Severus apparated at the end of Privet drive, and hurried down the recently paved street, his black robes billowing behind the wizard, until he stopped at a lit house, with the number four on it. It was an average looking home, he supposed, average muggle vehicle, and plain flowers potted neatly along the house, It was a pretty good façade for hiding the one thing that made them the opposite of average.
He peered through the window, trying to make out people. The house was truly disgusting, sickly sweet flowered wallpaper and aged carpet. He knew his own house was no paradise, it was large and often dark. But at least he had dozens of books, and his house didn't look like it was a retirement home.
"Boy!" A man barks.
Severus hurried to the window where the sound was coming from. A small boy was hurrying towards the sound, just like him. He passed the window, and Severus caught a glimpse of the boy, Harry. He winces; from the back the boy really did look like James.
"We should go study Sev."
The 13 year old boy didn't respond, his eyes were locked on a group of rambunctious boys hollering, and laughing as others watched their harsh shouts in amusement. Amusement this 'Sev' did not share.
"Sev." The flame-headed girl pressed. "Let's go."
He sighed. "Fine."
They hurried back inside, as they rounded the corner, Lilly cast a look at the group of boys, glaring harshly at the ringleader who was now grinning cheekily at her.
Severus brushed the memory away, and focused back on the boy. He would be almost eight years old now, but he looked so small. Maybe it was the dull coloured clothing that seemed to be three sizes too big for the boy, or the fact that he had such a slim build. The clothing he wore was worn and tarnished, like they'd been in use for years.
"Y-yes uncle Vernon?" Harry asks softly.
The man who had called Harry, was a whale of a man, with flushed cheeks and burning eyes. The pudgy Vernon glares down at the little boy. "Dudley is having friends over tonight; you will stay in your cupboard."
Severus bristled with anger; he knew the kind of man this Vernon Dursley was. His own father had been similar, disgusted with the magic his wife had revealed to him after they were married. That disgust had carried over to his own son, and had been shown in neglect and abuse. Just like how Durlsey treated his nephew.
Cupboard. That's what Vernon Dursley had said, Harry lived in a cupboard . The anger in Severus grew. Dumbledore had said they would take care of the boy, but they hadn't even bothered to give the boy a room.
"We don't need you giving sweet Dudley a bad name." Petunia sniffs at her nephew.
Severus groaned, Petunia. They'd known each other as kids and their relationship usually landed in hate. Petunia had been jealous of her sisters' special abilities, and had taken out her frustrations on him and Lily through disgust and anger. Still Severus could understand that. Lily was... had been superior to her big sister in every way. Lily was beautiful, and a witch, while Petunia had no special abilities and average looks. What really angered him was the fact that the Dursleys seemed to believe they were superior to Harry, that their son was better than him.
"Okay." Harry nods weakly.
The man rolled his eyes and lazily swatted the poor boy. Harry hurried back out of Severus's eyesight, tearfully clutching his bottom.
"Leave him alone!" A fourth year Lily screams.
He and Lily hurried towards a fallen Slytherin and four grinning Gryffindors.
"James, what is wrong with you!" Lilly demands, as Severus helps the red faced first year Slytherin up.
"Gits." Severus growls, while the young Slytherin hustles away.
"Hey Snivellus!" Sirius grins. "How's it going?"
"You're all bullies!" Lilly spits. "All of you!"
"Come on Evans." James complains, pulling away from his friends. "We're just joking."
Lily sends one of her more nasty glares at the boy. "Jokes are funny." She spits.
"We were playing with him." Remus protests weakly. "He's fine."
"That doesn't make bullying okay." Severus mumbles, under his breath.
Severus pushed away from the window, that was the last straw. He knew what he had promised Dumbledore, to observe and nothing more. But his loyalty to Lily outweighed his duty to the headmaster of Hogwarts. It was his duty to protect Harry now, he couldn't allow Albus to harm this child anymore.
