"You freaky little freak! You'll regret you were ever born for this!" Harry flinched back as the door to his cupboard was practically torn from the hinges but he was not snatched out for his earlier transgression, instead a little body familiar to him now was thrown in. Harry stared at his uncle who filled the entire door space and wondered why it looked like he had gotten into a street brawl. His hair was all over the place, his shirt was missing a few buttons, his bottom lip was split open and… was that a bite mark on his cheek? Harry looked away quickly as the wild and angry eyes locked onto him from the round and purple face. He could feel them boring holes into his forehead and he knew it was because Uncle Vernon wanted to make sure he didn't try to comfort the still boy on their shared cot.

"It's almost dinner time, boy," although his tone was still gruff, it was the nicest it had ever been directed towards him. He nodded ever so slowly and watched as the man retreated. He even managed to not flinch as the door slammed shut. It was as if a spell had been broken the way the other boy came back to life fluidly sitting up and folding his legs pretzel style to give Harry room to stretch out. He began what was an almost tri-weekly ritual of carefully feeling along his arms and legs, wiggling his toes and fingers and pressing along his face for any severe damage.

"You shouldn't do that," Harry whispered just as the boy pressed little fingers into his eye. A sharp hiss exploded from him and he flinched into a sliver of light. There was already a bruise blossoming under the boy's eye and Harry wanted nothing more than to kiss it better and promise that it wouldn't happen again but that would be a horrible, terrible thing to lie about.

"Do what?" The boy spat, his face twisting into a nasty snarl, eyes glittering with malice. It was the same look he wore most of the time but it never went more than a dirty look with Harry and that made him feel better. Even though this boy hated everyone, he didn't hate Harry. In fact, he let Harry cuddle up to him and hug him whenever he wanted. Which is what he did now, pressing his face into the oversized shirt and curling as much as he could to the equally small boy.

"You know… get good grades and argue and all that other stuff," Harry muttered, idly twirling a strand of long red hair that cascaded to the boy's shoulders. His hair was very pretty even as dirty as it was. It didn't have to be this dirty as their family provided them with a cold bath every three days but it was another thing the redhead fought them on. He'd much rather go to school, steal a cleaning rag and use the hot water there to get rid of most of the grime. It left him with dirty, greasy hair and a mostly clean body. Harry was just glad that he had yet to be caught.

"I am Severus Tobias… Potter," the new last name tripped up the little boy but he continued firmly, "I will not disrespect myself with low grades simply because some of us are still learning our ABCs."

By 'some of us' Severus meant Dudley. It was an exaggeration but Dudley would be at the very bottom of the class if Harry wasn't and Severus tried very hard to lift Harry from the spot. Literally. He moved Harry away from Dudley and to the very front of the class. Then he insisted on tutoring Harry while they ate lunch. He didn't quite need the tutoring but it was nice to see that the boy cared and to know if his first answers were correct before he erased them to put the wrong answers. Severus was at the top of the class, knocking Winifred White to number two in just three tests and a week of homework. The dark eyed boy claimed that Harry could put her in number three if he stopped coddling Dudley.

"I can't just…" Harry paused because even though they were twins, they spent their very short lives much, much differently. According to Aunt Petunia, Severus and himself had been separated after their father caused that car accident due to his drunk driving. Severus had ended up with his 'ma and pa' and Harry with the Dursleys. From there Severus told him that his ma was a lovely witch who taught him all the potions and spells he knew (he was obviously having Harry on about the witch stuff but the way he spoke of her was very real) and his pa was a sometimes boxing coach who taught him all his fighting skills which he intended to teach his twin as soon as Harry was willing. They loved Severus to pieces until the day they were killed right in front of him. There was no way that he could explain to this boy who stood tall even when he was hurting and who had people that loved and cared for him every second until they died that he had found a balance in this Hell. It was delicate but it allowed him to stave off the worse of their punishments and there was no way he could break that trend. Especially not in the way Severus did.

