Harry and the Snape

Once upon a time, in the long-forgotten magical kingdom named Hogwarts, there lived a wealthy wizard-merchant named James Potter. Now, Mr. Potter was quite wealthy, as his business had hit off well. His wife, Lily Potter nee Evans and himself were awaiting the birth of their first son, a son they hoped to name Harold, Harry for short. Harry was born on July 31^st, and Mr. Potter's business kept on expanding. His success allowed him to keep his family well fed and warm during the winter.

Unfortunately, the Potters were also part of the resistance group against the new Dark Lord Voldemort. This new Dark Lord began gathering a lot of power and followers, something the King of Hogwarts feared. King Severin Snape was a tolerant and just ruler, but he feared that the new Dark Lord would attempt to remove him from his position as head of the kingdom.

As Lord Voldemort grew stronger, Harry became a bubbling, happy little baby, crawling everywhere and making life interesting and surprising for the Potters. Right after Harry turned one, fate turned against the Potters. Mr. Potter began losing his shops to fires and other natural disasters, though they had been spelled to be indestructible to natural causes. Lord Voldemort had a lot to do with many of these annihilations. James Potter, now incredibly angry at the Dark Lord, took it upon himself to thwart him at every single one of his evil plans. This brought upon the overwhelming rage and personal hatred of Lord Voldemort, who proclaimed that he would bring the Potters down whenever he could. He wanted to destroy the Potters, and kill their baby boy.

Albus Dumbledore, head advisor to King Snape as well as the right-hand man of the Resistance Movement, told the Potters of their danger from Lord Voldemort. The Potters, taking the advice seriously, moved into a small house in the middle of nowhere, so that Harry would be protected. They cared more about their little son's safety than their own as they continued to thwart Lord Voldemort's plans.

Lord Voldemort, hoping to seize the throne, visited the royalty in their palace one day. He asked the Snapes for their support in his evil plans. His humiliation at being turned down, nobody had ever turned him down before, made him plan his revenge against the Snapes.

The Snapes had a son, who was ten during the year of Voldemort's highest reign. Lord Voldemort, deciding on the cruelest revenge for the Snapes, cursed the handsome son. Either this son, Severus, would look like a beast, with a huge pointed nose and sallow complexion, until he could find someone who loved him despite his looks, or he would die when he reached thirty. Unfortunately, there was also another stipulation on the curse: if the one Severus loved left Severus, even for a few days, Severus would die within three weeks. This part of the curse would last only until Severus turned thirty. If the boy had not been en loved by that age, there would be no reason for the curse to work any more. Nevertheless, if he did actually find his love before he reached thirty, his curse would only be lifted when he turned thirty. The poor boy, who had nothing to do with his parents' refusal to join Voldemort, had twenty years to live before he died, as he knew nobody would love an ugly beast that he now was. He locked himself away in a large house in the middle of a forest in order to live his life out until he died. He placed the strongest wards ever created on his house and settled to live his life out alone.

Lord Voldemort had not forgotten about the Potters during his stay at the palace. Since the King and the Queen would still not bend to his will, he decided to take out his frustration on his favorite set of people: the Potters. Picking Halloween as the day to attack, Lord Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter. When it was time to kill Harry, the little one-year-old baby defeated him. There was nothing left of the house or the possessions it contained within. The only thing left standing in the estate was little Harry Potter and even he was not completely scratch-free. He would forever have a lightning bolt scar on is forehead.

Mourning the loss of his two most favorite people, Advisor Dumbledore took little Harry to his Uncle's house. Vernon Dursley was his Uncle only due to his marriage of Petunia Evans, his mother's sister, who had lacked the powers of her sister. She was called a squib, a person of magical origin but who had no powers. Mr. Dursley did not want another baby underfoot and he despised the boy's parents, as they had been wizards. The baby's arrival on his doorstep was completely amazing and unwanted. However, since they had nobody to drop the child off with, they took him in and gave him to a servant to take care of. By the time the little child was ten, he had already learnt to work like a servant, as he was considered a servant in that household.

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"BOY! Pack my trunk! I have to leave in the morning!" yelled Mr. Vernon.

