“Then the boy saved the world and everyone lived happily ever after...”

The voice like black silk came to a stop and young Harry Potter wiggled fitfully. He felt too hot and he was scared of the spiders under the stairs where he slept. The man was suppose to keep him safe – why else would he come and bring him water and read him a story? Little Harry blinked up at the stranger.

“Will you tell it again?” the boy asked in a small voice, flinching as if expecting to be hit for the request.

The man brushed Harry's dark bangs out of his eyes. “Of course I will, but you need to sleep, alright?”

Harry nodded eagerly. He wanted to hear the story again, the one about the boy with a scar just like his who was a big, strong hero. The boy who saved the world from a bad, bad man. Harry snuggled closer to the stranger, feeling safer than he ever had before. The Dursleys had left him alone for the night while they took their son Dudley to a movie and Harry hoped they stayed gone forever - he didn't want his new friend to leave.

The strong, soothing voice told the story again and Harry fought to keep his eyes open. As time slowly progressed, the stranger continued to tell the story until Harry was asleep, his little hand holding onto his dark robes.

Severus Snape felt his heart break into smaller pieces when he had to unclench the tiny fist. He blinked away the threat of tears when he removed his wand from a pocket and spelled the memory of the last 6 hours out of the young boy's mind.

He could not let anyone know that he had been there, it might compromise his position as a double-agent. It was difficult thing for Severus Snape, hardened spy that he was, when he re-locked the cupboard under the stairs and walked out the front door of the house.

Pretending he had not seen the suffering of a child made him a monster. He knew that, but he had no choice.

In his sleep, the little boy reached out for the stranger and a small whimper filled the night when it met nothing but air.