Ron sat up as he suddenly smelled food, wafting from the kitchen. Glancing at the clock showed that it was lunch time and he stomach growled in appreciation as he realized he was indeed starving. He stood up and stretched, placing his book down and going over to the couch to wake up Harry. He gently shook him as Harry didn’t like being yelled awake like his mum did for him. Given his history, he really couldn’t blame him.

“No let me sleep daddy I’m tired,” Harry mumbled sleepily.

Ron grinned in spite of himself, as he wondered if Harry had ever called Snape that. “It’s me mate, time for lunch or Snape’s gonna be mad,”

“I’m up,” Harry grumbled automatically, knowing indeed the man would be angry if he skipped. He tiredly sat up blinking at his friend stupidly as he tried to figure out when Ron got here.

“Come on,” Ron said holding a hand out to pull him up.

“When did you get here?” Harry asked with a yawn as he grabbed Ron’s hand and stood up.

“Sometime around 8:30 or 9,” Ron replied as they headed to kitchen and towards the sink.

As they walked to the table Harry looked around curiously. The table was only set for two and one plate wasn’t set in front of where Snape usually sat.

“Where’s Snape?” He asked curiously.

“Hogwarts,” Ron replied quickly as he took a seat.

“I was supposed to go with him,” Harry replied with a frown. He felt a bit betrayed, why would the man let him fall asleep and then just leave him here?

“Don’t do that Harry, you know why you couldn’t go. Umbitch is there and so are the Durselys, that’s bringing you into the fire pit so to speak. Knowing your luck, you’d run smack into them,” Ron said in a tone his older brothers has used on him when his parents had left them in charge,

“Oh ok, but he’s coming back right?” Harry asked before blushing as he realized how he sounded.

“Yes, he came back a few hours to check on you,” Ron replied as he took a seat.

Harry smiled at that as he sat down and immediately started to eat, before stopping as he became aware that Ron was watching him with a smile.

“What?”“You’re eating before me,” Ron said grinning a bit like a loon.

“I am?” Harry asked a bit shocked before smiling back at his friend. “I guess I am,” he said happily as he turned back to his plate.

Ron shook his head in amusement as he started in on his own food, inwardly grinning. Snape was clearly doing something right, and that was alright in his book. He shook his head already thinking about Hermione’s reaction. She would never believe him when he told her that he didn’t seem to hate Snape now.

Ron couldn’t understand it himself why he was having such a turn around. He didn’t realize that seeing Harry (who was usually the strong one) breaking down before his eyes because of someone he considered family had hurt him. He had to step up and be strong for him when Harry couldn’t himself. He smiled as he realized his own maturity was coming into play.

“Stop smiling like that Ron, you’re starting to creep me out,” Harry teased.

“I’m mature, so I’m not going to dignify that with a response,” Ron said snobbish tone, similar to Malfoy’s. He had even tilted his nose in the air like the blonde boy tended to do as well.

Harry couldn’t help it, and he snorted loudly, effectively squirting milk out of his nose as he laughed. He laughed harder as he splashed Ron in the process.

“Eww,” Ron shouted unable to keep a straight face before breaking into hysterical laughter as well.

If someone had of walked into the kitchen right then and there they would have seen two laughing boys. Who were gasping on their laughter only to start back up again as the other made a silly noise. They were enjoying themselves to the point where somehow or another the laughing fit had turned into an all around food fight.

They never bothered to wonder why the mess never traveled out of the kitchen or how the food kept appearing on the table in front of them, no matter how fast they threw it at each other. All they cared about was being the carefree boys they were and having fun in a food fight.Twinkle the house elf, was watching them invisibly from the kitchen door. She wasn’t about to ruin her young master’s fun.

She hadn’t seen him really be happy since he’d been here, and though they were making a mess she wasn’t worried about anything. She had spelled the kitchen to keep the food from splattering everywhere else. The kitchen of course would be cleaned up before her Master Severus got home but for the time being she watched them with a smile. She snapped her fingers as the camera she had seen her Master use this past week before snapping a few pictures of them knowing Master Severus would appreciate them when he saw them.

~*~*~*~*Hogwarts~*~*~*~*~“

Delores, did you really just honestly do that at the table?” Severus said curtly as he held his nose dramatically and stood up. He couldn’t stay in here in the great hall and keep his composure; Minerva’s expression was going to do him in. He needed to laugh; he was nearly bursting with the suppressed chuckles.

“I’m s-s-orry S-s-severus, but I can’t get up from my chair,” she stammered out.

