June 1984

Severus Snape was happy. Everyone else had left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the next four weeks, four blissful weeks alone to brew and read to his hearts content. He had been a Professor at Hogwarts teaching dunderheads and imbeciles for the last four years; but life had been too dangerous at first and then too hectic for anyone to take a true vacation.

His first year of teaching had been unbelievably frantic, between teaching classes, spying for Dumbledore, and trying to keep his cover from being blown at death eater meetings. Luckily he never had to go on what Lucius Malfoy liked to call ‘revels’. His skills as a potions master were irreplaceable and much too important to the Dark Lord to jeopardize him to torture muggles, and his distaste for needless torture and especially rape had been well established long before he became a death eater. He had joined because it was inevitable; the sadistic and cold uncle that had taken his mother and him in after the suspicious death of Severus’ father would have killed his mother slowly in front of his eyes if he had even tried to say no.

But he had always hated being a Slytherin and hated the dark arts that his Uncle forced him to learn. He had been jealous of the friendships that students in other houses seemed to make so easily. Slytherins had no true friends, they had acquaintances and alliances, easily forged and easily broken when a better opportunity arose. So in his sixth year he had evaluated the situation carefully and then went to Dumbledore; hoping for sanctuary but instead the old man had taught him Occlumency to protect his mind and an opportunity to serve the side of the Light as a spy and something he had never had, the respect and caring of a mentor and friend.

His duties as a death eater were minimal after receiving the dark mark on his seventeenth birthday; finish his final year of Hogwarts and then the six years of training to complete his Masters in Potions. The next year, Dumbledore had encouraged his old potions teacher to retire and Severus had been perfect to fill the opening. Voldemort was pleased to have the opportunity to place a spy so close to the only wizard he truly feared and Severus was protected from the worst of the death eater activities. And then the fateful evening of Halloween, his second year of teaching, Baby Potter had removed Voldemort from his physical body.

Severus had no illusions; he knew the dark and evil rituals and potions that Voldemort had employed in his quest for immortality precluded his actually being completely dead from the rebounded killing curse. He just hoped no one ever figured out how to give the evil spirit that was the dark lord another physical body any time soon.

The rest of that year and the next two school years had been so hectic and frantic. First he had been thrown into Azkaban and only Dumbledore’s insistence and unyielding fight for him had even allowed the farce the ministry called a trial. He had finally been proven innocent but the nightmares of that place would probably haunt his dreams for years.

The death eater trials were finally over; of course if you were wealthy enough or had enough highly placed friends, it was easy to convince the court that you had been under the ‘Imperious curse’, Severus gave a harsh barking laugh, Malfoy could have shown up in his full death eater robes, a dead muggle in each hand and that fool of a Minister would have let him go!

But after almost three years since that Halloween night, for the first time, the teachers and staff of Hogwarts had felt it was safe enough and past time enough to leave the school for the first vacation many of them had had in years. And that left him free to remain in the castle all alone for most of the time. Professor Sprout would return once or twice a week for a few hours to tend to her greenhouses, and that oaf Hagrid would be out in his shack, but other than that, the castle was his, well, his and about 100 house elves, twenty odd ghosts, and who knew how many wandering portraits.

**********

Severus selected his ingredients with care and precision. He finally had time to work on a potion that would allow a werewolf to keep his mind when he transformed during the full moon. He had always been terrified of werewolves, probably because that bastard of an uncle had always threatened to leave him out in the forests of Snape Manor on a full moon if he misbehaved in any way. Then that idiot Sirius Black had sent him after the werewolf Lupin in his fifth year, Merlin save him from idiot Gryffindors!

He had been thinking for years of ways to make it safer around werewolves, he had just never had the time with his other duties to really experiment. He had worked with Lupin for the last four years before the Dark Lord’s downfall, as a fellow member of the Order of the Phoenix, fighting in secret against the Dark Lord, and had come to begrudgingly respect the man. He still scared him, but Lupin had volunteered to be a human, well guinea pig didn’t really work, but tester.

Severus lit the fire under his favorite cauldron, set out a new quill, parchment and a full bottle of ink. Wolfsbane potion, variation number one he began…

**********

The toddler knew he was hated, he wasn’t sure just why, he just knew that Dudley was loved and he wasn’t. He wasn’t sure exactly what his name was; it was perhaps ‘Freak’, ‘Boy’, or maybe ‘It’, as in “What are we doing with ‘It’ while we go to the store? Or … What did ‘It’ do now?” But whatever his name was, it was never spoken in a soft voice or a caring manner, always yelled, or hissed, or even spit at times.

He sat in the dark, smelly and spider filled cupboard under the stairs and played with his hands. He spent a lot of time by himself there and had discovered over a year ago that if he thought hard enough; he could make his hands glow with light so he wasn’t afraid and alone in the dark any more. He had begun sneaking old books of Dudley’s in with him, that slug would never miss them and now that he was almost four, he could read all of them and in fact had moved on to the magazines that his Aunt threw away.

He knew he was almost four because Dudley was having his fourth birthday party today and he wasn’t. There had been a couple of times when old Mrs. Figg couldn’t watch him so his Aunt had been forced to take him with her to the store and he had heard Aunt Petunia answering some neighbor that ‘Yes, ‘It’ was her nephew’ and then ‘Dudley and the Boy are the same age’, so if Dudley was turning four, then so was he.

He made a small ball of light appear in his left hand and tossed it easily to his right hand as he made another ball appear in his left hand. He had gotten up to juggling four balls together before he couldn’t manage any more and was actually feeling fairly proud of his accomplishment. He had learned a long time ago to make sure that no light or sound ever escaped his cupboard or his aunt would scream at him, or worse, his uncle would ‘punish him’.

He hadn’t heard any sounds in quite a while so maybe everyone was gone to the play park where Dudley was having his party. He wasn’t sure what exactly a play park was, except for the pictures he had seen in Dudley’s books or the magazines he filched out of the trash. He knew his aunt would be looking in his cupboard soon, she did that about twice a year, he wasn’t sure why; but he knew he would have to find some way to keep his aunt from finding his reading material.

He shifted on his very sore bottom. He wished that the fat lump, Dudley, learned to be potty trained soon. He, of course, couldn’t learn anything before her precious Dudley, so he was stuck wearing a smelly, soggy nappy that she only changed twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening. He of course knew perfectly well how to use a toilet, it wasn’t that hard after all, but he never had the opportunity with his aunt and cousin in the house all the time.

He pushed the pain of his cracking, and bleeding diaper rash away from his consciousness and concentrated on the problem of his aunt finding his books. He didn’t want to put them back in Dudley’s second bedroom, it was too hard to sneak up the stairs and then sneak something back down, and he was rather fond of the magazines he had now, especially the food ones. He thought for a moment and wondered what it would be like to taste something besides toast, celery and water. He occasionally got very brown bananas and sometimes old cheese and meat, but none of that really tasted like he imagined the pictures of food would.

So if he didn’t want to get rid of his books, how could he keep his aunt from finding them? There was nowhere to hide anything in the small cupboard, he had two small shelves to keep Dudley’s old clothes on and his small dirty cot with a blanket that had the initials HJP stitched on one corner. Where could he hide them so his aunt didn’t see them? Wait, he didn’t have to hide them, he just had to make sure she didn’t see them. She never actually came into the cupboard after all; she just looked in from the hall. He put a small book on his lap and with all his might he concentrated on making it invisible.

It took him the better part of a week, but he could finally make his books and magazines invisible now. He smiled happily to himself, proud that he could have something of his own that his cousin couldn’t steal away from him. He made the three plastic soldiers he had taken out of the trash after his aunt had thrown them away invisible too. He looked around the small space, his hand glowing so he could see, and was satisfied.

**********

His aunt called him out as usual after his uncle had left for work and told him to eat his piece of toast and half of a banana that Dudley hadn’t finished. He was then told to empty every trashcan in the house. He finished his food and headed up to start in Dudley’s bedroom, it was always the messiest and so he liked to carry it down first.

But today Dudley wasn’t playing over at his friend Piers’ house as he had thought. Dudley was waiting in the upstairs bathroom for him to go past carrying the full trashcan. Dudley put out his foot out at the top of the stairs and then for good measure, he pushed his fat hand into the middle of his cousin’s back and gave him a hard shove.

He fell, tumbling over the overly full rubbish can, its sharp edges slicing into his tender flesh as he tumbled, banging his head painfully on the walls and the steps. His right arm caught between the ribs of the banister before it released with a sharp crack of bone breaking and an agonizing burst of sharp pain. He came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs with his forehead and the top of his head shattering a very large, ceramic pot that used to hold a small decorative tree. He was now covered in sharp splinters of glass, hundreds of cuts with sharp edges imbedded in his bleeding flesh, and a mound of dirt with a cracked and splintered tree on top of him. He knew his right arm was broken, but he wasn’t sure about anything else. He knew he hurt all over, and the hurt would only get worse when his uncle came home after work.

Petunia came out of the kitchen at the noise and started screaming, “Look what you did you nasty Boy! How dare you destroy my property after we took you in, Freak! I don’t have time to waste with you cleaning it up; my bridge club will be here in an hour.” She grabbed him by his unbroken left arm and literally threw him into the cupboard. Dudley was laughing hysterically at what he had managed to do to the stupid freak.

Petunia stopped beside his cupboard door as she walked past with the broom and dustpan, “You just wait until your Uncle gets home, Freak! He’ll teach you to destroy my favorite tree you worthless waste of space. Too bad you didn’t die with your worthless parents, they were Freaks too!” She banged the broom handle on the door in emphasis and went to clean up the mess.

**********

Everything had gone black when he hit his head on the wall after his aunt had thrown him in his cupboard, but now that he was awake, he wished he could return to the blackness. At least it hadn’t hurt. He knew when his uncle came home he would be soundly beaten and locked in again. He idly wondered how long it would be without food this time; though now that he thought about it he really wasn’t hungry. His head was spinning, and he felt like he was going to sick up at any minute.

He wrapped his beloved blanket tightly around himself and started rocking back and forth, crooning to himself softly “I wish I had someone to care for me,…I wish I was someplace safe…someplace my uncle could never find me…someone who could make my arm and my head stop hurting…someplace I would always be safe…”

No one saw the flash of white as the tiny boy disappeared from No. 4 Privet Drive through the concealing spells in place around the tiny cupboard. And no one heard the crack he made as he disappeared around the silencing spell he had unknowingly cast. And because he had left willingly, no alarm on the wards sounded, so no one knew the boy was gone.

**********

Severus Snape had just cast ‘evanesco’ on the cauldron he had been brewing his last mess in. He wasn’t sure what it would have done, but it sure wouldn’t do anything for a werewolf… except perhaps turn its hair pink.

He turned and dropped the pewter stirring stick he had in his hand at the loud crack and the flash of white light that had shone for just a fraction of a second behind him. It didn’t sound like the noise of a house elf and no one else could apperate into or disapperate out of Hogwarts.

He gasped in shock at the unexpected sight before him. Letting out a sharp gasp of surprise, he fell to one knee in front of the bleeding and badly battered baby that had appeared in his lab. The poor child had hold of a very dirty blanket that looked as if it had once been blue but was now mostly dirty grey with ominous brown stains. The child stank as if it hadn’t been changed in days or bathed in months. Severus could tell at a glance that the right arm and possibly the left leg were broken and the toddler was bleeding from hundreds of small cuts, many with small sharp fragments of glass plainly visible in the flickering torch light.

He reached his hand out and the baby flinched back; a wary look of fear in its face. “I won’t hurt you child, I just want to help you. I need to pick you up to help you. I will try not to hurt you but I must move you from here.” He was keeping his voice soft and soothing as he moved carefully and slowly toward the frightened baby. He guessed from the size of the child that the baby was about two, perhaps a month or two more, but no older than that. And he had absolutely no experience with anyone younger than eleven. He though frantically, ‘I am alone in the castle; there is no one here for another three weeks, except Hagrid and he would be no help at all. Well, there’s nothing else I can do, I’ll have to care for him myself.’

He continued to talk softly and calmly to the child, inching forwards, waiting for the panic and fear to leave the baby’s face. He finally reached out and gently touched one shoulder. The baby involuntarily flinched but remained calm and allowed the contact to continue. “That’s good, child, well, I don’t even know if you are a boy or a girl, I don’t suppose you talk much yet do you. You couldn’t tell me how you came to be so hurt, or even what your name is could you, child?”

He picked the child up as gently as he could, being very careful to not touch the damaged arm and leg, he couldn’t help touching the cuts, but the baby never made a sound, even though Severus knew it must be terribly painful, and there was no way he could have picked up the baby without digging in splinters of glass. He summoned a vial of pain potion that he had made laced with a mild sleeping agent. It should be mild enough for the child; he estimated it weighed no more than one and a half stone, yes, most likely just a two year old. ‘Merlin, what had happened to it and how had it wound up here?’

He urged the child cradled gently in his arms to sip the potion, thinking that a small sip or two would probably be enough for one as light as this child. He wished again that Poppy Pomfrey was here, but thrust that thought from his mind, it was no good to wish, nothing would change. He finally convinced the child to drink a couple swallows, and as soon as the even breathing and the limpness of its body told him it was asleep, he headed for his potions supply room. He held it cradled in the crook of his left arm and gently washed off its right arm with a soft flannel he had conjured before applying a bone re-growth salve to the tiny arm. He didn’t dare give it Skele-gro before reading up if it was safe for one so young, he vaguely remembered that the potion wasn’t to be given to anyone under the age of ten, but he wasn’t positive.

He used his wand to check over the rest of the baby. Ah, he breathed out a sigh, the left leg wasn’t broken after all, but the ligaments around its knee were ripped and one tendon was shredded. He rubbed in the appropriate potions and salves. Finding only a mild concussion and the hundreds of cuts left, he began the meticulous, slow job of removing the glass shards. He would Accio a fragment and then the next, and then the next. It had taken almost two hours of careful work until he could find no other glass. He left the stock room, still cradling the bundle in his arms and headed for his bathroom.

