Okay, as you probably should know by now, nobody on this site owns Harry Potter unless they somehow have the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

"Parseltongue"

"Normal Talk"

Thoughts/emphasis

Enjoy!

Kiru played the Prelude of Light, wondering what was in store for her. She yawned, having used up the last bit of her magic reserves for the day, and fell onto her bed into a deep, and very interesting sleep. Her dreams were by far the weirdest ones yet, but they fascinated her to no end.

Draco had just left his seventh year, and the Dark Lord had been vanquished. Harry was a hero, and Kiru was back to being ignored just like she liked it. Draco had caught her, and they'd gone off into the Forbidden Forest to be alone. He began kissing her passionately, and she could have sworn she was in heaven. She had just left her fifth year and was more than happy her O.W.L.'s were behind her. She'd aced potions, naturally – it was in her blood. Out of nowhere, the female prefect, Arachne appeared, shoving past Draco and performing the Imperius Curse on Kiru just before Obliviating Draco, Harry, and Snape from Kiru's memories. She swore to never enter the Forbidden Forest with Draco.

The dream shifted, and they were now out on the Quidditch pitch, Draco teaching her how to fly on a broomstick since she'd missed out on it during her first year. She'd missed out on a lot of the basics, and knew that her father would have to help her catch up during the summer. A bludger, having been cursed, was flying straight for her. Mellicent was in this dream, wielding a bat and beating the bludger away angrily. A second bludger was released, hitting Kiru's left arm and knocking her off her broom.

She would have woken up, but the dream shifted again. she was in the Slytherin sleeping quarters for the girls, lying in bed just as she should have been, when a cloaked figure slit her wrists and let her bleed out to death. The dreams just kept getting worse and worse, always ending with Kiru's deaths, but Draco was always absent during those dreams…

Finally, after more than a dozen death-defying dreams without him, he reappeared once more.

She and Draco were older, and there was a strange ring on her third left finger. She looked around, nothing looked familiar as of yet except for the home, the one that had once been her mother's. He was drinking coffee, and she was dishing out eggs onto his plate, her stomach looking eerily like a balloon. He smiled, kissed her, and rubbed her stomach gently. She suddenly realized what this meant, and audibly gasped. The prefect burst in angrily, using the Unforgivable curses to no end, finally killing Draco.

"NO!" she woke up screaming, covered in sweat and jerking upright. Mellicent Bullstrode, Pansy Parkinson, and two other strong and feared Slytherin girls had moved into her room with her to protect her at night. They awoke at the sound of her screaming, and were at her bedside in mere seconds.

"What happened?" Mellicent asked, and Kiru shook violently. "Kiru, what happened?"

"Daddy," she sobbed. "Daddy. Daddy."

"I think we need to get her to Professor Snape," Pansy said hesitantly, and Mellicent led her out of the Slytherin areas to the office of the Potions master.

He opened the door almost immediately and was, naturally, in black pajamas. His eyes narrowed at Kiru's terrified frame, her arms crossed in front of her in fear, her wand ready. He led her in, and immediately gave her a calming solution. Her panting lessened, but her shaking didn't. He nodded to the girls, and all but Mellicent left to go back to bed. The older girl had obviously begun looking to Kiru like a younger sister, and Kiru could tell Mellicent almost anything in complete confidence.

"Draco," Kiru sobbed, and the Potions Master's eyes snapped onto his daughter. "She tortured and killed him…Arachne tortured and killed him, dad…"

"Mellicent, go check on Draco," Snape ordered, and the older girl nodded before leaving his office. "Kiru, tell me what happened."

"I…I was pregnant, and out of nowhere, Arachne tortured him with…with…with the unforgivable curse. Draco was writhing, begging her not to hurt me. she used it on me, and I felt an intense amount of pain, and something inside me broke. Draco cried out in pain or shock, and he placed himself in harm's way. She…she killed him, dad…she killed him like you-know-who killed the Potters…"

"Shh, it's just a dream," Snape soothed, holding his daughter and hoping it was the truth. "Draco's fine, I'm sure."

