A young boy called Severus Snape is curled up in a ball in his bedroom, he's recently come home from his first year at Hogwarts, it has been a long summer and he is counting down the days till he can escape back to Hogwarts. His father has come home drunk again and in a foul temper, intent on taking out his anger on his young son. He manages to flee upstairs and flings himself behind his bed. He hears heavy footsteps on the stairs as he tries not to whimper or think about the painful sting where the belt's connected with his back, leaving it raw and bleeding. He doesn't believe in God, not really but, at this moment he prays silently to God, to Merlin, anyone who will listen to please save him to take him somewhere, anywhere safe.

Meanwhile far away, a young man called Harry Potter has recently returned to Hogwarts for his 6th year and is trying to relax in his dorm reading a book to distract himself from the events of the past summer when he's startled by a sudden loud crack and a cloud of smoke next to his bed. "What the?!" he exclaims in shock, jumping out of his skin and almost dropping his book. Wearily he looks around the still empty dorm before cautiously peering over the edge of his bed.

There's something there, his first impression is that it's a small black bundle of clothes on the floor but, as he looks closer he can hear sounds coming from the pile and he realises it's a small child with dark clothes and hair, clearly distressed and curled into a ball. He jumps quietly off the bed kneeling next to the boy, his face is hidden but he can hear him sobbing now.

"Hey it's ok you're safe" he says softly, putting a hand on his thin trembling shoulder, noting how he reacts fearfully to the light touch he tries to reassure him and encourage him to sit up "what's your name kid?" lifting his chin gently to get a better look at his face.

"Snape!" he exclaims in shock, startling them both as he recoils from him, eyes wide with shock and horror at seeing the familiar features on the small boy's pale thin face, unsure what to make of him. A million questions run through his head, what's happened, has he deaged himself, why's he here in his dorm?

The boy's head snaps up at the mention of his name looking puzzled. He wipes his eyes pushing his long dark hair out of his eyes, his fears and misery were temporarily forgotten. "That's right, I'm Snape, Severus Snape, wait how did you know that?" he says, familiar black eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Harry panicked realising he's in over his head, he tries in vain to think of something convincing to say running a hand absently through his hair "oh uh well you kind of remind me of someone I know who is called Snape'' he says trying to smile for the boy.

"Oh ok." he said uncertainly looking up and properly examining his surroundings. His eyes grow wide with panic as his gaze falls on one of the nearby red four-poster beds and he realises that he's found himself in the Gryffindor dorm, enemy territory.

This wasn't what he imagined when he'd been wishing to be safe. He'd been thinking of Lily's house or perhaps the park or the local library which had all become a kind of refuge for him when life at home had become too much to cope with. That wasn't to say that Hogwarts wasn't somewhere that he felt safe but even the bravest Slytherins valued their life enough to know that you didn't step foot inside the Lion's Den unless you had a death wish, it was just one of those unwritten unspoken rules and right now he wasn't sure who he'd rather take his chances with.

He takes in the room feeling caught between fascination and the increasingly insistent need to flee before his gaze fixed nervously back on Harry taking in the older boy properly, dark messy hair and glasses, just like ..."Potter! Please don't hurt me" he stammers "I swear I didn't mean to end up here!" he gulps holding his hands up in front of his face to shield himself and tries to back away.

Harry stares in confusion at the terrified boy cowering away from him, his eyes wide with fear baffled until it hits him. He slaps his hand to his face as realisation dawns.

Whatever's happened this child is not his potions teacher right now he's just a scared young kid. A scared kid who has just found himself in the proverbial Lion's Den and face to face with a boy who is the spitting image of his Father as a 6th year, the boy who by all accounts made his life miserable. No wonder he's terrified he probably thinks I'm going to beat him within an inch of his life he realises.

Holding up his hands he tries to speak softly and appear non-threatening, noting the boy flinching away "hey it's ok, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise, I'm not who you think."

Severus looks at him through his hands "you swear you won't hurt me?" he asks nervously. "You're not going to try and turn my robes into bat wings or lock me in Filch's cupboard?"

"No" Harry answers in shock, thinking of his childhood locked in a cupboard and wondering just what his father and his friends did to him "I'd never do anything like that. I swear I'm not like that other kid" he insists trying to reassure him.

Peeking out cautiously and lowering his hands slightly, he asks warily "but, you're related to him, right? I mean you look just like him so I assumed" he trailed off.

"Yeah you could say that" Harry says uncomfortably, deciding he may as well be honest "I'm Harry, Harry Potter"

"Oh so you do know him, James Potter that is?" he asks, cocking his head curiously.

"No I don't know him" he sighs sadly "but, I've heard a lot about him and he sounded like he was an arrogant bully at times" he says with a grimace, not enjoying the conversation as he recalls viewing his Professor's memories.

The boy takes this all in looking confused, he relaxes on hearing the last part "yeah you could say that he's a big bully, him and his gang are always hexing people for no reason" he huffs angrily "I'm just glad you're not like him" he says shyly twiddling his fingers and risking looking up, gauging the older boy's reaction, he smiles shyly at him when he sees that he's still calm.

Harry smiles back, adjusting himself to sit down near him and putting a hand out. He pauses, allowing it to hover above his shoulder for a moment so he can see what he's about to do before placing his hand gently on his shoulder. He still flinches, instinctively squeezing his eyes shut, he's clearly unused to positive physical contact but doesn't try to move away, opening an eye and relaxing when he realises that he's really not going to be struck.

He leans into the contact looking up to test his reaction. Seeing that he remains calm he relaxes slightly, looking thoughtful and sad "I don't have many friends. Well except for Lily, she's my best friend" he admits before sighing and sagging his shoulders.

"Don't you have any friends in your own house?" Harry asks, frowning in concern.

He shrugs "not really, some of them are alright I guess but most of them think I'm odd, it'd be even worse if they knew I grew up with muggles. They don't approve of me hanging around with Lily because she's a muggleborn and they're purebloods they think that we Slytherins shouldn't hang around with her kind" "even though she's much kinder and smarter than them" he mutters "some of the boys like hexing the muggleborns, sometimes they let me hang around with them"

"Oh, and what do you think?" Harry asks curiously.

"Doesn't matter what I think does it" he replies sounding annoyed but resigned "rule number 1 in Slytherin is to survive and surviving means fitting in and not looking weak. You learn to make allies not enemies even if you don't agree with what they believe in"

He ponders this thinking how different life in Slytherin seems from the friendly comradery in Gryffindor, it certainly would fit in with what he's seen of the Slytherins "and what does Lily think of all this?"

"She doesn't like me hanging out with those boys, she says they're evil even though they're the only ones who'll give me the time of day. I've tried to explain but she doesn't get that I have to act a certain way around the other Slytherins. She says I should try to make friends from the other houses or hang out with her friends"

He speaks more softly, desperately "she doesn't understand how difficult it is" there's a pause "making friends. I've seen the way her friends and the other students look at me, just like the kids back home like I'm disgusting. Then there's Potter and Black. I don't understand why he's so fixated on me, I can't go anywhere without him and his cronies making some cruel jokes or trying to attack me making me a laughing stock"

Harry notices tears rolling down his cheek and reaches out to comfort him and he moves closer, looking up for reassurance before seeking comfort from the older boy who cautiously embraces him, wrapping an arm around the small boy and letting him nestle into him and bury his head into his robes.

He holds him close as his thin body racks with sobs, he rubs his back trying to soothe the boy as he tries to think about what he can say to help him "I know it's alright Sev, uh I can call you Sev right?"

"Lily calls me Sev, everyone else calls me Severus" he mumbles, wiping his eyes and looking up thoughtfully, noting the familiar smile and green eyes on Harry's face and pauses pondering this. This young man's been alright, he's treated him with kindness and sympathy unlike many other people he's met and certainly, unlike the Potter he knows "I like you you're nice, you remind me of Lily you've got green eyes like hers, yeah I guess you can call me Sev" he agrees nodding and smiling warmly.

Harry takes this in with surprise, touched by the fact that he's compared him to his Mum "Thanks Sev that means a lot. You know I didn't have any friends growing up, my cousin made sure of that telling them what a freak I was but I was lucky I managed to make some good friends here at Hogwarts who like me for who I am, I'm sure you can to" he tells him thinking of Ron and Hermione his best friends and all the others like Neville, Ginny, Luna and the twins who've stood loyally beside him giving him the strength, courage and knowledge to survive the past few years and have never stopped believing in him.

"I know it's hard but try and ignore those boys, they'll target you more if they think they can get a rise out of you. Hold your head high and ignore them, they'll soon lose interest if they don't get a response" Sev shrugs halfheartedly.

He pauses thinking about what to say "it is important to get along with your housemates, but you should be open-minded as well. You should follow your head and your heart even if only in private and decide your friends instead of judging people by whether they're pureblood or not. You're clever and kind, and there are loads of brilliant muggles. One of my best friends is a muggle and she's amazing. She's clever and gifted and brave, I'd be lost without her, I bet you feel the same about Lily, never forget the way you feel about her ok?"

Sev looks up at him thoughtfully, some of what he's said makes a lot of sense "I wish it was that easy" he sighs "somehow I don't think many of the Slytherins will see it that way but, you're right. There must be some good muggles, I've just not met many that I can trust, well except Lily, of course, she's one of the few people who have been kind to me. Some of her friends seem ok I guess, although they never seem interested in me"

"It's not easy trying to keep everyone happy, but I think you'll find a way to make it work. The castle's a big place I'm sure you can find some quiet spot to meet your friends and you never know some of the Slytherins may be more open-minded than you think"

Sev nods thoughtfully analysing everything Harry said to him "hey wait a minute you're not suggesting I just ignore Potter and his idiot friends and let them get away with pranking me and making fun of me!" He says, scowling angrily at Harry who replies calmly.

"No Sev what I'm suggesting is you hold your head up high and pretend it doesn't bother you, then use your Slytherin cunning to get them back when they least expect it" he says with a cheeky grin and a wink tapping his nose knowingly "you're clever enough to come up with some good ideas and cover your tracks, they'll lose interest if they don't get a rise out of you and get a taste of their own medicine to boot"

Sev listens with interest before an enormous grin spreads across his face "that's, that's brilliant Harry really thinking like a Slytherin! Thank you. I know a whole bunch of jinxes I could use on them and some potions too!"

"Ok steady just make sure not to use any spells that can hurt anyone ok?" he reminds him, "oh you like potions don't you?" Harry enquiries wondering when his teacher's passion for potions manifested itself.

"Yeah, my Mum taught me all about potions. Not many people appreciate the subtle art of making a potion, they just think it's boring or an excuse to muck about but they're dead useful and I find it mesmerising and calming. You have to slow down and concentrate all your attention on what you're doing or things can go badly wrong. I like learning defensive magic and duelling spells, I already know a whole bunch of good ones, and I've learnt lots from watching the older Slytherins, they know a lot of dark magic" he says in a knowing whisper.

"Professor Slughorn's a good teacher but he's a stickler for following the old textbooks. I've got loads of ideas though to improve the potions. That's what true potions masters do, they do lots of research into the effects of different ingredients and how they react with each other and then they experiment to find better ways of brewing and improving existing potions or coming up with something totally new. Someday I'd like to make my own potions and my own defence spells" he says, his tone suddenly serious but speaking with a passion his eyes light up.

"My classmates want to learn all the dark magic spells, they say they're much more powerful than the rubbish our defence teacher has us learning. Lily worries about me reading about them, she says they're called the dark arts for a reason and no good can come of immersing myself in them even if it is mainly to defend myself against bullies" frowning sullenly.

"That's great Sev. Sounds like you're gifted, you should pursue your interests" he says encouragingly "she's right though you should be careful with dark magic though it can be dangerous and addictive even if your intentions are good. I've learnt lots of useful spells like the Patronus spell, I could teach you some if you want. Oh and I know some friends who are legendary pranksters, I'll bet I could give you some ideas."

Sev looks up at him in shock and awe "really you mastered the Patronus spell! That's so cool! I heard it's really hard to master. What does it look like?"

"Yep it took me a while to master, but I kind of had to in my 3rd year. Mine's a stag, do you want to see?" Harry says with just a hint of pride.

Sev nods eagerly "I'd love to see if that's ok" he says quietly, excitement written on his face.

Harry nods, standing, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to compose himself, drawing on a happy memory, he points his wand and chants "Expecto Patronum" he intones quietly. He focuses his energy and a light forms from his wand growing into a sparkling stag that stands proudly in the centre of the dorm turning to face Harry and Sev who moves forward slowly entranced by the shining form.

"Wow can … can I touch it?" he asks softly looking up at Harry with wide glistening eyes, Harry nods, concentrating on maintaining the Patronus. Slowly Sev moves forward focusing on the shining stag holding out a hand, the stag responds with a gentle graceful bow, he puts a hand out lightly touching its forehead marvelling at the sensation the stag nudges his hand rubbing against it gently before it fades into a cloud of blue sparkling dust.

Harry smiles watching his excitement interacting with the stag.

"That was brilliant, Harry, thanks" he says entranced.

"It's powerful magic and it's fuelled by happy memories" Harry says sitting down catching his breath. Sev sits next to him and they talk for a time exchanging ideas for pranks, reminiscing about some of the twin's favourite pranks, talking earnestly and discussing the best spells and potions with passion, Harry is impressed by how the young boys already knows advanced potions and spells, material far beyond what he remembers covering in his 2nd year and notes how the boy absorbs new knowledge eagerly and already has several good ideas for making his own potions.

After a while, he looks at the time and realises that he needs to find a way to get him out of the dorm before he's surrounded by a bunch of noisy, rowdy older boys before it destroys the fragile bond of trust he's been building up "Sev" he asks gently motioning for the boy to sit near him on a bed "I forgot to ask you, do you know how you got here?"

Sev looks up almost fearfully, looking shy and awkward again he looks away "I honestly don't know. I don't remember much, just I was trying to get away from my father. He was drunk and tried to hit me so I ran and I just wished I was somewhere else … anywhere just so long as it was safe"

There's silence as Harry absorbs this, Sev sits with his head hung low, overcome with shame as he gulps in the air trying not to cry. Time seems to slow as he waits for the inevitable tirade of abuse, the anger, the beating that he's grown accustomed to until he can't bear it any longer "I'm sorry" he blurts out his voice breaking, flinching away in anticipation of the blow.

Harry looks at him in shock before moving closer embracing him, holding him tight rubbing his back gently "it's ok" he whispers.

Sev continues not hearing, unable to hold back the flood of emotions "everyone thinks I'm a coward, they call me names like Snivellus and that's what I did. I ran and hid like a coward!" the boy's almost hysterical at this "I don't want to be scared" he cries in a hoarse whisper burying his head in the older boy's robes.

"It's ok" he says again softly, stroking his hair. "They're wrong you're not a coward"

Sev looks up "I'm not?" he says, surprised wiping his eyes.

"No you're not, you're very brave to endure those things again and again. You learnt how to survive in the hardest way possible." he steels himself taking a breath to compose himself "I know what that's like" he admits.

"You do?" Sev asks nervously, shocked by this admission.

"I do" Harry confirms "it's hard, you do what you have to, to survive each day, always watching your back. You learn when to fight and when to run. I'd say that it takes a lot of courage to endure that and survive, don't you think?" he says, Sev looks at him in stunned silence at this boy whose life reflects his own.

There's a pause silent understanding passes between them "the people who judge you Sev, they don't know, they don't understand. They've never had to face the things we have to face every day that takes great strength" Sev nods numbly.

"Sev?" he says gently lifting his chin so his face is on the same level. The boy who's been staring at the floor looks up at him "I know how hard it is to talk about this, I'm not going to ask you to talk if you don't want to. I promise I won't push you but, I do need to know if you're hurt?"

Sev looks up at him uncertainly, when was the last time someone cared enough to ask if he was hurt? He's hidden the scars for so long, the idea of showing anyone is unbearable "uh I don't think so … I'm alright really" he says grimacing, trying to force a smile and sound convincing.

"Are you sure Sev?" Harry asks, he nods trying to look convincing. Harry raises an eyebrow impassively, looking for a moment like the older Snape. Sev breaks under the pressure "I can't Harry, I just … I can't, everyone would see how they treat me how bad it is" he blurts out, averting his gaze, looking uncomfortable.

"It's ok" Harry says softly, putting a hand gently on his shoulder "I know what it's like, I won't force you" he says remembering how he's hidden his scars for the same reasons. He runs a hand through his hair awkwardly "but, I was thinking I should probably get Madam Pomfrey to have a quick look at some of my scars and I was thinking I'd feel a lot braver if you were there with me" he says looking at Sev who's been watching him and hurriedly looks away.

"I don't know, you don't need me I'm not brave like you" he says looking away.

"Come on Sev that's not true, you're really brave and you wouldn't have to show her any of your scars, you could just watch. Besides" he says, playing his trump card "I'm sure you don't want to be stuck in here with a bunch of rowdy Gryffindors when everyone gets back"

He hates having to use that tactic when he's starting to trust him but he knows that he'll have a hard time trying to explain him to his friends and more importantly that Sev won't like spending the night in the dorm with a bunch of strange noisy boys Gryffindors at that. The experience might be deeply traumatic. He suspects they could both use medical attention more than either of them wishes to let on, at least he'll be safe in the infirmary.

His words have the desired effect, Sev gulps his dark eyes wide with fear, his face draining of colour, he shivers slightly at the thought.

"I wouldn't have to show her?" he says after a moment's silence.

"No, not if you don't want to" he confirms "you'll be safe there and it'll be quiet" he says to reassure him, he lingers for a moment thinking.

"Ok I'll do it" he says trying to smile, Harry smiles back encouragingly "thank you, I know how difficult that must be for you"

He puts a hand on Sev's shoulder thinking, after a moment he speaks thoughtfully "you know what's happened to you it's not your fault?"

Sev nods uncertainly, as though he's been told otherwise "it's hard when you're used to hiding the abuse, carrying it around like a shameful burden. I've done it myself for so long that I dread showing anyone, letting them see the truth about my family and my home life, it's embarrassing and scary. But, it shouldn't be that way. It's not our fault ''

There's stunned silence as they digest the words, Harry can't believe those words have come from his lips. The words show wisdom beyond his years and they contradict everything he's ever done hiding his own suffering and yet he realises he can't let another innocent boy suffer in silence if he can help it.

Sev sits there in shock, often he's wondered if it is his fault, the beating, the abuse if he deserves it all for being a bad child, his mother loved him but, his Father never made any secret of the fact that he considered him a worthless waste of space and a drain on his wages. He voices his thoughts quietly "my Father always said it was my fault, he wished I'd never been born. Nothing but a worthless waste of space. He said the beatings would do me good because I was a bad child and magic was evil. He tried to beat it out of me and my Mum" he wells up looking down in shame.

