He hoped that every morning would not begin like this one.  He sat at the head of the kitchen table and the child sat to his right in a highchair charmed from the adult sized chair of the kitchen set.  The boy was a hopeless case when it came to eating, apparently.  He had managed to get more food everywhere else but in his stomach.  It was spread all over the boy's chest, lap, hands, face...everywhere!  The tray of the highchair was smothered in the remains of the boy's breakfast.  He had even at one point taken great delight in throwing what food the young man managed to force into his tiny mouth directly onto the elder's carefully arranged plate of breakfast.  As a last resort, the dark-haired young man decided to charm the spoon to feed the child while he tried to eat what was mercifully spared the child's decorations to his own food.  He even found the corner of his mouth furthest from the boy lifting in a half-smile as the child's giggling was stopped by the spoon that took the opportunity of an open mouth to shove in food, abruptly ending the giggling, until either the boy swallowed, spit it out, or dribbled it down his face only to resume giggling merrily. 

The young man looked up at the child who grinned toothily at him, proudly indicating with the smile his accomplishment of managing to avoid almost two thirds of his breakfast.  ‘Perhaps that is why children are always hungry,' the man thought.  ‘Their food ends up everywhere but their stomach.'

His thoughts were interrupted by an insistent tapping on the closed shutters of the kitchen window.  Wondering who would possibly be tapping on his window, he drew his wand cautiously and approached the closed window, his body blocking the view that any eyes on the other side of the shutter would have of the messy child at his table still giggling and smiling to himself.  He flicked his wand at the closed window, whispering an incantation, and the shutters opened to reveal a brown owl with a letter in its beak and its talons gripping tight to a decent sized parcel.  Seeing this owl was not what he expected.  Without much hesitation but still with suspicion, he walked forward and opened the window, allowing the bird entry into his kitchen. 

The bird set the parcel on the kitchen table, intelligently far away from the reaching hands of the little boy in the highchair, whose attention was immediately focused on the owl as soon as it entered the room.  The owl perched herself on the back of the kitchen chair at the other end of the table, the letter still in her beak.  The dark-haired man looked at the writing on it and froze at the name of the intended receiver.

He reached towards the bird and gripped the envelope.  The bird released it easily then gazed upon him curiously.  The young man pointed his wand to the counter, where a few items from breakfast were still available.  The owl flew to them and nibbled away happily.  He, meanwhile, walked back to his chair and sat in a daze staring at the envelope.  How did anyone know?  He had been careful.  The small giggle of the boy stirred him and he looked at the child and studied him for a moment.  Their eyes met for a length of time before the younger man remembered the letter he held in his hand and his attention went back to it.  He did not even notice when the owl flew from his home leaving him, the boy, and the parcel alone in the kitchen again.  He turned the envelope over and broke the seal, removed the parchment, unfolded it and started to read, his heart pounding in his chest.

Severus,

I hope that my instincts are correct in the writing of this letter.  It was my intention to come to you directly, but I was unsure of the welcome I would receive.  I learned of the attack at Godric's Hollow through what I read, and then was the unexpected host of Professor Dumbledore in my apartment. 

He told me that Lily's son was missing and that the public was blaming him.  I know this may be nonsense, and you most likely do not care about it.  But, when he told me that...Harry was missing my first thought was Sirius Black.  I went to see him and he was not responsible for the, forgive the term, abduction.  When I learned this, the only other name I could think of was your own.  And that is how this letter finds you.

I hope that I am correct.  If he is with you, that is well.  I know that you will do everything in your power to keep him safe.  If not, then I hope this does not cause you grief in any way.  For the sake of the Wizarding World, and his own, I hope he is in your care. 

I have also sent a trunk with Aria containing some toys and other things that I have collected from Sirius' home this afternoon, after learning of his...imprisonment in Azkaban.  There is also a letter which you should read fully.  I hope they are useful and helpful to you, Severus. 

