Previously:

'Harry was used to spiders…'

Harry knew what was coming and braced himself for the reactions.

'… because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.'

The room was deathly silent.

Then, it exploded with noise.

Now:

Harry shrank back from the cacophony of noise, voices screaming and ranting at the treatment he'd received. Little did they know, this was only the beginning, the tamest of Vernon's punishments.

Dobby clung to his leg as Molly advanced on Albus.

"HOW DARE YOU LEAVE HIM THERE!"

Albus looked frightened, as he should be. His own eyes wet behind those half-moon spectacles. The ever present twinkle gone.

"THOSE MONSTERS LOCKED HIM IN A CUPBOARD ALBUS! A CUPBOARD!"

Molly's voice wasn't the only one shouting abuse at the headmaster, trying to make himself as small as possible. Much to Harry's surprise Narcissa and Andromeda were also screaming at him.

The rage in Narcissa's eyes was deadly, Harry was surprised she hadn't tried to curse Albus yet. When she unleashed her rage upon Albus, she didn't scream like Molly but hissed at him, her face twisted with anger.

"I've had to protect my own son from the Dark Lord and you've left a defenceless child in the hands of those abusive muggles."

"Please Mrs. Malfoy… it was the only way… the blood wards…"

"Fuck the blood wards!"

Harry's eyes widened as the Malfoy matriarch cursed.

"Those wards can be erected around any place Harry sees as home, they don't require a blood connection."

Albus tried to shuffle towards the end of the sofa as the enraged mothers advanced on him.

"You could have put him with Molly and Arthur or me and Ted, he would have been loved and cared for. You- YOU!"

Tonks quickly hurried over putting a hand on her mother's arm.

"You want to count yourself lucky, Headmaster." Tonks warned.

"Lucky?" the old man squeaked.

"Lucky that I can't drag your sorry ass off to Azkaban while we are stuck here. But mark my words, I will make sure you are punished for this."

Harry's eyes darted around the room away from the enraged mothers ready to slaughter the headmaster. From the corner of his eye, he saw Arthur. His fingers digging into the arms of the sofa, his knuckles white, his face reddened with anger, his blue eyes hard and cold. When he spoke, Molly quieted, knowing her husband's anger was far greater than her own.

"How could you Albus?"

"Arthur I…"

"NO! I've raised seven children. Seven! What was one more?"

"You couldn't afford…"

"What does money have to do with anything?!"

"…"

"If money meant more to me and Molly than loving our children, we would have stopped after Percy. We've always made do! We would have loved him, he's our son in all but blood."

Tears slid down his father's cheeks.

"He could have been with us, happy and healthy. But you wouldn't listen… not to us… not even to Minerva… you disgust me, Albus Dumbledore!"

"Please… I didn't…"

"What? You didn't know. I highly doubt that Albus." Sirius bellowed.

The headmaster remained silent.

"You are so fucking lucky I love my godson otherwise I'd kill you!"

"You're not the only one, Black."

Sirius' head snapped around the stare at Severus, wide eyed.

"Damn right, Snape. I'm sure between the two of us we could come up with a fitting punishment for this old bastard." Sirius chuckled darkly.

Harry watched Severus' hand stray to his hip, where he knew his wands was holstered. Knowing Severus would curse first and ask questions later he had to act.

Severus drew his wand, levelling it at the headmaster. His blue eyes widening almost comically behind his glasses. Severus' chest was heaving, his hands shaking as his lips parted, the curse on the tip of his tongue. He would make the old man pay for everything he'd put Harry through. He would suffer the same pain as his beloved.

"CRU…."

Severus didn't get past the first syllable of the torture curse as Harry flung himself at the man, latching onto his outstretched arm.

Harry held tight to Severus' arm, feeling the muscles clench tight beneath his hands.

"He isn't worth it."

Severus tried to pull his wand arm back, but Harry only pulled him closer. Wrapping his arms around Severus' waist, burying his damp face in the man's chest, listening to the frantic beating of his heart.

"Please… he isn't worth it."

Severus deflated, sinking to his knees as the rage fled him. Harry went down with him buried within the folds of his robes. With his eyes burning, Severus buried his face in Harry's unruly hair, those thin arms coming around, clutching him tight as he cried.

At first, Harry just felt the silent tears and then Severus moaned low and he truly began to sob. Harry could just make out the litany of hushed words over the man's muffled sobs.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I should have protected you…"

"What's done is done, Sev…"

"I know… I know but I promised… I promised…"

The volume of voices in the room has been silenced as they all watched the stoic potions master fall sobbing to his knees, a much too thin boy cradled in his arms, whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

Even Sirius who would have normally launched a tirade of abuse at the Slytherin was mercifully silent as he approached the pair.

