Harry's entire body was screaming in agony, and he was blinded by pain as his body jerked and twisted on the ground. But as suddenly as the curse had started, it stopped. Harry lay panting on the dirt, his body weak and unwilling to listen to his commands to get him to his feet.

"NOOOO!"

Harry wasn't sure if the voice was inside his own head or if it belonged to an actual person, and it took him a long moment before he realized that someone else had joined the fight. His long black cloak billowed around him as the man charged towards Bellatrix, shooting silent non-verbal hexes and curses from his wand with the speed of a gun.

It was Snape... Snape was here!

Reaching the crazed woman, he grabbed both of her wrists and forced them upwards, just in time to avoid a killing curse aimed straight for his heart. Bellatrix screamed in fury, but the two struggled against one another, both trying to gain the upper hand. Harry and the rest of the group – those still standing, at least – watched rooted to the spot, too terrified to move.

Suddenly a silvery shape flew over their heads past the chaos. A gilded, winged Patronus – a phoenix. Dumbledore!

Bellatrix seemed to know that she was close to being caught, for she redoubled her efforts. She was like a wild jungle cat the way she hissed and scratched to try and get away from Snape.

"Lingua Ignis!" Bellatrix suddenly screeched, and a thin rope of fire burst from the end of her wand, coiling itself tightly around Snape. A yell of pain issued from him, and Harry could hear the slight sizzling of his cloak even from where he lay on the ground. As the fiery rope wound and clasped itself around the bare skin of his wrists, Snape instinctively recoiled from Bellatrix, letting go of her in the process. She dashed around him and ran at Harry, throwing an extremely strong, well-aimed curse his way.

"CRUCIO MAXIMA!" She shrieked. And this time when the spell hit, it felt as though Harry's very skin was being ripped at the seams. It was like being hit with the power of a thousand lightning bolts, still breathing and feeling everything while being torn apart by a pack of bloodthirsty, man-eating wolves. The absolute agony engulfed him, and his back arched completely off the ground, his limbs going stiff.

Then the velvety, welcoming darkness overtook him and he knew no more…

.:HP::SS:HP::SS:.

The bloodcurdling screams that tore from Harry's lungs made the very hair on the back of Snape's neck stand on end. He'd never heard a sound full of such tortured pain, and the fact that it was coming from his son made the searing anguish of the fiery rope still wrapped tightly around the bare skin of his wrists completely insignificant. But as he stumbled to his feet to go after Bellatrix, Harry's bloodcurdling screams abruptly ended.

Snape's heart stopped.

At that moment Dumbledore and McGonagall burst from the trees, alongside members of the Order who worked at the Ministry: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, and a terrified looking Arthur Weasley.

They all fired spells directly at Bellatrix. And although she was only mere feet from Harry's body, it was obvious that she would not be able to secure him without getting caught. She backed quickly away, firing rapid spells at her opponents. Snape's arms were still bound to his sides by the fiery rope, but he launched the bulk of himself at the woman to try and knock her off balance and somehow prevent her escape. However it was already too late – the space she had occupied just moments before was suddenly empty, and he landed hard on the ground.

Harry lay only feet away, his face incredibly drawn and pale and his hair wet and plastered to his face. Snape couldn't tell if his chest was rising and falling.

He writhed in desperation, trying without much success to get to Harry's side.

"Harry, oh God… SOMEONE RELEASE ME!"

Dumbledore and the others ran to them, the headmaster muttering the counter-spell with a wave of his wand. Able to move again, Snape crawled to Harry's side. Please God, please… Just let him be alive…

Snape paid no attention to McGonagall and Arthur Weasley rushing around to those that were unmoving on the ground, murmuring counter-curses and doing what they could for them. Dumbledore glanced worriedly across the garden at them as together they couched next to Molly Weasley.

"She's alive, Albus!" McGonagall called with relief. "Although she may need to visit St. Mungo's for a few blood-replenishing potions."

Snape heard none of this. Instead his eyes were only on Harry, his finger pressed firmly onto the boy's throat as others started to gather around, looking worriedly down at them.

"Is he…?" Weasley whispered, his arm wrapped tightly around Granger, who looked silently down on him with fat tears rolling down her swollen cheeks.