"He was wrong, Sev, wrong to blame you, wrong to hurt you. My family were the same, they didn't want me, they said I was a freak and an unnecessary burden, they never let me forget it and they told me terrible lies about my parents so I never knew about magic till I got my letter. I had no one to trust or to tell me different. I thought they were right until I came here and found people who cared about me, it took me so long to hear them, to trust people but, eventually, I realized they were right I didn't deserve that treatment and neither do you, no one does" he confides looking him in the eye.

They embrace once more, there are no tears this time, just a powerful urge to be helped and reassured, to share the unspoken sadness and feel safe. The moment ends slowly, Sev composes himself and looks up at him nervously but, determined "so how are we going to get past a room full of Gryffindors?" he asks warily as Harry looks back at him grinning, an idea forming in his mind.

"Ah you'll see, I've got a clever plan for that" he says winking. He moves over to his trunk, beckoning him over "I think you'll like this" he says a mischievous glint in his eyes.

At this moment the door opens slowly they both look up and Sev tries to back away as a tall boy with a mass of bright red hair steps in. He sees Harry and greets his friend.

"Hey, Harry you ok? You've been up here a long time so I just thought I'd check you were ok" he says trailing off as he notices the strange boy behind Harry who moves between them trying to shield him looking sternly at his friend.

"Whoa, who's the kid Harry?" He says eyes widening in shock as he looks between them trying to get a better look at the kid, who tries to hide himself further behind Harry.

Suddenly, he smiles as it hits him "hey he looks just like Snape! I never realised the greasy git had a son down in the dungeon must have kept him chained up with the bats. Wait until the guys get a load of this!" He says, walking over to his bed laughing to himself.

Harry looks at him angry and horrified, he looks down at Sev who is peering out from behind him glares at Ron, his face colouring with shock and anger. Harry puts a hand on his shoulder, he looks up at him confused, his face reminds him of Snape in full rage barely containing the anger swelling up inside. Harry puts a hand on his shoulder signalling to him to breathe and gives him a look motioning he'll take care of this and the boy nods back trying to breathe and push down his anger, he sits on a bed.

"Ron, can I have a word outside?" he says through gritted teeth barely containing his anger, the boy looks up surprised at the tone and stony face "uh ok" he says meekly stepping out of the dorm.

Harry turns back to Sev who looks shaken, he squeezes his shoulder briefly, the boy looks up as if in a daze "it's ok I'll sort this'' he says softly before following Ron out with one last glance back.

Ron looks up at him from where he's standing waiting outside, Harry casts some privacy charms around them before turning to him "are you alright Harry? Look, I'm sorry if I went a bit far back there, but you've gotta admit that kid does look a lot like Snape."

"Ron, that is Snape" he replies coldly.

"Ha good one Harry, seriously though who is he?" he looks laughing but stops when he sees the expression on Harry's face and realises he's serious, his face drops "Oh no, you mean that was Snape in there? What did he do de-age himself or something?"

Harry nods, his face softening slightly with worry "that's what he said that he was Severus Snape. No, I don't think so, I mean I don't know, but I don't think so" he says slumping against the wall looking weary.

Ron's face pales, looking sick as he realises what he's just said and also slumps against the wall "You mean I just insulted Snape to his face, oh this is bad, I'm going to be gutting flobberworms till I graduate if he finds out"

"Ron, this is serious, I'd just convinced him to come to the hospital with me, when you walked in and came out with, whatever the hell that was!" he says, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

Ron looks up surprised "you're helping that greasy git after everything he's done, tormenting you and making your life miserable?! Harry, that's Snape!"

"That's not Snape!" he snaps back angrily, "at least not Snape as we know him. He's just a scared innocent kid. You shouldn't talk about him that way, you know my father used to torment him hexing him and calling him all sorts of horrible names like that. He's only human just like us and it really upsets him just like it would hurt you if someone said something like that about your family being poor" he says wondering whether that's part of the reason why the adult Snape is so bitter and acts so horribly towards the students, it certainly can't be nice overhearing students making nasty comments about you and your appearance.

Ron looks at him shocked, gaping "the poor kid was terrified, he'd just escaped his father trying to give him a beating and he prays to be somewhere safe. Where does he end up here in the Gryffindor dorm of all places! It'd be like you ending up back in Aragog's Lair covered in spiders. "

Ron shivers at that image "and who's the first face he sees, me the spitting image of my Dad but, older, one of the boys who relentlessly tormented him, he must have thought I was James about to beat him up it'd be like some kind of nightmare. That's why I need to get him down to the hospital, he'll be safer and besides I'm sure you don't want him sleeping in our dorm anymore than he does"

Ron takes this in visibly shaken, realising how his words must have sounded "I'm sorry Harry, I didn't realise it was just a joke I didn't think, I didn't mean to upset him. he says feeling ashamed

Harry sighs "it's ok, I know it was just a mistake"

Ron looks up determinedly "you're right we need to get him out of there before the others find out otherwise they'll have a field day. Do you have a plan to get him out?" he asks nervously.

"Yeah, I've got an idea, I just need to hope that hasn't knocked his confidence too much and he still trusts me. Just go downstairs and make sure no one comes up until I've got him out, and don't tell anyone"

Ron nods shakily "what about Hermione?"

He considers "ok maybe Hermione she may be able to help but, just be careful and make sure no one else hears" Ron nods again, turning unsteadily to leave "Ron" the boy turns "maybe it would be a good idea to tell Professor McGonagall as well she might know what to do" "right yeah" he says not looking forward to that conversation. Harry watches him then turns back, letting himself into the dorm quietly.

He sees a small face peeking out from the covers around one of the beds before ducking back as he walks around sitting near him "I'm sorry about that. That was my friend Ron, he's not normally like that in fact he's a pretty good friend most of the time he just sometimes acts without thinking, he didn't mean to upset you"

Sev nods, wiping a hand across his face "he's gone?" he asks.

"Yep, it's just us. I'm sorry, I should have realised we might be disturbed by my housemates, sorry. Ron's going to make sure no one else disturbs us"

"What did he mean when he said about me being Snape's son?" he asks, looking worried and confused.

"Uh nothing, just ignore that, forget it" Harry says, trying to dismiss it and move the conversation on to something else.

""Come on, I've got something to show you, I think you'll like this" he says encouragingly trying again, he walks over to his trunk and beckons him with a smile, he pauses hesitantly before giving him a small hesitant smile and following him over. He stands behind him trying to get a peek in the trunk as Harry rummages through it before finding something which he lifts out before lifting out a small shimmering bundle nestled in his arms. He looks at it curiously trying to figure out what it is as Harry turns to show him, he reaches out to touch it reverently sensing it's something very special, he's surprised how smooth and soft it feels.

"You know what this is?" Harry asks, he has an idea but shakes his head anyway, not daring to believe "you want to try it and see?" he looks up surprised at the gesture and nods.

Harry bends down unfolding the fabric and carefully drapes it over his shoulders, wrapping it around him and smoothing it out so everything below his shoulders is covered and steps back examining his work, Sev looks down at himself in shock, there's nothing but, the floor, he lifts his hands experimentally he can feel them but, sees nothing more than a small ripple of movement. He looks up at Harry in disbelief, a wild grin spreading across his face "it's an invisibility cloak isn't it?!"

Harry nods, smiling "pretty cool right?" Sev nods smiling, experimenting "reckon that should get you past my housemates without drawing any attention, you think?"

"Yeah" he replies, distracted thinking about how safe he feels hidden in the cloak, all the times he's wished to be invisible, all the fantastic things he could use the cloak for meeting Lily in secret, evading his tormentors, pranking the Marauders he thinks gleefully, exploring and learning new spells in secret. He looks up at Harry longingly, barely daring to ask in case his dreams are dashed "I don't suppose …" he starts trailing off.

Harry looks down at him before understanding the amazing possibilities he must be imagining, he sighs, hating to break his dreams, he kneels, catching his attention, "sorry afraid not, see this is very precious. It belonged to my Father, I never knew him so it means a lot to me. Besides, I think I'm going to need it. Sorry" he apologises an idea already forming in his mind, he notes the boy's visible disappointment, but he tries quickly to hide it.

"Here let's try this" Harry says gently adjusting the cloak and placing it over his head and wrapping it carefully around him, Sev pauses looking up in fascination at the strange patterns the stars and swirls like looking at the night sky from the hill near his house or the ceiling in the Great Hall and then when he refocuses he can see straight out as though there's nothing there at Harry who is smiling back. He gives him a minute to adjust "how's that when you feel ready to go?" he says kindly.

Sev looks back at him and steels himself "I think so" he says.

Harry nods approvingly "you'll be alright, just stay close to me and move quietly" he says, ushering him forward and quietly out of the dorm.

He senses Sev slip in behind him as they head down the stairs and out into the common room, behind him Sev gulps, steeling himself against a rising wave of nausea before following Harry. Despite his rising fear and overwhelming desire to get out of there, he finds himself looking around with interest. The room feels warm and cosy with a small fire blazing in a hearth and comfy well-worn furniture dotted around and students looking relaxed chatting and playing games or reading in small groups, it's quite a contrast to the more formal and gloomy semi-lit Slytherin common room in the dungeons, lacking natural light they feel cold in comparison and menacing bathed in green light.

Harry walks briskly through exchanging brief exchanges with some of his friends who greet him, before noticing Ron and Hermione sitting by themselves, they glance up at him looking worried and he nods to them, feeling them watching him on his way out. He pauses outside the entrance sensing a ripple of movement before calling out to Sev to check he's ok and offering him a hand which he feels is accepted by a small invisible hand. They hurry through the corridors taking care not to be seen, they stop outside the hospital, Sev takes off the cloak handing it to Harry before being ushered in through the doors.

Fortunately, the ward is empty so Harry walks forward calling for the Nurse. Madam Pomfrey quickly appeared out of her office bustling over, looking slightly concerned as usual. "Oh Harry you gave me a start, are you ok? You're not in trouble already are you?" she chastises, stopping upon seeing the strange boy standing nervously looking at the floor

"Who's this then?" She says, bending down to look at him and looking searchingly between the two.

"Hi Madam Pomfrey, this is Sev" he says, the boy looks up shyly at the mention of his name before averting his gaze, Harry indicating to her that they should move away to talk out of earshot of the boy.

She looks at him expectantly, Harry pauses trying to think how to explain this "he says he's Severus Snape, I don't know what happened or how he got here but, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere in my dorm earlier"

Her eyes widened in shock at the mention of the name before looking thoughtful "really?" he nods "I should have guessed when I saw that face, they say you never forget a face you know. What happened?" she says, looking across at the small boy curiously.

He continues, "I'm not sure, I think he may be hurt, it sounded like his father had been trying to give him a beating and he tried to escape and ended up here. I tried to convince him to come down so you could have a look and I could get him out of the dorm but, he was very reluctant to talk about it and he was getting quite distressed at the idea of showing anyone so I suggested I'd come down so you could have a look at me and he could watch"

She shook her head looking sad at the mention of a beating, before nodding, "I suspected as much when he was younger, but I could never get him to confide in me, he was always a somewhat reluctant patient, much like yourself" she recalls chastising him. "That was quick thinking, I'm sure we'll think of some way to encourage him, in the meantime I can perform a scan to check for any injuries. Well, I suppose we'd better take a look at you then. I'll talk with some of the teachers first, I should really let them know what's happened and see if they have any ideas. I suppose I should check that Severus is alright oh and I'll need to gather some supplies. It won't be long dear" she says hurrying away muttering absently to herself.

Harry looks around for Sev and spots him nearby still looking around, distracted and anxious. He approaches him, ushering him over to one of the beds, he puts an arm around him talking softly and reassuring him while they wait.

Soon enough they hear Madam Pomfrey coming back "right come on let's have a look at you" she says gently but firmly, he stands taking off his robes and unbuttoning his shirt while she sets some of the bottles out and pours a measure into two cups. She stands up to examine Harry who slips his shirt off and turns around so she can see his back.

She almost drops her tray of tools as she notices Sev standing awkwardly behind him, looking tentatively up at her before copying Harry, dropping his head and concentrating intently on undoing his shirt buttons before slipping it off and turning to expose his back and dipping his head in embarrassment.

They both look at him surprised before she gasps again, quickly trying to compose herself as she takes in the two boys. Harry's back and shoulders are a strange mosaic of colourful bruises shades of red and mottled purple bruising along with some more sickly colours, there are signs of scars but they appear to be mostly closed and healed over and smaller cuts are running down his arms.

In contrast, the smaller boy's back and arms are a mess of open sores and wounds, old and new and raised red welts that look painful and tender. It is clear to see the imprint of a belt amongst them. Many of the wounds are weeping blood and clear fluid and looking infected. She notes as well how unnaturally thin and small they both look unclothed.

"Oh my look at the two of you, it's a good job you showed me, you shouldn't leave these wounds like this or you could develop a serious infection. You Harry, in particular, should know better, you shouldn't feel you need to hide this from me, I'm here to help you not sit in judgment and interrogate you" she exclaims sadly, fetching two cups of pain relief potion and a calming draught and handing one to each boy, "right then, who's first?" she asks in a more firm but kind tone with her hands on her hips as the two boys look at each other nervously.

"Do you want me to go first, Sev?" Harry asks, and he nods.

"You might as well stick something on while you're waiting, don't want you catching a chill" she advises before sitting down next to Harry and summoning the various bottles and potions to her side.

Sev watches curiously despite his fear as she works. He leans in closer to get a better look before summoning up the courage to ask questions about the treatment, she answers his questions patiently explaining what she's doing and demonstrating the technique with him watching closely before she asks if he wants to try. He applies the salves carefully, making sure to copy the technique. A few of the wounds require dressing, so she demonstrates, allowing him to assist her in wrapping the dressings, nodding her approval, yes, in another life Severus' deft hands and encyclopedic knowledge of potions would have made him an exceptionally talented healer.

As she's finished working on Harry, several of the teachers enter quietly, silently summoning chairs as they sit a distance away, watching, casting disillusionment charms over themselves so as not to embarrass them while they're being treated. The teachers murmur amongst themselves Professor McGonagall comments "looks like Poppy's found herself a keen helper" before teasing Snape "oh he does look like you Severus, I'd forgotten how much you've changed since you were a boy" there are murmurs of agreement as the other heads reminisce.

Snape flushes at her words and sighs, dismissing her "don't be ridiculous Minerva, he looks nothing like me" he drawls causing her to grin, he rolls his eyes, fixing his gaze on the strange boy.

"Oh come now Severus you must admit there is a certain resemblance, I had quite forgotten how you looked when you were young" comes a warm voice from behind startling him, Professor Dumbledore has slipped in unnoticed much to the amusement of the others.

"Not another word" he warns, feeling his face burn with embarrassment. He tries to suppress his annoyance and concentrate on the strange small boy, there is something familiar about him not that he would admit it. Harry stands up to stick a shirt on before sitting down across from the boy, talking to him quietly and offering his hand for him to hold.

There are shocked gasps and whispers as the boy uncovers his back, Snape, in particular, finds himself wincing along with the boy as she cleans and dresses the wounds aware of how painful it must be recalling his own childhood and his embarrassment, was it really that bad? He notes with surprise how Potter squeezes the boy's hand attempting to distract him.

As Madam Pomfrey finishes treating the boy they cancel the disillusionment charms and Harry sees them quietly excusing himself and walking over to the group and greeting them curtly "ah Harry how good to see you" Dumbledore starts kindly.

Snape stands towering over him and glares down "Mr Potter, creating trouble again, I see why am I not surprised. Would you care to explain this boy's presence?" he snarls menacingly, glowering down at the boy who looks at him nervously, trying to think of an appropriate response.

"I don't know sir, he just appeared in my dorm out of nowhere" he stammers nervously knowing it sounds like a lame excuse.

"He just appeared! Really Mr Potter what kind of a fool do you take me for?!" he looms over him, his face livid with anger, the other teachers try to calm him attempting to place a restraining hand on his shoulder, he shrugs them off "do you have any idea of the potential damage you may have caused bringing the boy here?!" he continues in a more menacing hiss, his thin lips curling unpleasantly.

Harry recoils in shock under the onslaught, trying to stammer a reply. Suddenly a small voice startles Snape and Harry "leave him alone it's not his fault!" The imposing figure looks down in shock, the red mist clearing as he takes in the small boy glaring defiantly up his black eyes burning determinedly. The boy had clearly escaped the nurse as his small chest was still exposed and swathed in bandages.

"What?!" he snaps at the boy who stares back at him defiantly.

"It's not his fault sir, at least I don't think it can be" he looks away "you see I was running away from my father, he was trying to give me a beating and I ran and found somewhere to hide. I prayed to anyone who would listen to send me somewhere safe and the next thing I knew I was in his dorm and he was talking to me. He's done nothing but help me and protect me so you shouldn't shout at him like that" he declared, glaring at him.

There's stunned silence as everyone takes this in Snape looks taken aback, his normally sallow skin appearing more pale and sickly than normal as he looks at the boy in shock who continues to fix him with a curious and penetrating gaze, small black eyes boring into his own. Madam Pomfrey approaches him, tapping him gently and handing him a shirt and helping him ease the soft loose shirt over his bandages.

"Don't worry my boy, I see no reason for Harry to be in any trouble. It sounds like he has been most helpful and acted responsibly. The professor was merely stressed out by recent events, causing him to lose his temper, you must excuse his outburst" says Dumbledore calmly, looking sternly in Snape's direction. He offers one of his grandfatherly smiles at the oh so familiar young boy "Now then my boy, please would you be so kind as to indulge an old man and remind me of your name?"

The boy stares up at him "yes headmaster, it's Severus Snape sir" he says which provokes another reaction and more quiet murmuring amongst the staff as they look between the two Snape's, the similarities becoming even more apparent in their anger.

"Ah yes, of course, I remember now Severus, you must forgive an old man for his lapse in memory, unfortunately, there are a lot of student names to remember and they sometimes slip my mind" he says smiling at him, the boy nods.

Meanwhile, Snape continues to stare down at the boy in shock as his anger fades, the whole world seems to slow and fade until it's just him and the boy as he hears him say his name. Silently as though in a trance he drops softly to the floor till he's crouching opposite the boy, who turns to look at him. Carefully he slips a hand under his chin raising his face enough so he's looking directly into the pale thin face, dark intense eyes staring back at him in confusion boring into his own, he gently brushes the boy's dark hair out of his face. Suddenly, without realising what he's doing, he finds himself embracing the small boy, wrapping his arms carefully around his tiny frame, engulfing him in the billowing layers of black fabric.

