FLASHBACK::

Two minutes. It had taken him only that long to run from the dungeons to the infirmary as soon as he discovered what happened, and what they've done to...    

"Lily!", shouted Severus. All at once the small form flung open the doors and dumped himself inside. Clumsy as usual, the first year slyterin got caught up in his dangling school uniform, had tripped and fallen to the ground. Having scraped a knee upon his landing, the boy groaned in great displeasure. Finally when the boy's conflicting thoughts stirred, he felt two gentle hands helped him up onto his feet.

"Really? Mr. Snape?", said the sudden voice of a certain mediwitch.

The boy's knees quickly buckled out from under his lanky body. However the helping hands stayed constistant when he teetered forward. . Severus would have shrugged off the kindness of those hands but he was too busy scaning over the white cots ,searching for her face..

"Severus, are you listening to me?", asked Madam Promfrey as she dusted off the child's robes as a favor.

"W-Where's Lily? Is-is she going to b-be ok? Madam?", stuttered the boy, his face went paler than the usual. Severus lifted his eyes up to the nurse with doubt instead of the mistrusting look he normally sported; one that would be sure to age into bitterness in later years.
Poppy gave the youth a small but reassuring smile to indicate that all was well.

"Yes, dear. She's going to be just fine you'll see. Her fever is a bit high, but I gave her a fever reducing potion to lower it."
Youthful obsidian eyes, ones that would eventually age into remorse, blinked with innocent curiosity at the other.

"Come along now, Severus." , said the medi-witch as she beckoned the timid Snape forward. Normally a mistrusting of sort, Severus followed his guide without much hesitation. Poppy then gently took him by the shoulder and guided him down several rows of cots. The boy was growing restless as he barged onwards.

"She was sleeping when Mr. Potter and his friends came for a visit", began Poppy to the scowling young boy.

A humored smirk replaced the witch's lips as the younger snorted at the mentioning of the mischievous Muarader gang. Still, the witch continued all knowingly.

"Unfortunately for them, they had to be turned away so that Miss Evans could rest. Lucky for you though, Mr. Snape, your friend should be awakening soon."
Madam Pomfrey then gave Severus another reassuring smile as they came to the next bed. And so it happened immediately, the little boy eyed the other small form, a body that was laying under crumpled sheets. Cautiously he creped closer to the bedside, his eyes then flashed with surprise after seeing that the form was her, the girl. His Lily.

How could anyone mistaken the bright, wavy locks of red hair sprawling over the pillow as not Lily's? Still, there was no doubt that she was ill. The girl's soft porcelain skin had swelled in fever and her freckled features had blistered her flushed cheeks. Sweat had formed in beads on her forehead as well, indicating a recently broken fever.This girl certainly did not look well, and Severus was still afraid that it wouldn't be his friend when she awakens. With the dark circles that framed about her eyes, how can Severus possibly know that such eyes wouldn't be forever altered? This was something that the child had feared at that perticular moment; that Lily would be different. Changed in someway...

Then suddenly, when the boy thought all hope was lost, those eyes opened and unchanged they remained. Emerald greens had bore directly into concerned onyx ones and sparked when they clashed. Severus sighed in his relief that such lovely bright orbs hadn't faded along with the rest of the girl's body. A gleeful smile passed over Lily's dreary expression until she bolted up from her bed.

"Severus!", exclaimed the hysterical girl as she flung herself at his petite frame. Severus stilled immediately as he was engulfed by the surprisingly bone crushing hug from the girl. It was a wonder to Snape where all of Lily's strength was coming from when her body was so frail looking and weakened.

"Miss Evans!", warned the mediwitch after giving young Lily a reprimanding glare. Lily then very slowly pulled away from Severus who had turned purple from the lack of oxygen in his lungs. The girl's cheeks flushed over her blistered face in embarrassment as well.

That, however was only until the stubbornness and rebounding energy flourished from within the ill girl. Such a liveliness in his friend was a trait that Severus himself admired greatly and secretly wished that he too could have.

"But Madam, I feel perfectly fine!" exlaimed the girl. It was a terrible lie, Lily unfortunately was not blessed with a Slyterin's talents in that department. And despite her words, she winced back in pain after she leaned forward.

Still, Snape felt it was worth a shot. "And my fever broke...can't I just go for a walk with Severus, if only for a little while. PPlleeeassse?" The girl was yearning for privacy to talk to Severus alone, that he could see, but Poppy was not favoring the idea in the least.

