AN: First of all, thanks to all of the people who have started to fallow this story, and everyone who favorited this after only one chapter. You guys seriously made my week.

This chapter might contain triggers for some people. There is childbirth, abuse, and rape. The rape scene is non-graphic, mainly because I don't want to think about it that much to put too much detail into it. Reader discretion is advised.

Birthdays

July 30th 1980

The pains of labor ripped through Lily Potter. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the sides of the table that she was propped up on as she screamed through the contraction. "Hush," Severus tried to comfort her as he dabbed the sweat away from her brow, "Your nearly there darling just a bit more."

The words weren't as comforting as they were meant. The last few months had been miserable for the woman. After Lily left Potter Cottage with Severus those four months prior she had been regretting it. Severus had brushed it off, survivors guilt he called it. She called it being a failure as a mother. Right now in the pains of child birth did she finally feel like she was atoning for her mistakes.

Not to say that saving the life of her son was a mistake. No if it weren't for him then she wouldn't have any reason to be alive right now. Every flutter of movement that she felt was a reminder that at least she saved one life that night. But it didn't change the fact that her daughter was gone. And now here she was giving birth on the kitchen table in the house of her longest friend. Minuets from where she was raised.

They couldn't go to the hospital. Officially she died that nigh along with Rose. The only consolation was that some how He-who-shan't-be-named died that night also. It sickened her that she was being hailed a hero.

A week after the event a statue was erected in the center of the town commemorating the Potter family for defeating Voldemort. Dorea and Charlus Potter were there to accept Orders of Merlin, first classes for the three of them. They then went to the chapel to bury their only son, along with two empty coffins for herself and Primrose. Lily had watched the whole thing under disillusionment, the only disguise that was available to her while pregnant and without and invisibility clock. Latter she suck into her house and took some of the hidden treasures that they had there. The ones that family and friends didn't already find and take.

She cried out again as another contraction traveled through her. "Four minuets apart Lily you are doing amazing." Severus encouraged her. Sev was another person to feel guilty about. He was obviously still in love with her. After that first night that she went home with him he had taken it like she had chosen him over James. In a way that was partly true as she was here alive with him and not dead with her husband. But she didn't see it that way.

It was in her fourth year when Lily first thought that Sev liked her more than just as friends. It started with him asking if she would go to Hogsmeade with him "Sure Sev, that would be fun." she said to him innocently. It was in Madam Puddifoot's tea shop when she realized that they were on a date. No one in their right mind would enter the place if they weren't trying to romance someone. Every square inch of the place was covered in either something dreadfully pink, or lacy, or both. Really she should have seen the sings sooner, but when all you felt for someone was friendship and they feel more its hard to see their feelings until they are in your face. And that damn tea shop had a special way of putting it in your face.

She had let him down easy once she knew his feelings, explaining that what she felt for him was purely platonic. He had said that he understood but that was the beginning of him spending more time around the older Slytherin boys and less time in the library with her.

Lily cried out again as another wave of pain hit her and she couldn't help but to remember what it was like the last time that she was in this situation. When she first found out that she was Pregnant with Rose, Her and James were in their seventh year. The two had finally gotten together over the summer before and were happily making plans for their futures. James was intent on becoming an Aurror, a thought that terrified Lilly. Voldemort had been gaining followers and starting his fight to takeout muggles and Muggle-borns. It was probably because of her that James wanted to fight back so hard. He never said it but some things you just knew. Lily told him of her dreams of becoming a healer. Both of their dreams were put on hold when Lily got Pregnant however.

It was sometime in late march that it must have happened and luckily she didn't show through out the rest of her time in Hogwarts. Though James became even more protective over her during those last few months that they were in school not letting her go anywhere with out Remus, Sirius, or himself being present. It got annoying quick, but some of their classmates who already allied themselves with Voldemort took to cursing the muggle-born students in the halls. She understood that James was just as concerned for her as he was for their unborn child.

