A Life Unplanned by TiffCutshall

Chapter 1

Severus sat in Albus’s office, still trembling from the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse. “To say that he was…disappointed, is an understatement.”
“Severus, why do you continue to do this?” Albus asked.
“You know why. I told you all those years ago that I would make the most of what my father forced on me.” Severus hissed.
Albus leaned back in his chair and sighed. Even now, nearly fifteen years later, the guilt at what he let Lily talk him into ate at him. How he wished that he had just told her no. “You have nothing to payback my boy.”
“The hell I don’t. I vowed to protect her son, and this is how I can. Despite him looking like my cousin, Potter, he is still half of Lily and he’s…family.” Severus said.
“Yet you are almost cruel to him. You say he is just like James, but I don’t think that is true and nor do you.” Albus pointed out.
Severus pushed himself to his feet and despite the slight tremors, he began pacing. “It hurts, alright. Is that what you wanted to hear? It hurts to even look at him. I see more of Lily than I do Potter. He has her kindness, her loyalty. Then there are his eyes. Lily’s eyes.”
Severus didn’t miss the cracking of his voice. Even now, it still hurt to remember. How he had ruined things with Lily during their fifth year with one hissed word. Mudblood. All because of Potter, Black and his father. It had been the day that his father, Tobias Snape had sent him a letter informing Severus that he was to take the Dark Mark that summer.
“Severus…”
“If you need nothing more of me Albus, I shall retire.”
Albus merely nodded and watched as Severus left. He opened the small drawer to his left. There rested the two letters that Lily had written to Severus and Harry. All Albus wanted to do in that moment was to give them the letters, cast Lily’s spell to remove the Dark Mark, and reunite father and son. Sadly, he had vowed not to do so. Not yet.
The vow he made with Lily was that he would not send the letters until two weeks before Harry’s seventeenth birthday. Then, he was to bring Harry to Hogwarts. That was still a month and a half away. The only way he could deliver them sooner was if Harry were in danger at the Dursley’s.
Albus had long suspected that the Dursley’s were abusive to Harry but had no proof. Harry rarely spoke of his life there, not even to the Weasley children or Hermione Granger. He pushed the drawer closed again as Fawkes hopped from his perch onto the desk, singing softly.
“Oh Fawkes, how I wish things were different for them.” Albus whispered, stroking the bird’s head.

~0000~

Harry scooped the eggs onto the plate just as Uncle Vernon walked into the kitchen and kiss Petunia on the cheek. A moment later, Dudley stomped in, bumping into Harry as he did causing Harry to drop the plate he had been holding.
“You clumsy…” Vernon hissed. “Clean that up boy. Now!”
Saying nothing, Harry went about taking care of the broken plate.
“How much longer must we put up with him?” Vernon asked Petunia.
Petunia sighed, “Only until he turns seventeen. Then we’ll be rid of him. This should be the last summer. Thank god.”
Dumping the shards of the plate into the trash can, Harry quickly finished serving breakfast before hurrying upstairs to his room. It had been nearly a week since he returned from Hogwarts. Yet each night when he closed his eyes, all he saw were the events of the cemetery. Cedric dying. Voldemort’s return. The fight at the ministry for some damned prophecy that supposedly involved himself and Voldemort. That had gone up in smoke when the globe shattered. He had almost lost Sirius. Why? Because he couldn’t learn Occlumency.
For his entire sixth year, he had felt as if Dumbledore would study him. As if he was searching for something. Luckily, there was no more mention of continuing the lessons with Snape, which Harry was grateful for. The downside to his sixth year had been the whispers behind his back. Some calling him and Dumbledore liars; despite the evidence. The Death Eaters had returned to their old ways of raiding and terrorizing the Wizard and Muggle worlds alike.
He had pleaded with Dumbledore to allow him to stay at Hogwarts for the summer; what with it the last before his final year, just this once. Or even go to the Weasley’s, but Dumbledore said no. With a heavy sigh, Harry lay on the bed, curled into an almost fetal position, and allowed his eyes to close. He felt so tired, maybe a quick nap would do him some good. Hoping beyond hope that he wouldn’t dream.

