Sitting in Albus’s lap, little Severus looked around the Great Hall in awe. He was not sure he had ever seen such wonderful magic in all his life, nor had he ever seen so many people in one place. They were everywhere! There were students all crowded into that one, huge room, and there were staff members also. With so many people, the little boy suddenly became frightened. Severus did not like people as a general rule. People usually hurt him, people were mean, most people were bigger than him…

But as his enchanted blue eyes wandered through the many students, who all seemed to be looking at him for some reason, Severus spotted Harry sitting at one of the tables in the horde before him. Seeing the older boy, the only student that he knew—or, rather that he remembered—Severus stared at the Gryffindor, hoping that Harry would understand him even though he was far away. Severus was frightened and worried and he didn’t like being around so many people. All he wanted to do was just go hide somewhere, somewhere safe, where no one could hurt him.

Even though he was at the other end of the room, Severus saw Harry make a rather interesting face. It seemed that the older boy had been jolted by something, by a thought or an idea. Although it did not happen very often, even though he was young, the corners of Severus’s mouth began to twitch upwards. Harry understood him! Harry knew that he didn’t like it here!

The little boy watched as the older black haired boy smiled back at him gently and waved. Severus sat nervously in Albus’s lap, wondering what he should do. No one had ever waved at him before and he wasn’t so sure if he should wave back or not. Peeking up at the Headmaster, Severus realized that the old man was deep in conversation with the one witch he had seen the other night—Minerva— and wasn’t paying him any attention at the moment. So, without trying to attract any attention, the little boy raised his own hand up and waved tentatively back, feeling as though he had made a great accomplishment.

Harry’s smile made his courageous act all the more worth it. The little boy could not help but feel proud of himself. Even though there were all these people in the room he had managed to wave, he had opened up just a bit and allowed himself to be noticed; consequences be damned!—at least for a moment. As soon as he could though, Severus lowered his hand and placed it right back next to its brother so that no one else in the room would notice him. One person was enough for the day.

But unbeknownst to the child, someone else had also seen him wave, and she did not like it one bit. Brooding in her pink robes, Dolores Umbridge watched the little boy in the Headmaster’s lap. She was not quite sure what to make of this turn of events. She was furious that Snape had up jump and flew away, but she was even more livid with Dumbledore for letting the Potions Master go without even finding a replacement first. There were not too many Potions Master that would easily just get up from their jobs to come teach a bunch of dismal children how to make a halfway decent concoction.

As Severus tentatively reached out for a piece of sliced apple, after Albus had reassured him that it was okay to eat, Umbridge spoke up, startling the boy so badly that he jumped and pressed himself in close to Dumbledore’s chest for protection. “Headmaster,” the woman began. “If I may, what have you been doing about the recent vacancy in your staff?” Her eyes burned with an unusual gleam, one that made Severus’s stomach clench painfully. “We cannot keep on without a Potions Master, you know.”

Albus eyed his Defense professor detatchedly, as though not at all upset that she seemed to be questioning his authority. “I’ve sent out some inquiries this morning, before breakfast,” he gave her a small smile, just to make her angry. “I am counting on hearing back from several of them this evening.”

Although trying to hide, Severus peeked out just enough to see the look on the large woman’s face. It was sour, full of anger, not quite as terrifying as Tobias’s glower, but still enough to make the child squirm. The little boy did not like this woman, nor did he like the events of the morning. When he had gotten up this morning, Albus had told him that everything was going to be okay, but so far, with all of the other people and this toad looking woman, Severus could not help but doubt what the Headmaster had told him. Other than seeing Harry and knowing that the older boy was all right, things did not seem “okay” in the least.

“That’s well then, Headmaster,” Dolores nodded, taking up a clipboard. “The Minister would not approve of the school being run without a Potions Master.”