"Professor?" Mellicent and Draco asked confused as they returned. Kiru's eyes widened, and she tackled Draco into a fierce hug, even though she was still shaking like a madman. Snape sighed heavily through his nose, his last bout of patience almost spent.

"Draco, did you hear her playing her Ocarina?" Snape asked, and the young Malfoy shook his head while Mellicent nodded. She twiddled the tune, and the weary parent rubbed his eyes. "Of course – the Prelude of Light. The one song that would show you the future for Kami knows why, and you wind up making it hell, Kiru. Honestly, what will it do to make sure your life doesn't end up like mine?"

"Arachne," she sobbed. "It was all her fault. She kept killing me, she kept killing me. She kept killing me after killing him."

"Him?" Draco asked, but Snape wasn't about to answer that. He could see hurt in the young Malfoy's eyes, and leered to spell out what he was saying.

"Think, Malfoy," Mellicent huffed. "The Prelude of Light shows the future, or possibilities that it holds, as Professor Snape just told us."

"Oh, and you think that I'm the one from her nightmares," Draco realized and the other Slytherin nodded. Snape shut his eyes tightly before taking a look at his clock.

"Draco, Mellicent, go back to bed. I'll handle Kiru," he said in a tone that left no room for argument.

The next morning was extremely confusing for the Golden Trio. They were glaring up at Snape, who seemed dangerously close to nodding off over breakfast. Ron, of course, was laughing about it, while Harry was trying to think of a plot that the Potions Master could be up to and Hermione was talking to Ginny to see if Kiru was alright.

"I hear that Kiru woke up screaming last night after only a couple hours of sleep," Ginny said quietly. "I heard one of the Slytherin girls whining about how loud she had screamed and making it so nobody else could sleep after that for fear that the prefect girl was on the loose again."

"Fow'v Fe gefph away?" Ron asked, and the two girls shook their heads.

"I don't know how the prefect, Arachne, I think her name is, got away. Nobody does. I do know this, though, something's gone really wrong in Kiru's brain from what happened with her mother, and now Snape's having to deal with the consequences," Harry grinned widely before the Snape duo made eye contact.

The Slytherin head was exhausted, running off only two hours of sleep for the past two days total, and was missing out on more than three hours of sleep a night for the previous week because of grading finals. So, yes, he was more than exhausted. If it hadn't been for his being on his third cup of coffee by six, he would have given Weasley, Potter, and Granger detention for being idiots and waking up too damn early.

He locked eyes with his princess, who was clinging onto Draco for dear life, looking wide-eyed at everything around her, terrified. Lucius was still here, and eyeing the girl warily and dangerously until his son had explained that Kiru was running off little sleep and had had nightmares the whole time. Then the Death Eater had backed off, and looked at her with what seemed to almost be sympathy.

Snape could have sworn that Potter and Granger were up to something as his eyes snapped overhead for the mail to arrive. Owls were swooping every which way, and strangely, more than one was for Potter. One, of course, carried what he knew could only be another broom since his Nimbus Two Thousand had smashed into the Whomping Willow. The other, carried a large letter with the Ministry of Magic's seal. He grinned in delight, he couldn't help it at the sight of Potter's shocked face at the letter.

Kiru had also gotten mail, for once, and was cringing away from it for some strange reason. He then realized what it was and covered his ears just as Lucius Malfoy did. Just as Kiru and Draco did the same, the Howler exploded with a voice that shook all the dust from the roof of the Great Hall. He recognized the voice anywhere, even when magnified by one hundred – it was Bellatrix Lestrange's, who had attempted to court him. She'd been furious when he'd said no and gone to Sarabella, and apparently decided to take her wrath out on the deceaced one's daughter.

