Hero

-Author's Notes:

Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter out. I'm celebrating Valentine's Day a little late this year and have been a bit preoccupied lately. I want to personally thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter for me. I really appreciate it.


This story was beta by Nakhash Mekashefah. Her hard work and professional quality editing never cease to amaze me. Her ass deserves a thousand kisses on it.


Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.


HERO.


Chapter 04. Partnership.

Severus and his little companion sat outside Tilley's small pizzeria at a white plastic table with a large red and white umbrella coming out of the middle of it. He had purchased a large pie with pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. Severus had never cared much for modern Muggle food, but he had to admit this strange disk-shaped concoction was quite tasty. Lisa, for her part, was taking full advantage of his generosity. She had almost finished with her third slice while he had just finished his first. It was apparent to Severus that this small girl rarely had a hot meal during the course of a day.

"Lisa, do you have a last name?" he asked as she reached for her fourth slice.

"Hyde, my full name is Lisa Hyde. They named me after the park I was found in," she answered.

"Were you abandoned in Hyde Park by your mother as a baby?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope. They found me halfway out of my mum. Someone had stabbed her in the park. She was already dead when I was born. They never found out who she was or who killed her," Lisa told him with a hint of regret in her eyes. It wasn't hard for Severus to believe that Lisa's mother was never identified. She was most likely a witch that met a violent end at the hands of another witch or wizard.

"Lisa, do you know what a witch is?" he asked.

"Sure. That's an ugly old lady that has warts on her face and rides a broom. She also has a black cat," Lisa explained. Severus just smiled at her. He knew several old witches that perfectly fit that description.

"No, Lisa. A witch is a girl that is born with magic inside her. A boy born with magic is called a wizard. You are a witch, Lisa. That's why you can make flowers grow and change their color. You can do many more magical things, as well," Snape explained.

"Sister Shepard said that I was born a demon. She said that my mother was a whore that must have laid with the devil, and that not even the Pope could save my soul," Lisa told him. A slight twinge of anger grew inside Severus at hearing what this small child had been told by the nun for most of her life. It was a sad fact that most people in the wizarding world were isolated from their faiths because most religions still labeled those with magical blood as evil servants of the devil. But it was wizards and witches that had the strongest faith of all. They knew for a fact that there was a life beyond this one. Magic itself was the strongest proof of all that there a god exists.

"You will have to forgive Sister Shepard's ignorance, Lisa. The fact that there are many witches and wizards in the world today is a closely guarded secret. It is for our own protection that Muggles don't know we exist," Severus told her.

"Are you a wizard?" the little girl asked with a mouthful of cheese.

"Yes," he answered.

"Can you make flowers grow, too?"

"No. That is a very special and rare talent, even for a witch. I am a Potions master. I can brew and create magical potions," he informed her.

"Magic potions? What kinds?" she asked.

"All kinds. Potions that can do anything that you can imagine, and more," he explained.

"Can you make a potion that will make me taller?"

"Yes, up to five times your original size. But taking enlargement potions before you're full-grown is dangerous. You might not shrink back completely," he warned her.

"I don't want to shrink back. I want to be tall forever," Lisa eagerly said.

"Yes, but you don't want one leg a foot longer than the other. The shrinking can be very unpredictable," Severus told her.

"Oh," she said with disappointment. By her reaction, he could tell this little witch felt very small in this big Muggle world all by herself.

"Lisa, there are many other things you can do besides making flowers grow. I can teach you how to properly use your powers. With just a little training, you could feed and clothe yourself without the need to steal from Muggles. If you want, I could even give you a warm, safe place to live," Severus suggested.

"What's the catch?" she quickly asked with a skeptical look on her small face.

"The catch is I will need your help making my potions. If you decide to help, I will even pay you a share of what I make from the potions I sell," Severus told her.

"Why do you need my help? Can't you make potions on your own?" she asked.

"I had a accident with a potion last Christmas. I now require a little help," he told her. The small girl gave him a very calculating look. Severus could tell some real thinking was going on behind her large hazel eyes.

