Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box for beta'ing my story.

Summary: Harry finds help in the most unlikely place. Severus mentors Harry story.

A/N: This is an AU story. This story begins the summer after the Tri-wizard Tournament. It may be a little OOC.

Unexpected Truce

Harry sat on the swing. It was a peaceful afternoon. For the first time, there were no kids playing. It was overcast but was really a nice quiet afternoon. But to Harry all he could think about was what happened at the end of term last month. To think only a couple of months ago everything was actually okay. Not great but okay. Yes, he was in the Tri-wizard Tournament. He didn't want to be in it, but he couldn't get out of it. At the time the only thing he had to worry about was getting through the final task of the tournament. Now with Voldemort now back so many things have changed. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a silver coin that Professor McGonagall gave him before he left school.

"Okay, Potter," Minerva said, sitting down behind her desk gesturing Harry to sit across from her, and he did. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Professor," Harry said, tensely.

He was anything but fine. He had just witnessed the death of a classmate, saw the spirit of his parents, and worse, saw the rise of Voldemort. Yeah, he was anything but fine, but who would actually care about that? So he put on his best mask and looked his Professor in the eye and said everything was just wonderful.

Minerva looked at Harry and could see that he was definitely not fine, but she knew he had his father's pride and would not admit to anything that would make him seem weak. A sad smile graced her lips. She began to look through her drawers of her desk in search of something. She glanced at Harry and noticed that for the first time in a while he was actually kind of intrigued as to what she was doing. After a few minutes of searching, a smile came across the Professor's face and she held out what Harry thought was a very old, very valuable coin.

"Mr. Potter, I want you to hold on to this," she said.

"What is it," Harry took the coin she held out for him and examined it carefully, unwilling to take his eyes off of it.

He thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd seen. Something so old and valuable and his professor wanted him to keep it. He couldn't help the small smile on his lips while he looked over the coin.

"Mr. Potter," she said pulling him out of his thoughts, "I want you to keep this with you always. There are only three coins in the world and I would be most pleased if you didn't loose it. Understand?"

"Yes, Professor," Harry nodded, then looked up at his Head of House. "You say there are only three in existence?"

Minerva nodded.

"Do you have one?" he asked sounding so young.

"The Headmaster has one," she smiled.

"Then who has the other one?" Harry finally asked.

"That is not important right now," she brushed off. "Just know that someone will always be watching out for you."

"Yes, Professor," Harry said sincerely standing up. "Thank you."

Harry sat on the swing, letting the coin slide through his fingers. Then he heard it. There were rustling footfalls on gravel getting closer and closer. Harry quickly put the coin back in his pocket, knowing that what was going to happen next was not going to be good.

Dudley and his three friends came from behind the swings and stood in front of Harry.

"What are you doing here?" Dudley asked. "Shouldn't you be painting the shed, or cleaning the house?" he jibbed.

"Just leave me alone," Harry said, not looking up. He knew if he looked into their eyes his own would betray him. He didn't want to have to go through this all over again. It's been months since he had to endure Dudley's gang. It was one thing of the teasing that they did, but the taunting and the beating he just couldn't take. Not now of all days. He had too much on his mind; Cedric, Voldemort's return, seeing his parents. It hurt so much. He was supposed to be this savior of the wizarding world and he couldn't even keep Cedric alive. He couldn't stop Voldemort's return. And all that he was an utter failure to his parents. Harry so hoped that they would just find some other victim and leave him alone, but he felt one of the boys grab his shirt and pull him off the swing. He knew he was going to be hurting again before the day was through. He just hope it would be over quick.

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Severus was walking back to his quarters. It had been a trying day. He was just coming from a meeting that didn't go as well as he would've liked. His request to become the new DADA was denied this morning before the meeting. He had gotten to the portrait of a doe and a lily flower, entrance to his quarters, when something felt wrong. His hand went into his pocket and pulled out what was burning there. He knew the only reason it would have this reaction if one of the sister coins sensed trouble. He knew that two people would have those sister coins the Headmaster, which would burn green, and the other would burn red. His hand glowed red from the coin and there was only one person had this item and his heart dropped. He turned on his heel and ran back up towards the seventh floor. Once at the door all preamble gone, he just barged in.

Minerva, sitting at her desk, looked up in mild shock at the potions professor bursting through her door.

"Severus," she berated. "What is the meaning of this? If you're still upset about Albus' decision for you to..." She trailed off when she really looked at the young man's face. "What's the matter?" She walked over to Severus who was still standing at the door with the look of shock on his face.

