Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. All aspects of this fan fiction are derived from the world of J.K Rowling and I am making no money from this. In laymen's terms, it's pure imagination and for fun.

A/N: I am just experimenting with story ideas for now. This is just a kick start story, hopefully you'll enjoy it and it'll be a fun journey.

Summer with the Slytherin

Chapter Two: Could he betray her?

Professor Snape paced nervously up and down the headmasters office. His dark robes flickered in sharp ruffles behind him and the heels of his boots clicked against the stone surface.

Every so often, he would pause and his dark eyes would flick to one corner; he would shake his head and then continue to pace up and down the office.

Behind an elaborate looking desk, stacked high with news papers, books and odd instruments, sat an aged old wizard. Professor Dumbledore was dressed in dark purple robes on this day, with a lopsided, overly bent looking hat that had a large star dangling from the tip. He was bent forward in his desk, fingers entwined and his chin resting lightly on them. His half moon glasses twinkled in the sun filled room and a small smile played on his lips.

Severus halted before the headmasters desk. His eyes were transfixed on a glass cabinet full of memories.

"How do you plan on fixing this?" he asked, folding his arms.

"What exactly is there to be fixed, Professor?" the headmaster asked.

Severus scowled. "Don't play games, Dumbledore!" he snapped, rounding on the headmaster and pointing into the corner. "That cannot stay within the walls of this castle for the most blatant reasons."

Dumbledore looked to where Severus was pointing and cocked his eyebrows. Sitting in the corner of the office, propped up on 3 encyclopaedias was a little boy of about 3 years old. His dark messy fringe flopped into his eyes and the top of his hair stood up in odd angles. He wore spectacles - thin, round glasses and a red knitted sweater with black pants and socks. His emerald eyes peered expectantly up at the tall frame of Severus.

Severus glowered back.

"Headmaster, it is not only ridiculous to have a 3 year old running around the castle, but it is absolute ludicrous to have a 3 year old Harry Potter, running around Hogwarts. What happens when Mr Malfoy finds out? Word will be sent straight to the dark lord."

Dumbledore opened his mouth but Severus held up a hand. The tip of his ears were practically hissing with steam.

"And to top it all off you want me - me- to look after it. Do you not realise that at any moment of the day I could be called away to duty? If word filters, you not only put Potters life at risk, but you send me straight to the tip of the Dark Lords wand!"

A small whimper echoed from the corner of the room. The two elder wizards glanced over. Harry's small figure was huddled back against the wall, his tiny palms pressed against his glasses. Crystal tears rolled down the tip of his nose and dripped onto his jumper.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows towards Snape in an expectant manner. Severus slammed his palms against the wooden desk, knocking a cup and shattering it to a thousand pieces on the floor. He spun relentlessly on the spot and stormed from the room, slamming the wooden door behind him.

Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat and knelt cautiously beside the sobbing little boy. "We've got quite a problem on our hands, Mr Potter, quite a problem."

"5 points from Hufflepuff, Miss Bones!" Severus barked, rounding a corner and swooping past the timid looking girl.

He stormed along the corridor, glaring angrily at colourful tapestries and portraits. This was absurd, in his mind. One potion, one ridiculous potion gone wrong and now his life had sprouted a new complication. Not to mention the actual person involved - Potter.

Of all the people. He would have expected Neville Longbottom to draw such atrocities upon him, not Potter.

His temples ached with frustration. His mind, unable to comprehend the matter, tried to erase it. He felt lost. What was he to do? It's not as if he could abandon Potter, no matter how much he wanted to. It wasn't even out of pure sympathy that he couldn't abandon the child.

Severus scowled. For some reason, Potter had developed an attachment to him. The child refused to be left with anyone else whom he didn't know. He smirked. Potter was probably kicking up a storm in the headmasters office.

Serves him right, the old coot.

Severus halted in the middle of a second floor corridor and sank into a window sill. What was he going to do?

After 20 minutes of sitting on a heated window sill, he felt his back was now successfully burnt to a cinder. He dragged himself to the hospital wing and stormed into Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Poppy, I need any potions book you've got on magical maladies," he said, pulling bottles down from her shelf and lining them up on her work bench.

"Professor Snape?" she questioned, rushing towards him, and grasping a bottle he had in his hand "What are you doing?"

"Poppy, forgive my interfering nature and immediate rudeness, but please, get out of the way," he smirked, grabbing the bottle back from her and elbowing his way around her.

There was no way he was taking care of Potter, no way in Knockturn alley was he, Professor Snape, most feared master in this region, caring for a snivelling 3 year old brat. Not if he could help it.

His mixture brewed and spurted steam. Yet another melted cauldron. Picking it up, he slammed it down heavily into a pile of 3 or 4 more melted iron blobs.

"Hell and back again," he muttered, dropping his sweaty brow into his arms.

"Severus?"

He cocked his head up and scowled at the figure in the door way. Professor Dumbledore slipped into the room and sat across from him.

"Severus, I know this is difficult," he began, staring around at the messy table. A little smirk crossed his lips when he saw the melted cauldrons. "I'll rephrase - I know this is excruciating for you. But there's not a lot more we can do."

"Albus if I can just have one more day, just 24 more miserable hours…"

"No Severus, I'm afraid I can't allow it. There's a little boy out there that needs you. I don't care who's son he is. James Potter isn't around anymore and you need to come to terms with that. No matter how much he looks like Harry, he's got more of Lily in him. Remember that Severus, please."

An etch of remorse crossed Professor Snape's face and a sudden tug in his chest made him feel queasy. It had been so long since he heard that name - Lily Evans. So long since the beautiful syllables lathered his tongue.

Could he deny the child of Lily Evans? Could he betray the woman he once befriended?

He couldn't. He wouldn't.

"What do I have to do?" he asked, casting his eyes into Dumbledore's twinkling azure orbs.

And that i chapter two.

Thank you all for the reviews, the alerts and the adds. Thank you very much, it's nice to see you're interested.

See you all in chapter 3.

-Jasper