Chapter 3

Rescue

"Come on, Freya! We have to go!" Lily called her dog, who was frantically sniffling around a tree.

After peeing on the tree, Freya followed her owner obediently on their way to Severus's house.

Since the dinner in her home, Lily had not seen or received any message from her boyfriend. He wrote to her when he had gotten home and thanked her family for the delicious meal. Then he went silent despite the many notes Lily wrote to him. In desperation to reach him, she mustered up the courage to phone him but quickly hung up when she heard Tobias Snape's voice on the phone. Sick with worry, Lily finally decided to pay Severus a visit.

She had been in the Snapes' house only a few times, all of them when Severus's mother was still alive. Severus preferred to meet in a park or in her house and Lily knew why. He was embarrassed by his family's poverty: his small room without any toys, the fact that he could offer her only a glass of water while he received all kinds of drinks and sweets during his visits in her home. But the main reason for her rare visits in the Snapes' household was Severus's father. Lily knew that Tobias Snape regularly abused his wife and son and was more often drunk than sober. She saw him on a few occasions but met face to face only once. He couldn't refrain from saying rude and obscene comments to her, fortunately Eileen Snape placated her husband before he said or did something more. Lily feared this man and wished to never see him again.

But like a true Gryffindor, she conquered her fears and went to Spinner's End to check on her boyfriend.

She turned onto the street, which name 'Spinner's End' was written on an old damaged sign, and saw Severus's house in the middle of the row of the same brick houses where workers of the nearby mill dwelled. Severus lived under number seven which was commonly known to be a lucky number, both in the magical and non-magical world. However, Lily knew that young Slytherin rarely experienced any luck or happiness in that house.

When she neared a neighbouring house, she heard a man shouting, though she couldn't distinguish any words. She stopped, Freya beside her and listened carefully. Noises were coming from the Snapes' house, through the open window in the kitchen. Seconds later the silence was pierced by a horrible scream. Lily had never heard a scream like that before, full of agony and terror. And it was Severus's scream, she had no doubt.

Her first instinct was to run into Severus's house and help her boyfriend. But moments later she knew that would be a bad decision. She didn't have her wand with her and even if she had, she would be expelled from Hogwarts or even imprisoned for using magic and attacking a Muggle. She was no match for a big man, like Tobias Snape, and most likely would end up as another victim of Severus's father.

The best way to help Severus was to get someone older and stronger than her as quickly as possible.

"No, please- no, no- no!" Lily heard Severus's distressed voice and her heart broke upon hearing her dearest and oldest friend in pain.

Then came another terrible scream. Freya barked, hair standing up on her back. Lily felt tears welling in her eyes. She looked around but saw nobody who could help her. When she heard another scream, she turned around and ran towards her house, Freya behind her.

The girl lived nearby Spinner's End, across the river, near a small playground where she had met a shy, black-haired boy a few years ago. She ran across a bridge, took a shortcut through the playground and reached her house moments later. She saw her father getting out of the car, with shopping bags in his hands.

"Dad! Dad!" Richard Evans turned and saw his younger daughter running towards him, with a terrified look on her face.

"Lily! What happened?!" he asked concerned as the girl stopped beside him, panting heavily.

"Severus! His father- he's- he's hurting him!"

"What?! Where?!"

"In Sev's house. I was going to visit him and heard him screaming." Lily was crying now. "I didn't go inside. I ran immediately for you."

"You did well. Tobias might have hurt you too. Get in the car," her father said. He let Freya in the house and joined Lily in the vehicle.

During the ride Lily told her father about the whole situation in detail. In a few minutes they were driving onto Spinner's End. Suddenly Richard stopped a few buildings before Severus's house. They saw Tobias Snape leaving the house, slamming the door behind him, and going in the opposite direction.

"That's good. We won't have to deal with him. And he didn't lock the door," said Lily's father and stopped in front of the house.

Moments later they cautiously entered the house, Richard first, his daughter right behind him. They went through the short corridor and Richard entered the kitchen. What he saw made him freeze in place, causing Lily to bump into her father.

"Dad? What is it?" she asked fearfully.

Before her father could stop her, Lily went past him and saw a sight which would later hunt her dreams. On the floor, beside the table, lay Severus, battered and bloodied, with trousers down to his knees.

