The Boy Who Found a Home

Following the Headmaster's standing orders, four times a year Rubeus Hagrid went to Platform 9 ¾ the day after the Hogwarts Express carried students to or from the school, to walk the length of the platform. He was looking for bits and bobs, left behind by excited students, sometimes mistakenly and sometimes not. The Headmaster's desire to maintain a cordial relationship with the Hogwarts Express and station personnel had necessitated the excursion after a number of pranks left by rambunctious witches and wizards over the years.

As he walked the length of platform, Hagrid saw a large pile of fabric in a corner, near the entrance of the tunnel the train used to enter and leave Kings Cross Station. Shaking his head, he approached the pile, which seemed to be made up of garments.

"Headmaster won' like tha'." Grunting, he poked at the pile with the toe of one of his very large, heavy hob-nailed boots. It looked like a student had emptied his trunk out on the platform.

The pile shifted slightly, and he found a thin, dirt smudged face looking up at him.

"Severus? Wha' are yeh doin' here?" Hagrid asked, very much surprised.

Terrified, wary black eyes stared up at him. Hagrid then noticed the battered trunk with the initials SS, and a dented owl cage containing a rather discontented owl.

"Didn' yer mum come for yeh?" he asked.

Severus slowly pulled the pile of clothes closer about himself. He shook his head in reply.

"Well, someone should've been sent for yeh. Do yeh know how ter get ter yer house?" he asked in concern.

Nodding his head, Severus looked for the entire world, lost.

"Why didn' yeh go then?"

"I-I did, but she wasn't there. I couldn't get past the wards. I rang the bell and the house-elf said I wasn't allowed in to the house. He said I wasn't family," Severus said miserably.

Hagrid felt an intense outrage building in his chest at the plight of the twelve-year-old child. It was clear to him that the boy could not remain on the train platform; he'd have to take Severus to the Leaky Cauldron and Floo the Headmaster for instructions.

Putting out his hand, Hagrid said, "Come on, yeh can' stay here. I'm takin' yeh ter Diagon Alley."

Looking sceptically up at the very large Rubeus Hagrid for a long moment; Severus paused briefly before reaching up for the hand. A rough hug engulfed him and he stiffly accepted; he felt like he wanted to melt into the arms of someone who knew him. With a huge sniff, he pulled back from Hagrid.

Taking out his pink umbrella, Hagrid pointed it at the ragged pile of clothes.

"Don't," Severus whined and moved to protect them.

"I'm not goin' ter hurt them. I'm just goin' ter put them in a pile ter carry," he explained carefully. When Severus saw them fold themselves into neat stacks, he relaxed.

Sensing it would offer the boy a feeling of control, Hagrid offered, "Yeh want ter put them in yer're trunk, then shrink them down?

"We're not supposed to do magic outside of school," Severus reminded him quietly.

"I won't tell, if you won't. Why don' I take yer trunk and owl?"

That brought a very slight smile. Hagrid watched Severus draw his wand, and with the careful wand waving of a young wizard, magically pack and shrink his trunk.

"Yeh ever take the Muggle Tube?" Hagrid asked as they exited Platform 9 ¾ for the Muggle section of the station.

"No, my mother doesn't like Muggles or Muggle things," the boy replied simply and looked up at the half giant. "She says they're dirty and stupid."

"Well, we're gonna take the Tube as close as we can ter Diagon Alley, if it's all righ' with yeh. I like ter look at the Muggles. They wear sommat odd things; like them over there," Hagrid replied as he pointed at a hippie in sandals; a City banker in his blue suit, bowler, tightly furled umbrella, with a pink newspaper tucked under his arm; and a uniformed nanny pushing a pram.

Hagrid took a piece of paper from a pocket in his great coat and paid the attendant at the Tube station their fares. He led the way to an escalator that would take them down into the tunnels running under London. Keeping a hand on the boy's shoulder, he walked them both onto the moving stairs. His hand tightened slightly when he sensed Severus' discomfiture.

