Author Notes:

This is it, the end. I want to thank everyone that's reviewed and I want to especially dedicate this last chapter to the two kind souls who have kept me motivated through this entire thing. Thank you frogfear and WrathOfSlytherin for all your reviews and conversation. Your faithful response to nearly every chapter meant a lot. You both are wonderful and it's people like you that keep me writing.

If time ever permits I will eventually go back through here and make grammar and spelling corrections - someday. So if anybody reading this message wants to point out an error, feel free. I correct them as we find them (yes, I am putting ownership of this on you, reader, as well as me).

Again, thank you everyone!

Chapter Text

Severus knew there was something odd about his father- had known his entire life. The man was intensely unpleasant, and would yell at him and his mother for what seemed like hours. Sometimes he would raise his hand, as if to strike one of them, but always at the last second he would jerk away, cursing, and leave them alone. His mother would always close her eyes afterword, and mutter a whispered 'thank you, headmaster'. He had no idea what she meant by it, and she would never answer him if he asked.

Severus spent the majority of his time hiding with his mother's books, memorizing them as if they contained all the secrets of the universe. Which, for him, they did. They were magic books, and full of wondrous and exciting things. He knew his mother was a witch, and that he was a wizard, and that his father had 'not a drop of magic' as his mother had once confessed. He'd known what he was since his earliest memory and while his mother never yelled at him for the little things he'd make happen, his father would turn frightening shades of red whenever he caught him. They'd had to hide the precious books in a secret cupboard that his mother had asked someone to charm so that no 'muggle' could find it. Severus suspected that this 'friend' may be the mysterious headmaster that his mother would thank in her tearful hushed whispers but he hadn't been home when it had happened so he was never quite sure.

His mother's wand had been broken before he was born and Severus had never seen real magic, like in the books. The most his mother could manage without it were simple potions that they brewed in secret, the ingredients harvested from the wilds around the town and a very small few purchased on the handful of clandestine trips into Diagon Alley they managed in secret. The last trip had been two years ago, when he was seven, and Severus could still recall the way the air crackled with energies he could almost see.

He hadn't meant to upset his father so, not today. He was just…so excited! He'd found another witch, another like him and she'd been so pretty and kind. She'd talked to him and laughed with him, not at him. She hadn't known what she was yet, not really. A witch had visited her family when she was little and told them she was a witch, but her parents were muggles and she'd never been to Diagon, never seen a wizarding book or talking portrait. She had no idea what it meant to be magical. Severus was the first person she'd ever met that was like her and they'd spent the most magical afternoon. She'd had no idea what it meant to be a witch and Severus had told her all about his mother's magic books and the things they'd learn when they went to Hogwarts.

He was telling his mother all about Lily, asking if they could take Lily with them the next time they went to London, when his father had burst in. He raged at them for keeping secrets, for daring to go into the wizarding world – accused them of horrible things and his mother of the most vile and disgusting acts. Severus hadn't meant to do magic – he really hadn't. But his father was threating his mother, leaning over her and screaming, spit flying from his lips, his face twisted and snarled. His mother was sobbing, backed into a corner and something inside snapped. His mother screamed when his father flew across the room and through the glass door. She'd run to him, a towel in hand to stop the bleeding, and he'd hit her.

Severus could still hear the sound of that slap ringing in his ears.

It all happened so fast. His father was on his feet, his fists and feet pummeling the small form of his mother as she curled in on her self, sobbing on the floor. The next moment, his father was clutching his chest, his face twisted in pain, and Severus watched with wide eyes as he fell to the ground.

Severus' mother crawled to him, her hands bleeding as she cut them on the shards of glass that littered the floor. She clutched him to her, burying her face in his shoulder. There was a pop and Severus looked up in shock as a grey haired woman in scarlet robes, her hair a wild mass of untamed madness, materialized out of thin air next to his father's still form.

The witch glared down at the man, a sneer on her face. "He finally did it then. I warned him. Albus and I warned him." She sighed and kicked his father and it was then that Severus realized his father was dead. His unseeing eyes were open and glazed and his chest was still. The witch turned to them and her face softened. Her hazel eyes filled with tears and she moved towards them slowly. Severus clutched his mother tighter and moved to put himself between the hysterical woman and this intruder. The strange witch waved her wand and the glass disappeared before she knelt down.

"I don't mean you any harm, Severus." She said softly. "My name is Hermione Dumbledore and I'm a professor at Hogwarts. Have you heard of Hogwarts?"

Severus nodded. Of course he heard about Hogwarts. His mother was a witch and he was nine. In two years he would be going there and he'd never looked forward to something so much in his young life.

