Title: A Knight of My Own
Author: Altaira
Rating: PG
Pairing: Harry/Severus if you can say there is a pairing-General/pre-slash
Disclaimer: The characters within are not mine and belong to JK Rowling.
Feedback: ajmummy@yahoo.com
Beta: Rakina
Archive: Part of the From Dusk till Dawn Severus Snape/Harry Potter Fuh-Q-Fest at http://www.kardasi.com/HPSS/storyindex.htm
Challenge:

Not here, Not now! No magic? ---It doesn't matter where or when Severus Snape and Harry Potter meet for the first time as long as it is NOT the way it happened in the books

“Fine!” Albus Dumbledore snapped at the myriad of professors and Order Members spread about his office. He wasn't entirely sure who to blame the current state of affairs upon. He supposed it could be his fault, but he really couldn't see how. Besides, he was never wrong and catastrophes of the sort he was currently experiencing were never his fault. Honestly, he blamed Minerva for not trusting him on this and Mrs. Figg for being loose-mouthed and talking to Minerva. Granted, he was the one who'd finally given into the three years of pestering about the boy Minerva had put him through, and told her to speak to Mrs. Figg herself since she didn't believe him, but her nagging had started to become irritating. Then Mrs. Figg had changed her tune, or rather, he suspected Minerva had asked different questions than he did. Twice a year he always asked, “Have you seen the boy recently? Have you seen any suspected Death Eaters about the place?” and Mrs. Figg would tell him when she last saw the boy and if she'd seen any one suspicious. So when Minerva asked, he always told her that Harry - it was never the boy with her - was just fine according to Mrs. Figg. After all, if Mrs. Figg had seen the boy, nothing could be wrong, could it?

Minerva had probably asked straight out “How was Harry the last time you saw him? Have you spoken to him? How does he look? Is he getting along with the other kids in the neighborhood?” or she might have gone even farther and asked inane things like “What is Harry's favorite toy? What are his favorite activities? What games does he like to play? Does he like to read? Does he have a favorite outfit?”… and other silly details. That is where the problem came up. Apparently, the last time Mrs. Figg had seen the boy, Harry had had a huge bruise across his face and his arm done up in a homemade sling. His clothes were many sizes too large and always fell off his extremely thin frame. He looked forlorn and his voice was scratchy, as if he'd strained it screaming. He was only ever seen being picked on by the neighborhood kids and rumor had it that he was just a horrid little monster which no one would like their children playing with, and he was possibly even diseased. Mrs. Figg had even gone as far as telling Minerva that the child wasn't allowed to do community activities, nor had she ever seen him with a toy or a book. When he was brought to her house to be taken care of while his family went off on whatever outing they were enjoying, she was given strict instructions not to read to him, not let him watch the telly, nor allow the boy to play with anything. Once, Mrs. Figg had to fetch the boy from a pond his cousin had pushed him into and another time she'd had to get him down from a tree where his cousin and some dog had chased him. Of course, she had to go and tell Minerva about it. All this added to the fact that he hadn't been sent off to school this year as he was supposed to have been, and as his cousin had been, and Minerva had been beside herself.

So, when Albus hadn't dropped everything to go check into things at the boy's relatives' house, Minerva started chattering to everyone else about it, which led to his office being the site of such chaos and furor. Severus…, he would send Severus to check on the boy. Severus would listen to reason and was the most unlikely of the group to over react to what he was sure was just your basic well-disciplined, unspoiled child. The boy was living with relatives, after all, surely that counted for something.

“Fine,” he repeated as everyone calmed down enough listen. “I will agree to send a representative to check on the Potter boy. After my representative has reported to me, I will inform everyone here of the findings. I am sure we will find nothing amiss and that this has all just been a sad misunderstanding which has been blown out of proportions. You are all dismissed until further notice. Severus, please stay behind.”

Minerva didn't leave. Severus grumbled. Albus glared at Minerva before moving to Severus.

“I need you to go look in on the child. The boy is safest where he is, and if at all possible, I'd like him to stay there. We cannot use any magic on the Muggles, though, so if he truly is in danger in that household… honest to goodness real and true danger mind you, discipline is never dangerous… I guess we will have to make other arrangements. You know, admittedly unfortunately, what the Wizarding world constitutes as true danger.”

“No, Albus, I don't. You never allowed me to turn in my father even after I found out after coming here that I ought to have been able to. What I went through would have had him thrown into Azkaban. Are you still sure?”

“Severus,” Albus started, in the soft razor-edged voice that had always brought Severus into his control before. “That child needs to stay there. I will not have him brought out simply because he doesn't get all the sweets he wants or has to share his toys.”

Minerva made a sound, as if to jump in, but a hand motion from Severus stopped her.

“And if it is worse, Albus? What if he isn't being allowed to be educated? Is that important? What if he is being beaten? Neglected? How much do you send that boy's family a year for his care? What if it is not being used on him at all?”

“I pay them plenty and it's out of the Order funds at the moment, until I can get hold of the Potter funds. I would be highly upset if I found out the money wasn't being used properly, I admit. But it doesn't all need to be used on the child, be reasonable. Discipline is a good thing; I don't care if they spank him or punish him. That will build character in the long run and make him strong. Mold him. Use your judgment. Watch for a full day, I want no hasty decisions. I trust you to go into this situation without all of the emotional hubbub that these silly women have shown. Also, remember, this is Harry Potter. James Potter's son, think on that, Severus.” Albus leaned in closer, whispering into Severus' ear so Minerva couldn't hear. “Think what the son of James deserves, Severus… what James deserved, Severus.”

“Fine. When do I leave?” Severus snarled. Holding Minerva's arm down, which had picked up one of the many gadgets sitting at the edge of the desk and seemed about ready to let loose with it after the “emotional hubbub” comment, Severus waited for the instructions he knew would be coming.

“Tonight. Apparate to Mrs. Figg's house, and then make sure you cannot be seen. I would like you then to enter 4 Privet Drive and spend a full day there observing the family and the boy. Remember, you cannot use your wand once inside the house.”

“All right,” Severus replied. He dragged Minerva out the door with him when Albus waved them off.

Minerva managed to hold her explosion in until they had reached the hall and they were past the gargoyle.

“The nerve of that man! Emotional hubbub, indeed! He is such an…”

“Don't finish. Do you really want him to hear that?” Severus asked, glancing at the portraits, which were all leaning forward in order to hear better. “Come with me, you can help me get ready.”

Once within Severus' rooms, Minerva ranted away while Severus grabbed several potions and other magical implements. He was searching through a large jewelry case when Minerva finally ran herself out of colorful terms to call Albus.

“Found it!” Severus cried, holding up a very plain-looking necklace.

“What is it?” Minerva asked.

“Ministry-issued invisibility necklace. The charm is woven into the metals; as soon as it is placed around my neck, I'll be invisible until I remove it. It was very useful during my spying days, and they never requested it back.”

“You haven't been using that to spy on the children and get them into trouble have you?” Minerva cried.

“Do you think if I'd been using it regularly it would have taken me so much time to find it? I don't need to use it; the students are just oblivious to their surroundings. All you have to do to spy on them is stand still in a shadow.”

“Severus!”

“Well, if you'd prefer countless little rugrats underfoot before their parents are even old enough to use magic outside of school, I suppose we could all get a decent sleep for a change.”

Minerva sighed. “No, you are right. I do not understand what is up with the students lately.”

“It is simple, Minerva. The Dark Lord has been gone for four years now. They are responding to the community as whole's feeling of safety, and the masses need to procreate while it is safe to do so.”

Minerva nodded. “I just wish they would decide to do so later in life, say until they have at least passed their NEWTS.”

“We all do, I'm sure.” Severus agreed. “Can you think of anything else I might need? I have taken potions for emergency use and water to drink. I'll stop by the kitchen to eat and grab some food to go, and I've got my necklace.”

“I don't know. I honestly don't know how bad it is. I fear it is much worse than Albus will admit to though. Severus, Mrs. Figg didn't speak as if these were odd occurrences. She didn't seem shocked at the arm in a sling or him being bruised. If he is being punished for reasonable offenses, fine. If the arm and bruise were just accidents, I understand. But don't let him stay if he is being treated horribly, please. I promised Lily… you promised Lily… that he would be taken care of. Don't let how James treated you influence your decision on this, think of Lily instead.”

“Minerva, I promise. I will not allow another child to suffer what I did, let alone worse, if I can prevent it. If anyone would know what is unreasonable, I would. James won't even come into the evaluation; I couldn't do that to a small child.”

Minerva placed her hand on Severus' arm, comforting him as much as the young man would allow. “I know. I am sorry, I should have stepped in.”

“It is done. You did what you could. It was not your fault that you couldn't do enough.”

“In many ways it was, my boy, in many ways it was.”

Severus shook her hand off and turned to the door after a few moments of silence.

Minerva watched as Severus left his rooms, sweeping into the hall in the direction of the kitchens. She hoped the young man would do as his heart impelled him, even after he saw young Harry, whom Mrs. Figg insisted was the spitting image of James. She hoped Severus' childhood of abuse would speak to him louder than seeing James staring back at him.

Severus Apparated to Mrs. Figg's front steps. He startled a few cats as he appeared, but didn't seem to have disturbed anyone else. It was well before dawn and quite chilly, so he hadn't figured he would. He checked to make sure he had his food and potions safely tucked in the pack he'd secured to his back, and set the necklace around his neck, lying over his outer robes yet touching his neck along the back. He stopped by a window as he walked to number four on Privet Drive, making sure he was indeed unseen. The cool autumn air felt crisp and leaves blew across the street as he moved towards the house where young Harry Potter was supposed to live.

Severus felt the anti-apparition wards as he passed through them about four houses from the one the boy lived in, but he was highly shocked to find he felt no other wards as he entered the property. Albus kept insisting this was the safest place, that the wards were unbeatable. He ought to have felt something. He magically opened the door, and slipped in.