"It's like the stairs in ter the Headmaster's office, innit? 'cept it don' corkscrew up."

Severus' eyes grew large as the moving stairs jerked under their feet, and quickly stepped off at the bottom. Hagrid gently directed him to the platform. Swivelling his head curiously, Severus recognized it as a train platform, but unlike any platform he'd seen before. Odd non-moving pictures were stuck to the tiles on the walls.

A loud whooshing of air and screeching of metal on metal came from the dark tunnel; it made Severus retreat behind Hagrid's bulk for safety. From the opening, an odd train erupted onto the platform. The doors opened and Muggles spilled out, crowding against them. Hagrid felt the trembling in Severus' body as he clung to him.

The carriage was unlike those on the Hogwarts Express. Rather than having compartments, the carriage was one long cylindrical piece. Benches lined the sides, and hanging from the roof were straps with balls attached to them. Severus saw several Muggles clinging to the straps as the Tube moved noisily through the tunnel.

Reaching their destination, they left the station and climbed a short flight of steps to the street above. Severus kept close to Hagrid until they were close to the Leaky Cauldron. He paused to stare in the window of a used bookshop, fascinated as always by books. Hagrid's gentle hand moved him forward to the door of the wizards' inn.

"Why don't yeh sit here, while I ge' us sommat ter eat?" Hagrid suggested, depositing the young wizard at a table before he approached the inn keeper.

"Tom, can you take sommat ter eat ter the boy over there? I got ter use your fireplace to call Dumbledore."

The barkeep gave a small bag of Floo powder to Hagrid and waved him through to the private fireplace in his small office.

Taking a small pinch of the powder, Hagrid threw it into the flames, knelt down and called out, "Headmaster's office!"

A very surprised Headmaster looked back though the green flames. The long white beard had a red ribbon tied into it. The half moon glasses were sliding down a long crooked nose as he looked into the fire.

"Hagrid, I hadn't expected you to Floo."

"There's trouble, Headmaster. I was walkin' the platform like you asked. I found Severus Snape inna corner. No one met him at the platform! I brough' him ter the Leaky Cauldron for sommat ter eat, 'cause I didn' know wha' else ter do."

"No one met him at the platform?" asked the old wizard incredulously.

"Yeah, tha's righ', Headmaster."

"Hagrid, this is most disturbing news. See Severus has something to eat, then return with him to Hogwarts. Call me before you come, so the wards in my office can be lowered. Meanwhile, I will attempt to contact Mrs. Snape."

"I'll Floo again within a half hour, after he eats the pasty. He looks mightily wore out."

Hagrid saw a peculiar look in the Headmaster's eyes. The great man did not like to see a child mistreated, no matter the House, and neither did he.

Half hour later Hagrid stepped into Albus Dumbledore's office with a tired, distraught Severus Snape pressed against his side. Professor Dumbledore pulled the child into an embrace. The boy shook, as if cold.

"Severus, why don't you put those clothes here on the chair?" Professor McGonagall motioned to an overstuffed chair.

The boy backed to the fireplace, fearfully.

"Why don't we permit Severus to keep them with him, Minerva? Poppy, would you show him to the bathroom, and then to the door into the guest bedroom down the corridor from mine?" Albus asked, smiling gently down at the bedraggled looking boy.

Madam Pomfrey promptly wrapped a duvet around the boy's shoulders and escorted him through a door at the side of the office. The young child clung to her.

Hagrid could hear Poppy talk in a reassuring voice with Severus as she stripped him of his filthy travelling cloak and outer robe.

"Now, Severus, sit on the stool and remove your boots. Let me run you a nice, soothing, warm bath. This smells nice, how about some nice bubbles? Take off your underwear and slip into the tub."

He missed what Severus said in response.

"What? No, I will step out so you may have privacy. You put on these pyjamas, that thick robe and the slippers after you've had a nice long soak."

He said something again, but with puzzlement in his tone.

"No, dear, the Headmaster won't mind if you put his rubber dragon over there. I'm going to step out now. If you need anything, just call me. I will be right outside in the Headmaster's office."

