A.N. ~ Well I don't own these characters. First fanfic so if you are going to review, please be nice. Constructive criticism is definitely ok, being an ass isn't. That said... Please leave comments, good or bad, so that I know what readers think. Thanks

Ch. 1 Intro Rare Emotion

I never thought it would end like this. Looking into my sons eyes as I died, wishing he would have been spared from all of the pain brought to his life. My death was inevitable, there was never any question. The time I had with my son was not enough, not enough to protect him from this. I've failed as a father. "I love… you" I gasped, my last breath leaving me. Leaving my son an orphan, again.

"Severus, my boy you cannot be serious. How would you be able to hold such a responsibility alongside your others?" Dumbledore asked. Not five hours ago he was standing in the ruins of a home. The structure nearly crumbling under his feet. Now he stood safely in his office with a dangerously calm looking Severus Snape who was demanding custody of one Harry Potter.

Snape locked away his emotions and looked at his second master with all the determination he could muster. "The mutt is a traitor! He will die or at the very least be sent to Azkaban!" Severus hissed. "The wolf is as fit to raise a child as a dragon! The clause in their wills clearly state that if either of those mongrels are unable to take custody, or otherwise care for the child, he is to go to me! That sister of hers along with that whale of a man are not people to leave a baby with, magical or otherwise! They are horrible people! He will be treated worse than dirt! I won't stand for it Albus, I won't!" He was shouting by the end of his short speech with fists balled and arms stiff at his sides.

Albus watched his young spy, only once before seeing this level of emotion. He knew it was a rare sight and was not going to miss a second of it. "Is this truly what you want Severus? To raise another man's child? To raise anyone's child?". Severus gave a sharp nod and looked into the twinkling eyes of the headmaster. "Alright my boy, if this is what you want I cannot stop you." Severus walked to the back corner of the headmaster's office and pulled back a curtain that revealed one very scared looking half giant and one very proud looking deputy headmistress. Without words, Hagrid slowly handed over the sleeping bundle in his arms. Snape turned on his heal and was gone in a flurry of black robes. The three occupants of the office stared after him, all wondering the same thing. Who was that, because surely it wasn't the real Severus Snape.

Snape made his way down to the dungeons without disturbing the little bundle in his arms. He didn't need a screaming frightened infant right now. What he needed, was some firewhisky and a moment to figure out what the hell happened and how he had come away from that meeting with a baby. Once the duo made it into Severus' private quarters, the professor transfigured a large pillow into a crib placing the sleeping child inside. Severus waved his hand at the fireplace, starting a nice sized fire while making his way to his favorite armchair and summoning the bottle of firewhisky. Taking a large swig, he closed his eyes and thought about the past 12 hours.

~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~FlashBack~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*

Severus had been summoned. Nothing unusual about that. When he arrived at the run down manner that was serving as the Dark Lords gathering place, he was surprised to find that he was the only one there. Well, the only one there aside from the Dark Lord himself. Severus bowed low, better to stick to the formalities even being the only one in attendance. "Severus, I was beginning to wonder if you would grace me with your presence or were trying to ignore your summons." Hissed the Dark Lord. Severus finally stood upright and looked his master in the eye. He immediately felt the pressure in his mind as it was invaded. He quickly brought up images of him sitting in a staff meeting with Dumbledore and others. He only hoped is was enough to excuse his delay. "So, how is our old friend? He's been so quiet as of late that I've almost forgotten him." Voldemort smiled as he questioned Snape.

"He seems to be putting his energy into hiding most of The Order members."

"That is a shame. I have some news for you Severus. I have found some of those hidden Order members. That is why you are here. We can't have you running off to your other master with a warning, now can we? I once made a promise to you that I would try to spare the mudblood if it was possible. I will still keep that promise to you, my most faithful. If it is possible." Voldemort turned to Snape. "Incarcerous! There you are. Celebrations of my victory will commence when I return. Until then." The Dark Lord left in a cloud of black smoke, leaving Severus bound on the floor.