He summoned several big towels and a soft blanket before running a bath only 6 inches deep into his big tub. He knelt on the floor and gently laid his bundle down on the conjured clean blanket. He removed the disgusting nappy and almost gagged. Cracked and bleeding with open ulcers, he knew he would have to treat the boy’s bottom for quite some time to completely heal him. And yes he definitely was a ‘him’. Well, that was one of his hundreds of questions answered.

He lifted the boy, blanket and all, and laid him into the tepid bath. He gently cleaned the boy, careful of his cuts and bruises as best he could. He had to change the bath water three times before the water ran clean. Leaving the now filthy blanket in the tub for the house elves, he wrapped the boy up and took him to lay him down upon his bed. “Nippy!” he called out to the house elf he had brought with him from Snape Manor to assist him and to help sometimes with his potions.

“How can Nippy help, Master Sn…?” The little creature’s eyes goggled at the sight that greeted him.

“Go to Hogsmeade and bring me back nappies for a child about two, I would guess about one and a half stone, no more than two. I also need about four or five outfits for a child about two years old, again no more than two stone. Ask the clerk for help, tell her they must be soft and comfortable; the child has been injured and will be wearing them in bed and around indoors. I will take the child later to purchase more items. He will also need socks and undershirts, its cold here in the dungeons. I have a money bag on my dresser, no one would believe I have a child here so don’t bother trying to charge it to my account. I also need some small toys and maybe some books to read to him when he wakes up. Grab up whatever else you think I might need. Go Nippy and hurry, please.” Nippy nodded at Master Snape and taking the money bag he popped out to do his Master’s bidding.

Severus had rubbed in healing ointments and got the child to swallow a few more sips of several different healing and pain potions by the time Nippy returned carrying several large bags. Severus asked Nippy to fetch his strongest healing balm from the storage room and then asked the old elf to help him apply it to the ulcers and cracks in the child’s diaper area. Severus couldn’t help feeling a little nauseous at thinking about the pain the child must live with and how long he had been in such pain to have such suppurating ulcers, especially in such tender areas.

It had taken all afternoon, but the boy was now healed as well as he knew how, diapered and dressed in warm footed pajamas and quietly sleeping in a large box that Nippy had found. Severus had lined it with the softest sheepskin and covered the boy in a feather light but warm angora wool blanket that Nippy had seen in the shop and purchased for the child. Nippy knew his Master Snape would not mind him buying the blanket, he knew his master had just forgotten to have him buy it when he was telling him what he would need.

Nippy was now watching the young master while Master Snape slept in the big bed beside him. He was to wake his Master if the child started to wake up, but they both needed to sleep and Nippy was happy to do this for Master Snape’s new little boy.

**********

He felt like he was floating in air, he didn’t hurt; even the pain in his bottom was much less than he could remember it being in a long time. He felt cradled and warm with something soft and fluffy under him. He knew he wasn’t in his cupboard any more, he had never had anything comfortable to lie on and his aunt had never given him a pillow or a soft fuzzy blanket that wasn’t worn out and smelled so clean and fresh. He sighed, not wanting the comfortable feeling to go away, which he was afraid it would if he woke up. But he finally couldn’t sleep any longer. He opened one eye. A ceiling, no spiders, it looked like a huge bed, much bigger than his aunt and uncle’s beside him. Soft colors, clean smells, he definitely wasn’t in his cupboard! His hand rubbed the soft blanket that covered him, the other hand exploring the knobby feeling of the clean, warm pajamas that hugged him in comfort. He pushed himself back into the cloud like stuff behind him and opened the other eye, looking directly up into two big round eyes, pointed floppy ears and a big squashed looking red nose. He couldn’t help himself, he screamed. The tall, skinny man from his dream moved off the big bed and started toward him. He cringed and looked for somewhere to hide but the man was too quick and snatched him up into strong and comforting arms before he could react.

Severus woke to a blood curdling scream that jolted him instantly awake. He was up and halfway out of his bed before he remembered the child in the box beside him. He reached down and instinctively picked up the child, cradling him to his chest, rocking him and soothing him as he vaguely remembered his father doing to him. “Shh, child, it’s all right. You’re safe here; no one’s going to hurt you any more. Its okay child, I won’t let you be hurt.” Severus hadn’t wanted to believe, but the more he had treated the child the more he knew that his injuries weren’t accidental. There were just too many and the pattern of fresh ones on top of partially healed ones screamed out that the wounds had been intentionally inflicted. The baby had been badly abused and neglected for quite some time.

**********

He had never been held or rocked or felt so safe before, well, at least not that he could remember. His aunt always told him he should have died with his worthless parents so he assumed that at one time he had had parents who loved him. It was what he dreamed of at night, particularly when he hurt too badly to sleep.

As the dark haired man rocked him, he eventually relaxed and curled into the embrace, until he turned and saw that THING again, he hadn’t been dreaming, there it was again! He tensed and started to cry softly when the man told him, “That’s okay, this is Nippy. He’s a house elf; I guess by your reaction, that you have never seen one before, so we can rule out you belonging to an old pureblood family by that. Maybe you aren’t the child of a wizarding family, perhaps you are a much abused muggle born, and that might explain some of your treatment if you were already showing signs of magic. It doesn’t make it better, mind you, but it might explain it.”

He knew he was talking mostly to himself, but the boy seemed to quietly relax as he listened to his deliberately soothing voice. He continued to talk to the boy, telling him about himself and where they were until the child’s even breathing and the growing weight on his arm told him the child was asleep once more. He laid him gently back into the box and covered him up, brushing a lock of coal black hair back from the terribly bruised and lacerated forehead. He idly hoped the cuts wouldn’t scar, but it looked like the child had landed face first into something made of glass… or someone had hit him in the face with a glass object which seemed more likely considering his other injuries.

**********

The next morning Severus came instantly awake, remembering the odd occurrences of the previous afternoon and evening. He rolled over on his bed and cautiously looked over the edge, being very careful to move slowly and non-threateningly. Two startling green eyes looked back at him, the expression much too old for a face so angelically young. The bruises on the boy’s face had turned a lovely shade of purplish green, the cuts scabbed and healing. Unfortunately it looked like several of the deeper cuts; especially the two above his right eye were going to scar. Well, at least his hair would mostly cover them and they would fade from the ugly angry red they were now.

Severus slowly let the boy see his hands, and then reached slowly and carefully toward the toddler, sliding one arm under his back and the other one under his knees. The child noticeably stiffened but allowed him to pick him up. “Hello, little one, are you feeling better today? We need to go and get you changed and cleaned up before I can put more healing salve on your bottom. It may take a few days to completely go away, but I’m sure it already feels a lot better. Too bad you can’t tell me who you are, child.”

He took a big chance and decided to talk to the man, after all, the man had been talking to him since yesterday and he hadn’t yelled once, and he had made him feel a lot better. He supposed it was the man who had made his arm and his head better, and given him such a wonderful bed and new clothes that actually fit him. He looked up at the man, wide eyed and said softly, “Freak, my name is Freak.”

Severus stopped walking and felt like his heart stopped. Who named their child ‘Freak’? That couldn’t be right, maybe he heard the boy wrong, “Are you sure that’s your name, child, surely your mummy calls you something else.”

The little boy was exceptionally good at reading body language, so he knew the man was angry, even if his words were still soft and gentle, so he thought again, well, he hadn’t been sure that was his name, after all his aunt and uncle called him ‘It’ or ‘Boy’ just as much. He bit his lip in nervousness, “It?” But the man didn’t seem to like that answer any better. He decided he would just stay quiet; the man seemed to like that the best. He buried his head in the man’s chest and shivered.

Severus felt the small body start to quake in fear, and hurriedly sat into a soft armchair, stroking the small head that was currently buried in his robes. “It’s okay, I can continue to call you ‘child’ if you like, I’m not mad at you. I just don’t like what your mummy calls you, it’s all right. Its all right, no one is going to hurt you, I will keep you safe here, child”

Child nodded his head and looked up at the man, “My name is Child, what’s your name?” Severus looked startled, maybe he was wrong about the child being just two, but he didn’t know maybe the child was just a precocious speaker, “My name is Severus Snape but you may call me Severus. If you can manage that, it can be difficult to pronounce.”

“Sev-e-wus, no Sev-rr-us, Severus, thank you Severus.” The small boy struggled to pronounce the name correctly. Severus smiled and softly laughed. Child liked the way it made his head bob softly against his Severus’ chest. Severus gave the boy a soft hug and lifted him easily to continue on their way to the bathroom to clean up.

**********

Severus had stripped the boy and given him another warm bath, this time with him awake and sitting up on the soft towel that cushioned his still ulcerated bottom from the tub. Severus gently leaned him back to wash his hair and the boy stiffened in terror, scratching at the hands holding him and trying like a small animal to escape. “What’s wrong, child? I was just going to wash your hair.”

“No holding me under so I can’t breathe? No pushing my head down so I get water in my nose?”

“Oh no, child, never, and tell me if I scare you, I will stop anytime you tell me to. Just say stop and I will.” Severus couldn’t imagine the horrors this defenseless child had survived.

“Okay, then washing my hair is okay.” There was a small quaver in the brave words, but Severus was proud of the child for trying to swallow his fears and allow something that obviously terrified him. He just ran warm water over the back of the boy’s head, being careful not to get the cuts on his forehead wet. No shampoo as yet, that could wait for another day.

Severus had forgotten to bring clean clothes and a nappy into the bathroom, so he left the boy sitting on the floor wrapped in the large, warm towel. He left the door open so the child could watch him the whole way and talked to him so he would know where he was at all times. He was surprised to find the child sitting on the toilet doing his morning business when he returned. “Why were you wearing a nappy if you are toilet trained?” he asked in amazement. The child just shrugged as he finished and climbed down carefully.

Severus looked at him in astonishment, “Well, I will have to put a nappy on you for now to hold the salve on your skin since I didn’t have Nippy buy underpants for you. But you may tell me when you need to use the toilet; it will make the sores on your bottom heal much faster. Is that all right, child?”

Child nodded and helped Severus dress him and then waited on a soft sofa reading a child’s book while Severus took his shower and dressed for the day. Child got very bored with the book quickly and moved over to the large bookshelves in the corner beside a huge fireplace. He could only reach the bottom two shelves, but there were plenty of interesting choices there. He picked out one about gardening and went back to the sofa to begin reading. Aunt Petunia’s gardening magazines never had plants as fascinating as these in them and the pictures in her magazines never moved!

**********

Severus dressed quickly and after running a hairbrush through his long wet hair, he tied it back out of his way. He dropped the two sets of dirty night clothes in the hamper for the elves and made his way out to where he had left the child reading in the lounge. He stopped at the sight of the toddler ‘reading’ his old first year herbology text. He forgot how frightened the child was, and said louder than he meant to, “What are you reading?”

The child dropped the book, stood up quickly off the couch and with a soft cry of despair ran to the bedroom. Severus cursed silently to himself. He knew how skittish the child was likely to be; he would just have to really watch his tone and what he said. He walked softly and yet loud enough for his footfalls to be heard. He certainly didn’t want to sneak up on the boy.

“It’s okay, child, I don’t care what book you look at, it just surprised me that you liked that one. It’s fine child, I won’t hurt you. Come out now, Nippy has breakfast for us, and I know you must be hungry; you didn’t eat anything yesterday night except potions. Come out now and after we eat, we can look at that book together, would you like that, child?”

Child looked around the corner of the wardrobe door and watched the man for a moment. His face wasn’t purple, his hands weren’t fisted like his Uncle Vernon’s, and he wasn’t pinching his lips together like Aunt Petunia when she was angry, maybe he wasn’t mad after all. He was hungry; he hadn’t had anything the day before he had come here either. Maybe he could have some old cheese with his toast and water. Or even a banana? He climbed out of the bottom of the wardrobe and quietly stood in the middle of the room, carefully holding his head down, making no eye contact, waiting for the man to make the first move.

He wasn’t expecting hands to sweep him up and cradle him in warm, strong arms. And he certainly wasn’t expecting a nice feeling hug. Severus talked to him softly again as he carried him into a small dining area off the lounge. “Here we go, child, I expect you will need to have a taller chair though.” Severus took a funny looking stick out of his sleeve and waved it at the chair, and the chair …it grew… taller…! Child looked wide eyed, the man could do magic like he could, he had never seen anyone else do things like him before, but why did the man need the funny stick?

Severus mistook the boy’s expression and began to explain, “Child, I am a wizard, and this is a magical castle, a school for magical children like you, only older than you. You had to have used magic to get here so you are a wizard too, and when you are eleven years old you can come here to learn magic too.”

Child looked at him as he was put down on the magic chair, “Magic school? I have to be eleven to live here?”

Severus misunderstood the child’s questions; he thought he was being asked if he would attend school at the age of eleven, when he was really being asked if he had to be eleven years old to stay with Severus. So Severus answered the question he thought he had been asked, “Yes, child, when you are eleven years old the Headmaster and the Professors bring the children here to learn to control their magic and learn to be witches and wizards.”

Child let Severus give him a small portion of soft scrambled eggs and a glass of icy cold milk. Child thought he had gone to heaven. Severus gave them to him so they must be okay for him to have, and he encouraged him to eat them, he hadn’t let him take one bite and then grab it away like Dudley did sometimes, so he thought as he slowly ate, savoring each bite of the most wonderful meal he had ever had.

If he had to be eleven to stay in the school, then he would make sure no one ever saw him until he was old enough to stay. He would hide just like he had hid his books and toy soldiers from Aunt Petunia. He just needed to practice carefully so he could learn to do it. Severus had told him it would be two more weeks before anyone else returned to the castle, so he had two whole weeks to figure it out. He could do it he promised himself as he finished the glass of the most wonderful drink he had ever had!