She was surprised how fast James took to the idea of becoming a father. She feared that James would be one of those me who demand that girls take a potion that would terminate pregnancy, but James was so thrilled with the news that he proposed to her on the spot. He wanted to marry her on one of their Hogsmeade weekends but she declined, wanting to wait for them to finish school first. That way they could get married with their friends and family present.

With a baby though Lilly had to put her healer training on hold, instead she just purchased any and all books on healing and studied at home. James had gotten through the first two years of Aurror training, but when Dumbledore came to them explaining that he had gotten news that Voldemort was looking for their just born son they were forced to go into hiding and James had to abandon his training. The couple did the best that they could with what they had.

James had bought this house in the middle of the wizarding community away from his ancestral home as to have their children grow up with the semblance of a modest childhood. It also made Lilly more comfortable to have a house that was large enough for a growing family, yet small enough that it would allow for an close and intimate life.

She was crying out again. God how she wished that James were here. He was so good with Rose. He would be running between the two of them trying to distract both of us. Alice would be here playing with rose, or maybe she is in labor herself at the moment? Oh wouldn't that be nice if their two sons were born on the same day? If that was the case then Serious would be here getting Rosie into all kinds of havoc. Lily almost felt bad for all of the made up shenanigans.

Oh how she wished that anyone from her old life could be here with her at this moment. But they all believed her to be dead. It was a necessary issue. After she had left her house she needed someone to take her revenge out on. Her husband was dead. Her daughter was dead. Voldemort was apparently dead. There was only one person who could have told that snake-faced bastard where her family was. Peter Pettigrew was supposed to be one of their closest friends. He was their secret keeper, he was the only one who had the power to tell Him where we were. She had hunted that rat down. He had gone through all of Knockturn Ally picking up supplies when she had found him. But she didn't attack him there. She waited until he waked out of the ally and through the leaky cauldron and into muggle London. When he slipped into an underground station she knew that she had to act then or never.

It was a powerful bludgeoning hex that she slammed into him. He fell to the ground, but as he did he turned into a rat. This is what she worried that he would do. If he went into the underground in his animagus form he would be lost in the tunnels forever. Frantically she had sent out hexes attempting to kill the man who she was blaming for all of her troubles on. Eventually she had hit a gas line in her madness to land a spell and it destroyed the entire station. Fifty muggles were killed and her wand destroyed. The ministry believed that one of the Death Eaters that must have gone with Voldemort to kill them had taken her wand as a souvenir.

But if she was figured out to be alive she would be spending the rest of her life in Azkaban. Maybe they might even claim that she was a Death Eater and brought Voldemort into their home.

"I can see the head." Sev announced. "Okay Lills, I need you to push for me. That's it, Push. Almost there, you got this."

Sev had been training to be her midwife since the whole situation happened. He comforted her for her mistakes and still accepted her for who she was. After all this time it seemed like he still loved her.

"The head is out Lily, you are doing amazing."

With one final push and a scream he was out. Lily laid back on the table and breathed. Moments latter she was holding her son in her arms. He was wailing slightly and didn't seem to be too thrilled to be in the world "Hello baby, I'm your mummy. Yes your mummy." she kissed his brow. "And I love you very much."

"What will you call him?" Sev asked.

"Harold. Harold James Potter. Harry for short." she said looking down at her son. The perfection that was new born babes.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Sev inquired. Lily nodded her head in the affirmative. Sev reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. "Lily I love you. But you aren't safe any more. Your son isn't safe with that name. Merry me. Be my wife. We can change your name. Give you a whole new identity. I can adopt your son and we can be a family. You can finish getting your healing credentials."

She looked down at the ring. It was a simple gold band with a single diamond on it. Simple and very Sev. "Sev, I-"

"I know that you don't love me. Or that you are not in love with me. But I love you enough for the both of us."

"I- What should we call him then?" she asked him.

"I do like Harry, but we should change it so his name better matches my family. He should be Hadrian Severus Snape." he bent over and kissed him on the forehead "And he will be my son."