"Oh," said Lily, so shocked that she didn't know what to say or do.

Richard Evans recovered quickly and went to the boy. He checked the pulse on Severus's neck and listened for breaths.

"Dad?" whispered Lily, still standing in the doorway. Please, don't be dead. Please, don't be dead. Please, don't be dead, she repeated in her head.

"He's breathing," said her father and Lily sighed in relief. "But his pulse is weak and very quick. It appears he lost a lot of blood. We need to call an ambulance. Does Severus have a phone?"

"Yes," answered Lily and quickly went to the living room to call for help.

While his daughter was gone, Richard examined the boy more closely. He noticed a lot of bruises around Severus's hips, in different stages of healing. There were also welts and wounds on his buttocks which explained why Severus had been grimacing while sitting a few days ago. At first Richard thought that Severus was naked because of beating but then he noticed something else. Thin trails of blood on his thighs, mixed with white substance. Adding what he was seeing to Lily's descriptions of her boyfriend's behaviour Richard Evans came to a horrific conclusion.

Cursing under his breath, he quickly pulled the trousers over Severus's backside, hoping Lily hadn't seen the signs of rape. He delicately moved the boy's head so he wouldn't suffocate in the growing puddle of blood from his broken nose.

"The ambulance will be here in a few minutes," said Lily, entering the kitchen. She knelt down beside Severus and took his cold, clammy hand. "Dad, is Sev going to be alright?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," said Richard honestly. "I hope so but we have to wait till we get to the hospital."

They waited in silence for several minutes. Richard was checking Severus's breath and pulse every minute and Lily tried to wipe blood and tears from his face with her handkerchief. She was scared, she had never felt so much fear before, not even when facing a boggart in her third year. She couldn't comprehend that Severus may be dying, that he could not survive this. She couldn't imagine life without him.

Finally, they heard an ambulance's signal. Richard stood and went to the front door to let the emergency crew in.

"Hello, I'm Jonathan Burke, I'm a paramedic," said a tall man in his forties. Behind him stood two younger men. "You called for a medical help?"

"Yes," said Richard and led them into the kitchen. "My daughter's boyfriend, Severus, is seriously hurt. He was most probably beaten by his father. He's unconscious but still breathing."

"When did this happen?"

"We found him about fifteen minutes ago."

The paramedic nodded. "If you suspect that he was beaten by his father, you should call a police. They need to be informed about a crime."

Richard went to make a call and Jonathan Burke started examining Severus while his two colleagues measured the boy's blood pressure and put an IV in his arm and a mask over his mouth and nose. Lily observed everything with wide eyes but didn't dare to ask the most important question.

Richard returned when the paramedics were putting Severus on a stretcher.

"How is he?" asked Lily's father and embraced his daughter.

"Not good," said Jonathan. "He's lucky that you found him so quickly. He's in shock, his blood pressure is low and heart rate high. He's most probably bleeding inside. He's getting fluids but we must take him to the hospital. A surgery might be needed."

"Will he live?" asked Lily, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't know but he has good chances if we act quickly. He's young and strong and is in good hands," the man reassured Lily, giving her a small smile.

"Can we go with you?"

"Your father called the police so you should wait here for them. You may visit Severus later in the hospital."

The younger paramedics took Severus out to the ambulance and Richard accompanied Jonathan to the door.

"I have a few formal questions," said the paramedic. "What is his full name and how old is he?"

"Severus Snape, sixteen."

"Who are his parents and do you know where they are?"

"His mother is dead and his father, Tobias Snape, left the house as we drove into the street. I don't know where he went."

"And your name, sir?"

"Richard Evans. And there is one more thing that you should know. I didn't want to mention it in front of my daughter but I strongly suspect that Severus was raped."

Jonathan gasped and noted something in his papers.

"Thank you. We're taking him to the main hospital in the city centre. Ask in the reception in which ward to find him."

Richard nodded. "Thank you. And please do everything in your power to help him."

"We always do," Jonathan said and got quickly into the car.

Richard returned to the kitchen where Lily was sitting at the table and crying, with her head buried in her hands. Sobs were shacking her shoulders and she sounded completely distraught. Richard's heart broke upon seeing his little daughter so upset and he didn't want to think how she was going to react after learning the whole truth about Severus's condition. He hugged her closely, trying to comfort her.