**********

Severus had left the child with Nippy when he went to Diagon Alley to purchase supplies for the new school year; he also bought clothes, shoes, and many more items for Child. He really had to start calling the boy something else; he wished he knew who he was. He had been scanning the Daily Prophet every day for a story about a missing child, he had made discreet inquiries among everyone he knew, but so far no one was missing a two year old.

He couldn’t resist the tiny toy broom he had shrunk and stuffed into his pocket. He had also bought a selection of books for the boy. It had surprised him that morning after breakfast when the boy had brought him the beginning herbology book and then had begun to read it aloud to him. Surely the boy wasn’t two, maybe he had been starved, and he certainly loved to eat as if he had been. No matter what was placed in front of him, he ate it as if it was the finest thing he had ever tasted.

But to read like that, he must be a lot older, and Severus thought he was small, but he wasn’t a dwarf or a midget, and he tested out as fully human. Oh well, Madame Pomfrey would be able to tell him exactly how old the child was when she returned in three more days with the rest of the staff.

**********

Severus would never admit it to anyone, not even himself, but he enjoyed having the boy shadow him. He was always within sight, never talking much, quietly reading or playing with the toys that Nippy and Severus had brought for him. Severus had gotten into the habit of talking almost constantly to the child, soothing him and telling him all about the potions he was working on. He told him about ingredients, brewing methods, what each potion was used for and how the ingredients worked together.

He had found the child could read and understand beautifully, but he had no math skills at all, so he had been teaching him in the evenings. The child had progressed from simple counting, to more complicated additions. At the rate he was learning, they would be beginning subtraction soon after school started. Severus was beginning to dread the return of his colleagues and the beginning of school. What if someone knew who the child belonged to? Would they take him away from him? Surely they wouldn’t return him to the care of those who had abused and neglected him? Well, there was little he could do about that, he would just enjoy the time he had with the child.

**********

The child adored his toy broomstick and flew it carefully around their quarters and then up and down the long halls, never making a sound, but the smile on his face was precious to the dark haired man watching the obvious delight on the boy’s face. It was the first time he had seen a genuine smile grace that small face. Unfortunately the rest of the staff would be returning tomorrow and he didn’t want to have to share the child with anyone. He didn’t want them to take him away; he wanted to keep the small boy who was beginning to melt his heart.

**********

Severus had kept the boy in his quarters with him all morning, but he knew he would have to greet the others in the Great Hall for the lunch time staff meeting. And he wasn’t looking forward to the fuss the others would make about the boy. He would have to warn them about how skittish he was, and how easily frightened he was. Surely they would understand how horribly the boy had been abused, for Merlin’s sake the boy could read like a first year, but thought his name was Freak! You didn’t get much more emotionally abused than that, the horrendous diaper rash that had just finally gone away was evidence of gross neglect, and the broken arm and hundreds of cuts, including the two new large scars across the boy’ forehead were enough evidence of physical abuse to put the perpetrator in Azkaban. And Severus was more than willing to turn the boy’s parents in himself, if he ever found out who they were!

**********

Severus knew the child was walking directly behind him, he could feel the small hand grasping the back of his robes in a death grip. He had never been able to get the child to hold his hand, he was still too scared to be touched like that, but that was okay. Severus took a deep breath, pushed open the door to the Great Hall and entered; his shadow right behind him. He walked up to the head table and stood in front of Albus. He could no longer feel the small hand, so as he asked the Headmaster, “Do you know who this child is, Albus?” as he turned around to pick up the small child and found nothing. The child had simply disappeared!

Snape continued his turn looking all around him; he twisted back and looked under the tail of his long frock coat, thinking the child might have hidden under his robes.  No child there.  He got down on one knee and looked to the right and then to the left, under the long house tables; no one in sight.  He stood back up and looked quizzically at the head table, “Where did he go?  He was right behind me; I could feel his hand on my robe!”

For the first time in many years, Albus Dumbledore was completely baffled and let it show on his aged face.  “Who… Severus?  There is no one with you, and I saw no one enter with you, holding onto your robe or otherwise.”   The rest of the staff was looking equally confused, but also very amused at the panic on the face of the normally stoic potion’s master.

“A young boy, he’s about a stone and a half, well, a little more now since he’s been eating better, he’s about so high,” He bent over and indicated a height just above his knees, “Surely someone saw where he went?”  Severus continued to look around the Great Hall in puzzlement.  “He hasn’t let me out of his sight since he showed up!  Nippy!”

The old elf appeared at his master’s call with a sharp pop, and bowed slightly, “Yes, Master Snape, how can Nippy help, sir?”

Snape knelt down on one knee and asked the elf, “Have you seen the child this afternoon?  I need you to check back in my quarters and in my lab to see if he has managed to ‘pop’ himself back there.  Check around here in the Great Hall first to see if you can sense where he went first, please.”  Nippy nodded and carefully walked around the perimeter of the Great Hall, sniffing the air for magic as he went.  He was walking down the front of the long staff table when he felt something grab him from under the table cloth.  Young Master was trembling and near to collapsing in fright, so Nippy popped them back to Master Snape’s quarters to help Young Master calm down.

“Nippy, you have to help me.  If the other’s see me they will make me go back.  You must help me hide from them.  I can’t go back!”  Nippy and all the house elves knew how the child had been abused and neglected at wherever location he came from, and they were outraged at the treatment that the shy boy had been given.  Nippy called for Ogden, the Hogwarts Head House Elf.  Ogden popped into sight, and Nippy bowed to him.

“Young Master Snape will be sent back to awful people if anyone but Master Snape sees him.  He orders me to help him hide, but I cannot do it without your help.”

Ogden raised his wrinkled hand, “We must protect Young Master, we will do all that we can.  You return to Master Snape and inform him Young Master is eating in his quarters and you will watch him and put him down for a nap.  Master Snape can eat and attend his meeting without Young Master.  I will teach Young Master the house elf secrets so that no one may see or hear him without his permission.  Go now, Nippy and tell your Master, that Young Master shall be kept safe.”

Nippy kissed the old elf’s hand in gratitude and popped out.  Ogden looked at the scared boy and reassured him, “We will keep you safe, child.  No one will take you away from Master Snape and the castle.  But I must teach you two things to keep you safe, are you willing to learn from a house elf?”

The boy chewed at his bottom lip; but nodded solemnly at the creature, somehow knowing instinctively that the house elves could be trusted not to return him, and that they would keep him safe.

**********

Albus had managed to get Severus to walk up to his office to explain exactly what was going on.  He told the younger man that they could do nothing until they knew the full story, and had heard back from Nippy.  He reassured Severus that the other staff members were looking for the child, as well as the portraits and the castle’s ghost population as well.  He had poured Severus a mug of hot tea, laced it with a calming potion, and then sat back, his elbows on his desk, fingers intertwined, and an expression of interest upon his face.  “Now, child, tell me all about this young boy.”  It was gently spoken, but it was a command never the less.

Severus took a deep swallow of his tea and began, “Three weeks ago, I was cleaning up after a failed experiment when I heard a loud crack and saw a flash of white light behind me.  When I turned around, there was a baby sitting wrapped in an old filthy blanket on the floor behind me.  He was bleeding from hundreds of small cuts so that I couldn’t even see his face under the blood and dirt.  I could see his right arm was broken, and I thought his left leg was too, but I found out later he just had torn ligaments in his left knee and it was badly dislocated.  I knelt down to pick him up but he flinched back, so I stopped and started talking to him.  I didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl at that point, he was too filthy and bloody.  He finally allowed me to approach. I got a pain draft mixed with a sleeping potion into him and then healed his arm and leg, and then removed hundreds of tiny shards of glass from his face, scalp and body.”

“When I took him into the bathroom to get him cleaned up, I found him wearing a disgusting nappy that looked like it hadn’t been changed in days; his bottom and privates were ulcerated and bleeding. I’ve smelled torture chambers that made me gag less! It took three changes of bath water to get the filth off of him.  I sent Nippy to Hogsmeade to fetch some clothing and nappies, also some soft bedding.”

“Nippy was watching him while I slept for a while. I had lined a big box with sheepskin to protect his skin, and he was on the floor right beside my bed.  Apparently he woke up and saw Nippy, because he screamed.  I know now he had never seen a house elf before, and when I made a chair taller the next morning to feed him he had never seen magic before.  I don’t think he was ever fed much either, he still eats like it’s the most wonderful experience in the world.  I’ve never seen a child savor and make each bite last as long as he does!  I finally got him to trust me enough to tell me his name and he said, ‘Freak, my name is Freak’!”

Severus slumped, putting his head down in his hands as he regained his composure.  He looked through the curtain of his black hair at his mentor to see him angry and upset.  He lifted his head and continued, “I mean, Albus, who names their child Freak?  What kind of a monster starves a child; leaves them bleeding and raw and then doesn’t heal a broken arm, for Merlin’s sake!” 

He sighed and took several calming breaths, “Well, he’s been following me around for the last three weeks, he doesn’t talk much, but he reads very well, probably as well as a child of seven or eight. I found him struggling to understand my first year herbology text the first day, so I bought him some primary children’s books and have been teaching him math every night.  He follows me everywhere and drinks up everything I say to him, but it’s mostly like I am talking to myself. I know he understands me but it’s like he’s afraid to make a noise or ask a question.  I honestly don’t know how old he is but I suspect he’s much older than his size would indicate.”

Nippy popped in to the Headmaster’s office, and bowed to Severus, “Master Snape, sir, the child is eating in your quarters and then Nippy will put him down to sleep.  He is safe and sound but still very frightened.  Nippy will watch over him while Master has his meeting, sir.”

Severus leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in relief, “Thank you Nippy.  I will return later, but come and get me if he needs anything, please.”  Nippy nodded and left once again.

Albus sat in silence for several minutes before opening a drawer in his desk and pulling out an immense book.  He opened the thick parchment pages and began speaking, mostly to himself as he explained his idea to Severus, “He is obviously a magical child or he couldn’t have gotten to your quarters.  I may be wrong but I believe” his voice hesitated as he stopped to read the page, “that this was an example of very strong wish magic.  Most children wish for a toy or a favorite food as their first manifestation of magic, but I believe the child’s extreme condition and need forced his magic to manifest at a very young age and very powerfully to protect himself.  I would assume you believe his condition and treatment to be long term and very abusive?”  He continued to turn pages in the massive documents as he noted Severus’ nod of agreement.  Those injuries, the child’s stature and the presence of ulcers as well as the boy’s extreme behavior all confirmed the long term nature of the abuse.

“Ah, here we go!  You believe him to be older than two, but very small for his age, not from a magical family and so probably a muggle born child since he had never seen magic.  Well, we have nine muggle born children that are between two and three, and another six between the ages of three and four.  My registry book is broken up by year starting, so it lists all the children that will be eleven on September the 1st together.”

He turned another page, “And seven that are between four and five. Hm, that makes a total of twenty-two children the right age, he is definitely a boy, so that leaves … just ten possibilities among the muggle born.  I can send out Minerva and Hestia Jones as their cat animagus forms are very good for discrete observations.  If they each check five of the names, we should soon find the one that is missing fairly easily.  If that is all right with you, Severus?”

Severus was speechless, he hadn’t even thought of checking the magical registry of children that would be eligible to attend Hogwarts.  He stopped himself from actually stuttering as he acquiesced, “Certainly Albus, I will be pleased to know his actual name, plus we can bring charges of abuse against his parents.  I would like to file for custody of the boy if at all possible, sir.”

“Good, good, I suspected that you might, my child.  Now, let’s gather everyone so we can begin our meeting and then get Minerva and Hestia off and checking for a missing boy.”  He clapped the younger wizard on the back and led him out the door heading back for their interrupted meeting.

Back in his quarters, the boy in question was listening to Ogden the head house elf of Hogwarts. “Young Master, this knowledge is not to be shared, not even with Master Snape.”  He waited for the boy to nod his understanding, “House elves can make themselves invisible and silent so that they can better serve their masters.  I can give you the knowledge of how to do this because you are so young and your magic is so strong.  I can also show you how an elf can pass through the anti apparition wards around any building, we pop, we do not apperate so we are not blocked.  Now you need to lie down on your bed and I will need to touch young master’s head to give him the knowledge.”

The child nodded again and went to the bedroom where he snuggled down into the wooly comfort of his sheepskin lined box.  He shut his eyes and waited for the feather light touch of the ancient elf.  The grizzled old fingers touched his temple lightly on each side of his head.  The boy heard a soft buzzing in his head and then, just like magic, he knew how to make himself invisible and totally silent.  It took only another minute to transfer the secret to the elves ability to ‘pop’ regardless of the warding in place.  He opened his eyes to look at Ogden and saw understanding and compassion in the creature’s wrinkled face.  The boy reached up and hugged him thankfully and with deep gratitude.   “Thank you, Ogden.  Now they won’t see me and I can stay, thank you.”  The boy’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears of gratitude and relief as he lay back into his bed and fell asleep, the worry and fear having exhausted him.

Ogden brushed the boy’s hair off of his forehead and looked at the two bright red scabs that covered the famous scar.  The elf thought for a moment and then ran a long finger across the boy’s forehead, healing the wounds but leaving a wide puckered scar; that just managed to completely hide the older, faded scar underneath.  “Now, you are safe child, now you are safe.”  He sat down and waited for Nippy to return, planning how the elves could help this child, the savior of the light to heal, and stay safe from the evil that threatened him; both wizard and muggle!

The Headmaster quickly dealt with the most important items of school business before dismissing everyone but Minerva and Severus.  He explained the circumstances surrounding the missing child to Minerva briefly, watching the horror and outrage replace the curiosity that she had first shown.  “Of course, I’ll help the child in any way that I can, you know that Albus, you don’t even need to ask!”  She turned to Severus and asked, “Now, exactly what does the child look like, Severus?”

