a/n: revised 08/29/07 to include some spoilers from DH, mainly the fact that Severus knew both Petunia and Lily as a child. I am using this fact because it will help develop the character Petunia. The changes are minor and do not affect the plotline. I am very sorry for not updating I am working on the current chapter and will post it as soon as I can, but am posting these because I'm afraid if I don't, they might be erased.

Chapter 2

Severus Snape was not fond of children. In fact he loathed them. He would have liked to ignore Potter, and continue on his way, but did not do so for several reasons. First of all, if Albus were to find out, Severus knew he would have to sit through one of his tedious lectures. In addition, Severus had to admit a grudging respect for the headmaster. The thought that Albus would be disappointed in him if he didn't help the boy rankled him more than the thought of a lecture from him. More importantly, Dumbledore had reminded him many times of the supposed debt he owed to James Potter. Though Severus disagreed, as he believed the entire episode between him and the wolf had been staged, Albus had been adamant. For better or worse, James Potter had saved his life. And while he told Albus that this was the reason he felt obligated to watch over the child, he knew within himself this was a lie. It was Lily's child. That was reason enough.

Severus was brought out of his musings when he came upon the old two story house. Carrying the boy had been no hardship, and Snape wondered why he weighed so little. He opened the front door with his wand, entered the small sitting room, and set the child down before closing and locking the door.He then pointed at the threadbare sofa, and stated in a commanding voice, "Sit."

Harry scurried over to the couch, not wanting to do anything that would make the ugly scary man mad again. He sat down and looked up fearfully. Severus glared at the boy for a moment before saying, "Potter, my name is Professor Severus Snape. You will call me Professor or Sir at all times. Is that very clear to you?"

The boy nodded. Snape continued, "If I restore your voice I trust that you will behave more civilly now?"

Potter nodded again. Snape canceled the spell he had placed on the child, noting that the boy had cringed when he brought out his wand. He took a moment to survey the child. For some reason he couldn't fathom, Potter was dressed in clothing that was clearly too large for him. He didn't appear to be overly filthy, as he would expect from a runaway, but how else had the boy ended up here of all places? In addition, his glasses appeared to be have been taped. In short, the boy before him didn't look anything like he would have expected a pampered Potter to look.

He watched as Potter squirmed, obviously becoming more nervous at the close scrutiny. Severus folded his hands, placing his chin on top of them, before saying, "Explain yourself."

Harry wasn't sure what to say to that. What did the man want him to explain? Testing to see if his voice really worked, he said, "W-what do you want to know?"

At Snape's glare he quickly added, "Sir."

"You may begin by explaining why you were on the street where I found you."

"I don't know," said Harry honestly.

"Are you to tell me you don't know why you have obviously run away from home?"

"I d-didn't run away," Harry replied softly.

"Then what happened?" asked Snape, quickly losing patience with the boy.

Harry was very afraid now. It was obvious that the man was becoming angry with him. With nothing to lose he said, "I was running from Dudley and his gang. I was only trying to jump behind the trash cans, and then it happened."

"What happened?" Snape ground out, wanting to reach over and throttle the boy.

"Everything went black, and it felt like someone was squeezing me. Then I was on the street where you found me."

Severus could scarcely believe it. The boy had apparated across the country! He looked at the child in front of him. The boy was almost cringing, like he was expecting to be berated for what he had just said.

Severus said, "What is the matter, boy?"

Potter said, "You believe me?"

"Why wouldn't I believe you?"

Harry whispered, "C-cause no one ever believes me."

Severus had a sinking feeling that he was about to find out that Potter was not coddled and worshiped as he expected. Although if he was honest with himself, he knew that Lily's sister would not treat the boy well. She had been a petty and jealous child, and Severus doubted she was much different as an adult.

Being head of Slytherin, Severus seemed to get more of the children with less than stellar pasts, and had made it a point to become aware of the signs that would let him know if he needed to investigate the home lives of the students in his house. While Slytherin parents tended to be strict, most of them loved their children deeply. It was the very few half bloods, and the rare mudblood sorted into his house that tended to appear at Hogwarts with those signs. And although Snape would have liked to ignore it, the boy in front of him appeared to be showing quite a few of them. Along with his shabby clothing and unkempt appearance, the boy flinched easily, and would not maintain eye contact

If there was one thing Severus disliked more than dealing with children, it had to be the dunderheads that abused magical children because of their gifts. There had been a few times in Snape's career as a professor that he had been sent to check on mudbloods who had failed to report to Hogwarts. He had turned the last family he visited into toads, before removing the child in question. Dumbledore had been quite aggrieved to learn that he had resorted to such measures, even though he had explained to the headmaster that it was only a temporary spell, and the family would return to their nasty selves in a few hours.

Since then, Dumbledore had taken to sending Hagrid to retrieve the children. Severus supposed it was best that way. As he had vowed to protect Potter, Severus felt he had to make sure the child was being treated appropriately. But before he could question him further, he heard a large growl coming from the child's stomach.

"When did you last eat, boy?"

Harry blushed. He didn't want to tell the man the truth, but he also was afraid not to answer him. So he said, "I h-had lunch at school."

The boy was lying. Severus looked at him darkly and said, "Dishonesty and disobedience will not be tolerated in my home. Unless you want to find yourself discovering the consequences of such behaviour, I suggest you tell the truth. When was your last meal?"

Potter's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "I had supper last night."

Severus couldn't imagine that Petunia would go so far as to not feed the boy, but the boy appeared to be truthful once more. He decided to delve further into the issue. "Why have you not eaten today?"

The child squirmed, seeming to not want to answer the question. Severus rose and sat next to the boy before putting a finger under Potter's chin and forcing him to look up. "I asked you a question, and I expect an answer."

Harry really didn't want to look at the Professor anymore but was afraid to move. The man's eyes glittered dangerously. Harry said, "I didn't get breakfast 'cause I overslept and burnt the bacon." In a very soft whisper, he added, "I don't get supper tonight either."

Severus was shocked at the boy's answer. "And what happened to the lunch you said you had at school?"

"Dudley stole it," Harry answered.

That was the second time the boy had mentioned that particular name. "And who is this Dudley?"

"He's my cousin."

"And how is it he gets away with such behaviour?" asked Severus.

Harry shrugged. "He does it when the teachers aren't looking. And if I tell on him he says I am lying."

Surely muggles weren't that daft! "And your teachers believe him?"

Harry nodded sadly.

"And your relatives? They also believe him?"

"Yeah."

"And why is that?"

" 'cause no one ever believes me."

Ah. So we were back to that. Severus was growing tired of questioning the boy. He lifted the boy's chin again, and looked deeply into his eyes. Using legillimancy, he broke into Potter's mind, hoping to find answers. The memories he saw only furthered his belief that there was something very wrong in the boy's home.

Surely if Albus knew of this he'd have the child removed and placed elsewhere. And that would save Severus the headache of dealing with the boy for a few more years. Potter had lost consciousness during Severus' attack on his mind, so Severus picked up the child, before apparating back to Hogsmeade to return to the castle.