Sev is surprised by the sudden change in the man. He expects to feel uncomfortable, looking into this man's eyes and yet he senses a change in him. The hand that lifts his face is gentle and soft in spite of the callouses, the man's dark eyes gleam with sadness. He is startled when he embraces him but accepts it readily, his touch is gentle and careful and it feels safe engulfed in the dark soft fabric like a protective blanket. Up close he smells pleasantly of dried herbs, he breathes in the soothing, reassuring scent imagining himself back in the potions lab, the one place where he feels truly safe. He feels a connection between them he can't explain, he frowns, he senses overwhelming sadness in him as though he's lost something important as though there's something broken or missing within the man. He can't explain it but, he hugs him back trying to heal this broken man and feels him relax as his heartbeat slows.

Suddenly the trance is broken Snape becomes aware once more of his surroundings and everyone stares at him in stunned, amused silence. He can't believe he's just done that, he thinks he must either be ill or going soft to have hugged a child in front of his fellow teachers. Perhaps it's the idea that this neglected and abused young boy who reminds him so much of himself could grow up never knowing what it is like to be loved that has moved him to such strange displays of affection. Carefully he slips his arms from around the boy, helping him up and running a hand over his hair before standing up, composing himself making sure the stone-cold mask is back in place before looking around, glaring at them all, daring them to laugh or pass comment in front of him.

Sev looks up at the strange man deep in thought until something clicks "you're Professor Snape aren't you? The other boys said I looked like Snape and I didn't understand but, this must be what they meant. I didn't realise there were any wizards on my Father's side" he muses shrugging at the last bit.

There is another stunned silence as Snape stares at him in surprise, amazed at the boy's logical deductions he looks across at Dumbledore searchingly, and he raises an eyebrow at him curious to see how he will answer that one.

"Ah yes, you're quite right, I believe you know your other professors, Professor Snape is indeed a distant relative who has recently joined our staff and has been spending a lot of time assisting Professor Slughorn in the dungeons, you will probably not see much of him when you return to your studies" he says calmly. Snape glowers at him for a moment as the smug expression is wiped from his face at the suggestion that he's acting as an apprentice to Slughorn before realising reluctantly that the explanation is sensible without confusing the boy.

"Now then I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will want you both in bed soon but, I was wondering if you would perhaps be so good as to have a quick chat with me, I must confess I am quite keen to hear some of your adventure and how you are doing with your studies" the Headmaster says smiling kindly and gesturing for Sev and Harry to join him in sitting on one of the beds, they chat amicably with Dumbledore asking him about Sev's favourite subjects.

"I enjoyed helping Madam Pomfrey earlier, it was interesting learning about the medicines she was using. I like potions as well, I'd like to be able to make my own someday and I enjoy Defence Against The Dark Arts. I already know a lot of the spells and Harry showed me some of his favourites and his Patronus. A lot of my friends want to learn about dark magic but Harry said I should be careful with learning dark magic" he says speaking enthusiastically but looking nervous at the last bit.

"He knows his stuff, I swear he knows more potions than me" Harry admits smiling at him and winking.

"That is hardly surprising given how little you pay attention in my class" Snape commented snidely.

"I am glad to see you showing an interest in healing, which is a very positive sign and I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will always be glad of some extra assistance if you want to learn more. I'm glad to hear you have taken such an interest in potions and Defence Against The Dark Arts. It is useful to have a good knowledge of defensive spells and the Patronus spell is a particularly powerful light magic spell and very useful one to learn. Harry is wise to warn you against the dark arts, many of the spells can be powerful and dangerous, particularly for young students" Dumbledore says seriously.

At this point, Snape, who has been standing nearby observing their conversation, moves forward to join them "whilst your friend and the Headmaster are correct to warn you against the dark arts and caution you against practising the spells, it is also worth noting that the study of the dark arts in itself is not a bad thing so much as how you choose to use that information. Although perhaps it would be better to study with proper guidance as they can be quite addictive. The more you know about the dark arts and understand how they work, the better prepared you will be to defend yourself against them and to identify the signs of dark magic and counter them. For example, to be able to cast a counter curse you need to be able to identify which curse was cast, to begin with, a skill which will surely serve you well if you choose to pursue a career as a healer" he points out smiling slightly and fixing the Headmaster with a pointed glare in the direction of his hand.

"Ah yes thank you, Professor Snape does indeed raise some good points, his knowledge of the Dark Arts has indeed proved invaluable although I would still recommend studying them with a good measure of caution"

Professor Snape continues silently observing the two boys mesmerised by the boy who so resembles himself as a child feeling baffled by how he interacts so happily with Potter of all people. After a while he approaches them again and clears his throat causing them both to look at him in surprise "Mr Snape, a word if I may" he intones trying to keep his voice to his normal smooth monotone.

Sev exchanges a worried glance with Harry who looks back at him in sighs rolling his eyes at their clear mistrust of him "I assure you that contrary to the rumours flying about I am not a monster who will eat you up, I merely want to talk to you"

They look at him in shock before the boy considers and slowly nods his assent "uh ok sir" he replies nervously.

"You sure Sev?" "Yeah, I'll be alright" he says trying to assume an air of confidence and smile at him.

"Ok well just be careful alright" Harry warns him.

They are interrupted by Snape's impatient voice "come" he commands without looking back to check if the boy is following, striding over to the office his black robes billowing impressively behind him. Sev stares after him mesmerised for a moment wondering if he can learn how to get his robes to do that one day.

He watches him go before ushering the Headmaster away from everyone else for a private chat, he talks quietly to him before handing him a small pouch and roll of parchment, the Headmaster nods and smiles approvingly at the boy's suggestion a twinkle in his eyes.

Sev follows the mysterious dark-clad man into the nurse's office where he finds him seated behind the desk. He makes his way quietly over and slips into the other chair glancing a look at the man who is sitting with his hands steepled in front of them, his dark eyes watching him intently but apparently deep in thought.

He waits for him to speak, when it becomes apparent this is not going to happen, he nervously clears his throat "uh, you wanted to see me, sir?" he asks.

This appears to break the trance on the man and he startled him suddenly launching into the conversation "I was surprised to find that you had made friends with Mr Potter, a known and persistent troublemaker" he said with distaste.

Sev blinks in astonishment before trying to formulate a reply "yeah I guess I have, what of it? He's been good to me" he thinks back to earlier and suddenly feels anger rising inside him "you shouldn't have shouted at him like that earlier. He really didn't do anything wrong he just tried to help me" he tells him the words out of his mouth before he can think about the wisdom of them, whoops maybe that was a mistake to scold a teacher like that he thinks biting his lip nervously not daring to look up and meet his eye.

Snape blinks at him in surprise before shaking himself out of it "yes well that was another thing" he admits looking embarrassed and uncomfortable, clearing his throat "I wanted to apologise for earlier, it was a mistake, I don't normally lose my temper like that but he bring out the worst in me, he has an uncanny knack for finding trouble and ways to test my patience."

"You shouldn't shout at people like that" Sev tells him glowering "I don't like it when people shout like that. It reminds me of my dad, he's always shouting at people, using his words and his fists to hurt me and my mum" he admits hugging himself, shivering at the memory of his father coming home blind drunk intent on taking his anger out on the first thing that moved or made a noise.

There's silence for a minute as Snape digests that. Of all the things he could have said to him that cuts right through him like a knife. He swore growing up that he would never be like his violent, abusive, drunken father, that he would never allow himself to frighten another child like that to lash out at them with violence or threats the way his father did to him and yet apparently there must be occasions when he has done just that and allowed his temper to get the better of him.

Sure, he has an acid tongue, caustic wit and a reputation for being menacing and intimidating, even reducing the occasional student to tears, but that was to be expected if he was to maintain his reputation as the evil bat of the dungeons. Dumbledore surely knew what he was getting himself into employing a former death eater as a teacher and a spy, a volatile 21-year-old man who had lost everything and been coerced into teaching children could hardly be expected to have a sunny disposition. No, the old man certainly didn't employ him because he had a way with children more likely it was so he could his new prize pet on a tight leash and make sure he didn't revert back to his old dark ways.

He shook himself out of that line of musing, no, a stern hand was called for, particularly when working with volatile, potentially explosive ingredients, and inattentive and clumsy children like Longbottom, who was an explosion waiting to happen. But that was all surely part of the game, wasn't it playing his part as the mean hated teacher so as not to arouse suspicion and yet making sure not to cross the line between being intimidating and genuinely terrifying, abusive even, had he really gone that far that they saw him in that way with the same fear he held for his father.

"I know, I know what that's like. I'm sorry, I never meant that" he tells him uneasily, but with genuine remorse.

Sev looked at him in confusion for a moment before he nods in silent acknowledgement, collecting himself. He calms down and frowns as he gathers his thoughts together "you don't like him, do you?"

Snape's head snaps up at this "Potter, you mean?" he nods in the affirmative.

"Why?" questioned the boy looking perplexed.

Snape gave him a look as though he was stupid and should already know the answer. When it appeared that was not the case he replied "is it not obvious? Perhaps the more appropriate question should be why don't you hate him?" he countered, raising an eyebrow.

Sev looked at him in astonished confusion for a minute before it hit him "no, oh you mean because he looks like Potter?" to which he received a pointed look as though to say well duh "no, he's nothing like the Potter I know. The Potter I know is a vain, arrogant, self-obsessed bully who seems to have nothing better to do than go around hexing people he doesn't like or offend him simply by existing. "Harry, well, he's just Harry," he said simply as though that explained everything before a thought occurred to him, "wait, how do you know about Potter?"

Damn the boy was smart, he'd nearly caught him out, not that that was entirely unexpected if he was a Snape and a Slytherin to boot. Still, he hadn't been a spy all these years without learning to think on his feet so it was easy enough to compose a believable response using the back story Dumbledore had given him and his own personal history. He replied smoothly

"Mr Potter's father wanted only the best for his only son" he sneered with ease "he was looking for a private tutor and was on good terms with Professor Slughorn who personally recommended me as the youngest certified potion master to tutor him in basic potions and several other subjects. Unfortunately, I found his son to be as you described rude, lazy and inattentive with little respect for authority and an inexplicable need to show off in front of an audience while recklessly endangering his own life much like your new friend. In particular, I found that he enjoyed trying to irritate me by making hurtful and often insulting, personal or embarrassing comments towards my person when he would not get his own way much like some of the current students" he muttered the last part and paused "since starting here I have also heard from the other teachers about his supposedly jovial antics and how he delights in hexing and pranking unfortunate students like yourself. I myself have suffered at the hands of many spoiled rotten arrogant students like him and thus detest arrogant bullies like him"

"And that's why you hate Harry because he reminds you of James Potter and happens to look like him?" he clarified, disbelievingly.

"That is part of the reason. We rub each other the wrong way, he is arrogant and reckless, constantly playing the heroes for his adoring fans and putting himself in danger, just like James Potter" he states only briefly pausing to stop himself from saying just like his father.

Sev pondered this. This was all very strange, he sensed something was going on that they weren't telling him. There was something very odd about this strange darkly clad man although he did a good job of covering it. He was meant to be Professor Slughorn's assistant but that didn't make sense, for starters this man clearly knew a lot about potions (and the dark arts for that matter) possibly more even than Slughorn and shouting aside appeared to be a very competent and experienced teacher although he supposed he might have had plenty of practise if he'd been teaching private students.

That brought him on to James and Harry. His dislike for James seemed to extend far beyond a teacher taking a dislike to a student to pure loathing, his disgust and hatred written across every inch of his face as though he truly understood what he was going through and had experienced firsthand his cruel pranks. But how was that possible? Then there was the relationship between him and Harry. The way they both acted around each other, Harry looked to be nearing the end of his education and based on how he acted wary of the Professor and the way he, in turn, spoke of Harry's antics and the mutual dislike of each other it seemed as though they had known each other for quite a long time.

Yet that didn't make sense if he was simply assisting Professor Slughorn besides which he didn't remember seeing him around Hogwarts and he was sure that he'd remember seeing such a striking and imposing figure if he'd been here last year, certainly he was the sort of figure that the other students would have been talking about in hushed whispers and making pains to point out to him that they shared the same last name.

That was another thing as well, his relatives were few and far between and he was sure that when he and Lily had snuck into the library intent on looking up their family history that he had not uncovered any magical relatives on his father's side of the family. Yet he seemed familiar in a way that he couldn't place, he hadn't been the only one to notice it clearly, Harry had certainly noticed it when he first saw him and his friend had certainly made it painfully obvious that he thought they were related.

No, something definitely didn't add up here, in fact, he was beginning to wonder if he hadn't travelled a bit farther than even he could comprehend although quite how that was possible he didn't understand.

Focusing back on the current conversation he addressed the imposing man "with respect sir that seems like a pretty stupid reason to dislike someone to me just because they happen to remind you of someone that you dislike"

He arched his eyebrows in surprise, how was it that this child could cut through him and render him gobsmacked time after time. His appearance of being a timid nervous boy was clearly receptive as he was quite brazen around him or perhaps that was the bit of fire and anger in him that was brought up when he prodded the embers, yes there was certainly something of himself in this strange dark-haired boy.

He quickly recovered himself, responding with a sharp retort "perhaps, but you do not know him as I do. He is arrogant, reckless and impetuous, rushing headlong into danger without any regard for his own safety, constantly seeking attention instead of seeking help from those who are entrusted with his care. It is a miracle that I have managed to keep him alive this long" he muttered this last part more to himself than to the boy.

"With respect sir I don't see that side to him, I'm sure that if he gets himself into danger that there must be a good reason for it and not because he is deliberately seeking it out and based on what he told me of his relatives I can see why he would have a hard time trusting adults, it's not as though he's been given a lot of reason to in the past"

He chose to dismiss most of that statement although he made a mental note to investigate the boy's relatives and supposed guardians at some point to see whether this tallied with the memories he had seen during occlumency lessons last year. Much as he hated to admit it, there was the possibility that he'd been wrong in assuming the boy had grown up spoiled and pandered to by his relatives, still, that was a problem for another day.

"Yes, well I suppose you wouldn't have seen that side of him, it is rather early in the year for him to be putting his life in mortal peril. Rest assured though if you spent enough time with him he would no doubt have enlisted your help fighting a Basilisk in some long-hidden chamber, intercepting would-be thieves and convicted murderers or perhaps fighting a mountain troll with nothing more than a wand" he said raising an eyebrow at the boy's suitably gobsmacked expression "I kid you not and this is only a sample of his adventures up to his third year, quite the resume is it not?" he said smugly watching the boys' gobsmacked expression as his jaw practically hit the floor.

"Uh … yeah. He's still nothing like Potter though" Sev replied stubbornly, struggling to come up with a better counter to that long list, it did sound like the kind of thing James would do but he and his band of friends would do it to show off and boast how clever and strong and brave they were, whereas he simply couldn't imagine Harry doing something like that just for attention or for laughs.

"Oh really?" he stated sounding unimpressed and unconvinced "so you mean to tell me that he hasn't once tried to prank or bully you? Call you names? Insult you? Laugh or taunt you? Call you a greasy git, vampire or dungeon bat?" He continued listing them off.

"No he didn't" he replied honestly, "he's been very good to me, he's treated me very well, he's been kind and been supportive and given me good advice, he even showed me how to cast a Patronus, he said it was powerful magic" Snape raised an eyebrow questioningly, Sev pondered for a minute "well there was this one incident" he starts.

Here we go Snape thought gleefully, the proof, the incriminating evidence that Potter really is an arrogant bully just like his father.

"You see he was just trying to convince me to go down to the hospital because he was worried that I might be injured and that I wouldn't like to be in a room full of rowdy Gryffindors when one of his friends burst in and disturbed us, Harry tried his best shield me from him, but his friend spotted me and he started saying all these nasty things like calling you names and saying I was your son and that you'd kept me chained down in the dungeons" he paused for a breath, clearly the memory was upsetting "well I could tell Harry was really upset and angry, he took him outside and gave him a good talking to. I don't know what he said to him but I wouldn't have wanted to have been his friend he was fuming"

Snape had to blink and quickly hide his shock, that most certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting. His friend could only be the Weasley boy, the redhead was famous for his fiery temper and tendency to act with his mouth before thinking things through and he was well known for his vocal dislike for him. The fact that Potter stood up to his best friend to defend a boy who to all intents and purposes looked like a younger version of his hated potions professor left him dumbfounded. Perhaps he really had been misjudging the boy.

"And you'll never guess what" he said leaning forward conspiratorially as though to whisper some great secret "He even let me use his invisibility cloak so I could sneak past the Gryffindors without them hassling me, it was brilliant!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up with a big mischievous grin.

Now that was certainly unexpected. Much as he hated Potter and that dratted invisibility cloak which had caused so much trouble in the hands of both Potters he had to admit that that seemed like a true act of kindness and sensitivity on the part of the younger Potter that was much more reminiscent of his mother than his father. Well, it certainly appeared the boy had given him a lot to think about he thought as he dismissed him, perhaps he was going to have to reassess some of his opinions about him.

Poppy prepares some more sleeping and pain-relieving potions as the boys get ready for bed, and after a moment thought she decides that both boys will benefit from nutrition potions as well. While they are getting ready, she also summons a House Elf to fetch some cups of hot chocolate and biscuits before carefully examining Sev to make sure his dressings will be ok.

When they are done she ushers them into bed making sure both boys are comfortable and well supported so as not to aggravate their injuries before dimming the lights and heading for her office. The potions are quick to take effect, leaving both boys feeling drowsy

"What did Professor Snape want with you Sev, he didn't hurt you did he?"

"No" Sev replied frowning "It was really strange, he wanted to talk to me about you. He kept comparing you with James and making out as though that was why he hated you, seems pretty strange reason not to like someone don't you think?"

"Yeah I guess" he replied uneasily thinking about the memory he'd seen in the pensive and thinking he couldn't really blame him after the way his father acted not to mention the way he blundered about from one disaster to another, no matter what he did it seemed as though he couldn't help but get on his nerves. He turned his attention back to the little boy who was nodding off in the next bed across from him: "You did well today Sev you really surprised us with how brave you were"

"Thanks Harry" he replied drowsily part opening one sleepy eye and smiling blearily.