"Absolutely not, Miss Evans", came the dreaded response, "but Severus is allowed to stay and keep you company until his curfew. You are to not leave this bed, Understood? Your joints are still very stiff and you're in no condition to be moving about." Severus watched as the women approached.

"Would you like your temperature to return and rise above 103 degrees again, Miss Evans? If that is to occur, then I'll be forced to transfer you to Saint Mungles for the rest of the week." The news was a shock to Severus but Lily had only pouted as if it was no big deal at all, like a fever was nothing more than a common cold.

What a wonder that such a reaction of hers was expected from such a rebounding personal. However the flaming green eyes did have a weakness. Little Severus Snape administered his very own stern but completely concerned glare. It was important that Lily respected her own health.

    "No, Madam I wouldn't enjoy that.", grumbled Lily after she met the young Snapes disproving frown.
   "Very well then." said Madam promfey as she turned to leave ,"I'll be back with some potions in an hour."
The two children sat in silence untill the mediwtich vanished from the infirmary.
   "Oh Sev!", exclaimed the redhead once they were finally alone. She threw her arms around the boy for a second time. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Severus felt a blush overcome his placid cheek bones, and despite how sickly Lily appeared to be, her bone crushing hug did not cease to lessen in force. After a few minutes past by the boy then gently detached himself from her hold.

    "Who did it, Lils?", questioned Severus seriously. Lily's eyes found her lap when she declined to answer him. Serverus was startled. "Lily?", he softly asked. Since when has the girl never told him anything?

Almost instantly a flash of more pain shot through the girl's dour expression, one which Severus felt guilty for seeing and for possibly being the reason that she was in the infirmary to begin with. If only he had gotten there in time...

"I-I was walking by myself and...well these slytherins...they just surrounded me and..."

Tangling her words with raw emotions, Lily looked besides herself. Then it hit him. All of what had pained her; the  Anger, mistrust, betrayal... and everything Severus never wanted to see directed towards him from his friend just was. The boy felt as if his heart had sank fifty feet bellow.

"You told me that-" she paused "That it didn't matter! that awful word...that it meant nothing!!" Lily's green eyes striped him down naked as he shrank away from her as if he been burnt.

"How could you lie to me like that?"
Confused, Severus didn't know how to react to such an accusation, but sensing that he had wronged her in someway.... again, had cringed away more in retreat.

"W-what?" he dumbly replied feeling like an imbecile for not knowing what she was talking about, "I don't understand." In all honest truth he really did not. The boy racked his brains for answers but none came up.

"They were calling me that foul name before they hexed me...", spat the girl out quickly. She was more than livid as she stammered.

" They called me a..." Again his heart sank as he watched her struggle, no doubt was it painful. Only then was Severus able to clearly see that the emerald green had glazed over in anguish, "A...a..."

'Please don't say it' Silently begged the boy.

"A Mudblood!"

But within the eruption from Lily came the defeat.  Her wail was much like that of every great warrior who ever lost a part of themselves in a war. All her energy and the despair, collided together brillantly and then she crashed. The girl collapsed into herself, falling into a heap on her pillow as her hands gripped the cushions like a life source and balled into fist. Emotions.

Severus's eyes widened in surprise as he took two unsure steps away from her. Such feelings he could not understand, yet something had paused him in his retreat. He was afraid, there was no doubt that he feared chancing to discover when his friend's pent up anger was going lash out at him again. But fear was nothing compared to when Lily obviously needed someone for her to hold onto.
It had to be him. Severus took the chance anyway. He figured that he deserved whatever that was going to be thrown his way if his decision was all for nothing.
He stepped forward.

"Lily, that doesn't matter to a lot of the kids here. There are a lot of muggle borns in Hogwarts!" And it wasn't for nothing it was for everything. The girl lifted her eyes up stubbornly, "Not the Slytherins. And not you, Sev." Oh how the words stung...

"But I don't care!", came the boy's most brilliant response. The girl scowled, taking the uncalled-for outburst as an insult rather than a rare act of disguised sympathy.

"No no no!", he said recovering quickly, "I mean that I don't care that your a mud-muggle born.", his cheeks reddened as he looked away again, trying not to meet her gaze.

Lily's appeared intrigued as she watched Severus more closely as if she was seeing more than just a skinny, greasy haired, twitchy, eleven year old standing in front of her. He had hoped that there will always more in him that someone else could see...The words had rolled off his tongue before he has time to think them through.

He was actually glad he hadn't. "Because your really smart and talented and kind. You should have never been treated the way you were by that scummy lot! Your so much better than them..." 'So much better than me' was what Severus really wanted to say.

