1. Hello World

Severus Snape thinks he knows exactly what Harry Potter will be like. He thinks the boy will be tall for his age, with that damnable Potter signature hair, arrogant gait and confident look in his - Lily's - eyes.

"These are not Lily's eyes," is his first thought upon laying his gaze on the boy for the first time.

It's not just the color that's wrong (turquoise, when it should have been emerald green), but also the expression. The boy's eyes, unexpectedly not hidden behind some hideous glasses, are old and tired, and full of blistering, boiling, inhuman rage.

"This is not Harry Potter," is his second thought. Because Harry Potter was supposed to have a black untamable mop of hair on his head (just like his father's), where this boy's hair is while also messy, brown. Harry Potter was supposed to have a clearly defined scar on his forehead, whereas this boy's scar is old and thin and barely visible. Harry Potter was supposed to be arrogant, naive and full of shit, where this boy is tightly restrained ball of barely contained fury and almost alien intelligence.

Because you shouldn't feel, as if you're staring at the deadly predator, ready to spring and consume you whole, while looking at an eleven year old child. You just shouldn't.

Severus Snape feels cold sweet forming between his shoulder blades. He doesn't understand how all these other children could just stand next to him so calmly, how other staff members could watch the boy with easily detectable curiosity and surprise, but without any hint wariness.

But Severus always did have excellent instincts.

He just doesn't always listen to them. The only thing he knows right then is that something somewhere had gone terribly, horribly wrong, and automatically touches the child's mind with legimency, and-

(-Petunia's shrill screams-broken body of his uncle laying on a sidewalk-satisfying crunch of human bones between his teeth-jaws open wide-the hot rush of blood down his throat-the cupboard under the stairs-the Walls-destroy the enemy-deep aching hunger-anger-sadness-pleasure-pain-and RAGE)

What. Is. This. Boy.

Severus retreats from the boy's (monster's) mind as quickly as possible, nearly stumbling out of his seat at the Head Table in shock and alarm.

"This is Harry Potter," he concludes with a touch of hysteria. "Our Savior."

And then, bitterly.

"Merlin help us".