Comforts from the Unexpected by Firestar
Summary: The story begins with a fire at the Dursleys & Harry is locked in his cupboard. Rescued by a spiritual presence, he is sent to stay with a certain Potions Master, bringing in a new range of adventures. Suicide attempts, abuse
Categories: Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required)
Snape Flavour: None
Genres: General
Media Type: None
Tags: None
Takes Place: None
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Alcohol Use, Suicide Themes
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 43 Completed: No Word count: 83206 Read: 173078 Published: 31 Jan 2005 Updated: 31 Jan 2006
Chapter 2 by Firestar

When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself in a large room. So this was probably where he was going to stay. He wanted to get up, investigate and see who was living here, but the world was spinning around him. His legs collapsed underneath him as the world went black.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seveus Snape was sitting in his rooms, sortin through his papers when his ward-monitor went off. Something, or someone, had activated the wards of Snape Manor. Someone was here.

Thinking it was probably Death Eaters sent by Voldemort, he stood up, and sliding an emotionless mask onto his face, walked out o the room.

The Death Eaters usually met him in the living room. Crossing the kitchen, he stode over and yanked open the door. Quietly, he entered the room.

And gasped.

On the floor was a about the age of sixteen. And around the child was a pool of blood.

Severus lept up and ran over to the crumpled figure. Recieving no response, he levitated the boy onto a near-by couch.

This was not someone he recoginized. Definately not a student of Hogwarts.

The boy had, what he could tell, several broken bones including three bruised ribs. But that surprised him further was the many scars and bruises covering the boy's face and body. Definately a sign of abuse.

He was in the middle of healing the boy's arm when the child moved.

"Hello?" Severus called cautiously, feeling slightly foolish.

The boy opened his eyes and as Severus watched, he saw a flicker of surprise fly across the boy's features. A minute later, the surprise was masked by neutral coldness. Fascinating. Severus knew of very little others whom could cover their reality with such control.

What chilled Severus to the bone was the child's eyes. They were icy- blue, the colour of the deep, mysterious ocean. But instead of the usual innocence he was used to seeing, there was a hard, cold edge. They were not the eyes of a care-free child, but the eyes of an old man who had seen to much.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Severus broke the silence. "May I ask who you are and what you are doing here?" He made his voice as sneering and sardonic as possible. The child stared at him, his gaze piercing his soul, holding him to the wall. "I'm Sebastien."

"What are you doing here?"

The boy continued to examine him. Severus could feel a powerful, magical aura in the air.

"I don't know. I was Obliviated." The boy's voice was flat and emotionless.

Severus stared at the boy for a moment before saying in a slightly gentler tone, "What happened to you?" "Nothing." The child's voice was firm and Severus shivered at the slight tone of menace. It was clear that Sebastien was going to tolerate no argument.

The Potions Master stared hard at him for a moment before saying, "All right. You'll have to stay here for now. I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore about this tomorrow. Come."

Severus watched as the child attempted to stand up. He seemed unsteady on his feet. Noticing this, the Potions Master reached out and grabbed Sebastien's shoulders.

"Thank you."

This was the first time the boy had seemed open rather than defensive. Severus, sensing the child's discomfort in having to rely on someone, did not reply.

Helping Sebastian to his room. Severus watched as the boy climbed unsteadily into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Unconciously, he reached up and pulled up the covers, tucking it around the boy. Wouldn't do to catch a cold.

He physically shook himself. Why was he thinking such a thing? Must be lack of sleep. Walking out of the room, he went to his own bedroom, and changing, quickly fell asleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Severus was suddenly awakened from his sleep by a loud, piercing scream. What was going on?

Sebastien.... in the living room.... The memories quickly came back to him. The screams seemed to be coming from the boy's room. What could have happened? Leaping up, Severus pulled on his robes and raced down the hall, wand in hand. Pushing open the door, a hex on the tip of his lips, he stepped in to find...

... The child was thrashing around on the bed, kicking, screaming. "No, NO! It's not my fault... I didn't know..."

Severus sighed in relief. It was only a nightmare. "Sebastien!" he called loudly, hoping to wake up the child.

Sebastien didn't seem to hear him; his struggling grew more frantic and the screaming rised both in volume and intensity.

Severus gaped at the boy. The child was showing signs of the Cruciatus Curse: stuggling, twitching, withering in obvious pain... Fingers dug into the palms, teeth furiously biting onto his lips, causing himself to bleed... Yet, how could it be? The child was just in a nightmare... How could a nightmare cause so much pain?

"SEBASTIEN!" Severus yelled as the boy suddenly leaped up from the bed, eyes rolling. Reaching out, the Potions Master caught the boy's shoulders, holding him down. Sebastien's eyes refocused slightly.

Severus shivered and felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. The boy's eyes were deep, shadowed pools... Raw agony and guilt blazed through the expressive sapphire orbs. Severus saw a flash of emotions: pain, despair, anger, regret, helplessness, sorrow, hurt, guilt, rejection... all that and more, too many feelings to describe. And there was something else. The Potions Master could not describe it... They were eyes of someone who had been forced and driven to the edge, of someone who had long creased to expect any act of kindness from the world. There was no hope for survival. The isolation and emptiness of those orbs scared the Potions Master to no end.

With a suddenly jerk, the boy's eyes focused once more. Severus saw that Sebastien's palms were bleeding where his nails had dug into them.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked slightly awkwardly after he'd given the boy a Calming Potion. He couldn't forget the hopeless look he had seen in the boy's eyes. He had often felt shameful and empty after the many tortures he had seen at the Death Eater meetings with Voldemort, but this... this was only a boy. A mere child. What had driven him to such a position?

"I'm fine." The answer was guarded, defensive. Those eyes were once again unreadable. "I'm sorry I woke you, sir."

"Do you have these dreams often?"

A nod.

"Are they usually this... violent?"

Sebastien looked at Severus, a piercing look. The eyes seemed to petrify the Potions Master... Looking deep into those orbs, he saw anger, terror, loneliness, and... was that a flash of pity? Severus shivered.... that knowing look, almost as if the boy knew his deepest fears and shame...

"Depends."

The Potions Master metally shook himself out of his thoughts. Feeling the boy's discomfort, he quickly exited the room. Coming back a moment later, he handed the child a Dreamless Sleeping Potion.

Sebastien's eyes lingered on Severus' face as he downed the potion in one gulp. Crawling into bed, the boy whispered. "Thank you. Good night, sir."

After a moment of hesitation, Severus replied softly, "Good night, Sebastien."

To be continued...
End Notes:
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