"DON'T KNOW WHY I EVEN BOTHERED! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SEEN, YOU COULD HAVE BEEN BITTEN BY A WEREWOLF! BUT, NO, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT USELESS MUDBLOOD BITCH'S BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH YOUR VEINS ALONG WITH THE BLOOD OF THE ONLY ONE SECOND TO THE DARK LORD!"

The entire Great Hall had their heads down, some even looking around for the source of the Howler until they finally figured out that it was a teacher's kid who'd gotten it. The Slytherin house, on the other hand, knew exactly who had gotten it once Snape's name was mentioned.

"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A WORTHLESS PIECE OF MONSTER FILTH, JUST LIKE YOUR FREAK MOTHER! AND AS FOR YOU, SEVERUS SNAPE!" the voice screamed as the letter turned onto him. "YOU KEEP YOUR BASTARD DAUGHTER IN LINE OR I WILL PERSONALLY HUNT YOU TWO DOWN, TORTURE HER LIKE I DID THE LONGBOTTOMS, AND SHIP HER OFF TO ST. MUNGO'S IN A MATCHBOX IF I'M IN A GOOD MOOD THAT DAY! AND DON'T EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO STOP ME, OR I'LL TORTURE YOU ALONGSIDE HER!"

Snape's once exhausted frame was now on edge, eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at the Howler. He finally remembered how to breathe and blink when Lupin nudged him with an elbow. Snape shuddered, the horrifying thought of his daughter stuck like Frank and Alice Longbottom entering his mind, and left the Great Hall to go puke. Bellatrix was trouble, huge trouble, especially when angry like that. Potter was also leaving the Great Hall, just for a different reason.

"Professor," the third year said once he had left the bathrooms to go to his office, and Snape swerved around, his face a mask of what Harry thought was rage, but was in fact disgust. It was the first time Potter dared approach him, or any non-Slytherin for that matter. "Professor, what – how – who was that?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Snape said sourly. "A selfish bitch who tried to court me, and I'm quite glad I didn't since she wound up in Azkaban for – well, you know. Of for the love of pete, Potter, you just heard her screaming about it. Use your head."

"Sir, I'm sorry," Harry said quickly, his eyes filling up with tears. The two stood in silence for a bit, both of them having epiphanies before Snape finally broke the silence.

"Potter, if this isn't about Potions or Kiru, then I don't want to hear it," Snape growled, trying to put his epiphany into action.

"Sir, he's gone," Harry sobbed. "Sirius is in St. Mungo's. He was found the – the dark mark was over him. I – I have nowhere else to go. Professor Lupin is a werewolf, and Mrs. Weasley has more than enough mouths to feed, I don't want to be a burden on her. I – mom said that you and her were friends. I-I don't want to go back to the Dursleys…"

"Your father loved nothing more than to make me suffer," Snape said coldly as he swept back into the dungeons. "But, I will consider what you're asking. For Lily."

.o0O0o.

"Harry!" Molly Weasley gasped as she arrived at the school alongside a number of aurors.

After what the Slytherin Prefect had done and gotten away, the aurors were patrolling the castle, more than one in the dungeons, and one even remaining in the Slytherin common room for good measure. Kiru was more than happy Tonks was back, and had grasped her tightly around the midriff. The auror laughed, and Kiru went back to eating with a lot more peace of mind now that an auror was going to follow her almost everywhere to keep her safe. The Howler was still fresh on her mind, but she decided to tell the auror later since Mr. Malfoy knew about it firsthand. She didn't even know who that crazy woman was who'd been screaming in the letter – all she knew was that the woman hated her for what her mother did.

Kiru noted that the small red haired woman was smacking Ron upside the head, and that she was doting on Harry. She also noted that her father had left the Great Hall. Wait – left? She panicked, grabbing her things in a frenzy before Draco put his hand on her back. Kiru cringed, sitting down like she'd been electrocuted. The way things were playing out during her first year – she hoped her second was better. The teachers had postponed her finals until the end of July so she could catch up on all her studies that she'd missed during the spring months. Unfortunately, this meant that she only had a month for a vacation instead of three like the others did.