Snape didn't answer, desperately searching Harry's pale, lifeless face with his fingers still firmly against his neck. He couldn't find a pulse, and his breath caught in his throat. No, no, dear God, NO!

But then… Thank Merlin… Yes! There is was! Harry's pulse was thready and weak, but it was there. Snape sighed in relief, looking up at the faces pressed in around him.

"He's alive," he murmured, his gaze raking the worried eyes and bloodied faces of Harry's friends. They had been there fighting alongside Harry when Snape had not. Although these young Gryffindors had continually tried his patience and constantly pushed him past his limits, he knew that he would never forget that fact…

Snape removed three vials from his cloak pocket, having gotten into the habit of always having them on hand for the times when the Dark Lord lost his patience with his followers. Uncorking the pain potion and the two bottles of nerve potion, he knew that it would not be enough to cure Harry from the effects of the brutal Cruciatus Maxima that Bellatrix had tortured him with. But it would be a start.

Cradling Harry's head and shoulders in his arms, he lifted the boy as gently as he could and placed the first of the bottles to his lips, before lifting Harry's chin and massaging his throat to make him swallow. He repeated the actions with the rest of the potions, so focused on Harry that he didn't notice the raised eyebrows and growing looks of disbelief passing between the teenagers standing above him.

After a moment Harry's eyelids fluttered open, and Snape scrubbed a hand over his face, finally feeling as if he could breathe again.

.:HP::SS:HP::SS:.

With a groan Harry tried to rise, but his limbs were still too shaky and weak to support him. Hands landed on his shoulders, gently pushing him back as a gruff voice murmured, "Don't move, Harry. Let the potions take effect."

He slowly blinked his eyes, trying to see through the haze of pain that still engulfed his body. His vision finally starting to clear, he saw many more worried faces looking down on him than had been fighting Bellatrix, all silhouetted by the bright blue sky.

So they had been rescued… He hadn't the faintest idea how it had happened, but Harry was incredibly grateful.

"Mrs.—Mrs. Weasley," he said in a croaky voice. "Is she alright?"

Dumbledore leaned into his field of vision. "She will be fine, Harry. Bellatrix seemed to have used a cutting curse, and although there is considerable damage, we got to her in time. She is on her way to St. Mungo's now."

She will survive, thank Merlin… Harry couldn't imagine a life without Mrs. Weasley's warmth and overabundance of love. It was a horrendous concept that had come dangerously close to transpiring, and his mind shied away from thought.

"How did Bellatrix break down the wards? And how did you get here?" Harry rasped.

"All excellent questions, and stories for another time, I think," Dumbledore murmured, then addressed someone else hovering above him. "Severus, I don't believe it is safe here at the moment. I want to relocate everyone to Hogwarts for the evening."

But at Severus' name, Harry's heart had jumped into his throat.

He turned his head, dazed green connecting with hesitant black.

"You're here…" Harry whispered, and a hushed silence fell over the group. Even Dumbledore went still as his eyes took in the unexpected scene between the once hated professor and his most reviled student. Harry didn't notice any of this, almost in a trance brought on by lingering pain and the shock of actually seeing Snape before him. "I thought you never wanted to see me again…"

"Harry," Snape murmured, but he hesitated for a long moment. "Harry, I'm so sorry. What I did was indefensible, but… I couldn't – I didn't…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair and trying again. "After Bellatrix, I… I thought I'd lost you, son."

Seeing the glassy sheen in the man's eyes, Harry realized with a jolt that even after all that had happened between them, he had never stopped considering him family…

He struggled once again to sit up, and this time Snape grasped him by the shoulders to assist his clumsy efforts. Kneeling next to Harry, Snape held him steady as they gazed at each other. Then Harry flung himself into his chest, throwing his arms tightly around the man. He didn't care who was watching… To Harry, this was home.

"I thought I'd lost you too, Dad," he murmured into Snape's shoulder, and the man's arms surrounded him.

"You will never lose me again, Harry. I promise."

.:HP::SS:HP::SS:.

Snape held Harry securely in his arms, well beyond caring what others would think. His son was alive, safe in his arms, and going home where he belonged. That was all that mattered. He tried hard not to tremble at the thought of how close he had come to losing Harry that day.

