Declaration: The world of Harry Potter and its characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Warning: This story will contain references to child abuse.

Notes: This story is not going to be graphic in terms of violence or sexual relations. All the same, I have rated the story "M" because I think some of the context may not be suitable for the younger audience.

I hope you enjoy reading. Please share your thoughts in the reviews.

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Chapter 01: The Letter

Summary: Severus celebrates his eighth birthday.

Eileen's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the empty tray. She had waited three years to celebrate her son's eighth birthday and it was already turning into a disaster. All Severus had asked for was chocolate cake and she couldn't even give him that.

She had been optimistic that morning, had sneaked into the kitchen at the back of the bar she worked in while her friends covered for her and had backed the cake. Margaret even let Eileen use her famous family recipe. It had turned out perfect, the heavenly smell filling the kitchen. She let it rest for a few minutes while she cleaned up and just when she had been about to wrap the cake, her boss Dimitri had walked in. Apparently, one of the costumers had smelled the cake and asked for a slice. Dimitri hadn't been mad, like Eileen had expected, he hadn't yelled or threatened to fire her. He had been delighted and ordered her to serve a slice. And so, in a matter of minutes the cake was gone. Eileen was crushed. She felt like she was a horrible mother, who couldn't do anything right.

"There there, it's alright." said Margaret as she walked into the kitchen.

"No, it's not! Everything's ruined." gasped Eileen, the tears running freely down her face.

"Stop it, dear. You don't want your boy to see you all teary eyed on his birthday, do you?" asked Margaret. It made Eileen cry harder.

"I've got something that's going to make you feel better." Margaret tried again and reached into one of the cupboards. "I managed to save this while no one was looking. It's not much but it'll have to do."

Eileen looked up to see her holding out a piece of the chocolate cake. "Oh, Meggy. You're a life saver." she said and pulled her in fierce hug.

Margaret patted her back. "You better get going before Dimitri sees this." she whispered.

Eileen nodded. She wrapped the cake hastily and said her goodbyes before apparating to saint. Mungo's. She had been visiting the hospital almost every day in the past few years. It hadn't been easy, sitting by her son's bedside, looking at his pale young face void of life. She'd carry the guilt to her grave. Tobias had beaten her precious son to the verge of death and she hadn't been able to stop it. It hadn't been the first time the lame excuse of a man had gotten drunk or turned violent. She should have taken Severus and ran out of that house a lot sooner. If she only had been brave enough to face the truth instead of living in denial for so long, none of this would have happened. Now, Tobias was locked up in jail and neither Eileen nor his son were carrying his name any longer but the damage was done.

That horrible night, seeing Severus bloodied and unconscious had awakened something in her she had forgotten was there. She had put all her selfish fears aside and had taken action, turning to her most basic instinct; magic. They told her at the hospital that she had saved Severus' life but Eileen knew she was the one responsible for putting him on the hospital bed and she did all she could to make things right. She had swallowed her pride and begged her parents for help. They refused to take her back but let her access her inheritance for Severus' sake.

It didn't take long for Eileen to realize the money was not going to last very long. Keeping a coma patient in the best magical hospital in the wizarding Britain wasn't cheap. And Eileen wanted the best care for her son. They had to make sure Severus didn't end up with brain damage and horrible scaring on his face or suffer from nerve damage. All of those costed money. The most expensive thing though had been the anti-aging potion. Eileen had not wanted Severus to miss out on his childhood and wake up all grown up while his mental age remained the same. One of the nurses at the hospital had helped her find a job at Dimitri's bar. Having not graduated Hogwarts it was the best Eileen could do. It didn't pay much but came with room and board, which meant she could spend her inheritance on Severus.

Eileen smiled as she walked into the hospital room. Severus was sitting up on the bed, talking to healer Bell, who was checking his vitals. He beamed when he saw her enter and bounced where he sat. It was odd, seeing him acting like the young boy he was after all he had been through.

"Hi, mom!" he greeted, happily.