It was nearing five am, and he figured most families would not be starting to stir for an hour or so. It gave him time to look around a bit. He wandered through a doorway off to the left and into the dining room, with its china cabinet full of delicate china and walls full of black and white photos of a huge blond child. They seemed to document every holiday the child had ever been on. Pictures of the huge blond child at different stages of life - at the beach, at the circus, on a pony, at a farm, on some sort of garishly painted wooden horse- were spread out over the walls. The child must be nearly the same age as Lily's boy, Severus finally figured, as the most recent pictures of the large child didn't seem to be of much older than five or six, a huge five or six but five or six all the same.

Severus moved from the dining room to the kitchen. It was immaculate. There wasn't a spot on any of the shiny surfaces to mar their perfect finishes. Severus quickly stepped back into the dining room, noting that even in there all the surfaces were polished to a high gloss shine and perfection. He noted that the high polished look wasn't quite as well done near the tops of the cabinet or the shelves. Lily's sister must be shorter than average, Severus thought, stepping back into the kitchen.

The second time of entering the kitchen, Severus noticed the oddities. Half the kitchen cupboards had locks on them, as did the refrigerator. There were several foot stools placed about the kitchen as well.

The kitchen had a slight upside down L shape to it, and in the side area was a small table which seated three, and a large television. A small desk rested under the telephone, which was also off to the side. A door led off to the hall. As he walked down the hall, he passed another locked cupboard, this one under the staircase. For a few moments Severus thought he heard sounds from with in. He shrugged the notion off, figuring it was mice or maybe a pet which wasn't trustworthy in the house at night.

He found himself again in front of the door he'd come in by. He walked through an entrance to the right, this time, and found himself in a large sitting room area. There were several bookshelves, but with few actual books, lining the walls of the far end of the room, which opened up by means of french doors to the back garden. There was a small seating arrangement there, two large arm chairs which looked like they'd never actually been used, facing a lovely old fireplace which had been fitted with a small gas stove and the rest of the space had been bricked in. The main part of the room consisted of two large sofas and a reclining chair facing a huge television and some other electrical equipment. Severus even noticed several of those games systems he'd been hearing about from old acquaintances who ought to have been well past that type of entertainment. The sofas looked to have been at one time very expensive leather, but there were scrapes and slashes, large children's footprints, and stains of all sorts marring the surfaces.

The walls and every surface in this room also paid homage to the huge blond boy. Professional portraits, of the film variety, lined the walls. A prefect procession from a squalling red lump of infant in a sailor suit to a huge whale of a boy with a sneer that could match Narcissa Malfoy's, in a much larger sailor suit. There seemed to be four that covered the unfortunate child's first year of life, with two per year afterwards hanging on the wall. The only things changing were the sailor suits and the size of the child. The last two years' worth of the line of sailor suit portraits were disturbed by two pictures of the same child in a crisp blue school uniform, with a crest on the cap and blazer. Severus looked closer at the school uniform and recognized the crest. It was from the nursery school attached to one of the most prestigious day schools, in the area. When Narcissa was looking into schooling young Draco, she had briefly considered the school, due to the sheer amount of additional powerfully influential opportunities Draco could have gained by being in that school until his boarding school days, whether it was mostly Muggle or not. She still had another year in which to decide whether or not to send him to day school there.

Right above the cabinet that held the television, was the only large portrait not solely of the child. It showed the figures of an enormous man with apparently no neck and hair that would have looked more at home on some sort thick-bristled brush, the huge child that was displayed everywhere else in the house, and a very thin lady with a pinched-looking face. She wasn't very short, like he'd thought she would be. She did resemble Lily just a tiny bit, though. Snapshots of the family and the child were scattered over all the surfaces, as were poorly-made items that Severus assumed must be the child's craft works.

There were no pictures of anyone else, no clue that another person was supposed to reside in the house. Severus quickly glanced at the clock resting on one of the shelves; he'd spent almost forty minutes in the downstairs rooms. He suspected he had time to quickly look into the rooms upstairs. He carefully climbed the stairs, noting that several squeaked and two showed unusual wear. The door on the left was open and led to a frilly guestroom, with much lace adorning very flowery furnishings. The bed was larger than he'd expected in a guestroom, but he briefly considered that perhaps the man's relatives were as round as he and his child were. The first door on the right was also open and led to a rather small room which was filled with broken toys and ruined furniture.

He looked around quickly and then backed out of the room. There were only three doors left. The second doors on both the right and left were slightly open. Behind the door on the left was a bathroom, and snoring came from the door on the right. Severus pushed the door open a little wider and beheld the child in the photos, who seemed even larger in the absurd yellow pajamas the boy was wearing. The room was large and a mess, clothing was strewn everywhere and toys and books littered the floor, many broken and torn. There was no second child, though, just one bed and one child in the room. Severus quickly looked into the bathroom, hoping to find some evidence that young Harry was in the house. He couldn't find any.

Before he could get to the last door he heard an alarm clock going off, and a very grumpy deep voice snapping through the door. Severus figured he'd move back downstairs, and hope to find some information on the child he was supposed to observing. He settled himself in the doorway of the dining room, in a position to see where those who were waking would be going, from the top of the stairs onwards.

The thin lady stood at the top of the stairs and Severus watched as she very quietly said something, ending in a smirk that could rival the ones he gave the Gryffindors during his potions classes. She stepped down till she was about half way down the staircase. Then she spoke again.

“Boy,” she whispered. “Get up!” The smirk was back as she went further down the steps. At the base of the staircase she again stopped and whispered “Boy, get up!”

The smile that crossed her face as she spoke the third time made the skin on Severus' neck crawl in a manner it hadn't since Voldemort had been taken care of. She stopped at the locked cupboard under the stairs and silently removed the lock. Then she threw the door open, making sure it slammed loudly into the wall.

“Get up, you stupid lazy boy! Haven't you heard me? I called you three times already!” She screamed as she reached into the small space and pulled a tiny dark-haired child out by his ear. “Vernon needs to go to work early and he wants a full breakfast this morning, none of that boxed cereal stuff. Get in that kitchen and get to work.”

The boy dared to raise his face when he answered the thin woman, and Severus saw the same bright green eyes Lily's boy had even as a baby. His forehead and much of his face was covered by long locks of hair which flapped forward, obscuring the scar the boy ought to have on his forehead. This boy was tiny though, he couldn't have been much older than three at that size. The boy's words and the lady's response shocked him farther as they sank in. The child's polite answer of “Yes, Aunt Petunia,” was met with a smack and “Don't call me that! How many times have I told you not to call me that unless we are in public? The proper response is ‘Yes, ma'am.'”

Severus carefully moved closer, to get a look inside the cupboard before it was closed. Pushed in under the stairs was a small palette which was certainly older than the child, and two thin blankets…one which he recognized as belonging to Harry Potter, Lily's son. Cleaning supplies filled the rest of the room, mostly on shelves or leaning up against the walls. Sweeping his gaze back to the tiny bed, he noticed a pile of clothing, which he had first taken for rags. A quick glance at the retreating figure, racing fast to the kitchen entrance, confirmed that the rags were indeed what the child wore. The door was slammed shut in his face before he could see more.

Petunia, he now remembered was Lily's sister's name. Lily had adored her until she could no longer ignore the tormenting the older girl had put Lily through. It had crushed Lily and…in the end, it had crushed Severus as well. It was during the time Lily was weighted down with the sad acceptance of Petunia's insistence that she never wanted to be different and realizing that Petunia was not ever going to be the bright star she'd always looked for, that Severus's own problems had been so insurmountable that he hadn't been there for his friend and they had drifted apart. Lily found others who could be there for her…or who never knew how much she longed for something she was never going to have. They had eventually reconnected and made their peace, but Severus had already made the largest mistake of his life by that time.

Severus followed the two into the kitchen and moved himself into a corner to watch. A few oddities made much more sense now. The stools were for the child. Even with them the waif couldn't reach any of the cupboard shelves past the bottom, and so he'd crawl upon the counters and reach the items he needed. Petunia was no help, in fact several times Severus watched her take ingredients or dishes that the child had set out and move them. Even with her interference, the boy soon had hotcakes and eggs cooking on the stove, and was squeezing fresh orange juice.

Petunia snarled as soon as the juice was finished and the child moved it into the refrigerator to cool. The boy was just removing the hotcakes from the pan when she yelled, “Where is the bacon, boy?”

“We're out, ma'am. I told you yesterday and asked that it be picked up before morning.”

Petunia screamed at the boy, “You know how Vernon likes his bacon and Dudley will be beside himself and refuse to eat. You are lying, aren't you? You ate it didn't you?”

The boy shrank back and quickly got away from the stove and the stool he'd been standing on. “No, ma'am. You watched me yesterday, you know I couldn't have.”

The woman didn't listen, instead she stalked closer to the boy, grabbing the recently emptied pan on her way. The boy turned his body and ducked his head down as the hot flat bottom of the pan was slammed against him, hitting the bare shoulder and upper back that had been exposed as the grossly oversized shirt slid down. The pan was held against the boy until the smell of the burning eggs brought the attention back to the food cooking still.

“Now the eggs are ruined! There will be no food for you until you can learn take care of the food for those in this family. If, tomorrow, you can fix all our meals without destroying and wasting my precious family's food, then maybe on Sunday you can eat.”

“But Sunday is five days away.” The boy whimpered. “I wasn't fed yesterday.”

“Well, then, you should have considered that before you burnt the eggs. Now go fix it!”

The boy went back to the stove and started to cook eggs again, minus the full use of one arm. He even managed to set the table while they were cooking. As he walked by Severus saw the blistered skin from the hot pan, over the bruise that was forming from its initial brutal contact. Just as the child was finishing up the eggs, a loud tramping sounded from the hall. The huge man came stomping into the kitchen, and after cuffing the small boy upside the head as he passed by, he sat at the table.

The boy quickly served up the eggs and hotcakes to the large man, who gobbled them down as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. The boy served a plate of food to the thin lady, as well as two more plates to Vernon. He started washing the pans he'd used for cooking as the adults talked at the table. He'd just removed the plate that was in front of his aunt when the male shouted.