"Draco, who's the redhead?" Kiru asked hesitantly, and Lucius smirked.

"That, Kiru, is Molly Weasley. She's a blood traitor, and her husband loves anything Muggle related. I think the lunatic should simply snap his wand and join them," Lucius sneered. Kiru thought about it, then realized something. Molly Weasley – Ginny had said that she had six older brothers. This woman was probably struggling to make ends meet for the longest time until her children went off to Hogwarts.

"Mr. Malfoy, what do the Weasley's do for a living," Kiru asked. "How do they make ends meet to feed nine mouths?"

"Arthur, the father, works at the ministry of magic. Molly wields no jobs, and the two elder Weasley sons are in various parts of the world on their own. Percy is over there, the head boy," he explained.

"Bighead boy more like it," Draco whined. "He thinks he's so much better than anyone else. The only reason he hasn't sunk his fangs into you is because your dad could attack his potions grade. That's the only reason anyone from most of the other houses gives you any respect at all."

"I love my dad," Kiru grinned widely. "But I miss my mom, even if she was violent. I wonder what Potter's letter said over breakfast."

Snape yawned as he walked into the dungeons. He was tired, but he had a job to do. He'd just have them writing essays in class instead of brewing potions. He trusted the Slytherins to keep an eye on things, especially since Lucius had joined him in the dungeons for the day.

Lucius Malfoy grinned widely. Snape had left an essay topic on the board, letting them know what on earth they were to write about. About ten minutes into the second years' writings, Severus was fast asleep and more than relaxed, even though his head was asleep on his desk. The poor man deserved a little more time off than that, especially since his daughter was mentally ill from everything that had happened.

"Quiet, Weasley," he snapped, and Ginny shut her mouth immediately.

When the bell was about to ring for class to end, he gently shook Severus' shoulder, who instantly snapped awake, albeit very groggy and tired still. He smirked as the raven-haired man shook his head to clear it, and they watched the students file up to hand their essays in. He'd have the NEWT students grade it for their work for the day, Lucius knew. Not only would it get the work off their backs, but also less paperwork. Still, he'd have to go over it just to be sure, as one could never be too safe around students. The bell sounded, and the second years filed out to be replaced by the third years.

"I was wondering where you'd gone," Draco grinned as he caught sight of his father, and a slight amount of bedhead from his favorite teacher. Lucius had grinned that Severus had put his hair up for once to keep it from giving him bedhead. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine," Severus snapped. "Potter, come here."

The Gryffindor boy complied, handing the Potions Master the letter that he'd received. Snape gawked and had to reread the letter to properly understand it. Ariadne Arachne, the girl who'd attacked his daughter, had ruthlessly tortured Black with the Crutiatus Curse just as Bellatrix had the Longbottoms. This left Harry with no other options but the Dursleys, which were mentioned to be missing, presumed dead, with one exception, in the second letter. Harry stared at the board, furrowing his brow, and Severus waved his wand to give the Third years a potion to brew. He was tired, yes, but these letters had woke him up. He needed more coffee, though.

"Potter, go to the kitchens and get me some more coffee," Snape ordered, and Harry headed off. "And don't even think about cutting class. I'll know."

"Yes, sir," Harry said glumly as he left. Twenty minutes later, he returned with the exact brew that Severus loved, still piping hot.

"You know what to do," Snape ordered, and Harry took his papers back from the Professor and headed to his seat to begin. Snape drank the entire mug of coffee without even stopping for a breather, and waved his wand to refill it, only to empty it in a like manner.

"Still tired, Severus?" Lucius smirked.

"You have no idea," Snape sighed. "Try running off of two hours of sleep for three days. It's hell."

"Technically, it was three hours since I kept an eye on the dunderheads for you last class," Lucius reminded, and Snape grinned.