He stood on the doorstep, he frowned momentarily at the odd looking doorbell before knocking, Muggle technology, an unnecessary invention in his eyes. He rapped the door three times, before stepping back, and settling on a cold glare to send to the muggles.
The overweight man with the angry look in his eyes was the one to answer the door.
Severus straightened his shoulders, "I'm here for Harry." He announces, not wanting to waste time on being subtle.
"You...your..." The man swallows. "We don't want your kind here."
He even sounded like Severus's father.
"Believe me sir." Severus drawls. "I have no interest in being in your...neighborhood."
"Vernon?" A tired voice calls. "Who's there?"
"Some sort of..." His voice quieted. "Wizard."
Severus heard a loud sharp gasp, and the scampering of footsteps.
"S-Severus...Snape?" Petunia gasps.
"Hello Petunia." Severus says, casting a frosty glare at her and her husband.
Petunia steps forward in front of Vernon. "It's been a long time..." she says cautiously. "Why are you here?"
"As I told your husband, I am here for Harry."
"Excuse me?" Vernon tries to shut the door, but Severus was in the way.
"He will come stay with me." Severus says, smirking at the man.
"We aren't giving him to a wizard, he doesn't need to be around freaks!" Vernon screeches.
"Yes, I'm aware of you trying to squash the magic out of poor Harry." Severus growls. "Rest assured that I will not be treating him with such cruelty."
Petunia's mouth opens in protest, but Severus does not stop for her. "Or I could call your muggle police-" Severus watched in amusement as the Dursleys' eyes darted around as if worried someone would overhear him. "And inform them of the abuse your nephew has faced."
Alarm runs through both the Muggles faces
"He'll be taken away from you anyway," Severus says. "If he comes with me, he can finally be happy, he'll get to know who he is." He focuses his eyes on Petunia Dursley. "Don't disappoint your sister anymore."
Petunia pursed her lips, and Severus swore he could see a tear in her eyes.
"He's in the cupboard." She says finally.
The Dursleys stayed by the door as Severus made his way inside the sickly-feeling house, pausing at the cracked cupboard door. His hand rested on the doorknob, he couldn't hear Harry inside, but Severus was anxiously thinking about Harry. He had no idea about what had just happened, or what was coming. Would he be frightened? Could this new world terrify Harry in ways Severus couldn't imagine? Or would he be excited, impatiently waiting for Hogwarts, like Severus had? Dreaming of a better world?
Slowly, he opened the creaky door, "Hello Harry." He says gently.
He had a close up of Harry now, his clothing was truly awful. The sweatshirt practically swallowed the boy, and the pants seemed to be slipping off even now as he sits.
Harry bolted up. "Who are you?" Harry questions, pulling his knees close and eyeing Severus's odd robes.
Severus neared Harry, but kept a healthy distance between them, remembering his own often discomfort with closeness after trouble with his family. "I was a friend of your mothers." He says. "My name is Severus Snape."
"My mum?" Harry asks, confused. "You...you knew her."
"Lily Potter." Severus says. "We were great friends."
"You were?"
Severus bites his lip. Mudblood. Mudblood. Mudblood.
"Yes." He promises. "She was my best friend."
"Did you know my dad too?" Harry asks hopefully.
He could feel his heart constrict. How was he supposed to tell a boy who knew almost nothing of his father, that his father was awful to Severus? That he made school hell for him, pushing him into the cruel words that killed his friendship with Lily?
"We weren't close." He says carefully. "But I knew him."
Harry nods slowly, accepting that answer. "Where did you meet them?" He demands
Severus almost grinned at Harry's questions. Harry was already reminding him of a Slytherin, imagine if he got into the Slytherin house, James would roll over in his grave.
"Hogwarts." Severus says slowly.
"What's that?" Harry asks.
"It's a school." He says. "For special students."