June 28th 1986

"Get up!" the loud resonating bang from the fist hitting the door to her cupboard and the angry voice of her uncle were the sounds that Rose Potter has known her entire life and it was that noise that woke her today without fail. Pushing as much sleep from her eyes as humanly possible Rose pulled on her pants, (the only pair that she had that remotely fit her) and changed the shirt that she used to sleep in for a smaller one that she used for leaving her 'room'.

Pulling her messy locks of black hair into a pony tail she crawled out of the cupboard that was under the stairs. She moved as quietly as she could down the hall to the front door. It was her job to gather the mornings mail, and milk from the front step in the morning, and hopefully do so without one of her neighbor seeing her. The house was quiet except for the sounds of the shower running upstairs. Rose hated the way that everyone in the neighborhood would stare at her, call her names, make fun of her that she had to wear Dudley's old cloths. It wasn't outside of the realm of possibility that some of the children would throw things at her as she would be walking to and from school, or when she would be tending to the front garden. She hated it here she wished so very much that she had the ability to run away, but her uncle and her aunt were the only people who she knew, and no matter how bad they treated here it was better here than if she were to live on the street. At least here she knew the dangers.

Shrugging off her melancholy thoughts, the girl quickly grabbed up the things that she went to the door for and retreated to the semi-safety of the house. She placed the milk in the fridge and turned on the kettle to start boiling water for the tea. Folding the paper neatly at the table near her uncle Vernon's spot, she then started setting the table for breakfast three plates, three forks, three knives, three glasses, and two mugs. When the water was boiled she placed three teabags into the pot and filled it up with the boiling water. Setting the pot at the table and placing the cozy around it she was done with the pre-Dursley part of her morning.

Today was her cousin Dudley's birthday party. His birthday wasn't till Monday, but Vernon never missed an opportunity to shmuse with people who he wanted to gain favor with, and his new bosses son was about Dudley's age, if the two could become friends it is his hope that he would go further in the company. Dudley's birthday was always an extravagant occasion that required enough food and drink to feed a small army. The amount that was needed for the event was so vast that the house couldn't even store it.

The ridiculously large pile of gifts were taking up a fair bit of the living room. Rose didn't want to even hazard a guess as to how many were in stacked in there, all to show how much Dudley was obviously the ultimate favored one here. As if that didn't need to be said with a stack of gifts so high and so large that what ever her uncle complained about the costs of feeding her were could be paid three times over within that stack, and half of it would be broken within a fortnight.

Upstairs she could hear the sounds of life. The water was running in the washroom. Vernon was probably having his morning shower and shave. Aunt Petunia was probably in her room removing the curlers from her blond hair. Down the hall Dudley was mostly snoring in his room fast asleep.

Rose opened the fridge and pulled out all of the things that were necessary to make the breakfast necessary to feed the family of three. She started cooking the bacon as she started placing pieces of bread into the toaster. One loaf of bread, a carton of 18 eggs half cooked over easy half cooked scrambled, three blood puddings, one pack of breakfast sausages, all placed out on the table. Orange juice, and a vase that held one daisy finished off the picture nicely as the family sat down to the feast.

Rose turned her attentions to the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess. She knew that if she stated it without being told to she was more likely to be ignored while she liked the plates clean. Today was not a lucky day for her it seemed.

"Girl! Arrant you forgetting something?" Vernon barked at her.

She turned around and looked at the table. It was all there. "I don't think-"

"Of course you don't think you stupid fucking girl!" she didn't say a word. What ever was wrong this time was a made up in-fracture and it would do no good to protest what was about to happen. Vernon lunched himself from the table faster than what would be normal for a man of his stature. He marched straight toward her and she did her best not to flinch when he came up and grabbed her by the neck and dragged her toward the table.

