What was that?" Bellatrix asked.
"Magic you can't understand," Severus replied, "please put down your wand."
"You can't to anything to me, against the law." Bellatrix taunted.
"No it is not, as a cures breaker I have certain privileges and the law has changed." Severus said, "I will not ask again."
With a snarl the battle was on and it was more one-sided than anything. Severus blocked everything sent his way, and with the complete circles around Alice and Neville, Bellatrix could not get to them either. Severus drove her from the room, down the stairs to where Frank was barely standing and out onto the lawn. Cast after cast he threw her back. He cut her wand arm off but instead of surrendering she came at him. She lost her head next and Severus turned to Frank who saw the whole thing, Frank was an Auror and a very fair and good one. He looked sad at this and Severus knew he felt guilty.
"They attacked right away, I remember Sirius and Peter getting here, then pain and I was trapped, then you can." Frank said.
"Oh no." Severus said with growing horror, "I cam to surprise my sister, but no!"
"You can't go, he will kill you!" Frank said, "if he is there."
"Then I will be with him." Dumbledore said walking up, "this war ends tonight, I am done with this."
"Fine, I hope we are not too late." Severus said.
They apparated away and ended up on the edge of Godric's Hallow. They ran to where a charming cottage was and Severus ran in. He found James dead by the stairs wand in hand and scorch marks on the wall. He ran up the stair and to the nursery where Lily, oh no she was dead. He heard crying and staggered to where Harry was and took him in his arms and held him. He handed him to Dumbledore and held the body of his sister and wept. Then Remus was there and Frank still hurt gently led him away. The women had to come to tend to Lily's body now.
"Here is Tom's wand." Dumbledore said, "ah so Lily stopped him."
"Yes, she shot the killing curse just as he cast one at her." Severus said, "good on her."
"Yes indeed, love can be used to fuel the killing curse, many mothers have used it before to protect their children." Remus said, "we need to find out what to do with Harry."
"I will take him to Petunia." Severus said, "first I need to make sure he is okay."
"Very well she is family."
"And loved Lily." Severus said.
Severus checked little Harry over and found a curse in the cut on his forehead not yet attached. He removed the curse and put it in a sealed jar and went to heal the cut. He raised and eyebrow as the cut became a scar, a light purple one and he knew at once what this child was. He hushed Harry the best he could turning to Dumbledore.
"He is a prophecy child, tell me did you hear of a prophecy?" Severus asked.
"I did, I kept it to myself." Dumbledore replied, "no-one else could have known."
"Well he will come back, so we must be prepared." Severus said.
"Oh one of those dark lords." Remus said, "well he will be safe?"
"He will." Dumbledore said, "with his aunt."
"With his aunt and uncle, Vernon is a bit uncouth but he will do right by the boy." Severus replied.
Severus would wait until morning to take Harry. He wanted to get drunk but knew that never was the answer. Instead he made sure Harry was able to sleep in the magical tent he had.
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Crawley November 1, 1981:
The homes in this part of Crawley were older homes, Victorian era and full of charm. Mature trees lined the streets and homes had a basement then three floors above that. They had lots of charm and were perfect places to raise a family. A hatchback car pulled up outside one and a man clad in jeans, heavy boots, band tee shirt and leather jacket exited. Another man clad in a tweed suit stepped out as well and handed a baby to the first man. They walked to the door and rang the bell and soon Petunia came to the door and on seeing Severus with the baby she screamed and Severus handed Harry to Remus and caught Petunia and helped her into the house.
Vernon had ran down the stairs and on seeing Severus and the baby Harry turned white. He stumbled to the phone and called work to say he had a family emergency and he could not come in. Petunia was hitting Severus and screaming she hated him over and over while she cried and Severus let her. Remus had shut the door and was doing his level best to hush a now wailing Harry. Severus led Petunia to the parlor and helped her to a chair his own face wet with tears. The curtains had yet to be drawn so this moment was still very private.
"He murdered them, but Lily got him before he could really harm Harry." Severus said.
"What's with the scar?" Vernon asked.
"He is marked, I did my best to remove it but it is a scar of destiny, the dark lord will come back." Severus said.
"Like Sauron, have you read the Lord of the Rings?" Remus asked.
"Once for class in Uni, so that thing will be back?" Vernon replied.
"You are safe as long as Harry can call this house home." Severus said.
"He will and you in turn will be provided with things for Harry." Remus said, "but I have just the thing, I have his things if I may bring them in?"
"Let Severus." Vernon said, "what things will we be provided for, he is family but we were not expecting him."
"A thousand pounds a month for clothing and the like, a thousand for allowing him house room and a servant to help in the house, no charge." Remus said.
"That is more than generous." Vernon said, "we have four large bedrooms, one will be his."