Her face was beet red and she was wishing she could just die. She had finished disgracing herself a few minutes ago and had noted how quiet the table had gone as they listened to her in horror. She was so ashamed of herself, and as the mess cooled, she was uncomfortable but her stomach told her it was just the beginning.  She looked a bald mess, and was rubbing her eyes as they were now starting to itch.

“Then use magic, you are a witch are you not,” he said before looking at her in disgust. “I’m sure Lucius would love to hear what you call proper manners Delores,” he said a threat underlying his tone.

Delores paled, knowing that Lucius Malfoy wasn’t a man she wanted to cross. He had the Minister under his thumb, but the horrible part was she knew Severus and him ran in the same circle. She had disgraced herself in front of the Headmaster and all its teachers, she wouldn’t live this down. She idly wondered if she could get out her contract, she wasn’t a fool that she didn’t know that they would indeed tell their students. Her musings were interrupted by Pomona. She frowned, as the woman didn’t seem to make any sense, at least not to her that is.

“My poor baby,” she said sadly, referring to the Devil’s snare underneath Delores’s chair that had obviously got hit with her mess.

“It’s fine, Severus spelled a charm around it before he sat down,” Filius said happily as he too stood up and walked away from the table as if the smell had made him ill.

Delores could do nothing as each teacher gave her a disgusted look as they left the table, one after the other, until there was only Albus let.

“Get me out of here H-headmaster,” she whimpered when they were alone.

“You’re a witch as Severus has stated you are able to do that yourself. And besides I’m just a tottering old fool,” Albus said his blue eyes flashing hard and cold before they were gone in an instant. He grabbed the laughing portrait and skipped out the hall eating his lemon drops.

Delores watched the old man leave with hatred and hurt in her expression as she took out her wand and struggled to get herself out of the mess she had created, before she added to it.

Back in the teacher’s lounge, Severus had barely made it inside the door before he had bent over in laughter. That was the most fun he had, in a long time. He laughed a long time, the stress that the woman had caused because she had harmed his students on his watch melted away at that moment as the laughter relaxed him. He knew that this was just the beginning for the take down of that blasted toad woman.

Once the Weasley twins got wind of this and they would there would be much more laughter all around. Not even mention when he caught the woman all by herself, he would be showing her just why he was notorious for being a cold greasy haired bastard. He laughed until his ribs hurt and was now holding his side trying to breathe deeply. Every now and again a few chuckles came out of him.

It was so out of character for him, but he was so relieved and dare he say it happy. When he finally stood up, wiping the few tears that had dropped from his eyes, he turned to see the rest of the teachers staring at him with varying layers of shock on their face. Well all of them except for Minerva who still had that Cheshire cat grin on her face from before.

Severus attempted a glare but just like before it was Minerva’s expression that did him in. He couldn’t help and it and he started laughing again. His joyous and relieved laughter seemed to start a chain reaction around the teachers as their laughter was soon heard all around the castle. The occupants of the castle, the portraits, and the ghosts were all laughing as they were told the story about what happened to the toad woman in the great hall. No one could hear over all the laughter but Hogwarts herself was breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that it could only get better from then on.

~*~*~*~3rd Floor Corridor*~*~*~*~*

Petunia was currently scowling to herself as Dudley ate his small lunch; she shook her head angrily at their whole situation. She glared at anything that looked at her, and since there was no portraits of her knowledge in their quarters that left her husband to feel her wrath. All she wanted was to go back home, but she couldn’t even do that as those evil freaks had destroyed it.She wasn’t stupid nor was she naïve enough to think that Harry was to blame for the whole situation.

The wards had dropped because Harry didn’t consider their house his home any longer, not that he ever did to begin with. Petunia wasn’t surprised; they never treated him like he was part of their family. She had a few days to think about it, not to mention she was sure the old man had done something to her. Otherwise how else would she have dreams of Vernon hurting the boy every night, it wasn’t that they were make believe either because they weren’t.

 What made them so bad for her was because she herself was very much aware in the dream and knew when she had them what was already going to happen, from already having experienced it. It was unsettling because she had taken the time to look at herself, to gauge her own reactions and was horrified to see that she didn’t seem to care one bit. She found herself moving around in the dreams, seeing the fear in the child’s eyes.

The dreams varied, but the ones that seemed to stick were when Harry was still a young child. She couldn’t look at his eyes to much as they really did resemble Lily, and she knew her sister was rolling over in her grave; horrified. How could she allow her husband to hurt an innocent child like that? So what if she didn’t like him, to be honest Harry had never wronged her.

She knew she allowed her jealously to stem from having no magic herself. Petunia sighed, knowing that she should have loved the child and told him stories about his mum. She shook her head sadly knowing that if the situations had been reversed Lily would have cherished Dudley and told him how much he was loved. She sighed tiredly as she slumped in her chair, not even the thought that she was at Hogwarts finally could help her mood.