"I bit him right on the face. Did you see it?" Severus said suddenly. He sounded very proud of himself and Harry was proud too. Harry stifled a giggle as he tried to imagine a scenario in which the other boy would even be that close to their uncle. Severus had no such problems cackling as loud as possible. He was always satisfied when he got even the tiniest one-up on any Dursley but especially on Uncle Vernon.

"QUIET!" Vernon thundered followed by harsh thumps that caused dust and bits of debris to rain down on the boys. Severus immediately invited Harry into his oversized shirt to protect the boy's face and weak lungs. He bit back his planned retort, not due to fear or pain but because he didn't want to antagonize the man too fast. At the moment Vernon still thought he could use the same methods on him as they did on Harry with much added violence to tame him. He didn't want him to realize that hurting Severus meant nothing but hurting his twin… well, that would cause a big problem. He was also content with their weak attempts at turning them against each other by rewarding one (usually Harry) with basic necessities when the other misbehaved. It wouldn't work because Severus was Severus and Harry was oblivious.

Severus soothed the shaking bundle under his shirt, feeling the fear rock off of him in large waves. Their uncle could always sense just the right time to ruin something, that bloated acorn. Severus brushed bits of debris and dust off his face, glad that it wasn't spiders this time. And that Harry hadn't started to wheeze.

"Why were you in here?" Severus asked curiously after their uncle had walked off. They were only thrown in here when they were either being punished or put to sleep. Severus was in the cupboard a lot.

"I made my hair grow back when Aunt Petunia looked away," Harry mumbled, voice muffled against his skin. Severus nodded in understanding. He too hated the choppy shortness their Aunt tried to put onto them but he also didn't wait for her to turn her back to make his hair grow to its proper length. His hair would grow instantaneously as though it had never been cut until there was a sea of red. He's pretty sure he's broken her by now.

"So they'll let you out in a bit for dinner. Try to eat enough for both of us," Severus lifted his shirt to direct a small grin at the boy. Green eyes glittered owlishly at him. Harry didn't understand Severus one bit. The boy constantly fought with the Dursleys every step of the way—physically, mentally and emotionally—to the point where it was rare if they fed him even scraps most days. He survived solely on food he carefully stole and the food they provided at school which was only breakfast and lunch. Sure he charmed snacks out of their fellow classmates or entire lunches in exchange for homework done from older students but he still lost at least two stones since arriving at Privet Drive. On the other side, their relatives fed Harry as if he were family or at least they gave him a full plate and even allowed seconds once everyone else decided they didn't want to eat. He didn't understand this change but he didn't risk saying anything as he's never been this well fed in his life. Still, guilt gnawed at him whenever he saw the closed door and just knew that his own twin was going hungry. This is where the majority of his confusion came from because Severus wasn't angry about it. He didn't scorn Harry for eating while he went hungry, in fact he seemed happy that Harry had gained ten pounds and his face had filled out a bit. He would cup his cheeks and give them a little squeeze, all the while smiling. Harry just didn't understand it.

"Boy! Come eat dinner!" Uncle Vernon shouted. Harry hadn't broken eye contact with his brother and didn't want to. Yes, he was hungry but he's eaten more these past weeks than he's had practically his entire time there.

"No sense in us both going hungry," Severus shrugged, sensing the guilt plaguing his twin. He pushed Harry away and urged him from their cupboard before the boy got the idea to go hungry alongside him and he was sure that Harry would try it.

Severus was alone after two pushes got Harry out of their 'room'. He stretched out his legs and folded his arms behind his head. This was the worse place he's ever lived and he's lived in a cave deep in a forest somewhere before. He hated it here. He hated being Severus Potter. He hated that his ma and pa died and he couldn't even remember how or where they had been buried. He hated the old man who revealed that he had actually been adopted and had molded his face back into his 'true' face. Who did that old man think he was to undo his Ma's hard work in protecting him? How dare he take away the last faces his parents had worn? He should have stabbed that old man as soon as the urge came to him. What if, however unlikely, he forgot about them? What if their faces faded? Hot, silent tears leaked from his eyes and into his hair. His stupid, permanent red hair. Severus wiped angrily at his tears. His ma always told him to Occlude because self control was all the control anyone truly had but his pa said holding in your emotions wasn't good, especially if they were bad emotions. He would gather Severus up in his arms and rub his back until he was crying loudly and messing up his shirt with snot and tears. His ma could be convinced to do the same if she really thought he needed it because he was just a kid. But she would shush him too and hum until he fell asleep. There was no one here to do that now though so he pushed all those thoughts away into the secret box and focused on just the sounds outside this cramped little prison.