"Severus," Dumbledore murmured after a long moment. Snape couldn't help noticing that although he looked tense and worried, there was a certain gratified serenity lingering in his eyes when he gazed at him. "I want Poppy to look everyone over. I think Harry should come back to Hogwarts with us."

"No," Snape said lightly as he pulled Harry's arm gently over his shoulder and slowly helped him rise. "He's coming home, Albus."

Dumbledore followed suit, rising gracefully to his feet despite his age. "Severus, I imagine that you will be summoned before the evening is done, and all I want is for Harry to be safe—"

"He will be safe," Snape murmured lightly – firmly – once more. It no longer mattered to Snape what the headmaster thought was best for Harry. The boy was his son,perhaps not by blood, but in every other way that mattered. And Snape knew that from that moment on, he would be making the decisions where Harry was concerned, not Albus Dumbledore. As much as he respected the man, Harry needed someone in his corner that put his own priorities and wellbeing in front of those of the Wizarding world.

"But… my boy…" Dumbledore pressed. "Surely you don't think it best for Harry to be alone, after everything that's happened! And with his injuries—"

"He will not be alone, Albus. And who better to tend his injuries than me – his father – a man who has suffered the same injuries frequently throughout his life?" The headmaster's eyebrows raised in surprise, and he silently opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, looked like a giant bearded fish. Indeed, it would have been comical had the situation not been so serious. "Now, as you have pointed out," Snape continued, not giving the man a chance to respond, "Harry's injuries need tending before I am summoned. We will no doubt be seeing each other again soon, Headmaster." And with that, he spun with Harry on the spot and was gone.

They landed with a thud in front of Spinner's End, Harry panting heavily at the exertion of his overly taxed muscles. The boy's legs would have collapsed beneath him had Snape not had his arm draped about his shoulders.

"Easy…" he murmured. "We're almost home."

Glancing around, he saw that the street appeared deserted. However he was still on edge, as Bellatrix had fled and judging by the lack of feeling in his Dark Mark, had yet to tell the Dark Lord what had happened. She could be anywhere at this moment. He knew Dumbledore was right and he didn't have a lot of time left, so he hurried them both to the door but still removed his wand, just in case.

Placing his palm upon the wood, he muttered the required incantations and noted with relief as that the wards gave no indications of being tampered with. Bellatrix may have been able to discover and destroy the wards used at the Burrow, but there was no possible way that she would be able to enter Spinner's End without his knowing – the wards here were of his own making, unknown to anyone else and particularly hard to break through.

He hurried Harry into the sitting room, turning on the lights with a flick of his wand and gently lowering Harry onto one of the sofas. The boy looked extremely pale, and his limbs continued to steadily tremble, twitching every now and then in an involuntary jerk.

"Stay here, and do not move," he said firmly. The boy nodded weakly, and Snape had the sneaking suspicion that he couldn't have moved from where Snape had placed him, even if he'd wanted to.

He hurried down to the lab, gathering supplies and lining them up on his work table. He then summoned his Death Eater robes and mask, knowing he'd need the despised items before the night was through.

While waiting for them to arrive from upstairs, he engraved small names and directions on the potion vials with a quick flick of his wand, explaining what each was used for and how often it should be taken. Then he placed them all into a small leather doctor's bag beneath his work bench, adding an unbreakable charm for good measure and listening as the clinks of glass muffled considerably. Snatching the hated robes and mask out of the air, Snape knew he was running out of time before he was summoned and took the stairs back up two at a time so that he could get Harry to safety before the dreaded moment occurred.

Hurrying back into the sitting room, Harry's head lay at an awkward angle against the back of the sofa, his raspy breaths still coming in pants because of the excruciating hurt. Snape knew the feeling well…

"Harry," he said to the drained boy, dropping to his knees beside him and rummaging through the bag for the potions he was looking for. "I know your body is still in pain and that all you want to do is sleep. But Dumbledore is right: the Dark Lord will undoubtedly summon me before long, and I don't want you to be alone. We won't be staying here tonight. Here," he said quietly, offering Harry his strongest nerve, pain, and muscle strengthening potions.