She knew Vernon was headed off to jail as soon as they secured a date, and she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad about that anymore. The only reason Dudley had bullied Harry was because Vernon had encouraged it. Contrary to belief she was not proud of the person her son was turning out to be. Well she hadn’t been up until last year where Harry had saved him from the dementor thingys and something had changed in her son. She saw it and so did Vernon and though he tried to blame Harry, she was applauding him.

Petunia glanced at her son as he ate his small meal. The house elf was it? Had really taken a liking to him and she had seen them on occasion in his room talking and strangely it hadn’t bothered her at all. Dudley was losing weight, and she was happy for him but Vernon wasn’t. She wasn’t blind to the glint that she would see in the man’s eyes whenever Harry’s name was brought up, and she found herself looking forward to the day where he would be gone and out of their lives. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt rather then saw Dudley come towards her.

“Mum, are you ok?” Dudley asked softly, coming to sit next to her.

“I’m alright,” she replied quietly.

Dudley nodded, not really believing it. At first he had been afraid of everything magic, remembering what happened to him when he was 11. But as he stayed there, it gradually started to grow on him. He unlike his parents hadn’t been confined to their quarters and because of Winky he had found out a few secrets of the castle that they were staying in.

 Because of this friendship, she had also shown him a way to be outside and was helping him with his weight loss. Also being outside had enabled him to see the castle in all her glory. He couldn’t believe that this beautiful castle was a school. Dudley shook his head as he remembered his mother’s sad look in his direction when he realized that all she and his dad saw were ruins.

At least she did until the old man; who he had come to know as the Headmaster, had done something to his mother to enable her to see. He shrugged, his memories from that conversation was a bit fuzzy but he could remember the man referring to him as a squib. He had a tiny amount of magic in him, not enough to be a wizard like Harry but it was enough for him.

Winky had explained it to him once when they were alone and he finally understood why his mum had treated Harry like she had. He couldn’t believe Harry was going to a school like this, and was a tiny bit jealous himself. At least he was until Winky clarified to him just who Harry was and what he had to do, and then he felt bad for the way he treated him. He was horrified when he found out how Harry’s parent’s had be murdered and how his cousin had almost suffered the same fate numerous times.

When his dad had called Harry a waste of space, he found that he wasn’t agreeing with him anymore. He sighed, hoping that one day he would be able to tell Harry that he didn’t think the same as his parents. He idly wondered if the boy would forgive him or not. He smiled softly before finishing his food and going into his room, knowing Winky was there waiting for him.

~*~*~*~Grimmauld Place~*~*~*~*~

Remus practically carried Sirius up the stairs and into his room, getting him ready for bed. He was angry at the moment, and found himself shaking his head in disbelief. Braden had continued their questions up until about lunch where they took a break before starting them again. The healer said that he needed to talk it out as this was step one in the process of recovery.

It had been hard to listen to it, so he didn’t need to know how Sirius had gone through it and survive it. He shook his head sadly as he looked at his friend. The years hadn’t been kind to him, and he knew had Sirius been in the right frame of mind he would have never hurt Harry. They weren’t any closer to discussing the whys yet but they did have a better grasp on his childhood punishments.

Remus was surprised and he knew that most of the old and notorious dark family reviled in the dark arts so it wasn’t all that shocking that they had used a few curses on their children when they disobeyed. Remus closed the door behind him and walked back downstairs; this did however explain a lot. He was not looking forward to going into the session about his mother tomorrow; he could practically predict the outcome.

 As he started making tea, he couldn’t stop shaking his head at the anger on his friend’s behalf. At least now, he could understand why Sirius didn’t believe he had hurt Harry, considering what he went through that was like a pat on the head. It didn’t make him feel any better but it made his heart hurt a little less, as he realized they were working to fix him.

~*~*~*~*Hogwarts~*~*~*~

It was a few moments later when Severus had taken a seat, after finally catching his breath. He could see the wheels turning in the other teacher’s head and he didn’t feel like answering their unspoken question. Thankfully no one said anything to him as they took a seat around them.

“As soon as break is over, I think we need to find out just who exactly suffered at the hands of that dreaded blood quill,” Minerva said quietly.

“All of the Gryffindors have, the majority of the Hufflepuffs, a handful of Ravenclaws and a few Slytherins,” Severus stated matter of fact.

“How do you know that?” Pomona asked, he hand over her heart in heart.

