Severus Snape spent his days either at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly or at his dingy home at Spinner's End. He much preferred the quiet of his dungeons at the school despite the drawback of trying to teach idiot children the fine art of potions brewing. None of the little monsters wanted to sit and painstakingly chop, mince, crush, grind or slice all kinds of wondrous materials and combine them into the most useful substances on Earth. He didn't understand them at all and if he was honest with himself he didn't understand people in general. He didn't live the grandest of lives and the only reason he wasn't in prison with the rest of his classmates was because of the senile old coot nesting in the central tower of the school. He had foolishly joined the Dark Lord the moment he left Hogwarts as a teenager. It wasn't long before he realized that he wasn't going to get power or recognition because of his association with the last heir of Slytherin. How could he if he was always masked when he did his Lord's bidding and anyone who might have appreciated his work was killed by that same Lord and his minions. Severus wanted power mostly because of the lack of power he had during his childhood. He father and uncle were abusive and when he went to Hogwarts he was victimized by his classmates.

He only had one true friend during his time at Hogwarts, but when she started dating his chief tormentor he dissolved the friendship until he found out that the person he swore his allegiance to wanted to kill her and her tiny child. Despite his attempts to dissuade the red head to leave him alone, Lily Evans refused and continued to dog his steps. He remembered the first time she deposited her week old son into his arms at an Order meeting after he turned from the Dark Lord and how those still inky blue eyes stared at him trustingly.

It was while he was taking his trip down memory lane that a bright light filled his office, blinding him for several long minutes. When he managed to blink the tears from his eyes he looked down and saw an envelope on his desk with a disturbingly familiar handwriting on it. After making sure that there weren't any traps or poisons on the missive he slowly opened the envelope and slipped the letter out of it. He couldn't believe his eyes when he glanced at the end of the letter to see who wrote it. It was from Lily. He didn't want to read the letter, but curiosity prompted him to do so.

My Dear Severus,

Since I've charmed this letter to appear only if both James and I were dead, you obviously know what had happened to us. The reason I've sent this letter to you is because of the help you've given us. You're memory was altered in order to protect us and you, but without you our son, Harry, would never exist and that's something James and I can never repay you for. Without your potions and willingness help us after James was cursed we wouldn't have the blessing that is our son. You were the only person that was magically and genetically compatible with James to allow the Prodigy Potion to work and we're forever in your debt for giving us the chance to have a child to raise.

This letter was charmed to appear after we died and if something happened to Sirius. If those conditions are met, please take Harry and raise him as your own. He is yours too and I fear that he may be placed with my sister, Petunia. If that is the case I beg of you to take Harry from there. My sister loathes anything that is different from what the average Muggle considers normal. Please Severus. Please raise him. I know you can because I know you very well, my friend. Do it for our friendship. Do it for yourself.

Love always,

Lily

Severus put the letter down and stared blankly at the parchment for several hours before coming to his senses. Like every time he was faced with something he couldn't wrap his mind around, he retreated into his laboratory and began to work on the most complicated potion he knew. So he pulled the ingredients out of their cubbies and started the base for the Wolfsbane potion. He knew Dumbledore was considering the lone free Marauder f or a position at the school and figured that it would be a good idea to get the monster used to being on the potion sooner rather than later. As he lost himself in the rhythm of chopping and stirring, his mind returned to the letter and the information imparted to him. He couldn't decide. Should he take the boy or leave him where Dumbledore placed him. He was at a loss. What did the boy look like? Did he have any resemblance to Lily or was he a carbon copy of Potter. Would there be any sign of his participation in the boy's features or personality? His thoughts went around and around in circles until he was done with the first stages of the Wolfsbane Potion. While waiting for the potion to steep he began to really think about his choices. Would he be a good father? Definitely not. Not without outside help and who would he trust with this little revelation. Also his own parental figure wasn't the greatest example of fatherly love. He knew very well the Muggle saying about the 'sins of the father' and he was very aware of how true that statement was.

It didn't take him that long to come to a decision about the boy. He knew he couldn't take care of the boy due to his total lack of social skills, something Potter and his gang made sure he was very aware of, and he wasn't too sure about his ability to keep his temper when the little one pulled some stunt or got into something he shouldn't. No it was best to leave the boy there with Lily's sister and her family. Lily was a kind soul and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to believe that her sister would soften her attitude now that her only sister's child had come to live with them. No he wouldn't retrieve the child. Perhaps he'll go and tell them his reasons why at a later date.

Severus went about his business without a second thought to the letter he left open on his desk. He hardly used his office during the summer months so various papers tended to be forgotten on the wooden surface he marked essays on during the school months. Severus had no further thought about the boy he helped father and frankly it didn't cross his mind until nearly a month later when a certain nosey Gryffindor arrived to make his life hell.

It was a normal day for Severus though it was marked by the impending arrival of Remus Lupin. Normally he couldn't care less about the werewolf, but since the beast was going to be teaching at the school this year he was preparing the potion that would at least keep the students safe provided the man with in the monster was still sane. He didn't keep track of the passage of time as was his wont while brewing so he was completely surprised to find Lupin sitting at his desk reading a paper on his desk.