"Lily, we have to be strong. Severus needs us. He will need your strength and help to recover."

"What if he won't- won't recover?"

"He will. I promise you," said Richard, though they both knew that it was a promise he may be unable to keep.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Lily slowly calming down. When they heard someone knocking on the door, Richard went to open and found two police officers standing before him.

"Good morning," said the older one. "Are you Richard Evans?"

"Yes," answered Lily's father and led them into the living room. "Do you need to speak with my daughter also?"

"Not now. We may want to ask her a few questions later if she knows anything about this case," said the police officer and took out a pen and a notebook to write down Mr Evans's statement. "Well, sir, tell us everything you know about what happened to Severus Snape."

Richard told them everything he saw and knew, beginning with Lily's concerns and suspicions and ending on that morning's events. After making sure that Lily was still in the kitchen, he told them about his strong suspicion that Severus had been raped and asked the police officers to not tell or suggest to his daughter that Severus may have been sexually abused. Later, the officers questioned Lily, who confirmed her father's version, adding some more profound observations of Severus's behaviour. Finally, they investigated and took some photos of the kitchen, where the crime had taken place.

"Thank you," said the older officer. "We will try to find and Tobias Snape. We'll also ask doctors' opinions on this matter and question Severus when he recovers. And you and your family's members have to be prepared for being summoned to the police station for giving further testimony."

"I understand, sir. I hope you find Severus's father."

As soon as the police officers left the house, Richard phoned his wife and told her what had happened while Lily waited impatiently in the car. Finally, they drove to the hospital, thankfully without any interruptions, parked the car and rushed inside, stopping at the reception desk.

"How can I help you, sir?" asked the receptionist.

"We're looking for Severus Snape, he was brought here about an hour ago."

"Severus Snape... wait a moment," the woman searched through many notes laying on her desk. "Oh, yes. He was taken straight to the operating room, on the first floor. But you can't go there, you'll have to wait outside."

"Thank you," said Richard and headed with Lily to the first floor.

They quickly found the operating theatre and sat down on chairs in the waiting area. Neither Lily nor her father said anything, both immersed in their thoughts and hoping for a successful outcome. Half an hour of nervous waiting later, the operating room's door opened and two doctors came out. Richard quickly stood up and stopped one of them.

"Excuse me, could you tell me what's happening with Severus Snape?"

Before the doctor could answer, his colleague asked:

"And who are you, sir?"

"Richard Evans. And this is my daughter, Lily."

The doctor bowed his head in greetings.

"I'm Dr Shephard, I was operating on Severus and now I'm taking care of him. The operation went well, he's stable but still unconscious. He was moved to the intensive care unit," after a moment of consideration, he added. "Sir, if you don't mind, please go to my office, just outside the surgical ward, and wait there for me. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes and tell you about everything in detail."

Richard nodded, too filled with joy to speak. He was watching Dr Shephard following his colleague when he heard Lily crying behind him. He turned and saw his daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks but happiness and relief on her face. They were tears of joy.

"He's alive, he's alive," repeated Lily frantically as she hugged her father. They stood embraced for a few minutes, sharing their happiness, before going to Dr Shephard's office. He came shortly after and let them in his small office.

"Please, sit down," said the doctor, indicating chairs beside his desk and sitting in one himself. "My name is Daniel Shephard and I'm a pediatric surgeon. Severus was put under my care and I'll do everything I can to help Severus recover and leave the hospital in good health. What happened to the boy is shocking and outrageous! I hope whoever did this will be punished accordingly!" He stopped, looked at his guests and smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, but I can't be calm when I see child abuse."

"I understand you, sir. I feel the same," Richard reassured the doctor.

"Well then, let's get to the matter, shall we? May I see your identity document, sir?" he nodded when Lily's father presented his document. "Everything's fine. Thanks to Severus's mother I'm now able to tell you everything about his condition."

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Lily surprised.

"You see, in case of minors, we can only relay information about their health to their parents," said Dr Shephard. "But Eileen Snape came to the hospital some time ago and made a note in her son's documentation that Richard and Laura Evans can be informed as well. It appears she didn't trust her husband and was afraid something may happen to her."

