Coincidences

By Enchanted Unicorn

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: HaloEssence111 – Thanks for the great review! Just to clear things up a bit, I've changed the setting to Cokeworth, not Surrey, hence the Windmill Drive. Other than that, you've made great points. I've tried to work on those as best as I could.

Warning: If you don't like a confused, very abused Harry, don't read!

Previously:

Outside stood two formal looking agents – they seemed oddly familiar, a woman (who awfully looked like Petunia…but it couldn't be), and a young boy, who also looked familiar and had striking green eyes. Like Lily. Severus pushed her out of his mind. "Do come in," he invited, trying not to act too cold or snarky.

After closing the door behind him, he stuck out his hand, first to the agents, and introduced, "Severus Snape."

After that statement, there were four gasps around him.

"Sev?" Petunia whispered with shock. Her brother, who was supposed to currently be at the wizarding school of Hogwarts, was in fact at Spinner's End, and she did not even know about it? And above that, fostering young children? She smiled happily and pulled the surprised man into a hug.

Agent Rory and Charles exchanged significant glances at each other, both wondering the same thing. Was this the Severus Snape that they had taken away from his father many years ago? They did bear resemblance – the scrawny boy with long, dark hair became the still thin man with a crooked nose (from being broken so many times) and his hair still looking the same. It did make sense, too, why he would be fostering children. And was Petunia Severus's friend…or sister…or cousin?

Harry stared at the tall, intimidating man in front in the house. He was going to be his temporary guardian? The man looked like he wanted nothing to do with him, and he seemed slightly annoyed too. He shuddered – the man was probably even worse than Uncle Vernon. But wait – Severus Snape! That was the boy that the agent was talking about! The one who had a similar childhood to himself. But then he recalled a statement he had overheard – the abused often grow into abusers. Oh, why did fate have to be so cruel to him?!

Severus straightened up after Petunia had let go of him. It was rather unexpected to be pulled into a hug from who he thought was a stranger. But now he knew better. "Hello, Tuney," he greeted. His sister smiled and nodded. He turned to the little boy, who, after a bit of thinking, he figured out was Harry Potter. So Harry Potter, was, in fact, living with Petunia? Dumbledore didn't tell him anything about that, and he lost contact with Petunia. Now he knew the reason. Why would Harry be mistreated though? Petunia would never allow it, he knew. Unless…

Severus spun around and placed his hands on Petunia's shoulders. "Please tell me Dursley did not lay a finger on you," he whispered desperately. At his sister's suddenly pale face, he growled. "That bastard..."

After swearing in his mind for a couple more moments, he sighed and slammed up his Occlumency shields, effectively stopping his fury from radiating in his mind. Severus turned to the two agents in front of him, who were looking at him with a strange emotion. "Do I…happen to know you two?" he asked oddly.

The agents glanced at each other for a moment, before one answered, "I think you do. I am Agent Rory, this is Agent Charles." The man looked at Severus expectantly.

Severus frowned. Those names did sound familiar, but he could not place it. "Pleasure…meeting you?" he said for lack of anything else to say.

Agent Rory's brows furrowed with confusion. "You are the Severus Snape, correct? The only one around this area for decades?"

"I believe so," Severus replied awkwardly.

"And you were taken from your father during your childhood, correct?"

Then it hit Severus. These two agents were the ones that had taken him away from his abusive father when he was a child! He looked at them with shock, before regaining his composure gracefully. "I apologize for my horrible memory," he said respectfully. "I certainly remember you two now." Now that he thought back to the past, he was most grateful that the agents had efficiently taken him away from his father and agreed to place him with the Evans. "Thank you for what you did. If it were not for you, I wouldn't be here today," he sincerely acknowledged.

"It was our duty," Agent Charles responded gruffly, though Severus could tell that the man was affected by the rare and formal thanks.

"Now, back to the matter at hand," Agent Rory interjected. He gestured to the boy beside him. "This is Harry Potter."

Severus nodded. "I know," he stated simply.

"Oh?" Agent Charles eyebrows raised.

"Harry–" Severus cut off. He could not point out the obvious wizarding fact, that Harry Potter was famous. Instead, he went with how he personally knew the boy. "Harry is my nephew."

