Lost and Found            

Harry Potter age 6, was currently lost in a shopping center. His Aunt Petunia had told him to wait in front of the Toy Store and she would come back to get in him 30 minutes. That was at 6:30pm and it was now 9:30pm; and she had been gone for 3 hours now. Where was she? Harry couldn’t see her anywhere and he was getting scared and hungry and he had to use the loo. He was walking around looking for her when the mall intercom went off and said that it would be closing in just 30 minutes. Harry didn’t know what to do so he decided to wait outside in the parking lot where he could see a lot of people leaving but none of them were his Aunt Petunia. He didn’t know that she had abandoned him on purpose; they didn’t want to take care of the freak any longer. It started to get cold and Harry was extremely frightened and trying not to cry. He rubbed his arms and walked along on the sidewalk trying to stay warm. He was really hungry now and he knew he would need a toilet soon, unless he wanted to have an embarrassing situation on his hands. Because he didn’t have a jacket the bruises on his arms stood out against his pale skin. With his head down he never saw the stranger in black and collided with him. The man was dressed in funny clothes that resembled a dress, and he was staring intently at Harry where he was laid out on the ground. His stare unnerved Harry but he didn’t feel threatened by this guy instead he felt an overwhelming sense of calm come over him. Harry unable to stand still any longer due to the cold and needing to use the loo, was jumping up and down in place when the man reached out to put his hand on his shoulder, but when Harry flinched away from the sudden contact the man’s stare intensified.

“Why are you outside this time of night, child? Aren’t your parents going to be worried about you?” The stranger asked.

“I don’t have any, my drunk of a father got himself and my whore of a mother killed in a car crash when I was a baby.” “I only survived the accident because I’m a freak and I have the scar to prove it.

”Before the stranger could figure out how to reply to that sentence, (although the glare on his face told you exactly how he felt about Harry’s choice of words) Harry lifted up his fringe and revealed the lightning bolt scar that had him marked as the boy-who-lived in the wizarding world. The stranger’s eyebrows went up in shock, and harry nodded to himself and wondered if this man was afraid of him too. Harry continued to jump around regardless of the way the stranger’s hand tightened its grip on his shoulders.

“What’s your name Sir?”

“You can call me Professor Snape Harry.”

“Ok….wait how do you know my name when I didn’t give it to you yet?”

“I knew you’re Mum…”

“Was she a freak like me?” “Can you tell me about her?” Harry interrupted.

Snape’s eyes narrowed at that and was about to retort back when the child shivered. Just now noticing what the child was wearing Snape was appalled, surely Petunia wouldn’t let him come outside without a jacket; wouldn’t she?

“Come. I have a flat in London, would you like to come home with me?”

“Yes” Harry replied but with a little of uncertainty that showed on his face.

“Harry I would NEVER hurt a child, and I will NEVER hurt you. I promise.”

“Ok”Harry had known that the Professor didn’t mean him any harm but there was that mantra about never going anywhere with strangers going around in his head, and he just wanted to be sure. Harry wondered if Snape would give him some food and maybe let him use the bathroom. Snape picked him up and told him to hold on tight

.“Close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you too. Understand Harry?”

“Yes Sir”

Harry closed his eyes and heard a loud whoosh of wind and then nothing. The air was still when Snape finally put him down on the ground. He told Harry he could open his eyes now; and when Harry did he was standing in front of a locked door. The Professor took out a stick from his pocket and waved it at the door a few times then it opened by itself. Harry giggled to himself, Snape was a freak too! When they walked in bright lights lit up the flat as Harry looked around at the place Snape closed the door behind them and took a closer look at the boy in front of him. Harry had 2 identical bruises on his arms in the shape of handprints, and he was dressed in clothes that was at least 4x times bigger than he was.

 Snape growled softly to himself, the child was 6 years old and yet he looked no older than 4. Minerva had warned Albus about placing Lily’s child with those wretched muggles as did he but he didn’t listen to either then them, and the child suffered the consequences. Petunia was jealous when they were children and of course she would take it out on a defenseless child. Snape told the boy to wait here in the sitting room while he went to his lab to get salves and potions to heal his injuries. Thinking that the child was going to sit down on a chair, Snape took his time getting the potions.

Harry tried to stand still as he waited for Snape to come back, he really wanted to sit down but Aunt Petunia never allowed him too, so why would Snape? Harry needed the loo quite badly at this time, so he reached with his hands and grabbed himself between the legs and continued jumping up and down. He was trying so hard to be a big boy and not cry but he couldn’t help it and the tears came anyways. He heard a sigh and Potter behind him before Snape picked him up and carried him to the toilet and helped him.

 Snape shook his head as he unbuttoned Harry’s trousers, trying to figure out why the boy didn’t say he had to go. Did he not ask because he thought he was going to be denied?

“Harry, why didn’t you tell me you needed to go?”

“S’not ‘posed to ask” Harry sniffled

“Who told you that?” Snape asked in a quiet voice.

“Aunty ‘Tunia and Uncle Vernon”

“Harry they were wrong; it’s your right to use the loo.” “Do you understand me child?”

“But I‘m a freak, and Aunt Tunia says freaks don’t have rights.”

“Did she also call you a freak?“

"Yes”

“Well she is wrong again Harry. Do you know why she calls you a freak?”

“Cuz I can make stuff happen and I can heal my ouchies.”

“Harry that’s called magic; you are a wizard Harry. And that makes you a very special little boy who…Harry?” Harry what’s wrong?”

Severus took a good look at the child standing in front of him, the boy’s eyes were wide in fear and he was shaking violently which was causing his magic to react around him with his fear. Severus’s things were falling off the shelves and he knew he had to get the child under control again. Not knowing what to do and not wanting a disaster on his hands he picked up the boy and laid him against his shoulder. The child was tense and he refused to relax until Severus took his hand and started rubbing comforting circles on his back. Harry suddenly grabbed Severus around the neck and started crying and crying all the while Snape held him tight.  Harry hadn’t felt this safe since the night his Parents died. He kept expecting Snape to push him away but all he did was reassured him that he was safe.

“Your safe Harry and you are never going back there, I promise.” “Your're going to stay here with me no matter what.”

Harry smiled in spite of his tears he had found a home at last.