Potions Master? Something about that made Severus fidget in Dumbledore’s lap. Hadn’t the old wizard told Severus that he had been the Potions Master of Hogwarts? How odd it felt to know that he had once been a grown man…

A mental door within the child’s mind slammed shut. Thinking too much about being an adult hurt. Those flashes of feelings he sometimes felt, whenever he thought he knew someone or knew something were most likely memories, memories from his older self. The night before, after Albus had told him everything, Severus had stayed awake a long time to think about everything he had been told. To be honest, he didn’t quite know what to think. He didn’t want to have to worry about what would happen to him now, or the school because he had once taught here, had helped people. All that little Severus knew was that he was still injured and he did not like crowded rooms or the toad woman that was sitting too close. He just wanted to close his eyes and get away from everyone and everything, to go back to the Hospital Wing.

Hot tears began slipping from the little boy’s eyes, and he could not help it. His anxiety over crowds was proving to be too much and his head felt like it had been split open with an axe. He didn’t want to be out in the open where everyone seemed to be staring at him, like he was some sort of freak show! He didn’t want everyone to think he was a freak, his father already called him that, he didn’t want anyone to call him that every again!

Dumbledore, for his part, realized his charge’s distress. So, thinking quickly, the Headmaster cuddled the child up closer to him to shield the boy’s view of Umbridge. While it saved Severus from Umbridge, Albus’s sudden move pinned Severus close and froze the boy in fear. Even as little as he was, Severus had never been used to such physical contact before. Whenever someone had gotten this close to him before, or had touched him, it had hurt. Not having any other references to take example from, Severus did the only thing that his mind could think of; he froze and waited. He just knew something bad was going to happen.

~*~

Although he tried not to, Harry continually found his gaze drifting towards the Headmaster and little Severus. He couldn’t help it! Although Snape had not been a child for very long, Harry still felt compelled to watch out for the boy. It seemed so strange that that innocent little bloke was actually the callous and hated Severus Snape. There were times when Harry actually tried to convince himself that the child was Dumbledore’s long lost grandson, but then he felt ashamed of himself. Even though the Potions Master had been a terrible git, that did not mean he deserved to be forgotten completely, to fade away into nothing but a bad memory until he was merely a school legend until, eventually, he was forgotten by all and history.

But that is Snape up there! The whole situation still had Harry’s head reeling. The Potions Master and the little boy he now saw was the same person and yet it seemed impossible since the two halves of the same man were so totally dissimilar that it seemed unfeasible that they could be from the same man. But yet they were not two different, distinct halves at all! The boy Harry now saw was just what Snape had been long ago, when he had been a child the first time around. The Snape that fifteen-year-old had known for the past four years had grown out of the boy that the Gryffindor was beginning to get acquainted with.

A jolt shot through Harry when he realized just were his thoughts had gone. Even beaten and bruised, there seemed to be some small fight left in Severus, something that the Gryffindor had been pleased to see, and such an attitude, such pride did not die easily. When faced with abuse it was difficult to maintain such spunk, but Snape— Harry had come to know all too well— was a stubborn man, and even as a child, he realized that the Slytherin was still quite stubborn. However, despite that stubbornness that the older Snape had possessed, the Potions Master had lost that fight, that tenacity, that will to thrive that Harry thought he still witnessed in the little boy he now saw.

The cold, black tunnels that had been Snape’s eyes still haunted many of the children that attended Hogwarts. There had been no fire, no will behind the Potions Master’s eyes like there was within his younger self. Abuse at home was something that would make one with such fire want to fight harder against those that hurt him, so when had Snape lost his fire? When had the fire gone out in the boy?

Severus’s parents had been much more abusive and neglectful than the Dursleys; by a long shot. Although Vernon hit him some times and Petunia “forgot” to feed him, they had never seriously crossed the line into torturing Harry. Sure, the sociological abuse would always hang over Harry’s head, but he would survive, especially now that he had friends and a godfather that loved him. Snape, as a child, had been beaten within an inch of his life almost every day from the way things sounded, and everyday could have very well been his last. And yet the boy still seemed resilient to the abuse, still seemed to have some sort of hope.

What startled Harry was how as an adult, when Snape was free from his parents, free from being tortured, he appeared more hopeless than even the boy he had been. Sure, Voldemort was back, but even before that old necromancer was back, Snape had seemed bleak. There was bitterness to the Head of Slytherin, a defensiveness, an anger smoldering close to the surface, but everything the Potions Master did was cold.