"She died in March," replied Lily. "Sev's father found her dead in their bedroom."

"Poor boy," said Dr Shephard and after a moment of silence continued: "So, the main issue with Severus's condition, as the paramedics rightly diagnosed, was internal bleeding. A huge bruise started forming on his left side so it's highly probable that someone had kicked him. It must have been a strong blow and Severus's thin frame didn't help much in protecting his internal organs. As we had suspected, after we opened his abdomen, his spleen was ruptured. It was damaged so badly that we had to remove it completely."

"Does he need a transplant?" asked Lily with tears in her eyes after hearing what her boyfriend went through. "I can give mine."

"That's very generous of you but it won't be necessary. A spleen is an important organ but you can live without it. Severus may have decreased immunity now. He will be vaccinated against diseases he hasn't already been and he will have to be careful to avoid infections. That's all, nothing dramatic or decreasing life comfort."

Lily noted in her head to ask Madam Pomfrey if there was an elixir for impaired immunity. If not, she was sure that Severus would invent one someday.

"Severus also has a broken nose," continued Dr Shephard. "We repositioned it and applied a proper dressing."

"Not for the first time," added Lily grimly. "Since we met he has had a nose broken three times: twice by his father and once in school. I don't know how many times before we met."

The doctor noted something in his papers and said: "We observed a lot of bruises on Severus' body, especially on his hips and abdomen. His back and buttocks are not only heavily bruised but also have wounds, presumably from being hit with a belt. Jonathan Burke told us what you suspected and-" but then he looked at Lily and paused.

"And what, sir?" demanded Lily.

"Lily, can you please wait outside?" Richard asked. Lily didn't need to know about rape right now and Richard believed that Severus should have a choice if and when to tell her about it.

"But Dad-" Lily whined.

"No discussion," her father said sternly and with an offended face Lily left the room.

"So, I was right?" Richard asked in a hushed voice, in case Lily was listening on the other side of the door. "Was Severus raped?"

"It appears so," answered Dr Shephard. "We secured samples of blood, semen and epidermis from Severus's body and we hope that they'll indicate who did this. Of course, Severus's testimony will be essential. And judging by bruises on the boy's hips, which are in different stages of healing, we suspect that today wasn't the first time."

Richard's heart broke for the poor boy. He couldn't comprehend how someone was able to commit such a hideous deed, moreover to his own child. He vowed to himself that he would do anything to protect Severus from further harm.

"May we see Severus?" he asked and felt tears stinging in his eyes. He hastily dabbed them so Lily wouldn't see him crying.

"I'll check on Severus and let you know if he's stable enough for a visit," said the doctor and left the office.

Lily came in. She was in tears.

"It's all my fault," Lily whimpered. "I should have seen that something was wrong earlier. I should have done something. I should have-" but she was unable to continue. She was sobbing so hard that she had difficulty catching a breath.

Her father embraced her tightly, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear.

"Sweetheart, it's not your fault. Nor is it Severus's. You shouldn't blame yourself. You know how good Severus is at acting and hiding his problems. You couldn't have known. And you've done enough. You saved him not only today but thanks to your love and support you helped Severus to get through this nightmare."

"I wish- I wish I had done more," sobbed Lily, trying to control her breath.

"We all wish," replied her father. "But we can't change the past. However, we can help Severus now, care for him, protect him and love him. It will take time for Severus to return to normalcy after what was done to him but I believe with our help he will. It will be difficult for Severus and us but we can do it, Lily, right?"

"Right," the girl agreed and managed a weak smile. "But what if Severus has to go back to his father?"

"I hope that Tobias Snape will get a harsh punishment for his crimes. And we will protect Severus no matter what."

"But he's sixteen now. If his father goes to the prison, he will need a guardian and he doesn't have any family left. Is he going to live in an orphanage?" asked Lily and new tears came to her eyes at the thought of her boyfriend living in the institution.

"Don't worry, Lily. I have a plan."

Before Lily could inquire about her father's plan, Dr Shephard returned.

"You may see Severus. He's awake but very tired so the visit has to be short. There can be only one visitor at a time."

"Of course," said Mr Evans and together with his daughter followed the doctor into the intensive care unit.