"Yes, sir," came the dutiful answer from Harry.

The boy was now sixteen. His favorite time was when he was sent in the early mornings to get fresh vegetables, eggs, and meat from the grocers. He loved going into the village as he had so many friends there. Everyone who talked to the young man loved him instantly. He was especially good friends with Ron Weasley, a boy his age who lived in the village.

Uncle Vernon left in the morning to go into the city close by. However, to get to the city, he had to cross a long forest. The forest was not bad during the better three seasons of the year, but during winter, it was a treacherous and fatal place to cross. Mr. Dursley's business took him the better part of two months to complete and it was nearing mid-winter by the time he started on the three-day journey to come back to his house.

Mr. Dursley wanted to be back in his home so badly that he continued traveling well after the sun had set. All the villagers had advised him never to cross this particular forest during the nighttime, but Mr. Dursley just did not listen. Exhaustion crept up on him and soon, Mr. Dursley had fallen asleep right where he had stopped for a rest. A blinding snowstorm swept through the forest and covered the trails. The horses he had taken with him all disappeared. Without a sense of direction, the man began walking in a random direction to try to exit the forest. He had stayed in one position too long while sleeping, and he was slowly losing all feeling in his legs and arms.

Stumbling into a clearing, Dursley noticed a large house standing in front of him. In the clearing, the sun was shining, the plants were blooming, and the birds were even singing! Amazed and horrified that he had stumbled upon some Wizard's house, Dursley was too exhausted to care too much that he was entering the house. He walked up a flight of agate stairs, passed through a bunch of well-decorated rooms, which he didn't notice due to his exhaustion, and the warm air slowly revived him. The warm, delicious smell of food drifted through a closed door on the side of the hallway.

Entering the door, he saw a small but splendid meal laid out in front of a roaring fire, located, quite conveniently of course, next to a large, soft couch. Sitting down in the chair placed by the table, Dursley devoured the meal quickly and soon, fell asleep on the couch. Several hours later, he woke up to extreme hunger, as he had not been able to eat anything substantial.

Another, this time larger, dinner had been left out for Mr. Dursley on the table. He began eating the meal, giving no thought to how it had arrived there or whose house he was actually in. Tired from his meal, Dursley settled in for another long sleep when he noticed something quite strange. There was nobody around to do anything! There were no servants to clear away the plates, no servants to serve or even to clean the house! As he realized this, Dursley started to get scared a little - though he would never admit it to anybody.

Walking through the door, trying to find the main door, Dursley stumbled through many magnificent rooms. Finally reaching the main door, he tried to open it but it would not open. Hearing a weird noise behind him, he turned around to see the most frightful Beast! He was not a true "Beast" but he certainly could qualify as one. The man was tall, nearly 6' 5", with long black hair that looked incredibly greasy, and had a large, crooked nose.

"AHH!" yelled Dursley, trying to move backwards but hitting the closed door.

"Who told you that you could leave? You came here, eat my food, slept in my house, and you are going to leave without paying the price? Your insolence will not go unpunished," snarled the Beast. Dursley, hoping to pacify the Beast, tried to get away with flattery.

"Pardon me, noble sir, I am grateful for your hospitality. I wished to leave without bothering you, sir," spit out Dursley.

"Flattery and excuses will not save you from certain death," growled the Beast.

Crying, Dursley fell down on his knees, begging to be pardoned. After hearing him whine for a couple of seconds, the Beast became quite irritated and bored by the dunderhead.

"I will let you go on one condition," said the Beast.

"Anything to save my life!" cried Dursley.

"You will give me one of your daughters," replied the Beast.

"S-sir, I-I don't-t hav-ve any-y daughters-s," stumbled Dursley.

"Then, you will give me one of your sons, it does not matter." Dursley was never giving up his son to this monster! He only then remembered his nephew that was also a blood relative!

"I will give you my nephew! He is a good kid," sneered Dursley, spitting out what he thought was a lie.

"The other condition is that he must come willingly. If he is courageous enough to come and spare your life, only then will I accept him. I will give you one month to come back with him. If he comes, then you will be free, otherwise, you belong to me. If you do not come at all in one month's time, you will have nowhere to hide on this entire planet. I can and will find you wherever you are."