"Petunia is your sister then. Her father took you in."

"Precisely," Severus confirmed. "Or rather, I am her adopted brother."

Agent Rory smiled softly. "It's nice to see you again, Severus. Now, here are Harry's things, I'm afraid he does not have much–"

"It's quite alright, Harry's part of my family so I'll be willing to just go and buy him some new clothes," Severus interrupted smoothly. Or just shrink some of his, he thought as he took the trunk into his hands.

"That's even better, but we are required, even if you are family, to pay you a certain amount. You will see the deposit in your bank account," Agent Charles explained.

"That is satisfactory," Severus acquiesced. "Now Petunia…"

"She may return to her house," Agent Rory answered.

Petunia lips turned up slightly. "That I will," she agreed. "I've got long days, weeks, or even months ahead of me."

"Start collecting evidence," Agent Charles advised. "You will receive further notice about this case sometime during this week."

"Alright." Petunia took Severus's hand and squeezed it tightly as a way of saying goodbye, before kneeling down before Harry.

"Take care, Harry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I was not always there for you before, but I will make sure that you do not go back to Vernon. Be good to Uncle Severus, will you? He may look scary but really he's just a softie." Aunt Petunia winked at her nephew, before standing. "Good night, Sev," she called, before Agent Charles led her outside.

Agent Rory lowered his voice and spoke to Severus. "Be careful with the boy, Severus. He's easily frightened, much like you were, but I fear his childhood was even worse than yours. The scars…and he lived in a bloody cupboard! I mean literally, the cupboard was bloody. And he was forced to do all the chores around the house, bullied by his cousin, beaten…" The agent trailed off.

Severus swallowed nervously. This was bad, that poor child of Lily's. Petunia really should have told me about this. Why didn't she? Actually, why didn't I even check on her once? I'm such a horrible brother, he berated himself. "I understand," he nodded. "I'll take care of him to the best of my abilities."

"Good," Agent Rory approved. "We'll take care of everything else. Harry, are you okay with all of this?"

Harry gulped as both pairs of eyes turned to him, before hastily nodding. "Yes sir," he squeaked.

"Good boy," the agent praised. "Have a good night," he offered, before heading out the door, leaving Harry alone with Severus.

There was a minute of awkward silence between the two, before Severus cleared his throat, causing Harry to give a tiny jump. "Well…I want you to understand that this is your home for now," Severus gestured randomly, "and…well, just feel welcome here. Here, I'll show you where your room is." He picked up the boy's trunk, which was heavy. That was good, it could have been worse. It could have been light.

"Y-Yes sir," Harry nodded, before following the man to his room.

He gasped at the sight before him. The volume of the room seemed ten times more than his cupboard. And there was a twin-sized bed, a closet, and even a beautiful lamp on a drawer! This was luxury compared to his cupboard. But…was it meant for him, he suddenly wondered, what if the man was trying to trick him.

As if reading his mind, the man sighed. "It's for you," he assured the boy, as he set down the trunk "The bathroom is down the hallway, feel free to use anything you like. Just do not go into those two rooms, or else…" The man pointed to a door at the very end of the hallway and the door next to it.

Harry bobbed his head up and down. Rules, he was used to.

"Good. Now, you may start unpacking, dinner is in an hour. I'll be in one of the rooms you are not allowed to go in, if you absolutely need me." His tone made it clear that he should not be absolutely needed.

Harry instantly paled at that. "Yes sir," he hastily whispered, and waited for the man to go away, before dashing to the kitchen. Only an hour, only one hour… No way was he going to finish dinner in the required time! The man was going to kick him out immediately if he did not finish cooking in time.

Harry opened the fridge and scanned its contents. There was only bread, cheese, butter, and some fruits and vegetables (and maybe some herbs too). Shoot. No wonder the man only gave him one hour to cook. Hopefully, he did not expect a fancy supper. Harry opened numerous drawers and cabinets, but he did not find anything else, apart from the regular pots, pans, knives, cutlery, and dishes! Harry nearly sobbed in distress at the lack of spices or any sort of flavoring substances, before setting to work.

