07/19/15

Sorry this update took me so long. I thank you all sincerely for your patience. Enjoy. :)

Disclaimers in previous chapters.

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Severus was completely shocked. The pages he had read proved the identity of the child, but it just couldn't be so! It was inconceivable that Harry Potter, Golden Boy of Gryffindor and Dumbledore's pet, could have gone through such things. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Potter was one of the smallest boys in his year, short and scrawny with his clothes hanging off of him at each Welcoming Feast. Playing quidditch and stuffing himself with the food the castle house elves so generously provided them throughout the year had him looking somewhat normal by school's end, but each year without fail, he'd return with that oddly underfed look. He was also strangely antisocial for one so popular, associating mostly with Weasley and Granger while remaining somewhat awkward around his other friends. Small, shy, withdrawn; it all fit. Potter had all the signs of one whom is being abused. But if all of these signs were so easily recognizable to him, how had he not noticed them before? The answer was obvious. He hadn't seen the signs because his hatred for the boy had kept him from seeing them. Snape's image of Potter was based on speculation, rumor and his own dislike for the boy, and because of this, he had allowed the signs to go unnoticed.

He felt sick. How could he have let his personal feelings get in the way of helping a child? No matter whom that child was, he would never condone the type of horrible treatment he had read about in those entries. He could not let himself dwell on these thoughts, however, as a more pressing issue now presented itself: How could he help Potter? The first and most obvious solution would be to tell Albus, or, at the very least, Minerva about the contents of the diary and the many accusations they raised against the boy's guardians. If what was written was indeed true, Potter would need to be removed from his aunt's and uncle's custody immediately. There would be a trial, privately held for the boy's sake, and arrangements would need to be made to place him in a more suitable home. Though all this was necessary, Snape felt a strange sense of dishonesty in going to the Headmaster first. He felt, though he didn't like it, that he needed to confront Potter about the issue privately before involving anyone else. He took a deep breath and began preparing himself.

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Harry was going to pass out. Snape had requested he stay after class to "discuss a matter of great importance." This, to Harry, translated as, "to discuss your future blackmail." He was certain that he was soon to be ridiculed and punished for what he had written in his diary, and that his humiliation would be known throughout the school. As class ended and his fellow classmates filed out of the room, Harry wondered what Snape would bring up first; his poor handwriting, the tearstains, the years he spent satisfying the twisted, perverted wants of his uncle's co-workers? 'Or,' he thought with an icy chill running straight through him, 'will he mention Brother?' He began to feel sick with worry.

Once the other students had left, Snape summoned a chair to the front of his desk and requested Harry come sit. The young man gripped at the hard wooden sides for dear life and stared at his lap. The two sat in silence for nearly a minute before Snape cleared his throat and began. "There are, Mr. Potter, some things you and I must discuss."

Harry glanced up at the man. He spoke with clear authority, but it was obvious he was nervous. A sudden horrific thought crossed his mind. Did Snape want to negotiate sexual favors in exchange for silence? His cheeks flushed and his eyes began to grow moist. 'No, not here. Not at Hogwarts, too.'

Noting the boy's distress, Snape forced himself to continue. "I feel, considering the seriousness of the situation, that it is only right to discuss these matters with you first before bringing them up to a higher authority."

When Harry looked at him in confusion, Snape removed the diary from his desk and delicately placed it in front of him. Harry paled, his fear being realized. What would happen to him now? What terrible things would Snape do?

When he failed to say anything, Snape continued. "I'll begin by apologizing for invading your privacy. Curiosity got the better of me, but I'm glad that it did. The entries in this journal…. They are beyond disturbing."

'"Beyond disturbing." Oh, what stories will he spread?'

"From what I have read, it is clear, Mr. Potter, that you are being abused by your relatives."

Harry blinked slowly at the man. "...Abused..?"

"Yes, abused. And I would like to help alleviate your suffering."

Harry was nearly shocked beyond words. "You….want to help me?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter," Snape confirmed. "You clearly need help and I am willing to give it."

Fifteen years. For fifteen years his pain had been ignored or gone unnoticed by those around him. And now this man, a man who despised him, was offering him salvation? This was too good to be true. He couldn't possibly be saved, could he?

Snape watched as his student became overwhelmed with emotion; tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks. He himself felt very awkward and didn't quite know what to do. It wasn't as though Potter were one of his snakes, whom he was used to comforting. No, this was Harry Potter; James' son and near clone. 'But he's Lily's son, too,' a voice in his head whispered.

As he looked at the boy in front of him, he suddenly saw, for the first time, him as he really was. Not like James, or even dear, sweet Lily, but a completely separate person, with his own personality and spirit. Yes, he would forever be tied in blood to his closest friend and most hated enemy, but for now, he was just, "Harry."

Startled by the sound of his first name being uttered by his potions professor, he looked up at the man. What he saw stopped anything he could possibly say from exiting his mouth, for in Snape's eyes were two things Harry had never seen there before; sympathy and pain. The pain of someone who had suffered, perhaps not in the same way, but similarly to himself. Suddenly, those emotions were replaced by something else: determination.

"I will help you," said Snape.

And Harry believed him.

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The next few days were emotionally devastating for Harry. After spending three nights going over, in more detail than he was admittedly comfortable with, what he had been through in the muggle world, Harry decided it was finally time. He had told Ron and Hermione that he was taking remedial potions with Snape in the evenings. But the more he revealed about his past, the more he realised he needed the support of his friends. This meant, hard as it would be, truly opening up to them, so with Snape's approval, Harry asked his friends to join them in the potions classroom. Not having the words to tell them why they were there, Harry handed Hermione his diary, opened to the first entry. She looked at him quizzically, but Harry averted his gaze. So they read it, with Hermione holding the diary and Ron reading over her shoulder. Many times Hermione would gasp as she read and look to Harry, obviously desperate to question him about a particular entry. But he would shake his head and they would keep reading. By the time they got to the entry which Snape had bookmarked as the last thing he'd read, both Harry and Hermione were crying. Harry's cheeks burned with shame; shame for his past and shame for not telling them sooner.

Hermione launched herself at him and they held each other tightly as they released their sorrow. Once they'd both calmed down enough to stop the flow of tears, Ron walked slowly up to them. He was shaking slightly and his face was a pale green.

"Blimey, mate, I…." But he couldn't continue.

Knowing it was a lot to take in, Harry nodded at his best friend to let him know it was alright. They had a lot to work out, but they would do it together.

And so they sat, and Harry told them about Snape finding his diary and his offer of help. Ron, of course, was shocked by this, and stared at his potions professor in awe and with a newfound respect. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised by this at all, and simply smiled in gratitude at the man.

"So…" Ron asked awkwardly, "what do we do now?"

Hermione rolled her eyes in the way that she normally did whenever Ron didn't see an answer which was obvious. "Now we go to Dumbledore."

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Let me know what you guys think. I'll try and update again soon if I'm feeling up to it.