Lily had given him a genuine smile at those words. On the outside it wasn't much, but on the inside, it was all Severus needed..to be understood. The tears that were welling up in the girl's eyes were no longer miserable and full of hurt but of something that he never received from such a beautiful person.

"Thank you Severus. It means a lot to me for you to say that. It really does."

And the little boy knew it did too that then and there that he had finally done something right! And so Severus slowly took her hand into his own, squeezed it tightly to reassure her that every wrong would be right. He held it there as if he would never let go.

~END OF FLASHBACK.

...............

Because as an 11 year old child, Severus Snape had once given another just that much. It would only be a miracle in disguise if somehow, years later, not a boy but a man of 36 can do it all over again.

............

Two minutes.

It had been two minutes since Severus Snape had been staring down his abnormally, large nose at the motionless teenager who was sprawled carelessly on the white cot. Although the boy's legs were hanging out place and his one arm was dangling off the bed to an extent that it was almost touching the floor, Potter still remained tucked neatly underneath the covers looking quite content.

Yes. Content indeed.

Severus snorted at this; such a word was not applying to the man-in-black at this precise moment, not even in the slightest of ways. Why he was mindlessly staring at Potter for the last few minutes was simply just mind boggling in itself!
Quite a perilous situation this was! The bizarre scene was priceless really; to see an innocent looking Potter and not a disastrous looking one. To suppress an amused sneer was difficult for Severus to do. After all, it wasn't everyday that Severus Snape received the opportunity to see this unruly Gryffindor appear so angelic.

Severus held his breath for a moment, as he peered down at Potter again before turning away to find a chair to situate himself in. After all, his body had been longing to be granted the rest that he denied himself this past week. A little bit of peace sounded appealing and would be beneficial for the drained Potions Master to recuperate before the hell with Potter breaks lose. Deciding to take up on the offer, Severus grabbed a chair and swung it out in front of him, silently daring for the Potter to awaken by eying him deliberately. Luckily, and to Severus' satisfaction, Potter didn't react much other than a shift of his position on the cot.

Thank Merlin that Poppy had drugged the teen before she left. Severus was not certain that he was ready to handle the "new" Potter quite yet. 'Ahh'. There was 'another word' for Severus to get used to: Yes. 'New'

The Potions Master shivered from the thought of such a word. To leave his past experiences behind with the boy and to start a fresh was ever so irritating.
'Everything is going to be different now, isn't it Potter?' , sarcastically mused Severus to himself.

For an answer to his marvelous question, the boy stiffled a yawn, mumbled incohertantly, shifted his position and then went still. Potters messy mop of black hair was flopping around more atrociously than the ordianry as he rearranged himself on the cot. No response.

The room went silent and the sonic ears of the Potions Professor could barely pick up the soft, rhythmic breathing being emitted from his "new" ward's chest. He sighed finally, releasing himself from his tension as he ran a hand through the greasy locks. Pulling the chair up to Potter's bedside, Severus sat down, leaned back into it, and tried his best to settle before committing himself to study his charge. Severus' charge. And that's what Potter was officially; a boy of a mere age of fifteen being thrown into the hands of a man who could accidentally( or intentionally at the norm) due more harm to him than good. The boy was indeed older now and should be able to fend for himself, but what was problematic for Potter was his little memory problem. The teen was no longer his foolish, independent self without them unfortunately. However, Severus could not be sure that the character of Potter wasn't still there inside the boy; that difficult, stubborn, independent streak of stupidity that Severus had blissfully grown to hate without pursuing a reason for it.

Severus held his breath again, reassuring what couldn't be assured just yet.
That the boy was just a Potter--no wait...Severus could see it now how incredible it was that this peculiar fifteen year old looked so young, childlike, and innocent to the world and to the horrors that were constantly threatening his life. Severus could happily kick himself in the arse for not realizing this years ago. When Potter was sleeping like this he looked so peacefully and so like--shall he dare say it?--a child!

'He's is just one after all' contemplated Severus seriously as he leaned forward in his seat to marvel at the extraordinary sight before him.

For the first time in his life, Severus was gazing at Potter without the needed malicious behavior, the sneering, or the loathing that he displayed so very often to him in class, out of class, and just too often to begin with. The new light of this discovery emitted a feeling inside of the Potions Master absurd within his own nature. No matter how hard he tried, he could not rid himself of it's force. Severus watched with great detail as the smaller chest rose and fell abidingly as if time was no matter at all. No matter indeed.

.......................

