His footsteps echoed as Snape made his way up the empty stairwell.

Only two days prior, he'd been surrounded by his cherished roses and the beautiful countryside of the Alta Marema, Now he was here, after what was an all too brief vacation, within the cold stone walls of the castle. And he contemplated, as he trudged up the stairs, how the echoes of his footsteps seemed to mirror his own swirling memories of his home and life in Tuscany.

He had barely settled in when Madame Pomfrey suggested that they meet in order to review the supply levels for the necessary potions in the infirmary. With the start of the new school term barely one month away, she was anxious to begin her preparations.

As he neared the hospital wing, he could sense that something was amiss. The castle was nearly empty, so any activity was unexpected. But when he entered the infirmary, he saw a scene of focused endeavors and distressed voices.

Dear Merlin, now what? He'd barely taken in the scene of Poppy fervently working on someone, when a voice called out to him from the Mediwitch's office.

"Severus, what fortuitous timing.”The Headmaster beckoned to him from the doorway to Poppy’s office.“Please, your services are greatly needed."

Snape walked over and saw an obviously distressed Arthur Weasley speaking to his wife through the Floo; his panicked voice filled the background.

He hadn’t seen the headmaster in nearly a month; approaching him now, Snape nodded his head and offered a raised eyebrow in greeting."What seems to be the problem?"

"Severus, a bit of an altercation took place today at the Dursley's."

"Potter's relatives?"

"Yes. During the excitement, Harry was injured and Arthur inadvertently, purely reactionary mind you..." Dumbledore shrugged uncharacteristically. "Nonetheless, Arthur hexed them."

The second eyebrow elevated to join the first, this time in shock. "Arthur Weasley? Hexed a family of Muggles?" If the situation hadn't been so delicate, Snape would have found it laughable.

"Severus, please. Arthur is distraught, not to mention the possible ramifications with the Ministry. I am asking for your help. Would you please go to the Dursley's and … well, take care of things as quickly as possible?"

Both eyebrows quickly returned to their former position and the blank expression, honed to perfection, schooled itself upon the potion master's face. "Of course Albus, whatever you require. To be certain I understand your request, you wish for me to enter the home of Mr. Potter's relatives, release them of the current spells cast upon them by Arthur and then, I would assume, Obliviate them."

The blue eyes held no twinkle this day. "Yes."

Snape kept his personal reaction to this request veiled behind his mask of indifference. "Very well, I will take care of matters."

As Snape moved to exit the office, Arthur stepped quickly to intercede."Severus, thank you so much for doing this. I don't know what came over me. Everything happened so quickly, I..."

Having heard enough, the seasoned operative interrupted Mr. Weasley's unsought explanation. "There is no need for you to vindicate yourself to me, Arthur. Now if you will, I believe haste is paramount at this point."

"You're right Severus, of course. But, please accept my gratitude."

Snape offered a slight bow of the head in acknowledgement, then turned and left the office.

No doubt this is some form of penance for past sins. Snape marched toward the Headmaster's office barely able to contain his annoyance.Not only was he still unsettled over having just left his home only to return to the dungeons of Hogwarts, he now had to race off and deal with an exceedingly unpleasant task involving Potter's relatives. It was bad enough that he had to tolerate the imp in his classroom, but now this! Having to enter the house of the pampered little prince, contend with his hero-worshiping family, all because of Arthur's overblown reaction to what was no doubt, some triviality.

~~~~~~~

Flooing from Dumbledore's office to Arabela Figg's, Snape arrived in Little Whinging just around sunset. He barely acknowledged the Squib as he headed toward her front door.

"Professor Snape, how is Harry?"

Surprised at the question, Snape turned toward the old squib. Truth be told, it hadn't even occurred to him to inquire about Potter's injuries. "Potter? I am quite certain Madame Pomfrey has matters well in hand."

"Oh, of course Professor," cowered the old Squib, intimidated by his mere presence and curt retort.

Wishing to complete his assigned burden as quickly as possible, Snape offered Mrs. Figg a brief nod, cast a Disillusionment Charm upon himself and exited the house.

~~~~~

He crossed Privet Drive and as he neared the house, he noticed that most of the windows had cracks running throughout the glass. With his wand at the ready, Snape quietly slipped into the house via the back door.

What greeted him was the sight of a rather large young Muggle, lying on the kitchen floor. Weasley had obviously used a sticking charm to adhere the youth to the tiles. Completely engulfing the boy's face was an enormous Bat Bogey. Assessing that this Muggle was in no immediate danger, he left the young man in his odd predicament and continued his survey of the house.

