Black dragonhide boots stepped quietly over the threshold, almost tiptoeing, as if afraid to disturb the ruins of the once-house.

Wandlight swept over broken glasses on cracked tile, their owner lying only inches. He paused, hesitating, before closing the lifeless eyes that had once held so much defiance and arrogance. With a wave of his hand, a blanket covered the body, and he moved on.

Gingerly, he stepped on the first step, testing its strength after the horrors of that night. Seeing that it would, in fact, hold up under his weight, he climbed upwards. With each step he took, he slowed, knowing what he would find, and yet still hoping that he was wrong.

The tall figure froze at the sound of a quiet cry, before rushing forward into the ruined nursery, only to be stopped once again by ginger hair on old wooden flooring, moving gently in the wind from the missing walls of the house.

He fell to his knees, the grief overtaking him. His heart was in his throat. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't…

Another cry snapped him out of despair taking over him and he looked up into eyes so green and full of life that the breath came rushing back into him. But then his eyes flicked upward and he saw the open wound on the tiny forehead and he rushed to him. He gently picked up the crying baby and, in a move oh-so-foreign to him, starting rocking back and forth on his feet, chanting the healing spell under his breath, until the baby fell asleep, lulled by the song-like incantation.

He set the baby down slowly, before turning back to the body of his best friend. Even in death, her beauty was still a wonder to him, seeming peaceful and almost asleep. He stared a moment longer, but removing his own cloak and gently pulling it over her.

He straightened up and cast his eyes over the room. Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, he moved to the overturned table and pulled out a photograph from underneath. In it, a small baby dressed as a pumpkin was giggling madly as a young woman floated his toys around in front of him. Despite himself, he smiled before glancing at the familiar handwriting on the attached parchment.

"Dear Severus,

I hope you're doing well…"

Minutes later, he was on his knees once again as great sobs wracked his body. He struggled to stay quiet, mindful of the sleeping infant, but he could not help the hot tears rolling down his face. He cried for what seemed like hours, but the pain continued to tear at his heart and he crumpled to the floor, curling in on himself.

When he finally calmed down, he heard quiet footsteps coming up the stairs. He pulled himself up and summoned his wand, before planting himself in front of the crib, already in a fighting stance. He did not relax even as he recognized the grey beard and blue eyes, but instead, moved closer to the child behind him.

"Severus, my boy…I am sorry. I did not know, I did not think that such a thing would happen. I was so sure that they were safe. I do not yet know how this happened, but I promise, we will find out."

He didn't respond, not trusting himself to speak.

"Now, step away from the child, Severus. I need to take Harry to someplace safe."

"No."

"Severus, wha-"

"I said no. The bra-, Harry is not going anywhere. She entrusted him to me. I will keep him safe."

Blue eyes widened in surprise, before narrowing at the letter thrust forward. He read through it quickly and sighed.

"My boy, I understand that the letter gives you guardianship, but you must understand the situation. You cannot take care of him! In the eyes of the law, you are but a criminal, a Death Eater! What would people say if they knew I had left Harry with you, especially given your history with the young Mr. Potter?"

"I don't care. I will go to trial, I will give up the names of every Death Eater I know, I'll even let them tear through every single memory I've ever had. But I will not leave Harry. I betrayed her once. Never again."

Dumbledore sighed once again, knowing that he could not convince the stubborn man in front of him.

"Very well. But let me take to his relatives, at least until you are cleared and the guardianship has been confirmed."

Severus stared at him, indecision clear in his eyes, before reluctantly nodding.

He took one last look at the cloak covered mound on the floor, before letting Dumbledore lead him out of the ruins.

The sun was rising when they arrived in Privet Drive, where Alastor Moody was already waiting with a snarl on scarred face. Severus paid him no mind, instead staring with the distaste at the house where he would be leaving his precious bundle.

He summoned a basket, and gently laying Harry down, taking care not to wake him. He took a deep breath, then a step back, and then turned to face the angry Auror, arms outstretched.

He only looked back once as he was led away, promising silently to come back for little Harry. He would always be there for him. Always.

SsSsSsS

Hey everyone!

Originally, this was meant to be a one-shot, just a hint of something to leave behind. But then I got reviews that wanted to see Severus' reaction to the letter and I thought, why not?

So, it did take me some time to get back to this. I had been throwing around different ideas for a while now, but getting any of them down on paper was a lot more effort than I had initially thought. I'm not sure if I should continue the story from here on, but I'd love to hear what you guys have to say.

I have started another big story on my account already, so most of my attention will be focused there, but I wouldn't mind coming back to this every once in a while either.

So, yeah. Let me know what you guys think!

Lots of love,

Dracula

P.S. So to anyone getting a notification that the story was updated, I'm so sorry. There was some sort of formatting issue when I uploaded the story through my tab and I was just fixing that. Hope you're all having a great day