"Yes, yes. I'll be back in one month," said Dursley before turning around and running out of the now open main door. Running out of the grounds, Dursley kept on running until he was well out of the forest. Only then did he take a break and fall down, trying to catch his breath. Walking slowly until he got back to his large manor, he was thinking of ways to make his nephew willingly agree to go to the Beast's place.

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Working slowly in the gardens, Harry winced as his new bruises hurt each time he moved his arms. Dudley, his cousin, had given him the "royal" treatment yesterday and it had yet to fade away. With Uncle Vernon out on a business trip, Dudley had become the stand-in for the man. Dudley constantly harassed the young man, giving him a few punches for things not done up to his standard.

Harry saw a glimpse of himself on the lake's surface. Going closer to the lake's edge, he saw himself. The lyrics to something he had seen Dudley watching a long time ago came up in his mind. Softly, so not to disturb his cousin and gain a few more bruises, he began to sing the song.

"Look at me,
you may think you see who I really am,
but you'll never know me.
Everyday it's as if I play a part.
Now I see if I wear a mask,
I can fool the world but I cannot fool my heart.

Who is that boy I see staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?
Must I pretend that I'm someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

I won't pretend that I'm someone else for all time.
When will my reflection show who I am inside?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?"

"BOY! Where are you???" yelled Dursley. He had come back to the manor just then and he was not going to let the boy leave his sight until he agreed to go to the Beasts' house.

"Yes, sir?" asked Harry, coming inside quickly.

"You will be leaving tomorrow to go to this person's house. He will be your new owner. Be ready tomorrow morning, at daybreak!" sneered Dursley.

"Yes sir. Can I ask sir who it is?" said Harry quietly. Dursley backhanded Harry hard, causing the young man to tumble to the floor.

"You don't need to know that!" hissed Dursley. "Stop dirtying the floor! Get a rag and clean up this blood!"

"Yes, sir," replied Harry, walking away.

The next morning came quickly. Harry was packed quickly, as he did not have many possessions to take with him anyways. This time, as they entered the forest, Dursley was in the carriage and Harry was sitting outside, next to the driver. Having never been outside the village, Harry looked at the forest in amazement.

The night fell quickly in the forest and suddenly, wonderful, colored lights began to shine in all directions. Fireworks erupted in the sky, as Harry watched in glee. As they entered the clearing, the house was alight and glowing in the darkness. It looked quite different from what Dursley remembered.

"My new owner must be having a party, why else would there by so many lights?" thought Harry. However, as Harry continued to ride into the grounds, there was no sign that anybody lived in the house! There was no chattering of voices, or servants making their way from place to place. The house felt deserted, though it didn't look deserted.

"What kind of place is this?" whispered Harry under his breath.

"Get down, boy! This is where you leave us," yelled Dursley from inside the carriage.

"Yes, Uncle," replied Harry before getting down and taking his belongings, all wrapped up in one tiny bag.

"Dursley! So, you came back. Fine. Who is this?" sneered the Beast.

"My name is Harry, sir," replied Harry with a small bow.

"Did you come here willingly, Harry?" asked the Beast. "Will you stay here, away from your family forever?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry, looking down.

"As for you, old man, leave and never return to this place!" yelled the Beast.

Dursley left hurriedly, thankful that he had escaped the wrath of the Beast. The Beast turned and strode towards the main door, confident that Harry would follow him. Harry watched him walk away and followed him through the doors into a magnificent entrance hall.

The duo walked down the main hallway until the Beast stopped at one particular door. It was a magnificent door, dark mahogany with inscriptions in a strange language.

"Harry, this will be your room. Make sure that after dinner you do not come out of the room, for any reason whatsoever, until the break of day!" warned the Beast.

"Yes sir," replied Harry.

"You don't have to call me sir," said the Beast looking pained.

"What should I call you then, sir?"

"My name - Severus," replied Severus before heading down the hallway.