Madam Pomfrey checks on them regularly and is satisfied by their relatively peaceful expressions that the dreamless sleep potions were a good idea as the sun shines in warmly, she leaves them before gently waking Harry. It doesn't take much longer for Sev to rouse himself from his contented sleep, so she summons a House Elf to bring up some breakfast and fetches more potions. When they have finished she examines them and she is pleased to see an improvement. Most of the sores have healed and the colourful bruising that covered Harry's back has faded to a normal colour, she applies some more cream and salves to his back before giving him a clean bill of health and explaining that the Headmaster wants to see both boys later after his classes he nods promising to check back in with Sev later before heading off to his lessons.

She turns her attention to her other young charge, an idea already forming for how to keep him entertained without him getting into more trouble wandering through a castle full of students. Fortunately, the infirmary is still quiet with no other patients to treat so after treating and redressing his sores she asks him if he wants to help her some more and learn some basic healing spells and practical skills, the boy nods enthusiastically and so she finds herself spending the next few hours teaching the boy several basic healing and diagnostic spells she patiently explains how the spell is used and demonstrating the proper wand movements before allowing him to try for himself and she also summons some wizarding dummies to practise some more practical skills on.

She is pleased to find that the boy engages easily with the work, quickly mastering the basic spells and asking appropriate questions about what they're doing. Before too long he has mastered Episkey, Reparifors and a basic bandaging charm and is well on his learning the reviving, shock and stamina charms.

She writes down the names of a few books she thinks he will find interesting, including a book on healing spells, one she thinks he will find particularly interesting covering a range of healing potions, salves and cream explaining their uses and how to brew them correctly, and a guide to healing plants in Britain explaining their uses and how to identify them. She smiles at him pleased to see the once nervous boy coming out of his shell and taking an interest in being healed instead of hiding from her as she gives him the list along with a selection of things he can use if he needs to heal himself, reminding him that she's always happy to have an extra pair of hands and if he ever wants more experience he's more than welcome to help her in his spare time.

"Thank you, I'd like that, it's been really interesting learning all the new spells today. I'll try to come down when I have some spare time and try to find copies of some of those books. They look really interesting" he says enthusiastically.

After he's finished his classes Harry rushes up to the Owlery after he's finished his last class of the day, he steps in looking around before seeing a familiar snowy white owl at the far end who swoops down towards him dropping a small wrapped parcel which Harry catches easily before she lands on his shoulder and greets him with some soft chirps and a gentle nip, he strokes her affectionately and walking over to a nearby perch holding out his arm for her. He checks the time heading down to the Infirmary for some food and a catch up with Sev before they both head up to the Headmasters office, he is pleased to hear him talk with obvious enthusiasm about all the spells he's learnt.

They quickly reach the stone gargoyle outside the Headmaster's office and are quickly summoned through after giving the password of lemon drops and are quickly called into his office with the Headmaster asking them about their day, he is pleased to see Harry settling into his studies with his friends and to learn that the boy has enjoyed learning from Madam Pomfrey before explaining that it will soon be time for Severus to return home, he gives the boy a small bundle of letters asking him to send them to Hogwarts when he gets back, Sev looks sad at this news and confused about the letters. The Headmaster then reaches into his desk and produces two beautiful and identical leather-bound journals and matching quills.

He explains that these journals will allow the two boys to stay in touch with each other asking them both to demonstrate by writing something in their copy of the book, Harry writes first introducing himself and writing a quick greeting, to his surprise when Sev opens his copy he sees the message appear on the first page and quickly writes a reply, Dumbledore explains that the two books are magically linked so that anything one of them writes will appear in the other book but, that whatever they write will only be visible to the two boys unless they use a revealing charm on the book to allow someone else to see what's been written.

Both boys thank him for this incredible and thoughtful gift before Harry turns to Sev and produces a small wrapped parcel which he hands over to him, he looks up surprised at being given another gift, he eagerly unwraps it staring at the contents in amazement before carefully lifting the contents out revealing an invisibility cloak of his very own, it is certainly not of the same quality as the one belonging to Harry which he used the previous night but, it is still amazing and beautiful and it's for him, Harry explained that he was aware of a shop in Diagon Alley that specialises in rare items including invisibility cloaks and with Dumbledores help he sent them an owl last night asking to purchase one so that Sev could use it to hide from his tormentors at school and at home and maintain his friendship with Lily without attracting unwanted attention.

He wraps the book and letters up inside the cloak, finding a suitable pocket to stuff them into before standing up suddenly hugging Harry and thanking him for this amazing gift and all his help, Harry smiles remembering what he's learnt of the boys home life he subtly slips a small pouch of coins into his robes hoping this may help him to buy something nice like the books Madam Pomfrey recommended. He ruffles the boy's hair enjoying this moment as suddenly a cloud of magic swirls up round and round the small boy engulfing him in a green sparkling mist before blowing away leaving him embracing nothing more than a memory, as suddenly as the boy arrived he's gone again, he turns back to Dumbledore in confusion full of questions.

"Please have a seat, Harry, I'm sure you have a lot of questions" the Headmaster says, kindly indicating the chairs.

"Sir, what happened? Who was he? Was he really, well you know" he tails off unsure how to finish that thought.

Dumbledore gazes back at him for a moment thinking before replying "Professor Snape? No, I don't think so, at least not as we know him. I believe the boy travelled here from another reality using accidental magic"

Harry's eyes widened at this "another reality sir, is that, is it even possible?"

"I believe so, although I'll admit that I'm not aware of any examples of it actually happening. However, it is theorised that our every action affects our future creating many divergent timelines so it is not unreasonable to assume that there are other realities that exist parallel to our own where the future looks very different to our own. I believe that this boy is from one of those realities where time moves more slowly meaning that his future has not yet been written. If he was simply a younger version of our own Professor Snape, I believe that we would have quickly felt the effects of his presence as it would have affected our own timeline potentially with disastrous consequences having him travel here from the past and meeting himself, you understand?"

Harry nods slowly, taking it all in "I think so" suddenly something occurs to him "oh wait is that why Professor Snape was so mad at me?"

"Yes, I believe he was initially under the impression that the boy was a younger version of himself, as you might imagine he was quite distressed when he found out in spite of our best efforts to keep from him the nature of the emergency."

"Yeah I bet that was quite weird, I didn't mean for him to get upset, I always seem to mess things up where Professor Snape is concerned" he said soberly as he realised just what kind of thoughts may have been going through his Professor's mind.

"Now now you must not allow yourself to get down. It was not your fault, you did what you thought was best and tried to keep him safe besides which Professor Snape must also take responsibility for his actions, he is somewhat inclined to allow his past to cloud his judgment where you are concerned which unfortunately rarely helps matters between you. At any rate, it was perhaps not the best idea to inform him of the boy's arrival although I think we were all quite surprised when he concluded that Professor Snape was a distant relative"

"Yeah that was a close one, Ron saw him and called him Snape's son and I slipped up and called him Snape when I first saw him, I think he assumed there must be someone else called Snape here, I'm not sure that he didn't suspect something though"

"Perhaps even as a child Severus was very intelligent, quiet but very observant, it has served him well in his duties for the order and has been essential in ensuring his survival"

"As a spy?" Harry asked, curious to learn more about the man he was meant to trust, Dumbledore merely nodded so he instead pondered what he had just said. "Wait, if he used accidental magic why did he end up here of all places?"

Dumbledore ponders this for a minute, closing his eyes in thought "that is a good question. I am not entirely sure, but I believe he was drawn here because Hogwarts is a place where he feels safe"

"Ok, but why me Sir, surely he didn't associate me with safety, I mean he thought I was my dad at first" Harry asks, still confused.

"I can only assume his magic sought out someone who could help him, a kindred spirit who had experienced similar trauma and could help him heal, now that he has started to heal the magic that brought him here sensed it was the right time to send him home. I believe you both have more in common than many people would realise"

"Yeah, you know I realised that we were perhaps not so different as I first thought. He needed someone to help him heal, I think I did too. It was kind of strange, like having a brother, someone to protect and look after, but I liked that, I always wanted a real brother when I was younger. You know, I think he just needed some guidance. I'm going to miss him. Do you think he's going to be alright?"

"You know Harry, I think he's going to be fine. With your guidance and advice, he has a chance of having a happy life now. I am glad that you built up such a strong bond with him, I wish I had been able to provide you with a better family, alas I made a lot of mistakes and didn't realise how bad things were until it was too late. You did a very good job looking at him, he clearly seemed happy being with you and seemed much more confident than I remember him being when he was a student here at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey explained how you managed to convince him to get treatment and said that she was very impressed with how well you dealt with the problem and came up with a creative solution to get him the help he needed"

"Thank you, Sir, I'm just glad he was happy and safe and had his wounds treated, it's quite different having to look after someone else, I would have felt guilty knowing he was suffering and having not done anything to help him" he pauses thinking something occurs to him as he thinks about the journals they've been given. "Do you think I should tell him you know about Voldermort and the Horcruxes and everything, was that why you gave us the journals?"

Dumbledore stares at him before putting his hands together as he often does when in deep thought "that my dear boy is a very good point and a difficult question to answer" he thinks about Severus Snape who he has known since he was only a young scared boy, he didn't recognise the signs back then or at least failed to act on them to do enough to save the boy from being bullied growing bitter and falling to the darkness.

He's known him for so many years, he's seen how he's suffered for his mistakes losing his friends, tormented by losing Lily the only woman he had ever loved, unable to move on, the man has spent a miserable life in torment and servitude trying to repent for his own mistakes. He wishes that he could go back and put things right for him, he can not but, perhaps this is a chance to save another life from following the same path perhaps to save many more lives if Voldermort can be stopped sooner. He knows all too well the dangers of misusing power but, if that future is indeed unwritten in that reality then surely this is a chance to do some real good he decides.

"I think you have already caused a great change in his life. I believe it would be prudent to share your adventures with him albeit with some slight alterations you understand? I think he will find them interesting if he wants to learn more. You could tell him what you know about Voldermort and what we have learnt about the Horcruxes. I believe in this instance if his future is unwritten then this information could have the power to change his future for the better this information could make it much easier to defeat Voldermort before he rises to full power and could save a lot of lives"

He pauses, reflecting.

"I have always regretted that I wasn't able to do more for Professor Snape when he was younger, I fear I have neglected you both, perhaps if he had the right help and guidance his life might have been very different and happier, I think he would want the boy to have a chance for the happy life he missed out on"

That was a mistake he was not making this time around, he had sent the boy off with carefully worded letters alluding to the boy's situation and his likely future if he felt abandoned and was left to follow the same path and repeat the mistakes of this world's Snape. Hopefully, this would be enough to convince that worlds Dumbledore to take some positive action to safeguard his future, and if not certainly a good ear-bending from their worlds matron would help him along the way courtesy of the letter he'd sent her.

Meanwhile, Sev opens his eyes slowly and realises he's no longer embracing his new friend, he looks around to find himself standing back in his room. He listens, hearing the footsteps again, coming up the stairs towards him, he thinks quickly trying not to panic he runs quietly to his bed lying down flat on it before feeling in his pocket he grasps the invisibility cloak quickly unwrapping it he hides the book that falls out before draping to cloak over him lifting his head to check he's completely covered. Moments later he hears the door pushed open, his father's angry voice shouting as he walks across the room checking the cupboard before looming over him. He can smell the overwhelming stench of cheap lager on him. He closes his eyes, trying to force himself not to breathe or move until he hears the steps moving away his father grumbling to himself about him, he lies still a few minutes longer relieved to have escaped a beating for once.

Slowly he sits up pulling the cloak off of him retrieving the journal and laying it on the bed with the cloak, he becomes aware of a weight in his pockets and empties out the pockets smiling as he retrieves the list of books and bundle of medical supplies and stares in amazement as he feels the bag of coins tipping it out his eyes light up, there's several galleons along with a few knuts and sickles probably enough for the books Madam Pomfrey recommended he ponders on this unspoken act of generosity grinning smiling again as he remembers Harry slipping his arms around him a suspicion forming in his mind, he'll have to write to him and thank him again. Just wait until he tells Lilly about this she'll never be able to believe it he thinks smiling, he has a feeling this is going to be a good year.

Harry exits the Headmaster's Office and stops with a start on noticing his potions teacher waiting patiently outside "uh hi Professor" he says nervously preparing to walk straight past.

"Potter, thank you" he turns startled, looking at him questioningly, "Sir?" "For looking after the boy, I mean. I'm sorry I snapped at you last night" he clarifies, sounding slightly embarrassed at apologising to him of all people before resuming his normal annoyed expression.

Harry looks away, unsure how to feel about this unexpected apology "uh, that's ok, I'm sorry Sir, I didn't realise what it must be like, what you'd been through" suddenly he finds it much more interesting to look at his feet than Snape's "I imagine it must have been a shock meeting him"

There is a moment of uncertain silence, Snape looks at him trying to compose himself as he looms over him, replying in a low menacing whisper "Potter, you do realise that boy was not me?"

Harry recoils at this nervously stammering slightly "oh of course sir, I didn't mean to imply that he was, really"

Snape sighs silently, cursing himself. Years of being the hated and intimidating bat of the dungeon are hard to break, he walks to a bench nearby gesturing for the boy to take a seat next to him "I perhaps didn't phrase that particularly well, Dumbledore has explained his theory on where the boy came from correct?" Harry nodded "While it is true technically speaking that we are the same person, he is nothing like me at that age, too much has changed in him, he is much happier and more confident than I remember being at that age. I am certain that his future is now set on a different path than mine was at that age, do you see what I mean?"

"Yes sir. I was just thinking that it was pretty brave the way he stood up to you, anyone who can stand up to you like that has got to be a Snape" he says hastily, smiling at the memory and thinking that it was either bravery or he had a death wish he thinks looking up at him to check if he's overstepped the mark.

He looks down at him a look of annoyance passing over his face before shaking it off, an amused smile passing over his face as he thinks how he met his equal in a young 12-year-old boy "quite it takes a very brave or foolish soul indeed to stand up to me, clearly he does not know me very well, perhaps I'm losing my touch"

Harry smiles at this "don't worry sir we all still fear you and we have a fun little tradition of telling all the first years tales of our fearsome potions master to have them quaking in their boots with fear. Besides, I know if I ever said anything like that you'd give me at least a week's detention scrubbing out cauldrons or cutting up Flobberworms"

"Trust me, Potter, if you behaved in that fashion, a month's worth of detention would be the least of your worries" he replies with a smirk forming on his thin lips.

Harry's face pales momentarily as he tries to determine whether he really means it or if it's simply Snape's dark sense of humour, he sits in thought for a moment. "Do you think he ever suspected the truth?"

Snape glances at him pondering the question before replying, "I honestly can't say. It sounds as though there were a few slip-ups and if he's as intelligent as he appeared and as I was at that age he will probably have begun to suspect something didn't add up, although whether he realised that we were essentially the same person is another matter"

"Yeah, he was a pretty smart kid just lacking in friends and good role models. I can see where you get your passion for potions from though"

Snape smiled in amusement "that obvious hm?" He replies, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah" Harry confirmed, sharing his amusement before turning more thoughtful as he thought back to his new young friend who he would probably never see again.

They sit there a few moments in silence before Harry breaks the silence "I'm really going to miss him sir" he says thoughtfully his teacher looking down at him "it's funny I knew who he was as soon as I saw his face, but I never thought of him as being you, he was just a scared, traumatised young kid who needed a friend to look out for him and guide him and care. It's strange, it was kind of like having a brother, I always wanted that, someone, who understood what it was like who would look out for me and I think I ended up protecting him like he was my brother. I think we both needed that. It helped me, after everything that happened last year it distracted me"

Snape looks down at him thoughtfully taking in all that he's said, he's never been good with emotions and grand speeches, he lays a hand gently on the boy's shoulder noting the boy flinching slightly at the touch, he looks up at him, "That is good, believe it or not, but even I don't get much pleasure in seeing you moping around looking sorry for yourself. Dumbledore says you did a good job looking after the boy, it's not often that I agree with him but, in this instance, I am inclined to agree'' he clears his throat "I don't give out praise lightly but, you uh did well Potter I am impressed with how you dealt with the situation. No child should have to experience what you have both been through, you have given him a chance now to have a better life than I did, for that I thank you" he says solemnly with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Harry looks up at him in shocked silence before he rises and starts walking away his black robes billowing around him, he looks for a moment before getting up and walking in the opposite direction before a voice startles him he turns "oh and Potter if you tell anyone what I just said you really will get at least a weeks detention, can't have the world thinking I'm going soft on you, I do have a reputation to maintain" he says smoothly giving the boy a hard ice-cold stare before turning a smile on his thin lips.

He gapes at him for a minute "no sir, of course not" he says shocked at first, then trying to stifle a laugh he walks away smiling and shaking his head, he wonders if he'll ever figure Snape out.

The next evening after classes Harry feels the need to clear his head, he heads outside down to the lake until he sees a very special old Beech tree overhanging the lake. He pauses as he gets nearer, spotting a dark figure sitting still under the tree, he walks a bit nearer being careful not to make any noise, the man is sitting completely still cross-legged with his hands in front of him in a pose that appears very much like the muggle art of meditating. He contemplates whether he should turn back, he glances again he seems to be in a deep trance, he walks quietly behind him and sits down relaxing against the tree trunk a distance away from him being careful not to disturb the man, he looks out across the lake, it is a beautiful view with the sun setting light reflecting off the water, he closes his eyes enjoying the gentle cooling breeze on his face and finds himself drifting off.

Suddenly he wakes with a start wondering how long he has been out? He looks around, everything appears the same, Snape appears not to have moved, he smiles and relaxes leaning back against the tree when he is startled by a silky soft voice "ah Mr Potter to what do I owe the pleasure? It appears I can't even relax in peace without being followed"

He gulps "I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you, I just needed to clear my head and get some fresh air and well Sev said this was one of his favourite places to come and think and get away from everyone, he said it was very peaceful. I didn't know you were going to be here honest"

"He is correct, it is quite peaceful, normally'' there is silence for a while as Snape resumes trying to sort silently through his memories to analyse and sift through the emotions and turmoil of the last few days, it is an extension of his Occlumency exercises that is very much needed.

"Sir, I did want to say something since you were here if that's ok?" a voice says hesitantly.

He sighs, realising he is not likely to make much more progress tonight, trust an overly curious Potter to once again disrupt his plans for a quiet life "go on then since you have already disturbed me"

Harry flushes feeling increasingly embarrassed, he gulps bracing himself for what he needs to say "sorry sir I didn't mean to."

"Out with it Potter, I don't have all night" he snaps impatiently.