“I think you’re mistaken Severus, I don’t think Miss Granger has been victimized,” Minerva said in a tone that said that he was spouting nonsense. They all knew that she was the one student who stayed out of trouble.Severus made an irritated noise as he glared at her.

 “She has suffered at the hands of that insufferable woman, I can assure you,” he said dangerously.

“How do you know Severus?” Filius asked trying to break the sudden tension in the air.

“Ronald told me, I even know what she was forced to write,” he said quietly his dark eyes finally showing the small sign of pain that he was feeling.He didn’t like what the woman had made Harry’s best friend had written. The girl was like a sponge when it came to knowledge and the fact that the woman had dare degrade her as if she was nothing. It reminded him how Lily was treated because of her muggleborn status. It hurt him because of what he yelled at her, he shook his head occluding the feeling away.

“Which is what Severus?” Minerva finally asked, breaking him out of his stupor.

“That she must learn her place,” he said softly before standing up and pacing once more. He knew it wasn’t enough, that toad would rue the day she ever hurt his students. Who did she think she was?He could hear the collective gasps around the room and he sighed, feeling like what they did hadn’t been enough at all.

“How could she do that?” Pomona asked in a horrified tone.

“Because the woman is obviously a bit touched in the head my dear,” Albus said gently though his blue eyes were once more cold.

Severus frowned as he stared at the Headmaster in silence their eyes making contact, before he was suddenly making his way out the of the staff room. His fists were clenched in his anger, how could the man allow this to happen right under his nose? How could he? He was in his own little world as he headed down to the dungeons. His magic crackling around him, oh she would definitely pay.  He made his way into his potion’s storage to grab some healing potions.

After all he couldn’t allow himself to kill the woman, he would do Harry no good if he ended up in that prison. As he came out of his office, he was startled when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He cursed himself for his inattentiveness as he went to grab his wand and his attempt was thwarted. He felt a tad defenseless from not having his wand out and in his hand but he had other ways of getting the person to let go. Though he didn’t get a chance to demonstrate them, because whoever was holding him suddenly spoke.

“Calm yourself m’boy, it is only me,” Albus said gently.

“You startled me Headmaster,” Severus said calmly as he got out of his defensive position.

“I’m sorry Severus, that was not my intention,” Albus replied quickly.

“What is it Headmaster?” Severus asked quietly.

“Whatever you are planning my dear boy, do not do it,” he said firmly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Albus,” Severus lied immediately.

“Whatever you were planning to do to Delores; think about the consequences Severus,” Albus repeated.

“You have never known me to be careless Albus, if I was planning on doing something to the woman I would never do it in Hogwarts,” Severus replied carefully.

Albus gave Severus a look over his glasses that told the man he was not at all fooled. The man in front of him was teetering on the edge of control; he could literally feel his angry magic. He knew in the staff room when he saw that glint in Severus’s eyes that the small act of revenge in the Great Hall was nothing compared to what he had in store for the woman.

“Severus, she will pay for what she has done. I will make certain of that,” Albus promised. Though he was no Slytherin he could however read between the lines of what Severus had just said. He never said about not taking the woman somewhere else and doing Merlin knows what to her.

“You always try to see the best in people Albus,” Severus said softly.

“Because I know there is good in everyone at some point in time,” Albus said sadly.“

Not everyone is worthy of forgiveness Headmaster,” Severus said somberly. “You cannot save us all,”

“No I can’t, but I can save the ones closest to my heart,” Albus replied. He was well aware that this part of their conversation had moved away from the woman and to Severus. He knew what the man was doing and he knew how strong willed Severus was. But he also knew that he would defend Severus until his dying day, he just didn’t want the man to have more blood on his hands. Not when he was just getting his bit of happiness that was so long overdue.

“She will pay for what she has done, you cannot think that I will just allow her to go unpunished,” Severus said his calm façade finally breaking through to make way for his anger.

“I never said she would be unpunished Severus, I said the exact opposite. I will make sure she gets everything she deserves,” Albus promised a steely spark in his eyes once more.

Though Severus could see where the man was coming from, nothing was going to come in between him and what was his. This woman had hurt something that belonged to Lily, his best friend. She would definitely pay and he would be damned if it wasn’t by his own hand.

“I made a vow,” Severus said darkly. “I promised to protect him at all costs.”

“And you have my dear boy, but now is the time to help Harry heal. I know you want vengeance, but Harry would never want you to do this,” Albus said gently.

“Harry won’t ever know, for I won’t tell him,” Severus said the threat lingering in his voice as he looked at his mentor.

Albus gave Severus an amused look, the kind one would give a child who was talking back to their parents. He sighed as his blue eyes bore into Severus’s brown ones.

“You will leave her to me Severus,” Albus said strictly.