Also, when I spoke to Sirius, he spoke of the night of the attack.  And he mentioned that...Harry has a scar, now.  My memory may be wrong, but Lily had once developed a charm to remove scars, correct?  It may be wise to use one of those charms on the boy, since he will surely be recognized with a mark as distinct as a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.  If the boy has any chance of being a normal wizarding child, then the only option is to remove the scar.  But I leave that final decision to you.   

If you ever need assistance with anything, please, let me know.  I will be glad to help as I used to.  After all, it is thanks to you that I do not suffer as much as years past. 

Remus Lupin

P.S. I regret that contacting you could not be under happier circumstances.

Severus reread the letter.  His tension was lessened with the knowledge that someone supported his decision.  His dark eyes drifted to the package on the table wrapped with a superfluous amount of string.  With a sigh, he rose from the chair and went to the package.  He struggled with the string for a few moments, much to the entertainment of the little boy.  Finally, he wrestled it off, and carefully removed the paper from it.  Realizing that the item was shrunken, Severus pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Engorgio," causing it to swell to its true size. 

He set his wand down on the table and reached out to open the trunk.  To his surprise, it was filled with a variety of items that would keep a child occupied for quite some time.  Not surprising to him was a stuffed animal of a black dog.  He removed each item from the trunk as he inspected them.  When he put the dog on the table, the boy's arms flailed wildly, recognizing that toy as well.  "Surrus!" he cried.  "Surrus!" 

Severus slid his gaze from the book of children's stories to the boy, whose arms desperately reached across the messy tray towards the stuffed dog.  Severus set the book down and picked up his wand again, aiming in the boy's direction.  With a quick cleaning charm, everything but the boy was spotless.  He would never use a particular cleaning spell on this child, particularly since it had once been cruelly misused on him years ago.  With another wave of his wand, he conjured a damp cloth.  Some things simply needed to be done the Muggle way, and cleaning the face of a squirming child was one such instance.  He went to the boy and proceeded to clean everywhere he could without being smacked by a flailing arm, or slobbered on by stray drool.  Once finished, he gave the boy the stuffed dog.  The child began to talk incoherent nonsense to the inanimate animal as he petted his head as tenderly as a little boy was able in his enthusiasm.  With the child distracted, Severus could focus again on the items in the trunk. 

He found a tiny set of mittens and a matching winter hat in the colors of gold and maroon.  Severus groaned softly at the color choice.  He set them aside.  There were several books with colorless illustrations in them - Muggle coloring books.  ‘How odd for Black to have this,' he thought.  Just underneath the coloring book was a small collection of crayons.  At least the boy would have been safely occupied while at Sirius Black's home.  That opinion was destroyed when he noticed the gleam of a polished toy training broom.  Biting back a cry of dismay, he inspected the broom carefully, finally taking notice of the tiny gold etchings towards the bristles of the broom that detailed what a worried adult would look for.

Safety Spells Enacted:

Will not exceed .76 meters (2.5 feet) in flying height. 

Will not exceed five feet apart from parent while flying.

Will not fly if child is not holding broom with both hands.

Will not exceed speed 8.05 kilometers (5 miles) per hour.

Not for children under one year.

If unsatisfied, the Training Broom may be returned to Quality Quidditch Supplies, Diagon Alley.  Questions/Comments?  Owl or Floo Call us. 

Deciding that it seemed harmless enough, Severus placed in with the other items.  Finally, he had nothing else in the box but what he had avoided on the very top, a key and a letter addressed to Sirius Black.  ‘Why would Lupin send me this?' he thought.  Hesitantly, he picked up the letter and opened it.  With his lips curling in disdain, he recognized James Potter's writing.  He began reading the letter.  Someone told Dumbledore that You-Know-Who is looking for us.  Severus gasped as a memory suddenly filled his mind.  He closed his eyes as a memory of a meeting on a cold and dark hilltop what seemed like years ago.  He still heard the words in his head.

"Keep her - them - safe.  Please."

"And what will you give me in return, Severus?"