"Right, sir. I've been meaning to apologise for what happened last year, I know you probably won't believe me when I say this but, I am sorry for looking at your memories I feel really bad about it. I don't know why I did it or what I was expecting, I guess I was angry, I felt abandoned and betrayed like people were hiding information from me and I thought I don't know, maybe it would be something useful that would help me. I never imagined I would see that memory, it was horrible and I can see why you didn't want me to see it, I'd be pretty upset as well if someone saw something like that"

He sighed bracing himself "I know you won't believe me but I am sorry. I'm sorry for the way I acted and that I violated your privacy, and for what it's worth I'm sorry for the way my father acted, the way he hexed you like that for no reason in front of the whole school it was just, well it made me feel sick. I didn't want to believe that he really was as bad as you made out, guess I didn't realise just how tough it was for you growing up until I saw it for myself, I get why you'd hate me"

Snape tries to suppress the anger threatening to rise, it was a decent attempt at an apology and the last part clenched at even his cold heart. He took a deep, calming breath and tried to think how to discuss this. "You must understand Potter that memories are a very private thing, they are often deeply personal and they can contain very sensitive information, as you have seen. Viewing a person's memory without their permission is an extreme violation of their privacy like me using Legilimency on you without your permission. That memory was very painful and embarrassing and not one that I wished to share with you much like you do not wish me to see some of your, ah more painful memories that is why I was so angry with you. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir, sorry," he says with a gulp looking down anticipating the onslaught.

Snape continues with a sigh "however it is not entirely your fault. You do have a habit of meddling with things that do not concern you, it was somewhat foolish of me to assume that you wouldn't be attracted to my pensive and able to resist the temptation of looking inside. It was foolish of me not to put it away somewhere safe and secure my office before I left, however, Malfoy distracted me with his sudden unexpected interruption causing me to forget. You will not tell anyone what you saw in the pensive" he said phrasing it more as an order than a question, his voice a low-threatening whisper.

He looked at him in shock and horror "no, never, I swear I would never tell anyone, I know what it's like to be embarrassed like that" he blurted out, the last part said quietly in embarrassment, recalling Dudley and his friends embarrassing him in a similar fashion in front of the whole school.

His professor examines him before nodding, satisfied that his secret is indeed safe "I hope you have learned something from this incident and will not seek to emulate your father" he says sternly.

He looks up in surprise not expecting this admission "yes sir, I have I promise, besides I don't think I'm much like my father, not any more not after seeing how scared Sev was when he thought I was my father"

"No, perhaps you are not as much like your father as I once thought" he conceded softly "you are much more like your mother" the last part said more quietly as though to not wanting Harry to hear it.

Harry looks up at him startled, wondering if he heard right. He thinks this over before daring to speak, "is that why you hate me, because of my father?"

Snape jolts at this, spinning round to face the boy looking at his sad face in shock. He erects his strongest privacy wards around them replying "I don't hate you, Potter, hard as it may seem to believe, you may not have noticed but, I dislike a large number of the students I am forced to teach" he admits softly attempting to inject some humour.

The boy looks up at him surprised his face wet "come on sir we both know that's not true, you've always taken a particular delight in torturing me from the moment you saw me, singling me out, berating me and making an example of me in front of the class and reminding me how I'm a celebrity, and how much I'm like my father, we both know you can't stand me" Snape reels from that statement feeling suddenly guilty.

"Come here Potter, look at me," he instructs as the boy wearily moves to sit nearer to him and stares nervously up at him, "do you want to know the truth?" he hesitates then nods "I can tell you and answer any questions you have, but if I do I will have to perform a memory charm on you called the memory lock charm, it will make you forget the conversation we're about to have until I give you a code to unlock the memory, but you will have the memories eventually."

He looks at him confused "but, why would you need to use that charm to make me forget?"

He put his hand gently on the boy's shoulder looking him straight in the eye "listen to me, I wouldn't use this charm unless I thought it was necessary but, the fact remains that you have a powerful connection to the Dark Lord which we haven't managed to sever. If he were to somehow gain access to your memories and see what I was about to tell you, it might put everything at risk. He believes I am loyal to him if he learns the truth, the consequences could be dire, it could put countless lives in danger, is that what you want to put your friends in danger?" he shook his head vigorously, gulping at the thought "trust me when I say that right now the less you know about me the better, you understand?"

Harry pales at this. He considers looking up uncertainly "oh I see, yeah, I guess. You promise I'll get these memories back?" he looks up almost pleadingly at him.

"Yes Harry, I swear it on my magic, I'll ensure that you get these memories back when this is all over no matter what"

He looks up at him decisively, "alright do it" he performs the first part of the incantation before getting Harry to verbally consent to the memory lock charm.

Snape steels himself for this conversation. As he tries to decide how to begin, memories come flooding back to him. He sinks his head in his hands, groaning as more incidents occur to him when he has acted unfairly treating the boy like he is his father, what was it about him that made him react in such a way so unreasonably? Surely it wasn't just his appearance but also his behaviour which he had misinterpreted all these years as being an attention-seeking troublemaker, constantly putting his own life in danger with little regard for the rules just like his father.

Was that why he frustrated him so when he went to such pains to keep him safe without anyone finding out. Perhaps if he had not been blinded by his past and emotions and had taken care to find out more about his home life he would have understood why he cared so little about himself that he would willingly place himself in danger, maybe he would have acted differently to guide him if he'd gone into this with an open mind free of the burdens of his past.

He realises how his actions must appear to anyone observing him, they would surely draw the same conclusion. It had of course been his intention to put on a stone-cold mask of indifference to keep him at arm's length while making it look as though he hated him to hide the fact he was protecting him but, somewhere along the line, he who was meant to be the responsible adult allowed old emotions got in the way dredging up the past and holding on to old grudges all because he was too stubborn to see the boy for the unique person he really was. Lily would truly be appalled with him if she knew all the mistakes he had made, he owed it to her to try and make this right.

He's startled from his thoughts by a concerned voice "are you alright sir?"

"I'm fine Potter, merely realisation hitting me like a brick wall, I believe that is the expression you muggles use. I've been a fool, I have allowed myself to be blinded by my past and emotions instead of seeing you as your own man. I can see why you'd think I hated you" he pauses "tell me was I really that terrible?" he asks looking up at him.

Harry stares at him unsure how to respond to this, does he dare to tell him the truth and risk his wrath "uh are you sure you really want me to answer that Sir?"

When he notices the discomfort in the boy's face with disappointment, it speaks volumes "I see that bad was I?" he covers his face with his hand wondering where to begin "I'm sorry Harry, I should have realised a long time ago, I've been a blind fool"

He sighs "I don't hate you not anymore at least, perhaps I did once or at least I hated what I thought I saw. The last few days have given me a lot to think about and forced me to face some uncomfortable truths and reassess some of my preconceptions. I realise now that I have perhaps treated you more unfairly than I realised and I find myself lacking a good explanation. Whilst it is true that your resemblance to your father stirs up a lot of uncomfortable emotions, that is not the only reason for my behaviour" he admitted shoulders sagging.

"I had few chances to learn how to interact socially with other children and as a result, I have always struggled with my emotions as perhaps you may have noticed. It is part of the reason why I needed to learn Occlumency when I agreed to be a spy for the light. I believed it necessary to put up a cold front lest I let my emotions get the better of me and slip up in front of any students whose families may still support him. I wonder now if I misinterpreted your actions and allowed myself to become too overzealous and blinded by my emotions and past grudges only seeing in you the parts of your father that I hated instead of seeing the young boy who needed guidance and encouragement. For that, I am truly sorry"

He sighs bracing himself "the truth is, when I see you, I see so much of your parents in you. I see your father in your face and your actions but I also see your mother. I see her smile, her green eyes, those eyes cut right through me judging me, I think perhaps you have her kind heart as well. It is painful when I see your face because you remind me so much of them that it brings the memories flooding back, like a whirlwind of emotions and memories that I can't control and would rather forget. Your mother was my best friend, I would have done anything to protect her, to save her, you remind me constantly that I failed, that I could not save her, even your father much as I hated him he did not deserve to die. I hate myself for that, for what I allowed myself to become" there is genuine sadness in his voice as he looks out into the distance.

There is silence as Harry tries to digest all this "thank you, I'm glad you told me. I can't just turn around and forgive you for all those years or pretend it didn't happen but, it helps to know, I can't imagine how difficult it must be trying to handle all those emotions whilst trying to hide your true feelings" he pauses "you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to my parents, it wasn't your fault"

"No!" he says with such force that Harry recoils in shock "you don't understand, it was my fault he heard the prophecy, it was a mistake, I didn't realize what I was giving him" he says more quietly hanging his head, shutting his eyes as though in pain.

Harry looks at him startled "I know, I was very angry at first, I hated you more than I ever thought possible, I even blamed you for Sirius's death because I was angry and it was easier than admitting my own guilt but not anymore, the last few days I've seen things differently" he says this quietly recalling how he heard about Snape overhearing the conversation, the overwhelming hatred and anger he felt at that time, there is something he needs to know, "there was one thing though" he asks hesitantly almost not daring to ask but he needs to know, Snape lifts his head slightly, his eyes startling are tear-stained "if you don't mind me asking why did you join him, sir?"

He blinks at him startled by the question before composing himself. He looks ahead, his gaze distant as though he is looking not just through distance but time itself. "Harry, it is natural for you to be curious about such things but there are things you must understand in order for me to answer. You see things were different back then, I was young and naive all around me my housemates were excited, talking about this powerful wizard who was going to bring about real change and punish those that had wronged us. They were very convincing, everyone wanted to join, we believed we were fighting for a worthy cause, it is true of course that some of the more influential and sadistic students joined him for the fun of killing muggles but many of us had no idea of the atrocities that he would commit or that he would be the next dark lord"

"There was a lot of pressure from our peers and sometimes from family members, the older students could be very persuasive, you see they considered that it was our duty as Slytherins to pledge our allegiance to him, to not do so was seen to bring great shame on our house. They seduced people talking of a worthy cause, promising riches, power, influence, acceptance, whatever people wanted they would promise and for those who would not be bought there were other less gentle methods of persuasion"

He paused, licking his lips as though nervous to speak the next part "I tried my best to keep myself to myself, I did not discuss my home life, I was ashamed of my upbringing and hid my status as a half-blood but Lucius took an interest in me straight away, he groomed me, stroking the ego of a young neglected boy with no friends. He was smart enough to pick up on the abuse and my unhappiness. He offered me what he thought I wanted power over others, recognition, acceptance, revenge on those who tormented me, including my muggle father. He was very convincing and I was too young and foolish to see the truth that Lily kept telling me, I thought I knew better. I was disillusioned with the light and Dumbeldore who had failed to stop the bullying and protect me. When Lily rejected me I spiralled into a deep depression, I felt my life wasn't worth living without her, I had nothing to left to lose by joining him. I thought this was my only chance of getting out of the slums and making something of myself and getting even with those who had wronged me, I even dreamed foolishly that I might impress Lily with my new status" he snorted bitterly shaking his head at the irony of it.

"You must remember they didn't advertise themselves as Death Eaters at that point we were revolutionaries fighting for a just cause, a better world for wizards under the leadership of a powerful wizard. Many people believed we were better off cutting ourselves off from muggles, growing up as an outcast amongst muggles with an abusive, drunk muggle father I believed them to be right. I didn't realize the truth of it, the horror of what I had truly signed up for until it was too late, by the time I knelt to take the mark the brand that would forever be a stain upon my soul it was too late to back out even though the truth made me sick. Fortunately for me, he valued my skills as a soon to be potions master and expert in the dark arts, he knew I would do well silently observing, blending into the shadows and reporting back and so I escaped much of the killing, but what I saw made me feel ill, this was not the just cause I had thought. Soon I started plotting in secret, trying to think of a way out. I knew my best chance was to seek out Dumbledore to confess my sins and beg for his mercy, that was how I ended up in the Hog's Head when I overheard that which I was never meant to hear"

He draws himself up trying to find the strength for the next part "the barkeeper found me and assumed me up to no good, he kicked me out and that was when I was called back. There were already those questioning my loyalty. He used Legilimency on me to find where I'd been and I was too weak to resist, he was pleased, he assumed I had gathered this information for him. The rest you probably know, I sought out Dumbledore when I realised your parents were in danger and begged for his help, he agreed although he still did not trust me, he asked what I would do in return and I told him I would do anything to save Lily, to save all of you. His price was that I become a spy, secretly loyal to him, he even suggested that I become a teacher as he knew there would soon be a vacancy, he knew that the dark lord would approve of as he had long wanted someone to spy on him. I agreed readily and proposed the idea to him, he was pleased with the idea of having his own mole in Hogwarts, little did he know"

Harry listens watching the man in shock, he feels anger welling up inside him, not for his teacher but, for all the innocent young students drawn into Voldermort's rank by lies, the promise of power and a better world. How many more can tell a similar tale, how many died trying to escape? He looks at the man slumped next to him, his head hung in shame, gone is the cold imposing hated Professor in his place, a sad and dejected man who has carried a great burden all these years, the unspoken weight of years of grief and guilt. Suddenly his teacher's cold, hard demeanour made much more sense than the realisation hits him.

"You were afraid weren't you, afraid I'd hate you?"

The man startles turning towards him, his eyes wet and red he composes himself replying calmly "perhaps, why, don't you?"

Harry thinks for a moment "no, I did before but I don't hate you not now. You were young, you made a bad decision, as did so many others, but you also did your best to make amends, you've spent years serving to try to atone for your past and carrying the guilt like a burden. That's what makes me so angry, why I wanted to help Sev so he could feel like he had a choice, a chance at a better life" he says sadly, shaking his head.

He pauses "you did what you could, you couldn't have saved my parents. He would have done anything to kill me, he didn't care who stood in my way, he would have killed you as he killed my parents, what use would there have been in that?"

He gapes at him in shock before sighing "I guess, it doesn't stop the guilt though, I'm not a good man I've done a lot of terrible things, things I'm not proud of. I was afraid of a great many things, afraid you'd hate me yes, afraid to see her face in yours, afraid to get to know you in case I cared too much, afraid of what might happen, afraid I might put us both in danger if he found out. I convinced myself it was for the best if I distanced myself from you, better that you believed that I hated you" he looks away bowing his head in shame.

He looked up suddenly "you know that when I asked Dumbledore to protect your family I agreed to serve him as a spy in return. Many doubted my loyalties, if any of the Death Eaters had suspected my true loyalties if they had thought that I cared about you do you know what they would have done?"

"They would have killed you!" Harry says numb with horror as the realisation hits him.

"No, not quite" he says shaking his head, smiling only slightly, "I would be too valuable for a quick death. They would have taken pleasure in torturing me until I was too weak or broken to resist or perhaps they would have attempted to put me under the imperius curse to turn my own loyalty against me. Either way, it would have been a slow and painful death, they would have used me to hurt you and others that we care about"

"That's horrible!" Harry exclaims in horror and anger.

"Quite and can you imagine what your reaction would have been if you cared about me and learned that I was in danger?"

Realisation dawns on Harry's face and he blushes "I would have tried to save you, Sir" he says indignantly.

He raised an eyebrow knowingly as though he had proven his point "indeed, you would have played right into their hands and put yourself in grave danger. If they had used me to hurt you I couldn't have lived with myself. It's my job to protect you, not the other way round. I could not take that risk, it was safer to put up a cold front, besides why would I expect you to care about me"

There is silence, Harry says softly "that's why you pushed me away?" he nods his agreement.

"You are a child, you are burdened with more than your share of responsibilities, one of them should not be worrying about me and my duties as a spy" he says bluntly holding his hand up to halt the protestations at him being called a child.

"You don't have many people who care about you, do you?"

He shakes his head "very few, most people who I thought cared about me wanted something in return but there was one person who always truly cared and I was reckless and foolish enough to throw away their friendship"

Something hits Harry as he ponders this "my mum?" he gasps, his eyes meet with Snape's for a moment and he knows in that instant he's correct, he sees the sadness in his eyes "you miss her don't you?" he says, risking a glance at him.

His head snaps up at this, fixing Harry with a piercing gaze before looking away, staring into the distance as he sees her in his mind laughing in her infectious way and running young and carefree, her red hair sparkling like gold in the sunlight. He sighed, it would always be just a memory "more than you can imagine" he replies softly voice full of pain and longing.

"I miss them too. I miss Sirius, all those years we lost, he was taken too soon before we could make up for it, I can't believe he's really gone. I know you won't feel his loss like I do, but he was the closest thing I had to a dad, a real dad" he pauses "I don't remember my parents. I always wanted to imagine they were good people, my Aunt told me they were drunk and died in a car crash, I needed to believe they were better than that. Then I met Remus and Sirius and they told me all about my father, they made him sound so great like everyone laughed at their jokes and it was all harmless fun. I couldn't bear to believe that he was an arrogant bully at least not until I saw it for myself, I didn't want to see that, to believe that my father could be so horrid and cruel, sometimes I wonder why my mum ever chose to marry him"

"Harry, I may not have liked Black but I can see what he meant to you, it is hard to lose someone you love so much, particularly under such traumatic circumstances. Losing your mother almost broke me, I felt my life had no purpose but Albus, Minerva and the others all thought otherwise, they refused to let me give up and somehow I found the strength to carry on, I know you can do the same, those we love like Sirius and Lily are always with us in our hearts, never forget that. Much as I disliked your Father and Black, I was an angry young man and antagonised them as much as they did me but he did grow up and became a brave man and a good husband, he cared fiercely for those he loved and would have done anything to protect them. I had no wish to see any of them dead." He braces himself for the next words that are particularly hard. "It is only natural to idolise your parents, I never had a father who I could look to as a role model that dream was shattered early on, but I always longed for someone who could fill that void who could love me like a father should"

He pauses trying to suppress the anger he feels at the boy having to endure such a terrible existence with his relatives "Your Aunt and Uncle should never have told you such horrible lies about your parents, you were robbed of the truth and a proper childhood"

"I wish you'd told me about my parents. Well ok perhaps not about my dad but, you were good friends with my mum, you could have told me about her, I would have liked to have heard stories about her from you, maybe it might have helped you as well to remember her"

He looks up at him surprised at what he's suggesting that he would have liked to have spent time with him even if just to get to hear about Lily. He realises that he should have made more of an effort to bond with the boy to get to know him instead of just seeing his parents, perhaps Harry would have behaved better if he'd had a positive role model someone looking out for him. All that time he's wasted and now it's probably too late now knowing what he has committed to, it will shatter their world in pieces. He wonders if there is something he can still do for him though.