Severus came back in and went up to the bare room that would be Harry's. Vernon watched as he took out furniture, dresser, wardrobe, a desk, then a four poster bed with curtains in deep blue. Severus used his wand to place the items, the bed against two walls along with most of the furniture. A cot rounded out the space and though cramped in a year or so Harry would no longer need it. Vernon liked magic but then he liked Severus even more with what he said next.
"Normally I would not do this, I would let you put this together but I think with what all you have been though this was easier this way." Severus said.
"Thank you, you can do things with your hands then?" Vernon asked.
"Yes my father is a muggle and a good man too." Severus replied, "I think all magicals should work with and understand the non-magical world. Magic does not make one better than anyone else."
"Severus my lad we must be friends." Vernon said putting an arm around his shoulders, "really we must."
"I would like that, I have money to invest, do you know where I can invest?" Severus asked.
While Vernon still would not be completely comfortable around magic, he would be friends with Severus and he would get a job for Remus as a consultant. This kind of job did not have a required set schedule so that Remus could take the full moon off and no-one would ever care. He had to tell Petunia what he was and she did not seem to care as she soon found a wolf seated smiling at her then turning back to Severus. There was a gigantic hole in everyone's hearts but at least they would have each other to heal with.
Hogwarts January 9, 1982:
Severus was in no mood to celebrate his birthday. He had lost so many friends in such a short period of time. Frank and Alice had survived as had Flint, a boy who had been the same age as Lucius and had not joined the dark lord. Too many of his house at Hogwarts had and that was why reforms had been put through, there were mandatory muggle studies classes and magical etiquette classes as well that everyone had agreed to take. That and the defense position no longer was cursed. Which lead to Severus being here.
"I am going to be in need of a potions master and a defense instructor." Dumbledore said, "Slughorn wants to retire."
"I see, well while I do like to make potions teaching it is not the thing I wish to do." Severus replied.
"Which is why I am offering you the position of defense instructor, see how you do for the year and if you do well make that a permanent offer" Dumbledore said.
"Who will be the potions professor?" Severus asked.
"Andromeda Tonks, she has a girl about to enter Hogwarts, though she is proud of her husband she will be known as professor Black."
"Good that is a good choice." Severus said, "no-one will dare attack her and with the lord Black restoring her to the family that will show he is no on the side of terrorist either, who will be head of house Slytherin?"
"I was thinking of you." Dumbledore said.
"No, Andromeda Tonks is a far better choice." Severus replied, "not me."
"I thought you would say that, very well, I will put the offer in." Dumbledore said.
Severus would have a dream job, he would teach defense and that was it. Most of it would be practical work with a few essays here and there. It was a dream class for him, he could settle down and work on potions and take the odd curse breaking job here and there. The goblins would not mind and he could help with the defenses of Hogwarts which needed work. It was indeed a dream job. He just wished that Lily was still alive, sweet Lily who did not deserve what happened to her.
Malfoy Manor June 6, 1982:
Narcissa had to come to grips with what her husband was or had been. He was a monster, a complete monster. Sure, she believed purebloods were better than everyone else but she did not condone killing people! For him to attack an ancient house like he had and to help kill her cousin and his friend, well that was wrong. She had been very cooperative with the Aurors and they had found a lot of things from her husband. Arbaxis was just as upset at her, sure he wanted muggleborn to know their place but what his son did was not the right way of doing things.
"So father what shall we do to go forward?" Narcissa asked.
"He will be disowned, yes he is dead but it must be done." Arbaxis replied, "the Malfoy family is going to feel this for a very long time and I fear we are going to have to stoop lower than ever to get over this."
"I will not have my Draco consorting with muggleborn!" Narcissa snapped.
"If they are in service to house Malfoy would that change your mind?" Arbaxis asked.
"I will think on it." Narcissa said.
"Do because the Aurors might not come after you or I now but they will and we have to be seen as far from Lucius's path as possible."
"Very well, if it means continued survival I will do as you ask."
Narcissa knew that a new age had dawned and it was not one she liked, at all. But as a true Slytherin she would do what it took to come out on top, even if it meant she had to work with filthy muggleborns. She intended to rise above what her husband had done and that was why she had rescued those poor girls, or so she told herself.
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Cruel but needed. I could not see Peter surviving in this story nor could I see Sirius, I wanted Frank and Alice to but in order for that to happen people had to die. Lucius is scum here, and things he did even his very pureblood father could not approve of. Only Dumbledore heard the prophecy and no-one else. Voldemort attacked the same time because he was compelled to, not because he heard the prophecy, but it is real here and more so because he idd not hear it.
Severus here is not going to be head of house and will teach defense, this leaves him lots of time to brew potions, take side jobs and continue to make money. Dumbledore considers this a major win as he has a curse breaker on staff.
Anyway, do review please!