The Last Five Months

By

Love'sDaughter

Disclaimer-Harry Potter doesn't belong to me

Summary-After Harry dies, Severus is feeling depressed. But when Dumbledore gives him Harry's diary, the potions master finds out just how much the last five months mattered to the boy-who-lived.

Severus Snape came out of a bedroom with red-rimmed eyes and tears on his cheeks. The potions master turned to Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Poppy Pomfrey. "He's dead," the man whispered. Poppy choked out a sob and went to cast a preservation spell on the sixteen year old boy's body.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Dumbledore put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "His time came too soon."

"Yes, it did!" Severus cried. "So what did it matter? What did it matter, all my efforts to keep him alive! His time came too soon, so what did it matter that he was here, or I tried to heal him? He's dead, Albus! He's dead, and he's gone, and he's not coming back!"

"What did it matter? Severus, you gave a young boy a home, a family, and a father! You gave him happy memories before he passed on! You showed him that someone cared! That someone wanted him enough to try to keep him alive! Severus, you loved him. That was all Harry ever wanted. Someone to love him. Goodness knows that the Dursley's didn't do that, and, I'm ashamed to say, none of us other teachers ever showed him that we cared. His friends loved him, but there's only so much love two other sixteen year olds can give him. He needed an adult to love him, to guide him! Sirius was more of a friend than a mentor or father, and he died a few months ago. Remus hasn't been the same since Sirius was killed, and now he's busy with Nymphandora! Harry needed someone, and you loved him, Severus. It mattered more than you may ever know," Dumbledore told the boy he considered a son.

Severus didn't look convinced, so Dumbledore handed the other professor a small, bound book. On the front, it had the words Harry James Potter, but the Potter was crossed out. In its place was the name Snape. Severus felt tears well up in his eyes and he swallowed hard as Dumbledore spoke. "Severus, Harry left this in my confidence yesterday evening. It is his diary. He asked that when he died, it be given to you," he said softly.

Severus took the diary and blinked back his tears. "Thank you, Albus."

"I truly am sorry about your son, Severus," Dumbledore patted Snape on the shoulder, and then left the Snape quarters with Minerva and Poppy, who both whispered their condolences as they walked out the door.

After they left, Severus opened the book. He saw that it started on the date June 21, 1989, and was written in at least once a week, and often every day. Some days had just a sentence under them while others filled pages with the messy, but easily readable, handwriting. Snape quickly flipped through the pages, noticing that it must have had an everlasting pages charm on it, as there were probably hundreds of sheets written on, if not thousands. Severus finally reached the date he was looking for and started reading.

March 18, 1996 (Sun.)

Dear Diary,

Madam Pomfrey told me I got cancer today. She says she doesn't know if I'll live, 'cause we caught it real late. I guess I never thought I'd die from a muggle disease, with all the time Tom's tried to kill me. I suppose I'll have to tell Ron and Mione. But not until later, I don't want them to worry. I guess I better go now, bye!

Harry

March 19, 1996 (Mon.)

Dear Diary,

None of the other teachers know, 'cept Dumbledore. He said that he'll have to tell them sometime, unless I want to tell them on my own. I'm not sure what to do, I don't really want them to know until they have to, so they don't treat me different. Ron and Mione are calling, so bye!

Harry

March 21, 1996 (Wed.)

Dear Diary,

Classes started again today. Dumbledore gave us yesterday off because Gred and Forge gave everyone sleeping pills. They said that they weren't meant to make everyone snore loud enough to wake the dead, but none of the teachers believed them, I think. Dumbledore got that weird twinkle in his eyes that he gets when he thinks something's funny. Of course, he almost always has that twinkle, but he had a humoungo smile as well, and he gave the few of us who didn't eat one the day off, and he and the teachers levitated all the students to their dormitories. I hung out with Blaise Zabini and Luna, as they were the only ones in my year or I knew that weren't asleep. Blaise is nice, he doesn't agree with the whole 'kill muggles, mudbloods, and Harry Potter' thing. He's actually a half-blood; I didn't know it was possible for him to get into Slytherin! We were in the Room of Requirement most of the day, and Luna and I taught Blaise how to do a patronous. He could only get mist, but that's farther then I got my first lesson. Blaise said that he knew some Slytherins who might like to join the DA, so I gave him a coin and told him to have them come to the next meeting.