"Ten percent," she blurted out. "But I'm still going to live on my own. You could be some kind of weirdo, after all." Severus smiled at her. He would have been a little disappointed if she took his offer without reservations.

"Very well, Miss Hyde. But I will need your assistance at least six days a week. If you show up promptly, I will give you two pounds each day, on top of what you earn from my potions. Do we have a deal?" Severus asked as he extended his hand to her.

"Only if you provide lunches," Lisa asserted as she took his hand, giving him a very businesslike look for a nine-year-old.

"You have a deal, Miss Hyde," he agreed. The little street rat gave him a dazzling smile.

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Thirty minutes later, Severus escorted his little treasure back to her home behind the old burnt-out carpet store. Just as they passed through the hole in the fence, Severus heard a loud crash come from behind the building. He quickly put his hand out to stop Lisa from walking to the far end. Carefully and quietly as he could, Severus peered around the corner. There were three large men going through Lisa's converted delivery lorry. They were destroying everything they could get their hands on.

"My home," Lisa whispered sadly as she watched from his side. Severus recognized one of the men immediately. It was Fat Teddy from the Quick Exchange Pawnshop. He had a white cloth bandage wrapped around his right hand. He held an icepack to his temple with his left as he shouted orders at the other two. One of the other two was just as fat as Teddy, only shorter. The other was tall and lean with a face so ugly it should be a crime to show it in public. It was obvious that Teddy was seeking some kind of revenge on little Lisa for telling about the watch. Severus didn't want to think what the three brutes would have done if they had caught her in the lorry alone.

"They're tearing up all my stuff. Can't you stop them? You're a wizard," Lisa pleaded.

Severus turned to her and said, "It's a very bad idea to show your powers to Muggles, Lisa. Remember what happened the first time the nuns saw you make the flowers grow," he said to her. He could tell by the distressed look on her small face that he had brought up a very painful memory of hers. "We can come back tomorrow and salvage what they leave."

"Stand aside, mates," Teddy barked at the other two. He took a small lighter from his pocket; leaning down, he lit a rag that was stuffed into a bottle of clear liquid. He then picked up the homemade incendiary device and threw it into the back of the lorry. A large "whoosh" erupted as it was engulfed in flames.

Severus felt Lisa grab his hand and squeeze it tightly. He looked down at the small child to see tears streaming down her cheeks. He could tell whatever sense of home she had had for this place was now lost.

"The little shit will show up eventually. When she does, she's going to pay for what she did, and then some," Teddy said with a depraved look on his face.

"Just save us some, mate," the tall piece of ugly said. "I haven't had one that young before. I bet she's really sweet."

"She won't be when we're done with her," the short, fat one said with a perverted laugh. All three men began to cruelly chuckle.

Severus had heard enough. He took Lisa by the hand and quickly headed for the fence. "Where are we going?" Lisa asked as he pulled her through.

"Back to my flat. It is the only safe place for you now," he told her.

"But I don't want to live at your flat. I don't even know you," she told him with a bit of fear in her voice.

Severus knelt down next to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "I understand that you're afraid, Lisa. But if I meant you any harm, I would have done so as soon as I found you in the back of that lorry. The truth is I need you. And with those three trolls prowling the streets looking for you, Lisa, you need me as well," he told her. Lisa still had a very uncertain look in her eyes. Trust was something that didn't come naturally to this girl. She reminded him an awful lot of himself. Severus realized that this girl was a Slytherin through and through. He unclipped Malfoy's bejeweled gold dagger from his belt and handed it to her. "Take this. It is a magical dagger that will help protect you from all your enemies. Consider it a gift of good faith on my part," he told her.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful knife. "How much is it worth?" she asked as she walked alongside him.

"A small fortune, so don't let it be seen by anyone," Severus told the now smiling child. She quickly put the knife in the waistband of her trousers and pulled her jumper over it. He reached his hand out to her. Lisa took it. Together they headed for home.

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"ALIVE? ARE YOU NUTS?" Harry asked Hermione, giving her a bewildered look as they stood in the Room of Requirement.