Severus gestured about two and a half feet off the ground, “He’s about that tall, he’s very small for his age, he looks about two, but his understanding and  reading make me suspect he’s at least three or maybe even four.  He has very black hair, I had to cut it all off the back of his head to keep the cuts on his scalp clean, but it was long and matted with dirt and dried blood when he first appeared.  He has two very deep cuts on his forehead that I am afraid will scar badly.  His eyes are the most remarkable green I have ever seen, a deep emerald color, with long curling black lashes, almost like a girl’s.”

“His skin is even paler than mine, but I doubt he was ever let outside, surely someone would have noticed his condition otherwise.  He is very frail and every rib and bone, even his hip bones are plainly visible. When he first appeared three weeks ago he barely weighed one and a half stone. He might be closer to two stone by now; I have been feeding him six to eight times a day, just small amounts each time.  He was wearing a nappy, but he is potty trained.  He was covered in bruises, both old and new, so it’s hard to really describe anything else.  Except he is very good at being very quiet, it’s easy to forget he is in the room with you.  Oh, and he shudders and hides quickly at any loud noise, especially a raised and angry voice.”

Minerva stopped to squeeze Severus’ shoulder in support before taking the list of possible names from Albus and leaving to floo to Arabella Figg’s house to meet up with Hestia and split the task.

**********

Severus checked on the boy first thing after returning to his quarters before beginning to start brewing potions for the hospital wing stocks.  It was less than a half hour later when he felt a small hand grabbing the back of his robes in a familiar and strangely comforting touch.  “Hello, child, I’m sorry you were so frightened by the strangers in the Great Hall.  I will introduce you to them one at a time and we will eat here in our quarters until you are more comfortable with them.  Will that be all right, child?”  He looked down into the beautiful green eyes and saw fear once again.

He knelt beside the boy and slowly reached out his arms, waiting for the child to initiate the physical contact.  It took a moment, but the boy came forward and reached his boney arms out to the tall man kneeling and waiting patiently for him.  He buried his head in the comforting smell of potions and aftershave of the man he was beginning to trust.  “You won’t send me away, Severus?  I can stay with you?”  Severus hugged him as tightly as he dared as he rubbed the back of the still almost shaved head.

“No, child, I will never send you away.  I will do everything in my power to keep you here and keep you safe.  But we need to find your parents so they can be punished for how they treated you and so that the ministry will let me keep you.  Can you tell me the names of your mummy and daddy, child?”

Child felt bad, but he shook his head as he admitted, “I don’t know their names, I never met them.  Aunt and Uncle kept me and they always called them ‘Freaks’ like me.  Nothing else, just ‘Freaks’.  I don’t know any other names.”  The child was shaking in fear after thinking about his relatives once again, he had pushed them far back into his mind, trying to bury them so deep he would never have to think of them again.

“Shh, child, shh, it’s all right.  We might be able to find them without knowing their names.  There are people looking for them right now.  And no, we will NOT send you back to them, never, never, NEVER!”  He allowed a little fierceness to sound in his voice, knowing the child needed the reassurance more than he needed the soft voice.

Severus stood up, bringing the child with him and sat him on a counter, talking to him the whole time as he returned to brewing.  The child watched him all afternoon, fascinated with what he was seeing and learning.

**********

The child had been introduced to the glories of spaghetti and meatballs and then bathed and put to bed for the night when Severus was casting ‘scourgify’ to the table, the floor, and the chairs.  He heard a soft chime letting him know the Headmaster wanted to speak with him.  He called Nippy to watch the child and left for the Headmaster’s office at a brisk walk, curious to know if they had found the child’s parent.

After being called into the room, he found Arabella, Hestia, Minerva, and Albus seated around the Headmaster’s desk, the large registry book open once again.  They looked up at his entry; he could tell by their expressions that they had found none of the boys missing.  Albus sat back as Severus took a chair and steepled his fingers in thought. “No one is missing a boy between the ages of two and five.  And I found no one we had forgotten to list.  I am sorry, Severus, but now I think we shall have to check on those children with just one magical parent.  Perhaps that parent doesn’t openly use magic, explaining why the child had never seen it performed.”

Severus nodded and thanked the two witches, “Thank you for checking ladies, but the child admitted after his nap that he didn’t know his parents names at all as he has never met them.  He said his aunt and uncle were the ones he lived with and he didn’t know their names at all.”

“Ah, let me check once again,” Albus turned back to the large open book on his desk, “I cannot tell by the book, especially if the child’s last name is the same as the uncle’s.  My book lists the names of guardians, but not the relationship.  Perhaps if I could be introduced to the child and observe him as you talk to him about his family?” 

**********

Severus and Albus bid the three witches good night and walked together back down to the dungeons.  “Perhaps Severus, we might convince you to move your quarters so that your rooms are not so damp and cold and you have daylight in them, now that you have a young child to care for? I suspect that at some point you will need a separate bedroom for the child too.”

Severus nodded noncommittally and opened the door to his lounge.  He quietly led the headmaster into his bedchamber and stopped to gaze at the sleeping boy, cradled in the sheepskin of his box he looked so angelic.  Severus smiled and looked back at his mentor only to find an expression of shock and bewilderment on the older man’s face.  Severus asked, “Do you recognize him, Albus, does he look familiar at all, perhaps you taught his father or mother?”

Albus took two steps over and plopped heavily on the end of Severus’ bed, “Severus, there is no one there, it is an empty box!”

Severus looked at the ancient Headmaster as if he had grown another head. He walked softly over to the peacefully sleeping child gently put an arm under his neck and the other behind his knees and picked him up, stopping briefly to gently hug the child before placing him in the headmaster’s arms.  Albus was too startled to think about what he was doing and automatically put his arms out to cradle the invisible but obviously sleeping child next to his long beard.  The child stretched, wiggled and settled back to sleep, accepting the old man’s arms as safe.

“I am not joking, Severus, I can feel him; but I cannot see him and even though I felt him move and yawn, I did not hear him at all.  Tell me again what you see?”

Severus sat down on the chair he used to put his boots on and looked at the other man, “I see you Albus, with the child cradled to your chest.  He moved and settled down and he now has one hand clenched in your beard, the way he usually grabs at my robes when he is in my arms.  But how can this be, how can you not see him when he is in your arms!”

Albus asked Severus to move his bedroom mirror over.  They both looked into the reflection to see if that made a difference. Severus could still see the child in Albus’ embrace, but neither Albus nor the mirror could see the child.  Severus left and went to collect Poppy Pomfrey from the infirmary.  He really wanted her to check the child out anyway to see if there was a better nutrient potion that the generic one he had been giving the child each day. 

She entered his bedroom quietly, glanced at Albus and then looked around the room.  “Well, I can’t check him out if I don’t know where he is!  Bring me the boy, Severus.”  Severus just nodded toward Albus and Poppy turned to look at him closer. She noticed he had his arms curled as if he was holding something and then looking closer it looked like something small was clenching tightly around his beard.

Her eyes widened but she pulled out her wand and cast a diagnostic spell.  She looked stunned as she said, “Albus, my wand shows you holding a small child about three and a half years old. A boy who has been recently healed from some very severe injuries.  Good job, on the broken bones and the lacerations, Severus, I can tell he is still malnourished and severely underweight, but I can tell he has recently gained some weight.  He needs to drink more milk and eat a little more protein in his diet or we can adjust the nutrient potion you have been feeding him.  But why is he invisible?”

Albus chuckled, “Well, that’s the most important question isn’t it?  And we have absolutely no idea how or why he is invisible.  I can detect no spell, and I assume you would have found a potion, I admit I am totally stumped.”

Severus still looked gobsmacked, “But what do we do with him now?  I mean how do you find the guardians of an invisible boy?  How do I get custody of him?”

Albus shook his head, “Well, I guess you just pick a name for him and if he ever becomes visible we will handle the ministry paperwork when that happens.  I doubt that the bureaucrats in the ministry would be able to even comprehend the problem.  So, I guess congratulations are in order Severus, you now have a son.  He has obviously chosen you, since no one else can see him.  I would suggest that you introduce him to the others individually before the students return next week.”  Albus awkwardly held his arms out for Severus to reclaim the still soundly sleeping child. 

He took the mediwitch’s arm and led her out of the room.  “We will see the two of you for breakfast. I will inform the others about the problem and I assure you, they will all ignore him as much as possible.  Good night… and good luck, child.”

**********

Severus Snape snarled through the castle the next morning, glaring at the occupants of the portraits that appeared to be following him through a succession of frames.  He didn’t dare yell at them, he could feel the small hand clutching the back edge of his frock coat.  He had held the child in his lap for almost an hour that morning already explaining exactly what would be happening and who he would be seeing.  He promised that no one was going to take him away. That he would be staying with Severus and the other professors would not care that he was living in the castle even if he wasn’t eleven years old yet. Child nodded at the appropriate times, but deep in his heart he didn’t believe that he wouldn’t be returned to the Dursleys if the others saw him so he decided to remain invisible and silent like Ogden had taught him.

Severus stopped in front of the doors to the Great Hall and calmed himself down.  The child needed him so he could not raise his voice, and he could not snarl or bellow at the idiots he worked with without frightening the boy even further.  He was positive that they would be rude and obnoxious; it was in their very nature.  He sighed and hoped there was enough time to get the boy settled before school started.  Blast, he couldn’t put this off any longer.  He began talking softly to the boy, telling him again what would happen and who he would be meeting.  He reassured the child that he would not leave him alone for even a minute and the child could hide in his robes, under his robes, on his lap, or under the table, whatever made him feel the safest.

He pushed open the door and walked slowly and carefully toward the staff table, talking to the child the whole time.  He would stop every few feet until he could feel the grip on the back of him loosen a little, he would walk until it tightened up, wait for the almost imperceptible loosening and the walk again.

He spared a glance at the head table, but everyone seemed to be inordinately involved with eating breakfast and ignoring him, though he had to admit the sight was probably strange.

Minerva looked up under the pretense of pouring more tea in her cup, she smiled gently at the sight of the bane of her Gryffindors, walking slowly and stopping, talking non stop to no one.  She wondered at how the child was invisible, but if Albus and Poppy could find nothing, she was certain that she wouldn’t either.  She went back to her fresh fruit and tried to ignore Severus as he managed to finally make it to the table and pull out a chair on the very end, away from everyone else.  He dished a small plate with scrambled eggs and several pieces of fruit.  He placed it carefully onto the floor between his feet and dished his own breakfast.

Hagrid had been cautioned to make his voice as soft as he could and he really tried, but he forgot toward the end of breakfast and let out a loud laugh at something Professor Flitwick said about Snape’s invisible friend.  Severus’ arms snapped around a something in his lap and then suddenly he was grasping at nothing.  He stood quickly, “Albus, he’s gone!  That oaf frightened him, he jumped into my lap and then he disappeared.  I’m going back to my quarters; I hope he shows up there!”  He snarled at Hagrid as he swept past, his robes billowing ominously behind him.

 Hagrid was apologizing profusely and was almost incoherent with his upset.  “It’s all right, Hagrid, we know you were trying, but the child is very nervous and frightens easily at the slightest loud noise.”  Albus had gone over and picked up the empty plate and fork from the floor and replaced them on the table.  “Well, at least he had finished eating first.”

**********

Severus swept into his chambers, angry at Hagrid, worried and concerned about the boy.  He almost ran into his bedroom… no child; wait… was the wardrobe slightly open?  He calmed his breathing and schooled his expression neutral once more before softly walking toward the open wardrobe, making sure his footsteps could be heard.  He opened the door a little bit wider and found two frightened green eyes looking up at him.  He reached his arms out and was rewarded with a big armful of silently crying little boy.  He took him over toward his bed and sat down, holding the child tightly in his lap.

“Oh child, Hagrid is a very big man; he did not mean to frighten you.  The students are returning next week and you must learn to tune the noises out, they will be loud and rude and noisy and I cannot leave the Great Hall during meals or leave my classroom every time a noise frightens you.  It was fine to climb up on my lap when you were scared; I won’t let anyone hurt you.  Do you understand child?”

He felt a shaky nod against his chest, reaching down he tipped the thin chin up until he was looking into the still tear filled eyes, “I have been thinking, would you like to have my name?  Would you like to be mine, child?”

He felt his heart would break as he enjoyed the thin arms now tightly clenched around his neck. “Yes, child, but I need to be able to breathe.  So our last name is Snape, and in my family it is a tradition that you receive a name from your grandfather as well as a first name that begins with the letter ‘S’.  I have been thinking do you like Shaun, which means gift from God?  Because you are my gift, you know that child?  And then maybe my father’s name for your middle name, Sebastian?  Would you like to be Shaun Sebastian Snape, child?”

The small boy leaned his head back and almost whispering asked, “Are you my daddy now?”

Severus hugged him and kissed him gently, hating the involuntary shudder the touch on his face brought to the boy, “Yes, child if that is okay with you.”

“I don’t know your daddy can I have your name instead?”

Severus thought he had never smiled as widely as he did then.  He felt that his heart would burst from his chest with the strong emotion the little boy brought out in him at those few words. He was afraid to speak through his emotions, so he simply nodded his head, his eyes moist with gentle pride.

The boy nodded once again, “Shaun Severus Snape, Daddy, Shaun Severus Snape is my name!”

The two left, Shaun holding his father’s hand for the first time to return to the Great Hall and meet the half giant called Hagrid.

The two Snapes had managed to find Hagrid before he had left the castle, and Severus was able to eventually get Shaun to accept that the giant man’s voice was just booming, he wasn’t angry and he wouldn’t hit the boy.

After a substantial tea that afternoon, Severus sat back on the sofa, gazing into the fire and finally asked what he had been wondering all afternoon, “Shaun, do you really want to take my name as your middle name, instead of my father’s?  It’s all right either way; I was just wondering which one you really wanted.”

Shaun burrowed into the familiar smell of his new father as he cuddled into his side, his father’s warm and comforting arm around him, “I don’t know your father, but you saved me, you keep me safe, you make me feel safe.  I want your name, not some one I don’t know.  Will I meet your father, Daddy?”