"Do you mind, Lupin? Get your paws off my private papers." Severus snarled, but failed to get an angry response from the werewolf.

"Is this true, Severus?" Lupin responded quietly while searching Severus' eyes for the truth.

"I assume it is. Why would she write something like that if it wasn't?" Lupin was waving Lily's letter through the air the whole time.

"Are you going to get him? I remember Lily's sister from the wedding. Petunia was a foul tempered woman and she tried to hit Lily with a bottle of champagne after the ceremony."

"No."

"Why the hell not, Severus?"

"There's no way I'd be able to raise a child while teaching and I'm not going to mention my lack of parenting skills. My father wasn't the appropriate role model either. I haven't a clue as to what needs to be done and Gods forbid what would happen if the world found out an ex-Death Eater was raising their precious saviour."

"I see why you might not feel up to raising the boy, but you wouldn't be alone. I know you loathe my very existence, Severus, but I'm more than willing to help and so would the rest of the school staff."

"I still don't think it’s a good idea, Lupin. My father…"

"I've heard all the rumours about your home life, Severus. We didn't know how much to trust the school gossips when it came to you." Lupin sighed and closed his eyes for several moments. "Look, Severus, would you at least go and check up on him? I can't because of my lycanthropy. I know that the wards are keyed to that and vampires, so there's no way for me to do so. I don't trust Lily's sister."

"All right, all right, Lupin. I will go and check on the brat, but don't be surprised if I leave him there. I will go on Saturday to speak with Lily's sister and brother-in-law."

"Thank you, Severus."

"Now that you're done sticking your snout into my business, take your potion. Make sure you come back tomorrow for your next dose."

"Thank you." Lupin swallowed the foul potion as quickly as he could, but couldn't stop making a face at the bitter taste.

Severus refused to acknowledge the man any longer and left his office to return to his lab. He now had to plan what he was going to say to the Muggles on Saturday. Like any good Slytherin he was making plans with in plans, hoping to make sure he had every possible scenario covered. He wasn't ready to deal with what Lily dumped in his lap, but he had no choice, but to continue on this new course.

Saturday arrived in a rush and Severus truly wished he didn't agree to go. He gathered the only set of Muggle style clothing he owned and hoped he didn't stand out too much when he arrived in Surrey. Stifling a sigh Severus quickly got dressed and silently left his sanctuary in the dungeons of Hogwarts. He found luck favouring him when he didn't encounter Dumbledore or McGonagall on his way to the front doors. He was almost home free when he encountered that oaf Hagrid on the path to the front gates. Fortunately he rarely was polite to anyone and the dense half-giant didn't take any offence at his lack of greeting. Once clear of the gates Severus apparated away.

He arrived near the home of a squib living nearby and he hurried quickly from the area before the old woman came out to investigate his arrival. It took him a while to find the street he knew the boy lived on and even longer to find the house. He never understood why Muggles insist on putting numbers on the sides of their houses until today. The neighbourhood Lily's sister lived in had rows of identical houses and Severus guessed that it was the only way the Muggles could find their own homes. Not one of these little boxes had any character. The gardens were all mathematically correct and were the only bits of colour outside the four wheeled death traps the Muggles used as transportation.

Severus slowly made his way up the short drive once he located number four and took a deep breathe once he reached the front door before knocking. He wasn't sure what he was going to say other than he didn't want the boy. He didn't get a chance to settle upon how he wanted to tell the Dursleys that small fact, since the door was yanked open by a very obese boy with a thatch of blonde hair.

"Can I help you?" The whale like boy asked in a bored tone, which made Severus grind his teeth in frustration.

"I am Severus Snape and I would like to speak with your parents." Severus said while reigning in the desire to lecture the boy on how to address his elders.

"I'll get them." The boy left him on the porch and closed the door, causing Severus' temper to reach its limit. As Severus waited on the porch, he heard the fat boy yelling from what Severus thought was the sitting room, for his parents.

Severus waited for several moments before a heavy set of footfalls came to the door. When it opened again he saw yet another overweight person, this time several years older than he was.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" The fat man asked in a barely polite tone.

"I am Severus Snape and I'm here to discuss your nephew, Harry Potter."

A gleeful light lit the fat man's eyes as he stepped aside and opened the door wider to allow Severus entrance into his home. The Dursley man introduced his wife and son to Severus and started fawning over him like he had a fortune and was deciding which relative to leave it to when he died. He was plied with tea and biscuits and was invited to stay for dinner. The two adults wouldn't let him get a word in despite his best efforts. His tenuous hold on his temper, which wasn't the best to begin with, was rapidly eroding. By the fourth time he tried to get a word in, he'd given up being polite and began to shout.

"If you would allow me to say what I've come to…" Severus began to yell to the Dursley, but was distracted when the door leading to the foyer creaked open a bit. He couldn't see what made the door move, but Dursley obviously knew what did it. Severus was amazed to see that the man turned an interesting shade of purple about the face and he watched with wide eyes as he stormed from the room.

