"Now boy, I do not want a single peep out of you or so help me you will get it later." Vernon Dursley said in a low crude tone his eyes squinting.
"Yes sir." A young Harry obeyed running up the staircase. If only he could use magic and escape this place. 1 month one more month until he could go back home. His true home; Hogwarts. He flopped onto his bed sighing as he watched the ceiling fan.
His owl, Hedwig, watched him with wide curious eyes. Ginny passed through his mind. After everything that happened last year.
I hope she's okay, he thought. He sat down at his small wooden desk and started writing a letter.
Ginny,
I was just checking in on you after all the horrible stuff that happened with Riddle and the chamber last year. How are you doing? How has your summer been? Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers!
-Harry
He tied the letter to his snowy owl's leg and let her out to fly.
"Bring this to Ginny Weasley," he said before opening the window. She chirped in response and nuzzled his face before flying out the window.
"Potter!" His uncle came storming up the stairs.
Trembling, Harry backed back into the corner of his room as the door flung open. His uncle stood there purple-faced with the vein in his forehead popping out.
"Did I just see your owl fly out your window with a letter attached to its leg?" He questioned his voice like venom.
"Yes Sir," Harry replied cursing himself for not checking to see if his uncle was outside before sending Hedwig out.
"And are you allowed to let your owl out of its cage?"
"No, Sir."
"And are you allowed to send letters to any of your freak friends!" He asked yelling at this point.
"No, Sir," Harry said trying to stop shaking.
"Then tell me why did I just see your owl!"
Harry stood there at a loss for words.
"Answer me when I ask you a question boy!"
"S-she needed to get food," Harry replied hastily.
The next few moments seemed to flash before the boys' eyes. His uncle quickly approached him and punched him across the face causing him to fall and slam his head on the corner of his desk. A round of kicks to his side followed and it wasn't long before the orphaned boy slipped into unconsciousness.
Severus Snape was a quiet man. He ran his routines and did his job all without much conversation. He was known to keep to himself and most importantly he never had visitors. That's why a thump at his door late in the afternoon startled him.
Grumbling something about not wanting to buy Girl Scout cookies he stalked to his front door.
Looking out the large oak door at first he didn't see anything only when he looked down he says the frame of a familiar boy crumpled on the ground of his front porch. The boy had a large gash across his face and several bruises on his arms, legs, and stomach that was exposed from ill-fit clothing. Hurriedly Severus picked up the boy and brought him inside wondering why he was at his house out of any other place on earth. He placed the boy onto his couch next to his unfinished afternoon tea and rushed to grab several potions. The first one was for blood replenishment, the second was for any internal bleeding the boy might've ensured and finally the last one was for repairing a head injury that was not far from belief with the size of the gash on his head. After whispering Episkey over all the cuts and bruises he had he then left the boy to sleep. Still wondering how in the world Harry Potter managed to appear on his doorstep.
Harry woke up with a sense of panic. He sat up quickly not recognizing his surroundings shortly after regretting that as he got sick all over the floor.
"Next time aim for the wastebasket, Mr. Potter." A voice so familiar and unwanted at the moment chilled him to his bones. He was at Snape's house as in the most hated teacher in all of Hogwarts. Snape who has made his life no less than hell these last two years.
I puked on his floor! He's going to kill me!
As if reading his mind Snape waved his wand and the sick vanished.
"Now tell me, Mr. Potter, why in the name of Merlin are you at my home?" Snape said in a monotone voice.
"I don't know, Professor." Harry shyly remarked. "I heard a voice, a women's voice telling me she'll take me to the address of a friend. Someone who would look after me. No women were in the room though, I think it was my..." He stopped himself there. How much did he want to trust Out of all places was he here? Why was anyone friends with this slimy git?
"Stay here and don't touch anything Potter, I'm going to contact the headmaster." Harry finally looked up and emerald green eyes met coal black ones. He only had a moment to notice that Snape's regular black cloak was replaced with a pair of jeans and a shirt that read national best friend day 1973 and his long greasy hair was pulled back into a small ponytail. Harry had to contain himself from bursting out laughing on the spot. It was so unusual to see the evil professor in anything but his black attire.
How on earth did he end up here? Snape seemed decent compared to his normal insufferable self. Was he in an alternate dimension or something?
Shortly after he left Snape returned to the room.