Severus rubbed his hand across the soft fuzz that was beginning to grow back from where he had shaved the child’s head to keep the cuts clean, and thought about his answer.  The boy’s trust and love was overwhelming at times.  To realize that to this one soul; he was the only one in the entire castle who was safe to show himself to made his heart ache in a totally unfamiliar but nevertheless wonderful yet frightening way.  He wasn’t sure he could ever live up to that expectation, but deep inside he knew that not only did he have to try but that he wanted to try. 

Just as the shocking first sight of the battered and bleeding baby had lodged itself indelibly into his mind and forced him at some deep instinctual level to care for and protect a helpless child; he was sure this conversation would be forever in his heart no matter what happened in the future.  He smiled at the thought of the strong patronus this moment would allow him to produce, and hugged the child … no his son… tightly.

“No, child, he died when I was just six years old.  I still don’t know exactly how he died, I just know that all of a sudden, his younger brother, my uncle moved into Snape Manor and instantly everything that had been my fathers belonged to my uncle.  My mother and I had no where to go, no money to live on except what he gave us; and my home was no longer safe and loving.  My mother died when I was just seventeen, and my uncle finally died when I was twenty-eight.  So it is just you and I, Shaun, though I think sometimes the Headmaster thinks he is my father, and sometimes I like to think that too.”

Severus sat with his new son curled comfortably on the sofa beside him as they talked and watched the fire until time for dinner in the Great Hall.  Severus carried the child in his arms down the corridors, pointing out sights and various portraits and suits of armor. To keep the child calm for what was to come, he had slipped a very mild calming potion into his nutrient potion before coming, so hopefully they would manage a full meal before the child disappeared again.  He thought to himself, ‘I better make a couple extra batches of calming potion as well as the new formula nutrient potion Poppy said she would give me tomorrow.  I have a feeling Shaun is going to need them for a while.’

The level of conversation dimmed slightly as the staff pointedly ignored the tall man who entered the hall. He had his head bent slightly and seemed to be talking intensely to his elbow, which was bent, while his other hand was rubbing the air in short comforting strokes at about chest height.  Everyone made small excuses to glance at the sight and then turned back to their own conversations.  Severus sat down at the chair that was left open between Minerva and Albus and began putting a selection of food on his plate.  Albus had turned to talk to Filius on his other side and couldn’t help listening to the decidedly one sided conversation the usually snarky man was having.

“There, you may eat anything off of my plate that appeals to you.  I would prefer that you not get food on my robes, but I can wand it off if you let me know…No, we will not run out of food, the platters refill themselves if needed… Magic, of course….”

Albus notice a plump chicken leg lift itself off of Severus’ plate and begin to disappear in small bites.  He couldn’t help himself, he had to turn and watch.  “Severus, I don’t know if it occurred to you, put it is rather disconcerting to watch a chicken leg disappear one bite at a time in mid air.  We shall have to explain something to the students; they can not help but notice.” He had whispered into Severus’ ear so as not to startle the boy.

Severus startled and looked down. To his eyes, he saw Shaun enjoying his chicken, savoring each tiny bite as he carefully chewed it.  He thought for a moment, “I don’t want him to have to eat on the floor, and I need to be here for the Slytherins, how high above the table can he be seen from the student tables?”

“Hm, I hadn’t thought about that, perhaps if we elevate the staff platform and then lower your chair, he could eat in your lap without anyone being able to see the food disappear.”  He looked at the staff in consideration, “Poppy, you are about the height of most students, would you mind sitting at various locations on the house tables and tell me when you can no longer see the child eating?”

Poppy looked startled and then understanding showed, as she stood up and walked down to the student tables.  Madame Pince and Pomona Sprout joined her, as well as Professors Grey and Vector.  Professor Grey was the new muggle studies teacher and had been taken aside and the situation was explained to him carefully.  It was finally decided that if they elevated the staff table another eight inches and they lowered Severus’ chair about four inches; no one would be able to see bites of food disappearing in mid air in the middle of Professor Snape’s chest.

000000000000000

Breakfast the next morning was progressing quietly, except for the almost irresistible urge of the staff to stifle giggles as pieces of bacon, sausage links, and tiny cut up pieces of pancake seemed to disappear in midair.  Breakfast was almost over when Albus felt a small, sticky something climb into his lap and start playing in his beard.  He chuckled and the invisible fingers stilled.

Severus had noticed Shaun leave his lap, but thought the boy had just climbed down to sit below his chair as he had done before when he was done eating.  He looked over at Albus and noticed that Shaun had both hands twisted and stuck in the old man’s luxurious, long beard.  “Shaun, did you ask if you could play with the Headmaster’s beard before you touched it?”

The small green eyes widened as the boy nodded solemnly, “Yes, Daddy, and he nodded so I climbed up.  I asked, Daddy” The boy instinctively cringed, his shoulders slumping as he tried to make himself as small as possible, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His voice pleaded for forgiveness but traces of resignation tinged his tone, as if he knew it was a futile effort but one he had to make anyway.

Albus chuckled again as he felt a small head nod against his chest, “It’s all right, child, I don’t mind, though I would prefer if we removed the pancake syrup first next time.  It does feel a little sticky.”

Severus thought for a moment, “Child, it’s all right, no one is going to hurt you anymore.” Shaun looked intently at his new father’s face and then back at the twinkling blue eyes of the Headmaster, reassured by the love and understanding on both faces, his body went limp as he lost the tenseness suddenly.  “Tell the Headmaster your new name, I haven’t told anyone yet.” Severus encouraged Shaun with a soft pat on the back.

Shaun straightened back up, secure now that he wasn’t going to be punished as he looked up at the man he was sitting on and said proudly, “My name is Shaun Severus Snape, just like my daddy’s name!”

Albus smiled down at his apparently empty lap and waited… and waited… and finally looked up expectantly at Severus, who looked back startled, “You mean you can’t hear him talk either?  So he’s invisible and silent?”

“I would suspect so, I have never heard him say anything back to you; I just assumed he was too shy to talk around other people or whispered too softly for anyone else to hear him.”

“No, he just said, quite clearly, ‘My name is Shaun Severus Snape, just like my daddy’s name!’ and then waited for you to talk back to him.”

Albus lifted a hand until he found a shoulder and then ran his fingers up until he could feel soft fuzz and rubbed the boy’s head. “I’m sorry child, I not only can’t see you; I can’t hear you either.  I think Shaun Severus Snape is a fine name for a fine boy.  And I know now that you did ask me if you could play with my beard.  I was nodding at something else, but it is fine for you to play with my whiskers, but if I laugh it’s because it tickles me too.  Severus, if you wouldn’t mind, could you remove the syrup, I would, but since I can’t see his fingers…”

Severus’ black eyes sparked with the hidden mirth his face never showed as he spelled them both sticky free.  Unknown to anyone, the name Harry James Potter faded and disappeared from the Registry of Magical Children in the drawer of Albus’ large oak desk.  Moments later a new name appeared, Shaun Severus Snape; guardian: Severus Sebastian Snape, Potion’s Master, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

0000000000000000000000000

For the next few days, Severus took every opportunity to teach Shaun a new game, called ‘Fool the Students’.  Severus told Shaun the rules were simple, Severus would yell, insult, and scowl at the students and Shaun would know it was a game and he wouldn’t be scared or try to hide.  Severus had Shaun practice walking beside him up and down the aisles in the classroom while Severus ‘practiced’ yelling at the dunderheads and idiots he had to teach. He attached a soft leather strap to his belt on the back of his trousers for Shaun to hold onto instead of his robes or his hand so that the boy had a secure anchor and yet he had both of his hands free for teaching.

He would always touch a finger to Shaun’s head or shoulder to let him know he was going to yell loudly so the child was prepared and then he would let loose with his worst insults and bellows.  It was a good thing no one else could hear the child, it wouldn’t do for everyone to hear his soft giggles as he enjoyed the insults his father was spewing at the pretend students.

After a couple of days, the two decided that they would ‘practice’ with the staff members so that Shaun could practice scowling with his daddy and not giggling all the time.  It broke daddy’s concentration on the game!

Shaun held tight to the strap on the back of his daddy’s trousers, because it looked too strange for him to be holding hands with nothing and the students would surely notice.  Severus felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, he could scowl and snarl now without worrying about Shaun’s reaction.  He was going to enjoy this!  He swept into the Great Hall, outer robes billowing out, hiding the invisible form of his son under them.

Startled glances from the head table changed to worried frowns as they noticed the return of the snarky professor that very few of them had missed the last ten days.  Severus growled a semi greeting and sat down on his specially lowered chair between Albus and Minerva.  He glared up through the curtain of his greasy black hair as if daring any one to talk to him.  He loaded up his plate as usual and began eating in silence.  Albus and Minerva both sighed as they noticed food disappearing off of his plate just as it had been.  For a few moments they had worried that the child had disappeared once more, or that someone had managed to claim him from Severus’ care.  Albus ate, talking about mundane matters until he noticed the child had climbed into his lap once more.  He heard a small scourgify from Severus’ wand; before ten little fingers began to try to braid his beard.  He relaxed and looked quizzically at the man finishing his own lunch.  “Anything wrong, Severus?” he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Severus sat back, placing his silverware on his now empty plate, “Practicing our new game for when the students return tomorrow, Headmaster.”

Albus sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a pained expression. “And do I want to know what game that is?”  Albus looked over the top of his half-moon spectacles, one eyebrow raised in question.

“It’s called ‘Fool the Students’ and Shaun is getting quite good at it.  It is rather off putting though when he starts giggling right in the middle of a good rant of insults though.”

“Ah, yes, I imagine that would put you off your stride somewhat.  I had thought perhaps you would not be ‘playing’ that game this year.” Albus had a look of mild reproach as he softly glared at his potions professor.

A raised eyebrow was the only response he got.  “Well, I had hoped that caring for Shaun would have perhaps changed your opinion of the other children.” Albus continued his argument, even though it had never worked before, he had had hopes that this year would be different.

“But Shaun isn’t like any other child, Albus.  He never speaks unless spoken to, he sits quietly where you put him, he loves to read, he doesn’t talk back, and he immediately apologizes for any misdeed… sometimes even if he didn’t actually do anything.  What’s not to like about Shaun?”  Severus was genuinely puzzled.

Albus shook his head sadly, “Surely even you recognize that his behavior is not normal.  Shaun was abused for years, he doesn’t know how to behave like a normal child, you should encourage him to make noise and ask questions.  It’s not natural to be so quiet, Severus, I am worried about the child, aren’t you?”

“Well, yes, but sometimes I don’t actually mind his quiet behavior.  I mean, we can sit together and he just listens to me talk and read to him.  It’s almost like having a very intelligent familiar rather than a child.  I do understand he needs to become more like a normal child, but I also need to learn how to become a normal father, my own died when I was so young, and no one in their right mind would want me to learn parenting from my uncle!”

Albus reluctantly nodded his head slowly in agreement, “Well, as long as you are the only one who can see him and hear him, I guess it is probably better that he stays where you put him, just make sure he learns to be a child too Severus.  And it wouldn’t hurt for you to be a little more child like either.  Why don’t you take him out in the sunshine this afternoon before your appointment with Poppy for his checkup?  I daresay you could both use more sun.  And have you thought more about moving your quarters?”

“Yes, Shaun and I have discussed it, and he has agreed that we should move to a warmer room, but make sure the house elves replace everything exactly as it is.  I can have extra rooms, but for now make sure everything in my bedroom and the lounge is placed exactly as it is.  Shaun isn’t ready for a bed yet, he likes the box too much and he still needs me in the middle of the night, he would panic at the idea of his own room.  He has nightmares that wake him up screaming and crying almost every night still, though I can get him to calm down quicker now, so perhaps they will begin to fade as he grows more comfortable and confident that no one here will hurt him.”

“Excellent, I shall have the elves move the two of you this afternoon while you are outside.  May I have the use of Nippy to supervise?”  Severus nodded and picked up the now sleeping Shaun from the headmaster’s lap, carefully untangling the small fingers and laughing at the mess in the headmaster’s beard.  “Nice braid, sir.” He smirked as he carried Shaun out of the Great Hall and to their quarters for his afternoon nap.

000000000000000000

Shaun had enjoyed riding on his daddy’s broomstick with him.  The strong arms encircling him made him feel too safe to be worried about the outdoors or the height they were flying at.  He had enjoyed playing the game with his daddy at lunch, it was fun to fool everyone and his daddy made such funny faces at everyone that he had laughed and giggled while he ate; which only made his daddy make funnier faces!

He was awfully nervous about going to the hospital this afternoon, he didn’t really know what a hospital was but it didn’t sound very nice.  And daddy had said they would be moved to new quarters while they had been flying and then visiting the hospital.  He wondered where they would be. He hoped they would have a nice window; he had liked looking out the window at the garden at his aunt’s house even though she never let him out into it.

Daddy put him down on a bed in a row of beds in a very white room and called “Poppy” before the lady he had met several days ago came bustling into the room.

“Is my patient sitting there in front of you, Severus?”  She asked, rather exasperated with the situation.  But no one had yet found out how or even how long the child had been invisible and silent to everyone but Snape.  It was a bizarre situation that was for sure.  ‘I hope he never gets really hurt, it is difficult enough to evaluate a patient you cannot see or hear.  I would write this up in a paper, but no one would believe me, I’m sure!’ She thought to herself.

“Yes, he is right here, Poppy.”  Severus stood directly behind Shaun and placed a warm, large hand on each of his shoulders, to reassure the child and to help Poppy find her patient.

She cast several diagnostic spells on the area in front of Severus and nodded, “Well, you’ll be happy to know he now weighs just over two stone, he seems to have grown slightly, his protein levels are better, though still a little low.  Continue with the nutrient potions, and I don’t see any long term effects from the calming potion you have been adding to them.  I think you might be able to gradually reduce the calming potion though as time goes by.  But he might need a little stronger dose for the first few weeks of school, just until he gets used to the noise and bustle of the crowds.”