He efficiently chopped up some vegetables into a decorative salad and added melted cheese on it. Then he cut the loaf of bread into two thin slices, before taking the butter and sprinkling some well-diced carrots, garlic, and Italian herbs into it. Harry set the table in an attractive way and quickly washed the knives and board that he used. Then he silently ran off to his room.

Severus entered the kitchen ten minutes before dinner time. A sandwich for both of us and smoothie for the Harry, he decided. However, the sight before him on the table made him freeze in his thinking.

A bowl of salad and a platter of bread was laid neatly in front of him. Did Willie, his house elf, do this? No, it couldn't be, Willie was supposed to be at Hogwarts. That only left one person…Harry. Sighing, he took one last glance at the dinner to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him, before heading off to find the boy.

Harry heard footsteps coming down the hallway and to his room, and gulped in fear. Was the man dissatisfied with dinner? He certainly hoped not; whenever Uncle Vernon was, it meant a horrible punishment was going to be dealt out to him. The phrase, the abused become the abusers, repeated in his mind over and over again. The man might be even worse than his uncle. He was taller, albeit thinner, but he had muscle. Shuddering, Harry clamped his eyes shut and tried not to think about the pain that was about to follow as the door creaked upon. He huddled up in the corner of darkness – maybe if the man didn't see him he would get away with it.

"P- Harry?" the man, Severus, called out softly. Harry tensed at his name but otherwise gave no reaction. "Can you come out, please?" came a slightly more impatient voice.

Harry trembled, but decided that if he revealed himself then he would be in very big trouble.

"Don't make me come and get you," his guardian grumbled under his breath.

Harry froze at that. When Uncle Vernon said that, it meant he was really furious, and a beating and a week in the cupboard with no food (from him, at least). Aunt Petunia always sneaked in food for him. But there was no Aunt Petunia here, so how was he supposed to survive? For the first time in his life, he started praying that his freakiness would come and save him. Please…please… he prayed bleakly.

All his hopes were washed away when the light flickered on, illuminating the room and exposing him. Harry's heart sank into his stomach as the man approached him slowly, like a tiger about to pounce on its pray. "I-I'm s-sorry s-sir!" he whispered shakily.

The man, Severus, had a strange expression on his face. "Oh?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. "For what?"

Harry blinked. "F-For… a b-bad dinner a-and for h-hiding fr-from you," he stammered uncertainly.

"Well, you're quite forgiven," Severus replied smoothly. "However, I would appreciate it if you would not hide from me."

Harry rapidly bobbed his head up and down, while keeping his eyes downcast. "Y-Yes sir," he said softly. Any minute or second he expected the man the slap him on the face or shove him onto the ground for his disrespect.

Severus looked at him with an odd emotion he was not familiar with. "Thank you for the dinner, but it was not necessary."

"I'm terribly sorry sir, I promise it won't happen again. Sorry sir, I'm sorry," Harry stammered hastily. Waste of food, ungrateful freak!

There was a moment of silence, before the man sighed. "Come with me," Severus beckoned.

He walked the boy to the kitchen, before stopping at the table. Harry stood there awkwardly, keeping his eyes downcast. "Well?" Severus snapped. "Why is the table set like…like this?"

Harry jumped, shaking with trepidation of what was to come. "W-Would you l-like some dr-dressing, sir?" he inquired.

"No!" the man nearly shouted. Seeing Harry recoil, he hastily calmed himself. "I mean, why is the table only set for one?"

Harry's jaw slowly dropped. Severus had a wife! Shit, why did he automatically assume that he and the man were the only people in the household? Backing away from the man, he whispered, "I'm s-sorry, sir. I-I'll prepare an-another bowl f-for your w-wife."

"What?!"

Harry immediately cowered away as the man drew up to his full height. Oh, he was in for it now! "I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry!" he babbled quickly.

The man raised his hand, and Harry flinched, drawing his hands up in front of his face. Severus's hand froze in midair. "I was only going to…never mind. P-Harry, I assure you, I don't have a wife."

The boy's eyes flickered in confusion. "Y-Your son?"

Severus eyes flashed dangerously. What was he playing at? "I do not have a son," he grit out.

Harry's face paled even further, if that was possible. "D-Daughter, sir!" he corrected himself.