"Snape is dead, Hermione. Everyone knows that," Ron said from her left.

"I don't believe that, Ron. Too many things aren't adding up. I'm convinced Professor Snape survived that night," Hermione forcefully said.

"But, Hermione, how is that possible?" Harry asked. "You're the one that told us he was dead."

"That's what I thought at first. But I think he might have survived," she told them.

"He was bleeding to death on a hillside in freezing temperatures with a poisonous potion sucking his life away. How can anyone survive that?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, but I'm convinced he did," she spiritedly told Ron.

"Hermione, even if Snape survived the potion, he wouldn't have survived the Death Eaters. They would have killed him for sure," Harry told her.

"That's only true if he stayed on that hill, and I'm convinced he didn't," Hermione stated.

"What makes you think that?" Ron asked.

"To start with, we haven't found his body. If Old Red Eyes did kill him, he would certainly have made sure Snape's body was mutilated and displayed somewhere very public. He'd want everyone to know what happens to traitors in his ranks. The Order has also heard rumors that the Death Eaters are looking for someone. And I overheard Draco say that one day he will avenge his father's death. How can he do that unless Professor Snape is still alive?" she asked.

"Hermione, Draco could have been talking about you. He probably blames you just as much as he does Snape for his father's death. The Order heard rumors the Death Eaters are searching for something, but not necessarily a person. They could be looking for Voldemort's wand. As for why we haven't found his body, maybe they blasted it with so many hexes nothing was left to display," Harry suggested.

"That doesn't explain the ring," she told them.

"What ring?" they both asked.

"The Malfoy signet ring. When Lucius Malfoy died, it should have gone to Draco as the next heir of Malfoy. It's been months, and I've never seen him with it. He is supposed to wear it all the time, like his father. I think Professor Snape took it before he left that hill," Hermione explained.

"Maybe one of the of Death Eaters stole it. I wouldn't put robbing the dead past any of them," Ron said. "What would Snape want with Malfoy's ring, anyway?" he asked.

"For money. It was very valuable. He would need a lot of money if he were to live as a Muggle," Hermione said. Both Harry and Ron began to laugh. Hermione could feel her blood begin to boil as they mocked her. She knew she should have gone to the headmaster first.

"A Muggle? Snape? Hermione, you can't be serious?" Ron asked through bouts of laughter.

"Of course I'm serious, which is more than I can say for the two of you," she heatedly told them.

"It's just so hard to believe. Old Snape as a Muggle, it's impossible," Harry told her.

"It's not impossible, Harry. He's a Slytherin; they'll do anything to survive. Even if that means becoming a Muggle," Hermione told her friend.

"Hermione, this thing you've got for Snape is starting to worry us," Ron told her.

"What thing?" she demanded.

"It's like you're obsessed with the greasy old bat. Ever since he died, it's all you think about anymore," Ron told her.

"He's not dead!" she flatly stated. "And excuse me if I care about what happened to the person that saved me from a fate worse than death. Do you two understand what they were about to do to me? I would have been raped twelve times over and then murdered. He gave up everything to save me."

"Hermione, it's not that we're not grateful for what he did for you. I just never thought Snape would do that for anyone, especially one of us. But he's gone now, just like Sirius. You know how long it took me to get over him. You will need to let Snape go, too. Holding onto something that's gone forever is very bad for your soul, Hermione. You just need to learn to except it, like I did, and it will be ok," Harry assured her.

"He's not dead and I'll prove it. Even if it takes the rest of my life," she angrily said as she left the room in a huff.

Hermione was angry that Harry and Ron didn't believe her. She wanted to go to Professor Dumbledore with her suspicions but was afraid he'd say the same as her friends. What she needed was real proof that Professor Snape was still alive. Hermione decided that she would head back to that hill in the countryside and find something that would tell her what really happened to Snape.

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Next chapter coming soon.


Here's another question for my readers. What kind of proof should Hermione find that points to the possibility that Snape is still alive? Remember, she should be the only one looking for him.

Please read and review, so I know what you think.