The Boy Who Found a Home

Professor Dumbledore sat for a half hour, thinking. The revelations his guest had imparted were unsettling. Albus looked at the clock on his desk to see who the available prefect was. He reached over to the small box sitting above his fireplace. Throwing a pinch into the fire, he called out, "Wood, would you come to my office?"

"Yes, Headmaster!"

Wood appeared within several minutes. "I need Mr. Snape to come to my office. Would you ask Professor McGonagall to send him along with you?"

"Yes, Headmaster."

***

Transfigurations classes were always interesting. The class had moved forward and was attempting to transfigure buttons into dinner plates. Professor McGonagall had demonstrated the intention of the transfiguration by turning a mother of pearl button into a hand painted dinner plate.

Lily spent a good half hour trying to remove the holes from a waistcoat button and enlarging it to the size of a saucer. She sat with her tongue between her teeth and changed the colour brown to medium beige. She smiled to herself, pleased with her accomplishment.

James had a brace button to transfigure. He wasn't able to alter the colour, though he did enlarge it to the size of a large saucer with a slightly raised edge. Peter had enlarged his shirt button to a disk the size of a poker chip but the colour firmly remained white. Sirius had his overcoat button transfigured to the size of a dinner plate. Unfortunately the plate had the four button dimples still firmly in place. He had changed the colour to a deep ivory. Remus wasn't there - his mother was ill so he had been sent home for several days.

Severus had a brace button similar to James' to transfigure. The button changed colour to beige and lost the holes, but retained the double sided curve of a brace button.

The class was concentrating on its work while Professor McGonagall walked around the room offering encouragement and correction on technique.

"You should by now have the proper phrasing ingrained in your minds as you speak the words aloud. Concentrate on the shape and colour of the dinner plate as you work your transfiguration. You all have had moderate success with enlarging your buttons. You need to focus your mind, spell and wands," Professor McGonagall spoke quietly as she walked the classroom.

"Mr. Pettigrew, if you..." A knock interrupted Minerva McGonagall's words.

"Yes, Wood?" she asked the prefect.

"The Headmaster would like Severus Snape to come to his office, Professor McGonagall." Wood looked around the room trying to find the Slytherin.

"After class, Wood?"

"No, Professor, I am to accompany him there now."

"Very well, Mr Snape, accompany Wood to the Headmaster's office."

Severus collected his books, parchments and quills together and rose from his seat. What now?

"You may leave your dinner plate on the desk, I will mark it with the others," the Transfigurations professor said.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." Severus slid past her to the door. Behind him he could hear the whisperings from the students.

"What do you think he's done now?" a nameless boy's voice asked.

"I don't know, but he is in Slytherin, and they are always in the Headmaster's office," a second unknown Gryffindor answered.

Severus heard James Potter's loud voice comment. "Maybe Professor Dumbledore keeps a slot open just for him," the Gryffindor's laugh lessened as Professor McGonagall shut the door.

The last words Severus heard were his professor's reprimand to the class to, "Concentrate on your buttons and not Mr Snape's business."

Wood walked briskly down several corridors then stopped before the statute and called out firmly, "Passion Fruit Crumbles!" The sculpture shifted revealing the stairs up to Albus Dumbledore's office. Nodding to the first year, Wood walked back down the corridor and vanished around the corner.

Sighing, Severus walked slowly up the flight of stairs. He peered around the corner and saw the Headmaster seated at his desk reading something. The young Slytherin clung to the wall until

Albus looked up and caught sight of the boy standing in the deep shadows at the top of the stairs.

"Come in, Severus, and have a seat. I won't be long," Albus said, returning to his pile of parchments. The young wizard looked about the office as inconspicuously as he could. He'd been here before, so he looked more closely for things he hadn't noticed before.

Fifteen minutes passed by and the Headmaster was still reading his papers. It was becoming difficult not to slouch into the chair or allow his mind to wander. The office was similar to his father's office. Father.

Severus thought about the letters from his mother, describing his father's anger at his Sorting into Slytherin.

"No, he won't write you, he is too angry at the moment. If you improve your grades, perhaps he will forgive you your Sorting. He has a chill that has moved into his chest. Elf and I are caring for him."

Severus was sitting still in the chair, his eyes staring blankly at the far wall. He slowly brought a hand up to his mouth and chewed at the cuticle of his thumb. I want to go home; I don't want to stay here. He sat in the chair for five minutes, chewing on the cuticle until it began to bleed.