“Boy! Petunia says you are the reason we have no bacon today. Get over here,” he bellowed.

The boy startled and dropped the plate, which didn't shatter but spilled the syrup the women had put on her hotcakes onto the floor. He quickly scuttled over to the man, who slapped the child across the face. “How dare you drop our dishes? Do you need a lesson in the proper care for others belongings? Bend over, now!”

The boy quickly bent over the table and the man removed his belt. The strokes from the belt were strong enough to propel the boy and the table forwards with each swipe, but the boy did not cry. Twenty strokes later the man put his belt back on and the boy stood up, a slight limp and duller eyes the only signs he'd been spanked. He picked up the plate and took it to the sink, where he promptly started washing the dishes again.

“Oh, Vernon, you take such good care of your family,” the woman simpered.

Severus was ready to sweep the child into his arms and take him out of the home, even without complete proof he was little Harry Potter, but he had committed himself to a full day and a full day he would do. The man kissed his wife and got up to leave, complaining about having to work in such a hard job for such long hours. Petunia asked if he'd be home at his regular hour, which was apparently an early three o'clock in the afternoon, or if she was going to have to tell her poor baby that his daddy had to work late. Vernon answered that he'd be home early and that he would pick Dudley up from school so they could all go out to the movies during the evening. He was certain the business meeting which he was leaving early for would go well and bring in a wonderful bonus as well as a nice raise.

Severus watched as the lady left the room, after making sure to count the hotcakes and note how much scrambled eggs were left, and scrape the remains of her husbands food into the trash.

“Don't forget to have Dudley's toast finished by the time he gets down here and don't let the eggs or hotcakes get cold. He needs to be properly fed before school, the poor dear. I want the dishes done before I get back down. If Dudley isn't down in ten minutes go wake him up again.”

The boy nodded and the woman swept out of the room and went back up the stairs, stepping on the squeaky steps on the way. Severus heard her call to the other boy and he heard the whining and fussing of the child, who didn't want to get up. He heard a shower start up as he watched the boy still in the kitchen. The boy carefully washed the plates and glasses which had been used, climbing up onto the counter to place them back into the cupboard. He counted out four slices of bread and popped them into the toaster, then checked the heat of the eggs with his finger tip, only after looking around to make sure he was still alone. After another glance around the room, he quickly dug in the garbage for a few pieces of hotcake. Stuffing them in his mouth he quickly swallowed as he heard thumping coming slowly down the stairs, and rushed back to the counter. He tucked the eggs in the microwave for about fifteen seconds and was just taking the bowl out when the other boy came in to the room.

Seeing the two children together was a huge shock to Severus. The blond boy was at least 40 centimeters taller than the little dark-haired child. The difference width wise was even more drastic; you could have stood four of the little boy who'd cooked, cleaned, been berated and beaten since he'd left a cupboard together and been the same width as the other boy. The dark-haired boy put the six remaining hotcakes, four slices of toast, and enough eggs to feed three people on a plate before speaking.

“What would you like on your hotcakes, Dudley?” The dark-haired child asked.

“Butter and syrup, freak.”

“You be nice, Dudley.”

“What you going to do, freak? Tell my mum? You're just a dumb freak who's too worthless to even exist.”

“Here is your breakfast.” The small child sat the plate, a glass of chocolate milk and a cup of orange juice in front of the blond.

The dark-haired child went back to the sink and started to wash off the counters and stove top as the large child taunted him, teasing him with each bite. The teasing continued as Petunia came in and started fawning over her hefty child.

“Mum, I don't want to go to school today. It's too hard and my teachers don't like me. They are so unfair. They won't even let me eat until snack time. Please, mummy, don't make me go.”

“Oh, my poor sweet Duddykins, Mummy hates sending you off to that nasty mean school, but Daddy says it is for the best. Think of all the important people whose children you are in class with. Daddy will make us so much more money when you become friends with them, and Mummy will be able to go to all the right parties. You just be your sweet darling self and everyone will love you, my little Duddley-wuddley. Now let's go get you all dressed nice for school,” Petunia cooed at her child. Then she turned and snapped at the small boy scrubbing away at the counter. “Boy, finish the kitchen!”

Petunia stopped to scrape the tiny amount of remains off Dudley's plate and into the trash before steering the blond boy out to the hall and back upstairs.

The little boy washed Dudley's plate and finished washing the counters. Then he got down and washed the floor by hand. As he did, he pushed his hair back behind his ears and Severus caught sight of the scar, the lightening bolt scar that was said to grace the forehead of one Harry James Potter. Harry had just finished the floors when Petunia dragged him by the arm and shoved him back into the cupboard.

“I have to drop Dudley off at school; we missed his ride trying to get his tie on right. I will stop at the grocers on the way home. When I get back, you will make all the beds, clean the bathrooms, vacuum and dust all the rooms down here, and do all the linens and Dudley's laundry before starting to prepare the gardens for winter. This all needs to be done early today as well, so get ready to work fast!” She slammed the door and fastened the lock before leaving, with Dudley in tow.

Severus sat on the bottom step. Harry Potter should be five. The little dark-haired child, the one with the green eyes so similar to Lily's and the lightening bolt shaped scar on its forehead, didn't look much older than three in height and weight. However, he spoke well and was processed of much better motor skills than a three year old ought to be. Then, there was that blanket in that cupboard. It was Harry Potter's, he knew that blanket. There was no way around it, the child who'd been beaten this morning, who'd done every bit of work there was to be done this morning which he could manage…Severus doubted he'd have been able to get the other boy dressed, which he imagined would have been just as hard work as washing the dishes, if not harder…could be none other than Harry Potter. Now, Severus just had to decide what to do. He couldn't go back and face Minerva without bringing the child with him, but Dumbledore was not going to be happy about him removing the child at all.

From the cupboard a sweet voice sang out. The ABC song was perfectly in tune, followed by a song Severus had never heard before which went through mathematical facts. Before long the child started making odd sounds, which Severus recognized as the phonetic components to the letters he'd been singing just moments before. After running through sounds, he started reciting words and spelling them, often words much larger than Severus thought a child his age should be able to spell. Then he went on to recite the Rulers of England in order.

Severus pulled out a sandwich from his pack and ate it while still somewhat alone in the house, thinking about the child he was listening to now list off countries, grouped together by geographic location. The child wasn't stupid, that was for sure. He wasn't being withheld from school due to lack of intelligence. Severus was just swallowing the last bite when he heard the front door opening again.

The boy in the cupboard didn't hear the door though, and was once again singing the ABC ' s when his Aunt entered the house.

Petunia opened the door and stalked over to the cupboard. The boy within heard and the singing cut off mid-note.

“What have I told you about doing that, boy?” She yelled as she unlocked the door. The boy was visibly shaking as he was hauled out from under the stairs. She slapped him across the face twice before allowing the child to answer.

“Not to do things that deal with an education,” the boy sniffed.

“Exactly. You are a stupid boy, and unfit for such behaviors. Only good, smart children can go to school and be educated. The precious money that it takes would be wasted on horrid little freaks like you.”

“Yes, ma'am,” was the boy's only reply. He quickly reached behind him and pulled out a container with handles on each side, which was at least twice as wide as the child was and half his height. Severus was amazed the child could still manage the thing with his shoulder as injured as it was, but the only sign the boy gave of discomfort was a small wince and the biting of his bottom lip. Harry lifted it and waddled into the dining room, where he sat it on the floor, off to the side near a wall. He went through to the kitchen and quickly returned with one of the stools. Severus looked around, trying to locate the woman. She was sitting in front of the television, watching some movie while gossiping on the telephone to someone with a high pitched whine that carried into the hall.

The boy silently dusted, and then polished all the wood, metal, glass and other materials within the room which he could reach. After that he pulled out a vacuum from the cupboard and took care of the cloth surfaces and the carpets. As he finished with the dining room, he moved to the door of the sitting room.

“Ma'am?”

“I'm watching the telly in here boy! Do the upstairs now. Don't forget to pick up the wash and start it. The bathrooms need cleaning today as well, do the downstairs one when you do the laundry. If you disturb me again before lunch, I'll have to tell Vernon.”

“Yes, ma'am”.

The small boy picked up his container of cleaners and started up the stairs. The back of the oversized shirt was damp and Severus realized the blisters from the burn had popped and were oozing. The child ignored it unless the shirt moved against the sores, and even then only a grimace crossed his face. Then he went back down the stairs and carried the vacuum up as well. Harry started with the guest room, hurrying through it as he caught sight of the clock. He ran through the other rooms gathering the laundry, which he piled right next to the stairs. He dusted in the spare room with all the broken toys as well. Severus watched as he paused over several items, letting his hands linger before sighing and continuing his job.

The bathroom cleaning was accomplished with a speed that spoke of much practice. Harry once again glanced at the clock in the guestroom before heading into the room Severus hadn't been able to peek into that morning. It was opulent, gold and white satin and velvet fabrics covered everything. The light colored wood and brass furnishings gleamed in the sunlight. Harry made the bed and pulled the vacuum into the room, where he ran it over the carpet and all the cushions. He polished all the brass fixtures and the wooden surfaces. The bathroom and toilet closet were dispatched with the ease of the one in the hall, even though the toilet in this room made Severus' stomach churn, especially when he realized Harry probably did these chores everyday. Severus' level of disgust toward the whale of a man he'd watched earlier rose to even greater heights.

He heard the sigh from the small child as the master room was finished and the door shut tight as they left. Harry's whole body, as well as his disposition, seemed to fall into a slump as he entered his cousin's bedroom. He started picking up the trash that littered the floor, before picking up the toys. He dusted the television screen and the other screens in the room, as well as the tops of all the electronic devices. He carried out more dirty clothing before stripping the bed of all the bedding. Severus caught the shiver and the wrinkled nose as Harry pulled the sheets off the bed, and the scent of urine as Harry passed Severus clued him into the cause. His cousin had obviously wet the bed.