Ten minutes later they heard a shy voice call, "Madam Pomfrey? I forgot which door I was supposed to go through."

"I'll go, Poppy," Hagrid said. "I think the little one'd like ter have sommat he knows tuckin' him in ter bed."

"He needs to drink the cocoa, Hagrid," the school matron stated firmly.

Taking the mug, Hagrid walked through the door to the right. Severus was looking anxiously about the corridor at the series of doors. Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, Hagrid pointed the way to the bedroom.

"Yeh warm enough? Poppy wan's yeh ter drink this cocoa before yeh go ter bed."

"I'm not thirsty, Hagrid."

"Yeh got ter drink it, lad. Come on, jus' a tad then. Tha's good, jus' a tad more. Now ge' under the blanket. Yeh warm e'ough? Good.

"The Headmaster is jus' through there, if yeh need 'im. I'll be leavin' the lan'ern on a low wick fer yeh. Close yer eyes now. Good nigh', Severus."

"Do you have to go?"

"I'll be righ' outside the door fer a while. Professor Dumbledore's room is jus' across the way. The door wi'h the phoenix handle."

Hagrid walked back into the Headmaster's office, leaving the bedroom door ajar. Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall were in a close discussion. They placed a privacy spell over the room so Severus wouldn't overhear them.

"Has Severus still got that filthy frockcoat clutched to his chest?" Minerva asked quietly.

"Yeah, it was damp; I think he had it in the tub wi'h him."

She frowned. "They try so hard at this age to pretend they are adults; but they seek the comforts of childhood when a blow like this occurs."

The portraits around the office nodded their heads in agreement.

"Absolutely, right, Albus," the painting of Headmaster Dippett agreed soundly.

"Were you able to get any of that sleep potion into our young Slytherin?" Albus asked.

"Ar, he drank abou' half of it."

"Good, good. I Floo'd Mrs. Snape and requested she come tomorrow." He removed and polished the half moon glasses with a cloth.

"I think, Professor, it might be best if Severus were to spend the day in the infirmary with me. It might be better for him not to be in your office when you speak with his mother," Madam Pomfrey suggested circumspectly.

"I agree with Poppy," Minerva said tightly, drumming her fingernails on the desk before her. "That woman had better have a very good reason for leaving her son waiting at Platform 9 ¾ for two days. As if there were any excuse --," she let her words fade away.

"Mrs. Snape will arrive just before luncheon. Hagrid, I would appreciate your meeting her at the gate."

Rubeus Hagrid grunted his agreement, sensing, as did Professor Dumbledore, that something very unsettling was undoubtedly about to happen.

***

The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat in his private study. Seated in his favourite overstuffed, loudly patterned, chintz chair, Albus rested his feet on a small crewel embroidered footstool.

The fire before him burned a hot red and orange. Sparks and embers flew out, scorching the patterned wool carpet at the fringed edge, with an alarming regularity, due to the lack of a fire screen. Unaware of the shooting cinders, the wizard was far more concerned about the sparks flaring up around the young student he thought he had sent home two days earlier, only to have Hagrid return with him this evening.

Severus Snape was a child whose behaviour had not gone unnoticed; but then a great deal about the young wizard failed to go unnoticed. During his first term at Hogwarts it seemed that the boy was in his or his Deputy Headmistress' office with an alarming regularity. This twelve year old was a constant source of disciplinary problems; yet this evening, he looked lost, helpless and very much a little boy.

Though it was July, the castle still retained the damp cold of spring so Albus pushed his hands up into the fur lined sleeves of his robe for warmth. He felt a great sense of relief that the young student had not come to physical harm. Hagrid's quick intervention and urgent Floo call had quite possibly averted a disaster befalling the child. Though rare, it wasn't unheard of to have a wizard child be stolen for Dark purposes.