Harry did not speak or break eye contact as he silently downed each potion, and Snape was relieved to see his eyes slightly clear of pain and exhaustion, life and alertness slowly taking their place.

"Did… Did you mean what you said earlier?" Harry asked after a moment, suddenly very interested in the empty potion bottles in his lap.

"I normally do," Snape murmured with an attempt at a smile. "But what specifically are you referring to?"

"What you said to Dumbledore… about—about being my…" His voice faded away as he continued to look down into his lap, as if he suddenly realized the ridiculousness of what he was asking and knew it couldn't possibly be true. But Snape understood.

"Harry," he said, gently taking the bottles from him and setting them aside on the small coffee table, then raising the boy's chin with his finger. Harry met his gaze reluctantly, and they stared at each other for long moments, neither quite sure what to say.

Snape swallowed back his nerves. "You were the one thing in my life that wasn't supposed to be…" He paused, running a hand through his hair before trying again. "You've been right in front of me for years, and I was too spitefully stubborn to see it." Harry looked away, still uncertain of himself. Snape grasped the boy's chin with his thumb and forefinger, raising his face to meet Snape's sincere gaze. "I meant every word. You are my son in every way that matters, and I will never – never – let myself forget that again. I'm so sor—"

But his words were cut off as Harry threw himself into his chest. Snape wrapped his arms about the boy, swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Harry's voice was also suspiciously thick as he murmured against Snape's shoulder, "Its ok. You don't have to say it. I forgive you…" His voice dropped to a whisper, "Dad."

Snape couldn't stop the tears from falling then, and his arms tightened around his son as he laid his cheek against the top of his head. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to protect this kind, loving, remarkable boy from all harm, despairing how impossible that task would be. I'll always be there, fighting alongside you, my son, he silently vowed. You'll never be alone again.

At that moment Snape felt the first prickling of sensation in the horrible mark on his arm, like needles in his skin. He suspected that Bellatrix may have finally returned to the Dark Lord's side, and knew that he and Harry were quickly running out of time.

"Harry," he murmured again, regretfully pulling away. "We don't have much time left. We have to go."

"Where?" The boy asked in confusion, but he rose without question from the sofa. Snape was gratefully relieved to see that Harry was far more steady and awake as he stood, but he held onto him nonetheless.

"Somewhere safe," he promised, lifting the doctor's bag of supplies with one hand while still holding onto Harry's shoulder with the other. He eliminated the lights with a flick of his wand, and they left through the front door once again, Snape murmuring a string of Latin phrases in conjunction with some complicated wand work to set his substantial protective wards in place.

"Hold onto me, Harry," he muttered, glancing up and down along the deserted street, gratified when Harry accepted the help without question. Spinning on the spot, they arrived at the last place anyone would be looking for Harry that night: Lily's apartment building. Harry stumbled on the landing, his legs still not at full strength, and Snape held tight to the boy until he could steady himself.

They had arrived in the emergency stairwell, which Snape often did due to the lack of surveillance cameras, as well as the unlikelihood of the muggles in the building using it, due to the elevator right down the hall.

"Where are we?" Harry muttered. But Snape didn't answer, the tension in him rising as the tingling needles in his arm increased.

"Come on. We need to get you inside."

As Snape opened the door onto Lily's floor, he prepared himself for all he was about to say. This wasn't how he'd wanted it to happen, but life – as usual – had left him little choice. Harry suddenly seemed to recognize where they were, and he looked at him in surprise, but said nothing as Snape raised his fist and rapped sharply on the door. It opened within seconds.

"Severus! Harry-!" Lily said, her smile immediately turning to concern as she saw the boy's arm draped around his shoulder as Snape helped him over the threshold. "My God—what happened? Put him over here, Severus," she said, motioning to the sofa.

Snape lowered him gently down, and Lily immediately smiled reassuringly at Harry, placing her palm against his cheek. Harry smiled a tired but genuine smile in return, the pain obviously forgotten for a moment. Jillian appeared in the door way to her bedroom.
"Severus!" she squealed. But as she spied his son she cried, "Harry! You came to visit!" And she hurried over to jump on the couch beside the boy.

Lily turned toward Snape as Harry tiredly smiled and murmured, "Hey Jilly!"