Rose looked at the two people at the table begging both of them with her eyes for help. But Dudley was grinning at what was happening to her, and Petunia was focusing all of her attention on the back garden. "Now tell me you lazy good for nothing!" Vernon was shouting in her ear as he pointed her head at the table. "What have you been neglecting to place on this table!" he was now shaking her as he squeezed his sausage like fingers. Their grip still on her neck.

When she started gaping like a fish out of water he let go. She fell down to her knees as she gasped for air. "I- don't- know- what- is- missing-" she said in-between in-hails.

"Useless" the man kicked her in the ribs. She was just glad he was only wearing slippers and not his shoes. You forgot the pancakes!"

She looked on the list on the fridge. pancakes were definitely not on it. But she new pointing that out would only leave her in a worse state.

"Apparently you just aren't grateful enough for our hospitality. Isn't that right Dudley? Doesn't she seem like she doesn't care enough about all that we give her?" this was Dudley's favorite game.

"She doesn't seem very grateful at all dad." Dudley said his trained response.

"Tell me son, what do we do with good for nothing freeloaders who cant even make breakfast right?" this entire scene was so practiced she knew what was coming next, but still wished that this time the script would change. But with the look of Dudley's grin she knew that if the script was going to change this wasn't going to be that day.

"They get punished." Dudley said as he stood from the table to come over.

Petunia then stood from the table. "No, not today Vernon. You need to eat and then leave to collect your sister. Dudley you need to get ready for your guests to start arriving."

Vernon slapped his wife across the face. "Don't assume to know better than me!" he snarled at her. But with a look over at the clock told him that he did in fact need to get a move on to get his sister from her train on time. He kicked Rose in the ribs and picked her up by the arm and threw her toward the sink. "Clean this mess up! You will be punished after Dudley's party."

Glad for the temporary reprieve, Primrose set to work on cleaning the kitchen. When Vernon was finished eating he left to go and pick up his sister. "Dudley why don't you go watch some telly until your friends arrive?" Petunia suggested to her son.

Dudley left the room and went to the living room. The sounds of morning cartoons could be herd through the walls. Petunia placed all of the leftovers onto a plate and handed it to her niece. "Here, eat, I'll do the dishes before he comes home."

Rose looked up at her aunt wondering if it was some trick, but wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Quickly she devoured the small meal that was given to her. Anything more than the two half eaten sausages and scoup of scrambled eggs would have made her sick. But the glass of orange juice that her aunt poured for her felt so heavenly that any stomach pains that would come latter was worth it at the moment. Together the two females finished off the dishes and any evidence of their transgression.

"Go brush your teeth and wash up. I'll say its because of Dudley's party that you have to look presentable." Petunia whispered to her. Nodding her head Rose went to her cupboard. Under the camp bead there was a small bag that held the little things that her aunt had smuggled to her. These things included shampoo, soap, a comb, toothbrush and toothpaste. Vernon didn't want her to have these things. He said that these were things that people used to make themselves presentable to the world, but as she wasn't really a person she didn't deserve to have them.

When she was finished bathing there was a knock on the bathroom door. Then her aunt entered the room. "Here," she said as she handed her a pink dress. "Its probably too big for you but that will maybe help with us getting away with it. It used to be mine years ago so the style will be out dated but there is no point in getting you cleaned up to put you back into old boys cloths."

Rose looked down at the dress. It was defiantly old, her aunt hadn't lied about that. Its pattern was faded but you could tell that it was a floral print. The fabric was thin and had long sleeves that didn't match the party dresses that she had seen the girls who she went to school with wearing. But it was a dress, and it was for her. She looked up at her aunt "Thank you." and she wrapped her skinny arms around the woman.

Uncomfortable with the physical sign of gratitude Petunia cleared her throat. "Here, lets try it on." pulling the dress over her head and tying the sash behind her. Rose looked in the mirror. Her hair was still wet, but when it dried her messy curls would frame her face nicely. The pink looked nice on her, it wasn't too bright but brought out the natural pink of her lips, not that she was looking there. Petunia took a towel and dried as much of her hair as possible. "You look beautiful." her aunt told her.