He left the kitchen and entered a hallway. Lying on the floor at the opposite end was no doubt Petunia Dursley, apparently suffering from the same hexes as the young man in the kitchen.

As Snape moved down the hallway, the sight of a small cupboard door caught his eye. He paused and looked at it.

He had seen this door before, but where? He stood unmoving and simply stared at it, then after a few moments he stepped foreword, grasped the small handle and yanked it open.

Alien memories, previously banished to the outskirts of his mind, surfaced now with a vengeance: overwhelming feelings of isolation and fear, want and need.

"Arrrgh"Snape growled as these feelings and memories, Potter's memories, threatened to overwhelm him.

Heslammed the door shut and forced the invasive emotions from him. He now recalled where it was he’d seen that small dark space; it was during Potter’s Occlumency lessons with him only weeks ago.

Snape had assumed them to be no more than remnants from a bad dream, but apparently these were not merely dream images, but were indeed memories of actual occurrences. This cupboard under the stairs was real, and Severus Snape now realized with unwanted clarity, the tremendous emotional trauma it held for Harry Potter.

He backed away and turned to face Petunia Dursley and then, with a wave of his wand, he released the Disillusionment Charm.

Petunia, who had seen the cupboard door open and close, apparently of its own accord, now panicked at the sudden appearance of Snape. Even though she recognized him as a childhood friend of Lily's, the dark look upon his face threatened to scare the very life from her.

As Snape slowly walked toward her, he could clearly see her panicked eyes staring at him from around the perimeter of the bat sized bogey. Her body, as was the case of her son, was also stuck to the floor, and the bogey covering the majority of her face prevented communication.

He stood in silence and stared down at this woman, Lily's sister, and wondered what in Merlin's name had been going on in this house.

What had he just experienced over there by the small cupboard? The images and emotions he saw and felt made absolutely no sense to him. Potter was a pampered brat, not an abused waif.

Snape shook his head, trying to clear away the questioning voice. This wasn't why he'd come to this despicable house. Besides, why should he even concern himself? He cared nothing for Potter. Yet, he was intrigued. His curiosity grew and prodded him on until he reached the point where he simply had to know.

Snape hesitated, but then pointed his wand squarely at the woman. “Legilimens”

He felt her hatred, disgust and the jealousy, witnessed the years of favoritism and intentional neglect. On and on the impressions and feelings flew at him, memories of what were, in her opinion, years of injustice. Snape realized that to this woman and her family, Harry was unwanted; he was nothing more than an imposition and an enormous source of annoyance.

"Finite."

Snape stood stock still. Beyond shocked, he was flabbergasted at the realization that Lily's sister loathed her nephew. Of course Potter was a nuisance, but to treat a small child in such a manner? It was incomprehensible.He didn’t have time just then to process all he had learned, nor was this the place to contemplate such a disturbing revelation, so he steeled himself to return to his task and continue the survey of the house.

But when he turned to face the staircase, Snape gasped. There, splattered upon the wall at the base of the stairs was what could only be Potter's blood. "Dear Merlin," he muttered. No wonder the squib inquired as to Potter's welfare.

Moving past the blood splattered wall, Severus ascended the staircase. There on the top landing, lay the massive form of Potter's uncle, also stuck to the floor with an equally massive Bogey covering his face.

Now with all the family members accounted for, Snape proceeded to finish surveying the remainder of the upstairs.His search was uneventful until he reached the last door. Here again was yet another door that beckoned its story to be told.

Opening the lock ridden, animal flap enhanced door, Severus stepped into a stifling hot, dreary little bedroom. He took in the small cot-like bed, the broken furniture and remnants of metal bars at the window. The only statement of individuality was the small Gryffindor banner and a hand drawn pencil rendition — of a Snowy Owl.

Snape allowed himself only a few moments of stunned realization, a brief acknowledgement of regret and shame.

Making short work of rectifying the evidence of Arthur Weasley's anger, Severus removed the hexes, then Stunned and Obliviated Potter's relatives. He finished his task by levitating the uncle to an upstairs bed, the aunt to the living-room couch and the youth to a kitchen chair, so that when they awoke, each would think they had merely dozed off.

Finally, Snape moved to the base of the staircase.