"True," he conceded. "And I thank you for that since I very much needed it. Kiru was impossible last night – I swear, one day I'll have to create a potion that stops traumatizing memories from resurfacing."

"The dreamless sleep potion didn't work?" Lucius asked, furrowing his brow.

"No, she woke up screaming her lungs off. Woke up everyone in the Slytherin house," Snape sighed. "If you don't believe me, ask Draco. He and Mellicent escorted Kiru to my office to help calm her down. All she would say was the prefect's name."

"Interesting," Lucius said as he eyed his son, who bent further over his cauldron to avoid eye contact with the two death eaters. "I'm wondering, Severus, and I think you know what I'm talking about."

"Ah. Hm, not a bad idea, I admit. I suppose opposites really do attract," Snape grinned. "Look at Granger and Weasley – she is the only one in Gryffindor who can manage a decent grade on anything I assign, while he is a complete idiot who can't make a decent grade on any of his papers without her help."

Hermione blushed slightly at the praise, and Harry almost put a wrong ingredient in before Snape stopped him to push the correct one in and move on without a word to him. He eyed the boy, wondering what to do further. Potter's aunt and uncle were supposedly dead, while his cousin lived. Black was alive as well, but would be in St. Mungo's permanently. The boy had nowhere to go, but if he took them in it would spell disaster for them all. Kiru and Potter would get along, but the muggle was just going too far. Snape frowned at a thought.

He could leave Spinner's End and join Harry and the muggle at their house. The two boys would have to share a room and Kiru get the second bedroom, but it was a horrid idea. He hated muggles, and most especially the older sister that hated him for being a 'freak' like Lily. He reckoned the old horse had treated Potter with equal disdain, and likely let her husband and son abuse him as she saw fit. No wonder Potter ended up breaking rules – he was under far too many under his own roof, he had no choice but to do so at home to survive.

He caught Potter, yet again, making a careless mistake, and corrected the boy once more. He watched, and saw why the boy was making so many mistakes – he was crying. Snape sighed, let Potter add a wrong ingredient. The potion exploded right in Harry's face, and a piece of the cauldron broke off and sliced Harry's arm clean through.

"Lucius, keep an eye on things," Snape said suddenly as the ensuing chaos was immediately quieted by Harry's piercing screams of pain. The blonde looked at him as though he'd lost his mind before eyeing the young Gryffindor. "I'm taking Potter to the hospital wing. Someone has to do it, and I'd rather it was me so I don't get fired. Weasley, you're in charge of cleaning up the mess Potter made."

"Thank you, sir," Potter said quietly, packing his things and heading out with his head down.

"Don't mention it," Snape said equally as low as he followed the boy out. "What makes you think we're going straight there? No, my office is first, Potter."

Harry swallowed, terrified. Snape's office was to be avoided by everyone but his daughter, and the whole school knew that if you were in Snape's office, you weren't getting out without a serious punishment. He reluctantly followed in, the door shutting quietly behind him. Snape almost yanked out the cauldron fragment, sighing in disgust as he pulled up the sleeve that he tore to get a better look at the wound to see how bad it was.

"Damn, boy," he murmured. It had gone in one side of Harry's arm and out the other. "Potter, how objective are you of staying with your cousin?"

"Very, sir," Harry sniffed. "He hates me, and loves nothing more than to pick on me and beat me up."

"Your mother and I were good friends in school, Potter. She reminded me of that last night, and even James approached me. It was strange, and I swear he was drunk when he apologized for being a pain in my ass," Snape explained, and Harry's eyes widened. Snape and his mother had been friends? But Snape hated him – it must have been because of his father.

"Dad saved you," Harry said. "Dumbledore said you owed him a life debt."

"Which I repaid when I saved you from falling off your broom in your first year," Snape retorted, putting a rag under Harry's bleeding arm. "Lily also reminded me that the wards that protect you from the Dark Lord are only available if a blood relative is under the same room as you."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but shut it at the look on Snape's exhausted face. He looked over at Snape's bed – barely slept in, by the looks of it. The poor man was probably running off the caffeine he'd been told to fetch.

