Chapter 2 Unhealable Scars

I don't own Harry Potter, but I am totally borrowing Rowling's awesome characters for sure!

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It has been a gut-wrenching Halloween night and it wasn't even close to being over yet. Severus clambered up the grand staircase as a lump formed in his throat. He entered into his bedroom, casting a silence charm at the door, and stridden to his beaten four-poster. He slumped into the velvet bed covers, hiding his sorrowful face. Once he was sure that no one was around, he plunged into the depths despair and began to cry.

Once the first tear fell down, he couldn't stop. The protective shell of rebelling against his own emotions crumbled down as he shed tear after tear. His chest slowly constricted as roars of pain and sorrow escaped his lungs, grieving as if there was no tomorrow. Here he was, crying for losing Lily, his best friend, his only love…and possibly the only person to accept him. He would never be able to see her beaming smile, her sparkling eyes, flaming red hair, or even hearing her graceful voice.

He had to accept her death, move on…but could he really live a life without her?

Drusa popped out of the thin air, approaching her master "Does Drusa have orders to carry out, Master Snape?"

Snape flinched, his face was still buried into the bedsheets as he replied with a muffled tone "I want to be left alone, take care of the Potters, and make sure no one disturbs me."

"Very well, Master." As soon as she finished her sentence, she disappeared with a snap of her bony fingers. She left, leaving the grimy room quiet once more.

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Hours have passed and Snape hasn't moved an inch, lying there frozen like a corpse. It was too much grief to bear as he felt paralyzed by the unexpected event that occurred tonight; he couldn't cry anymore, or speak, or even rest. He slowly raised his aching gaze to the pasty white wall in front of him. It was mocking him, cackling for the pathetic whelp he was.

A high-pitched wail boomed throughout the manor, travelling all the way to the third floor, into his bedroom. He groaned as he snatched one of his pillows and positioned it over his head to drown out the noise.

Severus expected that someone would come to aid the tearful child but no one, not even his father came as the screams continued. He growled "Merlin, why do I have to do everything? How can anyone not hear this?!" He hoisted himself up and scrambled down the rickety old staircase, almost silently; making no more than a few soft creaks.

He followed the sound, approaching the cradle. Harry was wailing non-stop as he rolled side-to-side. He huffed as he reached in and plucked the squirming infant, holding him in a steady grip in his arms. The toddler struggled as he thrashed his tiny limbs; eyes tightly shut, and continued to screech.

Snape seized his hold, as he slowly trudged to a wooden rocking chair, seated beside the cradle. He softly seated himself, gently rocking back and forth while rubbing small circles on the toddler's back. A parenting method he knew too well; the way his mother soothed him on his emotional episodes back in the days when he himself was a child.

The grieving toddler started to go slack like a marionette with its strings cut as he gradually opened his watery eyes and gazed into Snape's sombre glare.

Severus stared into the infant's pale green eyes; much like Lily's…a sight than can melt the hearts of the coldest individuals. He slowly felt the warm tears coming back, as they cascaded down his shallow cheeks once more, but they were not bitter nor sad…he couldn't put the feeling into words but he slowly felt his chest ache and graced a small smile onto his sorrowful face.

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The nightly hues, morphed into soft pastels, then brightened to the blissful shades of blue. A new day, but was it a new beginning?

James stirred, glancing lazily around the brightly-lit room until his gaze stumbled upon a familiar dark-robbed figure as he mumbled "Ugh, Snivelly."

That disgusted glare was instantly replaced into a startled expression as he noticed Harry, his son, was snuggling comfortably in the hooked-nosed git's arms. They both looked rather peaceful and were in a deep slumber.

James approached the sleeping twosome in a foul mood and shook one of Snape's shoulders "Hey, get up, Snivelly!"

Severus groaned as he slowly opened his heavy eyelids "Mmmm? Oh, it's just you, Potter…and when I thought I was going to have a decent day without seeing you."

James grinded his teeth and clenched his jaws tight together, it took all of his strength to not just simply just to knock him on the head to teach him his place. "Care to explain why you're holding my son in your arms, you hideous minger?"

Snape scowled "After you explain why you neglected your duties as a parent and didn't tend to the child when he was in need?"

"What on Merlin's great earth are you talking about?!"

"Don't play dumb, he was crying for hours and you didn't come over to check on him once. I could hear him from my room; three floors up so don't say you couldn't hear him because I could hear him perfectly clear."

James shrugged his shoulders "I'm a heavy sleeper, Lily would always wake up and go to him…I don't why, I guess she was just a really light sleeper."

Snape's dark, unreadable orbs glared daggers as he sat himself up and gently placed the slumbersome baby back into the cradle and replied with an icy tone "It doesn't take a Legilimence user like myself to know that the boy had nightmares from seeing Lily, being killed in front of him."

James paled "W-What?!"

"Stop playing the dunderhead game, only my students can play that."

He frowned "I'm not being stupid!"

"Tch…as I said, he saw it all while you were unconscious. As for the nightmares, it will haunt him for the rest of his life for he has the unhealable scar."

"Scar? Didn't you apply some sort of healing salve?!"

"Drusa said she tried everything, none of them work."