"Evanesco" With his charm, Potter's blood disappeared from the wall. And then, "Reparo" All the cracked windows were magically repaired. His task complete, Severus sighed and then departed number four Privet Drive.

~~~~~

As midnight approached, Dumbledore paced anxiously in his office waiting for Snape's return. Finally, the flames flared green and the younger wizard stepped from the Floo.

The two men stood and stared at each other, not knowing what to say or where to begin. It had been a long and trying day. Both were exhausted, their minds full of thoughts that needed to be processed and questions that needed answers.

It was Snape who broke the silence."The situation with the Dursleys has been rectified. They will remember nothing of what occurred this day with regards to Potter ... or Arthur."

Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Severus. Please, sit down and relax. You look as if you could use a drink. I know I do."

Dumbledore walked over to a small side table and reached for the crystal decanter that housed a very old, very strong yet infinitely smooth Cognac. He poured the precious liquid into two large snifters then went to join Snape who was now seated in front of the large fireplace.

They sat for a long while in silence, sipping their drinks, allowing the Cognac to ease their frazzled nerves and numb their cold self-disgust.

Staring at the snifter held in his hand, Severus watched as the prisms of light from the fire danced between the cut edges of the crystal. Finally, he felt composed enough to voice one of the many questions weighing upon his mind.

"Albus, to what degree are you aware of Potter's living conditions?"

The old wizard stared into his own glass and let out a deep sigh. "Apparently, not enough. That fact was made blatantly clear to me today."

Snape lifted his gaze from the snifter to that of his old mentor, pinning him with a pertinacious stare.How could someone he had always admired, someone he had sacrificed a vast portion of his life in order to serve, someone he respected more than any other person known to him — how in the world could Albus Dumbledore have been so negligent with regards to Potter?Snape wanted answers, and he would wait all night, if needs be, for Dumbledore to provide them.

The old wizard continued to stare at his drink as he finally voiced his failure. "I have no excuses Severus.The fault is mine and mine alone.I thought that the people I had placed near the Dursley's home could monitor the child sufficiently. Obviously, I was mistaken."

"You discovered this fact ... only today?"

Dumbledore nodded his head.Then he told Snape about Vernon's assault upon Harry, the revelations of hatred, the prejudice and abuse, then of Arthur's instinctive response to the attack and the injustice that had been reaped upon Harry his entire young life. "How could I have erred so greatly?"

"How were you to know Albus? Abuse can be well hidden."

The old wizard continued, as if not hearing Snape's comment. "From their perspective, my operatives had no idea what was transpiring within the walls of that house. Harry never alluded to any injustice or abuse … never," his voice trailed off in a whisper.

Albus finally lifted his gaze to meet that of Snape's."I have failed that young man. I realize that now... and I fully admit to that fact. Also, based upon Arthur's accounting of a discussion he had with Harry before the fray, and his physical state, Harry is terribly depressed over the death of Sirius. Again, he never alluded to any distress in his letters to me. I believed that he was coping adequately, and so my transgression continues."

"What do you mean — his physical state?"

Shaking his head ever so slightly while he spoke, the Headmaster relayed to Snape the fact that Harry had lost a great deal of weight in just one month, that his blood pressure was dangerously high due to stress, that there was evidence of physical abuse and, according to Madame Pomfrey, Harry was exhibiting the classic signs of severe depression.

After listening to the old wizard’s account of Harry's condition, Snape added all he had seen earlier that evening, to what Dumbledore had just conveyed to him. A feeling of guilt and shame for his obvious misconceptions about Harry took hold of him, andthe longer he thought on the matter, the more damning each detail of his personal transgression came to light.

"Severus?" The gentle calling of his name, snapped Snape from his musings.

"You aren't the only one with transgressions to face tonight, Albus." He responded, his disappointment evident in the tone of his voice. "I realized today just how mistaken..." he paused momentarily, looking towards the warm flames of the fire.” I realized how wrong I have been about ... Harry."

Dumbledore closed his eyes, and sighed. "I am so relieved that you are finally able to see the truth about him.He isn't James. In fact, as I have had the opportunity to get to know Harry, I often think that you and he are quite alike, different in some regards, but essentially alike."

Severus smirked at the comparison.

"You called him Harry." "I what?"

"You called him Harry.I've never heard you use his first name Severus, not until tonight."

Severus set down his now empty crystal goblet. "I believe that until now, I have never truly considered Harry as an individual. I’ve always viewed him as..." He thought for a moment, "I suppose I viewed him as a sort of allegorical figurehead.To me personally, he always represented his father. He was a target where I could channel the resentment I obviously still harbor, and perhaps I...."

Dumbledore waited a moment, then urged Snape to continue, "What?" he said softly.

Severus looked down at his hands, as he fiddled with the signature ring he still wore. "Perhaps I was a bit ... envious, jaundiced, because of his ease with people, his distinction and import."

Knowing how difficult it was for Severus to have admitted these things to himself, let alone give them voice, Dumbledore leaned foreword and reached a hand toward his long time protégé. "Severus, we all have our strengths and our weaknesses.Please, do not judge yourself harshly.You have the opportunity now to rectify the past."

Severus felt totally drained. "If I do Albus, then so do you."

The two wizards shared a long and knowing look. With regards to Harry, they both felt a weighty guilt and a need to make amends.

Severus rose wearily from the chair. Crossing the room, he paused before opening the door. “You should know that today, I saw evidence of unintentional magic at the Dursley’s house."

"Yes, Arthur relayed to me what happened. I assume you are referring to the windows?"

"Yes. It was Harry, no doubt?"

Albus nodded his head. "Arthur stated that as Harry's uncle ascended the staircase, Harry became highly distressed and that for a moment or two, some sort of electrical charge could be felt. Then suddenly all of the windows started to crack."

Leaning against the door, Severus compared these words to his own memory of when he'd witnessed Harry's extraordinary powers at work. "You should know that I also witnessed a similar occurrence."

Dumbledore perked with curiosity. "You did? When?"

"It happened the last day of term, during the Leaving Feast." Severus sighed as he recounted the unfortunate event. "It was a private moment for Harry. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was quite distressed over the death of Black and when he momentarily placed his hand against the wall, the castle shook. He immediately withdrew his hand and the shaking stopped."

Albus gasped. "I remember that. It lasted only a brief moment, but all of us in the Great Hall felt it."

Severus waited in silence as Dumbledore pondered the magnitude of his news.

"It would seem that Harry and I are overdue for a little talk."

"So it would seem Albus, so it would seem."