Albus looked up at the boy, who stared miserably off into the distance, with one hand at his mouth, savaging the cuticle. He rose from his seat and knelt down beside the child. He put an arm around the thin shoulders thinking to comfort him. Severus threw off the encircling embrace violently, setting off alarms within the Headmaster's sharp mind.

"Severus, I'm not going to hurt you," Professor Dumbledore carefully modulated his voice to be as non-threatening as possible. "Can you tell me what has you so upset?"

"I wish I had never been born," Severus choked out painfully.

"Ssh," the old wizard said comfortingly and cautiously put a hand on the child's shoulder. It was not rejected this time and Albus moved his arm around Severus to hold him comfortingly.

"No one likes me."

"That's not quite true, I like you, Hagrid likes you, and Professor Warwick likes you."

"Nobody my age likes me," Severus clarified and pushed the hand away.

"It takes time to make friends. Friends don't happen overnight," Albus sat down on the carpet in front of the chair and looked up into the boy's face.

"Everyone likes Potter and Black," the young boy said, jealousy clouding his thoughts.

"Severus, most of the children were acquainted with one another before they came here. Isn't there anyone you knew before you came to Hogwarts?"

"No," he said bluntly. The loneliness in the voice pierced the old wizard's heart.

"Is there anyone in Slytherin or another House you might like to get to know? There are a great many children at Hogwarts," Albus attempted to think of the children in the boys year who talked with the boy. "I've seen you talking with Lily Evans and Remus Lupin."

"Potter and Black won't let them talk to me." Severus sniffed back the phlegm in his nose loudly. The Headmaster forced himself not to close his eyes.

"They are the ones to decide whether or not they want to talk with you Severus. If you like them, talk to them. Friendships are two way paths." Albus held out his handkerchief to a boy lost who was staring off into space. The boy brought his hand back to his mouth.

The Headmaster took it gently in his hand and felt relief he did not reject his touch this time.

"Severus, you've far too much to offer the world to let fear and loneliness defeat you. Try?"

"I do try, Headmaster. They don't want to listen to me," Severus said softly.

"Not everyone listens to me either, child."

With his free hand Albus aimed his wand at a carved cupboard on one side of the room. The doors opened and a drawer slid out, allowing a large bar of foil-wrapped chocolate to float over to him.

"I keep a special bit of chocolate for very special guests," he said and peeled back the foil around the chocolate. "Take a large piece, Severus."

The boy took a small piece and held it in his hand.

"It would please me very much, if you were to eat the chocolate," the Headmaster gently encouraged. He was relieved to see the youth nibble at a corner.

"Would you help me up? Sitting on the floor is for the young only, I fear," Dumbledore asked with his eyes twinkling. Severus obediently jumped up to assist the Headmaster to his feet.

I don't think I have seen a child so lacking in social skills before. He alienates his contemporaries and the teaching staff with his complete lack of tact and vulgar manners. His boy has no idea of how to talk with other people, much less how to listen to them, yet it is obvious he wants to interact!

"Headmaster?" Severus asked and interrupted his ruminations.

"Yes, Severus?"

"I am supposed to be at Hagrid's soon."

"You don't need to go today, if you don't feel up to it," Dumbledore looked down at the skinny dark haired boy.

"I need to feed the foal, Headmaster. I have detention, remember?"

"You may go then." The old wizard was astonished that the child refused to accept the excuse to fulfil his detention. "Severus? What have you named the foal?"

"I haven't; Hagrid told me not to."

Albus' eyebrow quirked slightly in humour, and Severus had the shadow of a smile playing on his lips as he walked down the stairs.

***

Two days later Lily Evans was walking down a dim corridor on the way to her Defence Against the Dark Arts class when a quill fell from her book bag to the floor. She bent to retrieve it.

"Miss Evans, this is a pleasant surprise!"

Lily looked up to see Professor Dumbledore standing before her. "Headmaster, I was going to my lesson and dropped my..."

"How are you enjoying your Defence lessons?" Albus asked conversationally.

"They have been very difficult for me, sir. I seem to have difficulty with some of the creatures that Professor Illingsworth explains to us," Lily said with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"What about your Herbology sessions? They must be very interesting for a girl like you." Dumbledore looked innocently at Lily.

"Professor Pulmule has us learning about so many different plants. I never knew that there were so many fascinating plants before I came here."

"Did you know that Hagrid has a unicorn foal down at the stables, Lily?" Albus changed the topic suddenly.

"A unicorn? Really?" Lily's green eyes grew very large.

"I don't think Hagrid would object to your visiting his foal."

"Do you think I could take...?" Lily asked hopefully.