Albus could not recall a parent ever neglecting to meet a child at King's Cross Station; none of the former headmasters could, either. He'd certainly never considered the possibility that a student would be turned from the doorstep of his home. While he hadn't met Mrs. Snape, he couldn't imagine a mother denying her child his home.

When Hagrid stepped out of the fireplace in Professor Dumbledore's office with the very confused, frightened, and tired Severus Snape, Albus had felt his heart catch. Severus looked much younger than twelve years; for either a wizard or a Muggle child, he was small in build.

The Slytherin had never been physically attractive, and he never appeared to think much about his appearance, yet this evening Severus looked even more dishevelled than usual. His face was dirty, his hair was oily and stringy, and his robe was soiled and extremely wrinkled. He was clutching a filthy, old-fashioned frock coat to his chest, and looked emotionally drained.

He'd seen Minerva's disgusted look as she took in his tatty appearance. When she'd reached for the dirty garment he held, Severus had backed to the fireplace unwilling to give up his one sense of security.

Then, when he'd knelt before the child to reassure him that they wouldn't take the frock coat; the look of relief on child's face clearly indicated that, those had been the correct words to say.

Madam Pomfrey had insisted, quite rightly, that his normal school routine be enforced. She felt routine gave a child a sense of security and familiarity. Poppy ordered Severus off to wash and then to go to bed.

In her formidable, no nonsense way, she had said they could speak with the child in the morning once he'd had a good night's sleep.

It was well past two in the morning before the old wizard felt sleep calling him to bed; but first, he peeked in on Severus before retiring to his own room for the night. In the light of the solitary candle, Albus noticed one slender hand falling over the side of the bed, while the other held the frockcoat tightly to his cheek. Picking up the dangling arm, he moved it under the warmth of the duvet.

On the surface, the child looked at peace; the 'No Dreams Cocoa' had done its job. Under the calm exterior things might not be as they appeared.

"Legilimens!" he whispered softly.

The memories began to flick slowly, revealing the images and sensations of the recent past. Strongest and most vivid were the images of standing at Platform 9 ¾, long after the other students had gone. The Hogwarts Express left him standing in the station on its return trip to Hogsmeade. Watching, as an observer to the events, he saw the boy look up at the large clock; the time was well past eleven in the evening.

There was a shifting of images that flashed by with great speed: the young wizard dragging his trunk behind him through the station to the Floo network. Several Muggles noticed him, but quickly looked away, preferring not to meddle.

Severus walked through the wall next to the line of telephone boxes, and entered a small room. Along one wall was a fireplace, and beside the fireplace was a machine, very much like the sweets dispensers on the Tube platforms. Dropping in his last two bronze Knuts into the slot, he turned the handle that releasing a small packet of Floo powder. Stepping into the fireplace, he dragged his trunk and screeching owl in behind him, and threw down the powder and called out the station nearest his home.

Then a slight flickering and it seemed to Albus that Severus was walking a long while, before coming to a place familiar to the boy. Looking cautiously about himself for Muggles, he climbed the steps to a door.

The door did not open to his presence. Puzzled, he touched the door; only to have the same result. Openly confused, the boy whispered the words that should have lowered the wards to his family home. The words did not work.

A sense of panic built quickly and he began to bang on the door. After five minutes, his mother's house-elf opened the door and looked up at him with distaste.

"Trank, something is wrong with the wards. They wouldn't allow me to come in," the wizard said in relief.

"My mistress be gone. Strangers is not allowed in her house," Trank said. "You's not family; you's not have permission to come into house while mistress is gone."

"What? Where are my father's house-elves?" he asked, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"They's bad house-elves. Mistress gives them clothes," Trank hissed delightedly. "She send them away! This be my house now."

"Trank, I live here. Let me pass."

"You's not family. Mistress very clear with Trank. You's not permitted in her house."

"What?"

"You's not mistress's family. Mistress say you's may have this." Trank snapped his fingers, and something dark fell into a puddle on the sidewalk.

"You's goes away. Go, go away, former master's child."