~~~~~

Severus slowly made his way down from the Headmaster's tower. Arriving at the second level, he followed the turn in the stairs and went to continue his descent, but paused.

It was only a few steps to his right and to stop by would be a small gesture, a simple show of support; why was he hesitating?

"This is preposterous." Annoyed at himself, Severus turned and walked determinately toward the infirmary doors. Firmly grasping the handle, he turned the knob and entered the ward —then stopped.

It was if time had suddenly softened and slowed its pace. The opalescent moonlight drifting in through the numerous windows, hung suspended within the darkened shroud of the ward. Severus slowly walked foreword, each step bringing him closer to the solitary figure lying still as a corpse upon the bed. The only movement from Harry's body was the steady, shallow rise and fall of his chest.

Plied with potions, Harry had been drugged into a dreamless sleep. But even if he had been awake, he would have barely heard the soft whisper issued by the contrite man before him.

"I am sorry Harry."

Drained and exhausted, feeling as though he were himself about to collapse, Severus turned slowly to leave. But the motion caused his hand to brush atop that of Harry's and to his surprise, the fingers of the smaller hand closed ever so slightly upon his own.

Startled, Severus looked upon this tenuous connection. Why he didn't immediately withdraw his hand he couldn’t say. Physical contact was something Severus Snape neither gave nor received easily.

He looked from their hands back towards Harry's face; Severus could see that the young man was sound asleep, so how could this have taken place?

His normal response would have been to withdraw, but for some reason he didn't. Instead, Severus slowly lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. He sat there and looked upon Harry for what seemed to be the first time.‘The Boy Who Lived’ was a figurehead to the Wizarding World, but the beaten young man before him now was just that — a beaten young man.

This was Harry; not a reincarnation of his father but a person in his own right: a too thin individual with sunken cheeks, a head wrapped in gauze and bruises about his face.

Severus hadn't thought he could feel any worse, but he did. It would take a long time for him to come to terms with the role he had played in all the injustice. Beyond that, he would someday need to apologize to a Harry Potter that was conscious and could very easily tell Severus to go straight to hell.

Would Harry ever be able to forgive him?Perhaps not. But even so, Severus was determined to stand by his declaration to make amends to this young wizard, and he would do so starting now.

He would sit patiently here by Harry's side.Even though he was unconscious, if Harry needed to hold onto someone, Severus decided that he would stay and allow the contact.

This day seemed to have lasted an eternity, but it was only a prelude of what lay ahead ... for Harry and Severus.