Severus was used to listening for small sounds despite the volume of noise about him. A skill he learned during his short time teaching. Children were rarely quiet despite any adult telling them to be silent and he had to train himself to hear the subtle changes in the potions the brats brewed to avoid the most devastating explosions. He couldn't hear a word despite his best efforts and he decided to cut this visit short. He got up, ignoring the horsy woman screeching at him, and traced the steps of the older fat Dursley.

When he entered the hallway he saw a small boy being shoved by the much larger man and realized that if he didn't prevent the obvious harangue he was taking air in for, he was never going to leave this overly common home.

"Mr. Dursley I'm a busy man. I do not have the time to wait while you deal with your other child." Severus said in the tone that he used on students in very deep trouble.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Snape." Dursley said while trying to push the small boy's head down. "This one doesn't listen to anything I say and he's far more trouble than he's worth."

Severus watched as the fat man tried to push the painfully thin boy down the hall, but the child wasn't cooperating at all. Severus frowned as the boy managed to escape his uncle. The child looked up and Severus couldn't help noticing the hopeful look on the boy's face. Then he took a very good look at the child and as he did so a gasp escaped his lips. The child was the boy he didn't wish to raise and the child's face was littered with bruises. Anger crept into him and he turned his attention to the fat man behind the boy.

"I will be taking my son with me now. This will not be the last you'll hear from me. I will be back with the appropriate authorities." Severus snarled, making Vernon Dursley wet his pants in fear. Turning to the young boy, who still was looking hopefully up at Severus, "Get your things together, Harry. We are leaving."

Severus watched as the boy ran further down the hallway and ducked into the small storage room under the stairs. He watched in shocked surprise as the boy came out of the closet with a tatty backpack that looked like it had very little in it. Clutched in his small hands were two rolled up pieces of paper that looked like they came out of a muggle lined notebook. Severus steeled himself from exploding in anger as he realized the implications of what he just saw, but reined in his temper once again. It wouldn't do for him to kill the fat bastard sharing the hallway with him. Harry wouldn't be any better off if Severus got himself thrown in Azkaban for painting the corridor with Durlsey's blood.

When Harry stepped into the light in the poorly lit hall, Severus noticed the boy's clothes for the first time. They were greyed in age, raggedy and nearly five times too large for the boy. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and held out his other hand for the boy to take. Without another word he led the child out the front door and down the street. Eventually he realized that he was walking to fast for the boy and awkwardly picked the small child up and carried him beyond the wards on Privet Drive. He frowned at how light Harry was, before turning his concentration towards apparating to his small home.

Once he was safely ensconced in his heavily warded, but shabby home he took a good look at the boy. Harry looked remarkably like James Potter. So much so that if he saw the boy for the first time at age eleven he would have instantly hated him, but now given a long unprejudiced look at the child he could see a lot of Lily in him. Unfortunately he didn't see any trace of himself in the boy, though he wasn't surprised at that lack. The potion he most likely brewed to help produce the child was notorious for it randomness when disturbing genes. Sometimes it completely obliterated any physical presence of one of the parents or on other occasions made an absolutely perfect blend of all three sets of genes. Perhaps the child inherited his gift for potions and his intellect, not that his mother was brilliant in her own right. Harry was painfully thin and Severus could see that the bruising on his face was much more extensive that he initially thought and he wasn't looking forward to examining the rest of the boy. He feared seeing how much worse the rest of the child was.

Severus braced himself and pulled the boy's shirt off and despite his best efforts another gasp escaped him. He quickly pulled his wand and cast a diagnostic charm on the child. After surveying the results Severus decided to take his chances and gather the potions from Pomfrey at Hogwarts than take the time to brew them here. He would need to take Harry shopping for proper clothes tomorrow and there was no way he was taking the child out in that state.

"Harry, I need to contact someone at the school I work at for some medical potions for you. Please wait here for me."

"Yes, sir." Harry replied quietly with his eyes downcast.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Harry. No one will harm you here." Without waiting for another response from Harry, Severus heading into his kitchen and lit the rarely used fireplace in it.

"Poppy Pomfrey, Hogwarts Hospital Wing," he intoned after throwing the greyish floo powder onto the flames. Once they turned green he knelt in front of the fire and stuck his head into the fire and called for the medi-witch.

"Severus! What's wrong? What do you need?" The motherly witch asked the moment his heard his voice.

"Poppy I need some of the potions from the stores. I require skelegrow, bruise salve, which every wound cleansing potion you can spare and several bottles of nutrient potion."

The medi-witch didn't argue with him, thankfully. She simply handed the potions through one at a time until he had everything he needed. He thanked the witch and withdrew his head from the fire. In his haste to attend to his son, he never noticed that the fire didn't return to its normal colour. He was so absorbed in taking care of Harry that he didn't hear footsteps following him into his sitting room.

"What happened to that child?"