Severus sat holding Harry until he calmed down, whispering soothing words to the child. After a while, Harry did calm down enough to stop the mantra of words. He refused to let his Professor go. And Severus was willing to sit there and be there for Harry as long as he was needed.

Severus never considered himself as a comforter. He remembered how it was when Poppy was raped. Even though Poppy kept him in her chambers for a long amount of time, she never was as clingy towards his person as Harry was. But giving more though to it, Harry's circumstances were different from Poppy's. Yes, both were raped, but Poppy was only with her attacker the one day. She was stuck in the position Severus found her in for an entire day. Harry on the other hand, was repeatedly attacked almost daily.

Once Severus didn't hear anymore coming from the child in his arms, he looked down at the boy to see if he was in fact sleep. He was a little surprised that Harry was still awake.

"Harry," Severus calmly said.

"Sir."

"You want to talk about this?"

"He saw," Harry almost sobbed, turning his head towards his comforter's shoulder.

"Now, now, Harry," Severus soothed. "No more of that. I need you to focus for me."

Harry turned his head and was again laying it on Severus' shoulder. Dull green eyes met dark onyx ones.

"Are you calm enough to release me?"

Harry tightening his grip on Severus' clothes let Severus know what his answer was even though Harry didn't respond.

"Alright," Severus said.

"You can't leave me," Harry said in a low whisper. Severus would have missed it if he wasn't holding the boy in his arms. He sighed.

"I don't deserve your trust, Harry." Severus said, tightening his hold on the boy as he leaned his head back on the headboard. "I am not a good person."

Without letting go of the man, Harry lifted his head and looked at the Potions Professor.

"You saved me," Harry said.

Severus lifted his head and looked at the boy.

"You shouldn't have needed to be saved. You were suppose to be with me this summer."

"But why would you think that you are not a good person?" Harry asked.

Severus needed to walk around, and he couldn't do that with the child in his lap. He knew that when he told Harry his reasoning that it would devastate the child. He was no better than Draco. Yes, Draco was the one that planned the entire thing, but Severus never once looked for him until the Weasleys called.

No, Severus Snape was not a good person. He still believed the worse of people.

Severus slid Harry off of his lap and was met with difficulty removing the child's hand from his person. Once he was free of Harry, Severus started pacing.

"Professor," came Harry's weak reply after feeling the loss of being held.

"I am not a good person, Harry," Severus said again. "You are not safe with me."

"But you saved me," Harry argued back, his voice becoming more stronger.

Severus couldn't help the internal smirk at the fact that after everything that Harry has been through he still had some fight in him.

"You are a good person," Harry declared.

"No," Severus said, shaking his head. "I'm not. You deserve better. You deserve to be around people that love and care for you. And I have proven that I am not that person"

"You came for me," Harry argued.

"Don't you understand, Harry?" Severus said. "I never looked for you."

Harry didn't say anything. He just blinked.

"I am not a good person because I still believed the worst of you." Severus was now pacing in front of the bed. "When I was told that you had left with your friends, I believed it. I never called to check and see. I thought you were with the Weasleys. I believed that you disobeyed my order to wait for me to pick you up."

Again, Harry said nothing.

"Don't you see now why I am not a good person?" Severus asked, sounding deflated. "If I were, you wouldn't have been at that place as long as you were. You wouldn't have gone through all that bastard put you through."

When Severus looked back up at the child, he saw Harry sitting on the bed with tears streaming down his face. It broke the dour man's heart knowing that this time he was the reason behind those tears.

Instantly, it seemed that everything around the room got louder. Severus could hear talking. The air, which he didn't notice before, seemed less confined. It was then that Severus realized that Harry not only blocked them in this room but soundproofed it as well. Not wanting to stay in the room much longer, knowing Harry now knew the truth, Severus headed downstairs.

_00000_00000_00000_0000

Poppy was standing next to the fireplace when all of a sudden she felt the air change. When she looked back at the flames, she saw that she could see into the Weasleys' house.

"Albus," Poppy called out. "Harry opened up the floo."

Seconds later, people came through the green flames. First Albus, then Kingsley, followed by Molly and Arthur.

Ron was sitting on the sofa. He looked up when his parents walked through the fireplace. When he saw the look on his mother's face, Ron audibly gulped.

Without saying a word, Molly walked over to her youngest son, and in a very frighteningly hushed tone said, "Get back home. And I better not see you outside your room until I call for you. Do you understand me?"

Ron looked over at his dad, trying to get a little sympathy. The only thing he saw on the faces of all the adults was disappointment. Sighing, Ron headed towards the floo. When he got close enough to his mother, she grasped his shoulders and pulled him into an embrace.

"Don't ever do something like this again," Molly whispered in her son's ear.

After she released her son, he disappeared back home.

"I'm glad that you could make it through," Severus said, bringing everyone's attention to the Potions Master as he stood in the doorway.

"Are you alright, Severus?" Poppy asked.

"Harry is ready to be moved," Severus said, ignoring Poppy's question. "He's in the first room on the right once you go up the stairs. Remember what we talked about earlier. He's still weak."

Severus saw that Kingsley was there with the Weasleys and assumed that he was about to be arrested.

"Once the Weasley's leave," Severus spoke to Kingsley. "I will be ready, myself."

Before anyone could say another word, Severus walked away from the doorway and headed towards his study. For a moment, everyone just stood in stunned silence. After another moment, Molly and Arthur went upstairs to get Harry and Poppy followed Severus to his study, where she knew he would be.

"I'm going to go," Kingsley said to Albus. "He's under the impression that I'm here to arrest him. Talk to him. I'll be at my office."

Albus watched as Kingsley left and then followed Poppy in search of Severus.

_0000_00000_000000_000

When Albus walked down the hallway, he could already hear Poppy speaking to Severus..