"I've made a lot of mistakes, I guess I was scared to try and establish a relationship with you, worried what you might think of me, ironic really considering. I was too blind to realise you might need someone like me in your life, perhaps it might have done us both good to share some of my memories. If I could go back I guess I'd do a lot of things differently"

He sits reflecting for a moment "you know Professor Slughorn always used to boast that your mother was one of his best students, well both of us really, but he was always especially proud of her, she had the one thing I lacked charm and charisma, that's what won him over and most of the other teachers as well, she knew just how to win over people. I told you when you first started that you could be taught to bottle fame, and if ever there was a man to do it, it was Professor Slughorn he collected the rich and talented students like muggles collect stamps and he used them to advance his social circle, he used his connections to help them and they rewarded him in kind"

Harry looks up at him surprised to see this change, the sudden warmth in his voice as he reminisces fondly "I saw her photo when we went to see him, he mentioned her, I never realised before that she was good at potions, I'm not sure I inherited her skills. You know I never knew what she looked like until Hagrid gave me that photo album"

"Oh yes we used to spend a good deal of our free time brewing potions together, she was clever and a quick learner and I practically had potions running in my blood, I was always experimenting, trying to refine the recipes to achieve better results or come up with new potions, your mother was very clever she always had good ideas, things I may never have thought of on my own. You've got potential I think, more than I've given you credit for, but you lack confidence in your abilities, that's my fault nurturing students was never my strong point, I was always much better at brewing than teaching, I've always found it hard to connect with children" he admits deflating at the thought that he could have killed off any early talent Harry may have shown for potions.

Harry looks across at him, it's nice to hear him talking about his mother, he looks happier. "did you ever think that you'd like to have a family Sir?" he ventures nervously, the man is brought swiftly out of his daydream and turns to look at him startled by the sudden personal question. Harry dares a glance across at his shocked face before steeling himself to continue in spite of his awkwardness

"I'm sorry, I know that's a bit of a personal thing to ask, it's just, well I thought you seemed kind of lonely and I thought maybe if you had a family it might have helped you heal. I always wanted a real family to love me and protect me and be proud of me like they were with my cousin," he says sadly.

Snape looks at him agog at the question, he's angry at first for asking such a personal question but, then he realises he's right, he has been lonely for so long a family might have brought him comfort and helped him move on.

He shakes his head smiling to himself "perhaps you're right, I'd not given it much thought. I never felt I had the chance with my work to think about having a family, I doubt anyone would want me" he finishes sadly, catching the boy sneakily looking at him, hopefully, before looking away.

He whirls around "hang on, you weren't suggesting you'd want me to look after you after everything I've done?" he asks gobsmacked as it dawns on him what he's implying, strange feelings stirring inside him as he realises the boy's just admitted he would have considered him as a father, he'd never thought that he'd get that chance, never considered it now suddenly he feels aware of a gaping hole where something was missing. Was that why he'd felt so compelled to hug the strange boy who reminded him so much of himself because he represented the son he'd never had?

"I don't know, I guess I would have been horrified before if anyone had suggested it but now. I always wanted a real dad, a real family. They just treated me like a House Elf, as though they were ashamed for anyone to see me to know I existed, they told me I was a worthless freak and my parents were drunks who died in a car crash, they locked me in a cupboard and made me sleep there as though it were my bedroom" he said.

Snape was livid, and if Harry had not been so self-absorbed, he would have noticed his face was thunderous with barely contained rage that virtually radiated off of him in waves.

"At least you cared about my Mum and you always protected me even when I didn't know it. I think now that I would have been happy with you" he continued oblivious tugging on the older man's heartstrings.

"you know what the funny thing was though, no one ever came to check I was ok. I always dreamed someone would rescue me but no one ever did. Strange isn't it everyone says they care, they say I'm special because I'm the boy who lived but no one ever cared enough to check that their precious saviour was ok, I didn't even know I was a wizard until Hagrid told me" he says choking up with years of pent-up anger and unshed tears.

Snape's face looked mortified "I'm so sorry Harry we failed you, if we'd known we would have fetched you and demanded you were placed in a proper home" suddenly he schooled himself his face set with grim determination, the anger clearly written in his expression "I swear if I ever get the chance I will curse those despicable muggles that call themselves your relatives, he would probably be pleased if I finished the job for him. How you and Lily could be related to that vile horse-faced woman I could never fathom" he said causing jolting Harry out of his own thoughts and causing him to back up in fearful awe of his professor.

"No! Don't kill them!" he shouted in alarm.

Snape whirled around to him in shock "what, after all, they've done to you, you would defend them, spare them from the justice they deserve?"

"No" Harry shook his head trying to sort out his confused thoughts, "I wouldn't go that far, I just wouldn't want to hurt them, not like him"

"Don't worry, there are plenty of creative ways to make them suffer and feel the effects of what they have done and make them live with the guilt without resorting to such primitive means of torture" Snape replied with an evil smirk as though he truly relished the idea, an idea that Harry didn't find at all hard to believe.

Harry shook his head trying not to think about what methods Snape knew for exacting revenge on the Dursley's, he tried to shift the conversation topic "I just wish someone had cared, I felt so abandoned as though no one ever cared that I existed"

He tries to form words but finds himself struggling to speak "I'm sorry, I was so incensed by what you said I allowed old feelings to take over"

"You asked me if I had ever considered raising you, the truth is I never had the chance to think about it. I honestly didn't think you'd want me of all people to raise you and I'm not sure I'd have been receptive back then. Besides which, I was in no fit state to consider raising a child. I doubt that Dumbledore would ever have allowed it, at any rate, there would have been uproar if I had and it had become common knowledge, not to mention that it could have put us both in serious danger if any of his followers had found out and decided to come after me or if the Ministry had learnt and decided to intervene on the grounds that I was unfit to raise a child"

"With regards to your other questions. I wasn't there when Dumbledore decided where you would live. I know that he sent Professor Mogonacall to observe your relatives and that she raised her concerns and made many objections, I believe her words were something to the effect that they were the worst kind of muggles and not fit to raise a child. I was broken, devastated by the loss of your mother and waiting to be put on trial as a Death Eater, no one would care much what I thought and quite frankly I did not have the energy or motivation to fight him. I shared my concerns with them when they saw me but I knew little about what had happened to you only that he had placed you with relatives. I blindly and naively assumed he had found someone else that you were loved and spoiled rotten and well you know the rest, it wasn't until recently that I realised how wrong I'd been or perhaps simply how much I'd been in denial. I do know that there were plenty of people who would have been more than willing to take you in given the chance, Minerva for one would have done anything to take you in if Dumbledore had not convinced her you would be safe there"

"The reason why we did not come was simple, Albus assured us you would be safe that he had put measures in place and that he would be alerted if you were in any danger he would be notified. He warned us not to interfere, specifically with me and Professor McGonagall. I think he was worried about what may happen if I learnt there was something wrong and attempted to intervene that I may lose my temper and hex them all or something like that. We heard nothing from him so we assumed you were alright. I'm truly sorry, I swore I would protect you and yet I let you down"

Harry finds himself calmed slightly by his professor's embrace, up close he can smell herbs lingering on him and finds the smell soothing, he even manages a smile at the thought of Snape hexing the Dursleys "I thought he cared? I can imagine why he'd think you might hex the Dursley's that would have been funny, not that I would want you to do that" he adds hastily.

"You are a child and I assure you, you did nothing to deserve that treatment, no child deserves to be treated that way no matter how much they may make you feel otherwise. If we'd have known how they were treating you we would have fought to get you out of there, I have fought tooth and nail to help many of my students who are abused or neglected at home. I know that the Headmaster does care a great deal about you and was very upset and remorseful when he realised how bad things were. He was naive and thinking of the greater good, I do not think he truly comprehends the abuse and neglect some childen suffer. It was inconceivable to him that they would not provide you with a safe and loving home, he had a hard time accepting his mistake,, so try not to judge him too harshly" he smiles as well at the thought of him hexing the Dursley's, it is a very tempting prospect although he has learned to be restrained in meting out justice.

He embraced Harry as he remained huddled into him, rubbing his back soothingly, lost in thought as he feels him relax into him, weak but considerably less burdened from releasing so much of his past "I never had a chance to be a father, I guess I would have liked to have had a son I think, someone to care for, I suppose it's too late now" he muses sadly.

Harry looks up at him surprised by this, he puts a hand gently on his arm resting his head against his chest "I think you would have been a great father, Sir, you still could be"

Snape startles at this, and he smiles slightly at that "you think?" he nods, Snape shakes his head sadly in response, hanging his head so his long hair falls over his face "no it's too late for that, another war is coming, my position as a spy makes it too dangerous for me to raise a son as much as I would like to, my masters ask too much of me to involve you, it could only end in heartbreak" he says shaking his head sadly.

Noticing how Harry slumps looking dejected at this he beckons him over "come now don't be sad, come here and let me look at you" he says kindly, Harry turns to him and he gently cups his hands under his chin, lifting his face so it's level with his own. He has to stop himself from looking away, he's tried so hard to avoid looking at his face these past years, the resemblance to his father is striking with his unruly hair and glasses. He has an idea, gently he slides the glasses off his face brushing the stray hair off of his face. That's better the boy looks different now, he lacks his father's arrogant sneer and his face looks more rounded like Lily's, he has her warm smile and those eyes, those painfully beautiful bright green eyes, it always shocks him to look into those eyes, he could get lost in those eyes mesmerising as he always used to as a child. How has he missed this brave, kind young man before him?

Harry is startled by his Professor's gaze, his touch is gentler than he would have given him credit, he is tempted to lean into his touch but resists. He looks properly into the man's face, not used to seeing him up this close. His face is hardly handsome, pointed and thin with a long hooked nose and pale sallow skin framed by greasy dark hair but it's the eyes that draw his attention. He'd always tried to avoid looking into those eyes, they'd always appeared like empty pools of blackness cold and bottomless devoid of emotion but, now they seem different, dark eyes filled with years of sadness and pain, he remembers Sev's dark eyes still full of life and sadness, these eyes have seen too much. His professor appears lost in thought, mesmerised by something "Sir?" he says hesitantly startling him until he blinks back at him, surprised.

"You have your mother's eyes, they always had that effect on me, I never noticed how much you take after her," he says softly by way of an explanation, looking away to hide the emotions welling up inside him.

He looks at him puzzled before it dawns on him "you loved her didn't you?"

He looks at him in shock, considering how to react, he smiles wistfully "yes. I have always loved her for as long as I can remember. I never stopped loving her. I remember when I first saw her I was mesmerised, I knew I'd do anything to be her friend, I realised she had magic like me I could virtually feel it flowing through her calling out to me. She was like a bright light in my bleak world when the whole world rejected me, she was one of the few people to show me true kindness and accept me for who I was" he says wistfully lost in his own memories "there is something I can show you if you would like, did I ever tell you about how I got my Patronus?"

Harry shakes his head, listening enthralled. Snape nods in acknowledgement and stands walking a distance away before softly incanting the Patronus charm and pointing his wand. From it a soft blue beam of light materialises forming into a shimmering blue doe that steps gracefully forward-looking around her before turning to see the Professor and greet him, he holds out a hand as she approaches and she rubs her head against it affectionately. Harry stands up moving towards them "can I?" he asks, looking at his Professor who nods inviting him to greet her. Harry approaches her slowly, enchanted is this what his mother's Patronus looked like? He holds out a hand tentatively, she appears to stop and sniff it before looking at him, they stare at each other for a moment before she offers her head to him, he reaches out to stroke her, smiling.

Snape watches a hint of a smile on his otherwise hard face. He collects himself before continuing softly "we chanced upon the Patronus spell quite by accident. We both enjoyed reading and learning new spells and when we discovered it Lily was quite determined that we should master it together. I quickly mastered casting the spell but I struggled to find happy memories and I was never able to give it form at first. I helped your mother and she learnt quickly until one day it took form, she had summoned a Doe just like this one. We were both so happy I couldn't believe it, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Your father must have found some way to spy on us as he cornered me after and bragged about how he would master the spell before I did and his Patronus would be something magnificent and proud to impress your mother just like him. It's fair to say that made my blood boil at the thought so I determined to work extra hard until I'd mastered it, I never could summon my Patronus in front of her I was too shy to let her know how I felt but, eventually, I found a memory that made me feel truly happy and when I looked I saw that my Patronus matched Lily's it was more than I could ever have hoped. That night when he attacked your family I felt the mark burn my arm and then I saw it, she had summoned her Patronus in a last attempt to summon help, it found me. I'm still not sure how or why but, I knew then in spite of the overwhelming grief and pain I felt as though a part of her was forever bonded to me"

Harry listens, his hand still rubbing the head and neck of the Doe gently "perhaps it was a sign that she forgave you"

Snape looks at him surprised, he replies sadly "I'll never know, I hope so, it would be nice to think she forgave me"

"I think she did, Sir. Do you mind if I, you know, cast my Patronus?" Snape looks down at him, he continues hurriedly "I thought it would be nice for them to meet since it's the closest thing I've got to my mothers Patronus, it's just my Patronus is a stag like my father's, I don't want to you know upset you or anything"

He sighed "alright go on" waving him away dismissively.

"Thank you, sir, it means a lot" Snape gestures to him to hurry up, before turning away as he casts the spell and a sparkling Stag appears. Slowly he risks a glance, Harry is watching enthralled as the Stag also looks around before spotting his doe. The stag approaches slowly, bowing carefully, his doe inclines her head slightly before walking round the stag. Satisfied that he is not a threat they start to sniff each other before nuzzling each other gently. Strange, he never thought he'd enjoy watching this display when the child's Patronus so closely resembles his father's and yet something is touching about the display, more like a mother greeting a lost son than long-lost partners. Eventually, the two Patronus fade into a cloud of blue dust that swirls around them making the hillside by the lake glow briefly with blue magic.

He moves to stand closer beside the boy who has been watching enchanted "your parents would be proud I think" he notes gently.

Harry looks up at him startled, he smiles shaking his head "you mean my mother Sir"

"No Harry, I think they would both be proud of you, I know your mother would be and I hope your father would be proud of you. You have done well these past few days, you have grown a lot. I would be proud to have raised a son like you" he says, putting a hand lightly on his shoulder and gracing him with a slight smile.

Harry is overwhelmed by these words "thank you, sir, that means a lot, particularly coming from you, for what it's worth, I think I would have liked to have you as a father" he says, surprising him by wrapping his arms around him and burying his head against his chest.

"Thank you, you don't know how much that means to me" Snape says, returning the embrace, wrapping his arms around him protectively, enjoying the feel of his small warm body against his own. He wishes now that he didn't ever have to let this fragile young boy go. He suddenly becomes aware of the time "come now, it's getting late we should be getting you back to the castle soon" he says abruptly before remembering the memory lock charm, he gently sits him down and performs the second part of the spell to lock the memory away, he sees the memories of the strange boy who bears such a striking resemblance and thinks it best to conceal them, the last thing he needs is any awkward questions if he sees memories of his doppelganger, lord only knows how he would begin to explain that. He pauses while he thinks of a suitable code to use. He doesn't want him to access the memories too soon by mistake in case it puts him at risk.

He finishes the charm and the boy blinks looking around him and then up at Snape in surprise "what just happened, what were we talking about?" he asks.

"I believe we were discussing your potions lessons, I suggested that you might benefit from having some extra tuition outside of class if you would like that is?" he says calmly.

Harry looks at him, dubiously still confused. He's fairly certain that he was talking to him about something else, something important but his head feels strangely fuzzy. He's amazed that Snape would be offering him lessons, it's fairly obvious that he can't stand him in class and always makes it clear that he's not very good at potions. He decides not to question his unusually good mood after all he needs to get good marks in Potions if he wants to be an Auror "uh ok thanks. Are you sure that's a good idea, Sir? I mean I wouldn't imagine you'd want to spend any more time with me outside of class than you'd have to, I mean we don't exactly get on very well"

Snape gazes at him thoughtfully his face calm with no hint of malice "Potter I would not offer you extra lessons if I did not think you had potential and I would certainly not offer to spend my free time with you if I really couldn't tolerate you" he lowers himself down to Harry's level and looks earnestly into his eyes he hesitates before speaking sincerely "I know I have not always been the best teacher to you but, I promise you I can do a lot better and if you choose to accept my offer I will not yell at you or insult you as I have done in the past, in fact, I think you will find that it is considerably easier to learn to brew potions when it is just the two of us, certainly I find it a lot less stressful when I'm on my own. I could even talk to the headmaster about offering you extra defence lessons if you'd like, I'm sure you'll be needing them soon"

Harry looks at him, he appears sincere in his sentiment "oh ok thanks, I guess I could give it a go, defence lessons might be good" he said brightening up at the thought that Snape has admitted that he may have potential and is even offering extra defence lessons before his shoulders sag as he remembers why he needs them. "I am doing much better though in potions class" he says hurriedly.

"Oh? I didn't realize my absence would have such an effect on your work" he says dryly.

He blushes "oh it's not that, that is to say, it's less stressful but I don't think it's that. You see I wasn't expecting to be able to carry on doing potions so I didn't have the textbook, Ron and I had to borrow copies. The one I picked up is annotated by someone calling himself the Half-Blood Prince, he seems like he's a real genius at potions he has loads of really useful suggestions, it suddenly makes a lot of sense and it seems a lot easier now. I don't suppose you knew him when you were at school?"

"Perhaps, there weren't many students who had a talent for potions while I was here. I would certainly be interested to take a look at this book though" he replied trying to sound nonchalant and hide his surprise, how did Potter end up with his old book?

"Good, I'll let you know when I am free" he noted that his teacher looks relieved on hearing his answer, "Potter?" He looks back at the man who is gazing at him with a serious expression.

"Yes sir?"

"If anyone asks, you will inform them that I have given you extra detentions, I'd rather not advertise the fact that I'm giving students extra tuition out of the goodness of my heart particularly not to Gryffindor's Golden Boy I don't think I could live that one down if word gets out I might just have you scrubbing out the First Years cauldrons or cutting up floberworms instead"

He grinned "don't worry Sir, I know you've got a reputation to maintain, besides I'm not sure my friends would believe me even if I did tell them?" he thinks I'm not sure I believe it myself.

"Good, come let's get you back inside if we stay out any longer people are likely to think that I've abducted you" he says getting up and rolling his eyes slightly at the last part. Harry moves to follow him, trying not to laugh at that before paling when he realises that his friends may think that's exactly what's happened.

In the rush and confusion of the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry had no time to consider what to do with the body of his former Potions teacher Severus Snape. Afterwards, everyone was walking around numb with grief, there were so many wounded who needed urgent treatment afterwards that they simply couldn't spare anyone to move the fallen Professor although Hermione had cast some charms over his body to put it in stasis and preserve him.