Harry dropped the soiled sheets onto the pile of gathered laundry and went to the cupboard tucked into the bathroom, which opened to reveal towels and bedding. He pulled out a mattress pad with some sort of lining that made it water proof, a set of sheets and a large comforter, balancing them all precariously as he made his way back to the room. Severus watched, in amazement, as the tiny child efficiently made the bed. Soon the room was as clean as a room with too many items stuffed into it could be, and Harry went back out into the hallway.

He carried the laundry down the stairs first, in two batches. Severus followed him downstairs and watched as the boy walked through to the kitchen, opening a door off to the end opposite the table, which led out into a room which held a washing machine and dryer, more cupboards, washcloset, and several large sinks. Another door led out to where Severus suspected the garage would be. Harry tossed the soiled sheets and mattress pad into the washing machine and started it, adding soap as the water filled. Severus caught him washing his hands with the soap as he added it. The rest of the laundry was separated into piles before Harry left the room.

He headed to the kitchen, where he quickly put together several sandwiches and a soda, setting them out as he called his aunt to come eat her lunch. As she came in, grumbling, Severus followed Harry out. He lost track of him for several seconds, until Harry came back into his view, carrying the vacuum from upstairs. Harry placed it inside the sitting room and quickly ran back up the stairs, returning with the large container of cleaning supplies. Before Severus realized it, Harry was climbing about, dusting and making sure all the glass in the picture frames was clean. He did so with a quickness, yet thoroughness, that surprised Severus even after everything else he'd seen that day. He'd just finished with that when his aunt shouted that she was using the telephone in the kitchen for important business calls for Vernon and not to disturb her there. Harry quickly started up the vacuum and finished the sitting room just as his Aunt came back in.

“Boy, you had better be finished with this, you are running late today,” his aunt punctuated late word late with a slap across Harry's face. “You still need to work in the garden. It's getting chilly, so we need it ready for winter before too long. Go finish that laundry and bathroom and don't forget to clean the kitchen.”

Harry nodded, and pulled his cleaning supplies and the vacuum out of the sitting room. Petunia was promptly seated right in front of the television again the moment Harry left the room.

Severus was horrified at the mess the woman had made in the kitchen in the short time she'd been in there, for no reason other than to make a mess. The boy sighed after glancing at the counter covered in flour and grease. His shoulders visibly drooped and his entire demeanor seemed to be heavier. He first went to the laundry and moved the wash into the dryer and put a new load in to washing machine. Then he headed back into the kitchen. The mess in the kitchen proved to be rather difficult to clean. The boy got up to switch the laundry twice in the time it took for him to finally get all the grease and flour removed off the kitchen surfaces. Severus remained in the kitchen, sitting at the table and thinking while the boy ran the folded laundry which was finished to wherever it belonged. He swiftly stood and went to the hall when he heard Harry and his aunt.

“You horrid freak! You haven't even finished the laundry and Vernon and Dudley will be here soon. I set you a simple list of chores and can you even be bothered to finish them?”

Severus heard the slap before watching the irate woman's hand come down again for a second. Harry just turned his head and looked back towards the kitchen and only Severus could see the tears that glistened in the boy's eyes before he pulled his face into the respectful apologetic expression he wore the whole day.

“I am sorry, ma'am.” Harry said softly.

“Just wait till your Uncle gets home.”

Petunia turned and swept into the sitting room, keeping her eyes on the front window. Harry went back to the laundry, checking to see if what was in the dryer was almost finished. Then he went out the door into the yard. Severus missed getting through the door before it was shut and could only watch from the kitchen windows. Harry picked up a large set of garden shears, with handles that were so worn that they shed splinters as they were used. They were almost as long as the boy was tall. Severus watched from the window as the boy struggled to prune the large bushes near the fence. He was thinking of ways to exit the house and help the boy when he heard Petunia moving about, rushing into the laundry room and grabbing the clothing from the dryer, quickly folding a few items that were somewhat dry and stuffing the rest back into the dryer to finish. She then picked up her tiny pile of clothing and started walking towards the front of the house. Severus walked to the doorway leading to the hall to watch.

Vernon and the fat child had come home. Petunia paused at the foot of the stairs until Vernon opened the front door and entered the house. As soon as he was coming in she started to move again, heading up the stairs with the clothing. Vernon's face started changing colors rapidly, going from pasty to a purple that couldn't be all that healthy in just seconds. He charged down the hall towards the backyard, Severus barely had time to duck into the entrance to the dining room before he was rammed into. Severus ran to the kitchen and dashed out the backdoor which had been left open.

Vernon had the small dark-haired child lifted up off the ground by a hand around the boy's neck. Severus could see his mouth moving but couldn't hear a word being said until he got close enough to nearly touch them both if he reached his arms forward.

“…dare you, you freak? How many times have I told you that you are not to make Petunia do all work around the house? How dare you not do your chores? I come home to Petunia slaving away everyday and you out here goofing around. Not a thing accomplished outside, ever. You'll regret this, boy. Thirty lashes before we leave and then you're in the cupboard until tomorrow. You have exactly two minutes to use the facilities and you'd best be in the sitting room waiting for me when I get in the house.”

Harry took off and Severus followed him, pausing to watch as the huge man laughed and bent the shears just enough to prevent them being useful at all. Severus watched Harry dart to the toilet and heard him using it, before quickly washing his hands and running out to make it to the sitting room before his uncle. For the first time in the whole day, Severus spotted fear in the child's eyes.

Severus slid into the sitting room and positioned himself against the wall by the entrance. Petunia was already seated on the couch, a gleeful smirk gracing her horse-like features. Harry stood in front of the television, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes on the floor. Vernon marched into the room, and stood before Harry, slowly sliding his belt free of the loops on his trousers.

“Twenty lashes for not finishing your chores today, boy and ten for making Petunia work.”

“Yes, sir,” the boy muttered.

“I will do the counting, shirt off!”

Harry pulled off the shirt and Severus nearly gasped aloud at the scarring that littered the child's back. The burn from earlier was blistered and bright red, oozing in several places, but it wasn't the only open sore. There were several large scrapes that looked to be infected on the boy's lower back, which Severus couldn't place the source of. The belt swung down and cracked against the burn, causing the boy to yell, before Severus had even noticed it was completely removed from the fat man's body. The woman slapped Harry's face as soon as the yell escaped him.

“Do you want the neighbors to hear, you freak? Keep quiet.”

The belt rained down on the boy over and over. Severus winced at each hit and the boy had soon bit through his lip. When Vernon shouted twenty he flipped the belt in his hand and Severus realized what the scrapes had been from. The buckle slashed into the burn and Harry cried out once more. Petunia laughed as she slapped him across the face. Harry cried as each of the next nine hits tore into his back, although he held his voice somehow. Vernon picked Harry up by his arm, pulled the child's shirt down over his head, and dragged him to the cupboard under the stairs, throwing him in hard enough that Severus heard the small body slam against the back wall.

The door was slammed shut and the bolt that kept it locked slid tight. Petunia called up the stairs for Dudley and the huge child came lumbering down, just in time to be joined by his father who was just finishing sliding his belt back on.

“Ready, dears? We are celebrating tonight. I signed a contract with one of Dudley's schoolmate's fathers today. See Petunia, I promised sending Dudley to that school would be just what we needed. We'll be rolling in the money soon. First we are off to the movies and then out to dinner.”

Severus waited until the car had pulled away and turned the corner of the street before heading to the cupboard. They weren't planning on opening that door until at the very least tomorrow morning, so wouldn't miss the child until then. He planned on having Harry out of the house and back to Hogwarts before they came home, but he had not thought through how to remove him. First things first, though, the child needed his attention. Severus slid off the necklace which had been keeping him invisible all day and put it in a pocket. Then he moved the pack off his back so he could reach it easier, in case he needed potions from it immediately. As soon as he was ready for whatever he would see inside the cupboard, he unbolted the door.

Much to Severus' surprise, Harry was aware when he opened the door. The child pressed himself against the wall he'd been thrown into and stared at Severus.

“Who are you?” He asked.

“My name is Severus Snape, and I'm a friend.” Severus sat on the floor outside the small space so he could look at Harry face to face as they talked.

“Of Aunt Petunia's? Does she know you're here? How do you know about me?”

“No, I was a friend of your mum's before she was killed. I'll be yours too, if you'll let me.”

“You knew my mother? Was she nice?”

“She was wonderful. Will you come out or allow me to come in to you? I could help you and ease the pain I know you must be feeling right now.”

Harry scooted forward a bit, wincing at every motion. “How?”

Severus smiled. “Magic.”

“There's no such thing. Uncle Vernon will beat you if he hears you say that word. He even hit Dudley once when he asked for a book about magic. Aunt Petunia will wash your mouth out with soap and then hit you. ”

“Ahh, but haven't you noticed your uncle and aunt are sometimes wrong about things? Like when your aunt tells you you are stupid? Do you think Dudley could spell half the words you can? Or when your uncle insists your aunt does all the housework?”

“Yeah, but I'm not allowed to think that.”

“Well, they are wrong about magic, too. If you come out, I can show you a little bit.”

Harry moved out of his cupboard and into Severus' reach. Severus reached his hand forward. “Will you allow me to examine your back? I want a closer look so I know what will help you best.”

Harry stared at Severus and Severus held his breath. He'd been under the gaze of the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, each measuring his worth, he'd been under the gaze of what felt like the entire Ministry of Magic, sizing him up while Dumbledore spoke on his behalf, but none of them had a gaze like that of young Harry Potter. Severus felt as if the child could see to the depth of his very soul and was terrified of being found lacking. Then the child blinked and placed his hand in Severus', sliding onto his lap.

“Will you take me away? Are you my knight, come to rescue me? I always wanted a knight of my own, but I was just planning on waiting till Dudley broke one of his toy knights and sneaking that.”

Severus chuckled, surprising himself. “I would not call myself a knight, by any means, but I am going to take you away from here. First, I want to make sure you will be able to travel. I will try not to hurt you as I look you over, all right?”