"How are you feeling?" Poppy asked, moving her wand to run a diagnostic charm.

Severus didn't answer her. He just sat behind his desk, staring at nothing.

"Severus please speak to me," Poppy pleaded.

That got a reaction from the Potion Master. He looked up at the matron.

"I'm fine, Poppy," Severus said, calmly.

"And Harry?" she asked.

"Will be safe soon," Severus said in the same calmness.

"Severus," Albus spoke for the first time, entering the study. "Don't you think it's best for Harry to stay here?"

"No," Severus said, shaking his head. "He's not safe with me. And I am due to be arrested soon, so he's must better with the Weasleys. Whom he should have been with in the first place." The last part was said so low that both Albus and Poppy hardly heard it, but did none the less.

"Severus, you will not be arrested," Albus said. Both Poppy and Severus looked at him in a stunned silence.

"What are you talking about?" Severus said. "I killed a man. In cold blood."

"I wouldn't call it cold blood," Albus mused. "You were protecting a child from a monster."

"Again, I didn't get there in time," Severus sighed, leaning back against the back of his chair.

"Severus," Poppy gasped.

"Again, I messed up. And again, he was hurt, maybe beyond repair," Severus sighed.

"You saved the child," Poppy said, sternly. "You stopped a monster from continuing to hurt Harry and stopped him from doing this to another innocent child. No telling how many children he's done this too before he even got to Harry."

Severus sighed and closed his eyes.

"Severus," Albus started. "Many things have come to light since you've been on lock down in that room."

Severus opened his eyes and looked at his mentor. Albus continued.

"One of the men that assisted in kidnapping Harry was found. He confessed to everything. He is right now helping the muggle police in searching for the previous children that Victor Franklin had abducted, raped, and sold once he was finished with them."

"Victor Franklin?" Severus asked.

"That was the scum's name that you rid the world of. Once his identity was established and his sordid past came to light, let's just say they won't prosecute you."

"I'm not going to be arrested?" Severus asked a little dumbfound. Albus shook his head. "Then why is Kingsley here, other than my arrest?"

"Was, my boy," Albus said, his eyes twinkling fully. "He figured you would take his presence wrong. Actually, everyone was worried when we couldn't get through the floo. You left it open for Molly and Arthur to come through so that they could pick up Harry and take him to the Burrow. But young Mr. Weasley had other plans and caused the commotion that we are now trying to get cleared up. So, I will ask you again, do you think it is wise to take Harry out of here?"

"Harry knows the truth," Severus sighed. "I don't deserve to have him. I haven't earned his trust."

_0000_0000_0000_00000

Harry lay on the bed leaning against the head board. Even though he still in pain he wasn't terribly uncomfortable in the position he was in. He thought about everything that he just been told. Professor Snape didn't believe that he was a good person. Professor Snape thought that he was with his friends. Harry then thought about the last few months of school. Yes, they started to be a little cordial to each other. Well at least, the Professor wasn't picking on him in class anymore. Their occlumency lessons were actually becoming an enjoyable time. His head wasn't hurting as much as it used to in the beginning.

Harry then thought about when he was told that he was to be staying with the Professor. He remembered thinking that he didn't think that Professor Snape really wanted to be saddled with him. And deep down, Harry still didn't. Who wants to see their student during the summer months? Wasn't it suppose to be the time where student and teacher was suppose to be apart?

The last thing that popped into Harry's mind was his stay in that dreadful place. Professor Snape might think that he didn't look for him. And maybe that was true, but in Harry's mind, it was his Professor who saved him. It was his voice that took the agony away. It was his presence in his mind that kept him sane during the worst parts of being in that room. It was his Professor's voice and teachings that kept him from truly giving up, even though, he really did want to.

A knock on the door brought Harry out of his thoughts. A small smile curved his lips when he saw the door opening, but the smile quickly vanished when he saw who was behind the door. He loved the Weasleys dearly, but he didn't want them to see him like this.

Molly and Arthur didn't miss the look on the child's face when they entered the room.

"Harry, dear," Molly soothed as she walked in the room, heading straight for the bed.

Because of the weakness in his legs, Harry couldn't get up and run away like he really wanted to. Tears began to burn the back of Harry's throat. He was ashamed and embarrassed at them seeing him in this state. He could see the pity in their eyes. He did not want their pity.

"Harry," Molly sat on the end of the bed, putting enough space between them so not to scare Harry. "You'll be coming home with us. I will take care of you."

Harry looked between the two adults in the room. A small part wanted to go home with them. To know what it was like to have someone look after him. But the bigger part . . .

"Where's Professor Snape?" Harry whispered through the tears that were trying to break through. "I want my Professor."

His plea was low, but heard loud and clear to both adults in the room. Molly gave Harry a sad smile as Arthur walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

_0000_0000_0000_0000

Arthur walked back down stairs and saw that the receiving room was empty but hear Albus' voice and followed the sound until he made it to Severus' study.

"Excuse me," Arthur interrupted. "Severus, he's calling for you." He gave Severus a knowing look.

"What?"

"Harry is asking for you." Arthur said again.

"Are you sure Harry shouldn't stay here?" Albus said, his eyes twinkling madly.

The four adults walked out of the study and headed upstairs. Harry looked up as they walked in.

Severus could see the unshed tears in those green eyes, but for the first time since he picked the child up from that house his eyes were not dull but vibrant.

"You will not get rid of me," Harry declared to his Professor once everyone was in the room. He weakly crossed his arms over his chest.

Severus raised an eyebrow. This was Harry's first defiant act since coming into his care that summer. Severus saw a small smirk on the boy's face as the first tear escaped and streamed down his cheek.

"I will not leave. I'm safe with you."

TBC