Prof. Dumbledore inched closer. "Severus, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I swear on my magic that I don't mean you or your mother harm." The air snapped as she said it and Severus' dark eyes widened.

"You just made a magical oath." He breathed.

"Yes." Prof. Dumbledore nodded gravely. "I did. Do you know what that means?"

"You can't, you can't hurt us or you loose your magic." Severus relaxed slightly but his mother only tightened her grip, her frantic eyes switching between his father's body and him. "We aren't in trouble are we?" He asked hesitantly. "I didn't mean to hurt father, professor, I swear."

"Of course you didn't. And call me Hermione. I'm not your professor yet, young man." She pulled a vial out of her robes and held it out. "This is a calming drought with a bit of a sleep potion in it. Can you get your mother to take it? I don't think she's in any condition at the moment to listen to me and we have work to do before we call the muggle authorities."

Severus nodded and took the vial. His mother didn't fight him as he tipped it into her mouth and he sighed with relief as she slumped against him, unconscious.

Hermione stood and whispered a spell and his mother rose up into the air. Hermione levitated her into the bedroom and spelled her under the covers. "She'll be fine, Severus." Hermione promised softly. "Now, can you tell me what happened?"

Severus did. He told her all about Lily and how he'd rushed home to ask his mother if they could show her Diagon Ally and how his father had come in unexpectedly. He confessed to his accidental magic, and his father hitting his mother. Hermione's eyes hardened as he talked and Severus shrank in on himself, expecting her to yell. His eyes widened in surprise when he found himself enveloped in a tight hug.

"Oh, Severus." She cried, clutching him tightly. "You poor boy!" He felt her tears on his shoulder. She finally pulled away and she gave him a watery smile, tucking a strand of his greasy hair back behind his ear. "I know you don't know me, dear one, but I've been watching over you your whole life. I'm sorry I couldn't take you way from here, but the Ministry – the magical government – wouldn't let me. Albus- my husband- and I, we've done what we could for your mother but she wouldn't leave him and we couldn't force her."

"Is he the headmaster?" Severus asked, his voice far more timid than he liked.

"Yes." Hermione smiled at him, her hands still holding onto his arms as if she feared to let go. "Yes he is." Her smile faded. "When your mother married, he put a spell on your father that would hurt him if he ever tried to hit her. When you were born, we extended it to you."

"You killed him?" Severus asked, torn between gratefulness and fear.

Hermione grimaced. "That wasn't our intention, exactly, but we may have…over done the spell a tiny bit and from the looks of it his heart couldn't take the strain."

"Oh." Severus felt rather numb. "That's alright then." He replied, forcing himself to pay attention and take a step back from her. "What do we do now?"

Hermione waved her wand and her robes turned into a plain muggle dress. "I am going to go call the muggle police and report that your father has had an accident. I'll stay with you when they come." She bit her lip and brushed a wayward strand of her bushy grey hair back from her face. "It will help if you tell them I'm a…friend? Of the family?"

Severus nodded his agreement. "You need to put the glass back." He advised as they moved back into the kitchen. "Otherwise they will wonder where it went."

Hermione blinked at him in surprise. "That's… a very good catch, Severus. You're very quick on your feet, considering what's happened."

Severus couldn't help turning a contemptuous glare towards his father's body. "I never liked him much."

Hermione let out a shocked bark of laugher. "No, I don't suppose you do. I don't know why I'm surprised by that." She dabbed at her eyes. "You must think I'm terrible, laughing like this over your father's dead body."

Severus may only be nine, but felt far older. And he was nothing if not practical. His father had only ever caused him grief and this witch, this witch that seemed to care about him and his mother, she could be his ticket out. "If he's dead, can mother and I go back with you? To the wizarding world?" He looked around his dismal kitchen and thought of the small cupboard with the books he'd long ago memorized. "Mother doesn't work and without him," he sneered at the body, "we won't have money to stay here."

Hermione crouched down again and took his hands in hers. "If she agrees, then yes, Severus, I will take you both back with me. I think we've room enough at Hogwarts for you, even if you aren't old enough for classes yet. They once showed me kindness when I had nowhere else to go, and I'd be remiss if I did not return the favor to you and your mother. Even if she says no, I promise you, I won't let you suffer here. I vowed once that I'd always take care of you, and I meant it."

Severus bit his lip, his eyes filling with tears despite his attempts to keep them at bay. "Can…can you take us- Lily and I, I mean- to London? I promised her…"

The elderly witches eyes twinkled through her tears. "Of course I can. I'll make sure you and Lily see as much of each other as possible. You deserve that, after everything you've done for me."