~00000~

Yet that was not to be the case. Within mere moments of falling asleep, Harry’s mind began to replay the events of the graveyard. Watching as Voldemort had Wormtail kill Cedric while Harry had been helpless to do anything more than watch.
“No. No, Cedric! Sirius!” Harry cried in sleep, tossing, and turning upon his bed. “Please don’t! STOP!”
Harry jerked awake the moment his bedroom door was all but kicked open, groaning on its hinges. Still locked in the fear from his dream, Harry barely registered the angry man filling his doorway was even his uncle.
“You blasted boy!” Vernon yelled. “I have put up with you for the last time! I will have no more of this!”
Harry tried to scramble out of bed but was not fast enough, as he was still half asleep. Vernon had him by the scruff of the neck and was tossing him to the floor. Harry cried out in a mix of fear and pain. He attempted to curl into a fetal position as Vernon’s foot kicked foreword. No longer able to keep it in, Harry cried.
“Please, please Uncle Vernon…stop!”
“We should…have just left you…to die that night!” Vernon raged as he kicked at the boy over and over. Vernon reached down, grabbed Harry by his shoulders, hefted him off the floor and threw him at the rickety wardrobe that Harry used for his meager possessions. “I’m putting a stop to this once and for all!”
In her cage, Hedwig screeched trying desperately to get free to somehow save her human. During the struggle, Vernon had managed to knock the cage to the floor and the lock broke. Hedwig was free and about to fly at Vernon when something warm splashed across her. Hedwig flew out the open door and passed a shocked and startled Petunia, and out the open kitchen window.

~0000~

“Albus! Oh Albus!” Minerva cried as she burst into Albus’s office with Severus right behind her.
“Minerva? Is…is that Harry’s owl?” Albus questioned pushing to his feet.
“Yes. Albus she just flew into the great hall extremely agitated and covered in blood. The blood is not hers.” Minerva stated.
“Headmaster, it appears…” Severus began when dozens of alarms began sounding.
“Merlin’s beard. Severus, you have your potions kit on you?” Albus demanded.
“Yes.” Severus nodded.
“You come with me. Minerva, go to Poppy and get a bed ready. I’m fear what Severus and I will find. Go!” Albus ordered as he took hold of Severus’s arm.
Moments later, Albus and Severus appeared outside of 4 Privet Drive. They could hear yelling coming from inside the house and neither wasted a moment. Hitting the door together, the charged inside. Albus spotted Dudley sitting in the living room watching television, and smirking glancing toward the ceiling not even paying either man notice. From upstairs, came the source of the yells.
“Vernon! Vernon stop, you’re killing him!”
“I will not have this in my house anymore! Almost seven years of…” Vernon roared, before breaking off his words with a growl.
Severus was the first to hit the stairs. When he got to the second floor, only one door was open and the noises were coming from there. He stormed over and froze. Petunia was trying in vain to pull Vernon’s meaty hands from around Harry’s neck.
A rage filled Severus at the sight. In two strides, he was in the room and was yanking Petunia off her husband. Severus then grabbed Vernon and hauled him off Harry and had the man pinned against the wall, his hands around Vernon’s neck.
“You god forsaken BASTARD.” Severus hissed. “How DARE you so much as lay a HAND on the boy.”
“He’s…a freak…deserves…” Vernon gasped.
“Deserves? Deserves!” Severus yelled. Narrowing his eyes, Severus tightened his grip on the man’s throat. “YOU deserve this. YOU deserve to feel the life ebb out of your worthless body.”
“Severus. Severus! Harry needs help!” Albus yelled, breaking through to Severus.
With one last squeeze and a glare, Severus released Vernon who crumpled to the floor gasping. Paying the man, no more attention, he turned and knelt beside Albus who was cradling Harry’s head in his lap. Severus pulled out his wand and cast a quick diagnostic spell.
The boy was hurt. Bad. Internal bleeding, three broken ribs, a broken wrist, a fractured ankle. Luckily, none of the ribs punctured his lungs, but his throat was severely bruised from where he had been chocked.
“Albus, you cast the healing spells.” Severus instructed, pulling out his potions kit. As Albus healed the internal bleeding, Severus pulled out the potions he would need to reduce the swelling. “I hate to do this, but he needs to be awakened. It will make it easier to get the potions into him.”
“I understand.” Albus nodded. He cast the spell and held Harry gently as the boy came to. Starting to struggle. “Calm Harry. Calm. You’re safe now.”
“Pro…Professors?” Harry groaned, looking from Albus to Severus.
“Potter, I know you hurt, but I need you to drink these potions.” Severus said calmly. “This one, a mild painless potion. Next, a swelling reduction potion. The last, a calming draught. After you take that one, Albus and I will get you to Poppy.”
“How…how did…” Harry tried to ask but moaned.
Severus reached out and gently stroked his forehead. “Sshh, calm yourself. Your owl. She flew to Hogwarts. Please, take these potions. Albus and I have you now.”
Harry nodded and calmed a little. One by one, Severus administered the potions. After the last, Harry took a slow breath as his eyes drifted closed. It was only then that Severus took a calming breath himself.
“Severus, take Harry to Poppy. I will gather young Harry’s things,” Albus paused and looked over at where Petunia sat weeping on Harry’s bed. “And handle…this. Use this portkey. To activate it, simply say Poppy.”
Severus said nothing and took the small ball that Albus held out. He gathered the boy into his arms and as carefully as he could, stood up. Moments later, he activated the portkey and was in the hospital wing in seconds. Poppy and Minerva were waiting.
“Dear Merlin!” Minerva gasped as Severus lay Harry on the bed.
“What is his status Severus?” Poppy demanded, now in work mode.
“Three broken ribs, broken left wrist, fractured right ankle. There was some internal bleeding, but Albus took care of that. I gave him a painless potion, swelling reduction and calming draught. When we got there, his…that fucking muggle…Dursley was choking him. Harry…was unconscious when I pulled Dursley off him.” Severus reported.
Poppy just nodded and went to work. Severus took a step away and shakily dropped onto one of the other beds. He buried his face in his hands as he tried to calm himself. He felt Minerva sit beside him.
“Talk to me my boy.” She said softly.
“God Minerva, when I saw…all I could see was what my father used to do to me. I would never wish that on anyone. How did we miss this? How long has Har…Potter, had to endure this?” Severus whispered.
“Severus, you cannot blame yourself. Young Harry talks very little about his home life. Though, at the end of term, Miss Granger came to me. She voiced concerns about Harry. From what little she has been able to get Harry to tell her, his life there has been unpleasant since day one.” Minerva sighed, slipping an arm around his shoulders.
“All this time, I just assumed he…” Severus breathed, lifting his head watching Poppy work. “I have failed him, Minerva. He is Lily’s son, my cousin’s son, and I have failed him.”
“Cousin?” Minerva questioned.
Severus nodded but said no more. “Poppy, let me know once you are finished. I need to go speak with the Headmaster.”
“I will. It will be a few hours yet. Go.” Poppy replied, not stopping her work on her patient.
Without another word, Severus turned on his heel and headed to Albus’s office to wait for his return. He would not fail Harry again. No, the boy would need him now and by Slytherin’s Bones he would be there.