It was puzzling really. Although Harry was only seeing a six-year-old version of the Potions Master, perhaps Snape’s parents had managed to break him after so many years? Perhaps, after so long, Snape just gave into his despair? Although it was painful to admit, his father and Sirius had not made Snape’s life better by pranking him and teasing him. Perhaps the pranks were just the icing on the cake as far as Snape was concerned and he had given up. And then there was the fact that Snape had been a Death Eater for several years. Add everything together and Harry was sad to see that the outcome was a man as apathetic and acrimonious as Snape.

But could things be different now? Harry could not help but wonder. After all, no one knew what was going to happen with Snape. For all anyone knew, Snape would have to grow up again, or even worse, was stuck as a child for the rest of his life, having to spend year after year the same age! That was something that Harry had now considered before, and it frightened him. What would happen to Severus if that happened? Even though Dumbledore would care for him, of course, the Headmaster could not live forever, and nor could anyone else really. Would the little boy be doomed to be passed from one family to the next, never changing while watching everyone else around him age and slowly succumb to death? Perpetual youth might have held its appeal to some, but not to Harry— at least not like that— and he was certain it would hold no charm for Severus either!

“Harry!”

Blinking several times, Harry was forced out of his musings. “Huh? What?” he spun around to face Hermione’s worried face.

“It’s time to go to class,” she said slowly. “Are you all right?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry,” he mumbled as he gathered up his satchel. “Just sort of…you know…dozed I guess. Daydreaming.”

“You’re looking a bit rough, mate,” Ron scrunched up his face in concern as well.

“I’m fine,” Harry rolled his eyes, standing up. “Just, you know, got lost in a thought.”

“It wasn’t about Snape was it?” Ron whispered before Hermione swiftly elbowed him in the ribs. Even though Snape was still a hot topic for everyone to discuss, it would not have been wise for the trio to speak about him openly like that considering Hermione and Ron were both under false pretenses.

Glancing up at the head table, Harry noticed that Dumbledore and Severus were gone, and much of the Great Hall had already cleared out. He had been pensive longer than he’d thought. “Yeah, I was,” Harry admitted. “It’s just...so odd.”

Misunderstanding, Hermione nodded. “I know, Harry, but we shouldn’t be late for class. We can talk about Snape’s flight later when we’re alone in the common room.”

And so, unable to do anything else, Harry followed Ron to his Divination class.

~*~

While Harry and Ron were undergoing Trelawney’s predictions, Dumbledore had taken Severus back to his office. It seemed the only place that a grandson of the famous Albus Dumbledore would be, considering that the Headmaster was a busy sort of person. It just seemed the best place for the child to be without raising suspicion.

“Here we are, my dear boy!” Dumbledore said cheerfully as he deposited the tiny child into a chair near his desk.

Without a word, Severus allowed himself to be sat down in the large chair without even the tiniest noise of protest. To further help deflect suspicion, Dumbledore had chosen the boy’s outfit for him. Dressed in grey slacks and a royal blue shirt along with the blue eyes and straight nose, the child did not seem to resemble the former Potions Master at all. In fact, for a split second, Albus let himself believe that the boy sitting there quietly really was his grandson…but that was just playful thinking. Albus had never carried on such an intense relationship with anyone, not one that could have ever produced children anyway.

No, behind the blue eyes was Severus. A pang of grief hit the old wizard when he realized that the chair the boy was sitting in now, looking so small and helpless, had last been occupied by his older self a day and a half ago when Severus had come in to report complaints against Umbridge from his Slytherins, and maybe a few himself, although in a more round about manner. The thought of no longer having Severus there to talk with, to think with, to plan with,was something Dumbledore had never considered. He had always assumed he’d die before Severus…

But Severus was not dead! Albus did not know why his mind continuously created the falsehood despite having proof of the opposite. No, Severus was very much alive and staring back at him behind the little glamours. It was just so hard to think of the Snape he had known as this little boy though…

Looking back over at the boy, Albus smiled warmly when he realized the child was inspecting his office. The magicked blue eyes were wide with wonderment as he soaked in everything within the room with a ravenous hunger, one spurred on by the need to learn. But as the boy studied, his face set in concentrated wonder, his big eyes made the old Headmaster chuckle lightly.