"Thank you Auntie." Rose said looking into her aunts eyes via the mirror.

"Common, we have to get the rest of the party things ready. Your uncle will be back soon."

Together they went down stairs. The sounds of Dudley's programs were coming from the living room, he could be herd laughing at what he was watching. With the sounds of keys in the lock set the both of them on edge. A moment latter the door was being thrown open. There was a dog running into the house before the two huge humans accompanying it.

"Ripper! Come back here!" a deep feminine voice snarled. But the dog had other plans in mind as he ran into the house tackling Rose to the ground. Marge stomped over to the dog and girl. One on top barking and snapping, the other under covering her head from attack. Marge pulled the dog off of her, "I do apologize, oh its you. Your still here are you? Vernon, what did I tell you about accepting layabouts into your life?"

"I know Marge, but Petunia insisted. You, girl! Make yourself useful and bring your aunts bags to her room!" Vernon barked at her.

"Oh where is my little Duddy-wuddy?" Rose heard Marge call out as she went outside to the car to grab the bags from the boot. For the week stay Marge had packed one trunk and the suit cases. There was another one that looked like a posh dog carrier that, if the state of the backseat of the car was any indication, was rarely used.

Getting the trunk moved into the house first as that was the harder job and easier to do while the adults were busying them selves. The longer that the group was distracted for the better it was for her. It took nearly twenty minuets of huffing and puffing and pulling the thing up the stairs and down the hall but once that was finished the two suit cases were more than easy to accomplish.

As soon as the car was unloaded Petunia left to go to the market and grab the last of the party supplies that couldn't be stored at the house. They had even spent the extra money to have the event partly catered, all that Petunia had to do was pick up the food.

Rose busied herself in the backyard setting up tables for the buffet. She got it finished just in time for Petunia to be finished with the market. Bringing the things to the back was easy enough, or it would be if ripper wasn't jumping all over them. Vernon and Marge watched them setup form the kitchen as they drank their tea, the two of them criticizing the pace that they were working at.

But soon it was done and before she knew it a party was happening around her. She was even sneaking food and none was stopping her. She was even doing a good job of dodging Dudley and his friends. They were currently playing a game in the center of the yard, some sort of relay race. Rose found herself a good spot of standing near strangers. The children wouldn't tease or mock her there and Vernon wouldn't start to yell at her in front of 'normal people'. Really if this is how the day would go she could see herself looking fondly to Dudley's next birthday.

She was even lucky enough to see Ripper tackle several of Dudley's more annoying friends. If the stars aligned properly maybe the dog will injure one of these 'precious babies' and be put to sleep. It was a horrid thing to think but she still got pleasure of thinking about how upset the death of her precious dog would make Marge.

She was having really the perfect time when one of the guests had to ruin it by talking to her. "Why aren't you playing with the other children?" the man asked her.

She knew that she had to play this right. She hadn't seen the man before, he could be one of the kids parents who just hasn't gone to any of the school events. But if he was the person who Vernon had invited to this event to impress, and knowing her luck he is, then she could get in lots of trouble for talking to him. She could also get into lots of trouble if she is rude to him an he tells Vernon about it. "Oh I don't want to play." She answered.

"Oh come now my dear, what child doesn't want to play with children their own age." the truth of the matter was that she wasn't their age. She was nearly two years older than these children. She was just so small for her age that she looked about the same age as them.

"Oh, I think that I'm just more adult than them." She decided to answer with. Adults seemed to like it when children acted mature, they think that its cute. She thinks that its annoying to be called cute. Something that they also seem to think is cute. An unending cycle of annoyance on her part.

"I think that you just don't want to ruin your pretty dress." he said as he looked her over. 'sure, that's what I'm worried about, my dress.'

"If you say so." she told him. "Excuse me." she said and walked away. Sometimes adults had a special way of making things uncomfortable.