James could feel his body enflaming with fury, but it wasn't towards Snivelly, but to himself; he couldn't protect his beloved spouse or his own son. Why couldn't he be strong enough to protect them? Those questions and regrets started to swirl in his head, leaving slightly daxed.

Severus raised his gaze only to see the dispirited figure; he sighed then announced "I need to report to Dumbledore about what to do with living arrangements for you and the child. In the meantime, you shall stay here."

James grimaced "I'm not staying here!"

Snape traversed towards the brick fireplace, turning a cold shoulder to him "Dumbledore, I need a word with you." A familiar half-mooned spectacled face appeared through the bright flames "Ah, Severus. Come to my office, do you remember the password?"

"I'm afraid not."

"The password is "Pixie Puffs."

Severus nodded as he reached into the floo pot, dangling beside the fireplace "Drusa, keep Potter here, and make sure he doesn't leave until I say so." As soon as he finished his command, he grabbed the soot-like substance, walked into the fireplace and said in his usual stern voice "Pixie Puffs." and the flames ensnared Snape and disappeared in a flash.

James scurried to the fire place "GET BACK HERE!"

He grabbed a handful of floo and spoke "Pixie Puffs."

Nothing happened. He tried again "Pixie Puffs!"

Again, nothing happened, he was still in the manor, standing in the fireplace "The bloody hell is going on here?!"

Drusa popped in front of him with a smug smile "When my master gives a command, Drusa never fails to comply. Drusa can't let you leave, Potter. You might as well wait, care for some tea?"

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Severus walked out of the mantle for he arrived at the head master's office. He dusted his robes as a voice trailed "Ah, so you made it…"

He turned and saw the bearded figure, sitting in a relaxed manner "Come over and take a seat, my boy."

Snape stridden to the vacant seat as sat himself, hands folded neatly on his lap. Dumbledore warmly smiled as he offered "Lemon drop?"

He huffed "I would rather get to business if you don't mind."

Dumbledore popped one of the drops into his mouth and nodded "I understand, what news do you bring Severus?"

"It's about the Potters."

He paled "Do you know what happened to them?"

"I was able to save everyone…but Lily. I couldn't save her. The dark lord attempted to kill her son but managed to somehow stop him. The child had a large amount of dark magic inside of him but I managed to take most of it out before it could kill him. I wasn't able to take it all and now he has a scar that is practically encased with the dark force."

"Harry defeated him? And you said that there is still some magic inside of him, correct?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Dumbledore began to ponder while stroking his milky white beard "I'm afraid we'll have to nurture him how to fight Voldemort, he is the only one to stop him."

"The dark lord is dead."

"He will come back. Until then, we have to get Harry ready. His destiny is to fight Voldemort and him alone."

"What makes you so sure that its him or even the Longbottom's child? There are a lot more children born on the same day as he is."

"The truth is; it is likely that a part of him is inside of Harry, much like his Horcruxes, even if you took most of it out, it's still in there. He has to die, that is his destiny."

Snape coldly questioned while producing his famous intimidating glares "You saying that you're just using him as a mere weapon? A toy? You're plan is basically getting a piglet to grow up and prepare for slaughter. This is a child we're dealing with, not an inanimate object!"

"Don't tell me you have grown attached to the child, Severus."

Snape stood slightly baffled, then turned his gaze down and replied with a soft sigh "I…I have grown fond of the child."

Dumbledore's twinkly blue gaze widened as Snape continued "The dark lord will never harm him again."

Dumbledore sighed "How do you know that, Severus?"

"Because I won't let that happen."

"I thought you hated Harry. What is your reason for protecting him?"

Severus gaped, then sighed "At first, I didn't know if I would hate the child for having James as the father. Him, the child of whom I hate the most. But I just couldn't, all I could see was Lily; he has her eyes…and her personality. I seemed to have forgotten that he is also the child to the person that I loved the most as well. He is the last reminder I have of her, that is my reason, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore adjusted his half-mooned spectacles "Then I leave them in your care."

Severus cocked an eyebrow "I beg your pardon?"

"I leave Harry and James in your care."

"Dumbledore, are you mad?"

Dumbledore chuckled "I'm afraid that I always was, Severus, but I really do think that they would be safe in your supervision."

Severus clenched his fists "Are you not aware how we get along?"

"I thought you loved Harry."

"I care for the child. That doesn't mean I have forgiven Potter and his bloody group."

"You will need to forgive them eventually, Severus."

"They almost killed me!"

"You're alive now, aren't you?"

Snape started to rub his throbbing temples with irritation. He stood abruptly from his chair and stridden towards the fireplace. He glanced back at the old man "I will never forgive them as long as I live."

An emotion of slight disappointment washed over Dumbledore's face. Snape gathered a handful of floo and met his onyx orbs with the wise blue ones "But I will protect Lily's son." As soon as he finished his sentence, he flooed back to the Prince manor, leaving the office. Dumbledore stood paralyzed with astonishment for he saw something in Severus that he never saw before. He saw a flame, burning brightly in his dark eyes with pure determination.

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Sorry for the long wait! Hope you liked it, having a little fun writing this sad story so far...I think I'll continue this story and see how it goes.