The boy snapped his attention back to Albus in an instant, as though afraid he was not supposed to be looking. “Do you like my office, Severus?” he asked gently. Slowly, the boy nodded, as though waiting for the Headmaster to attack him. The expression of fear that flashed over the child’s innocent face stung Albus in the heart. A deep sense of pity washed over the old man in a rushing tide.

It had been difficult to piece together Severus’s history since the man was so private, but Albus had done it over the years. When Severus had come to him that night, fourteen years ago, begging that Albus protect Lily Potter, Dumbledore had been suspicious of the Death Eater, and rightly so! The Headmaster knew so little of Snape then, only knowing that the young man had apparently been in love with Lily and that when his parents had died at the end of his fifth year, the Slytherin had been happy; not leaving the best impression upon people.

When the Potters had died, and Severus had come back to Hogwarts, weeping over the loss of his only childhood friend, was when Albus first truly developed a curiosity about the boy. Albus had been all too familiar with the rumors that had floated around the school of Severus being a dark wizard even while the boy had been a second year. Albus knew that the Slytherin was an extremely smart young man, able to perform some of the most complicated magic in the Wizarding World with little effort. He had been talented in Potions and Defense especially, which did not help the image of him being a dark wizard much. Severus had been an almost constant victim of the Marauders, and had even almost been killed by an ill thought through prank by Sirius Black, but no harm had come to anyone in the end, except that had further embittered Snape.

In Severus’s fifth year he had been humiliated by James Potter and had ended up losing the friendship of Lily Evans. Dumbledore knew what had happened, but to the old wizard, it had all seemed like childhood mischief, nothing too serious. Only now did he know just such “jokes” could send someone spiraling downward into despair and emotional disaster. And it had been shortly after this episode that Severus had been told that Tobias and Eileen had been killed. That day Albus would never forget, when the teenage Severus had stared at him for a moment, the scowl that always seemed present slipped off his angular face, and was slowly replaced by an unsure grin which turned into a wicked smile. It had been horrible to see that such news had elicited such delight from the boy who then proceeded to laugh at the horror that had befallen his family.

The last two years of Severus’s career at Hogwarts had been rather quiet. The Marauders found it extremely hard to prank Snape after his fifth year as the Slytherin had finally had enough. Once the lions tried to pounce, the serpent struck back viciously. And since James had become more interested in Lily anyway, the Marauders found themselves out a man, and Severus was able to live in relative peace.

It was in this time of “peace” that Dumbledore had forgotten a lot about Severus. He had seen the signs in Severus, knew that the boy might be persuaded into Voldemort’s waiting hands, but he had truly believed that since Severus was no longer being picked on—at least as much—that he would be fine, that he was no longer in danger. Little did the Headmaster know then that by his sixth year, Severus was already sporting the Dark Mark on his arm and that the young Slytherin had already started down the path to darkness.

From there, Dumbledore did not know much about Severus as a person. The years after school were still hazy and unsure to the Headmaster. Of course he knew that the boy had gone further into Voldemort’s inner circle, and Severus himself told of the horrors the Death Eaters had to perform on Muggles, Muggle-born, and even in some cases half-bloods, but he had never volunteered much information about himself personally. Everything else was strictly business with Severus, and for the first several years, that had been okay with Albus as well.

It was only after Severus had been working at Hogwarts for several years and had improved himself in Albus’s eyes had the Headmaster wanted to reach out to the Slytherin at all. After years of knowing the boy, it was only then that Albus began wondering what the other wizard was like, what his favorite color was, what he liked most to eat, what his favorite childhood story was, but even as the years past, Severus worked very hard to keep himself cold and detached from everyone and everything. Severus had never offered any information out about himself unless it served his purpose. To that very day Dumbledore still had no idea what the Potions Master’s favorite color was or which types of music he enjoyed.