"How long is Severus going to stay in the hospital?" asked Lily while they were walking along the corridor.

"I can't tell you now. It depends on many factors. Severus lost a lot of blood, he was transfused two units of blood but may need more. We cannot release him until his blood results are back to normal. He also has a big surgical wound; we must be sure it's healing well, that there is no infection before Severus can go home."

They arrived at the ICU and Lily followed the doctor into the ward while her father waited outside. They stopped at the bed beside the window where Severus was lying under white sheets. His eyes were closed but Lily couldn't tell if he was sleeping or just resting. The boy was extremely pale. Lily saw dark bruises around his neck and on his arms and chest. A few cords were attached to his chest and medicines and blood were dripping slowly through the cannulas into his veins.

"Severus," the doctor said gently and the boy immediately opened his eyes. "You have a visitor."

Lily came closer and the doctor left the couple alone.

"Hi, Sev," whispered Lily and though she tried very hard, she couldn't stop tears from welling in her eyes.

"Lily," said Severus so quietly that she barely heard him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, sat down in a chair and took his cold hand in hers.

"Tired. I want to sleep," he answered and Lily saw that her boyfriend had troubles keeping his eyes open.

She wanted to say so many things, to ask so many questions but she knew they had to wait. So she asked only one, for her the most important question:

"Are you in any pain?"

After a while Severus answered: "No."

Lily smiled. "Sleep, Sev. I'll be here, I'll watch over you. I love you."

She wanted to kiss him but before she finished speaking, Severus was asleep.

The girl recalled the first time she kissed Severus and confessed her love for him. It was a bittersweet memory of a moment when tears of sadness caused tears of joy and at last joined the two young people together.

It was the first day of spring, warm and sunny. Lily emerged from the Transfiguration classroom, happy to be done with lessons for that week. However, there was a cloud hanging over her. She hadn't seen Severus, her best friend, since breakfast. He hadn't come to Potions, which her house shared with Slytherins, and later hadn't appeared at lunch. Lily had gone to the Hospital Wing, worried that he was ill or injured, but Madam Pomfrey had denied seeing him that day. When he hadn't showed up at Transfiguration either, she had become really worried and couldn't focus on the lesson's task. Finally, the lesson was over and Lily could dedicate her full attention on finding Severus.

The redhead entered the Great Hall and searched for her friend in the midst of Slytherin students. As she had feared, he wasn't there. She marched quickly to the Slytherin table, ignoring curious looks she got, and stopped beside Regulus, Sirius Black's younger brother, who was Severus's friend and was at least civil to her.

"Regulus, may I have a word?"

He looked at the Gryffindor surprised but nodded and followed her out of the Great Hall where they could talk more privately.

"What do you want, Evans?"

"Do you know where Severus is? I haven't seen him since morning, he didn't attend any classes today."

The boy nodded, as if he had expected her question. He looked a bit worried.

"Ah yes, Severus. Something wrong must have happened. I don't know what but Avery said that Dumbledore had come for him during Charms class and he hadn't returned. I heard Jamie saying that he had locked himself in the boy's bathroom on the third floor. Sorry, that's all I knew."

"Thanks, that's enough!" Lily said and ran up the stairs before Regulus could say another word.

Lily stopped beside the boy's toilet on the third floor, panting heavily. She looked around to check nobody else was in the corridor, opened the door and quickly slipped into the bathroom. Thankfully, it was empty. She walked quietly to the last cabin, the only one closed, and heard a distinct buzzing, which meant that Severus must have cast a Muffliato spell to not be heard by other students.

"Severus?" she softly asked and knocked on the door.

The buzzing immediately stopped and she heard Severus sniffling and clearing his throat. Lily furrowed her brows. Was he crying?

"Lily?" the boy's voice was hoarse and weak. "What are you doing here? It's a boy's toilet."

"I was worried about you. And I'm a prefect, I can go anywhere if there's a need," she waited for his answer but none came. "Sev, may I come in?"

After a long while, Lily heard a latch opening. She entered the cabin, closed the door behind her and cast the Muffliato charm. When she looked at Severus, she was horrified. She had never seen him in such a dreadful state before.