Inside himself thrived the boy, one that enjoyed the darkness very much. However, this time, the said darkness wasn't so trusting. How could it be reliable when the banging doors would no longer cease? The nothingness didn't comfort him as it had done so before when it had hid him from the terrible voices that wanted to be freed. It no longer promised him the security that this boy was never granted.And so he curled up inside himself, pressing his hands against his ears in a failed attempt to block out the "use to be" and the "was once" that was calling his name and taunting him to remember what shall not be.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The boy shot out of his fetal position and slowly backed away from the banging doors noticing that at the same time strange lights were spilling out from the bottom of the door's entrance.

'Go away' silently begged the boy as he turned to run in the opposite direction to escape. 'Leave me alone! I don't want to know!' said the ignorant child to the treacherous banging and the horrible voices. Running away, the boy was faced yet again with another door, then another one, then another one after that as well.

Trapped. It was a familiar feeling, one he knew too well.

With panic flailing into his chest like a storm, the boy stood and awaited for the eerie lights to creep closer. His feelings of dread could no longer be contained as he saw that in every direction there was more and more lights slithering into the boy's fears like that of a treacherous path of a serpent.They were advancing on him quickly as if fearing the loss of time.

Light was now kissing his robes and stinging him like one containing poison. The boy hissed as a brightness as hot as a fire's flame had engulfed and striped him of his ignorance. After all, he had no right in being blissful to begin with. The light was making sure he knew that, but he didn't have to know....he was able to feel it. Feeling smaller and weaker, the boy was dragged to his knees, vulnerable and very much alone. The light's verity had welcomed him as if he always was part of it's truths.

But the pain, thought the boy, why is there so much of it inside the lights?
The betrayal from the darkness could not have been anymore clear as the nothingness that he needed so desperately was slowly turning into a somethingness.

..........

The Potions Master was grading his last piece of parchment when suddenly a disrupting whimpering sound echoed from out besides him. With his quill still in hand, Severus remained still and silently prayed that the ridiculous noise would soon cease. He then got back to work, continuing to mark up the last essay that he was ever so determined to finish grading. However, it seemed that Potter was even more determined than he, trying to disrupt Severus' own determination by swiftly transforming the whimpering into full blown out moaning.

Again, two mere minutes past by and the insufferable noises increased dramatically. They were irking the man to the point that he almost snapped his quill in half while he feverishly graded his last essays. Only then did his tired, obsidian, black eyes flicker over to the trashing form besides him. Mildly curious with what he was about to deal with, Severus turned to his new ward and scuffed. And now we begin.

Potter, who was formally sprawled out lazily on top of the mattress, was now twisted and tangled within the sheets. His blanket had been ungracefully tossed into a heap on the floor and he had appeared to be shivering perhaps due to. The boy's face was pinched in discomfort, pale cheeks were flushed red with heat, and beads of sweat accumulated on his forehead just bellow the wild bangs. Reading the signs that were wished to be not so apparent, Severus dropped every ounce of paperwork he had left to do, turned his focus to his problematic ward and contemplated about how within only two minutes Potter had proved him wrong again. So very very wrong...

"Potter", he pronounce calmly, while trying as he may to awaken the boy.

Snape leaned forward in his seat to examine the causes of the Potter's sweaty outbreak. His eyes gleamed in apprehension before he placed a cool hand on top of the boy's forehead, feeling for heat as to indicate a fever. Surprisingly he found that there was none. On that note alone, he allowed himself to lean back into his chair, but couldn't prevent his brows from furrowing further in confusion.

It also seemed that his own curiosity could no longer surpass his rather inane actions with what he was going to do next...

Severus Snape: ruthless, snarky, cold, and aloof... was astounded by a mile to find that his elongated fingers had traveled up to the boy's raven colored hair again. What left him stuned was that his touch, shockingly soft, had pushed back the fly away strands of out of the boy's face. However, the mortification that he suffered of what he had just done, had to be put on a hold...

Potter proceeded to moan more and more with his eyes squeezed shut from an afflicting pain. His caretaker sighed deeply, defeated to know that there was only so much that he could do for the child besides wait.

'Could there possibly be something more?' pondered the dark Potions Master as he granted himself the right to lean forward in his chair to examine Potter further.

Children. Severus had never been very good with them in the first place. One reason being this; he didn't have any. Fugitively speaking, he surly wasn't planning on it either. Ever. He often despised the little delinquents, even those in his own house....Although, his ideals could have been altered during a time in the past. Thinking back to those days, Severus may and during one point when Evans was still alive, would have wanted to bore her a child. The idea was depressing alone, If Lily hadn't been with James then what would become of this Potter?