Harry stared at the man who he believed was his owner. So many thoughts ran through his head that he was getting quite tired, especially after his long journey. Why does my master want me to call him by his real name? Why am I here? What does he want me here for? Where are all the servants? Am I to take care of this place all alone??

Harry slowly opened the door to his room. He stared at the contents for a while just from the doorway. Why is he giving a mere servant such a grand room?? The room was done in blue and silver. A huge canopy bed sat at the other end of the room. Two doors led into the bathroom and into a huge closet. He had a desk, a vanity chest, implying that a Lady previously used the room, and a tall grandfather clock. Closing the door behind him, he put his bag down near the door, took of his shoes, and jumped up onto the bed. Falling into the bed's softness, Harry could not keep his eyes open anymore and went to sleep.

As he slept, he didn't realize that the occupants of the house were trying to get a good look at the new Master. With nearly silent pops, the three house elfs that worked for the Beast stole peaks at the young man.

"Tubby!" yelled Severus.

"Yes, Master Severus?" said Tubby, popping into the room.

"I'm out of runespoor eggs! Pick some up at the apothecary please," asked Severus. He may look like a monster but the house elfs were the only company he had had for the last fifteen years. He had less than five years to live before he died. Sighing at his gloomy thoughts, Severus continued to work on the Wolfsbane potion he was trying to perfect.

Remembering the young man who had come to live with him, he didn't want to hope that Harry would one day love him enough to bond with him and break the curse. Though Voldemort was dead and could never come back, his curse had not disappeared. It was a reminder of how powerful and truly evil Voldemort was. His only hope rested in a young man who Severus didn't even know was inclined his way. Without the eggs he needed, he could not experiment with this particular potion. Placing a stasis charm on it, he decided to head to dinner.

Arriving at the main dining hall, he noticed only one place set for dinner. Calling on another house elf, this one called Toby, he asked why there was only one place set.

"Young Master is sleeping, Master Severus," said Toby.

"How is he faring today, Toby?"

"Young Master is exhausting, Master Severus. He is also having bruises on Young Master's face, sir."

"Thank you, Toby," replied Severus. Toby smiled and brought out dinner for Master Severus.

Having a quiet meal, Severus decided to head to bed as there was nothing to be done. He would have to ask Harry about the bruises the next morning.

Harry had woken up, next to a stream in a forest. Wondering where he was, Harry sat down and began to think about his situation. Suddenly, a young Prince, who had black hair and the deepest but warmest black eyes, appeared in his dream.

With a voice that went straight to his heart, the Prince said, "Do not fear, Harry. You will be rewarded for the suffering you have felt elsewhere. Only try to find me out, no matter how I may be disguised. Be as true-hearted as you are beautiful, and we shall be happy together."

"What?" cried Harry, not understanding what the Prince was trying to say.

"Be grateful for what you have here. Do not trust with your eyes too much, for your eyes can deceive you with what is not true."

Suddenly, Harry shot straight up in bed. It had all be just a dream! Confused to hell about the dream, he lay down back on the bed, only to realize that the Prince's voice had affected him in a different way. Not knowing what to do, he just shifted and willed himself back to sleep.

The morning shined bright but cold. It was another day in the world and Harry didn't want to wake up from the great dream he had been having. Snuggling back down into the warm silk bedding - wait! Silk bedding? He didn't have silk bedding! Harry's eyes opened to the sight of his beautiful room. The events of yesterday went through his mind, and he realized that it all had not been a dream! He was finally free of the Dursleys forever!

Jumping out of bed, he rushed into the bathroom, took care of his needs, and then went back to get his clothes for the day. He didn't like wearing the threadbare, hand-me-down clothing but he had no money of his own and he was a servant. He never questioned why he was wearing these clothes, especially since the number one rule at the Dursley Manor was "do not ask questions." He walked towards the door, remembering that he had dropped his bag there. Not finding it, he looked in the closet, and it wasn't there. However, the closet did have something inside of it! Wow! Whoever used this room last forgot all their clothes here! Their nice and expensive clothes!! Standing there, in just a towel, Harry jumped around at a popping noise.