Harry closed his eyes and Severus pulled the shirt away from the boy's back by the oversized neck. The only hint of the child's pain was a slight intake of breath. Severus examined the burn and the cuts across it, before letting go of the shirt. Then he took the hem and lifted it up until he could see Harry's back and the infected scrapes on the lower back he'd noticed earlier.

Severus eased the shirt down and pulled his pack to him. He removed four potions and held the vials in his hand, where Harry could see them.

“These are potions; magic potions which can help heal you. The blue one is one to help with the pain, so that I can pick you up and move with you without it hurting you as much. The pink one will help your burn heal. The lavender one fights infections that have already started to grow. The darker purple one will help cuts and abrasions heal faster. I would like you to take three sips of each. I will hold them to your lips to guide how big a sip; you need to swallow all of what I give you, even though they taste horrid. I will get you something to drink as soon as you swallow the last one. Will you do that for me?”

Harry looked at the bottles in Severus' hands and reached out to touch them. Seeing Severus' nod, he picked up the blue one and studied it.

“Yeah.”

Severus sighed in relief and uncorked the blue one first, guiding it to Harry's mouth. Soon, Harry had quaffed all four of the potions without a complaint.

“I wish the first years were as uncomplaining as you,” Severus muttered as he tucked the potion bottles back into his pack.

“They were pretty icky, but I've had worse,” Harry stated, taking a drink from a bottle of water which Severus had offered. “What are first years?”

“I teach at a school which teaches magic and the first years are the students just coming to school. They start the school at eleven and are constantly whining about how bad the potions taste.”

Harry gave a small smile and Severus got ready to stand up. “I want to grab one thing out of your cupboard there before we go, is there anything you'd like to take?”

Harry slid off Severus lap, and then looked at him in surprise. “Wow, those potions really do work. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it did before I took them. Better than the medicine Aunt Petunia sometimes gives me if the sores get too bad.”

As Harry slid into the cupboard and pulled a few books, two small broken pieces to a wooden train, an armless tin solider, and a tattered stuffed moose from under the palette, Severus reached in and snagged the blanket he'd recognized from when Harry was a baby. Harry looked at the clothing briefly, before grabbing an extra set.

“You probably don't need those, but it is good thinking to bring along a change of clothing,” Severus replied. “May I place those items in my pack?”

Harry nodded and placed the items in the pack that Severus held open. Then Severus put the pack on his back and knelt before Harry. “I am going to need to pick you up and hold you close against my chest. I need to place a necklace around both your neck and mine for a few moments. Will this be all right?”

Harry nodded and Severus gently held Harry close to him. He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and placed it around both their necks, checking in the hall mirror to make sure they were both invisible.

“Wow!” Harry whispered in awe as he too noticed they couldn't be seen.

“Now, you must be quiet until I say you can speak again. It shouldn't take too long.”

Harry nodded. With that, Severus went to the front door, unlocked and opened it, and took Harry away from the house on Privet Drive which had supposedly been the safest place to keep him and where he was supposed to have grown up happy.

Severus ran, with Harry in his arms, to Mrs. Figg's house. He knocked on the door and they slid inside when Mrs. Figg answered it. Then and only then did Severus remove the necklace from himself, although not from Harry.

“Arabella, I need to use your Floo to Hogsmeade.”

“It's Harry isn't it? I knew something was wrong,” she stammered about as she pulled out the container of Floo powder hidden in her kitchen cupboard.

“Harry will be fine, I promise.”

Severus nodded and grabbed the powder. Shouting “Three Broomsticks”, he wrapped his arms around his precious bundle and found himself facing Rosmerta as he exited the other end.

“Firecall Minerva and tell her to have Poppy meet me in the infirmary immediately.”

“Hagrid was down getting supplies. He brought a carriage. You can get to the school much quicker if you get him to take you back. He's out front with a drink.”

“Perfect.”

Severus swept into the main room and found Hagrid about half finished with his ale.

“We need to get back to the school as soon as possible. I'll let you meet my package if you drive us up to the school.” Severus said. He was amazed Harry had not made any sound yet and was getting nervous. Harry had started to feel rather warm to the touch and he was worried about a fever setting in or the boy having possibly blacked out from injuries Severus hadn't known of.

“You can take the carriage, Professor. I think I'll stay down here and finish my drink and then walk back.” Hagrid said, looking at the rest of his drink.

“At least walk me out?”

Hagrid signaled to Rosmerta that he'd be back and walked Severus to the carriage.

“I need you to open the door and help me in. I've a very special bundle in my arms and can't risk its harm.”

Hagrid opened the door and helped Severus up. Just before shutting the door, Severus slipped the necklace off Harry's neck.

“You can speak now, Harry. I am very proud of you. You were a very good boy, being so quiet for me.” Severus said.

Hagrid gasped.

“Is it really?” Hagrid asked.

Severus nodded.

“I ain't seen you since you was just a wee little tike,” Hagrid told Harry.

“Wow! You're big.” Harry whispered back.

Hagrid chuckled. “Take care of your bundle, Professor. ‘E's a special one.”

Hagrid shut the door and the carriage pulled out. Severus set Harry down on the seat beside him as the carriage started moving.

“What was that thing, where we spun around and around and then was spit out?” Harry asked. “I'm not sure I liked it. My head hurts and I feel too hot and it started when we went in that.”

“That was the Floo network. It is a magical means of travel. I thought it would be less harsh on your system than Apparition would have been and flying by broom would have taken too long, even if I'd had one. Nor did I have a Portkey, however that would probably be as bad as Apparition on your system. I'm not all that fond of the Floo network either, mind you.” Severus put his hand up against Harry's forehead. “I think you might be running a fever, maybe because the potions sped up your body's fight against the infection in your cuts. Did you ever feel this way before? All hot and sore?”

“Yeah, I feel this way a lot after Uncle Vernon gives me punishments. Aunt Petunia just makes me work outside more on those days I'm really hot usually.” Harry paused for few moments, just looking about the carriage. “You know, I think I like all this magic stuff. It's kind of interesting.” Harry told Severus, before settling in and watching out the carriage window. Soon Hogwarts came within view.

“Wow! That's a castle. A real live castle!” Harry exclaimed, before turning to look at Severus with a skeptical look on his face. “I thought you said you weren't a knight?”

Severus smiled at the small child, enjoying seeing the delight on his face. “I'm not. I'm a Potions professor, hopefully Potions Master soon.”

“What's a Potions Master?”

“Someone who is very learned in the art of potions making and thus contributes to the field. I took my Mastery test just before the term started and turned in my research projects and the potions I'd invented during them just last week.” Severus wasn't sure Harry would understand, and was thrilled to see a nod of comprehension from the child. He surprised himself by continuing to speak. “I hope to make a difference someday, for the good of everyone.”

Harry smiled. “I know you will.”

Severus smiled at Harry and gathered him back into his arms. “I'm going to put the chain around your neck again for a few moments and need you to be quiet until I say you can speak again, all right?” Harry wrapped his arms around Severus' neck and nodded. Soon Harry was once again invisible and Severus alighted from the carriage as soon as it stopped, running up the stairs and straight to the infirmary.

Poppy and Minerva met Severus at the entrance to the infirmary. He ducked in and quickly removed the necklace from Harry's neck, whispering to Harry that he could speak again.

“Poppy,” Severus stated as he placed the small child on a bed that was out of the sight of the door, and pulled curtains around it, “the boy has severe burns on his shoulder and has been beaten very badly, I did what I could with the potions I had but I am certain he needs more care. I am also entirely sure it hasn't been the first time for the beatings, at the very least.”

Poppy pulled out her wand and Harry's eyes got wide and he started to tremble. Severus sat on the bed beside him and looked at Poppy, who did sport a rather furious expression and looked a bit intimidating brandishing the wand about.

“Harry, this is Poppy Pomfrey. She is the healer at this school. She just wants to check you over to make sure you have started healing after I gave you the potions. She can give you something for the fever, I'm sure. She might even have something without too bad a taste. She makes me flavor the potions for the first years for the first half of the year.”

Harry leaned against Severus and whispered to him. “What's the stick she's pointing at me? It's not sharp is it? Dudley used to poke me with sharp sticks.”

“That stick is her magic wand. She probably won't actually touch you with it at all, although some healing spells require that the wand be placed on the patient.” Severus whispered back, shocking both Poppy and Minerva into silence just as they were about to speak.

“A real magic wand? What can she do with it?” Harry asked.

“Why don't we ask her?” Severus replied, before speaking louder to Poppy and Minerva.

“Poppy, could you and Minerva please show Harry some magic done with your wands before Poppy checks him out?”

Poppy smiled and promptly, speaking loudly, clearly and showing very precise movements, she levitated the pack that Severus had dropped, unnoticed, at the side of the bed. Severus grasped it and pulled it to him as it reached arm height. Minerva, likewise, demonstrated the accio spell, calling forth a chocolate frog and a small stuffed owl from the office, setting them on the end table beside the bed. Harry watched, eyes gleaming with wonder, before nodding to Severus.

“Poppy, Harry would not be averse to being checked out now. He is, I think, also running a fever.”

Severus went to stand up, before being caught hold of and whispered to again.

“Oh. Harry, this other lady is Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress of this fine school. I am going to go speak with her for a few moments and then I will come right back. I shall first place your belongings right beside your bed. I bet Minerva can find you a bag for them.”

Harry nodded and quickly hugged Severus before letting him go. Severus removed Harry's belongings and set them on the side table, before giving into the urge to hug the young child back and stepping away. He and Minerva moved out of the curtained-off area and to the far end of the room before starting to talk.

“So?” Minerva asked.

“Minerva, it was worse. She hit the child with a hot frying pan across the back. He had fifty or so lashes with a belt, beating type lashes, not the type a parent might use when spanking. He did all the chores, the woman did nothing all day but dress her lard of a child, until right before the man came home again, when she picked up a tiny pile of clothing and then made a huge production of taking it upstairs. He lived in the cupboard, Minerva. A small space under the stairs. House elves have larger living quarters! They made him go hungry…he was eating scraps out of the trash. I will not let him go back. Get someone from the ministry to come over when we inform Albus. How could he have not known, Minerva?”