~0000~

Albus walked into his office, followed by Remus. After the events at the Dursley’s, Albus knew he could no longer wait. After gathering Harry’s things, he went to Remus’s cottage, gathered the werewolf and they returned to Hogwarts.
“Lupin? Albus, what is going on?” Severus demanded.
“Severus, please have a seat. I brought Remus here for a reason.” Albus instructed gently, yet firmly.
Intrigued, Severus sat, and Remus took a seat beside him. He and Remus watched Albus open a drawer and pull out two letters. Remus sat up stiffer and looked up quickly at Albus, before looking over at Severus.
“Remus, about two hours Harry’s owl, Hedwig, arrived here. Just as Minerva and Severus brought her in, the charms around Privet Drive sounded signaling that Harry was in danger. Severus and I went and found Vernon Dursley…”
“That fucker was strangling Harry.” Severus hissed.
“WHAT! Albus, you SWORE to me that night that Harry would be safe there!” Remus yelled, standing from his chair.
“Remus, I had no idea…”
“No idea? No idea! Damnit!” Remus hissed, starting to pace. “You knew full well that Petunia Evans HATED magic. She always has! I told you there was a better way….”
“But Lily made me…”
“To HELL with that!” Remus argued.
“Wait! Lily made you what Albus?” Severus demanded, standing himself.
“Albus, so help me, you had better tell him now or I will.” Remus ordered.
“Severus, Harry is not James’s son. He’s yours.” Albus sighed.