"AH!!!" he screamed. In the large house, that scream echoed and could be heard in every room, including the master bedroom. Severus jumped out of bed, not even pausing to put on a dressing gown, ran out of his room, down the hallway and into his new companion's room, wearing only his pajama bottoms. He threw open the door while making his way in, concerned about Harry.

"What happened?" he asked. Harry stared in shock as the half-naked man barreled into his room. What is Master Severus doing here? He...he...is naked!! When Harry wouldn't answer, Severus became angry.

Looming over the boy, he growled, "Why did you scream like a banshee, BOY??"

When he looked down, he didn't see Harry standing there. Looking up, he saw Harry, shaking, flinching, and completely scared in the corner of the room. He was curling up, trying to make himself as small as he could. The sight of the young man vanished all Severus' anger. He couldn't be mad at a poor young man who looked like he had been abused for a long time.

When Harry didn't hear anything, he peaked through his tightly closed eyes. He saw Severus standing there, looking puzzled at Harry's actions. Harry quickly shut his eye and tried to make himself even smaller when he saw Severus start moving towards him. Severus felt him tense as he laid his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Harry? Harry?" he asked softly. He never thought he would be talking softly to anyone, but here he was, trying to placate a scared young man.

"Harry? I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know why you screamed like that?"

Harry began the rise slowly, as if wary about Severus' words. Severus stepped away, giving Harry room to get up and feel a little secure.

"There was a thing standing over there," replied Harry softly, pointing a shaky finger towards his bed. He kept his face down, his eyes to the ground.

"Was it a house elf?" asked Severus.

"What's a house elf?" replied Harry.

"Do you know what magic is?" Harry tensed up at the word magic. "Harry? Harry? Answer me, Harry."

"Uncle Vernon says that m...m...magic doesn't exist."

"Well, your Uncle Vernon doesn't know the truth."

Harry pushed his bangs away from his eyes, allowing his forehead to show. "It doesn't exist."

"Harry. Look at me. Magic does exist. Look at me, Harry," said Severus. Harry slowly brought his head up, to look at Severus. Severus gasped. On Harry's forehead, was Harry's famous scar - the lightening bolt!

"Harry, what is your last name?" gasped Severus. Looking a little puzzled, Harry thought for a moment.

"It's Potter."

Severus hid his shock behind his mask and just nodded. He didn't want to frighten the boy anymore than he already was.

"Toby!" he yelled. The house elf popped up in the middle of the room. Harry began to tremble again. "Harry, is this whom you saw?"

"Y-yes, sir," replied Harry.

"This is Toby, Harry. He is a house elf, and he as well as two others are the ones to complete the house work around here."

Harry looked even more frightened now, for some reason. Severus could not think why he would look so frightened.

"D-does that mean, sir, I-I'm g-going to be turned int-to one?" whispered Harry.

"What?? NO!" exclaimed Severus loudly. Harry flinched slightly at the loud noise.

"Harry, you are not here to be my servant. You are here because I want you to be here," Severus said softly, looking a little pained.

"Really?" asked Harry, looking a little more hopeful.

"Did Dursley say that you were coming here to work for me??" growled Severus.

"Y-yes sir."

Severus suddenly looked incredibly angry. Glaring at no one, he turned and strode out of the room. Harry looked around and realized that Toby was still in the room.

"Toby is sorry for making Master Harry angry! Toby is very sorry!!" cried the house elf.

"It is okay, Toby. I didn't know who you were at the time," replied Harry. "Call me Harry please. Master Harry sounds weird."

"No, Master Harry, Toby can not do that! Master Harry is Master Harry!! Does Master Harry want his clothes?"

Only did Harry realize then that he was still in only a towel!! Blushing deeply, he nodded to the elf, which got him clothes.

"Toby? These are not mine!" he said.

"Master Severus wants you to wear them," replied Toby.

Harry dressed and sat down on his bed. There was nothing for him to do here in his room. Looking around the place, he decided to explore the house before Severus got mad at him for not cleaning.

He spent the entire day exploring the house, not even stopping for lunch! He was in the grand library, which was incredibly big, when Toby popped in to tell him that it was dinnertime.

