From Not Enough Time Chapter 1:

"Promise you won't let me go, you'll stay with me till the end Dad, I don't want to be alone anymore" he asks nervously, his voice fading.

He hugs his small body pressing him gently up closer to him caressing him "I promise son, I will always be here with you, I'm not leaving you not now, not ever, not now that I've found you at last"

"Thanks, Sev. Love you Dad" he whispers with his last dying breath as his life force leaves him.

"Love you to Harry, my son" he whispers as he feels the last of his life slip away and his body flops limply in his arms. He hugs him to his chest cradling him and allows the tears to flow freely into his messy black hair, releasing so many years of pent up emotions, who would have imagined he could care so much for one small boy. He has had a brief taste of what it is like to be a father to look after Lily's son and give him the love and care he so desperately needed. He could have had a son, could have raised him as his own and now … now he's gone and he never wants to let him go. He hates himself right now as he thinks guiltily how needless his death is and how it could have been prevented if he'd known how he was suffering if he had just taken an interest and not allowed himself to be so blind.

Fawkes leans over the boy shedding a single tear, even that is not enough to heal him now, he joins the man's cries with his shrill call echoing through the castle, throughout the castle students and staff pause as the call cuts through the air sensing a great tragedy has occurred.

He sits with Harry's body resting limply in his arms, unable to comprehend how his young life has ended like this.

Suddenly Severus feels an intense burning pain in his arm. He gasps, hissing with pain, he's not felt anything like this in more than 10 years he thinks with dread, wondering what it could mean as he rolls back his sleeve. The dark mark is barely visible yet the place where he was branded is visibly throbbing. He's jolted out of his thoughts by Minerva's voice.

"Severus look!" he follows her gaze down to Harry's forehead, he notes with horror that his scar appears to be glowing a green tinge coming from it. He looks on in alarm "what is it Severus?" she asks in horrified fascination.

"I don't know. I would guess that it might be some kind of powerful dark magic from that night when he cast the curse on the poor boy"

"Get back!" he cries, pushing her behind him as suddenly the green light appears to explode as a dark inky blackness rises from it, filling the room with a cold chill and an unearthly wailing. He freezes watching the thing with horrified fascination, unable to take his eyes off it as it swirls around them.

It almost seems like there is a face visible in the dark cloud looking around as though it's scenting the air before settling its focus on him as if sensing the energy coming from his dark mark. He stares back transfixed as it moves towards him until he realises its intent, it's headed straight for his open mouth intent on possessing him. Time seems to slow as he feels the tendrils, like cold fog seeping into his bones, caressing him as he hears a familiar hissing voice in his head taunting him, reminding him how weak he is, he failed to save her, a worthless Muggle, a filthy Mudblood the voice tells him a spiteful venomous whisper in his ear. No, not that word! His head throbs in agony as he tries to force the voice out of his head. Eventually, he manages to push the voice out with his magic, roaring in agony as he shouts angrily "get out of my head!"

Gathering his wits together at last he grasps his wand shouting "Protego" as the shield emerges from his wand just in time as the gaseous form slams into it. He looks around for something to contain it. He's about to ask Minerva to transfigure a suitable container when his eyes fall on the now-empty potions flask "Accio flask" he summons it before directing his wand at the gaseous form tricking it into following his energy signature into the flask before slamming a stopper in it and dropping it in disgust allowing it to roll away across the floor.

He collapses back exhausted, covered in a cold sweat, before looking down at the boy still cradled in his arms, that thing came from him? It must have been the Dark Lord's doing, he realises with horror, shivering at the thought that his spirit had somehow laid dormant in him for so many years.

"Severus, what was that, that thing?" He jolts out of his thoughts, looking up at Minerva's pale face with an expression of horror not knowing what to say "it was him wasn't it?" she whispers.

He nods "I fear so it was inside him and it wanted to possess me" he replies shuddering again "it appears he has found a way to live on after death, the Headmaster needs to know about this" they exchange a knowing look.

Minerva places one hand on his shoulder, looking at him with concern, "Severus? Are you alright?"

