The first two chapters of this story are written mostly from Snape's point of view. After that it should change to predominantly Harry's.

I have worked really hard on improving my grammar. Please let me know if I have succeeded at all. I am taking a course in English language this year so hopefully I will improve even more.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created by JK Rawling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Innocence Lost

By CBeMe

Chapter 1

Lost Memories

Fuming, the Professor stalked through the halls toward the headmaster's office. He had been in the middle of the last step of a very difficult potion when a house elf had arrived relaying the summons. Her abrupt arrival had startled the man, the precise cut he had been making ended up being half a millimeter off, messing up the timing. His potion was ruined, three days hard work. He would have to start over. Stupid old man waited until the last minute to tell him who he had invited back as DADA Professor. He should have learned the first time, but no. The old coot decided to bring a werewolf that had already attempted to kill three students back into a teaching roll within the school. If he hadn't waited until the very last minute to tell the potions master he might not be so upset. No, forget that, he would still be angry, but he wouldn't be raging through the halls destroying the few suits of armor that were too slow to get out of his way.

Severus Snape had already brewed his usual store of the Wolfsbane potion and posted it to his customers. The hospital paid highly to keep some on hand for emergencies, the Aurors as well. He was the inventor of the potion, and one of the very few who could brew the elusive mixture to the absolute perfection it required. The ingredients themselves were rare and expensive, not usually kept in the school stores. He saved just enough of his earnings from the previous month's batches to make the next months. The unexpected arrival of Remus Lupin upset his system. The Headmaster had not even asked him to brew the potion, just made a passing announcement of when the new Professor would be arriving. If Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration Professor, had not mentioned how happy she would be to see the creature again as they left the Great Hall after supper he wouldn't have known.

Professor Snape had been shocked when he overheard that little tidbit. He was disturbed by the Headmasters attempt to hide such dangerous news. As quickly as he could, Severus had hurried to Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley to empty his vault so he could purchase the needed ingredients. He had not yet received his pay and had already spent his budgeted amount to make this month's potions, leaving his vault pitifully empty. He knelt down in the vault picking up every coin in the small pile. Looking back at the floor his sharp eyes examined every corner and crevice, looking for any he may have missed. Slowly, he counted every coin in his hand. Once, twice, three times, he was still short. There wasn't enough to purchase everything he needed. If only Headmaster Dumbledore had given him the ingredients to make the wolfsbane potion for his new Professor. But no, his hands shook slightly as he counted a fourth time.

"Professor Snape," the goblin who had escorted Severus interrupted him. He was certain he had seen this goblin before but he didn't remember his name. A goblin is, after all, a goblin.

"Yes?" he asked clutching the coins tightly in his hand and distracted by his musings on how to get more, quickly.

"Perhaps these would be of assistance," the goblin replied holding a knarled hand out to him cupped around three shiny galleons and seven knuts.

It was the exact amount the Professor needed. His eyes darted from the outstretched hand to the goblins unreadable face and back again. It was said that goblins never did any favors.

"I…"

"We have no desire to have an unrestrained werewolf loose on Hogwarts grounds any more that you do," the goblin assured him pushing the coins into the potions masters' hands. "Consider it a loan if you must."

"Why would you help me?"

The goblin looked the taller man over carefully before answering. "Something important to us is often kept at Hogwarts. We have and will continue to do everything within our power to protect that which is ours." The goblin turned and led the way back to the waiting cart.

"What?" he asked.

The goblin ignored him. All the way back to the lobby Severus requested more information from the goblin but his guide said not a word.

Back in his dungeons at Hogwarts, as he measured and stirred, Severus attempted to unlock the mystery of the goblins words. Something important that belonged to the goblins, but was only often at Hogwarts, not always. The most puzzling part was that it could be hurt in someway by a werewolf. Severus assumed that it would need to be a living thing, not an object as the goblins words seemed to imply. But there weren't any goblins at Hogwarts of that he was certain. What else, besides money which is inanimate, could be so important to goblins? His musings had not uncovered any answers for him and he had not seen the Headmaster, having been far too busy in the potions lab, until now. He took a deep calming breath before addressing the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmasters office. He did not know what this meeting was about but he would need his wits about him if he was to learn anything useful. The leader of the light was notoriously tight lipped around his 'trusted' spy.

Rapping sharply on the door Severus waited to be invited to enter. He was surprised when his knock was not answered immediately and was preparing to announce his presence again when a flustered elderly gentleman opened the door.

"Come in."

"Headmaster?" asked Severus. He noticed the man's eyes first. They held not their usual sparkle but instead seemed to spark with an unnatural light.

"That owl," the headmaster pointed to the distinguished looking bird. "He refuses to give me the letter he is carrying. I am not as young as I once was, can you get it off him?"

The Headmaster had ruined his potion over an owl. Severus gritted his teeth as he examined the owl. He approached the owl, but it hopped away from him, keeping the same distance. He could see the animal clearly now, the most prominent of its features being the large Gringotts crest on its harness.