Minerva began to worry. Not everyday did Severus Snape's emotion show on his face.

Severus, looked her up and down to see if there was any aliments or problems with the woman who had been nothing but a surrogate mother to him since his own mother died in his sixth year. Minerva walked over to Severus and closed the door behind him, as she like him didn't want the whole castle knowing their true relationship as mother and son. Albeit the only one that knew of the secret adoption of Severus was Albus, seeing how he preformed the blood adoption for the two wizards. To the rest of the wizarding world they were two Heads of rival Houses at Hogwarts School. But in private she was his mother, and when an old ancient coin started to burn and glow red in his pocket he just knew something was wrong. Minerva stood in front of her adoptive son and cupped his face.

"Severus," her voice was soft and soothing. "Son, what's the matter."

The man, who always prided himself of never letting his emotions getting the better of him, could do nothing but stand in front of his mother with the mix of anxiety that something was wrong and relief that she was standing in front of him right now. So all he did was pull out the still burning coin and showed it to her. She looked in his hand and the color in her face just drained.

"Harry," she gasped, taking the coin out of Severus' hand. She walked back over to her desk.

"Potter," finding his voice. "Why does Potter have your coin?" Anger laced in his voice as he followed her to her desk.

"I gave it to him before the holidays," she said still looking at the coin, not seeing the rage and anger filling her son's eyes. "You need to go check on him."

"WHAT," he said almost choking on his anger. "I will not! This is the only time that I can be Potter free. I will not..."

"Severus Tobias! Don't you dare use that tone with me," she yelled her magic shaking everything in the chamber. "You will go and check on Harry. You did not see how he looked before he left to go home. He blames himself for everything. He is not his father, as I have told you before. And I will not have your anger for James Potter spill over towards Harry. You will go. For Lily."

"Damn you and Albus for always using Lily when it comes down to that bloody boy," Severus sighed.

"Severus, language."

She could see the internal struggle that her son was going through.

"Severus," her voice was much softer now. "Please, go check on Harry. Just make sure he's alright. You don't have to stay. You don't even have to talk to him. I just want to make sure that he's okay. Please, son."

Severus looked at his adoptive mother, his eyes narrowed. He knew when she spoke like that she usually got her way. He knew he could never refuse her. He gave a single nod and turned to leave her office.

"Oh Severus," he stopped at the door. "Do come straight back here when you come home. I shall like to talk with you over tea."

Severus nodded once more before leaving her chambers and closing the door behind him. She sat back down in her chair still holding the burning coin in her hand.

"Oh dear Severus, please you must learn to open your heart to more than just me. Harry is more like Lily than James. Fulfill your promise, son." She let her head rest on the back of her chair.

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Harry ran for what seemed like forever. All he wanted was to get away from Dudley and his gang. He hated 'Harry Hunting.' But he was actually proud of himself that they only got in a few hits before he could get away from them. Breathing heavily, he ran under an underpass. Leaning on the wall, he wiped the blood off of his mouth and chin.

'Just great,' he thought. 'Just what I needed. Another bloody nose.' How was he going to explain this one?

Harry squatted down to the ground, his back still against the wall. Why did it always have to be him that they picked on? He closed his eyes and let his head hang from his shoulders. He was tired, hurting and still a little dizzy from trying to get away. And to make matters worse, he knew it was past dinner time and he would get it all over again for not being at home to make dinner for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. But as it was right now, he really didn't care. There was nothing that they could say or do that would make him feel any worse than he did right now.

Then he felt it. Something he hasn't felt in the past two years. His head shot up and he looked around the underpass. There was nothing that he could see, but he sure could feel it. Out of habit, Harry pulled out his wand from his back pocket. That's when he saw it. Or rather them. Two dementors came on opposite ends of the underpass and cornered Harry against the wall. One had him by the throat and pulling him up the wall. Harry gasping for air while at the same time trying to pry those cold dead fingers from around his neck. He couldn't draw in breath much less say the incantation to expel the dementors from around him. His vision started to blacken. He was losing consciousness as well as any happiness that he was holding on to, not that there were many happy moments in his life now. Harry could feel the blackness taking its hold on him. And after everything, Harry was really fine with what was the inevitable to occur. Is this what a Kiss would feel like? Right now, after all that has happened, he welcomed the Kiss with open arms.

"Expecto Patronum!"

It was the last thing Harry heard before everything went black.

TBC

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please be kind and leave a review and let me know what you think of it. :)

Many hugs and kisses to you all

Mandancie :)

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