The Slytherin was sitting beside the toilet, leaning against the stone wall and hugging his knees. His greasy hair was tangled, his robes in disarray. When he looked at Lily, she saw tears steadily flowing from his red-rimmed eyes. Wet toilet paper was lying around him.

Lily was heartbroken to see her friend so distraught, so vulnerable. He had never looked so bad, not when Potter and his friends bullied and humiliated him, not even when his father beat him. Lily wanted to hug him, comfort him but on the other hand she wanted to find those who had hurt Severus and punish them for making him suffer.

The girl sat down beside Severus and hugged him gently. He rested his head on her shoulder and tried to say something through the tears but soon he lost the battle and new sobs wracked his thin frame. Lily just held him tightly, stroking his hair tenderly, knowing that no words would comfort him now.

After a few minutes, Severus stopped sobbing though tears were still silently running from his eyes. He took a few deep, shaky breaths, trying to get his emotions under control, although with little success. Sensing that her friend had calmed a bit, Lily finally asked:

"Sev, what happened? Someone hurt you? Potter and his gang?"

"No," he whimpered. He tried to say something more but not a sound escaped his throat.

"Sev, calm down. Take a deep breath."

Following Lily's guidance, Severus eventually mastered his breath and said:

"My- my mum," he paused. "She's- she's dead."

Lily was shocked. She hadn't expected this. Eileen Snape was still a young woman and from what Lily knew, she hadn't been ill. Had she had an accident? Lily had met Severus's mother only a couple of times and although she had seemed sad or even depressed, she had always been nice and polite to Severus's best friend. Lily knew that Severus loved his mother dearly, even though she sometimes neglected him and couldn't defend her son from his abusive father.

"Severus, I'm so sorry," she held him more tightly. "I don't know what to say..."

"Just don't leave me," he whispered desperately.

"I won't. Of course I won't."

"Thank you," Severus replied. After a moment, he continued: "Dumbledore came for me this morning. He said that my father had found her in their bedroom. Apparently she committed suicide," he looked at Lily suddenly and in his black eyes she saw not only sadness and despair but also anger. "Why has she done that? Why has she left me alone?"

"You're not alone, Severus. You have me, my family..." and that's all, thought Lily sadly.

"I love you."

She looked at him, speechless.

"And not just like a friend. I've loved you like a friend since we first met but in the third year it became something more," Severus was speaking quickly, like he had wanted to say it for a long time and now, when he had finally found courage, he was determined to say it all at once. "I fell in love with you. I'm in love with you. I want to be with you forever," he was rambling now, looking embarrassed at his shoes. "I'm sorry. Forget it. I shouldn't have said it. Sorry..."

"Severus, don't be sorry," Lily said gently, lifted his chin and looked him in the eyes. "I love you too."

The astonished look on his face would make her laugh in any other circumstances.

"You love me?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, for quite some time," she admitted. "It started last summer, I think. Then I started to look at you not just like a friend but also like a boy. And when Mary joked a few months ago that we should start dating because we're basically always together, it got me thinking. And I realised I love you. I'm in love with you."

Severus was still staring at her in shock. Realising that action would be better than words, Lily kissed him gently. The kiss was short and delicate, just to show him that her words were true. The boy didn't react in any way, seemingly too surprised by what she had done. Lily smiled softly.

"Lily?" stammered Severus after a while. "I can't believe... Am I dreaming?"

"No, you're not dreaming. It's true, I love you and I want to be with you."

"You want to be my- girlfriend?"

"Yes," she replied and saw pure happiness on Severus's face. "But I have one condition," she added after a moment of hesitation.

"Anything," Severus said quickly.

"I'd like you to stop spending so much time with Mulciber and Avery. I know they are your dormmates and you can't avoid them entirely but I'm afraid they are going to push you down a dark path. A path to become a Death Eater. And that's a path I won't follow."

"Don't worry, Lily, I don't want to be a Death Eater. I'll try to spend as little time with them as possible. I don't want to lose you."

Lily hugged her new boyfriend, sadness and happiness mingling within her. She could feel that Severus was crying again, though if these were tears of despair or joy, she couldn't tell. She suspected both. They sat in the bathroom for a little while, then went down to the Great Hall, holding hands and not caring about astonished looks of fellow students.

A huge thank you to my wonderful beta!