The door slammed shut on the perplexed face. Severus turned and walked down the steps to the sidewalk. There, lying in a puddle of oily water lay his father's frockcoat. He pulled it from the wet and hugged it close to his chest.

Severus memories moved --- there was an image of a toe prodding him, then, one of reading in the library at Hogwarts.

Albus moved back to explore the thread of memory connected to the toe.

He smiled when he saw Hagrid looking down at Severus and taking him on the Tube to the station nearest the Leaky Cauldron. People passed though his memories like ghosts, people he saw, but did not have conscious memories of.

More memories.... Hagrid getting him a pasty... following the barkeep Tom and the half-giant to a private room..., Hagrid taking his hand and stepping into the cold fireplace, then throwing down a small handful of Floo powder and calling aloud, "Headmaster's office!"

Following Hagrid into Professor Dumbledore's office and having the old wizard embrace him. Professor McGonagall trying to take his father's robe from him; the kneeling Headmaster's hands closing over his own hands and telling him he could keep the precious frockcoat with him.

The memories cart-wheeled to those of Madam Pomfrey guiding him to a bathroom, and speaking to him in her soft voice.

Being tucked into bed by Hagrid, who gave him a cup of comforting cocoa. Hagrid, the constant in these recent memories, making him feel safe in a scary world.

Flittering older images of his father yelling at his cowering mother for teaching him hexes, while the boy knelt on the floor under the table, confused by their anger.

Severus moved away the memory to one of Professor Warwick lecturing his class about 'giggling potions'.

Albus moved to another memory stream, to another older memory. The memories slid past rapidly and came to rest on one of his mother showing him curses and urging him to be proficient in them, then punishing him for not doing the curses to her liking.

Severus tried to move into another less painful memory, but the Headmaster redirected to another of a very young Severus, perhaps five years old, taken to visit strange witches and wizards. They watched him perform hexes on small animals. Sitting in the shadows, a wizard observed his performance.

Albus pulled back carefully from the memory to refocus on another; the boy in the Slytherin common room, surrounded by his older House mates. He saw the fear Severus felt, before a pulse of uncontrolled magic threw all but one of the boys back. He watched as Lucius Malfoy used his wand to magically throw him across the room.

Severus shifted memories to one of his father smiling at him; before Albus moved forward; bringing into view images of Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Sirius, James and Peter were laughing at him, while Remus looked away in embarrassment.

The Headmaster withdrew completely when he observed a restlessness rise in the boy.

This is odd; I wouldn't have thought the child would notice the intrusion, especially under the influence of the potion. A natural at Occlumency? It is an unusual talent; most practitioners spend years trying to master it.

I have spent decades attempting to become competent in Occlumency and I still cannot completely block a powerful Legilimens.

Whispering, "Solumbra Tranquillis!" Albus released the child into a quiet sleep.

Casting a charm to alert him if the boy woke during the night, he left the room. As he walked to his own bedroom, Albus pondered the child.

The child? Why am I referring to Severus Snape as 'the child'? Am I more willing to think of Severus Snape being vulnerable when I think of him as the 'child'? Severus certainly never gave the impression of needing or wanting coddling. He is definitely the opposite - or is he?

Un-doing the clasps on his over-robe, Albus raked through his memories of the proceeding term and the number of times the Slytherin had stood before him to answer for his behaviour. He'd been sent to his office countless times for hexing and cursing his fellow classmates. Professor Dumbledore hung the over-robe in his wardrobe.

Severus wasn't an attractive child and had an attitude and personality equally unpleasant. On how many children had Severus taken his anger out since he entered the walls of Hogwarts?

The very evening he arrived as a first year, Severus was punished for misbehaviour. During the Welcoming Feast, the youth had hexed a house member. Who was it? Ah, Malfoy!

Thinking further, he recalled observing the incident, when, without provocation, Lucius had raised his wand to hex the first year. Severus hadn't raised his wand and certainly hadn't appeared aware of the attack or his reflexive response. Albus chuckled at the memory of Lucius Malfoy, always perfectly turned out, sitting with garbage covering his always flawless robes and hair.