"May I have the letter?" he asked.

The owl hopped back from him once again.

"May I see who your letter is addressed to?" he tried again.

The owl looked at him for a few seconds before lifting his leg so that Severus could read the name of the intended recipient. No wonder.

"This is a high security Gringotts owl. The letter is addressed to Mr. Potter. I doubt the owl will give up its burden to anyone else."

"I know its high security. Just curse it and get the letter!"

"Headmaster, why don't you send it on to Mr. Potter? Whatever Gringotts has to say is obviously private. It's probably just a statement or something, anyway." Severus turned to leave frustrated that it had been an owl for 'Potter' that had interrupted his brewing.

"That letter cannot go to Mr. Potter. We must get it." The Headmaster sternly reprimanded him.

Severus turned to stare at the old man. "Why ever not?" he demanded.

"It is dangerous. These are dangerous times. There could be anything in that letter. Someone could be trying to hurt him."

"Even if The Dark Lord could get his hands on a high security Gringotts owl, which is impossible as you well know, I doubt he would waste it on that brat!"

The owl meanwhile had retreated to the windowsill to watch the exchange.

"I will not curse a high security Gringotts owl to retrieve a letter that does not belong to either of us."

"Severus, your loyalty…"

"My loyalty will be immaterial going up against the protection spells placed on that bird. My loyalty is worthless if I am dead! Send it on to Mr. Potter or back to Gringotts. Why it didn't take the letter to Mr. Potter in the first place is beyond me."

"I have had all of Mr. Potters post redirected to me."

"You what?" he couldn't believe his ears.

"The young man should not be bothered with such things right now. He is grieving."

Severus' eyes went from the Headmaster to the owl to the box of letters sitting on a shelf below the window.

"So you are forwarding pertinent letters to Mr. Potter?"

"Of course I'm not! I told him before he left that it was too dangerous for him to send or receive post this summer. He, at least, is obeying me and has not sent any letters."

He once again caught the owl's intense gaze. "So Mr. Potter is with his relatives this summer?"

"Yes, it is the safest place for him and as you know they take good care of him. They are his family. They will help him through the grieving process."

As he looked into the owls eyes images started to flash through his head. A horse faced woman yelling at a small dark haired boy as he tried to stir a pot on the stove. A fat child laughing as he pushed the same boy down the stairs. The woman again, sitting on the patio watching the boy attempt to mow the lawn with a mower that was bigger than he was. Last a grotesquely overweight man hitting the boy across the back, shoving him in a small cupboard, and then locking the door. He didn't know how, but he knew that boy was Harry Potter.

"Yes Severus, they will take good care of him. You said that your occulmancy lessons last year taught you a lot about the boy. A little spoiling won't hurt him too much though. You really should relax about that."

"Of course Headmaster," he replied when the owl finally let him loose. "If you will excuse me, I have a potion to take care of."

"Go on, I will deal with this owl."

Severus returned to his dungeons at a more sedate pace. Attempting to figure out what the owl had done to him. He now remembered things, differently. All of his memories of the young Potter seemed changed. Potter's behavior in class, his appearance outside of class, and the occulmancy lessons, all were different. Severus stopped dead center in the middle of the hallway. He knew, deep in his gut that these new memories were his true observations. Someone had been tampering with his thoughts, and somehow that owl had undone it. He raced to his room determined to find out what exactly had been done to him.

Bursting through the portrait that guarded his quarters he came to a sudden stop. There, standing on his desk was the same owl he had just left in the Headmaster's office. He blinked at the owl and the owl blinked back at him. There were no windows this deep in the dungeons and the only entrance to the rooms was the portrait he just came through. So how did the Owl get in?

"Hoot."

He just stood there, looking dumbly at the owl.

"Hoot." The owl lifted his leg with the letter attached.

Severus walked slowly toward the owl. "How did you get in?" he asked.

"Hoot."

"Right, that is a stupid question. You can't answer me."

"Hoot, hoot," insisted the owl.

Pointing toward the letter the owl was holding out toward him Severus asked, "Do you want me to take that?"

"Hoot."

He reached carefully for the letter and slowly untied it, waiting for the owl to attack him. But the owl just watched.

"I will deliver this to Mr. Potter as soon as he returns," he informed the owl.

"Hoot!" the owl flew for the letter and used his beak to open the flap.

"This is Mr. Potter's letter, I cannot read it. It is private."

"Hoot!" the owl nipped him.

"Alright already, I will read it." He grumbled as he pulled the letter out of its envelope and began.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Your presence is required at Gringotts Bank on a very important matter. Please arrive as soon as possible. Heros will assist you.

Sincerely,

Griphook

The first thing Severus noted was that the letter was remarkably informal for Gringotts communication. Second, the owls name was Heros.