Well, for today, I had Transfiguration, History, Charms, and Potions last. Snape hates me, he really does. I got real dizzy in the middle of class and added the wrong ingredient, and he took away thirty points and gave me a detention for next Friday. I tried to explain that I had detention with Umbridge already, but he just told me to come after my detention with her! Oh well, if he wants to be up until two waiting for me, then he can go right ahead!

Harry

March 23, 1996 (Fri.)

Dear Diary,

Detentions later. Just what I need today, hours of slicing my hand open, then going to meet the greasy git.

Harry

March 24, 1996 (Sat.)

Dear Diary,

Yesterday was strange. I got to detention at six, as usual, and Umbridge kept me there until two-thirty! After she finally let me go, I went to Snape's office and knocked. He opened the door, looking mad as heck and told me to go inside. I was scared, cause my uncle kinda looks like that before he gives me a black eye or something, so I just went in without complaining. He slammed the door and yelled, "What in the world possessed you to show up at two-thirty in the morning, Potter?!" Of course, I think he used different language, but I'm not gonna write it down. I told him that my detention had just finished, and asked, politely, if he had any cauldrons for me to clean. Snape just sorta looked at me strangely, and then he saw my hand. It hadn't stopped bleeding yet, it wasn't clotting. It hasn't been for the past few weeks; Madam Pomfrey said something about it. Not my hand specifically, but in general, of course. She doesn't know about my hand. Or maybe she does, but can't do anything about it, cause of Umbridge. Well anyway, Snape saw my hand, and he made me show it to him. He did some spell that clotted it, and then asked why I hadn't told Dumbledore. I mumbled that I didn't want to complain, and he looked at me strangely again. Then, he said that HE would tell Dumbledore, because that was abuse. I asked him why it was abuse; it was only a couple cuts. Uncle Vernon's made me bleed before, and it wasn't like she was beating me. He looked shocked that my uncle had hit me, and asked why Dumbledore hadn't taken me out of their house. I didn't know, so I shrugged. Then, he asked if Dumbledore knew, so I told him about how I had always asked to stay at Hogwarts instead of going back to them, and how my first Hogwarts letter was addressed to The Cupboard Under the Stairs, so yeah, he probably knew. Snape looked furious at that, and said that I wasn't going back there ever! Then, he said that I didn't have to do my detention, and told me to get some sleep. Well, that's about it, so...bye!

Harry

March 28, 1996 (Wed.)

Dear Diary,

Snape asked me to stay after class today. He asked me if I wanted to go back to my relatives or not. I said no, and he just nodded and excused me. I wonder what he talked to Dumbledore about.

Harry

March 30, 1996 (Fri.)

Dear Diary,

Dumbledore asked me if I could go to his office tonight. I hope nothing bad's going on.

Harry

March 31, 1996 (Sat.)

Dear Diary,

Wow, today went by in a blur! I'm adopted, for one, and I never go back to the Dursleys ever! Of course, ever wouldn't have been that long with my cancer anyway, but still......guess who adopted me? Snape! Can you believe it; I thought that he hated me! It turns out that he and mum were best friends, and he had told her that he would take care of me if something happened to her! Snape also found out about my cancer, and got real upset that I hadn't ever had a check-up so that it wouldn't be terminal. He said he's gonna look for a cure! Their also going to put Umbridge on trial in a couple weeks, and I have to testify. Fudge betrayed the old bat for his job, but he's going on a vote of confidence anyway.

Easter holidays started today, and I'm going home with Snape. I've never had somewhere to go for the holidays before, I'm so excited! Us, the Weasley's, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Dumbledore are gonna meet at Snape's house for Easter! I'm so excited!

Harry

A/N: Hola! I'm going back and fixing some of the mistakes that I've noticed. If you see any spelling or grammar, or something in the story that doesn't match up with something else in the story, please tell me so that I can fix it when I get the chance. Also, please tell me if you liked the story or not. Thanks!

-Love'sDaughter