"What happened?" Lily asked, glancing worriedly down at the boy. "Was it family again?" But Snape had his wand out, already in the process of murmuring the string of Latin words to erect the same impenetrable wards that he'd raised at Spinner's End.

"What—What are you doing?" Lily questioned, a baffled look on her face as she gazed at the wand in his hand. He did not answer her before the wards were completely and firmly in place.

"Lily," Snape murmured, turning around and grasping her by the shoulders. "This isn't how I wanted this conversation to transpire, but I have little choice now." Her green eyes shone with confusion, and even a little apprehension, but the tingling in his arm forced him to continue. "Harry and I are wizards. I am a professor at a boarding school for magical British children, and Harry is one of my students."

The room suddenly went deathly silent, and even Harry and Jillian halted their conversation to look wide-eyed at Snape. Lily's face was bemused, as if she was expecting him to suddenly start laughing and announce that it was all some sort of prank. But Snape only looked at her, and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What-? How-? Is this some kind of joke?" She asked quietly after a moment, backing away. "How am I supposed to react to—"

His gaze never wavering from hers, Snape gave a small flick of his wand. An upper kitchen cabinet opened and an empty wine glass issued from within, settling gently on the counter as a bottle of wine filled it unaided. The glass then lifted into the air and floated gently toward her.

"What the hell?!" She yelped in surprise, jumping back and bumping into the bookcase beside the television, making everything on the shelves rattle. She pressed herself against the wood, looking at the glass floating beside her in midair with alarm, and perhaps even a little fear. Breathing hard, her wide eyes flicked back to Snape, but she said nothing.

Snape ran a hand through his hair with a sigh and looked sideways at Harry, whose eyes were just as shocked by his actions as Lily's.

"Harry?"

The boy seemed to know what he was asking, for he slowly extracted his wand from his pocket and with a wave and a flick muttered, "Incendio Mimimus." The candles all around the room flickered to life.

"Wow…" Jillian whispered in awe beside him, obviously not afraid in the least.

Lily looked around her at all the candles, then slowly back at Snape.

"That's not all," he murmured, crossing the room to stand before her, moving slowly so as not to frighten her any further. He gently grasped the wine glass from the air and placed it firmly in her shaking hands. She took it without question, her eyes never leaving his. "Lily… You and Jilly are like us. You're witches."

"What?!" Both she and Harry cried in surprise. She and his son's eyes met in confusion, and a huge grin suddenly appeared on the boy's features. Lily took a large swallow of the wine, her hands still trembling.

"I just found out for certain today, but I've had my suspicions for a while," Snape continued. "I promise I will explain everything, but not now. Now I just need you to stay here and look after Harry. You will be safe behind the wards."

"Safe from who, Severus?" She murmured, and his heart ached to see the apprehension in her eyes. Instinctively he reached out, cradling her cheek against his rough palm and bringing her close to place a soft, reassuring kiss against her lips. She stepped into his embrace without hesitation.

A sudden choking sound issued from the couch, and they broke away. Harry was back to looking like a house-elf again, his eyes as wide as tennis balls. But he had a large smile plastered across his face as his gaze flicked between the two of them. Lily blushed prettily, looking down at her feet as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then glancing up at Snape with a shy smile. He couldn't help himself, and smiled back.

Their fingers gently caressed each other, and Lily looked down at their joined hands. "My God," she suddenly said with a gasp. "Severus, what happened to your wrists? They look… burned!"

"I'll be fine, Lily," he murmured. "I promise I'll explain—"

But at that moment the Dark Mark on his arm roared to life, and Snape cried out with the intensity of it, slapping his opposite hand over his forearm against the searing pain.

"Dad!" Harry cried, struggling to get to his feet.

"No…" Snape gasped. "Stay there, Harry." He snatched the hated Death Eater robes and mask from inside the doctor's bag, then straightened and looked at Lily's apprehensive face, murmuring, "I have to go."

"Go where?" she asked, understandably still a little panicked and overwhelmed with all that had transpired in the last few minutes.

He reached for her again, kissing her softly, trying to calm her fears. "I'll come back," he swore softly. "I'll always come back to you, Lily." And with a final glance around at his unexpected family, he Apparated to the Dark Lord's side.