"In - in return?"

"Anything," he finished aloud.  His eyes opened and they drifted from the letter to the child in the highchair, now asleep in an awkward position with his face nuzzling the stuffed dog, and a trail of drool dampening the fur.  Tears began to flow from Severus's dark eyes.  The child seemed so at peace while he was a walking hurricane of emotion. 

Angrily, he brushed away his tears and continued reading the letter.  At least James and Lily were cautious enough to think of opening a second vault for the boy in the event that anything should happen.  This would make caring for the boy much easier by being able to access funds other than the small income he earned through his work in potion making.  He eyed the key, which he could only conclude was the key for the second vault, before picking it up and carrying it purposefully into his parlor.  The walls were lined with bookcases now filled with volumes of wizard texts and resources, including his personal records.  There were identical copies of the book Moste Potente Potions beside each other.  He removed the one on the right and opened the cover, revealing a hollowed center, where several odd trinkets were hidden, including another key similar to the new one he placed in the hollow book.  He closed it and replaced it on the top shelf.  With meaningful strides, he reentered the kitchen, and put all of the toys and various other items into the trunk again, with the exception of the stuffed dog to which the boy still clung.

He looked upon the boy for several moments before his observations were interrupted as they were earlier by the hooting of another owl flying through his window, which woke up the boy, whose half-open eyes looked at the owl with a letter in its beak.  Just like the first owl, this one perched on the back of the chair and waited for Severus to approach it.  He took the letter, and without another sound the owl flew speedily from the house. 

Severus recognized the writing on this envelope as well.  It belonged to a certain aged wizard mentioned in his previously received letter.  Rolling his eyes, the man opened it and unfolded the thick cream-colored parchment.  He began to read the short and direct note.

Return to your position in Hogwarts, Severus. 

Classes are still in progress.  Report back no later than this evening.

Severus's eyes hardened as he reread the note.  Dumbledore did not seem to know what he had done.  He looked at the boy who was grinning at him sleepily.  How was he supposed to keep the boy hidden in Hogwarts?  If Lupin could figure out where the child had been taken and by whom, surely the Headmaster would be able to put the pieces together.  Lupin! 

Severus quickly put down Dumbledore's letter and picked up Remus's letter from earlier, searching for a particular section.  When he found it, he reread it to himself several times. 

Harry has a scar, now.  My memory may be wrong, but Lily had once developed a charm to remove scars, correct?  It may be wise to use one of those charms on the boy, since he will surely be recognized with a mark as distinct as a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.  If the boy has any chance of being a normal wizarding child, then the only option is to remove the scar.  But I leave that final decision to you.  

Severus instantly made his decision.  He put Remus's letter next to Dumbledore's and he went back into his parlor searching the bookcases for several volumes of leather bound journals that he and Lily had written together during their schooldays containing their own spells, mostly hers.  At last, he found one.  It was a Muggle-looking brown leather bound journal, the pages with gold edges, with little different colored silk ribbons marking certain pages.  He flipped furiously through the pages as he walked back into his kitchen, determined that this child would not be out of his sight longer than necessary.  He sat down in the chair with the book spread before him, searching for the spell that he been frequently applied to him by the caressing touch of a willow wand.  It was marked by the only dark green ribbon in the book.  He read the spell's incantation repeatedly to be sure he had it correct, having never spoken it himself, only been on the receiving end of it.  It was the note in a feminine script that caused his vision to blur with fresh tears after reading it. 

For Severus, to soothe away reminders of painful times. 

Forcing his emotions down again, Severus reread the incantation and moved his wand in practicing motions.   He read the instructions carefully on the procedure of the spell before closing the book and preparing himself to perform it on the boy to his right, who had drifted off in sleep again.  He was unsure whether or not he should do this while the boy was awake or asleep, and so consulted the journal again, his nerves spiking.  He did not find any evidence to either way.  He searched his own memories for the times this charm was used on him.  He was always awake.  ‘Awake it is, then,' he thought. 