Walking into the formal dining hall, he noticed Severus sitting down at one side of the table. The seat right opposite Severus was also set, so Harry sat down over there. Not knowing how much he was allowed to eat, because the Dursleys had never let him eat with them before, he waited until Severus took his food before he served himself a little bit of what was on the table.

"Is that all you are going to eat, Potter?" asked Severus. Harry didn't answer, and Severus stopped trying to make him talk. All he did was place more food on Harry's plate before he continued to eat.

"Potter, you know that your parents were magical. You are a wizard," said Severus after they both were done eating. Harry still hadn't eaten that much of food; it had been enough for a six-year-old.

"Magic doesn't exist, sir," replied Harry quietly. Severus took out his wand and pointed it to one of the goblets on the table.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" and the goblet flew up!

"Magic does exist, Potter. However, since you have yet to learn anything about it, you are a danger to everyone. Starting tomorrow, after breakfast, you will have lessons with me in the library." After his speech, Severus got up and left the room.

Quietly, Harry made his way back to his rooms and got ready for bed. The day had been tiring and Harry was happy to collapse in bed and sleep. As soon as he fell asleep, Harry was swept up into another dream. This time, however, he was in this same house, in the enormous library he had fallen in love with before.

Looking around the place, he couldn't find anybody. Why am I here? Am I dreaming? Did I sleepwalk here?

"Harry, I am glad you could make it," said a voice from one of the chairs in front of the large fireplace.

"Who's there?" asked Harry. Harry walked toward the chair and gasped. It was the young Prince from his previous dream! "You!"

"Yes, dear Harry, I am the person from your previous dream."

"What do you want?" asked Harry.

"Nothing, my dear, I just want to talk to you," replied the Prince with a smile. "Come, sit down, and talk to me."

Harry was confused out of his mind. This young man wants to have a conversation with me? Why? What does he want? This is all a dream! Why am I dreaming of a conversation with this man??

"Harry, this is not a normal dream. I pulled you into my mind so that I could talk to you."

"Where are you? Are you actually in this library?"

"Don't trust appearances, Harry. I am neither here nor there. I exist only in my mind and your mind. Some things are beyond the senses."

"What??"

"Nothing, my dear. Now, however, it is time for you to wake up. So, I must say adieu until I see you once again," replied the Prince with a bow. He vanished into midair, right in front of Harry's eyes.

"WHAT?" yelled Harry, sitting straight up in bed. Sighing, he looked around to realize that he was back in his bed, in his room, in this house. The young Prince had vanished and everything had just been a dream.

Sighing, he went and took care of his needs, put on the clothes that Toby had left him, and headed down for breakfast. The little dream had made him quite hungry, something that he had not felt in a while.

Walking into the dining area, he only saw one setting for himself. He ate quickly, but walked slowly to the library. He knew that, even if Beast could do magic, he couldn't, so there was no point in going to the library quickly. Even though Harry tried to walk incredibly slowly, he reached the library in five minutes. Knocking on the door, he entered after he heard Severus tell him to enter.

"Sir?" he asked, peeking around the door.

"Come in, boy! We don't have time for your insecurities!" growled the Beast.

"Yes, sir," replied Harry, walking into to the room.

"Ah! This is your new companion. Yes, he does need a wand, yes," said a voice from in front of Harry. Harry jumped at the sound of the new voice.

"Harry, this is Mr. Ollivander. He is the maker of wands for wizards and witches. He is here to make you a wand," introduced Severus.

"Oh," replied Harry, looking down.

"Which is your wand arm?" asked Mr. Ollivander.

"Right, sir," replied Harry.

Mr. Ollivander began measuring Harry for his new wand. Pulling out wand after wand, he made Harry test them out until...

"Aha! We have a match! Eleven inches, doom tree wood with dragon scale and phoenix ash center. Interesting! Very interesting!" mumbled the old wand maker.

"What's so interesting?" asked the Beast.

"Dragon scale and phoenix ashes are almost never used together. This is the only wand I created that has this particular combo with this type of wood as well. Very fitting of Mr. Potter, yes, very fitting!"

"Why is it fitting?" asked Severus, trying to sound polite.