"Promised what?" Sirius asked gently.

"I swore I'd look after him, make sure he was happy and cared for. Albus promised me he was, he promised that Petunia was looking after him and loved him as her own. He lied… he's a liar."

Sirius took in the words and the potions master continued to rock his godson gently. Remus could see the gears turning in his best friend's mind, he already worked it out.

"Promised who, Severus?"

Severus looked up at his former bully, he swore he'd never cry in front of Black, but here he was sobbing like a little boy. The same little boy that sobbed before his father.

Swallowing hard, he whispered hoarsely.

"Lily… I promised Lily that if anything happened to her I'd look after him…"

Severus petted Harry's hair, his fingers running gently through the messy black strands.

"I didn't think you and Lily were even speaking when Harry was born…" Sirius said, almost to himself.

"We weren't… but she wanted her best friend to meet her little boy…"

Severus paused. Everyone waited with bated breath for the man to continue.

"She came to Spinner's End in the middle of August… Harry was only a few weeks old, he was so small…" Severus smiled at the memory, tears coming thick and fast.

Harry lifted his head, he could see Sev was struggling. He wasn't used to talking about these things, they hurt too much.

"Sev… if it hurts too much we can show them…"

Harry pulled back, ready to get up, but Severus drew him back to his chest.

"Sev… we need to get up to show them the memory. And I don't know about you but I'm too old to be kneeling on the floor."

Severus laughed at the boy's dry wit, not a chuckle but a full on laugh. The kind that came from deep within you, no one had heard Severus laugh, not since Lily died.

Harry smiled at the rich, deep laugh coming from the man who cherished him so dearly. Placing a gentle kiss on his damp, salty cheek he rose offering his hand to Severus.

Severus laced his potions stained fingers with Harry's calloused ones as they rose. For a moment, they only looked at each other. Severus had stopped crying but his eyes were glassy and wet, his lip swollen where he'd bitten it and his cheeks flared with heat. Harry used the sleeve of his jumper to wipe the excess tears from Sev's sallow cheeks, his lips quirking as he smiled softly.

"Harry, my boy…." Albus spoke in what the boy meant by "view the memories" when all eyes turned to him glaring, daring him to say anything to the boy that they wouldn't approve of.

The headmaster held his hands up in supplication.

"Harry, what do you mean by view the memories? Surely, not all of us can use the pensieve at once?"

"No, we can't Albus. But the letter mentioned a spell to view memories."

"Oh, yes, I'd forgotten about that."

"What letter?" A few people asked.

Looking to the boy and receiving a nod, the headmaster withdrew the letter from his robe and read aloud.

Harry, I know this letter isn't going to arrive at the best of times for you. It is vital you read this letter and do exactly as it says.

We are sending back 7 books detailing your life at Hogwarts. While the events of the first four books have already come to pass, there is little that can be done about them, but they still need to be read. It will gain you the allies you need for the upcoming battle and you may find something more you have been searching for.

The last three books hold details of things that haven't yet come to pass. These will arm you with the knowledge you need to change the future, win the war and even prevent many people for dying. In the next hour you need to gather the people listed below in the Room of Requirement, ask Professor Dumbledore if you don't know where it is. The books will be waiting for you.

Some memory vials will also be there to show you the outcome of the current course you are taking. While it is dangerous to meddle with time, we have deemed it necessary. Use this spell – memoria visum - so everyone can view the memories together without the aid of a pensieve.

Good luck Harry. I feel you may need it.

T.R.L, J.S.P, A.S.P, L.L.P, R.N.W, H.A.W. & S.H.M

P.S. As soon as you enter the Room of Requirement, time will be frozen, and Harry, open your heart to others, don't lock yourself away.

Severus was warmed by the open your heart comment as Harry had done exactly that with him and he was going to prove that he is worthy of loving the young man. Taking an empty vial from his robe he extracted the memory he'd been trying to talk about and gently placed into Harry's hand.

Harry stretched until his lips were near Severus' ear, the only ones who could even remotely hear them were Bill and Remus, it was their werewolf hearing allowed them to hear Harry's whispered words and Severus' shaky response but neither commented.

"Are you sure, Sev?"

"No… but you need to see it."

Harry nodded, placing the vial on the table. He withdrew his holly and phoenix feather wand from his back pocket, pointing it at the vial.

"Memoria visum"

The vial began to glow, a silvery mist emitting from it, forming a small cloud about the size of the table. At once, it began to solidify and turn a translucent colour, it almost looked like a large pane of glass.

Without asking, everyone drifted back to their seats but everyone made a point of shifting away from the headmaster.

The magical pane darkened, then brightened as a run down house appeared, the street sign read: Spinner's End.

It had begun.