She put away her wand and continued, “His bones are healing nicely, no sign of the ulcers returning and everything else appears to be improving.”  She walked back into her office and returned with a pentagon shaped package.  “Here you go Shaun; you were such a good boy!”  She held it out somewhere around the middle of Severus’ waist only to have him point over toward the nearest window.  “He’s looking at the lake, Poppy.  Shaun, come get a treat and say thank you to Poppy…he said thank you, very much Madame Pomfrey.” As the chocolate frog box floated out of her hand, Poppy startled and then recovered quickly.

Severus sat on the edge of the bed and apparently picked up the small boy to help him open the treat.  The jump of the frog made Severus grab one hand for the boy and the other for the frog.  Poppy thought how odd it was to hear the gentleness in the cold man’s speech as he explained to the air, “No, it’s not a real frog…just one jump….Yes, it’s the Headmaster…”  Severus threw back his head and laughed the first genuine deep laugh that Poppy ever remembered hearing from him.  “No, it’s really him….I’ll ask him tonight if you like….”

Severus jumped down, put his hands out and caught something, bending to place it on the floor, he then put out his hand and walked out the door, still talking to the air, ”Shall we go find our new quarters and get ready for dinner…..okay….Nippy!” She could no longer hear the conversation as the heavy infirmary doors shut.  She spelled clean sheets on the bed and walked back to her office, shaking her head as she went. This was going to be one interesting year!

00000000000000

Dinner the last night before the students returned was always unique.  The staff was always a little excited about the new students, apprehensive about the beginning of teaching duties once again and a little silly about their last night of freedom before the heavy responsibility of taking care of that many hormonal and magical teenagers began once again.

Apparently Shaun really liked the tender steak that had appeared on his own little plate in front of Severus, every one else had a t-bone, but his little teeth would do much better on the small tenderloin the elves had prepared especially for him.  He did love the tender baby carrots and Severus supposed that one day he would actually start to use a fork to eat them instead of his fingers, but Severus had to feed him the steamed rice, his hands weren’t coordinated enough to keep the grains on his spoon without spilling half of them onto Severus’ lap before the spoon reached the small mouth.

Severus waited until everyone had food when he turned to Albus and asked him, “Headmaster, Shaun got a chocolate frog this afternoon, and he wanted to know if that was really you on the card?”

Albus’ eyes twinkled merrily as he looked at where he could see small carrots disappearing. “Why yes Shaun; that is really me.  Did you like your chocolate frog?”

Severus relayed his answer, “He says ‘yes I did very much, sir.’”  Severus waited until the headmaster was taking a drink of his pumpkin juice, “He says ‘If that’s you when I open the card, and you’re taking a shower, are you naked on my card?’”  Severus laughed, they had done it!  Not only did Albus spray pumpkin juice down his beard, he heard Minerva choke on her rice and Professor Flitwick fell off of his pillow.  He could hear Shaun giggling at their success and he clapped hands with the small boy in triumph.

Albus was still coughing up pumpkin juice when he glared at Severus and saw the small twitches of the man’s mouth.  “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” He demanded.

Severus looked down slightly and slyly admitted, “Well, yes, but he did ask me this afternoon in the infirmary.  So are you naked?”

The entire table stopped to listen to the answer, most had never thought to wonder about it having grown up with the treats, “No, it’s not really me, they just take a picture and duplicate it over and over, the picture moves, but it never changes its clothes or where it is.  If that was really me, I would never get any work done, now would I?”  He glanced up and down the table, glaring at everyone over his glasses, his cheeks still slightly pink with embarrassment.  They all smiled and began to choose from the wonderful selection of desserts the house elves had prepared.

00000000000000000000000000000

Severus sat nervously at the head table, idly running his hand up and down his son’s back.  He could feel the slight trembling of the small body sitting on his lap, hiding under the front of his robes.  He had give Shaun a full dose of calming potion half an hour before coming down here, so the potion should be at its full effect right now.  By the time the potion wore off, he would have Shaun safely ensconced in their new quarters and hopefully asleep. 

The returning students were coming in the doors in a rush of sound and sights.  After the silence of the mostly empty castle, it sounded like the roar of a waterfall, or the noise of the Hogwarts Express train.  But since none of the incoming students approached the table, it was still okay.  Albus had a hand under the table and Shaun had one of his clutched tightly to it, the other one was gripping his father’s vest in an iron grasp, head buried deep in the comfort and smell of his father’s warm vest.

000000000000000000000

The sorting had been completed, the beginnings of term announcements were over and the feast had appeared before the first of the students noticed anything funny happening at the head table.  Two Gryffindors were first to notice that the snarky potion’s teacher was rubbing his hand up and down his robes his head bowed as he appeared to be talking to his chest. 

One of the Slytherin sixth years pointed out to two seventh years that food was disappearing into Snape’s robes with some regularity, and a group of fifth and sixth year Ravenclaws thought it was awfully odd that not only had the Headmaster not stood up for the opening announcements, he appeared to be holding hands with Snape under the table!  None of the Hufflepuffs noticed anything untoward and so they ate in ignorant bliss.

Snape waited until all of the students had left the Great Hall for the Common rooms and breathed a deep sigh of relief.  Halfway through the evening he had felt Shaun go to sleep on his lap, still clutching his gnawed chicken leg tightly in one greasy little fist.  Albus had finally been able to reclaim his hand when the child’s grip slackened in sleep.  He had laughed gently as he wiggled his fingers and shook his hand to restore the circulation.  “Quite some grip young Shaun has, Severus.”

Severus slipped the sleeping child out of his robes and placed him on his shoulder before saying good night and leaving through the back door at the side of the staff table.  He was grateful that their new quarters were directly behind the Great Hall so the two of them could enter and leave without ever going out into the public corridors.  He could imagine what it would look like for him to be carrying an invisible child all the way down to the dungeons.

000000000000000000

Severus and Shaun had been among the first to arrive for breakfast the next morning and Shaun had decided he would prefer to eat his scrambled eggs, bacon and toast on the floor, it was easier to manage a fork that way.  Severus had put his son’s breakfast on his extra plate and surreptitiously leaned over and handed it to the child.  Shaun said thank you and dug in.  Severus was happy to note that Shaun was not only eating faster, he was now eating a more normal amount for someone his age.

Severus sat up and began to glare at the students who were shuffling still half asleep into the Great Hall.  He looked at his schedule once again before folding it and replacing it in his vest pocket.  Sixth year N.E.W.T. class first; well they already knew the rules and if they had managed the ‘O’ necessary to enter the class, he wouldn’t have to supervise them too much.

Next was a combined first year class of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, why did the Headmaster always insist on placing Slytherin and Gryffindor together, it was an accident waiting to happen… or blow up as it frequently was in the potion’s classroom!

Then a Gryffindor/Slytherin second year class; and then the rest of the afternoon was free.  Perhaps he could get some grading done outside while Shaun played down by the lake.  Surely if he took papers to grade, no one would come close enough to notice anything unusual.  He dropped a napkin to his son and stood up, waiting until he felt the strap being lifted and the boy straightening his long teaching robes to completely cover himself.  He dropped his hand and gently touched the top of the boy’s head.  He felt a small nod and knew that Shaun was ready to ‘play’ the game.

Severus glared over at the Gryffindor table, snarled at the stupid Hufflepuff first years and generally felt much better than he had in a while.  Maybe he could even get some of the little girls to cry!  Ah, what a happy thought!  What was that small twinge he felt that small voice telling him not to scare them, Shaun hated to be scared, and so would they.  He pushed the small voice deep into his subconscious mind, back to where it belonged and swept from the Great Hall, robes billowing out ominously, to prepare for his first class of the new school year.

Severus Snape, snarky Potions Master, ‘greasy git’ and ‘slimy bat of the dungeons’ was in his element. He excelled at his ‘beginning of first year’ speech. The eleven year olds cowered when he glared, they looked impressed at his ‘even put a stopper in death!’ He waved his wand at the board and the nervous first years started madly taking down the directions for the simple potion base he always had them start on. He started to sweep down the first aisle when he realized that Shaun no longer had hold of the strap on his belt. In fact he couldn’t feel the child anywhere under his robe. ‘Oh blast, he had scared his son as well as the first years!’ He strode silently back to his desk and sat down heavily, his head down in his hands. He couldn’t leave the classroom; he couldn’t call Nippy to check on the boy, what was he to do now?

His mind in turmoil and his emotions running rampant, it took a moment to feel the small form standing up and leaning against his leg under his desk. He leaned back to make more room and felt the tremulous presence of his boy. He sighed and placed his hands under the desk. He placed one hand on the small head that was lying on his knee and rubbed the small shoulders with the other. He looked to make sure the students were busy before beginning to softly talk to the child.

“It’s all right, Shaun, it’s just the game. Shh, now I’m not mad at you, I just needed to frighten the students enough at the beginning so they never stop paying attention to what I say. It would be too dangerous if they get careless or Merlin forbid, think they can prank each other or play in here. Potion’s accidents are not as easily repaired as a spell cast wrong. And a cauldron explosion can kill people.”

Shaun dried his tears, “You aren’t going to chop them up for potion’s ingredients if they make a mistake?”

Severus could feel the corners of his mouth threaten to turn up so he forcibly scowled, “Now child, that would ruin everything I brewed, wouldn’t it?”

The small head nodded and then climbed further up into his father’s lap. He hugged him around the middle, not caring if anyone noticed anything odd in his need for his father’s reassurance. Severus patted his back, leaning over to whisper, “I will summon you a couple of books for the next class and you can sit over there and read or watch if you like, okay?”

Shaun nodded and climbed down, grabbing the strap to let his father know he was ready to continue with their game once again. The class finished without further upset and Severus was happy to see the classroom door close behind them.

They had made it to lunchtime, but then it was still only the first day of classes. They had one second year class left and then he could take Shaun outside to play while he corrected papers in the late afternoon sun while the students were still in their second class of the afternoon.

000000000000000000000

The second year’s class had gone very well, Severus had placed a large box in a corner of the classroom that wasn’t visible and lined it with a big soft blanket and a pillow. Only ten minutes into class, Shaun had climbed into it with his favorite book, “The Young Wizard’s Guide to Beginning Potions Making”, read a few pages, and promptly went to sleep.

Severus had begun grading the massive pile of summer essays he had assigned and sighed, each year he promised himself he wouldn’t assign such long ones that he would have to grade, and each year he forgot and assigned them anyway. Oh well, at least they had had to write them over summer. He had finished all of the seventh year essays, most of them adequate and a couple actually quite good, the sixth years of course had none, no one knew if they would be in N.E.W.T. potions until after they got their O.W.L. scores after all. He began on last year’s fourths, now his fifth year students and turned at a small sound to find Shaun waking up.

He conjured a satchel and placed the ungraded essays, quills, ink and a small snack that Nippy had provided for them, and asked Shaun if he would like to go outside to play for a while. He was rewarded with a large smile and a lap full of small boy. He went to the coat rack and pulled down the two cloaks there. It never ceased to amaze him that anything Shaun wore became just as invisible as he did. He took the cloaks over one arm, the satchel on his shoulder and his son’s hand in his as they walked through the corridors to the large outside entrance. He never noticed the several pairs of eyes out in the corridors around the castle as they widened and wondered at the man walking with his arm held out to one side, hand curled in a loose fist, talking to himself.

000000000000000000000
The entire castle was buzzing by dinner. No one knew what had happened to the snarky git, but he was now talking to himself in the halls and pretending to hold someone’s hand, a very small someone’s hand. The students were very careful to never talk about Professor Snape anywhere a member of staff could overhear them, but that didn’t stop the speculation in the common rooms, the hallways, the empty classrooms, and the dorms.

Several students had observed him out the windows from various classrooms where they were supposed to be paying attention to the professor’s lecture; but found the view by the lake much more exciting. Terrence, a fifth year Ravenclaw was telling his four dorm mates that he had seen the man set out a picnic basket and then pat a spot for no one. He had even put out a plate of food for the ‘pretend’ friend. Then he had repeatedly thrown a ball and apparently summoned it back in a bizarre game of catch.

The second year Slytherin who had been on his way to the infirmary to have Madame Pomfrey heal the nasty bite he had gotten in Herbology told the entire Slytherin common room that he had seen Professor Snape pretending to be carrying something, and had been talking to it as he walked down the hall towards the potions classroom before dinner.

Even the Hufflepuff table noticed when Margaret dropped her napkin and then excitedly explained in a whisper that when she bent over to pick it up, she saw Professor Snape put a plate full of food down onto the floor by his feet. But there was nothing there; he didn’t have a cat or a dog with him!

The second year Gryffindors were all wondering why Professor Snape hadn’t yelled at anyone, he had wandered up and down the aisles and he had taken the obligatory points for minor mistakes, but he hadn’t yelled at anyone and he had actually glared at the two Slytherins who had tried to cause a Gryffindor cauldron to explode. He had actually given them detention! Maybe the man was in the middle of a mental breakdown?

00000000000000000

Arabella Figg got an urgent owl from her daughter, her youngest granddaughter was very ill, and she wanted her Grandmother Bella to come and stay with her while she got better. Since her daughter and granddaughter were both squibs also, she would need to pack to be away for a while, potions and spells just didn’t work very well for them. She charged Mr. Tibbles, her kneazle, to keep an eye on young Harry, and to step on the special parchment that would notify Professor Dumbledore if there was a problem.

She hastily scratched out a note for the Headmaster, telling him she would be gone for several weeks and that everything was fine. She had seen Petunia walking to the park just two days ago, her blonde son holding one hand, her dark haired nephew holding the other. And it appeared that Harry had actually grown several inches, maybe he was finally growing.