In Severus' first week, he was in detention twice. First, Frederick Illingsworth took points and gave a detention, to a member of his own House, for the first night's antics. Then, secondly he had detention when Minerva caught Severus with his wand pointed at another student the first day of class.

During October, the Potions professor gave Snape detention for distracting a different student and causing a cauldron to explode. Lily Evans and Megan Jones suffered minor burns due to Severus' behaviour.

Later that same month, he was at the centre of trouble when a confrontation got out of hand between Slytherins and Gryffindors. By the time order had been restored by Binns, McGonagall and the two prefects; fifteen students needed to visit Madam Pomfrey to have boils cured after someone got over excited and threw a curse. Lily Evans, who had been standing on the outer edges of the fight, got a rather nasty bump on her head after Sirius Black punched at and missed Evan Goyle.

The Headmaster tied up his beard and long hair with red ribbon ties before pulling his under robe up over his head. Reaching under his bed pillow, he withdrew a long nightshirt. It settled over his shoulders and fell to the floor.

From his perspective, Severus Snape had been trouble with a capital 'T'. It hadn't made sense at the time. Now some of the pieces were falling into place; the misbehaviour began to make sense. True, Legilimency was an imperfect art; much of what was seen was from the view point of the person under the spell. However, it gave a window to how that person viewed the world around them.

And the world looked to be a hostile place to Severus, full of people out to cause him damage. To be truthful, if even a half of what Albus had seen was actually true, the child was not necessarily incorrect in his assumptions. Much of what he'd seen of Severus' memories would require a great deal of reflection on his part.

He'd always assumed that Severus had been the aggressor in every encounter, taunting the others into action, now he wasn't quite as certain. Was it possible James, Sirius, and Peter really had been attacking Severus deliberately? If it were true, his own responses would certainly require self examination.

Did the fact that a child was in Slytherin, affect his treatment by the staff, he asked himself? Sometimes... Probably, he admitted. Most of the staff did watch Slytherins more closely than they did the members of any other house. If there was is an altercation between a Slytherin and a member of any other house, what exactly were the punishments meted out? I need to look back at the records. An uncomfortable tingling warned Albus he might not like what he found.

Why had Severus been refused entry to his home? Severus had to have been terrified, finding himself alone. Why didn't he go to a relation's home? Why didn't he send his owl back to Hogwarts with a message?

The germ of an unhappy thought poked at the Headmaster, the boy hadn't felt anyone at Hogwarts would care about what happened to him. He sees his Head of House as hostile. He only sees me as the person who inflicts punishments upon him; he doesn't see that I worry about all my children. Why would he think I worry over him when in his experience disciplining has nothing to do with caring...

Why wouldn't Severus react, no overreact to every encounter? He would see only two options: attack before someone attacks you, or surrender. Albus could admire the fight in the boy; he did not willingly give up, he fought on, damn the consequences. That fight had often frustrated him. Albus now realized how poorly he had interpreted the obvious.

Severus was intelligent, quiet, withdrawn, intense, and his temper was phenomenal; he'd sooner hex the child next to him rather than talk to him. Ten months later, so many more things made sense, Albus thought sagely. If Severus had been isolated from children his own age, how could he be expected to mingle with others?

Few of his teachers were fond of him, except for Professor Warwick, the Potions professor. Well, that wasn't quite true. Filius Flitwick was impressed by the child's intellect and rarely, if ever, had disciplinary issues with him. Sinistra mentioned he worked hard and prepared for the lessons.

Severus was rather a disaster in Herbology; Professor Pulmule thought he worked very hard on the scientific sections of his class, but he had a thumb so black the seeds seemed to crawl back into their pods.

In Magical Creatures, Snape wasn't much better. Theory he understood, but apparently dealing with living creatures was beyond him.

Padding to the bathroom, Albus washed his face and brushed his teeth before returning to the bedroom.

The house-elves had already been in and folded back the cover. A Chocolate Frog was on his pillow; as he continued to think he opened it and slowly ate the confection.