Minerva looked close to tears and nodded, quickly leaving the infirmary. Severus went back and sat with Harry as Poppy finished her check-up. She gave Harry a fever reducer and a mild sleeping draught, before pulling Severus aside. Severus described every detail of Harry's treatment that he had personally witnessed at his relatives house for Poppy, and Poppy added a huge list of the marks of previous injuries, including broken bones and several severe head injuries which her scans had shown.

“Frankly, I don't know how the child has survived. He is extremely underweight and tiny for his age, and I'm not sure even magic and catching it this early will be able to repair the stunted growth. His skull shows signs of being fractured more than once, Severus. If he hadn't been a magical child, I'm sure he wouldn't have been alive for us to remove him from those people's care. As it is, his magic has almost healed his shoulder completely. Even your potions aren't good enough to have accomplished the amount of healing that has taken place in just one dose. I don't know what will happen with the boy now, but we have enough evidence to keep him out of that home.”

Severus was relieved. He had worried about what the Headmaster would do and he was well aware the Headmaster had wanted the boy in that house.

He and Poppy sat and chatted about some potions and improvements which could be made for a few more minutes before Minerva came back in, Albus and Madame Bones from the Ministry in tow. Severus quickly placed a silencing spell around Harry's bed when he saw the fury on the Headmaster's face. Severus was sure, an hour later, that they would still be arguing when Harry woke from the potion induced sleep. Finally, a shout from Poppy silenced them all. After all the evidence had been seen, thanks to a projection of Severus' day due to a specialty pensieve Madame Bones had brought with her at Minerva's request, even the Headmaster couldn't deny the child was not safe in that home. Everyone but Severus then left and headed to Albus' office to discuss where Harry could safely be placed now, and Severus stalked off to sit by Harry's side. He was more than a little bit perturbed that what had most upset Albus was the fact that the money he'd been sending didn't seem to be evident at all and that Harry wasn't allowed to educate himself.

Harry started to wake a bit before Poppy had come back down. Severus smoothed his hand over the boy's head and stroked his hand through Harry's hair, hoping the boy would ease into a natural sleep.

“Severus? I'm thirsty, sir.”

Severus helped Harry drink a glass of water and helped him to the bathroom before settling him back into bed.

“What's going on? Where is the healer lady?” Harry asked as he started to slip back into sleep.

“She and several others are with the Headmaster in his office, discussing where you will live. I'm sure she will be back soon.”

“Oh. I was kind of hoping I could live here. It is such a pretty castle.” Harry yawned one final time and his eyes dropped shut. His breathing evened out and Severus could tell he had settled into a good healing sleep.

“I rather wish you could as well.” Severus said quietly. He softly kissed Harry's forehead before standing and swinging his pack onto his shoulder. Noticing that no one had yet found a container for Harry's few belonging, Severus transfigured one of the used vials into a wooden box, large enough to fit the tattered books, the few broken toys, Harry's blanket and moose. Severus gently placed the items inside the box, adding the stuffed owl Minerva had given him. He uttered the charm to lock the transfiguration in place and headed out. Poppy entered just before he made it to the door of the infirmary.

“Have they made a decision?”

“Not yet, but I think they have narrowed it down to three or four families. Is he still asleep?”

“He woke, I gave him some water and helped him to the toilet, and then he settled into a natural deep sleep. He is a very strong child. I see much of Lily in him.”

“He does have a certain something about him.”

Severus smiled and Poppy just barely caught his parting remark as he exited the room. “That he does.”

********************************************

Severus didn't see Harry again until the middle of February. He'd vanished from the infirmary the next morning when Severus had peeked in to check on him. Severus had heard rumors that he'd been taken to live with the Weasley's, but he also heard rumors that he'd been sent to live with a cousin of Madame Bones as well. Severus didn't ask. The Headmaster was still a bit upset that Severus had removed the child from his relatives and brought the whole mess to light. Severus would have been much sorer about that if Minerva hadn't been getting even worse treatment for the whole deal.

Needless to say, Severus was rather surprised to find Harry sitting behind his office desk in his chair after his last class a few days before Valentine's Day. He had no time to disguise the smile as anything other than what it was either, before Harry spotted him.

“Whatever are you doing here, child?”

“Mrs. Weasley brought me back. She said it wasn't working out. I think when she finally noticed she hadn't seen me for three days after Fred and George locked me in the small attic room with the Ghoul, that it was the last straw. Then Poppy saw the broken bones and all the bite marks.”

“Those brats did what?” Severus snapped, before the rest of the statement caught up to him. “How did you get more broken bones and who bit you?”

“Ginny bit me. She's been biting at me since the moment I got there, almost. She bites hard, and the other day she broke through my skin in six places. Fred says she's been a biter for a long time and his mum just hasn't found the right way to stop her yet. Maybe, but I know she doesn't like me much. She hits me every time her mum does anything for me and she tosses a huge fit, on the ground even, if her mum dares touch me at all. I broke my wrist when Ron pushed me down the stairs a bit after I got there and then I broke an ankle when the twins made me climb the roof to the shed last month. It was icy. They said I could play with them if I walked on the top of the roof all the way across. The twins like shutting people up in places. Always before they let me out before their mother found out but they decided to run off to play with a neighbor and ended up snowed in while they were visiting.” Harry finally took a deep breath and Severus was rather amazed that so much came out with so little air. “I thought Mrs. Weasley would notice I was gone when I missed lunch, but she didn't.” Harry sighed.

“Why did …Ron, was it…push you down the stairs?”

“He got upset because I did some magic…I stopped a large dish full of salad from hitting the floor and ruining dinner. Then the twins started teasing him because I guess he hasn't done any yet. So he pushed me when we were going up to bed. I don't think he meant for it to make me fall down the stairs, but I did.”

“Ah. Did you like it there at all?”

“Hmm…I didn't like Ginny or Ron very well. They acted like Dudley did, kind of. If I was getting any attention, they would whine and fight and push me and stuff. I am still trying to decide about those twins. They were interesting, but they kept getting me in trouble and closing me in places. They did that to everyone though, so it wasn't like they just picked on me. I found Ginny stuffed in a trunk one day, and they even locked Percy in the bathroom once. He was stuck for four hours, screaming and pounding on the door. I don't like Percy. He's just no fun at all and tattles on everyone and everything. I was always too wild or too loud or too something! Even when I was just sitting quietly looking at a book I was bothering him somehow. But… I did like Charlie and Bill. They go here you know, so I only met them at Christmas and then they went away.”

Severus nodded his head as the child spoke. He noticed several things right away. Harry wasn't nearly as thin as he had been before, although he was still thinner than Severus liked seeing him. He'd been eating regularly at least. His clothing, although still well used, at least fit him for the most part. It was too long and had to be cuffed in the arms and legs. He also seemed much more talkative, although that was hardly surprising since he'd been living with Weasleys.

“I got some Christmas gifts, though. I got a pair of pants and a shirt that were brand new, my own set of robes, socks and underwear just for myself, pajamas and a Weasley Jumper, green like my eyes with an H on it. Mrs. Weasley even gave me my very own book, with all the pages in it. It was wonderful. I was ever so glad my jumper was green; Ron's was Chudley Cannon Orange. I thought it was called pumpkin orange?”

“Whatever was that woman thinking?” Severus commented without realizing at first he was doing so aloud. “All those Weasleys have red hair, that child must look ridiculous in orange.”

Harry chuckled and Severus found himself oddly glad he'd not censored his tongue. Harry's next questions caught him by surprise though.

“What is quidditch? Ron kept going on and on about it, but he just glared at me when I asked. Of course he glared at me when I did magic too, wasn't I supposed to? And what's a Gryffindor?”

Severus walked over to Harry and picked him up, sitting him on the desk facing him before sitting in his chair. Harry hadn't grown a whole lot taller, and still seemed much too tiny for his age. Green eyes implored him to answer his questions.

“How about we start with the easiest question and end with the quidditch one?” Severus asked. Harry nodded and smiled.

“Well, Gryffindor is one of the houses in this school. Children who come here are separated out during their first year into four houses…with four sets of dormitories and common rooms. Four different adults look after those children placed in each house, with the help of older students who have shown themselves to be trust worthy…well most of the time, other times they make it into that position due to politics or favors, actually, but anyway… they are called prefects. These houses are Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each house is known for certain characteristics. The Ravenclaws are smart and very into their books and studies. Gryffindors are brave and bold and Slytherins are ambitious and cunning. Hufflepuff gathers up the rest that don't fit into one of those houses very well, although they are known to be loyal usually,” Severus told Harry, before leaning in and dropping his voice to a whisper. “Want to know a secret? Personally, I think each house has its good points and bad points. Don't tell any one though, I am the Head of Slytherin and am supposed to always think they are best.”

Harry giggled and leaned forward, tilting his head up, till he and Severus were almost nose to nose. “I promise not to tell. Ron says that Gryffindor is best and only they are any good. All Weasleys go to Gryffindor, you know.”

“Actually, they don't…one of Arthur's cousins was in Hufflepuff when I went to school here. He is a very nice chap, loves horses.”

“I think I'd like to be in Ravenclaw best, maybe. I like books. I'll probably be a Hufflepuff though, I'm not smart or brave or ambitious.”

“I don't know. I think you'd fit in well with my Slytherins and you probably wouldn't do badly in Gryffindor house either. I'm certain the Ravenclaws would benefit from your presence and be glad to have you, if they are where you really want to be, though.”

“Really?”

“Really. Now, about that magic bit. What you did was called…” Severus was stopped by Harry tugging on his sleeve. “Yes?”

“Could, you…you know…hold me in your lap like you did last time? Mrs. Weasley always held Ron and Ginny but she couldn't ever hold me for long. Ron or Ginny always did something that made her have to put me down. No one else has ever held me on their lap and I liked it,” Harry asked, blushing a little as he did so.