Severus reached out his hand hesitantly, still unsure of how to handle a child.  His fingers brushed against the boy's rounded cheek.  The light touch caused the child's eyes to flutter open and meet the dark eyes of the wizard.  Wasting no time, Severus gently placed his wand against the highest tip of the lightning bolt scar.  The boy's attention was focused on the wand, his eyes crossing as he tried to only shift his eyes to see it.  Taking a deep breath, Severus began to trace the lightning bolt scar and strongly spoke the incantation, "Aufer vulnerem."  When the scar changed angles, he repeated the incantation, just as the procedure indicated.  "Aufer vulnerem."  And last, the scar changed angles for the second time, and again Severus spoke the incantation.  "Aufer vulnerem."  He leaned back to see if the charm was correct.  The little boy looked curiously at the man studying him.  A hint of a grin appeared on Severus's face as he saw the scar begin to fade until the child's forehead was clear as though the oddly-shaped scar had never existed.  The child before him looked completely...normal.

Severus got to his feet again and closed the shutters and the window in which the two owls of the day had entered his home, cloaking the room in semi-darkness once again.  He turned to the boy again and simply said, "Time to go back upstairs."  The little boy reached out to him with one arm, the other holding onto the dog's leg.  Severus went to the child and lifted him and the stuffed animal from the highchair.  He held him to his chest securely as he left the kitchen and walked to the staircase that was hidden behind one of the bookcases lining the wall of his parlor.  He went upstairs and into his childhood room, where the cradle stood.  Severus crouched low and set the boy onto the floor to amuse himself with his dog. 

He had several things to do before he could even consider returning to Hogwarts with the boy in his care.  The boxes were still near the bed.  He walked to them and began searching through the contents he had to hurriedly gather that terrible night.  After several moments he found what he was looking for.  He carefully removed the thick, large envelope from the box.  He opened it and took out the equally thick sheet of parchment.  It seemed to be an official document.  There were three sections of the document that he had previously seen altered through one of the memories he was given on the night of the attack.  And he knew that it was now his turn to switch all three into something else.  He knew what he had to do in order to activate the charmed parchment. 

He took the paper from the room, leaving the boy to amuse himself on the floor with his stuffed black dog.  He carried it down the hallway and into his bedroom and straight to his desk.  He opened a desk drawer to reveal a small, decorative knife.  He quickly conjured a small crimson cloth napkin, and placed it on the edge of the desk.  He placed the parchment flat on his desk and pushed the knifepoint into the tip of his left index finger until blood began to flow from the small wound.  He held the deliberately injured finger over one section of the document and allowed precisely three drops of his blood to fall onto the parchment.  As he watched the document for a change he wrapped his hand in the napkin ensuring that there were no stray drops of blood.  Nothing could disrupt this process.  Instantly after the last drop absorbed into the parchment, the entire document glowed in a vibrant blood red color.  He knew this was the time to speak what he needed to.  Pressing his wand to the section where his blood had dripped onto the document, he spoke the words, "Ostende nominem patris."  He moved his wand to another section and spoke a second incantation.  "Ostende nominem mei filii."  Again, he slid his wand downwards on the document directly across from the first section and said a final incantation.  "Tege nominem matris."  The glow of the thick parchment intensified to a degree that Severus had no choice but to close his eyes.  When the parchment finally returned to its original color, he opened his eyes.  Where three names were on each of the three sections previously, three new ones took their places.  With a spreading of warmth through his chest he gazed upon two of the new names. 

Suddenly he heard Dumbledore's voice in his mind from only two days ago.

"If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear."

"What - what do you mean?"

"You know how and why she died.  Make sure it was not in vain.  Help me protect Lily's son."

Severus felt the first hint of a genuine smile develop on his face for the first time in nearly a year.  If only Albus Dumbledore knew how well Severus planned to protect Lily's son.  Still grinning to himself, Severus Snape began packing for his small companion's stay with him at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.