"Professor Dumbledore said that it would be best for you to return to your Aunt and Uncle's." The Professor said to the young boy noticing him flinching at the mention of his uncle.
"Why can't I go to the Burrow?" Harry asked his voice cracking.
"The Weasley family are currently in Egypt," Severus replied.
"Oh."
Unable to control himself Severus used occlumency on the boy that appeared on his doorstep.
Did Lily really bring him here? It has to be true, Lily was the only one who ever knew my address and considering I've never left I doubt she forgot it.
But why me? Why now?
Entering the Golden boy's head he saw many terrors that the boy had to go through from surviving the killing curse, growing up in the Dursley household, rescuing the stone when he was 11, the chamber when he was 12, and finally this summer, the boy had gone through domestic violence. And indeed that was his mother's voice. Lily Evans took Harry here. She thought her son would be safe with Snape. Severus was a very stubborn man when he said something there was no changing his mind. So when Dumbledore arrived 5 minutes later he told his former professor that there was no way Harry Potter will go back to the Dursley's. Upon hearing this information he replied,
"Well Severus, as you already know, Harry needs to be with a blood relative for the protection charm to work."
"But Albus, Lily brought Potter here," Severus replied.
"But how? That's impossible." The headmaster stated.
Without another word Severus lead Dumbledore into another room. Using his spell he extracted the memory he gained from looking into Harry's head he quickly flicked it into the pensive. After they resurfaced Severus faced Albus who had a huge grin on his face.
"Well my dear Severus, it seems to me that the spell was passed onto you. As long as the boy is in your care he can not die. I will make sure to have the guardian documents transferred for you to view. And with that, I'll be on my way." The old man's blue eyes twinkled.
"I don't want guardianship over the boy! All he does is cause trouble and I will not have that in my household!" Severus fired back.
The headmaster's grin didn't even falter. "Good evening Severus." He said and with a pop, he was gone.
Agh, what am I going to do with a teenage boy! Let alone the son of Potter. How on earth did this become my responsibility? Lily. Lily is how he came into my custody. I'll do this for her.
"Um, Professor?" Broke the former Slytherin from his thoughts.
"What do you want Potter." He snarled.
"Um.. well Dumbledore sent me a note that said you needed me in here." The young boy replied.
"That bloody mad old man," Severus muttered under his breath.
"When am I leaving for the Dursley's Sir?" Harry questioned shivering at the thought.
"Your not," Severus replied with an expression of disgust. "You're staying with me."
"What! You must be joking! Anywhere is better than here! I'll go to Hermione's! Even Neville's for Merlin's sake!" Harry shouted unable to control himself.
"Now listen closely, Potter. I don't like this any more than you do but the bottom line is your here and here to stay. Now listen to my rules. Absolutely no yelling or running, this is a calm and relaxed environment and I will strive to keep it that way. When I am working you will not disrupt me. You are to stay in your room and work on your summer assignments. Stay out of my room. You are only permitted to be in my room if you are dying or in danger. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir," Harry replied, solemn. "Professor?"
"What Mr. Potter?"
"All my school stuff is at the Dursley's."
Severus sighed taking in the new information.
"And where would your belongings be Mr. Potter," Severus questioned.
"My wand and school books are locked in the cupboard under the stairs and my clothes are in the smallest room in the house." Harry sighed.
"Follow me," Severus led Harry up a flight of stairs and straight across to a bedroom. This room had a bed in the center and a wooden dresser and desk. In total was pretty bland. With a flick of his wand, Severus cast a spell that would fit the room to how Harry would've preferred disgusted that he was going to have an obnoxious red and gold room in his house.
To the potion masters shock the back wall of the room matched the exact color of Harry's eyes, meaning it was the same color of the eyes of the late Lily Evans. The corner of Severus Snape's mouth twitched almost as if he was going to smile. The rest of the walls were an off white color that perfectly drew attention to the green. The bed grew larger and was covered with a light green comforter. The dark oak desk that matched the wooden floor was against the left wall with a lamp and a chair.
Upon seeing his new room Harry's eyes lit up. It was all he could've ever wished for.
"Thank you." The boy
whispered barely audible to the older man.
"Now Potter, I am going to retrieve your belongings, you are not permitted to step foot out of this room, understand?"
"Yes Professor." And with that Snape disappeared.