"The only two people in this house are you and me!" Severus roared. Couldn't the boy get that through his thick head?

Harry squeaked and stumbled back, tripping and landing on the floor. He shrank away as the man approached, curling up into a defensive position. Strangely, Severus just offered him a hand. He jumped up by himself. "S-Sir?"

Severus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, noting the wince, and led him over to the food. "Sit and eat," he commanded.

"Sir?" Harry said, confused. Didn't the man know the rules?

"Sit and eat!" Severus repeated.

Hastily, Harry dropped down onto the edge of the chair, and risked a quick glance at the man. The man stared back with an emotionless gaze. Harry ducked his head and snatched a piece of carrot, nibbling at it as if he expected it was going to be taken away. After a full minute passed, he began to relax and eat faster, not knowing when his next meal was going to come.

Severus nodded to himself with satisfaction. Yes, the boy was learning. And yes, he was too. He really needed to control his temper more– it often got the best of him. He needed time, and so did Harry.

Did Dumbledore know of Harry? He could not have. But now the boy was in his care, and Dumbledore would find out sooner or later. The blood wards…damn, the blood wards would have dropped already. If they did not…well, didn't the blood wards extend to his house, too, since Spinner's End was within walking distance of the Dursley's residence, in Cokeworth? He wasn't the boy's "blood" kin, but he was still the boy's family, and therefore he had to protect the boy to the best of his ability.

After dinner, Severus led Harry into the bathroom. Surprisingly, the boy immediately paled. "What's wrong, b- Harry?" he tried to ask softly.

Emerald eyes filled with fear flickered up to meet his onyx ones. "P-please, sir," came the whispered reply.

"Please what?" Severus said, hiding both the confusion and the irritation in his voice as turned on the warm water.

"P-Please, n-no bath, sir," Harry whispered.

"You want a shower, then," Severus supposed, as he turned on the warm water. "But not today." After the boy's still hesitant face, he gestured and said, "Go on! You have nothing I haven't seen before!"

Harry gingerly pulled off his clothes, wincing as the fabric touched his welts, and glanced up at the man fearfully.

It took all of Severus's self-control not to cringe at the sight before him. Truly, there was nothing he hadn't seen before. It was all too familiar. "Alright. In you go," he pushed gently.

Harry whimpered as cold hands touched his sore back. "I-Is the water cold, sir?" he asked hesitantly.

Severus was surprised at that simple and obvious question, before he frowned deeply. How dare Dursley deny the boy a proper bath?! Anger flickered in Severus's eyes, before he tried to suppress it. Too late, Harry saw it, and his arms immediately went up in front of his face as he flinched.

"Just go in," said Severus, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I promise you it's not cold."

Harry gulped – hot baths were even worse! They burnt his skin and left huge and painful blisters on his body. "Please…" he whispered one last time. "Not the hot water."

The man abruptly straightened. "You mean to say that your uncle burnt you?" he hissed, venom dripping in his voice. Harry's wide, fearful eyes only confirmed his fears.

"Well you fully deserve a warm bath right now, not too hot or cold, I give you my word," Severus stated honestly.

Harry decided that his fate would be much worse if he stalled much longer, so reluctantly, he stepped one foot into the water, before gasping.

"What is it? Is it too hot?" Severus questioned urgently.

Harry quickly muttered a no, sir before hopping into the bath gently. "It's warm," he breathed, his hands trailing over the water.

Severus smiled softly. "Yes, it is, Harry," he replied softly, and left the bathroom.

That night in his bed, Severus sat in his bedroom, head in his hands, as he pondered over his new ward. Due to what he saw, the boy seemed to have been starved, and wasn't allowed to eat food at the table, but seemed to be a master cook. He wouldn't be surprised if he was made to do most of the other chores in the house, also. The shock on his face when Severus showed Harry his room was enough to deduce that the boy's room had been smaller than appropriate. And the thought that the boy was denied proper baths was enough to make him shudder. Severus didn't even want to think about the harsh beatings the boy received.

As he heard a muffled scream from Harry's room, and then the soft platter of tiny footsteps, he groaned and rapidly walked out to the hallway.

Oh Lily, what do I do?

A/N: One more chapter after this – the epilogue. Will include Petunia. Please read and review!