"I take it you want Mr. Potter to get this letter as soon as possible."

"Hoot."

"I do not know where Mr. Potter lives."

"Hoot," Heros gently grabbed Severus' hand and pulled it to its harness.

"You will help me."

"Hoot."

"Let me get my cloak," he sighed and went into his bedroom to get his summer cloak.

Heros followed him, of course, landing on the footboard of Severus' bed and watched the human get ready.

"I should tell Albus."

"Hoot!" Heros pecked him harshly.

"Alright, you are an annoying bird aren't you?"

"Hoot," Heros grabbed his hand again and placed it back on the harness.

"We need to go outside, insisted Severus as he tried to pull away.

Helos didn't answer instead he moved his beak over and pressed the Gringott's crest over his chest.

Just like that Professor Severus Snape landed, slightly unbalanced from the portkey, on Privet Drive.

"If you knew where he was, why didn't you take the letter to him in the first place!" he whispered harshly to his companion.

"Hoot," replied Heros.

The owl grabbed a lock of Severus' hair and pulled him up the street to number four. As they made their way Severus began to recognize his surroundings, he had been here before, he was sure of it. Why couldn't he remember?

"Hoot," insisted Heros when they arrived at the door.

Severus listened intently trying to discern if the family was still awake. It was quite late at night, his debate with Heros had taken some time, and he didn't want to wake them accidentally. All was quiet. He pulled his wand and whispered a spell to unlock the entrance to the disgustingly muggle house. There were supposed to be guards on Potters house, he remembered. It troubled him that no one had stopped him from entering, or had even stopped him to ask what he was doing there. He moved silently up the stairs, Potter should be asleep with the rest of the family. Light shined in through the window at the end of the hall causing a shadow to follow him as he moved, slowly, checking each room for the boy whom the missive he carried was for. He recognized the man and woman, and a boy he thought must be their son. There was only one door left, and Severus was certain it had to be a closet or storeroom of some kind. It was locked from the outside and there was a small flap at the bottom. An old pet door possibly? But it was the last he had checked all the others. So he whispered a spell at the locks and one by one they fell off. As his hand went for the knob and turned it he was startled by the weight of Heros landing on his shoulder. The owl was looking intently at the door and Severus pushed. The door squeaked softly on its hinges waking one of the rooms' inhabitants.

"Sry, pese no. Sry, din' men. Sry," murmured a soft voice from the darkness.

Lighting his wand, Severus pushed his way into the room stepping over a pile of what appeared to him to be rubbish. Old apple cores and moldy bread crusts sat in front of the door. He held his wand a bit higher shining light over the small unkempt room and its inhabitance. An owl cage sat on the dresser the padlock on the door the obvious reason why it hadn't been cleaned, apparently since school let out. A snowy white owl watched him with sad eyes. The poor thing looked starved. He looked back toward the pile on front of the door and wondered if it was what was left, or what was given. He unlocked the door of the cage and asked if she was able to fly. Severus told her to fly to Hogwarts but Heros hooted to her softly, and he had a feeling that the owl on his shoulder had given a different instruction. He moved to the window to let her out only to realize that it had been boarded shut. From the outside no one would notice, the curtain was between the window and the boards, but from the inside there was no way out. He left the owl for now, moving next to the figure shivering on the bed in the corner.

"Potter?" he asked trying not to startle the young man. Yes, the youth was murmuring but Severus was not certain he was actually awake. It sounded more like a nightmare. "Potter?" he tried again, this time gently grabbing the boy's shoulder.

Green eyes snapped open and were instantly on him. The teenager was trembling, a ratty blanket pulled tightly around him. "Pfsr?" he asked.

Severus was shocked by his relief, the young man sill recognized him. He hadn't been sure just how bad off Potter was.

"You have a letter, Mr. Potter."

The teen looked hungrily at the missive but didn't seem to have the energy to reach for it.

"Would you like me to read it to you?"

A slight doubt shone in his eyes.

"Heros here delivered it and insisted I read it and bring it directly to you. It is important."
Resigned, Harry looked back towards the letter.

The sadness that showed in Harry's eyes when he finished the letter surprised Severus. "Come on, you need to go."

"Pfsr Dum say."

Dear Merlin, what did the boy say?

"Professor Dumbledore told you to stay?"

Harry barely nodded his head. Severus looked around the room. Professor Dumbledore told him to stay here? He could barely believe it. He looked at the owl on his shoulder and thought back over what had happened in the Headmaster's office. The boy needed medical attention that much was obvious. No one was checking on him and he had no way of contacting anyone. Even without the letter, Severus would not have left him there.

"Sometimes, Mr. Potter," he said quietly. "The Headmaster is not right."

Having decided, He picked up shivering young man, the snowy owl flew to his shoulder, Heros touched his beak his Gringotts crest and the foursome disappeared.

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Thank you for reviewing. I appreciate your input and advice. CBeMe