Truthfully many people were still in shock following the revelations of the final battle. It had been a hard year, Harry had been the one to expose Snape as a murderer and a traitor to the world after he had seen him cast the killing curse at Dumbledore before he was installed as headmaster but he had also been the one to clear his name by revealing the truth to Voldemort who had believed him loyal. Dumbledore had been right in the end to trust him, to ask him to do the most difficult tasks that no other could, he had shouldered an enormous burden in secret and he had done it all for love. For a love that transcended time and even death, a love doomed to never be reciprocated.

No matter that Harry once hated him, there were bigger issues now and viewing his memories had changed him, forcing him to see the bigger picture, the ugly truth but also his inner bravery. The least he could do was to clear his name and honour his memory by telling the truth to a world that loathed him. No, he vowed that he would be remembered and given a respectful burial instead of being laid to waste as a traitor with the rest of the Death Eaters, Harry knew now that there was only one place where he would want to be buried alongside his childhood friend and only love Lily, his mother, finally, in death they would be together always as they could never be in life.

Finally, after a few days when they had had a chance to respectfully move the dead and take care of the wounded things were calm enough that Harry was able to gather a small party to recover the Professor's body. Warily he entered the Shrieking Shack followed by Ron, Hermione, Madam Pomfrey, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn trying not to shiver as he tried to block out all the bad memories this place brought back.

He paused before stepping over the threshold, looking uneasily across at the body slumped against the wall remembering his brutal murder and his final moments with his Professor.

He shakes off those memories and is about to approach his body when he hears a sound, he looks up at the window noticing a beautiful dark owl waiting, he meets its eyes and it glides over offering its leg to him, carefully he unties the thick bundles of letters that are attached before stroking the owl, reminded painfully of his own Hedwig, his beloved familiar and first ever present who was cruelly cut down whilst escaping from Privet Drive, the bird nips him gently in return before taking flight. He watches it go before looking down at the letters, he recognises Snape's elegant scrawl on the front of the top letter. He looks up confused at the others who nod at him to open it.

He moves away to find a private corner to read the letter. Meanwhile, his teachers approach Snape's body, gazing down in shock at his deathly pale skin and the bloody wound where the snake has made a mangled mess of his neck. Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall are the first to kneel next to him the nurse doing her best to clean his wounds while the Professor carefully runs a hand over his face, brushing the hair out of his face, she remembers their last encounter.

How strange it is she thinks that just a few days ago they had all thought him a traitor, a coward and a murderer until Harry had defended him in front of the whole school. The truth that had been so carefully hidden from them all for so long it had left them all reeling. that year had been hard for all of them but no one had realised the weight of the burden upon his shoulders and the extent of his silent dedication and bravery appearing loyal whilst secretly trying to thwart the Carrows and protect the students it was an unenviable task and one which could only have been done by a master spy. It was true that old wounds would take time to heal, the past year would not be easily forgotten or forgiven but now she felt only sadness and regret that her last memory of him was of forcing him to duel her and flee from the one place that was a safe haven and home for him.

She wipes away a tear and bows her head in mourning, joined by her fellow professors, she hoped that his tormented soul had finally found the peace that he had been lacking in his life.

Meanwhile, Harry nervously opens the letter both intrigued by and also dreading what it could contain.

To Harry,

I know that I will most likely not survive the battle that is to come, if you are reading this it means that I am no longer with you and that you have survived the battle that is to come, Dumbledore always had faith that you would. I know I may have often dismissed him as being a barmy old coot but I hope he was right. I have worried a great deal for your safety these past years.

I am writing to you now as you wished to talk to me about some deeply personal matters at the start of your 6th year. I agreed to this but, for your own safety, I had to place a memory lock charm on you with your permission. This was for your own safety given your connection with the Dark Lord's mind. However, I promised you that I would give you a code so that you could access these memories when it was safe to do so. I have left instructions for this letter to be sent to you if I did not survive the battle.

The code to unlock your memories is Lost Boys because you and Sev are like lost boys to me. It has brought me great joy to see the way you have grown and how you cared for the child in the short time he was here. I hope that these memories will bring you comfort and answer some of the questions you may have. You have both walked difficult paths and I hope that now you have the chance to live good lives and that he knows more happiness in his life than I have found in mine.

Talking with you has forced me to acknowledge some difficult truths, I apologise sincerely for the way I have treated you in the past. It is one of my greatest regrets and I wish that I had gotten to know you better, I was a blind and stubborn fool. I know I have little time to make amends but, please believe that I will try my best to do so and prepare you for what is to come. If what Dumbeldore has told me is any indication you will need all the help you can get. I have wasted enough time stuck in the past, although I'm forced to act the same in class so as not to arouse suspicion I refuse to continue to be blinded by the past.

You spoke to me about family and asked me if I had ever wished to have a family and if I would have liked to have acted as a Father figure to you. I must confess that I was lost for words at the time, I had not had much chance to think about it before you asked but, I realise now that I would have greatly liked to have had a family of my own. You're the closest thing I have to a son, I wish I had had the chance to treat you as such. If I could I would go back and ensure that you had a safe and loving home. I believe you are quite right in suggesting that it could have helped us both to heal.

You also expressed a wish that I had told you more about your Mother. I regret that I did not do so as it may have helped us to bond and build a more positive relationship. However, since I can not do that I decided to take up your advice and write down some of my favourite memories of her for you, I have instructed them to be sent to you along with this letter, I hope they bring you as much happiness as they once did for me (there may be more in my personal quarters).

Speaking of family, I have written my last will and testament and will make sure a copy is sent to you. I have no family of which to speak, as I have mentioned you are the closest thing I have to a son and I would very much like to leave what little I have to you. I do not know whether you will want to keep any of my belongings given how I have treated you in the past, I would understand if they brought back unhappy memories however I do hope that there are some items amongst my meagre possessions that may be of interest to you. There are some photos of your Mother and myself in my quarters along with some other trinkets that I have kept from our time together that you may wish to keep, there are also some books that may be of interest including some from mine and Lily's childhood that I salvaged before your Aunt could destroy them. There are more books containing notes on some of my own spells and potions that I have made whilst at Hogwarts which I'm sure would be of interest to you or one of your friends (I'm sure Miss Granger would enjoy analysing them) please use them with caution as I'm sure you will have realised by now I have created many dangerous spells and I do not want them to end up in the wrong hands.

I truly hope you have a good life and can move forward without the burden you have been forced to shoulder all these years, be safe my son.

Severus Snape

Harry stares at the letter absorbing its content before rising in a daze and turning to look at his body "Harry what is it, what's wrong?" Hermione asks, looking concerned.

He looks at her sadly trying to form words "Snape he left me memories" he manages.

They look at him confused "but, Harry, I thought you'd already seen his memories?"

He shakes his head smiling uncertainly "no not his memories, my memories I think" they look at him in shock and anger "he kept them hidden to protect me. He was still working as a spy and he was worried if Voldermort saw them it might put me in danger, he kept them safe, but he left me something I could use to unlock them"

He walks over to his body looking down at his pale face, he looks more peaceful now that he's been laid down properly with his eyes shut and his wounds cleaned, it looks as though they've even managed to bring a slight bit of colour back to his face. He kneels next to him and the other teachers move away respectfully.

He can't help but remember their last moments together. He had gathered his memories as per his instructions when Snape surprised him by asking him to look at him and staring into his dark obsidian eyes. He could have sworn that he'd seen a tear in his eyes and so much sadness and regret. He thought he'd heard him say that he had his mother's eyes but he'd been in such a state of shock he'd been unsure if he'd just imagined it. His last words had been barely more than a whisper like the air escaping a deflating balloon but he'd sworn that he'd heard him utter the single word sorry with his last dying breath. In that moment he'd forgotten all his hate and felt the sudden inexplicable urge to tell him he'd forgiven him but by then it was too late, he was already gone.

He turns away and his eyes fall on his black wand lying next to him. He reaches out to pick it up reverently, noting the elegant design on the dark wood. He can feel the lingering magic left in it and hugs it to his chest. He takes the man's cold hand in his, still holding the wand tightly between their hands, he chants the words lost boys from the letter, his eyes focused on the dead man's pale face.

He closes his eyes and feels the change instantly; the memory comes back to him with startling clarity, he unlocks a door in his mind and walks through the sensation feels very much like entering a memory in a pensive and just as immersive. He opens his eyes, he's no longer in the Shrieking Shack, he's sat outside underneath one of the trees by the lake, it's pleasantly warm and he can tell that it's evening. He hears a familiar voice talking to him and turns around with a start, he finds himself sitting face to face with Snape alive and well, his face full of colour, his dark eyes glimmering.

"Professor, is it really you? It's so good to see you!" he exclaims, reaching out to hug him. The man doesn't react and his hands go right through him, he looks at them in confusion before he remembers that it's still just a memory. As he sits back down following his Professor's eye line, he turns and is shocked to see himself sitting nearby watching Snape, he notes, with a start how much younger he looks, truly relaxed and happy, not weighed down by the knowledge of what's to come and the daunting task that lies ahead of him. Turning back to his teacher he listens enthralled to him speaking as his own memories come flooding back into him, he notes the difference in him, he sees the real Snape hidden underneath the cold, imposing Potions Master he's so used to, here he is more relaxed and open, there is genuine sadness and remorse in his voice as the man sits in reflection.

The memory ends as abruptly as it began and he finds himself back in the Shrieking Shack. He looks down at his Professor's body once again lifeless. He lifts him, cradling his body in his arms sobbing, wishing he could talk to him again, hug him and let him know that it's ok. At last, he understands he can forgive him, he wishes he can thank him for protecting him all these years silently and secretly even when so many people including himself hated him and thought the worst of him. He sees the pile of letters, his memories of him and his mother, he realises with a start just how much the man has given him and laments over all the lost years.

He remembers how he noted a change in him when he started giving him extra lessons, without the stress of teaching a full class of students his Professor was much more calm and relaxed he even seemed to enjoy his company commenting that it was good to have someone to talk to and help with brewing, it was hard to know what to talk about at first but, slowly they began to find common ground chatting amiably even occasionally letting his guard down and talking about his mother with fondness, rare nuggets of information that he saved away like gold. He even learnt eventually that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince who had so helped him to improve his potions skills and caused Slughorn to sing his praises, the irony of it was not lost on him given how much his potions grades had suffered in the past with Snape looming over him.

Harry found that once he was used to Snape, he enjoyed hearing him give his opinions on his students, recognising the man's distinctive dry sense of humour. He took his time showing Harry how to prepare the potion and explaining what they were doing, Harry would often sense him watching him thoughtfully and sometimes he would take Harry's small hands in his own gently adjusting them and guiding him through the motions till he learnt the best way to stir or cut up the ingredients until it became second nature, in this way he quickly noticed a great improvement in his potions even Snape noticed it acknowledging his success in his own subtle way with a nod or a slight smile.

After a while, Harry began to trust him enough to venture whether he could start teaching him Occlumency again. To his surprise, Snape looked at him seriously and after thinking about it agreed to give it another go. This time around he found it much easier to work with him. Snape went into it willing and took the time to explain the theory and answer his questions and discuss different techniques and he also provided him with more books transfigured to look like standard textbooks

As for Harry himself, he also launched himself into it fully committed to learning to block the connection with Voldemort. Last year he had been so convinced that he could use the connection to do something useful to gather information for the order and help end the war sooner. He also hadn't realised that Voldemort may have been able to use the connection to spy on him and his friends and could potentially use his superior skills to gain such a hold that he might try to possess him and that he had been luring him into a trap. After last year's disastrous rescue attempt when he was so convinced that Sirius was in trouble that he had ended up putting all his friends' lives in danger and ended up losing his beloved Godfather Sirius, he had realised the dangers of the connection far outweighed the benefits. It was a difficult lesson to learn but he was determined not to fail.

At the time Harry had thought this change in his teacher had been very strange but, he realised now after looking back at the memories that he had wanted to make a concerted effort to do better, make up for lost time and bond with him quite possibly realising that he didn't have much time left to do so before it would become impossible.

To Harry,

Hi, I hope you are well, I just wanted to write and let you know about all the things that are happening around here. First off I wanted to thank you for slipping those coins into my pocket (I'm guessing it must have been you), that was really kind and thoughtful of you, I must confess that I am not used to seeing so much money as my father normally spends all of it on drinking. Anyway, I kept it well hidden from my parents and when I went with Lily and her family to pick up school supplies I purchased the books that Madam Pomfrey recommended, in fact, there was still a little leftover so I'm going to save it until I decide what to spend it on, perhaps I could save up for some of the interesting potions books I saw.

This summer has been great, I've already made use of the invisibility cloak you gave me to escape without my father noticing which has meant that I've been able to spend much more time outside reading (some of the books I picked up are really fascinating you wouldn't believe the amount of healing potions there are to learn about, I can't wait to practice brewing them) and just hanging out with Lily. I've found it much easier to relax around her now that I'm not so scared of my father, I've told her all about my adventure, you should have seen her face she couldn't believe it! (I think she may even have been a little disappointed to have missed out, she was happy for me though). Come to think of it, I struggle sometimes to believe it wasn't some fantastic dream. I've tried to explain to her how difficult things are with being in Slytherin. I think she understands a bit better how hard it is for me to fit in and make friends but she's determined to help me make some new true friends.

I've also told her that my experiences have made me feel less nervous about seeing the nurse and have even inspired me to learn more about healing magic and now that I feel more confident I'd like to learn more about some of the treatments she uses so I can make them better and help other people like me. I might even pursue a career as a Healer or maybe a Potions Master since that's my other true passion, she thinks that's a really good idea for a career and thinks that I'll do well regardless of which path I choose., guess I'm lucky to have at least one friend who's so supportive.

To Harry,

Hi, sorry for not writing sooner but a lot has happened since the holidays and I really haven't had time to catch my breath. There have already been a lot of changes in the past few weeks since I started back at Hogwarts. For starters, I gave Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster the letters that your Headmaster gave me. Madam Pomfrey insisted on running a full check up on me when she'd read the letter, she prescribed me some nutrient potions since I'm apparently a bit small and thin for my age (she thinks I'm due a growth spurt soon and that I'll shoot up like a Snargaluff, I'm not sure how I feel about that). I told her about the books I'd bought, she approved and said she could always make use of eager young students who wanted to learn.

The Headmaster looked very surprised and concerned when he read the letter that I gave him, he asked me a lot of questions and said that he was going to look very seriously into the claims that I was being bullied by Potter and his gang and that he would be discussing suitable punishments with our heads of house if he found out they were guilty, I think he wants to nip this sort of behaviour in the bud before they and other students start to think it's acceptable. He also said he'd be having a chat with my teachers and specifically my Head of House Professor Slughorn and Professor McGonagall, which is reassuring. Professor McGonagall may be strict and as much a Gryffindor as they come, but I also know that she's always been fair and kind, at least in my experience whereas as everyone says Slughorn only cares if you're famous or talented.

Dumbledore also suggested he could teach me the basics of Occlumency. He says I'm a bit young to start learning most of it but that some of the exercises might be useful in helping me to control my emotions and to deal with some of my more traumatic memories, he tested me which felt weird and he said I may be a natural occlumens (sounds cool right?) He also said that I'm displaying a lot of potential in DADA and I should come to him if I want to learn some more defensive magic instead of looking up the dark arts in books, he knows a lot of spells I haven't even heard of and he's willing to discuss the theory with me as well. I think he feels that it would be safer for me to learn from him than looking it up on my own, which makes sense, some of those books are quite dangerous even Malfoy says that and he's a Prefect.

Potter and his friends have still been trying to make my life miserable, taking every opportunity they can to try and prank me or call me nasty names, it still makes me very angry but, I'm taking your advice trying to hold my head high and ignore them and I can tell you they don't like that at all. In fact, they're getting really frustrated because the people who were laughing with them last year are increasingly saying that it's not cool 4 students ganging up on one person particularly when they're hexing me and I'm not fighting back. There've been times when Potter and Black in particular have got so angry from not getting a reaction that they've totally lost it, the Prefects and teachers have caught them attacking me in this way several times and let me tell you I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of McGonagall's rage, she gave them a right dressing down telling them they were a disgrace to Gryffindor, they're already unpopular for losing so many house points and she warned them that if they continued in that manner they would potentially face expulsion. Professor Slughorn also said I should come to him and tell him or one of the Prefects if I have any more problems with them.

I for my part have been looking up suitable hexes (you can't go far wrong with a good Slugulus Eructo or a subtle Jelly Legs Jinx) and have managed to subtly use some of them to good effect without any but, the most eagle-eyed students noticing, this has earned me a bit of praise from my fellow students who've been impressed with how I handled it, my housemates, in particular, approve saying it's a very Slytherin tactic, I've had more students approach me in the past few weeks trying to cosy up to me then all of last year, I'm actually beginning to get a bit fed up of it. The cloak has also proved useful in this regard allowing me to silently play some pranks on them without being seen, it has been good fun overall but, they seem to be leaving me alone now so I think I'll quit while I'm ahead as I've got better things to engage in than some silly prank war like studying and brewing potions or hanging out with Lily besides which we both agree that pranking is very immature.

I've been trying to stay away from the Slytherin common room recently as a lot of students, particularly the older ones keep on talking about the dark arts and this powerful wizard who is rising to power and gaining a following amongst the pureblood families, a lot of people support his ideas and say that they can't wait to pledge their loyalty when they're old enough. Not only that, but I've noticed a worrying increase in their hostility towards Muggleborns, not openly of course, but in private they degrade them saying how they're unworthy of magic and should be purged from the magical world, some of the things they talk about doing to them are too horrible to even think about. They keep trying to encourage me and the others to join in, I just nod and pretend to agree so I don't get on their bad side but, truthfully all this kind of talk scares the hell out of me, to think that people think that way makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach, to think I used to join in and laugh at them hexing the mugggleborns, I'm just glad they don't know that I'm a half-blood. Anyway, that's why I'm trying to spend more time in the library and with my friends, I hope some of the other Slytherins will do the same, I know not everyone feels the same, some of the younger students, in particular, seem equally scared but, I know most don't dare to defy the older students.

Speaking of my friends, I've been spending a lot more time studying and hanging out with Lily just enjoying each other's company. We enjoy experimenting and brewing potions, together I can tell she's going to be a talented brewer and she says the same about me. Reading and brewing potions helps me to relax and spending time with Lily helps me to forget about all my other troubles. She's also introduced me to some of her friends, I get along quite well with one of them in particular. He's a young Gryffindor. He's called Scott, he's quite quiet and thoughtful but, he seems friendly and supportive and he and Lily always stick up for me when they see Potter and his friends giving me a hard time, oh and he's really good at Herbology as well, he's always happy to help me collecting potions ingredients as he likes discovering new plants and he's very good at identifying them and always seems to know instinctively just where they're growing.