As she packed she checked off a mental list, ah, just time to pop down to the opticians and pick up her new glasses; she had been getting headaches ever since she broke them two weeks ago, then she had had to wait for an appointment to get a new order, and now finally, they had rung just yesterday saying they were ready. Then she would need to stop at the chemists and pick up some more headache powder…

0000000000000000

The students took to watching Professor Snape carefully without appearing to be watching him. It was obvious the entire staff knew what was happening; they could hardly not notice the man’s bizarre behavior after all! And it was getting worse as time went on.

It had been so gradual that the students couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it started, but the man didn’t take points off nearly as often. None of the students could recall the great bat finding anyone out after curfew this term, and no one had seen him patrolling constantly as he had in past years. And he walked so slowly and cautiously now, not like the ground eating pace he had used every year before.

He was spotted frequently out in the grounds, sitting on a blanket with a picnic basket open beside him, playing a weird game of throw the ball and then summon it back. It was even rumored that he had a small shrunken toy broom in one pocket and that he had been seen flying out over the lake and the Quidditch pitch, smiling!

000000000000000000

Vernon and Petunia had been afraid to breathe too hard the first week their nephew had disappeared; but they gradually relaxed as no one showed up for the boy, no wizards, no social services, no police. The days stretched into weeks, the weeks stretched into a month then two, and Vernon and Petunia decided that they could just pretend they had never had the boy in their lives at all. Petunia had scoured his filthy cupboard the day after they noticed he was gone, the cupboard had still been locked from the outside.

Vernon came home early in the middle of September with the most wonderful news. Petunia and Dudley weren’t home; perhaps they were still at the play park. He made himself a cuppa and sat down to savor the moment. Petunia came in, holding Dudley with one hand and his dark haired friend Piers with the other. She sent both boys upstairs to play in Dudley’s room and went into the kitchen. She stopped at the door, surprised to find her husband home so early, a big smile on his face.

“Petunia, dear, I got it! The new office opening up in Vancouver is mine, and Grunnings wants us there in just two weeks. They have agreed to buy this house and pay all of our moving expenses. They have an executive house we can stay in until we find something. We have our passports already and they are getting the permits to live in Canada expedited. We can leave this house and all these nosy neighbors behind. And it’s a huge promotion and a very large pay raise and bonus!”

He stood and swept his wife into his arms and planted a big kiss on her cheek, “And best of all, no more weirdoes or freaks!”

She kissed him back and said, “Let me call Pier’s mother and have Dudley spend the night, then we can go out and celebrate! And tomorrow, I’ll begin packing!”

000000000000000000000

By the middle of October Snape had started wearing robes that weren’t black, they were very dark green, blue and grey, but they weren’t black. The students who had written home got confirmation from older brothers and sisters that that had never happened before. His hair was now tied back, it might still be just as greasy, but it didn’t look bad at all. He had gained some weight, he would never be anything but skinny, but he wasn’t skeletal any more, and his skin looked much better for all the time he had spent out in the sun.

First year Bill Weasley told the Gryffindor common room that when he went up to fetch his old owl Errol that had landed on Hagrid’s head by mistake, he saw a small table with a little chair behind Professor Snape’s seat, and it had silverware and a plate and cup like his stupid girl cousins’ when they played tea party.

Kristina told the other fourth year Hufflepuff girls, that when she bent down in potions to pick up the quill she had dropped, she saw crayons and coloring books under Professor Snape’s desk, and a play cauldron! She had to explain to the others exactly what crayons and coloring books were, them not being muggle born, but then they were just as shocked as she was!

0000000000000000000000

The pleased topic of the October staff meeting was the surprising amount of school spirit and lack of inter-house rivalry this year. Everyone had noticed that students of all years and all houses seemed to be meeting in out of the way places all over the castle, just to talk and visit. No one was hexing other house members, and there had been no major fights or out of class duels. Even Slytherin house was being included in the activities.

None of the staff knew exactly what the students were all buzzing about, but they knew the castle was always rife with gossip and intrigue, and suspected that this year was no different. Dumbledore was pleased and said perhaps they could have a special Halloween ball this year as well as the traditional Hogsmeade day for the third year and above students. After all, inter house cooperation and harmony should be encouraged wherever it was found!

The staff all got to work right away on planning the treat for the students, and for once even Severus Snape raised no objections. Professor Flitwick had noticed that all four houses seemed to have many more points than they had ever had at this time of year, perhaps since there seemed to be so little rivalry, so fewer points had been lost than any other year. He didn’t mention that not losing tons of points every day in potions or someone lying in wait to find students out in the corridors every evening probably had a lot to do with it too.

0000000000000000000000000

It was almost 8 p.m., when Arabella Figg paid off the muggle taxi driver after he helped her carry her luggage up to the steps of her house. ‘Ah it is so good to finally be home. Little Beth was so ill and then it seemed to take forever for her to get her strength back,’ she thought as she struggled to unlock the front door. She had not intended to be gone over five weeks after all! She pulled her suitcase inside the door and checked with Mr. Tibbles, where was that kneazle; she needed to check on little Harry after all, now where could that nasty cat have gotten to?

“Mr. Tibbles… Mr. Tibbles… here kitty, kitty.” No answer; so she went next door to see Cathy, the lady she always paid to keep an eye on her mail and yard, and to feed her cats. She knocked on the door and was shocked to see Cathy carrying Mr. Tibbles, a strange plaster thing on his hind leg.

Cathy handed the cat over to his owner, “I’m sorry, Arabella, I didn’t know how to get in touch with you, but your cat had a run in with a car the day after you left. A large dog was chasing him and he ran out in front of a car. The driver was very sorry and paid all the vet bills, I have his name and number for you, he wanted you to call him when you returned to make sure everything was fine. Mr. Tibbles just needs the cast for one more week, and then the vet says he will be as good as new. I have had a terrible time keeping him inside; he really tries to get out every time the door opens. I’ve had to start answering the door with him in my arms.”

After assuring Cathy that it was fine and that she wasn’t mad at her, she managed to take the kneazle home and settle him into her bedroom. She went immediately over to check on poor little Harry, grabbing the small toy she had bought for him as a present. She almost fainted on the spot to find the house totally empty, no curtains, no furniture, empty!

She rushed home, threw floo powder in the fire she had hurriedly started and yelled, “Hogwarts Headmaster’s Office, Albus, we have a problem!” When the headmaster opened his floo, she stepped through and looked around. “I think you need the others here, too, Albus. They will need to hear this and I don’t think a wait for them to arrive will make any difference now.”

Albus sent messages to the four heads of House that they were needed in his office as soon as possible. When Severus heard the chime that meant he was needed by the headmaster, he called for Nippy to watch his already sleeping son. He absent mindedly rubbed the small head, at least his hair was finally growing back. He supposed he would have to begin cutting his hair himself, he could imagine taking an invisible child to the barbers and asking for a ‘trim, please’. He smiled at the thought. ‘It’s remarkable how much this one little soul has changed my life so much. I almost wish he would never become visible, for the first time in a very long time, I like my life.’ He left as soon as Nippy assured him he would send word if the boy woke up.

Severus was the last to arrive in Albus’ office and nodded greetings to Minerva, Pomona and Filius as well as Albus before he noted the presence of Arabella Figg. His face didn’t automatically snarl at the thought that this must have something to do with the Potter boy then. He thought with surprise, that he almost felt sorry for James Potter, who would never know the small joys that Shaun brought to his life every day. He sat down in the last empty chair, a pensive expression upon his face and listened intently.

“So, Arabella, what brings you here so late, I hope your granddaughter has fully recovered?” The Headmaster asked her.

“Yes, thank you Albus. Well, for those of you who don’t know, my granddaughter got very sick about the first week in September and I left to go help her mother with her. I had seen Harry out walking with his Aunt and cousin just two days before so I knew everything was all right. I set my kneazle up to watch the house, as he has done before, notified Albus and left. I got home just this evening. I couldn’t find my kneazle, so I went to the neighbor’s house who watches after my place to find that he had been hit by a car the day after I left and had not been let out of her house since then.”

She stopped and wrung her hands in agitation, “I immediately went to the Dursley’s house and it was empty, no furniture, no cars, no nothing. There is no for sale sign, nothing to follow up on. So I came straight here. It’s too late at night to go knocking on the neighbors doors to find out if they know anything. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

Minerva looked at Severus and asked, “Could it be Shaun? You said he has black hair and green eyes, just like Harry. What day did he show up in your lab, Severus?”

Severus blanched, “When did you say you last saw the boy, Arabella?” She thought for a moment, “I left on the fourth of September and I saw him two days before walking to the park with his aunt, so the second of September. And who’s Shaun, Severus?”

Severus sighed and sat back in his chair relieved, “Shaun is my son, but he came to me the last week in June, I think the 29th but it could have been the 30th. And when Poppy examined him on August 30th she said he was three and a half. Isn’t the Potter boy a little bit older?”

Albus was pulling the Registry of Magical Children book out of his desk drawer as he answered, “His birthday is the 31st of July, so he was already four years old by the time Poppy examined Shaun.”

Albus sat back, steepled his fingers and looked worriedly at his colleagues, “There is no Harry James Potter in my magical registry. Either he is no longer alive, or his family no longer lives in Great Britain. I will ask the other magical schools around the world to check on their registries. Arabella, I need you to ask around the neighborhood and find out what you can, Minerva can you send an owl to Kingsley Shacklebolt to check for a missing boy matching Harry’s description in both the magical and muggle world. And maybe he can see if there were Muggle papers for the Dursley family to leave Great Britain? Severus, can you make discreet inquiries amongst your former associates, I know some of them still wish Harry dead.”

After another agonizingly long hour of discussion and planning the six left the office, each deep in their own thoughts and worries, but Severus was just relieved that his Shaun wasn’t Harry Potter!

Severus returned to his quarters to watch his sleeping son after the stressful meeting in Albus’ office and sat on the edge of his bed, deep in thought as he watched the innocent face. His life had changed so much, was it only four short months ago that he had first laid eyes on that battered baby?

He found it harder and harder each day to torment his students, he had little patience for bullying, even that done by his Slytherins, and he no longer tolerated any behavior that might cause an explosion in class, even if it was sabotage of a Gryffindor potion by his Slytherins. In fact, he was beginning to actually detest some of his more aggressive house members. He had nightmares of his little boy’s beautiful face being scalded by an exploding cauldron; he couldn’t bear to think of the poor child being hurt by something he could have prevented.

Shaun stirred and rolled over in his box. Severus smiled, the issue of the box would be resolved very soon; the boy would simply not fit much longer. He wondered if he should put a small bed in his room to start with, or if he should try to move the boy into the room across the hall from his. The elves had done a wonderful job of choosing quarters for them. Because they were next to the Great Hall they were on an outside corner of the castle and had lovely picture windows that overlooked the back of the grounds and part of the forest from the lounge and library area, and windows in both his and the boy’s bedrooms. Only the bathroom, his private lab and the small eating area and kitchen had blank walls.

He picked up his sleeping son and cradled him softly talking to him, “I was so worried I would loose you tonight when I thought you were Harry Potter. But you are mine, my Shaun, my gift.” And yet, he continued to muse, would it have been so bad if he had been Harry? His guardians, whomever they turned out to be; were obviously less than adequate, there had been no missing child report, the child had been emotionally and physically abused, obviously starved and neglected. He, even as a former spy, would be a much better guardian than the one’s the boy had previously. He just had to convince the Ministry of that, and of course, that small voice in his head, the one that kept telling him he didn’t deserve this happiness and the love of a small boy.

000000000000000

Two days after Arabella dropped the bombshell about Harry Potter being missing; Severus and Shaun were ready for their first Halloween together. Severus had been drafted to be a chaperon for the first Hogsmeade day of the year. He had explained to Shaun that he just had to supervise in the village, he didn’t have to stay with the students, and that he would take the small boy to visit Honeyduke’s candy store and the bookstore for some new books. Severus thought it would be much better if he had Nippy pack them a picnic than to try to feed the small boy without anyone noticing in the Three Broomsticks.

Severus had shrunk the picnic basket and both of their cloaks and Shaun’s toy broomstick before leaving their quarters, and placed them into his robe pocket. Now they only had to get through breakfast and then he could carry Shaun down to Hogsmeade and get there well before the students were released at ten a.m. He didn’t think Shaun could manage the long walk across the grounds and then remain awake for the whole day without being too tired, so he would carry the child to the village before anyone from the castle could notice them. At least his shift at supervision was over at two, so he could turn the responsibility over to Hagrid and put Shaun down for a nap before the late night they were sure to have.

000000000000000000000

Breakfast began well enough, except for the third years and above being excited about going to Hogsmeade later, but Severus should have known it was too good to last. Since Shaun now ate at the small table the house elves had placed for him behind the staff table, Severus was not quite as aware of where Shaun was at all times. And Shaun had lost an awful lot of his shyness and fear over the last four months. Now his natural curiosity, and bubbling cheerfulness was starting to shine through and sometimes take over his good sense.

Shaun had finished his breakfast, and Daddy was still busy talking to Minerva and Albus when the child noticed someone new sitting down at the far end of the table. She must be a Professor he thought, but she looks really funny, all dressed in scarves and big round glasses. She sorta looks like a big bug with them. Shaun didn’t ever remember her sitting at the breakfast table before, and he wondered if she would be nice like Minerva and Albus or scary like that dreadful Mr. Filch. Maybe she only looked scary like Hagrid?

Shaun walked down the table, being careful not to touch anyone, and stood watching the weird lady. He saw that she had dropped her napkin, so he picked it up and tapped her on the shoulder politely and held up her napkin by one corner. He knew she couldn’t hear anything that he said, so he didn’t bother saying anything to her.

She turned at his touch, took one look at the floating napkin and screamed, which scared poor Shaun. He jumped backwards knocking poor little Professor Flitwick off of his pillow. Filius waved his arms wildly trying to catch his balance before crashing forward, face first into the large bowl of porridge. He flailed his arms, pushing the tablecloth forward, and dumping the entire left end of the staff table full of food, plates, goblets and silverware onto the students sitting on the ends of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw house tables, and spinning the right end of the tablecloth to dump its contents on the chests and laps of the staff sitting at the other end from him.