Albus sat on the slipper chair beside his bed to remove his shoes and socks. Settling under the thick duvet and leaned back into the pillows, his mind continued to race; he felt he might need a cup of the 'Dreamless Sleep Cocoa' himself.

The Headmaster had a restless night. He rose several times to assure himself, the child was sleeping peacefully.

Waking to a bright July day, Albus stretched. He paid a visit to the toilet before padding over to Severus' room.

It didn't look as though the boy had moved; the strand of black hair still clung to one closed eyelid, the arm Albus had placed under the warm duvet was safely warm. The frockcoat was still tightly clasped close to one cheek. A small smile crossed the Headmaster's face.

Shutting the door behind him, the old wizard returned to his room to dress for the day. He selected a plain under-robe and draped a simple basic over-robe on top of it. Sitting on his slipper chair, he pulled on a pair of cotton socks, with woven flowers creeping up the outside leg, and a pair of canvas pull-on shoes.

Standing before his mirror he accepted the morning's greeting from it, Albus undid the ties holding his beard and hair. A quick boar bristle brush over his long, silky hair and a run through with his beard comb, and he was set to meet whatever the day presented him.

Returning to the parlour of his suite, Albus found the Daily Prophet, the London Times and several other newspapers on the table beside a pot of strong English breakfast tea. He poured himself a cup, and sat back to read the banners before settling in for several hours of reading.

A 'pop' beside him announced the arrival of his toast and porridge. Spooning butter onto the toast and porridge before decimating both, he took out a pencil and began to work the crossword.

The Headmaster's alarm charm announced that Severus had wakened. Walking across to the closed door, he knocked and waited for an answer; there was no reply.

He tapped again. No answer.

Slowly, he opened the door and peered in. He didn't see the child.

"Severus? Severus, child, where are you?"

He listened and heard a slight whimper coming from one corner of the room. Large black eyes stared apprehensively up at him.

"Don't you remember arriving last evening?" he asked.

Severus drew back a bit further into the corner.

"Do you remember Hagrid bringing you? You were very tired. Do you remember?"

"Hagrid gave me cocoa," Severus said in a tiny voice. "Where am I?"

"At Hogwarts. You are at Hogwarts."

"This isn't Slytherin," he stated.

"You are correct, you are in my Tower."

"Why am I here, instead of in Slytherin?"

Albus sat on a corner of the bed. "It was very late when you arrived. The house-elves have begun to clean the dormitories, so they are all at sixes and sevens."

"Oh," the boy said slowly.

"Professor McGonagall is going to join us after breakfast," Albus said cheerfully.

He observed that Severus Snape, though constantly in trouble, had always been respectful when he addressed his instructors. Yet now, he had dropped the courtesy of 'sir' or 'headmaster' or 'professor'. This child was deeply disturbed.

Holding out a hand, Albus smiled and said, "I expect there are waffles on the table. Shall we see?" He wiggled his fingers invitingly at the unsmiling, dour face.

Slowly, Severus pushed off the wall and took his hand. Nervous eyes looked around as they walked into the parlour. Albus pulled out a chair for the boy. A large plate of waffles held by a house-elf 'popped' to the room. A big bowl of fresh raspberries and a pitcher of thick double cream also appeared with a snap of house-elf fingers. Spooning raspberries onto the waffles, the Headmaster added a dollop of the cream.

Severus stared at the plate.

"Wasn't that nice of Bimney to bring you hot waffles?" Professor Dumbledore asked casually.

Listlessly the young wizard nodded his head.

"Severus, this is Bimney." The house-elf, grasping his tea towel garment, bowed low to the carpeted floor.

Albus looked down at the boy. He wasn't eating the waffles. "Would you rather have something else to eat, Severus?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

"It would please me very much if you ate something."

Tears began to roll over the eyelashes and down Severus' cheeks.

The Headmaster sat on the chair beside the boy and pulled him over to his lap.

"It's all right; you're safe now."

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