Looking around the room, Severus realized there were no windows to judge the passage of time. He hoped the longer the Dark Lord was gone, the harder his victims were fighting. It could have been anywhere from 1 hour to 10, it felt like days to Severus, but Voldemort did return with the other Death Eaters from the Inner Circle. Judging by the look of most of the Death Eaters they had been through a tough fight. Good, he thought. Death Eaters walked by Severus without giving him a second glance. They all seemed to not even see him lying on the floor near the Dark Lord's dais. Lucius Malfoy wandered near to where Severus was lying, never meeting his eyes. "I can't see you, but I know you are there somewhere Snape." Malfoy whispered. "I don't think we are to know of your attendance. I'm guessing he wants you to overhear things... things you might let slip to your other master." Severus panicked slightly. No one was to know about his arrangement with Dumbledore, except the Dark Lord himself. "You are not the only one with two Masters" Malfoy slowly wandered away after that. The other Death Eaters long gone. What did that mean? Did Lucious have other allegiances? Exactly where did his true loyalties lie if that is the case? There were too many questions and no answers at all.

"Severus" He looked up into the red eyes of his Master. "You have waited long enough." He countered the spell letting the ropes and disillusion fall away from Severus. "Stand and receive your news" Severus cautiously stood, head bowed, face expressionless and waited. After a long pause Voldemort began his tale. "It was quite dark when I arrived. I suppose that with a young child, one does tend to retire for the evening much earlier than without. Of course they were woefully unprepared for the visit. It was almost painfully easy. It was almost as if they had invited me in. The living room was dark, the curtains drawn, not even the moonlight could get in. I would have made it all the way to the bedrooms without anyone being the wiser, but I was given away by a cat. A CAT of all things." Voldemort chuckled. "The husband, James was it? He came rushing out of the bedroom, your Mudblood behind him. He didn't even have a wand! How can you hope to properly duel without a wand? He was an easy Avada. Your Mudblood, now she is one with spirit. I found her in the nursery, standing by a screaming infant. I asked her to stand aside. She refused. I made this request three times Severus. She refused all three. I could not keep my promise to you Severus. She had to die. The screaming child quieted as his mother fell, as if he knew that there was no one left to hear him. I cast Avada at him and do you know what happened Severus?" Voldemort had turned away from Snape while he was telling his tale and could not see Snape shake his head. He continued with his tale none-the-less. "Nothing, Severus. Nothing happened. I cast again, this time I put my full power behind it. Do you know what happened that time? The house trembled. It shook so hard that it started to come apart at the seams! But the incredible thing, is that child stood. He stood in his crib and blinked. That's all. He now has a scar on his forehead where the curse hit, but he is otherwise unharmed. Order members started arriving, leaving me no choice but to vacate. I had foolishly gone alone." Looking back at Severus, Voldemort continued. "That, my dear Severus, is why I am leaving. I have to know how he survived that curse. I have to know what that Mudblood did before I walked into that nursery. I cannot say how long it will take, or when you will hear from me. I have one last request of you Severus, my most faithful. Spread the word of my demise. Let the Wizarding World believe that an infant defeated the great Lord Voldemort. Let the Death Eaters fall to ruin or to Azkaban, but keep yourself safe Severus. Keep that old fool close, he will be the one to save you from a fate worse than death." With that, the Dark Lord vanished into a puff of black smoke. Lord Voldemort was no more.

~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~End FlashBack~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~~*~~*

The bottle of firewhisky fell from Severus hand, hitting the floor with a thunderous crash. Bolting straight up in his armchair, Severus looked around the room, realized that the fire is almost out. Had he fallen asleep? There is a high pitched whine from across the room. Instinctually pulling his wand, Severus got out of his chair. "I'm sorry. I forgot you were here Harry." He said walking to the crib. Harry, sitting in the middle of the crib, looked up at Severus with wide, hopeful eyes. "What am I doing? Why did I fight the Headmaster for you? I'm sure you would have been perfectly safe with Petunia." He asked the infant. "Who am I kidding? I've loved you since the day you were born and your mother put you into my arms. I was convinced I'd break you, that's how small you were. She looked me right in the eye and said, Babies bounce Severus, Harry will be fine if you drop him. She tried to make me laugh but only succeeded in making herself laugh at my horrified expression." Severus sighed. "I'm sure you're hungry, Harry." He picked Harry up and called for a house-elf. "After breakfast, we are going shopping. We will also have to visit the Ministry to make sure they have you stated as an orphan, eligible for adoption. I will not be your guardian, only to have you taken away later for improper filing." Harry smiled at Severus as he tried desperately to keep the bottle of milk in his mouth.