Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or any other character you recognize. The plot, any character you don't recognize, and any pranks mentioned are mine, ALL MINE! MWAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT, YOU EVIL LAWYERS :muse smacks me: Sorry about that.
Chapter 1. I'm Buying These for My Mama
I stood in line, my eyes the usual cold black, my hair the same greasy state as always (Potions weren't good for hair if you stood over them long enough). It had been several years since the fall of the Dark Lord. I couldn't have been happier.
Right now, I was buying a present for the only person I would buy a present for: my godson, Drano, who was five. It was my duty as godfather to buy the perfect gift for the boy, even though he had more possessions than I do.
A short, small little boy less than two feet high was in front of me. He was pale, and had a tuft of untidy dark hair and bright green eyes and a lightning bolt-shaped scar. A muggle, no dou – wait a moment. A lightning bolt-shaped scar? Could it be the one and only famous Harry Potter? The hero? The 'Boy-Who-Lived'? What could he possibly be doing here, and what was he buying?
I tilted my head slightly, and saw that he was holding a shoe box with a pair of green shoes in it that matched his eyes.
It was the boy's turn. He said to the cashier, "Here, sir. I'm buying these for my mama. She's in the hospital, and a little sick, and I want her to look beautiful, because she might see Jesus tonight."
Lily was in the hospital? And a muggle one, at that?
"I'm sorry to hear that," the girl on the other side of the counter, biting her lip.
"It's okay, sir," said Harry. "If she goes with Jesus, then she'll meet Daddy in heaven, and she'll be happy there, watching over me like Daddy has been." The cashier's eyes became watery, but she blinked rapidly and smiled faintly, clearing her throat.
"They're twenty-one pounds," she said quietly (!). Harry counted out many pence which seemed to take forever.
"It's not enough," said the cashier. I gazed at Harry, and suddenly, before I knew what I was doing, I was digging out a few pounds (yes, I have muggle money, even though Lucius always wonders) and handing them to the boy.
"Take them," I said gruffly. Harry hugged me, tears in his eyes, a look of grateful happiness on his face.
"Thank you, sir," he said, happy tears coming down. "Thank you! My mama will look be even more beautiful thanks to you!" He handed the money over to the cashier, who put it in the bag.
I watched as he walked out of the store. He looked so lonely, all alone without an adult, and around Christmas.
I followed him to the hospital near by, casting a Disillusionment Charm. I watched as he went upstairs, nurses and doctors throwing him sympathetic looks. I don't really think I like that...
He finally reached the door, and walked up to a blond, sour-faced woman who looked like a horse.
"I got them," he said, holding up the sack containing the shoes.
"Then what are you waiting for? Go give them to her so we can leave," said the woman sourly. Harry rushed into a ward. I peered in slightly. The sour woman didn't notice the slight ripple of air; she had already pulled out a magazine.
And there, in the plain, white sheets, was Lily Evans, or Lily Potter, I should say. But she wasn't the beautiful, happy woman I had gone to school with. She was deathly pale, her skin stretched over her face, and her bright green eyes seemed duller, but could easily be identified to match Harry's.
"Here, mummy," Harry said. "I got these for you, so that you'll look beautiful tonight. It's Christmas Eve."
"Oh, Harry, they're wonderful," said Lily, smiling at him. Her voice sounded weak.
"Want me to put them on?" asked a nurse kindly. Lily nodded. The nurse helped Lily stand up, and I blinked at how thin she was. Sure, she had always looked thin, but I never imagined her this thin. Harry snuggled next to her. I watched as Lily (unknowingly to Harry) closed her eyes, but slowly opened them again as Harry spoke again.
"Mummy, will you be with me as I grow up?" asked Harry. Lily looked at him.
"Of course, Harry," she said. "Even if you can't see me there, I will be." Harry looked at her.
"What do you mean?" he asked. "Of course I could see you. Or are you going to wear Daddy's Invisibility Cloak all the time? Are we going to play Hide-and-Seek a lot or something? Can I be the one hiding?" Lily smiled, but didn't answer. Harry rest his head on her chest, and slowly fell asleep.
"Hey, Lily," I said, making my presence known, reversing the charm. She looked up, and her eyes widened.
"Hello, Severus," she said, smiling. It wasn't the smile I remembered.
"I-I haven't seen you in a while," said I, my eyes cast down.
"And I haven't seen you in a while," said Lily quiet. "Severus, I-I have to ask you something. If I die, please promise me you'll look after Harry."
"Don't say that Lil, you won't die," I said.
"I never forgot about you, Severus," Lily continued, ignoring what I said. Her breathing started to get shallower. "You were my first love, even though that love changed to one that a sister feels about her brother. I still trust you, like Professor Dumbledore does, trust you enough to list you as Harry's guardian, along with Sirius and Remus."
"But surely Black and Lupin could do it much better," I protested. "It would be better for Harry to be raised by them."