"That is another story, for another time. It will be known when it is known," said Mr. Ollivander before apparating out of the castle.

"Sir? Is something wrong with my wand?" asked Harry timidly. Severus just shook his head and pointed at the books lying on the table next to him.

"Your studies will began today. Read the first book and write a five page summary about it, due tomorrow."

Months passed as Harry's studies became more and more intense. He was astonished to learn that he indeed could do magic, and could do it well! He learned so many things including whom the Snapes, Potters, and even Dumbledore were. However, he never realized that he was Harry Potter! It soon became one year since Harry had left the Dursleys and he loved the Castle. He had also grown to become friends with the "Beast", and he enjoyed his time at the Castle.

Three weeks before Christmas, Harry woke up with a sudden longing to go visit the Weasleys, and the rest of the people he had grown to become fond of in the village. He remembered the promise he had made to Severus, that he would never see his family again, but he could not help feel homesick. It had been almost a year since he had seen them. He quickly subdued the emotion, but it still lurked in his heart.

Sighing deeply, he got up, got breakfast and left to began his studies. He worked all day, sighing occasionally. Severus was quite annoyed with the constant sighing, and finally asked what was wrong.

"What's wrong?" he asked gruffly.

"Nothing, sir," replied Harry. Harry only used Sir when he was either upset and didn't want to talk about or sad and depressed.

"Harry??" asked Severus, once again.

"Do you want me to tell you the truth sir?"

"Yes, I always want the truth, Harry."

"I know that I agreed never to go back home, but I miss my village! Don't get me wrong, sir, I love it here, and I am grateful for everything you ever did for me, but my family's over there sir. I don't mean the Dursleys, sir, I mean the Weasleys. I love them to bits, and I miss them so much. They must be worried sick about me. They know that the Dursleys are not the best people, but they don't completely know the extent of it."

Harry had opened up to Severus about a month after he arrived at the Castle, and he had eventually, with Severus' help, got over the neglect. It still popped up once in a while, especially when Harry was upset or sad.

"I know that I agreed to your conditions sir, so I am not going to ask you if I can leave. I am a person of my word, sir. You wanted me to tell you the truth, so I did."

"Harry, I'll think about it," replied Severus. He spent the rest of the day in furiously making potions, not wanting to think about what Harry had said.

'Doesn't he know? If he leaves, then I die. I love him to much to not let him go. I will let him go. I was going to die in the next couple of years anyways. Oh well, I wanted to prefect the Wolfsbane Potion in my lifetime, but seeing Harry be happy is better than finding the cure for werewolves. It will only be two weeks that I will suffer, and mainly only the very last day. In one week, I will let him go and make sure that he stays one month away. That way, he will not come back accidentally and see me on my deathbed. He will also not be miserable. I can make some excuse to explain my sudden death. I'll make sure that he inherits everything; I don't want anyone else living in my Castle,' Severus thought to himself as he lay in bed.

About three days later, he told Harry that he could go to visit the Weasleys for one month. Harry was so ecstatic that once he heard the news, he jumped up and gave Severus a big hug. Severus was surprised at the hug, but a few moments later, returned the hug cautiously. Harry grinned up at him as he slowly pulled away and raced off to pack his bags. Harry left the next day and was back at the Weasley Manor by that evening.

Everyone was excited to see Harry, and glad that he was okay. They were disappointed that he wasn't back for good, but little did they know that soon, he might be back for good. It was Christmas time soon, and Harry was having a fun time! However, he always had the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be there and that something bad was going to happen soon.

Harry was just wandering around the Weasley Manor, trying to sort out why he was feeling so weird, when Toby popped right in front of him.

"Toby? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, Master Harry, sir! Sir must coming right now, sir! Master Severus is ill and call for you! He dying sir! Toby not know what to do, Master Harry sir! Doctor Sir say he not live longer! Toby lose his beloved Master Severus, sir! Sir must come!" cried the scared house elf.

"He's dying? Why? How? Why didn't anyone tell me??" cried Harry, running out the door. His chest had constricted painfully at the first mention of Severus dying. He could feel his heart shatter into a million pieces. Telling one of the servants to tell the Weasleys that he had left, Harry grabbed a horse and galloped all the way back to the Castle.