"Mummy, did you see what Harry got on his test today!?" The loud voice of his new cousin shouted, most likely around food as there was no way he would have enough manners to swallow first or even to pause for a second. It was as though he were the child they starved and he feared them stealing away his food. "It was a 37!" Dudley was so loud and smug. With little to back it up.

"And what did you get Dudders?" Petunia crooned as though she expected her spawn to be so much better.

"A 40!" Severus rolled his eyes. He had only gotten that score based on the leniency of the teacher who was soft on children with parents who would cause a scene. And yes, the Dursleys were just that type of parents. They should be more concerned that their son couldn't read very well rather than attacking the teacher attempting to help him.

"That's because you're a smart, handsome prince! You get all the pie you want tonight."

"But Severus got a perfect score and the extra credit. I heard teacher say she wants him out of primary and into secondary already!" Dudley continued on with jealousy obviously coloring his vocal cords. Hot, vindictive joy filled his chest. He could just imagine the petulant pout on the chubby boy's face. He hoped those dusty fears were working round and round to start the process of questioning his own intelligence. Maybe he even felt dumb as a rock. Good.

"That's because the boy is a freak of nature. No doubt he cheats," Vernon grumbled. The joy just got hotter. Of course that acorn would suggest he cheated but no. He didn't have to cheat because he had a ma and pa who cared more about making sure he could read rather than spoiling him rotten.

"Thank you for dinner Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. This was amazing. Would you like me to clean up and serve the pie?" Harry suddenly spoke up.

"See, this one is a freak too but he knows his place. Get to cleaning boy—you can even have a slice of pie too." A sort of sullen irritation cooled the joy within Severus. Harry didn't warrant this treatment nor did he react to it the way Severus had been taught. Harry made himself small and invisible (literally one time) and never argued. He thought he could please his way into being treated like a proper human being. Not like Severus who knew better. These people thought they could break him and mend him into something like Harry but he wouldn't let them. He would never bend to them! Not while the memory of his ma and pa still existed. So he fought in any way he could no matter how hungry or dirty he got. He would break them first. With that thought and the sound of dishes being gathered and washed, Severus fell asleep on that dirty cot with his stomach twisting in hunger.

At Hogwarts

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Minerva sat stiffly in the wingback chair, cupping the hot mug of tea in shaking hands. This had been a very trying month for the witch and she found herself asking this question any time they were alone together. She looked to the wizard beside her. He was silent for a long moment, dropping a couple of candies in his tea and taking a few sips as he gathered his thoughts.

"Severus had unique parents. They were both of magic blood and yet no one has any recollection of them. They lived all around muggle Europe, changing their names and appearances so often that even their own son doesn't know what they looked like. Their jobs paid in cash, they never went to the doctor and they had Severus at home. There is no real proof that Eileen and Tobias were their real names or just the last ones used. Severus doesn't even have a birth certificate in either of our worlds. When he was around seven years old his mother and father were murdered by a muggle gunmen who then killed himself. Severus was so traumatized that he hid in his mind for a week. By the time he healed a small bit of himself, he was in the muggle foster system and had a new name he never accepted and a new appearance he had crafted through accidental magic. He moved from one home to another until finally landing in the hands of one Seth McDonald at nine. McDonald was a vicious, horrible man who… well the things he did to Severus I cannot repeat. Severus attempted to escape him several times but was unsuccessful until his graduation."