Severus smiled and swept the small boy onto his lap. “Certainly. You are wrong though, your mother always held you in her lap. You loved being there as much as she loved you there. Sure you'd get down and run about a bit, but soon you were back at her feet asking to be picked up and she would swoop you into her arms and kiss you all over your face each time. Both of you would giggle the whole time. It was almost enough to make me want my own child each time I watched you, but then I'd go visit my godson. His mother unfortunately treated him much like your cousin was treated when she could be bothered with him, and I'd realize I wasn't ready for kids of my own after all. Maybe when I'm forty.”

Harry giggled again and Severus smiled. He found he loved making the boy giggle, although he was hoping for a real, heartfelt loud and hard laugh sooner or later.

“Now, onto that magic question. What you did was known as accidental magic, magical children generally start doing things like that between four and seven. Some children start much earlier, even as early as tiny babies, and some children don't show any until much later, a few even as old as ten. It is a common myth that the age it appears depends on how strong a magic user the child has potential to be, and although sometimes that is the case, other times those who show a late onset of magic use are also very strong.”

“You were a very early magic user. Lily often told us all about how she'd set something up out of your way, only to find you calling it to you moments later, or how you would call for your cup and manage to get it to you without spilling a drop. She and your dad were very proud of you.”

Severus felt the change in Harry before Harry spoke. His whole little body seemed to just close in on itself. Severus wrapped his arms around the boy and tucked him in closer as Harry spoke.

“Why didn't I use magic at the Dursleys?”

“What do you mean?”

“I stopped the bowl from dropping at the Weasleys' house. I could do magic when I was really little. Why didn't I prevent things like that from happening at my aunt's house?”

“You were using magic your whole time there, Harry. Remember what you told me when I first talked to you about magic? You said you weren't allowed to use the word, even your cousin got hit for using the word. What do you think would have happened if you had made a bowl of salad hover there?”

“Uncle Vernon would have beaten me. I bet that would have been a fifty or sixty lash punishment, if he had bothered to count at all.”

“Magic use is an odd thing…it seems to unconsciously know how to preserve the one using it. Your magic seemed to somehow know that it couldn't be very obvious about its use at your aunt's house. I'm sure as you got older and it got stronger, big and flashy things would have happened, but mostly your magic settled itself for being used in a less apparent manner. Instead, it helped you heal faster, kept you awake and aware and moving when you needed to be. It stopped infections from getting too bad, and somehow mended your broken bones. It was what enabled you to live with so little food.”

“It was how the ceiling fixtures somehow seemed to get scrubbed once a week while I scrubbed the floors after I fell off the ladder two years ago,” Harry finished.

“I'd say that maybe that was a more obvious use of magic,” Severus said, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Yes, but not so obvious that Aunt Petunia noticed. She was in the kitchen when I fell and she said she didn't liked the sound my head made so she wouldn't ever stay inside the kitchen on light fixture day after that. She just brought in the ladder and set it up. Always the old broken ladder, the one with the missing rungs and the one that slipped loose...never the new ladder that Vernon used. I never had to get up on it again, though. Every time she set the ladder up, no matter how dirty the light fixtures were, even when she'd purposefully made them dirty…when I was finished scrubbing the floor, the light fixtures were all clean.”

“That was one of the times you'd cracked your skull I bet. I'll let Poppy know so she can match a cause to one of the many previous injuries on your list.”

“But why did I stop the salad bowl at the Weasleys' house?”

“How long had you been there?”

“It was during Christmas Holidays.”

“So, you had been there, in a very magical household, for a little over two months?”

Harry nodded.

“I would theorize that your magic realized it wouldn't be putting you, and thus itself, in danger if it was obvious. You, still not away from the influence of your relatives for a very long time, expressed fear when the bowl dropped and your magic responded and voila…a floating salad bowl.”

“Cool.”

Severus laughed. “Cool?”

“Fred uses the word. I don't know where he picked it up…Mrs. Weasley complains when they talk like that, though.”

“How old are those twins?” Severus asked.

“Seven, almost eight.”

“I don't think I am looking forward to teaching them.”

Harry giggled. “So what about my quidditch question?”

“Well, Harry…quidditch is a game, played on broomsticks…” Severus settled Harry comfortably against him and started explaining.

Minerva, looking for Harry who had disappeared from the infirmary sometime during the last class, finally made her way to the dungeons. She'd been looking for the boy for almost two hours, since the end of the last class period of the day. She had been going to ask him if he'd like to eat in the Great Hall, since it seemed he was stuck here a few days until Albus could decide where to send him next. She paused as she heard the most unusual sound coming from Severus' office. That was his laugh, the dour man was laughing. The door was almost closed completely, and she stopped to smirk at the nameplate on it. Severus Snape, Potions Master…Professor of Potions. He'd spent a tidy little sum on that name plate the moment he got his Mastery Certificate and was inducted into the Potions Guild. She peeked around the door as another laugh was heard, this one a softer, higher pitched laugh, a child's laugh.

She was completely amazed at what she saw. Harry was ensconced on Severus' lap and Severus' desk had been cleared off. A replica of the quidditch pitch had somehow popped up on the desk instead of the usual bottles of oddities. There were miniature fans waving flags of red and green and miniature players flying around on tiny broomsticks, playing a full out game. She recognized it as the Slytherin and Gryffindor game of earlier that year. Of course he'd show that game, she thought while rolling her eyes, the Slytherins had won it.

“Now watch this move, Harry. It was a brilliant play and expertly executed.” Severus pointed to the action in the pitch. Minerva was shocked to find it one of her Gryffindors' plays Severus had described, and decide to watch a few more minutes before letting her presence be known.

Those few minutes stretched into half an hour. She was stunned by the manner in which Severus spoke of the other houses, respectfully and non-judgmentally. She was awed by Harry's insight into the game being played and the other random topics which they chattered about. They were both such different people when together, and she momentarily wished they could stay together, even though she knew it wasn't really possible. Apart, Severus was grouchy and dour and sometimes outright nasty to be around, and Harry was silent and almost sullen. That was one of the reasons Molly hadn't thought he could stay, he was far too brooding and her children didn't respond well to the amount of care and attention she thought he needed. Minerva suspected he was just rather shy and that the Weasleys overwhelmed him, and didn't notice they did so.

She quietly backed up and knocked when she realized dinner would be starting in less than fifteen minutes. By the time she opened the door, Harry was sitting on Severus' desk and Severus was leaning back in his chair, a discussion of potions ingredients going on.

“Harry! There you are. Poppy is going to be highly upset. She wanted you to stay put until she'd made sure all those bites were free of infection. Severus, dinner starts in fifteen minutes. Why don't you bring Harry with you and he can eat in the Great Hall, I'll have a chair placed at the staff table for him.”

“Certainly, Minerva.” Severus answered her, standing up and helping Harry down. They followed her to the Great Hall, Harry asking Severus question after question about the portraits and suits of armor. Severus answered them all, pausing every once in a while to introduce Harry to those portraits Severus liked best. When they were almost to the Great Hall both grown-ups once again found reason to be awed by young Harry Potter.

It seemed very much a normal portrait, at least normal of a former head of Slytherin, complete with a large snake at the bottom, twining around the man's feet. Severus stopped to speak to the man, and introduce Harry. Harry smiled and gave the man a cheerful greeting, discussing things like favorite colors (Harry was fond of red and green, but did rather like silver better than gold or bronze…the man in the portrait agreed that red wasn't that bad a color really, but he far preferred black and green) and different classes. The man had been the Charms professor back in his day. Then Harry cocked his head and looked directly at the snake. He listened a few moments before starting to hiss back. Minerva, who had slowed down but continued forwards, turned swiftly around and rushed back to stare at Harry. Severus allowed his jaw to drop and seemed to have a slight difficulty closing his mouth. Harry chatted a few seconds longer with the man in the portrait, who had also been a parselmouth, before turning to the astounded adults.

“Did you know that snake can talk? He is a most interesting snake. Can all snakes talk?” Harry asked Severus, smiling.

Severus snapped out of his wordless state when Harry's face started to become confused as he hadn't answered yet.

“Um, well…yes, probably all snakes can talk. However, most people do not understand them. That is some gift you have there, Harry.” Severus finally managed.

“I wouldn't advertise you have it, though, Harry.” Minerva added. “The last wizard who could speak with snakes was a very bad man.”

“Oh.” Harry said, frowning. “That's too bad, the snake was interesting.”

Minerva and Severus glanced at each other, before Severus finally shrugged.

“Well, I guess we could discuss it later. I suppose it will all depend on who you go to live with,” she told him. “Now, let us get to dinner before it starts without us.”

The trip to the Great Hall finished without further surprises, and Harry was suitably awed by the ceiling in the Great Hall to make Minerva feel as if she'd made the right decision to bring him in to eat. Charlie and Bill came up after dinner and Severus decided that maybe these two boys weren't all that bad after all, even if they were Weasleys. They seemed genuinely sorry to hear Harry wouldn't be their new little brother, and were both terribly upset at Ginny for the biting. Severus laughed, startling Minerva and the boys, at the younger Weasley's remark of “I keep telling the woman, give the girl a sip of that fire sauce they sell in Diagon Alley each and every time she bites…it would cure the brat of this biting bit….but does she every listen to me? No, of course not.” Harry told them he finally learned what quidditch was and asked what the Chudley Cannons were. It led to a great many students still in the Hall over an hour later, all discussing the various aspects of all sorts of different teams. Severus, Minerva and Poppy all looked on fondly, pleased Harry responded so well in the large crowd of older and bigger children, even after all he'd been through. As the conversation broke up, mainly because the students started realizing what time it was and that most of them had homework to do before bed, Bill brought a yawning Harry over to the adults. Poppy carried him off to the infirmary for the night and Severus went off to his office. He found himself much more cheerful as he graded papers, the sight of his desk bringing to mind a small child and his laughter.