Lily shook her head slightly, as if, had she shaken it much more, she would have passed out. Her voice, however, came out strong.
"They will not prepare Harry," she said. "Voldemort will return and come after Harry, and I won't be there to protect him. Harry needs to be trained to fight, to learn, to be prepared, while still being loved. You can do that. Sirius and Remus won't, not until he's older, and Voldemort could be back by then. I need you there to convince them that it is best for Harry to learn while still a child – children understand certain things better than adults, and if he begins learning such things at such an early age, he will have more time to understand them."
"But, Lily, I don't have any experience with young children!" I burst out. "Hell, even older children don't like me! I'm the most hated teacher at Hogwarts. How am I supposed to raise Harry with the love you want him to be, when I don't know how?"
"Then perhaps you'll both learn something from each other," Lily said, smiling weakly. The smile disappeared.
"Please, Severus," she said, almost pleadingly, sitting forward slightly, conscious of the sleeping Harry. "Please. Promise me, you'll raise Harry with Sirius and Remus. Promise you'll be there for him since I can't." I looked straight into her eyes and her into mine. Weak as she was, her eyes were still as piercing as ever.
"I promise," I whispered. Lily smiled, laying back down and closing her eyes.
"Merry Christmas, Severus," Lily whispered, her eyes still closed.
"Merry Christmas, Lily," I said, smiling, a genuine smile. I turned, and left. It was not even fifteen minutes later when Harry came out. He didn't seem to be surprised to see me (Lily must've told him about me).
"How's your mum?" I asked.
"I hope Jesus likes her shoes," he said softly, trying to be brave, but I saw his tears. "And Daddy, too." My eyes turned to black tears. The blond woman, however, seemed anything but sympathetic.
"Oh god," she said. "Now I have to take care of you, wretched boy, because your good-for-nothing mother was too damn stupid to stay out of the cold, and had to get sick and die."
So that was how Lily got so ill. She always did like the rain and the snow….I jerked myself out of my thoughts, and straightened my back. I towered over the woman (who must be Lily's much disliked sister, Petunia).
"She was not stupid," I said, gathering up all my anger of Lily's death and channeling it at her. Petunia looked at me, just noticing I was there.
"Oh, and I suppose you would know," she said nastily.
"As a matter of fact, I would," I said, "seeing as I went to school with her." The color went out of the stupid woman's face.
"Y-you're one of them?" Petunia gasped. "Get away from me." And she grabbed Harry's hand, but I grabbed her arm. She spun around and faced me.
"Let go of me," she said angrily, but I saw fear in her plain, pale eyes (so unlike Lily's lovely ones).
"No," I said. "I'm taking Harry. I daresay that he'll be much happier with me. Let Harry go, now." She let go of Harry immediately. I picked Harry up.
"Hey, Harry," I said gently. "So, you want to grow up loved?"
Harry didn't even pause.
"Yes!" he said happily.
"Let's go then," I said. "I'm Severus Snape, by the way."
I carried Harry down the stairs, went to the front desk, and told the secretary that Lily had passed on.
"Then shouldn't that awful woman be taking him?" she asked, making a face at 'woman.' I hid a smile. Really, not all muggles were bad, I suppose. So very different from what I thought when I was seventeen.
"No, Lily told me to take her," I said.
"You sure?" asked a vindictive doctor nastily, eyeing me up and down. I fixed him a stony glare. I should know – I practiced in the mirror.
"Yes, I am," I said coldly. "It should be in her will; else she would've given him to her sister."
"How do I know that?" he asked.
"Maybe because I actually know her apart from her name and that she has a nice ass?" I said acidly. Legilimency really does come in useful….
The man blushed.
"He's telling the truth," Harry said, sticking out his lip in a pout that was a lot like his mother.
The man clearly didn't have practice with dealing with children, because he couldn't seem to come up with anything for that.
"I think a witness is enough evidence proving he's telling the truth," said the secretary quietly. "Or are you saying this young boy is lying?"
"Fine, take him, but I'll be there for the will reading," the doctor said, and he stalked off.
"I hate that jerk," the secretary muttered, then smiled at me. "Go on, sir, I'll make sure he does as little meddling as possible."
"Thanks," I said.
"Thank you," Harry said, without my prompting. The lady smiled at him, then one of those muggle phones rang and she said a quick "Good bye and take care!" and quickly picked it up.
Harry and I walked out of that hospital without sparing a glance behind us.
(!) I have no idea on how British currency works, so I took a guess. If it's wildly off, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it.
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There it is, the first chapter! Please read and review! I put in a little L/S, to satisfy the fans of that pairing.
Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, then please press the button in the bottom left-hand corner, and review! If you didn't, then please press the button in the bottom left-hand corner and tell me what you didn't like, unless it's that you don't like L/S. If that's the case, relax, it won't be mentioned a lot in the future.