"I think for now you should go by yourself -- once your classes have finished for the day. Take a few of my sherbet lemons as a treat during your visit." He gave the girl a handful. A smile played on his face.

"I will. Thank you, Headmaster. I better hurry or Professor Illingsworth will take points from me." Lily smiled shyly and walked quickly down the corridor.

Albus walked slowly toward his office and spied Hagrid ambling towards him.

"Morning, Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Ah Hagrid, I mentioned to Miss Evans that you would show her the unicorn foal after lessons today."

"Right, she won't get in the way of Severus."

"No, I don't think she will, Hagrid. Maybe she will be able to assist him with the foal?" Albus smiled conspiratorially up at the large man.

"I understand, Headmaster. I'd best be getting back to the stable, he needs his bottle."

Lily spent the remainder of the day anticipating her visit to the stable. Rushing back to Gryffindor once her lessons were over, she ran up the stairs to her dormitory, threw down her book bag, and shrugged off her school robes. She ran quickly back down to the common room and pushed past Peter.

"Oi, where are you off to in such a rush?" Peter called after her retreating figure.

Lily spared a glance back and smiled at Peter before she dashed out through the portrait entry. The Deputy Headmistress saw Lily rushing in the main corridor near the main doors.

"Miss Evans, where are you going in such a great rush?"

"Professor McGonagall, I am going to see the unicorn foal!"

"You should not be going there unless Hagrid gave his permission," Minerva gazed fondly down at the auburn haired girl.

"But, the Headmaster told me to go and see it, Professor." Lily's brow furrowed slightly.

"Professor Dumbledore sometimes forgets that Hagrid is responsible for the beasts. You should stop at there first for his permission." The Head of Gryffindor House smiled warmly at her favourite first year girl.

"I will, Professor." Lily ran out the doors and down to Hagrid's hut.

Lily pounded on the door and heard Fang barking loudly. Hagrid opened the door and stepped out, holding a large baby bottle in his hand. "Lily! Yeh come ter see the foal?"

"Yes, please, Hagrid. Is it all right? Professor Dumbledore said I could come to see it," Lily was practically dancing rings around Hagrid in her excitement.

"Well... I got a lad helpin' ter care for it and I don' wan' the whole school ter know..." He saw her face fall in disappointment. He smiled and said, "Come on then. Don't wan' the bottle ter get cold."

Lily ran to keep pace with the large man, all the while peppering him with questions. "Where did you find it? Are they really always white? How big is it? I can't wait to write Petunia, she'll never believe I saw a real unicorn."

Hagrid smile down at Lily as they walked knowing that she really didn't expect answers to her questions. It was obvious she could not restrain the questions that bubbled from her in an uncontained babble of excitement and wonder.

"I forgo' the water bottle. Would yer take the bottle in ter the barn and give it ter the lad?" Hagrid turned back toward his hut with a grunt and a smile beneath the large fuzzy beard.

"Hagrid asked me to give this to you," Lily said as she approached a boy raking the straw with his back to her. The boy turned to her.

"Severus! What are you doing here?" she asked shocked to see the Slytherin.

He curled his lip into a defensive sneer and turned back to raking.

"May I look?" Lily asked carefully.

"Hagrid said no one was to come in here," Severus snapped. Lily's face fell before his eyes.

"Bring me the bottle," Severus ordered. I'm not really disobeying Hagrid -- I need the bottle. "Don't make noise, it doesn't like it."

Lily held out the milk to Severus. Looking into the stall through the rails, she gasped.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, immediately entranced. The unicorn foal was tiny. It was the colour of the moon when it is low on the horizon. The hooves were shiny silver. The mane and tail were short and sticking straight in the air but looked downy soft. The little foal's eyes sparkled a twilight blue. On the forehead was a small knob where the horn would grow from.

Severus took the bottle and knelt next to the foal. It reached out a downy looking neck and suckled loudly. Lily stood frozen, staring at the foal in awe.

"You may come closer," Severus said, not really believing a Gryffindor would enter the stall.

Keeping her eyes on the unicorn, she slipped in and knelt down beside the boy. Her shoulder brushed against his and he jerked back suddenly, pulling the bottle's nipple from the foal's mouth. It stomped it's hooves in irritation. Severus quickly pushed the bottle to the small mouth again.

"Sorry," Lily apologized, thinking she had stepped on him. "It's so beautiful. Is it a boy or girl?"

"You've got eyes, look at it," Severus smirked.

Lily bent down slowly and blushed pink. "What's his name?"

Severus shrugged, "Hagrid said he can't have one. He'll have to go back to the Forbidden Forest when he's old enough. I call him Sherbet Lemon."