After finding the other man as a small child had Albus more than doubled his search to find out Snape’s past. The medical records had given him great insight, and looking through several memories that Severus had stored within his chambers had confirmed some suspicions and brought to light new ideas. Now Dumbledore knew Severus, knew what he had been through, why he acted the way he did at times, why he was the way he was.

“I have a great many things in here, don’t I?” the old man looked around his office with a kind smile. “Do you remember this room?” He was rather curious as to what the boy actually remembered. Like Harry had told him before, there were times when the little boy seemed very much like the adult he had been.

Severus did look around the room again, concentrating on the desk and the bookshelves the most, until he finally looked back up at the Headmaster and shook his head negative.

Albus had to stop himself from sighing. Although none of this could be considered Severus’s fault, the Headmaster could not help but feel frustrated. After all, he had lost someone close to him, someone he considered a friend, even though the boy was very much alive. “That’s all right, my dear boy,” he ignored his true feelings for the moment. “You don’t have to remember it. It’s not all that important.”

The child seemed to sense the disappointment behind the old wizard’s voice, however, and the blue eyes began watering. The response wounded the old man’s heart. There were times when Albus could admit that he was somewhat thoughtless, but he never purposefully tried to hurt anyone, especially the sensitive feelings of an abused child. That was just about as low as drowning kittens!

But the child’s tears never left his eyes when they scanned something upon the Headmaster’s desk. Albus turned his attention to where the child had turned his gaze and hope shot through the old man. He looked up just in time to see Severus reaching out.

“Do you remember this?” Dumbledore asked, picking up the ebony wand.

For his part, Severus seemed to realize that he was actually silently demanding the return of his wand and quickly put down his hand again.

“No, no, it’s all right!” Albus smiled brightly. “This is your wand, after all. You remember this, don’t you?”

It was the first time that Dumbledore had seen the child nod vigorously, as though completely unafraid. The fire that glowed in the child’s eyes was refreshing and indeed, magical. The boy remembered his wand! It was not much, but it was a start. Perhaps it was a sign that the potion was wearing off? No, one step at a time! Albus told himself sternly.

Handing over the black wand to its rightful owner, Dumbledore watched in wonder as a surge of magic was emitted from Severus, much like it would from a first year holding their wand for the first time. Only…only the magic that wafted through the air was much stronger than that of a first year child…

Dear Merlin! He’s got the magic of an adult! The thought struck the old wizard like a slap to the face. What did that mean? What would be the result of giving a six-year-old child the power of an adult? On a whole, children were not as responsible as their elders, and ever as a child, Severus could be rather vindictive when he saw it fit, would he be responsible with the magic he had?

“Severus,” Albus’s voice was soft as the boy turned big eyes to him. “Can you do magic for me? Can you do a spell?”

The boy sat a moment as if wrestling with himself. Surely the child did not remember spells, did he? How could he? He did not even remember being an adult! But then, could it be that the body had taken the full force of the potion? Could the mind of the Potions Master Severus Snape still be salvageable? It had to be in there somewhere considering the boy came to recall his wand and how to write his letters.

Pouting, making himself look adorable, Severus seemed to realize he didn’t know any spells, so he just flicked his wand. To both his and the Headmaster’s surprise, a spell shot out from the wand and hit the window behind Albus’s head. The stain glass instantly reorganized itself and changed colors while moving.

Before Albus could have voiced his astonishment, an excited cry of “I did it!” resounded around the room.

Turning back to the child with a wide grin, Dumbledore clapped his hands together merrily. “You did do it, Severus!” he congratulated. “Excellent work!”

The praise seemed to make the little wizard uncomfortable as he went to staring back down at his wand, though there was a small, genuine smile playing on the boy’s lips. Was this the first time that the child remembered ever being commended?

For the next several hours Dumbledore watched as the child practiced spells and wand work. Albus would say a charm or spell and show Severus the appropriate wand movements, and the boy would imitate. As one might expect, these lessons went on famously. Although the boy could not remember his own other life as an adult, when it came to magic, the boy seemed to recall many details he had learned before. It seemed that his hidden years of study came out and were easily grasped by the child. It seemed scholarly knowledge came more easily than personal memories.

