Lily of The Valley

"The Boy Who Lived," he spat, as if he had spoken a foul word. Severus imagined Potter's overindulged, pampered life; a large house, a room filled with worldly things, servants running at his beck and call. What exactly was there to check on? Was he supposed to make sure that Harry wasn't being spoiled thoroughly enough? That the family was making sure he had everything his little heart desired?

Oh yes, Severus thought sarcastically, I'm sure it would be so terrible for the child if everyone isn't just falling at his feet. He rolled his eyes; it wasn't that he hated the boy- he didn't, though Severus was the only one that knew that truth.

What Severus really hated was looking at the face of James Potter every day. It was James that Severus hated. Looking at that face every day- it was a daily reminder of a betrayal that cut him to his soul. A betrayal that had led him to embrace darkness. I wasn't always this sadistic bastard. Before her disloyalty, one might have even considered me to be..... well, not a sadistic bastard anyway. But that was before.

Lily--- Severus felt a familiar tug; she was his life back then.

Stop. You can't think about that now. You have a job to do. Severus pushed the thoughts out of his mind and knocked on the door--and was promptly shocked.

A severely obese boy opened the door, looked up at the darkly clad wizard, and screamed- and then slammed the door in his face. Severus stood there on the front steps of the house for a moment, both shocked and appalled by the obese boy's behavior, before taking the doorknob in his pale hand and opening the door himself. An overgrown version of the boy came bumbling down the stairs and over to Severus with a hateful look on his face.

"YOUR KIND ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" he shouted at Severus, as if the professor were deaf, blind, and dumb. Severus raise an eyebrow in annoyance and slight humor, but refused to budge from his place. The whale of a man continued; " Did you hear what I said? GET OUT!"

Calmly, Severus looked at the man. "I'm hear to see Harry Potter. Would you please inform him of my arrival?"

"Does magic make you deaf? I said get out and that's what I meant!"

This was getting old- fast. "Where is Harry?"

"He's not here. Get out," the portly man, who Severus now placed as Harry's uncle, scoffed.

"Where is he? I must speak with him at once." Severus was quickly losing his temper. He'd done an admirable job so far of keeping it in check. If a student of his ever skirted around an answer the was this man was doing... well, his students never did, because they knew the consequences. Severus wasn't exactly the most beloved Professor at Hogwarts, and there was more than one reason for that. In fact, if Severus had been looking at a student with the look he was giving Vernon Dursley, the student would have promptly run the other way in fear for his or her very life.

Vernon, on the other hand, was another story. "I don't know where your precious Potter is, nor do I care! Get out now and LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!" And with that, he actually had the nerve to push Severus out the door and shut it in his face.

Severus paused; he was angry- angry enough to do some real damage to this... pathetic excuse of a Muggle. It wasn't even really a matter of the boy now; it was the fact that Severus would not allow himself to be treated like someone that could be ignored. He stood outside the door for a moment and collected his thoughts, pondering what his next move would be. It was then that he heard Vernon yelling.

"BOY! GET OUT HERE!"

Severus looked into the little window in the door and watched as Harry walked into the foyer. His eyes went wide open in surprise as he saw the bruises that covered Harry's body, and the fact that Harry was cradling one arm. Severus watched, seemingly frozen in shock, as the scene in front of him played out like a bad horror movie.

This can't be real, he thought. He watched as Harry braced himself- he knew what was coming. The hit was hard enough to send Harry sprawling to the ground, but Vernon didn't stop there. He kicked Harry's head and chest until the boy cried out.

Vernon continued yelling, "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THOSE FREAKS COMING HERE?" It didn't seem to matter that Harry could no longer hear him, having lapsed into unconsciousness.

Then, as he watched the scene in front of him, something inside Severus snapped. The door all but flew off the doorframe as the furious wizard stormed through. He walked up to Vernon, wand in hand, and yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" There was a great BOOM as Vernon fell stiff to the ground. Severus heard a scream behind him and he whirled around to find Petunia Dursley.

"YOU!" He said, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You're Lily's sister and you let this happen to her son?" She stood there in shock. "ANSWER ME!"

"I... I..."