Albus left out the part that Severus hadn't technically escaped McDonald. In reality, Severus had kidnapped the man from his home and tortured him for weeks on end, keeping him alive with magic, careful incisions and potions. He had disfigured him to the point that no one would have been able to recognize him had Severus allowed his body to be found. That had been his price of becoming a Death Eater. Revenge on those who hurt him. It was probably the only one he had not the slightest regret about and Severus has done many horrible things during his tenure. Albus felt himself go green as he remembered the mutilated body Severus allowed him to view but it was the pride that the boy felt that truly sickened him.

"You knew this and still allowed those horrid boys to torment him?" Minerva gaped. She and Severus were only just becoming true friends as he had only started believing her olive branch to be real. She loved that boy—had loved him ever since he stepped foot into Hogwarts as an ill tempered, skinny runt who never backed down from a fight. She had tried to protect him or at least deter the bullying he received but that was hard when the other teachers and even the Headmaster refused to see what was happening. She glared at her old friend and felt a bit satisfied that he at least had the decency to blush.

"I had not known about his home life until after he came to work with us. We spoke sometimes when his nightmares kept him up. He didn't want you to think he was weak," Albus explained when he saw the highly offended look Minerva adopted. It wasn't quite a lie but it wasn't a whole truth either. Severus was his highly valued spy who exposed many Death Eater plans before Tom's supposed demise. The reason he was able to do this was because Albus kept his identity under tight wraps, not even the most trusted of the Order knew who was his spy and he wouldn't have told anyone because there was no doubt that Tom would be back. He had considered confiding in Minerva or allowing his surly Potions Master to confide in her but the woman was overprotective and would have snatched the young man away before he could blink.

Albus huffed silently. Not that any of that mattered anymore. Over the weekend Severus had… had an accident. Or he thought it was an accident. A curse or a potion or an odd combination of both that had reduced him to a shell-shocked seven year old. For a week he had put the boy into a magically induced coma while he contacted several experts just to find out that there was nothing to be done. Severus Snape would have to grow up again.

"So you came up with this… this elaborate lie and placed him into the care of those Dursley people. I tell you I don't like the look of that lot," Minerva frowned. Albus almost told her that he didn't do elaborate lies. Elaborate lies had a chance of being exposed. If so many events hadn't lined up in his favor, he would have sent Severus somewhere much further away or kept him so close that, by time Tom reared his head again they wouldn't even need Harry. But that sounded like boasting and Albus wasn't much of a boaster in his old age.

"I have provided them with all the money they could need for both boys from the massive wealth of the Potter line to Severus's own modest wealth that grows every month. I surveyed the Dursley household and it seems to be adequately stocked with food and remarkably clean. I saw a bin filled with toys," Albus was actually impressed by that. Not the bin but the cleanliness. He had even seen the Dursley boy who was fat and happy and watching some sort of muggle device. They must run a strict house for it to be clean even as the boy sprayed crisps every time he laughed.

"Did you see Harry?"

"No, I didn't want to disturb his bonding with his aunt. Apparently they were gardening in the back." Which was much better as the boy needed to know hard work and have the sun on his skin. Minerva stared at him as though he had grown a head or two. Albus allowed the look to slide off of him. The witch didn't understand what needed to be done or why. She refused to see the bigger picture. Harry couldn't live in the Wizarding world where he would be pampered and useless—he needed to have humility and know hardships and hard work. And Severus couldn't live there because Harry needed a protector. There wasn't a chance that Severus wouldn't latch onto the boy especially with the grief of his dead parents fresh on his mind.

"If this backfires I will have your hide before Voldemort even thinks to get to you," the witch warned. Sometimes she hated how her friend played with the lives of others. It was as though he didn't see them as people but rather chess pieces to be moved about the board and sacrificed when needed. She was not part of his Order nor did she desire to be but even now she saw the way those twinkling eyes looked at her. They sized her up, ready to change her position at any given moment. She hated that look, wanted to claw out those blue gems and run away to live out her years on the countryside but she couldn't do that. No, she would never abandon her students.

"Well, I do say that I cannot keep teaching Potions if we want the students to actually excel in their testing… I would like your opinion on these candidates," Albus reached into his robes to pull out a parchment.

TBC

I don't own anything in this story. If you are looking for an explanation of the deaging thing that won't be for a like super long time.