Dumbledore was just about ready to give the child a fifth year spell to try when his office door opened and a rather angry looking Umbridge waddled it. Seeing the professor again, Severus let out a quiet whimper, and went ridged in his chair. The Headmaster stood up immediately and went over to his supposed grandson. “It will be okay, my boy. She won’t be here too long,” he whispered.

“Headmaster,” Dolores greeted. “If I may, I wish to speak with you further on our conversation this morning at breakfast.”

“Oh?” the old man raised an eyebrow. He sat down with the boy in his lap and smiled cheerily at the Ministry spy. “And what were we so rigorously discussing this morning?”

That was apparently not the response Umbridge had been looking for, judging from her momentary scowl. “About the absence of a Potions Master here at Hogwarts.”

“Ah yes!” the Headmaster nodded. “Of course. I know you are concerned, my dear, but everything is under control. I will be hearing back from some of them today.”

The toad-like woman nodded once. “You said as much this morning. However, I am still concerned,” she went and sat down casually in front of the Headmaster’s desk, right where Severus had been sitting only moments ago. “This school cannot function long without a Potions Master.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Then why did you let Professor Snape simply waltz out of the castle without first finding a replacement?” her voice hardened and Albus felt the child in his arms snuggle up closer to his chest. “I would have never thought him to be so carless and leave without—”

“This was an opportunity of a lifetime for Severus,” Dumbledore came in smoothly. “This study in Transylvania was an invitation for only the greatest Potions Masters in Europe and North America. This was not something to be missed, my dear. In all the excitement I’m afraid we both became a bit thoughtless, though he did leave behind his lesson plan for the year, so whoever picks up his post will have something to go by. Truly it will not be all that much trouble.”

“Headmaster, I do not think you fully realize the seriousness of this situation!” Umbridge squeaked. “These children must know potions! It’s a Ministry requirement! You do not want their education to suffer simply because you were thoughtless, would you?”

“Certainly not,” Dumbledore’s smile was icy. “Just as I would not dare hinder their education by not allowing them to practice their wand movements in Defense class! After all, dark wizards wouldn’t be stopped by someone detailing the effects of the curse thrown at them.”

The pinkness of Umbridge’s outfit clashed with the magenta of her face. The toadish features seemed to magnify as the professor puffed up with anger. “Learning the dark spells is strictly forbidden, Headmaster!” she growled, “And to encourage students to practice the counter spells could very well lead them to try the dark curses as well! After last year, I would have thought that—”

But Umbridge never got to finish her rant because while she was huffing, Severus sat up and peeked out from his hiding place. Although Albus was not sure how, where, or why, the boy seemed to have gotten a burst of courage and with his wand, levitated up an apple that had been sitting on the desk. In her fit, Dolores had not seen the fruit rise, and therefore had no time in dodging the apple that came zooming at her, contacting with her forehead solidly.

“Ouch!” she cried, grabbing at her head while the apple fell lifelessly to the floor. “What in Merlin’s blo—”

“Dolores, please!” Dumbledore cried, covering Severus’s ears. “Do mind your language around my grandson! He is only six you know, and does not need to hear such curses.”

When the witch looked up, Severus had stashed away his wand and proceeded to snuggle closer to the Headmaster for safety. It seemed that in their few hours together practicing magic, Severus had formed a bond with the older wizard and began trusting him. Or at least he realized that Albus would not hurt him and would defend him. So when Umbridge scowled at him, the little boy hugged the Headmaster around the waist as best as he could and watched through a curtain of black hair for the events to ensue.

“He made that apple hit me!” the woman gawked at the child furiously.

“Oh come, come now my dear,” the old wizard brushed off the anger. “He’s still young! Accidental magic will happen from time to time. He didn’t mean anything by it.”

It seemed that the witch had had enough. She stood up from her chair and glared down at the Headmaster and his grandson. “Do keep me up to date on your inquires,” she ground out before she stomped out the door.

Looking down at Severus, Albus chuckled. “Lovely shot, my boy!”

Little Severus smiled.

~*~

An apple a day keeps the Umbridge at bay!