"Hello, dear. Happy birthday." said Eileen and gave the boy a hug.

"I can't believe you're turning eight already, Severus. you're such a big boy." said the healer with a wink and started taking notes in Severus' chart.

"He sure is." agreed Eileen. She took the cake out of her bag. "I've got you something, darling." She told Severus as she unwrapped it.

She held her breath, anticipating Severus' disappointment at receiving a single slice instead of a whole cake. He surprised her however, as his dark eyes shone with excitement.

"It's chocolate cake!" he exclaimed disbelievingly, admiring the treat like it was the most precious thing he's ever seen. For some reason this reaction saddened her more.

"Why don't you try it?" she asked, giving him a fork.

Severus held the fork in his small hand and paused for a bit before digging in. His face split into a grin as he ate. "It's really good. Where did you get it?" he asked, going for a second bite.

"I baked it myself."

"Wow, I didn't know you could bake a cake this delicious." said Severus in awe. "You should have some, too."

"It's Ok, I had a piece earlier." she lied. "I wish I could get you a present, too. Perhaps next year." she added with a sigh.

"But I did get a present! Healer Bell said I should wait for you to open it."

Eileen turned her questioning eyes to the healer who was still standing there, watching their exchange. The man reached into Severus' bedside table and pulled out an envelope. Eileen's eyes widened as she looked at the address written there; 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'

"It's my Hogwarts letter. Can I open it, now?" asked Severus.

"You're too young to go to Hogwarts, darling." protested Eileen.

"But they've invited me. It came with an owl, just like you said it would. They must know I'm really eleven." said Severus, his tone serious. "Please, mom. I want to learn to do magic. Can I open it?"

Eileen sighed, at a loss. "Eat your cake first, then we'll open it together." she conceded and gave him a kiss on the forehead before walking out the door. The healer followed.

"You must think I'm a terrible mother for even considering such a thing." she said, once they were out of Severus' earshot.

"It's not my place to judge you, Ms. Prince. You're his guardian and have a right to make decisions regarding his education." said Bell. "Severus is legally eleven years old and his medical history is confidential. If you decide to send him to Hogwarts, no one will stop you."

"He's just a child. It's not going to be easy for him to live away from me, surrounded by teenagers. But if I don't let him go now, there's no guarantee they'd accept him when he's older. Even if they do, he'd be sitting his OWLs and NEWTs when he's legally older than his peers and that might prevent him from finding a decent job. Teaching him at home is not an option. I work most of the day and I couldn't afford to pay for tutors, either." explained Eileen. She had been so focused on Severus getting his health back that she hadn't given much thought to his education.

The healer sighed. "Were this any other child, I would have tried to talk you out of it but Severus is exceptionally bright. I've been testing his performance and I can confidently tell you that he's way ahead of children his own age. It won't be easy for him to sit in class with those three years older than him, but if he goes to school with people his own age he's going to get bored and wouldn't be able to use his full potential." he said. "You don't need to decide right away. It's only January and school doesn't start till September. Give it some thought."

Eileen nodded. She got back into the room. Severus had cleared his plate and was sitting cross legged on his bed, holding the envelope to his chest. She gestured for him to open it.

Severus took a deep breath and broke the seal with care before taking out the letter and unfolding it. He read the message out loud, stuttering over a couple of the words. Eileen sat there and watched him as he went through the supply list, chattering excitedly about each and every item.

Afterwards, Eileen went back to work. She kept thinking about every possible scenario as she went through the motion of serving the consumers and whipping the tables. At the end of her shift, she went up to her room. The space was small. The only piece of furniture was a cot that sat against the wall. All of her belongings fit into a trunk that was placed at the foot of the bed. The wall by the door was cracked and the ceiling leaked. She could hear the noises coming from down the stairs. Every night the place got filled with men, who drank themselves into a stupor. Men like Tobias. This was no place to raise a child. She had already made her decision, she realized as she got ready for bed.