As he hurried to the Castle, random moments of the past year flitted through his head: picnic lunches, though Severus never wanted to come outside, he would always end up coming outside with Harry; magic lessons; peaceful times when they were just content to sit in each other's presence; long discussions on politics and other subjects; so many little things had brought them so close.

'Why does my heart feel like it's breaking when I think about him dying? Do I love him? Am I in love with him? Is this love?

I had no choice but to hear you
You stated your case time and again
I thought about it

You treat me like I'm a princess
I'm not used to liking that
You ask how my day was

You've already won me over in spite of me
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault

Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole
You're so much braver than I gave you credit for
That's not lip service

You've already won me over in spite of me
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault

With millions of thoughts running through his head, Harry galloped up the stairs and stopped right at the front door of the Castle. Dismounting, he ran through the house, until he skidded to a halt in front of the Master Bedroom doors. Pushing it open, he hurriedly walked into the room.

Severus lay on the bed, paler than the cream sheets that adorned it. He was restless in his sleep, moaning and tossing this way and that. He and the sheets were drenched with sweat, but the wizard shivered as if cold.

"Severus? Severus! Oh, Merlin! What happened? How did you get so sick so fast?" cried Harry, dropping to his knees on the side of the bed. He took one of Severus' cold, pale hands in his and began rubbing them, more for his comfort than Severus' comfort.

"Harry??" whispered Severus, slowly.

"Sev?? I'm here, Severus! Don't die on me, please!! I can't loose you now!" Harry was hit with a sudden feeling. "I love you Severus! Please!! Don't leave me alone! I can't live without you!! Don't die, don't leave me here! There is no one else here for me but you! I love you!! Don't die!!!" he sobbed.

"Harry," whispered Severus, before his chest became still.

"SEVERUS!!!!!!" mourned Harry, slumping on to the still chest, sobbing.

He was sobbing so hard, he didn't see in the bright white light that surrounded the older wizard. Suddenly all he felt was the rising and falling of the chest he was crying on. Lifting his head up, he gasped.

"Severus?" Harry's eyes could not believe what they saw. Severus was watching Harry with a small smile on his face, his eyes glittering.

"Harry," whispered Severus, breaking into another smile.

"Severus!!" Harry cried, launching himself into the wizard's arms.

"Harry!" he laughed, bringing his arms around the younger wizard in a long, hard hug.

"What happened, Severus? If you had died, I would not have lived for much longer, you know. I love you, you git! Why did you die??"

"Harry, remember, when I told you all about the Snapes, Potters and Dumbledore? How they lived a while before our time? I lied about that. You are Harry Potter, the Boy-who-Lived and who defeated Lord Voldemort. I am Severus Snape, the young lad in the story."

"You were the one cursed? Oh Merlin! I saw you! In my dream!! I saw a younger version of you, and I think it was your mother!"

"My mom??" whispered Severus. Harry just gave Severus a big hug, conveying all of his feelings in that simple touch.

"So, its true then? You were cursed to die at thirty, right? Why did you die now?" asked a very confused Harry.

"Um... well... that's a rather complicated story," mumbled Severus.

"My, my! Severus Snape mumbling!!" joked Harry. "But, seriously Severus, why did you let me go then?"

"Because you didn't love me. It was better to love, and then die, then to keep you close and have you miserable your entire lifetime."

"Why didn't you tell me??" asked Harry quietly. Severus only smiled sadly, since there was only one reason why he could not have said anything.

"You couldn't because of the curse. Well, it's all in the past because you are alive now! And I love you, my Severus," said Harry.

"I love you too, my Harry."

As all fairy tales end, they lived happily ever after, at least for another 200 years. Wizards had a long lifetime, one that spanned about two centuries. They lived together, in that Castle for their entire lifetime, and died together in each other's arms, on Harry's 200^th birthday. They left behind only the old Castle and the stories created by the villagers of two people loving each other until the end of time. Hogwarts and magic were soon forgotten, yet this epic love story was still told to the young children, as one where true love triumphs over all.