"Sherbet Lemon, that's an interesting name."

"It is?"

"Yes, sherbet lemons are both sweet and tart, aren't they?"

"I don't know. I never had one," Severus admitted.

"You've never had one? Severus!" Lily was astonished by the revelation.

"What? My mother doesn't allow such frivolous things," he said embarrassed.

"Oh, would you like to try one?" Lily kept her eyes on the foal.

"I'm feeding the foal," he snapped.

"Severus, it doesn't take two hands to feed Sherbet Lemon. Try one." Lily held out her hand with the sweets. "If you don't like it, you may spit it out," she said patiently.

Reluctantly, he took the offered sweet and after smelling it put it in his mouth. His eyes got big. "It's strange."

"It that good or bad?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," he admitted. Severus had puzzlement on his face. "D-do you want to hold the bottle?"

"Could I really?" she asked, delighted at the offer. He handed the bottle to her.

"Is this how? I never fed a baby before. My Mum wouldn't let me hold the bottle when my sister was a baby. She wouldn't let us have a pet either. She said they are dirty. Did you have a pet?"

"For an hour, before my mother ordered her house-elf to take him away." Severus looked away uncomfortably.

Hagrid stomped into the stable. Severus hung back, expecting a reprimand for allowing someone in the stall.

"What do yeh think, Lily? Yer getting' ter feed him, that's nice."

"Hagrid, he is so beautiful. Do you think I can come again to see him?" The young girl looked hopefully up to the Keeper of the Keys.

"That's up ter Severus, Lily."

"Severus?"

"He's been takin' care of him," Hagrid explained patiently. "Severus yeh can get some fresh beddin' while Lily finishes feedin' him the bottle."

Severus nodded and left the stall. As soon as he left the foal's sight, it pulled its mouth from the bottle. The colt shrilly called out and paced the small stall anxiously.

"Hagrid what's wrong? Why is Sherbet Lemon doing that?" she asked her face was intense with worry.

Despite Hagrid's instructions, Severus had named the foal. The first time he overheard his young charge speak the name 'Sherbet Lemon' he hadn't been certain he'd heard correctly. Severus was a stickler for following the rules, and the fact he'd disobeyed his instructions and named the orphan charmed Hagrid immensely. The fact the young Slytherin named the unicorn after one of the Headmaster's favourite sweets, defined the boy's place in his heart.

"He misses Severus, Lily, tha's all. He'll be righ' back. He's getting' yeh a new bed for the nigh'," Hagrid said to the foal as he left the building.

The foal kept up its frantic searching through the rails until Severus came back into view.

"He wouldn't drink when you left," Lily said. "I tried but he wouldn't."

Severus entered the stall with an armload of bedding. The foal butted against him with his head.

"He missed you."

"What?" The dark haired boy asked and looked suspiciously at her, secretly pleased that the unicorn wanted him more than anyone else.

"He missed you," Lily repeated smiling down at the foal. "You are so lucky to be taking care of him."

"I have no choice, its detention," Severus said flatly.

"Is it because of -- what happened in the Great Hall?" Lily asked quietly. "I wondered where you have been. I haven't seen you in the library."

He wouldn't look at her.

"It's almost time for supper. Are you coming back to eat?"

"No." The Slytherin busied himself putting the straw down.

"Oh... I guess you'll eat with Hagrid then?" Lily asked worried. He didn't answer again.

"Severus, may I come to see the foal again? I promise not to tell anyone." Lily guessed the Slytherin was embarrassed to be caring for the foal.

"If you want to," he replied and raked the old straw into a pile.

"I'll see you later then. Bye!" Lily ran from the stable and back to the castle.

He continued to put out the bedding and tried not to think. The foal nickered at him and pushed its nose into his shoulder. Stopping, Severus scratched the unicorn's ears briefly. The animal lifted its eyes to look adoringly up at him.

"What?" Severus asked in a whisper as he knelt in the straw. The foal stared back before huffing softly into his ear.

"All right, I'll sit down for a while with you." He sank against the wall. The foal folded its legs, and dropped down next to him, and stretched its neck across his lap. Severus' hand began to slowly stroke the velvety soft neck.

Fifteen minutes later, Hagrid entered the stable to have Severus come for dinner and found the boy sleeping with his head on the foal's flank. The colt looked up at Hagrid.

"You are helping him, aren't you?" Hagrid asked the foal. Sherbet Lemon, he calls you Sherbet Lemon. I wonder if Dumbledore knows. Great man, Dumbledore.

Hagrid turned and walked back out of the stable.