The weird lady was still screaming so Shaun was trying to pat her to calm her down, just like his daddy patted him when he was scared, but she wouldn’t stand still, she kept squealing and jumping around, until she fell off the end of the platform that elevated the staff table and fell full length, slipping and sliding in the spilled food, down the middle of the Gryffindor table, sending showers of food over more of the students. The students that were now covered in breakfast were getting mad at the rest of the students who were laughing at them; so the messy ones started throwing food at the laughing ones, and the Hogwarts all house food fight was on!

Shaun gave up on calming the weird lady down; he couldn’t see anything over the staff table, so he had gone back to his chair to see if the house elves had sent him another cinnamon roll. When Severus stopped laughing at Albus, who had been drenched with pumpkin juice and had a platter of fried eggs on his lap, and turned around to check on his son, Shaun was calmly eating a cinnamon roll.

Severus stood up and spelled the eggs, bacon and tea off of his robes before helping Professor McGonagall clean the bowl of porridge out of her hair and off of her glasses. The Headmaster finally stopped laughing at Professor Trelawney covered in bubble and squeak, scrambled eggs and pumpkin juice, laying face down sprawled across the Gryffindor house table that she had slid halfway down; and called for ‘Silence’ in the Great Hall. There was a fried egg dripping it’s yolk down his beard, he had a slice of bacon hanging from the side of his hat and he was literally dripping in pumpkin juice, but he was still an imposing figure, and he was the Headmaster. The students all froze.

“Prefects, please return your housemates to their common rooms. Every house will be assigned the cleaning of the Great Hall each night for one week, starting with Gryffindor beginning tomorrow evening after dinner. Now, go get cleaned up, I believe that Hogsmeade is waiting. And don’t forget to leave room for the feast at the Halloween Party tonight!”

The students didn’t wait to be told to leave twice; they thought they had gotten off lightly for such a stupendous food fight! After the last of the students left the room, the staff looked at each other, several started to snort, then giggle, and before many seconds had passed, they were all laughing soundly. Albus looked pointedly at where Pomona Sprout and Professor Vector were helping Sybil climb down from the Gryffindor table, she was so slippery they were having a hard time even holding on to her. He managed to calm down long enough to sputter, “I couldn’t really punish them too much for a food fight that was begun by a professor, now could I.”

The group was still laughing as they started spelling the mess away, but had managed to calm down before the exit of Sybil Trelawney stalked out of the room, scowling in a very poor imitation of Severus Snape, muttering under her breath about, ‘Never eating in here again, evil spirits gathered here, attacking innocent people…’ The peals of laughter that began again at her disgruntled, completely incomprehensible raving only strengthened her resolve to never leave the safety of her tower ever again.

000000000000000000

The Headmaster had waved off Severus’ offer of help in cleaning the Great Hall and told him to go enjoy the day in Hogsmeade with his son, so the two walked carefully through the mess and out the doors. At least none of the students were there to witness two sets of footprints, one large and one very small, slipping and slopping through the very unappetizing slurry of thrown and spilled food on the floor of the castle that led straight out the front doors and across the lawns.

Severus stopped at the bottom step and swung Shaun up on one hip, throwing his voluminous cloak across his shoulders to completely hide the fact that his elbow was bent and he was obviously holding something close to his chest with the other hand. He was enjoying the late fall sun and listening with only half an ear as Shaun babbled on about what he was going to find in the small village.

If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed that Shaun was talking about always being left locked in his cupboard while his cousin Dudley got to go shopping with his Aunt Petunia, but nothing the small boy was babbling about actually registered in his conscious mind. He was still trying to figure out what had set off that disgusting fraud, Sybil Trelawney this morning. Though the memories of her sliding face first down Gryffindor table, food flying all around her would always remain among one of his fondest memories, and he knew he would think of it whenever he had to deal with that charlatan ever again.

000000000000000000

Severus would have rather kissed Sybil Trelawney than admit that he had actually enjoyed the morning with Shaun looking wide eyed and so excited at his first sight of Honeyduke’s. And Severus would never admit that he had enjoyed buying an assortment of unusual treats, as well as a stock of chocolate, to share with his son. They had been able to arrive at the candy store well before the first of the students, and the staff had been way too busy setting up stocks and filling displays for the upcoming hordes of invading students to notice the way Professor Snape held his hands or kept his cloak closed about his chest.

The two Snapes had left and made their way through the small village to the less frequented bookstore when they could see the first of the Hogwarts students appear in the streets. Severus had asked the bookseller to set a small table and a chair up next to the front window so that he could read and keep an eye on the street in front of him. Shaun sat between his feet so no one would step on him and had his own book strategically hidden from view under his daddy’s cloak, which was draped down the back of his chair to pool on the floor.

They spent most of their supervisory time in peaceful reading until Severus noticed three sixth year girls, one Hufflepuff and two Slytherins, shouting and then pulling hair in front of the window. He quickly told Shaun to stay where he was and to keep under the table so no one would trip over him or find him, and went out, snarl firmly in place to stop the cat fight.

Shaun stayed hunched under the table even though the noise of the fight was frightening him and reminding him of his uncle’s yelling. He cringed back and almost bumped the legs of a third year Ravenclaw who had sat down in his daddy’s chair and dropped his heavy shopping bag from the apothecary shop, spilling the contents under the table. Shaun kept backing up under his daddy’s cloak as the student crawled under the table trying to retrieve all of his dropped ingredients.

“What have we here, a little boy all by himself? And taking the only table in the whole place, we can’t have that can we, guys.” Shaun had thought for a moment that the three very big guys were talking about him, but it seemed they were bullying the one in his daddy’s chair. The three Slytherins started stomping on the third year’s purchases, crushing all of his potions ingredients that had spilled out all over the place. A sickening greenish grey cloud began to form just as Professor Snape swept into the bookstore. He stalked over towards the table, took in the scene in one furious glance, and casting a ‘sonorous’ charm called for the immediate evacuation of the store.

“Everyone leave the premises immediately, there has been a potentially dangerous potions spill! Leave everything and head outside! NOW!” He took note of the four students involved as he cast a series of spells to clear the air and an ‘evanesco’ to remove the left over jumbled mess of ingredients from the floor.

He looked around to make sure everyone had left and went to pick up his belongings, only then finding the unconscious form of his son completely covered by his fallen cloak. He scooped up the limp child and apperated immediately to the gates of Hogwarts. Not caring who could see him, he ran cradling his child and calling for him to wake up all the way to the fourth floor infirmary. He crashed though the double doors and yelled, “Poppy, I need you, now! There has been an accident in Hogsmeade.”

Poppy came running out of her office, her wand at the ready, sure she would find every bed full of injured students; only to find one distraught potions master with his hands full of invisible toddler. “Oh dear, what happened to him, Severus?”

“I don’t know for certain, there were three seventh year Slytherins crushing a bag full of potions ingredients that Mr. Cooper had apparently just purchased at the apothecary shop. I cleared the shop and the cloud of noxious smoke, and then I got rid of the mess, I forgot about him being there Poppy, I don’t deserve to have him. I should have kept the mess to analyze what effect it had, but I didn’t. How could I forget he was waiting for me, I’m no better than his relatives, what have I done, what have I done…”

Poppy slapped him across the face, “Get a grip, I need your help here, I can’t see him! I need you to tell me what I can’t see. My wand is only an approximation, I go by sight and sound as well and I’m blind and deaf with him. I need you, Severus, he needs you!”

Severus still looked like he might break down again, but he closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and began to describe his son to the medi witch. “He’s pale, and clammy. His pulse is racing, but he is breathing very shallowly.” He took another moment to assess his son, “His eyes are rolled back in his head, and I can’t even see his pupils to tell you if they react to light or not. Wait a moment, NIPPY!” He sent the elf to bring back Mr. Cooper. He told him to send another elf to tell Albus, Minerva and Hagrid to come to the hospital ward; that he needed to see them immediately. Nippy nodded and left to fulfill his orders.

Poppy had given Severus three strengthening potions; two to help the boy’s breathing, and one to slow his heartbeat down. She couldn’t do much more until she knew exactly what the child had inhaled. Nippy popped into the hospital wing, Mr. Cooper tightly clutched in his arms.

The poor third year looked like he had just left a particularly nasty roller coaster ride, as green as his face was, he looked like he needed a bed too. And the irate face of his potions master as he appeared from around the end of a curtained bed didn’t help the green of his face either or the sinking feeling deep within his gut.

“Mr. Cooper, you are not in trouble, I understand Rockwood, Ames, and McKnight were destroying your ingredients, and you had nothing to do with it. But I need to know exactly what you had so that I may brew an antidote for someone who inhaled the fumes. Can you tell me everything that was in the bag?”

“Yes, sir…eh...well…” Michael was unable to speak but he managed to pull out a crumpled parchment from his pocket and handed over a list of the items that he had purchased, including strengths and amounts.

“Excellent, Mr. Cooper and twenty points to Ravenclaw for your meticulous record keeping. You are excused now; you may return to Hogsmeade or go to your common room. Please have the apothecary shop replace these items and have them charged to the school account.” Severus conjured a slip of parchment and a quill and scribbled a short note to the shop and thrust in into the still shell shocked boy’s hands. Severus had managed to appear calm and professional only by squashing all of his emotions down with an iron will.

Severus ran around the end of the curtain scanning the list as he went, “Poppy it’s salamander scales and eye of yellow lizard mixed with belladonna and tubeworm slime. You will need to give him an invigoration draft and essence of murtlap while I brew the antidote. He will need chest clearing spells almost constantly to keep him breathing while I brew this, unfortunately it will take about two hours to finish.”

Albus, Minerva, and Hagrid came into the infirmary in a rush, not knowing what to expect. They looked around the curtain to find Severus feeding potions to his son, at least that’s what they thought he was doing.

Albus was immediately at Severus’ side, “What happened, you were both in Hogsmeade weren’t you?”

He nodded, “Minerva, I need you to collect Rockwood, Ames, and McKnight from Hogsmeade. They thought to harass Michael Cooper. They started stepping and crushing his bag of potions ingredients he had just purchased from the apothecary shop when they found him alone in Flourish & Blotts. I had left Shaun under a table in the front window while I went to break up a fight between three girls over a ‘stolen boyfriend’ and had instructed him not to leave. The ingredients mixed together to form a poisonous gas and he stayed there and breathed it in. Albus, I told him to stay there no matter what and now I’ve poisoned my own child, I don’t deserve to have him!” He was on an emotional roller coaster, one moment he was able to function and knew exactly what to do, the next he was falling apart and totally helpless.

Poppy stopped working on Shaun for a moment and realized that Severus was on the edge of going into shock. She summoned a calming draught, “Get this down him, Albus, the boy needs him to brew the antidote, I certainly can’t! And I don’t know anyone else in the country that could!”

Albus forced Severus to drink the potion and waited for the several seconds it took to begin to calm the upset man down, “Now you do deserve the love of this boy, Severus, he chose you and only you! And he needs you now!”

Albus put his arm around Severus and looked over his shoulder at the other two, “Hagrid, I need you to begin your shift in the village early, and Minerva, if you would collect those three boys and then wait with them in my office? I am certain that Severus can think of a fitting punishment for the three.”

Poppy went back to the child, “Severus, I need you to evaluate how these potions are working, and then I need you to brew the antidote, can you keep yourself together long enough to do that, please?”

Albus led the now much calmer man over to his son’s bedside. “He has a little more color and he is no longer clammy. His pulse is slower, but he is still having difficulty breathing, shallow and labored.” Poppy muttered a quick spell, “How’s that now?”

“Better; and his eyes are equal and reactive to the light. I just pinched his arm and he squirmed and moaned, so he is not as deeply unconscious as he was. If you put your hand on his chest you should be able to tell how he is breathing, but call me if you even suspect you might need me Poppy. If I could brew this in the hospital wing I would, but it’s just too complicated and needs too many ingredients. Albus, will you stay with him, he seems to trust you too. I would hate for him to wake up alone. I need to go, I need to…” He left the hospital wing, still talking to himself.

Albus sat down on a quickly conjured rocking chair and asked Poppy if the boy could lay on his lap so he could feel instantly if anything changed about him. She quickly agreed with the idea, knowing the boy would feel much better being held. She covered them both with a thick blanket and went to contact St. Mungo’s about any different spells to help with the child’s labored breathing.

00000000000000

In his lab, Severus set up a gold cauldron and began summoning ingredients, talking to himself. He had gotten so used to talking constantly to Shaun over the last four months that it seemed unnatural for him to remain silent while brewing any more.

“Murtlap essence and finely powdered daisy roots; simmer and stir in knotgrass. If I add three drops of dragon blood and dried moonstone, I need to stir twenty times counter-clockwise.” He continued adding and stirring, carefully watching the potion as if his very life depended upon it. Ginger and flaxseed, lionfish and powdered scarab beetles all made it into the brew. He finally added the powdered bezoars; finished the last clockwise stir and simmered the sparkling blue potion. He was watching the final simmer, wracking his brain for anything he might have forgotten when with a flash, Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, appeared and added three small tears to the gold cauldron. The potion shimmered and turned crystal clear. Severus cast a cooling charm, bottled the brew and took off at a run towards the infirmary. He didn’t even notice when he knocked down two small first year Gryffindors in his rush to return to his boy.

He practically flew through the doors and slid to a stop at the curtain. Albus Dumbledore was sitting in a padded rocking chair, holding his son to his chest; a single tear tracing its way down his cheek. Fear gripped Severus’ chest, he could feel his heart pounding against his chest, hammering his ribs. He had been too late, his boy, his reason for living, the only one who trusted him and loved him unconditionally; was dead. He had been too slow, it was all his fault!