The war has ended and now 12 students return to Hogwarts to finish their education as 8th Years. Severus, having survived Nagini's bite, will also be returning. Now free from his former masters, he hopes to redeem himself in his new role and repair broken relationships. But the children of the war are damaged, none more so than Harry, and healing will take some time. SS/HP mentor.

This is a pseudo-sequel to Emancipated Minor. A change in a minor scene leads to a different sequence of events during Harry's 5th year, when he has been facing hardship entirely on his own. He needs the legal right to protect himself from abuse by adults. Follows OOTP, but all events occur 1st term. Mentor/bonding fic. Slightly AU Severus in the beginning/more as the story goes on