Would the boy be his son? Severus could never believe that this child, so defiant and tempermental, would be of his own flesh and blood. Still nevertheless...would this Potter still bare that commencing scar on his forehead had he been his son?
Would he, Severus end up with the same faith as James Potter; dead as a door nail for protecting his wife and child?
Would Lily be dead as well if it was he and not Potter that she had given her love to?

Such thoughts were all put to a sudden halt as movement was heard coming from besides him. The sight of Potter that Severus would have at one time found humorous had turned into pity. The boy looked like he was under attack! And what was he, Snape, doing to stop it? Nothing!

Becoming more apprehensive by the passing minutes Severus sat idly at Potter's bedside waiting for the worse to happen...and it was.

"Oh, what now Potter!?", thought Severus aloud as he lifted himself out of the chair so that he could properly stand above the younger for a better view. Severus placed a tender hand on the bridge of his nose to anticipate the headache that was no doubt going to claim him.

This task could not have been anymore deranged than it was. Severus tried to remain listless as he watched over Potter, but the boy was giving it his all just to make his new mentor suffer further in helplessness. Not only was the boy shuddering uncontrollably, but he was also mumbling in the same exact manner that Poppy had described him doing during the previous nights.

It was only a matter of seconds before stony black eyes had cracked into such burning concerns. Soon the mumblings that were being emitted from Potter had converged into actual words that had left Severus bluntly disturbed after hearing them.

Severus Snape? Disturbed? Had he gone batty?
Well, he must have because he stood peering down at the child with incredibility.

"Please uncle, I'll be good...I promise....I'll be a good boy. Please!", moaned Potter as he shivered probably from more than just the fact that he was cold, "I'll be good, please don't use it. Please don't use it on me!", croaked the child.

Severus stood his ground, fearing that if he'd move he would crumble. What this?

His face still remained hard as stone, impenetrable, and guarded. His body, on the contrary, was shaking with more than the malevolence that he sought but could not find at all. Potter was not joking.

"What-What are you rambling on about, Potter?!!!!"

'And what is your uncle doing to you?' But of course, the man's damn pride got in the way of allowing such questions to slip his brandishing tongue.

The boy obviously wasn't dreaming but reliving a memory as Severus had expected he would. What was confusing him about  this was the boy, this child, was the Potter that Poppy had retold as him being "his old self" during and after such nightmarish memories.

Shocked to his icy core, Severus always imagined that this boy had taken advantage of what his parents had sacrificed for him by becoming the pampered prince and the spoiled bratty child that James Potter had been.

Once again, the Potions Master could not accept the knowledge that was being lashed at him. He wouldn't believe it! How dare his ideals on the boy change out from under his nose!! Nature was suppose to take course long ago, son's turn into their fathers and daughters into their mothers, yet this child had to be odd one out, the incalculable ingredient in a potion thats difficult to brew.

Severus had to come to terms with this, but only at his own pace.

Unfortunately he had to hurry the bloody hell up if he wished to help this boy.

Not that he was inferring that he was going to jump to conclusions, but he also could no longer believe what he previously had thought about Potter's life either.

"Pot-Potter?"

And he couldn't. This was something he had to see for himself. The question was what was it? What was this boy trying to hide from him before the memory loss?

The intrigued Potions master then, and with greatest reluctance, sat awkwardly down on the bed next to the convulsing form who was still in the mist of continuing to plead for his Uncle to stop a painful source.

"No!! Please stop!!! please stop...I'm a good boy...I'll be good! No please Uncle."

Severus Snape had then placed a steady hand on the boy's chest after positioning him onto his back. He did not want the child to harm himself. Another hand was then closed gently on top of the boy's forehead.

Severus paused contemplating the risk that was openly still there...

Was he really going to attempt to do this when the boy's mind was already in such a weakened state? Performing Legimency on an unconscious person was no easy task and if not properly performed could easily put the cast person into a coma or worse. It was tricky, risky, and unadvised especially with Potter being so unstable.

Could he take the chance? Indeed he was a Potions master and highly trained in Occumency but Legimency. He would just have to gently probe around until he found the memory that was haunting the boy. It would benefit Potter all in the same if he succeeded.

Severus sighed, he must not fail. Deciding on it before Potter started flailing into hysterics, Snape focused then on entering into the boy's mind. He prepared himself to absorb all the thoughts and the feelings that were to come naturally or unnaturally afterwards. What he would find inside that disturbed mind this time he did not know, but what he did know was that whatever it was will certainly full of displeasure.

1...2....3.... were his thoughts. Then...

"Legilimens!"