Latter in the party she saw the man talking to Vernon. Vernon seemed to be on edge at the beginning of the conversation and then relaxed as it progressed. The two men kept looking over at her and she just hoped that she wasn't going to get in trouble for what she said to him.

It was then time for cake. When everyone was standing around singing Happy Birthday Rose decided that it was time to sneak away. Being around this many people was tiring and once they had cake it would be time for presents and she wouldn't be aloud to touch any of them. It was best to get away now. She headed up the stairs to use the washroom. Leaving there was a man standing in the hall way. The same one that was talking to her earlier.

"Sorry," she said stepping out of the way to allow him access to the room.

"Don't be my dear." he said looking down at her. "Tell me darling, what is your name?"

"Rose. Well its Primrose, but I just go by Rose."

"Rose, that is a lovely name. Tell me Rose, you live here with your uncle right?"

Rose nodded her head. "Yes, that's right. My Aunt and Uncle took me in after my parents died when I was still a baby."

"My that is a tragedy." the man said looking sad but the emotion didn't go to his eyes. "And then, if you Don't mind me asking, to you listen to your aunt and uncle? Do what they tell you to do? No matter what?"

"I-?" 'what was this man talking about?' "I do my best to obey them as I would any adult." Rose answered.

"that's a good girl Rose. I was talking to your uncle earlier. We had a good discussion and he said that if I asked you to do something for me you would do it. Is that true? Would you do it for me Rose?"

"Yes I would." I would do anything to avoid one of Vernon's beatings.

"Good girl." he reached to the nearest door down the hall and opened it. It was Dudley's second bedroom. "Come in here with me." he commanded. Rose walked into the room. It was an organized mess. There were broken toys laying around. This was the room that he used when his friends were over. There was a bunk bed in the corner and a chair next to a desk. The man walked over to the chair and stat down on it. He then patted his lap. "close the door and come sit right here on my lap."

Feeling awkward entering the room but not wanting this man to tell Vernon that she was misbehaving she entered the room and closed the door. She walked over to him and he reached down and picked her up and set her down in his lap.

"you know, this really is a pretty dress." he told her as he touched it. He lifted it up a little so he could see it better. "You know that you are very pretty too right? Has anyone ever told you that before that you are very pretty?" he asked her. She shook her head no. "Oh come now child. No one has ever said that you are pretty? Not even your Uncle?" she shook her head no again. "well then, your uncle is stupid." she made a small smile at that.

His hands didn't stop at just lifting her dress a little however. His hands went all over her. At times they even hurt her. Not in the way that Vernon had hurt her, it was they way that they moved, going places that no hand had ever traveled around her before. When she started to look like she was going to protest he looked down at her. "You want me to tell your Uncle that you were a good girl right?" with the nod of her head he bent down and kissed her full on the lips. "Good girl." he said and continued to do what he was doing.

Latter that night when she was in her cupboard getting ready to go to sleep Uncle Vernon opened the door and stuck his massive face into the room. "You did good today girl. Thanks to you I'll be seeing a raise." Vernon beamed down at his niece with pride for the first time in her life. "You know, I think that you are outgrowing this cupboard. When your Aunt Marge leaves well move you up to Dudley's second bedroom. And no more of these boy cloths. Well make a proper woman of you yet."

With light click the door to the cupboard was closed. For the first time in a long time Primrose Lily Potter cried herself to sleep. It was only then, when exhaustion finally took her that a light glow started to spread around her body. And all the trauma that had happened to her that day had been washed away. The broken rib that Vernon left when he kicked her to the actions that his boss made were gone. But the healing glowing light couldn't heal her memories.

The next morning she awoke to no outside aches or pain.

AN: There was a worry about Harry being treated as a bad guy. I just want to say that while some characters will receive some flack because of the decisions that they make, but there will be no 'bashing' exactly. The only people who will receive criticism that will seem the most like bashing and that will be Dumbledore, and Vernon.

I'm still unsure how big of a part Harry will play in this story, if he does it wont be for another 30-40 chapters anyway.

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