"You disgust me," Severus sneered. "Lily was a friend of mine and she would have been horrified by the way you've treated her son- your own flesh and blood." Severus' voice became menacing as he continued to glare at the shaking blond. "I will be back for his belongings. I expect them to be ready and waiting for me when I return. Do you understand?" She didn't dare disagree with him; she nodded meekly.

Severus walked over to Harry as a wave of guilt forever believing that the child had had a good life washed over him. He kneeled down and carefully gathered Harry in his arms, pulling the boy protectively close. Lil, I'm so sorry... your son. Oh God, please let him be okay.

Harry flinched from the pain of being moved and Severus hesitated. There was nothing he could do about it, but the thought of hurting Harry even more made him feel worse. He thought of the last four years; tormenting, humiliating, and ridiculing Harry. He never would have been so harsh if he had known what the boy had endured.

Suddenly, Severus realized he had a problem. He couldn't Apparate with Harry while the boy was unconscious. Fortunately, Severus was intelligent enough to equip himself to handle most any situation. He looked around for a fireplace and found one in the living area. He lit it, then half-stood Harry, holding him with one arm, while his free hand searched his robes for the bag of Floo powder. He looked at Harry, and his frown deepened. There were a lot of things he wanted to tell the boy. If Harry survived...

"Remus. Thank you for bringing this letter to my attention," Albus was saying. Remus had not been able to sleep, and had decided to just take the letter to Albus and get it over with. "If you want, I will take care of matters from here, although I'm sure Harry would appreciate you emotional support. This will be a difficult time for him, especially on top of everything else."

"I wasn't sure if I should take it directly to Severus or --" Remus was interrupted by screaming.

"ALBUS!"

Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore looked at each other in surprise as they recognized Severus' panic filled voice. It took them a moment to react, but when they did, they ran down the corridor towards the voice, and were both shocked to find Severus with an unconscious Harry Potter in his arms.

"Oh geez, Severus. What happened?" Remus asked, suddenly frantic at the site of Harry. He tried to take Harry from Severus, who just clutched the boy harder as he kept up his quick pace towards the hospital ward.

Severus had a deadly look on his face. "That pathetic excuse for a family," he said in a low voice. The head nurse, Poppy Pomfrey, came out of her office immediately when the group entered the ward. She looked horrified at Harry's condition and began to work on him immediately, while Severus told them all what had happened.

"I have to go back for his school things," he concluded.

"I don't think that is a good idea with your temper Severus; there's no telling what might happen. I'll send Minerva to retrieve the boy's things. However, Mr. Lupin and I need to have a talk with you before anything else is said or done," Albus said.

Severus raised an eyebrow and looked from Lupin to Albus. They went up to Albus' office, where they all sat down.

"Severus, this is going to come as a bit of a shock to you," Albus said, pausing, "Remus received a letter yesterday... from Lily."

Severus tried to hide the surprise, and then anger that flitted across his face. "How...?"

"I think you should read it." Albus handed him the letter Remus had given him earlier. A wide range of emotions passed across Severus' face as he read the words written on the piece of parchment. Abruptly, he stood up.

"I have to go," he said as the letter fluttered to the floor. Albus and Remus looked at him, concerned. Before either could mutter a word, Severus turned and, nearly running, went down the stairs and out of the office. Down the corridor, and down more stairs, Severus continued at his quick pace.

Son, he thought. He had a son. His son-hisand Lily's. Severus shook his head. First Harry being beaten nearly to death, and now... to find out... The anger swelled inside of Severus; anger towards the Dursley's for hurting his son; anger towards Dumbledore for sending his son to live with those people in the first place; anger towards Voldemort for making him lose everything that ever meant anything to him; anger towards Lily for having the secret kept from him for nearly sixteen years; anger towards himself for his own abominable treatment towards Harry.

By the time he reached his room, his anger was so overwhelming that he picked up the first object he could find- a crystal snake figure- and smashed it against the wall, shattering the delicate object into a million pieces. He stopped, stunned to realize what he had just broken. The snake. Lily had given it to him.

"Repairo!" he cried out, pointing his wand towards the broken crystal pieces. Instantly, all the pieces came together and he gingerly picked up the snake. Lily...