He looks up slightly at her through red-rimmed tear-stained eyes and a curtain of black hair "no Minerva I'm not ok. I held Lily dying in my arms knowing I was too late to save her, I promised Albus I'd protect him for her. I couldn't protect her, I didn't even get a chance to protect him"

She looks at him in shock, wrapping her arms around him and Harry "oh Severus I never knew, I'm so sorry"

He allows her to comfort him "you were never meant to know, I made Albus swear to keep it a secret to protect all of you in case he returned, if he had learnt my true loyalties it could put all your lives in danger. As for Harry, I didn't want him to know I cared. I expected him to be like his father but I guess I was also worried about how he'd react to me. I thought it would be better to protect him in secret, I didn't count on him touching my heart though"

Meanwhile, Albus hurried down through the corridors, he was engaged in a meeting when Severus Patronus arrived and so didn't notice it until he arrived back in his office. Quickly he found the stone and offered it to his Phoenix Fawkes who seemed to sense the urgency of his task gliding swiftly up and through the corridors. Now he stood in the doorway gazing in shock at the scene that confronted him Minerva and Severus sat next to each other heads hung low as if in grieving, a small dark bundle nestled in the man's arms. No, it couldn't be, Harry!

"Severus, Minerva, what's wrong? What's happened?!" he exclaims, rushing over, eyes on the bundle in his arms "no Harry! What happened, is he alright?" he asks, kneeling in shock opposite them.

Minerva looks away her eyes full of tears not able to look at him, Severus glares at him accusingly his eyes blazing with fury and still shining with tears his voice comes out hoarse but, angry "it's too late Headmaster, he's dead"

"Dead? No, surely Harry can't be dead? How what happened?" he replies in a daze, reeling from the shock news.

"Yes Headmaster, the boy is dead. Dead by the hands of his muggle relatives, no less, he was too far gone for us to heal him" he says, feeling all his pent-up rage rising up to the surface, threatening to explode as the Headmaster stares down at the boy in shock.

With a supreme effort, he suppresses his anger as a thought occurs to him "wait I have an idea. Albus, do you perchance happen to have a time turner in your office?"

He frowns at him "well I would have to check but I think that I may have one that I managed to keep a hold of before the Ministry confiscated them all, fortunately, they have never been able to gain full access to my office"

"How far back do you think you could safely travel using a time turner?" he asks, his mind whirring.

Dumbledore ponders this "well technically you're only meant to use them to go back a few hours but I think you could potentially go back about a day safely, I wouldn't want to push it much more than that though. What were you thinking, my boy?"

"I see" he muses with concern, turning to Poppy, "do you think if I went back a day and brought Harry straight here that would be enough to save him?" he asks.

She looks at him startled before pondering this "it's impossible to say really, he was already so far gone when you found him. He's been left so long without treatment" she muses "I guess that there's at least a chance that I'd be able to stabilize him if you brought him straight here" she says looking at him uncertainly.

Severus nods at this, gazing down at the boy before something catches his eye. He picks up the red stone, turning it and examining it frowning as the light catches off it, an idea already forming in his mind "Severus?" Minerva asked him.

He continues to stare at the stone, voicing his thoughts out loud "if I went back in time I could apparate straight to Harry's house, stabilize him and bring him straight back here for Poppy to treat him. While you're doing that, I could use the stone to attempt to brew the Elixir of Life as a backup plan" he says looking up as he thinks it through the resolve setting on his face.

Dumbledore looks at him intently, weighing the man up "I see, yes that could work, that is a very good plan, Severus. Are you sure you want to do this though to take such a risk for Harry, I was rather under the impression that you hated the boy?"

Severus looks up at him "I vowed that I would do anything to protect the boy, I was blind before but no more, I am prepared to risk my life for him to have another chance to live his own. Besides I did not know him as I do now, how could I hate him after holding him helpless as he was cradled in my arms, I could not live with myself knowing I had the chance to save him and did not take it, I have seen enough death in my life" he says sincerely.

He turns accusingly to face him, "the real question is Albus will you help me to save his life, after all we are in this situation because of a decision you made 10 years ago to place the boy with his relatives, a family so loving that they deliberately and knowingly neglected and abused him to the point of emaciation. An innocent child lies dead because of your actions, I would say the least you can do is help us to make this right and exact justice for Harry so he can have a second chance to live"

Dumbledore looked at him in shock before bowing his head and looking shamefaced and guilty "you are right of course Severus. It is my fault this has happened, I naively assumed I was doing the right thing and giving him the best protection as well as a loving home with his family, I never imagined them to be capable of such cruelty. I thought it would be best if we did not interfere in his upbringing, I see now that we should have done far more to check up on him and ensure his safety. I am heartened to see the change in you, Severus, and I will do whatever I can to make this right so he can, as you say, have a second chance. I will go now and have a look for the time turner in my office and notify you as soon as I can"

"Thank you Albus" he replies tersely as he leaves before rising, picking up the piece of parchment that he had dropped on the floor and turning to Poppy and Minerva. "I will take him down to the hospital then I must return to my quarters to make sure that I've got all the potions I might need to treat him with"