"You have no say in the matter, Potter," Snape snapped as he led Harry up to the Hospital Wing. "Poppy, his cauldron exploded before I could get to him. I brought him here since it's your area of expertise."

"A wise choice," the medical witch said gruffly. "The boy's bones have been severed. I'll need you to take the fragment out while I hold his arm in place."

Snape nodded, and the two worked together carefully to get the cauldron slice out. Harry let out silent tears and said nothing as they worked, barely wincing. Madame Pomfrey and Snape recognized a student from a violent home whenever they saw one – Severus had been one himself, and Madame Pomfrey had been around for years. Snape took Harry's arm in his hand when he put the cauldron piece on the desk, and with a few waves of Madame Pomfrey's wand, Harry's bones were back together and his arm was in stitches. She wrapped the gauze around his arm, putting it in a sling delicately. Just as they got back into the dungeons with the rest of the class, and Harry waved his wand to fix his cauldron, the bell rang to go to lunch.

"Potter," Snape yelled, and Harry went up to his desk, expecting a full lecture. Snape led Harry throughout the school, and Dumbledore looked morosely at them as they ran into him in the hallway. One look on Harry's face, and the headmaster knew that something had gone very, very wrong, aside from the sling and the fact that Severus was actually leading him in that direction.

"Severus, Harry, what do I owe this great pleasure of the two of you getting along?" Dumbledore smiled widely. If he thought they were getting along any better because of last night's events, he was wrong.

"Headmaster, it seems that Potter's legal guardians are missing and presumed dead, his godfather is permanently in St. Mungo's, and he and his cousin have nowhere to go," Snape summed up. Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly as he frowned, pulling on his beard as he was lost in thought.

"Sir, if it's alright with you, I'd like to stay away from my cousin," Harry said quickly to the headmaster.

"I'm afraid not, Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "I need him for a spell to work since he is your only remaining blood relative."

"But," Harry protested, but stopped at Snape's evil looks. Dumbledore led them into his office, rummaging around on his desk for something.

"Ah, here it is. Adoption papers," Dumbledore smiled, and Snape's eyes widened. "Come now, Severus, Minerva is too old, and you have a daughter that's his age. Besides, Lily would have rather you took care of him than for him to go into an orphanage. Him and young Mr. Dursley."

"Potter and the muggle? Headmaster, I don't have room for four at my house," Snape protested. "I have rooms for two, and one of them was already set up for Kiru! Potter's pushing it, but the muggle – forget it!"

"Peace, Severus, I know," Dumbledore said calmly, his eyes twinkling. "That's why I was thinking of you and Kiru moving in with young Mr. Potter and Mr. Dursley."

"I'd rather die or stay with Snape than stay one more minute with Dudley," Harry growled quietly.

"How ironic, I felt the same way about your father," Snape retorted. "But, you prefer me over your cousin? Now, this is interesting. I could hex you into oblivion, and you still fear him more than me? You, young Potter, should get docked points for that insult."

"Compliment, sir," Harry said roughly. "Dudley's a spoiled brat who joined Uncle Vernon's fun in tormenting me on a daily basis for the sole reasons of entertainment and my being a wizard."

"Come now, Severus, let's discuss matters after lunch, there's a new tart I wanted to taste," Dumbledore said simply, and the trio headed down to lunch, Harry faster than the others.

"Headmaster," Snape said quietly, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Severus, I know you don't like the idea, but you're the only one I can trust. Minerva is too old, the others aren't able to tell when Voldemort is nearby, and you are most likely the only person who could look after them without a problem," Dumbledore said calmly. "Peace, Severus. I will help you financially should you need it."

"Fine," Snape grumbled. "But I won't like a single minute of this."

Yes, Snape's now Harry's adopted dad. Making Harry and Kiru step-siblings of sorts.

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