Severus looked at her in confusion. "Done for you? What did I do?"

"Everything." She answered, her voice shaky as she pulled him into another tight hug. "Oh, Severus, you have no idea."

!Break!

His mother wouldn't leave their house and Severus resented her for it despite Hermione's attempts to explain her reasons. Severus wanted to go to Hogwarts! He wanted to stay with the nice witch with the wild grey hair and the eyes that seemed to know him. Hermione acted like other mothers, like Lily's mother, and she hugged him, listened to him like he was an adult, and she claimed to care about him - even saying she loved him on occasion. But even if they didn't leave, his father's death changed everything.

Hermione brought him new books and even though his mother rarely got of bed anymore, spending all her time sleeping and crying and clutching his retched father's coat, Hermione made sure he wasn't trapped alone in the bleak and depressing house. She sent a little elderly elf named Lanky to cook and clean for them and Lanky told him all kinds of stories about Hogwarts and the Dumbledore family. Severus had never seen a house-elf before, and at first he wasn't sure he could trust the tiny creature. But Lanky was gentle with his mother and didn't yell at her or get upset when she sat for hours and stared at nothing – not like his father used to, and Severus had to admit it was nice having someone else cook for him. He'd been used to doing most of the chores when his mother was in one of her 'moods' and now that she seemed to be stuck in one, the help was welcome. He was secretly grateful, as well, that his mother would have someone to take care of her when he went away to school.

Hermione made good on her promise and took him and Lily to Diagon Alley and bought them ice-cream at the funny little parlor. She took them to the bookstore and loaded both their arms with piles of books until Lily giggled and exclaimed that they needed a pack mule. Hermione bought him proper clothes and new shoes that fit and when he confessed that the boys at school still picked on him, she took him out of the school and paid to send him to the preparatory school that Lily was enrolled in. Lily was popular there, with her vibrant personality and her pretty red hair, and Severus had expected her to ignore him. But she made sure he never sat alone at lunch, introduced him to all her friends, and if anyone picked on him she was fierce in her reaction. It embarrassed him, to have a girl defending him, but secretly he was overjoyed that he finally had a friend, his first ever. He was Lily's silent shadow and soon everyone accepted his presence. He flourished in the new school, the material finally a challenge for him after years of being bored and hating his classes. Hermione baked him a cake when his marks came in and she and the Evans had a party for the two of them in the park where they'd first met, to celebrate, when their Hogwarts letters finally came.

It was Hermione who took them to Diagon Alley for their school things, Mr. and Mrs. Evans and Lily's harpy of a sister Petunia following behind in awe. She bought Severus his first pet, a beautiful sooty owl that he named Gertrude. He didn't have anyone to write letters to except his mother and Lanky, but he wanted to make sure she knew he hadn't forgotten her while he was at school and he knew Lanky would be a good elf and read them to his mother even if she didn't bother to do so herself. Lily wanted an ugly mangy rat that the pet-store owner said was named Sebastian. Hermione had raised an eyebrow at the choice, but paid the man anyway much to Mrs. Evans' distress.

Rather than taking them home, Hermione offered a rare chance for the muggles to see Hogwarts and meet the other professors. Her eyes twinkled as she whispered to them that they'd be the only first years that had such a chance, and that they would be quite popular with their year mates on the train with everyone pumping them for information. Severus raised an eyebrow at that, his brain already working out how to best use that to his and Lily's advantage.

Hermione took them via portkey to the gates and didn't seem to mind when Lily got motion sick when they landed. She just waved her wand and cleaned it up, a smile on her face. She led the way up to the doors and embraced the wizard that waited for them there, giving him a quick kiss. Her husband Albus was an odd fellow and Severus wasn't sure what he thought of the wizard. The man's beard nearly reached the floor and he his robes were periwinkle blue with strawberry pinstripes. He tried to give everyone candy instead of a handshake and he seemed to find Petunia fascinating. He kept asking her all kinds of questions about her school, and how it was different from Hogwarts, and it took some time before Severus realized that he was doing it to try and make Petunia feel important even though she wasn't a witch. It was sneaky, and Severus wouldn't have expected it from a man with bows in his beard.

The Dumbledores had a grown son named Tom that was teaching Arithmancy and was the Head of Slytherin. Tom seemed to share his father's happy disposition and while the adults talked all about boring things, Tom took the children to see the house-elves in the kitchen and fed them cake and pumpkin juice. Lily didn't like the pumpkin juice – she said it was weird – but they both thought the cake was magnificent. Petunia was quite taken with Tom and Severus and Lily laughed at her attempts to flirt whenever her back was turned. Tom seemed to find the attention amusing as well and would wink at them whenever he caught them at it.