“I will not, I guess you shall have to throw me into Azkaban then. Harry will just have to learn to do without me,” Severus said thoughtlessly. He didn’t mean a thing of what he was saying but he wouldn’t be swayed, as there was nothing the man could do to try to stop him from going after that hateful woman.

“You and I know you both don’t mean that. You will leave her Severus,” Albus repeated his eyes hard once more.

“Of course Headmaster, Merlin forbid someone actually gets their justice for once,” Severus said harshly before pushing pass the old man.

“She will get all that is coming to her, I will make sure she understands Severus,” Albus told him once more.

“Do what you will Headmaster, it’s obvious who you hold closer to you. I won’t harm you’re precious child abuser,” Severus said hatefully, his voice oozing sarcasm.

He heard a tired sigh as he passed but Severus was anything but swayed. As far as the old man knew he wouldn’t seek out the woman, but as he was a Slytherin he had his ways around the castle without Albus knowing about. He could feel the blue eyes of the Headmaster on his back and he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief as he turned the corner.

He smirked to himself as he passed a secret passageway and slipped in it, leading him back to the corridor to the Great Hall.; where he headed to the DADA classroom. He knew that the Professor’s quarters were usually close to classroom itself. He knew he couldn’t get in without a password and as her portrait was of her ridiculous cats, he couldn’t even try to persuade it. Most of the portraits hated the woman just as everyone else did.

 He frowned as he tried to figure this out. He didn’t actually believe she would open the door for him. He had seen the fear in her eyes, and he was planning on exploiting that, thoroughly. He knew that she deserved no less for what she had done, the hurt and harm she had caused. He vaguely remembered Harry talking about a hyper house elf that adored him, and it took him a moment to remember the creature’s name.

“Dobby!” He called, where the silence was suddenly interrupted by a house elf’s pop.

“Potion Master Severus Snape sir, called for Dobby?” Dobby replied cheerfully.

“Yes, I need you to get me into those quarters over there,” Severus said quietly.

Dobby’s eyes widened, but he didn’t shake his head in the negative nor tell the man it wasn’t possible. He like all the house elves had known who the woman was and how she treated the occupants of Hogwarts. It was also he who had slipped the potion into the toady’s woman’s food after he had found out what she had done to his Harry Potter sir.

“If sir would grab Dobby’s hand, Dobby can do it,” he said excitedly.

“Thank you Dobby,” Severus said taking the small creature’s hand and disappearing with a pop. Severus gave Dobby a nod as they landed in the sitting room of her quarters, where he could hear the shower running. He put his fingers to his lips not wanting her to be aware of their arrival.

“I was never here, and you never saw me,” Severus said casually.

“Of course Potion Master Severus, Dobby can keep secrets,” he said with a smirk of his own before disappearing.

Severus sighed as he quickly went through the plan in his head. Though it had been spur of the moment because of Albus telling him no, he had thought that there would be no better day then today. He planned to stun her and then disillusion her and then go back to his quarters. He couldn’t floo because they would be able to check to see her last destination when they realized that she was missing.

He didn’t want to call a house elf again as it was too risky. He stilled as he heard the shower turn off and the bustling that one did when they got out of the tub,He had his wand up his sleeve as he took a seat in her chair; he was disgusted as he looked around the many portraits of the cats in here. This was very disturbing to him, he couldn’t understand it really.

So caught in his thoughts, he barely heard the bathroom door open, but when he did he turned his eyes towards that direction. He knew she would come out here sooner or later and he was ready.He was aware of the exact moment when she realized that he was there because of the girlish squeal that escaped her when their eyes made contact. He swiftly stood up and was across the room and in front of her before she could even pull out her wand.

“I suggest you keep your hands where I can see them,” Severus instructed gravely.

“How did you get in here?” She asked pompously in a tone much more confident then what she felt.

“That is unimportant right now. What you should be asking, is what I am going to do with you?” Severus replied forebodingly.

“The minister won’t allow this,” she said feeling like she might pass out from her fear. She was trying to scare him into backing down, she didn’t like the menacing way he was looking at.

“The minister won’t be able to do a damn thing, and neither will Albus,” Severus said casually as he looked her up and down. He could practically feel the fear radiating from her body. This is one thing that he remembered when he was a real death eater, the thrill of the catch, the chase, and the kill. He wouldn’t kill her, but he would give her a chance to defend herself, he wasn’t that cruel.

“S-Severus, what a-are you d-doing?” She asked, unable to help the thudding of her heart from how afraid she actually was.

“Paying what you owe Delores,” Severus said darkly, as he pulled out his wand and she knew know more.