Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box for beta'ing my story.

A/N: Here is Chapter 8! Enjoy! :)

Chapter 8

SLAP!

The sound reverberated around the room. Severus stood in complete shock, looking at his newly adoptive mother. His cheek turning slightly pink from the hit he had just endured. Not once did it ever occur to him that she would lay a hand on him. He thought the whole point of this adoption was to get away from an abusive parent, not end up in another one. Maybe taking the Dark Mark wasn't the brightest idea, but he really didn't have a choice. Lucius would not leave him alone about it. Neither would Nott, Goyle, or Crabbe. And if he wanted to have a security and belonging enough to keep the Marauders off his back, then he needed to take that mark.

“Why did you do it?” Minerva's voice was thick with tears, her hand slightly stinging from slapping Severus. Those black eyes of her son looked at her pierced with anger and fear. Severus turned to walk away, she grabbed his arm and he stayed put. “Severus.”

“You wouldn't understand,” Severus said. His voice quiet. She could hear the hurt in his voice, but she had to push him. She wanted to understand why he would taint himself with the mark like that.

“Well, help me understand.”

“I had to take the mark,” Severus turned and faced Minerva. “I wanted it. I needed it. Now Lucius...”

“Wait a minute,” Minerva cut Severus off. “Lucius? Lucius Malfoy. I can't believe you would listen to that boy. Him and his little entourage is no better than James and his friends.

“He is not like Potter! No one is like Potter, or Black. Don't compare my friends with those Gryffindors.”

“Severus,” Minerva admonished. “What's is going on with you?” She grabbed his left arm. “This is not you.”

Severus snatched his arm from her grasp. “YOU DON'T KNOW ME!”

Minerva stepped back and looked at her son. “Severus.”

“No,” Severus yelled. “I am not a Gryffindor. I'm a Slytherin. And I am proud of my decision.”

“No, you're not,” Minerva said quietly. “You've doomed yourself, Severus.” She no longer held her tears back as they streamed down her face. “Can you not see that.”

Severus looked at Minerva for the first time with disgust. “I don't need your approval. I don't need you. I didn't ask you to adopt me. So you can just leave me alone.” With that Severus turned and walked out of his adoptive mother's office.

Minerva sat in her chair. She had not moved since Severus left, telling her that he was taking Harry back to the Dursleys. Her heart was just breaking. It was happening all over again. She was losing her son again. Absentmindedly, she continued rubbing her hands and wrist. After sitting in her chair for what seemed like forever she slowly gotten up and went to bed.

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Albus walked back to his office with a serene smile on his face. All was coming into place. He had Severus under his thumb and there was nothing that Minerva or even Severus could do about it. Once he got to his chambers, Albus walked over to Fawkes and began to rub his feathers.

“All is coming to plan,” Albus said to his familiar. “Soon I will have Harry to understand.”

Fawkes shrilled in contentment at his master. Albus petted him one more time and then retired to his chambers for the night with a smile in his heart and one on his face.

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Severus showed Harry where he was going to be sleeping. Slowly Harry followed his potion professor throughout the house. Once they got to the room, Severus walked in and Harry followed. To say that Harry was surprised was an understatement. There was a big four poster bed in the corner, usual furnishing in the room that he'd seen in his Aunt and Uncle's room, but nothing that he ever had. Harry walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it.

“We will be staying here for the rest of the summer.” A voice brought Harry out of his musing.

“Sir?” Harry looked up at Severus.

“No one can know that we are here. Not your friends. Especially, Albus and M-Minerva.” His professor's stumbling over his head of house didn't go unnoticed to Harry.

“Sir,” Harry looked at his teacher and could tell something was bothering him, but he didn't know what.

“The bathroom is right in the corner. Breakfast will be at 7. I expect you to be in the kitchen to eat at that time. You'll find clothes in the cupboard. They should all be about your size. We will talk more in the morning. Goodnight, Potter.” With that Severus turned and walked out of the room. Harry stood there and looked at the doorway where his Professor stood, wondering what was wrong with his Professor. It was not like Snape to show uneasiness like that. Harry looked around the room again and sighed. He walked over to the cupboard and looked inside. He couldn't believe what he saw. There were a lot of clothes, nightshirts, trainers, trousers, shirts, anything he could think of was in that wardrobe.

Where on earth did all these clothes come from? Harry thought.

Reaching in he realized that he still had the blasted bear in his arms. He turned to throw it on the bed, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He walked over to the bed and placed it down and walked back over to look at all the clothes.

He pulled out some pajamas and walked to the small bathroom. He went in washed and changed, as much as he could with only the use of one arm, and came back to the bed. He was about to move the teddy bear off the bed, but again he couldn't. Harry climbed into bed and laid down. He use to think that the beds in the Gryffindor dormitories were the most comfortable beds ever. Well, now he realized that he was wrong. The bed was so soft, he was asleep before he knew it.

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Severus walked down to his lab after leaving Harry's new room. Once inside, his guard, mask, came down. He couldn't believe what has just happened. His chest hurt. How could he allow his heart to be broken again. He loved his mother. He still loved her. He just wish she trusted him more. Yes, there were things that he couldn't tell her, but there were other things that he would never keep from her. His feelings about Harry were genuine and he meant what he said about taking Harry in. No child deserved to live like that; in fear. And that's what Severus saw tonight when Harry was begging for his stay at Hogwarts. But there was something else that was underlining in his plea. Something that would cause a fourteen year old boy to not care if he'd been Kissed.

Severus took a deep breath and walked over to his cauldron. He pulled out his potions book and looked for the one that he made and modified for his mother. He began to brew. It took three hours but he was finished. He bottled up the potion and let it cool. He had enough of the medicine that would help Minerva with her hands. He thought about using his owl, Archimedes, but thought wiser to it. He didn't want his owl intercepted. That would mean that not only would his mother, but Albus, would know where he was and if he knew that he would find out that he didn't take Harry back to Surrey. He could not have that. So he decided on another route.

“Tami,” Severus called out.

“Yes, Master Sev'us.” Tami popped in the lab.

“I want you to give this to my mother. She is to have this with her morning tea and another one before she goes to bed. Make sure she takes nothing else with this.”

“Yes, Master Sev'us.”

Tami reached out for the phial, but Severus lifted his hand just from her reached. Her big eyes looked puzzled at her mistress' son.

“She is not to have any hot totties. No firewhiskey at all. I know how she can be, but not with this.”

He knew his mother too well. Her way of trying to make since of what is going on, she will drink some firewhiskey or pour some in her tea. But with the brew that he was giving her, it was a stronger set since she would have to basically take all at once instead of throughout the week like she normally would have to do. Even the small amounts that she usually drinks from time to time would have devastating results with this particular brew Severus made.

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami nodded again. She reached for the phials and this time was successful at retrieving them.

“Tami,” Severus called out again. “Do not tell mother where I am. And do not let her know that you put that in her tea. Understand?”

With one final nod, Tami popped out of Severus' lab. Severus walked back upstairs towards his room. He stopped at the room Harry was in and peeked inside. When he saw, he could not keep the smirk off of his face. Harry was asleep, curled up on his side. He looked so peaceful as he slept. But looking at the little brat as he sleep was not what made him smirk. It was the fact that said boy in question was still clutching that bloody bear. The same bear he wanted to return to the Infirmary earlier that night. Severus walked in the room and to the bed. He pulled the cover up to Harry's shoulders and turned and walked out of the room and went into his own room and got ready for bed.

TBC