Tom told them all about growing up at the school, and what it was like to be a student at Hogwarts. He regaled them with funnies stories about his own time as a student and they all laughed as he blushingly told them about how he only learned he could talk to snakes when he accidently broke into parseltounge during his first potion class when Prof. Slughorn had shown them a potion book with a snake on the cover. Severus wanted to know all about potions, since that was the only magic he'd had any practice at, and Tom had laughed and confessed he was horrible at it himself, but that Hermione and Albus were both potion masters and that if he asked nicely he was sure they'd give him extra lessons. Lily was more interested in the new transfiguration professor and head of Gryffindor who Tom said could turn into a cat. Lily's eyes were large as Tom explained what an animagus was and she vowed then and there she'd learn to do it herself. Petunia looked sad for a fleeting moment before turning her nose up at the notion.

Tom had apprenticed under the last of the great medieval arithmancers, Magnus Lestrange, and knew all sorts of fascinating things about all kinds of topics. He chuckled as he explained that his mother had taught arithmancy up until he'd finished his Mastery and how his father had cried when the last headmaster, Armando Dippet, had offered the job to the young wizard an hour before he retired. Hermione had then moved to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and Albus had taken over the school. With three "Professor Dumbledores" in residence, it made things very confusing, but the staff was all like family, he said, and they all made it work. Petunia scoffed, and asked point blank if the entire wizarding world worked on nepotism and Tom only frowned slightly as he explained, in a firm voice, that there were very few arithmancy Masters in the world and that the Guild had only recognized three in the last fifty years – his mother and himself being two. Hogwarts was quite honored to have them both in residence and along with Prof. Flitwick they made the most renowned arithmancy triad in the known wizarding world. It was not nepotism. Petunia shut up after that.

Lily rather tactlessly asked why the young professor didn't look a thing like his parents and Tom explained that he was adopted. His parents had done a special kind of spell when he was one and half that made him legally a Dumbledore but let him still look like his birth father and mother. When they returned to the group, Tom held him back and explained in a quiet voice that it didn't matter where you came from. It was your choices that defined you and that Severus didn't have to try so hard not to look like his hated father. Tom hugged him, just like his mother had that first day, and whispered in his ear that he looked forward to having him in his house. His eyes twinkled when he let go, and Severus had never been more honored. This wonderful brilliant man thought he belonged in his house, wanted him in Slytherin. He thought Severus was worthy of it, even though his father wasn't magical – wasn't even a decent human being. Severus knew about purebloods and muggles and all the politics of it – he knew that Slytherin wasn't exactly the most open minded of the four houses – but it was the house his mother had been in, the house most all her family had been in, and he'd secretly hoped he'd be sorted there. Tom Dumbledore's words gave him hope that he would.

Severus had Lily cut his hair that afternoon when Hermione brought them back home. Tom was right. He needn't try so hard to be different from his father. He was different. He was happy and he had people who cared about him, that said they loved him (even if it was only Lily and Hermione).

He wasn't surprised at all when the hat yelled "Slytherin" and even though Lily was in Gryffindor he just knew they'd be best friends forever. After all, Hermione had promised they would, and Hermione knew everything.

When his mother died during his third year, he was devastated. She hadn't been the best of mothers, he recognized that – but she'd been his mother and when she was in her right mind she'd always cared for him the best she could. She'd loved him, in her way, and Severus wished he'd been smart enough to find a way to help her out of her depression. Hermione held him as he cried, Lily standing next to them wringing her hands with worry, and the headmaster had been kind enough to make all the arrangements. Lanky had packed up their little house and returned to the school, her ears drooping to brush the ground as she walked. Severus had scooped her up into his arms and buried his face in her tiny neck.

The Ministry came and said he had to have a guardian, and he was deeply honored when Tom Dumbledore, his head of house, volunteered. A year later, when Tom adopted him just like he had once been, Severus left even the name Snape behind. His father was dead, and Severus chose to let go of that last symbol of his father's miserable claim to his only son. Headmaster Dumbledore made a special room up for him in the dungeons and declared that Hogwarts would always be his home. The old man's eyes had twinkled as he said it, calling him his grandson and Hermione had tears running down her face that she refused to explain. Even Prof. Flitwick had cried and Severus had put up with the rather embarrassing hug Prof. Sprout had given him. They all said he was theirs now, that Hogwarts was his true home.

And so it was.