Speaking of Gryffindors, I was quite surprised recently when one of the marauders apologised to me. It was the strange boy Lupin, there's something off about him that I just can't put my finger on like how he always disappears at a certain time of the month. Anyhow, he managed to get away from his friends and explained that he felt guilty about the way they'd acted (I bet he does now that they're getting all the flack for it) and that they were going too far but, that he'd gone along with it because he had never had any friends before and he was afraid that he may lose his only real friends if he refused to join in or raised to strong an objection. Suffice to say I'm still wary about him, there's something decidedly off about him and I'm not sure that I'll ever trust any marauder but at least he's trying to make amends which is more than his friends so I accepted his apology in relatively good grace as I kind of understand his dilemma as I know what it's like not having any friends. Time will tell I guess but I'm willing to leave him alone if he'll do me the same courtesy.

To Harry,

Hi, I'm still spending a good deal of my spare time helping Madam Pomfrey out on the ward, Lily and Scott are both interested in healing and come with me sometimes, Lily's particularly good at charms and Scott is always asking about which plants are good for healing and how to prepare them, he collects some of the plants we need now so we've got a fresh supply for when we need to prepare some of easier creams and salves. It's always interesting and when there are no patients to treat she often teaches me how to cast a new healing charm or has me help prepare some of the salves and creams she uses, she says I'm a quick learner and could have a promising career as a healer.' Speaking of which she often gives me a list of potions that she needs making up. I think she expects me to pass it on to Professor Slughorn to brew but I asked him if I could try to brew them when I gave him the list and he was more than happy for me to do so provided someone was there supervising me since he has a lot of potions to make up.

It's funny I overheard them talking, she was saying how well they were brewed thinking that he'd made them when he confessed that I'd volunteered to make them, she was very surprised at how I was already so skilled at brewing, Professor Slughorn said I was a very good student and already a competent brewer and that I always asked intelligent questions, he thinks I've got a bright future in potions if I decide to pursue it. I was thrilled to hear that they both think so highly of me, not like back in Cokesworth where most people ignored me. You'll never believe it though, Madam Pomfrey even offered to pay me a small sum for each batch of potions I made, she explained that Professor Slughorn gets paid extra for doing it so they had agreed that it was only fair that she offered the same to me for brewing them. I didn't have to think long about it, I enjoy the work and it's not as though my parents earn much so anything extra I can save up will be incredibly useful. It will mean that I'll be able to afford some new books and perhaps some decent quality school supplies or potions equipment as well.

To Harry,

Oh my gosh, thank you for sharing your adventures with me. It's amazing. I can't believe how much has happened to you and I thought my life was rough. I've shared your stories with Lily and Scott, they're both enthralled by your adventures and we all agree that your world sounds amazing and frightening in equal measures. They agree with me that we should definitely show this to Dumbledore, if he's anything like how you describe him in your world he should be able to help us and advise us on what to do, who knows maybe we can stop this Dark Lord sooner with all the information you've provided it already feels as though we're on the brink of war.

To Harry,

Hi, we've finally had a chance to talk to the Headmaster and show him my journal. We left it with him so that he could study it and have a chance to read all of your stories. Suffice to say that he looked amazed and somewhat disturbed by what he'd read when he called us back. I can't blame him, the thought of anyone using such foul and archaic dark magic to gain immortality and splitting their soul that many times is a truly scary thought, I'm just glad you managed to help me see that I needed to get out of there and stop listening to some of the Slytherins when you did, it horrifies me to think how easily I could have become a Death Eater, I realise now that my friendship with Lily is worth far more to me than the promise of power.

He agreed that we need to try and destroy the Horcruxes as soon as possible, I think he was all set to do it on his own but after a lot of work on our part, we managed to persuade him to let us help him. He agreed, but he's set some ground rules. He said that if we're going to help then he's going to make sure we receive plenty of training to ensure that we're prepared. He wants to teach us some Occlumency so we're able to protect our minds as he can use Legilimency against us. He wants us to practise duelling more, learn more about how to defend ourselves and read up on the dark arts, all under his direct supervision of course so that we are prepared for anything and know how to identify signs of curses and other dark magic and can cast the counter curses, and of course, he says, it's more important than ever that we keep on learning more about healing and brewing potions that might be useful now, as we certainly might need both those skills for what's to come.

He also said that it would be best to wait until after we'd graduated before hunting the Horcruxes which is still quite a way away so we'll have to be patient, at least it gives us plenty of time to train and prepare, I'm kind of glad worrying about our OWLS is stressful enough. I think that's partially because he wants us to concentrate on our studies and not be distracted by this but he also says that it's sensible as we don't know when exactly he created and hid his Horcruxes and if we start hunting for them too soon before they're all ready to be found there's more chance that he might realise what we're doing and try to stop us. Aside from that, he said that he still needs to find some way for us to destroy them since using Fiendfyre is a very dangerous and unstable way of destroying them and basilisk venom and fangs are extremely rare and hard to come by particularly without someone who can speak parseltongue on our side, that's one of the things we're going to have to research and see whether there's anything else which would work if you have any ideas do let me know.

To Harry,

Hi, sorry I haven't been in touch much, things have been pretty intense with training and revising for our NEWTS. Still, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. We've just got our results. We've all done well all round, I'm sure it won't come as any surprise that Lily and I have both got top marks in potions or that Scott's got top marks in herbology go figure, Lily did well in charms naturally and we've all done really well with defence against the dark arts even Scott's upped his game since we started training all those years ago although the way he moves around he barely needs to worry about casting defensive spells.

We've been so preoccupied with exams and the fact that we'll soon be hunting Horcruxes that we haven't had much chance to think about what we wanted to do after we graduated although we did manage to find some time to relax and talk about it after we'd recovered from all of our exams. Lily and I both still share a love of potions and we'd like to study for a mastery at some point (Professor Slughorn says I could easily become one of the youngest potions masters in living memory if I apply myself and that's what I want) much as that appeals we both want to do something worthwhile, I'm keen to continue training as a Healer and I think right at the minute with the war going on that's what we really need now is more trained Healers, I know that Lily agrees with me on that point and Scott does as well although I think he's definitely best suited for a career working with plants he really is a natural around them.

We're all keen to get started hunting Horcruxes but Dumbledore says that he still needs to finish making preparations before we can begin. That being said, he's certainly made a lot of progress. He says he's procured some goblin-made daggers which will be able to destroy them, presumably he's allowed them to absorb some basilisk venom or something similar, although he's been very secretive about how he's prepared them. Thanks to all your information we've already got a good idea where most of the Horcruxes should be so we should be ready to swoop in and search for them when we get word that he's ready and we've made sure that we're all stocked up on all the potions and other supplies that we may need on this adventure, wish us luck we'll surely need it.

To Harry,

Apologies for not getting back in touch with you sooner, but it's been a really draining rollercoaster ride searching and destroying all the Horcruxes these past few months, although it sounds like we've had it a lot easier than you did when you were searching for them.

Thanks to your instructions we were able to find the lost diadem fairly easily and while we were searching for it Dumbledore tipped off the Aurors to the fact that Malfoy, his wife and the Lestrange family were all Death Eaters who with a large cache of dangerous artefacts filled with dark magic. They were all arrested swiftly and quietly so as not to tip him off and were quickly put on trial, they were both convicted although no surprise Malfoy tried to protest his innocence by saying he did it all under the Imperius curse, that's a bloody laugh I still remember what he was like at school trying to sweet talk me and a load of other students into joining. Anyway, it meant that we were able to search the Malfoy estate and Lestrange's vault for the Horcruxes, we figured it would be a good place to start since the diary was his first Horcrux.

Fortunately, the ring was still hidden in a box underneath the old Gaunt family shack, it wasn't too hard to find once we'd cleared the overgrown weeds enough to get in and sorted through the mess inside, the real difficulty was trying to stop Dumbledore from wearing that damn ring, in spite of the warning the temptation to see his family was clearly still very hard to resist. We had to wait the longest to try and recover the locket but we managed with Sirius help to intercept their House Elf Kreacher and convince him to give us the locket with the promise that we could destroy it for Regulus (Sirius's brother), I can only hope that knowing that we managed to destroy it and fulfil his master's final orders has given him some peace and comfort after all he has been forced to endure.

Once we had destroyed all the Horcruxes we worked with the Aurors and managed to discern his most recent movements. We also interrogated some recently captured Death Eaters and learnt of an upcoming meeting that would be taking place at one of their estates that they were using for meetings We managed to gather quite a team to apparate nearby and they eventually managed to dismantle their wards so we could access the property before setting up our own anti apparition wards to prevent any of his followers from escaping. We surrounded the property and engaged in a fierce battle although Dumbledore instructed us to stay back so that we could help heal any of the injured Aurors (I think it was really because he was worried about us getting hurt). It was chaos but we had the advantage of surprise and managed to capture and incapacitate many of the Death Eaters until eventually, it was a straight-out battle between the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, you could feel the chill in the air, they're both very powerful and evenly matched but you could tell that even he was afraid somewhat of Dumbledore's power. In the end, he was defeated by his own killing curse which Dumbledore managed to repel by sending it straight back at him, given all the damage he'd already done to his soul he didn't stand a chance. Good riddance I dare say the Aurors have already managed to capture a load more Death Eaters, many of them were already trying to flee or protest their innocence shortly after they learnt that their master was dead.

One thing's for sure though this experience has been pretty intense and has left us shaken and scared at times but it's also brought all of us closer, we've really had to watch each other's backs with all this dark magic and curses that he left to protect them. It's really reinforced the friendship the three of us have, Scott's like a brother to us and then there's Lily. Well, I guess I always knew I loved her but I was always too shy and insecure to think that she might actually feel the same now after this I feel this fierce urger to protect her and I know that I'd do anything just to protect her and make her happy, I can see when she looks at me that she feels the same after all we've been through I feel like I finally have the courage to tell her how I feel.

We're finally able to look ahead to a future free from the fear and impending darkness that was hanging over us like a dark cloud. Now we can think about what we want to do with our lives. Scott's going to study for a Mastery in Herbology, he's thinking about pursuing a career in conservation, travelling the world kind of like Newt Scamander or the Muggle plant hunters used to in Victorian times but with the aim of studying and protecting rare and endangered magical plants, he hopes that he'll be able to learn a lot from the local people who protect them. Lily and I are thinking that we'd like to set up a small apothecary shop and clinic somewhere peaceful at some point, it would be a good way for us to combine our love of potions with our desire to help and heal people. For now, though, we're both going to concentrate on becoming qualified healers, and we'll be able to work at St Mungo's while we're training, which will at least mean we'll have a steady income until we can save up enough to buy a place of our own. One of the nurses also says there's a Potions Mastery that you can complete whilst you're working, which allows you to specialise in brewing healing potions, this sounds perfect.

Letters to the next generation:

To Sev,

Hi sorry, it feels like ages since I last wrote but, things have been very busy these past few months. You may remember that when I last wrote I informed you that we were expecting again, well I'm incredibly pleased to announce to you that the latest member of our family arrived earlier today. He is a beautiful little boy, he looks a lot like his Mum but, he has got green eyes just like my Mum and me and his brother, this seems to be becoming a bit of a family trait although his eyes are considerably darker.

It is funny I considered naming James after you and my own worlds Severus Snape but in the end, I am glad that I didn't because I saw so much of him and you in his innocent young face, I looked into those eyes and I knew then what to call him, Ginny saw it too and we both agreed it would be a fitting tribute to name him after both of you, after everything we have all been through it seemed fitting. So it is that we welcomed Severus Albus Potter into the world. I sense that he has a wise, thoughtful soul and will wear his name well. I know that our Severus kept his own emotions a closely guarded secret and did not like being the centre of attention, I know he carried much shame and guilt for his actions but, I cannot help but think that he would be pleased to know that his name lives on in a young child who is pure of heart it feels almost like a kind of rebirth, we have lost so many good friends too soon, but we will teach all our children about their namesakes and hope that they wear them with pride.

To Harry,

It is indeed good to hear from you. I apologize that I have not been in touch myself but as you say things are considerably busier now and keeping our apothecary going often feels like a full-time job at times. I am delighted to hear that you have welcomed another child into your family and I am honoured that he shares my name. I did not know your world's Severus Snape for very long but I do not doubt that he would be silently pleased and touched to know that you named one of your children after him.

It is a funny thing though Lily has just recently given birth to our own firstborn son. Stranger still is that we both thought of you when we saw our precious boy, Lily has grown up hearing about your adventures and we have both come to regard you as a close friend even though you are far away. Lily told me that she has always liked the name (I guess you feel like an old friend of the family like a distant uncle) so we decided Harry Severus Snape after you, I hope it will be a fitting reminder of the friendship that we have shared as well as to your own Snape, his memory lives on through all of us and connects us all. I sense that he will inherit his Mother's fiery red hair as well as her green eyes just like you although hopefully not her fiery temper. Lily has already been teasing me saying that he has my hands and my nose, Merlin help him if he's already got a nose like mine!

We have already asked Scott if he would be willing to act as Godfather to young Harry as there are few people who we would trust more and he has been a close friend for many years. He was honoured that we would think of him and was only too happy to accept. He congratulated us on our new addition and promised that he would visit to meet his new godson before he heads out on his next plant hunting expedition to the far east.

To Sev,

Hope you are well. So much has happened since we last spoke, the children seem to be growing up so fast, Lily is growing up to be a bright, bubbly and happy young girl like her mother and no doubt my mother before that, she idolises her brothers and they both dote on her. James has settled well into life at Hogwarts and is already in his 2nd year, he appears to be happy, confident and popular. Then there's Severus, well he grows more into his name every day. In fact, it is because of Severus that I am writing to you, he is somewhat quiet and introverted, a very thoughtful young boy but you see he has always been fascinated by his namesakes. Truthfully all of my children enjoy hearing me recount stories about our Severus Snape and about our adventures together and I for my part am happy to oblige if only to deflect the attention away from my own childhood adventures but Severus, in particular, has always appeared particularly fascinated and always asks me to tell him the stories again and tell me more about you.

It's strange he has always been fascinated by his namesake, I still remember when he was little more than a baby I found him in my office and discovered that he had somehow managed to get into Severus' things and retrieve his wand quite how I'm not sure since I placed it somewhere that was safe and out of reach where he shouldn't have been able to access it but somehow he did and was sat on the floor engulfed in one of his old black robes and surrounded by his things fingering his wand with fascination. I tried to pick him up and put everything away but he clung on to that old robe much like he did his old childhood blanket and refused to let go, I think he must have found its feel and its scent quite soothing.

In the end, I sat him on my lap wrapped up in that old robe and told him all about our Severus (he has since claimed it as his own and finds the herbal smell quite reassuring). I tried to explain why he couldn't play with his wand since it could be quite dangerous and yet no matter how hard I tried to hide it from him he always seemed to be able to find it, fortunately, he was always very careful with it and was never interested in doing any real magic beyond pretending to cast spells, he always fingered it lovingly like it was an old friend, eventually when he was old enough to understand I agreed that he could keep it but not before I sat him down again, I showed him some old photos and told him Severus story as I had done many times before and explained to him how important it was that he never tried to do any real magic with it, he gave me his word that he wouldn't and I could tell that he would take good care of it and treasure it. One day when he's old enough I'll show him some of mine and Severus' memories in the pensive, however, I am not sure that he is ready for some of them quite yet.

Over the years he has grown and changed a lot, he has an album full of photos of his family and of Severus both as an adult and a child and I sense that he has always strived unconsciously to look like Severus although perhaps that is partially because he is quite shy and likes to hide behind his long hair. It's funny he used to cry and object strongly when we mentioned taking him to have his hair cut until we relented and allowed him to grow long. He likes it long, he is intelligent but also very quiet and thoughtful like you and our Severus, like all the Potter men before him he has had to adjust to wearing glasses which I think quite suit him not that you can really see them behind all of that hair but his dark green eyes still shine with the same fierce intensity that I used to see in your eyes. He is fascinated by potions and charms, he reads voraciously about them and is always asking if I will help him brew some simple potions, he can't wait until he starts at school and I have little doubt that he will be an excellent brewer one day much like my Mum, no doubt Professor Snape would also be pleased since I didn't inherit her natural talent. I still have some things that belonged to Severus that I would like to pass on to him when he starts at Hogwarts.

He asked me recently if he could write to you in my journal to ask you some questions and get to know you better. I am keen to encourage this as he cannot meet you face to face. I thought he might enjoy the correspondence but I thought I'd best see what you thought first.

To Harry,

it is good to hear from you again. You are quite right, time flies, I can't believe how quickly Harry has grown up either, it seems like only yesterday we were celebrating their birth. I can tell you that Harry is equally fascinated by you, I'm just glad he won't have to grow up with that same burden on his shoulders, he can simply enjoy being a kid with a loving family, something we both missed out on somewhat.

I remember reading your adventures with Lily and Scott enthralled by my side, Harry is just the same and loves for me to read him the stories, he is also fascinated to hear about another worlds version of me particularly since our lives took such different paths. Truth be told, I think Harry idolises you, he certainly loves re-enacting your adventures, the young daredevil that he is, he's very imaginative and curious and he has a knack for getting himself into trouble much like Lilly did at that age. He is always interested to watch us working on brewing new potions and healing people, he always wants to help us with brewing and tries to copy what we're doing when we're using healing charms which at least keep him quiet and out of trouble for a short while, I suspect that he has also inherited our joined talents for brewing.

He has changed a lot the past few years. He has fiery red hair like his Mother although it is turning a darker rusty red, like your Severus he likes to grow his hair long till it hides most of his face although I suspect that he is merely copying me in that respect. He also has his Mother's kind, compassionate heart and her bright green eyes, they shine with life and energy.

He has also been asking me increasingly about you, he is full of questions and I think that he would love the chance to write to you. In fact, I had an idea of my own when I read your last letter, I wondered if we could not alter the charms to allow our sons to access our journals and use them as a way to correspond with each other, I'm sure that they would both enjoy each other's company as much as we have enjoyed having the chance to write to each other over these past years, it would give them both someone to confide in and it may actually be better if they ask each other any questions they may have about us.

I think passing some of Professor Snape's things on to your son when he starts at Hogwarts would be a good idea, there may be some good quality supplies that he would appreciate, although I think that it may be best to wait until he gets sorted first to avoid any awkwardness. It will be interested to see where our boys end up, with a Slytherin and a Gryffindor for parents, the results will be interesting to say the least, personally, I suspect Harry's bravery will land him in Gryffindor or perhaps Hufflepuff, although I gather that Slytherin has settled down a lot and is a much less hostile environment than when I was growing up.