Harry frowns. He knew what special meant. It was another word for freak, like oddity or weirdo, all three of those had been used on him hundreds of times, mostly by Dudley.
"No, no, no." Severus says hurriedly, realizing his mistake. "It's not a bad place, you go there, it means you're talented."
Harry's frown lessens slightly, and Severus realized he needed to go right to the big truth, or he'd lose Harry. "You know what this is?" He says, pulling out his wand.
"A stick." Harry says, his thin eyebrows furrowing.
Severus grinned. "Not exactly. He lifted the wand, as he drew the wand across the ceiling, silver and green sparks erupted from the tip, and fell down like snowflakes
Harry's face lit up In pure wonderment. "Woah..." He gasps.
"You're a wizard, Harry." Severus explains, carefully stowing the wand away. "Like Lily and James before you."
The grin doesn't fade from Harry's face as the sparkles vanish. "So...why are you here?" He asks, watching the last sparkles disappear.
"I'm here to take you away from here." Severus says, figuring it was best to get his goal out there in the open.
Harry finally stops looking at the sparkles. "What?" he asks.
"Your parents...they wouldn't want this place for you." He says gently. "I'm here to bring you somewhere you'll be happier."
"Leave..."
Severus slowed, despite this being an awful place, It was the only home he had ever known, and it must be hard for him to think of living somewhere. "But it's your choice," he says reluctantly. "You don't have to."
He hated every word of that sentence, what if Harry did choose to stay? Would he just have to leave the young boy here? Allow him to be hurt and ignored? No, he couldn't, but he couldn't kidnap the boy either...he'd have to convince Harry instead.
"You come with me, and I will tell you about your parents, and you can learn magic." He says calmly. "But most importantly, I promise that you will be safe."
Harry sat silently for several minutes, fiddling with his sweatshirt. Once again Severus saw a Slytherin in him. A brash Gryffindor like James would jump at the chance to leave, but not Harry, he was thinking it through. Severus almost smiled again.
Finally, Harry looked up at Severus, his eyes gravely serious for a seven-year-old. "Will you lie to me?" He asks. "My uncle...and my aunt, I think they lie to me a lot."
"I swear." Severus says. "You come with me; I will do my best to tell you everything about the wizarding world." He had worded that sentence very carefully. He hadn't promised to tell the boy everything right away. He couldn't tell Harry about all the darkness he may face, a mere seven-year-old boy could never handle that, it even shook Severus, a full-grown adult.
"Okay." Harry says. "Let's go.
Not bothering to hide his relieved smile, they hurried packing up Harry's things in bags summoned by Severus. "Anything else?" Severus asks.
Harry shook his head quickly. "Can we go now?"
Severus could feel his heart pinch as the boys eagerness to leave his home of several years. A child should never be so eager to leave home, yet he remembered that he had also been determined to leave his childhood home behind. He nods briskly, and the two leave the cramped closet, he hurries Harry out past the Dursleys, who stand stoically.
"Harry-" Petunia gasps, reaching out to Harry.
The boy drew close to Severus, which gave the potions master a small piece of satisfaction. It certainly was juvenile, but he couldn't help thinking take that!
His aunt looks taken aback at her own outburst, and seems at a loss for words. She finally presses her hands together like in prayer. "Just...good luck."
Vernon Dursley's face has become a mix of purple and red in fury, but Harry seems to shrink at the well-wishing.
"B...bye." He stutters out.
Severus then sweeps the young boy out the door, and neither boy nor teacher looks back as they walk down the street. "We're going to apparate." Severus says, stopping Harry. "It's going to take us straight to my house."
"Like teleportation?" Harry asks eagerly.
Severus sighed inwardly. Muggles. "Basically, yes." He answers. "Take hold of my arm."
Harry shyly takes the man's arm, and the two quickly vanish, leaving Privet drive wizard free.
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*Remember all scenes written in this font, are flashback scenes.
I don't own Harry Potter or its characters.