Harry spent the next several days sitting in on all the different classes, except Astronomy which was held too late at night. Minerva was surprised that he returned to Severus' Potions class more than any other class, although he also spent a lot of time in the Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures classes as well. He only sat in on three of her classes. Severus wasn't all that surprised, as potions had been Harry's first remembered introduction to the magical world. It gave him a warm feeling that he couldn't quite name to look up and see Harry sitting on the stool by the door watching his class though. All the students fervently wished the young boy would stick around. Their Professor was a much nicer man when the child was in class, although he still didn't suffer fools and idiots lightly. Unfortunately, it came to an end too soon for all.

Harry and Severus spent Valentine's Day together, making fun of all the pink and red, and all the hearts and flowers that popped up around the school. For Harry, it all reminded him too much of his aunt and her soap operas and Severus just had no use for such a silly holiday. As Minerva and Poppy both sighed girlishly when someone gushed over a card or gift, Harry had quickly sought our Severus in the morning. They spent the next day together as well. Severus managed to get special permission to take Harry shopping for a few more outfits, after finding out he only had one pair of pajamas, one robe, three shirts and two pairs of pants. They had a blast and even Minerva had to agree that Severus and Harry did just fine shopping together, meeting her minimum requirements with good taste.

Two days later, Harry was whisked off again by the Headmaster late at night. Poppy was told where, but neither Minerva nor Severus was granted access to that information. None of the students were eager for classes for weeks afterwards as many teachers were just plain upset. It was months later that Severus approached Poppy about Harry's skill with speaking with snakes, to see if she could pass that information along to his care provider if she thought they could handle the information without tainting it. Poppy told Severus she wouldn't, as she didn't think his current care provider could manage. Severus worried about the child, and fretted he would not be treated right, becoming more and more bitter and caustic. By the end of the school year, even Poppy was ready to harm Albus for refusing to ease the man's mind. Severus' walls were coming up and Poppy worried he'd never allow himself to open for anyone ever again.

*******************************************************

Severus didn't see Harry again until the summer before he turned eight, a little over two years later. He was lucky he'd managed to get to see him at all, he realized when he thought about it later. He'd stayed at the school later than usual to fulfill Poppy's potions requirements for the next year. He needed to work on several large Ministry requests during his summer break at home instead of working on Poppy's requirements through out the summer as he generally did. Although Minerva and Poppy knew he was still there at the school, Albus had been away most of the time since school let out and probably wasn't. Once again, Harry surprised him. Severus was brewing in the classroom, where he could have more potions going at one time than in his personal lab. One minute he was adding ingredients to a burn salve and the room was empty except for him, the next moment he moved to add something to the fever reducer which had been simmering and Harry was sitting on the stool by the door.

Harry had grown a bit this time, although the child was still much smaller than a boy turning eight ought to be. He was still also as skinny as a rail. He was dressed in a large cable knit jumper and pants which showed the signs of being well worn and worked hard in. Severus blinked several times before smiling.

As soon as Severus smiled, Harry smiled back. “Mind if I sit here while you finish your potions? I've missed watching your class.” Harry asked softly.

“Be my guest,” Severus replied and set about finishing up the potions he was in the midst of brewing. Harry offered to help him bottle the potions and clean up, and Severus accepted his help. He was glad the boy was still a quick child, catching onto new information and techniques with speed and adeptness unusual in most children he knew. They were quickly settled in Severus office, this time Harry in a chair pulled up next to Severus', with a plate of sandwiches on the desk in front of them.

“What are you doing back?” Severus asked.

“The lady I was living with decided she was too old to care for me anymore and wanted to move as well. She is a cousin of Headmaster Dumbledore, and probably about as old. She was an odd one, that one.”

“An odd one?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, I know she was magical, but she was weird about being so. We did everything the Muggle way.”

Severus pulled his eyebrows together in distaste and slight anger. He was going to go to the Ministry about Harry's living situations at this rate.

Harry cocked his head to one side before continuing. “I don't think it could have taken all that much effort for her to care for me, really. I spent most of four days out on the boats, and all I was ever allowed to do on Sundays was sit still and be quiet…all day long, from breakfast to dinner. We never even had lunch on Sundays. I hate Sundays.”

“Out on the boats?”

“Yeah, she hired my services to one of the muggles, who took me out on Tuesday morning and brought me back in on Wednesday evening. I picked up the groceries on the way home on Wednesday. I cooked all the meals there too, you know? Then on Thursday morning I went out on her adopted grandson's boat and he came back in on Friday evening, when again I brought home the groceries. Saturday was for cleaning house and Monday was for what little studies she allowed me to do and what little shopping we did together. Yep, she was an odd one, somewhat reminded me of Mrs. Figg, but much odder.”

“You didn't go to school?”

Harry sighed, a deep heartfelt sigh…the type of sigh that Severus had come to associate with looking forward to something and having it always out of your reach. “No. I am hoping that who ever I'm sent to next will let me go to school. It is what I want most of all. How am I ever going to be good enough to come here if I'm not allowed to go to school?”

“Actually, many of the students here are home-taught before they arrive.”

“Home-taught generally means they are taught something. I was not allowed to write, Mistress Viola insisted it was a dangerous habit which could only spell my doom. I was allowed to read from one of three books, two of which were basic children's readers almost one hundred years old. The other was some really odd religious text, and went on and on about fire and brimstone and God's wrath and punishment. I couldn't even read or look at my own books which I had from before, she threatened to burn all my old items if she ever saw any. And I haven't learned any mathematics at all.”

“Then it is a good thing you were rather advanced to start off with.”

Harry giggled. “It is nice to be able to laugh again. She didn't approve of laughing, either.” Then a smirk played softly across his face. “You'd be proud of me, I think. I did manage to sneak some extra learning in. The Muggle fisherman was willing to teach me a lot about map reading and geography, as well as about climates and wildlife. Mistress Viola's grandson didn't let me really learn anything though. I think he was too afraid to cross her.”

Severus shook his head. “What on earth has Albus been thinking,” he mumbled. Minerva was definitely getting a visit about this.

“Well, how about we spend a bit of time seeing just how much you know, without knowing it?” Severus asked Harry, and Harry jumped at the chance. Severus set him through vocabulary drills and mathematical games, which Harry considered fun. Harry's vocabulary was extensive, if not as varied as Severus would have liked and a bit antiquated. They completely stripped bare and then organized the supply cupboards, setting empty containers off to the side, or on the floor. Severus noted, rather amazed, that Harry could keep long strings of numbers and items associated with them in his head. Severus would shout, I'll need 15 jars of the burn salve for my own home, 150 for the infirmary and 150 for my personal classroom stores, how many will I need in total and how many do I need to make and Harry could answer within twenty seconds. When he added the fact that a batch of burn salve produced 10 regular sized jars or 18 personal sized jars, Harry quickly summarized that the jars on the shelves were regular sized and that he probably only used the personal size jars for his home use… answering correctly the number of batches he still needed to make. He drilled Harry on the potions names and what potential uses the ones without obvious names might have, and most of the time Harry answered those right as well. He could spell most of the words Severus shouted out to him, except those which didn't play by any rules and Harry even knew a wee bit of Gaelic, which Severus was rather impressed with.

They quickly found out that although his knowledge of several small islands and the geography of the land and seas off the northern coasts of both Scotland and Ireland was extremely detailed, his knowledge of the geography of the rest of the world left much to be desired, at least when viewing a map. He could still group countries together as he'd taught himself at the Dursleys. Although Harry could read a map, he couldn't follow a menu from a restaurant at all. He was far behind what Severus considered acceptable on the subject of history as well. He had next to no knowledge of the basic tales that Severus figured most children his age should know in one or another shape or form, nor did he know any of the books children should be somewhat familiar with…although he did have a very basic knowledge of Robin Hood and King Arthur. Severus quickly remembered that those were the battered story books Harry had taken with him out of his relatives' house. Harry seemed to be living in a social hole, knowing very little about Muggle or Wizarding culture. Then Severus set him down to write and they discovered a real problem.

Harry flinched when Severus gave him a quill and Harry held the quill wrong from the start. Severus, figuring he'd be more comfortable with Muggle tools, transfigured the quill into a pencil. It made no difference. Harry flinched when he picked up the pencil as well, and the whole time he held it, his knuckles were white from the pressure of his grip, which was all wrong anyways. Harry couldn't write his numbers or his letters, he couldn't get what his head knew onto paper. He became frantic when Severus asked him to draw a house. Severus decided that maybe he should start with tracing lines or coloring in pictures, but Harry seemed paralyzed the moment he got the writing utensil in his hands. Even crayons left Harry tense and unable to proceed. After Severus' simple request that Harry simply put the crayon onto the sheet of paper sitting before him left Harry hyperventilating, Severus suspected there was much more going on than Harry just not knowing how to write.

Severus removed the crayon from Harry's hand and drew the boy towards him, till Harry was tucked against Severus' side. Severus calmly stroked his hand over Harry's back and waited for the boy's breathing to return to normal before broaching the subject.

“Harry?” Severus finally asked, and he waited for Harry to turn to face him before continuing. “Do you recall what would happen at your relatives' if you used a pencil or crayons?”

Harry nodded. “I wasn't allowed. I'm a stupid child and stupid children can't have anything which one can write or draw with. She would hit me every time I touched anything that could write, even if I was just picking them up. It was really bad during Dudley's “I'm a wonderful artist” stage. She'd stand there as she made me pick up after he was done and would smack my hands each time I touched the crayons and markers.” Severus felt the shudders that ran through the small body as Harry took a deep breath and continued, “But that wasn't as bad as the writing on the wall year. Dudley loved to draw on the walls…the moment he got hold of markers or crayons or even pencils and pens he headed straight to the wall. Uncle Vernon punished me for it, each and every time…he would often get so mad he wouldn't count and just would just keep hitting and hitting and hitting.”

Severus squeezed Harry with the arms still around his shoulder in a slight hug. “And at the Weasleys'?”

Harry shook his head. “Mrs. Weasley thought we were too young to learn to write and Ginny was in a writing-on-the-wall stage, so she just set us up with paint brushes during writing time. Besides, she had enough trouble trying to get Fred and George to sit still and do their writing exercises. If it was warm enough, we went outside, so we didn't make a mess. When it was too cold, we were in the kitchen. Ron wouldn't ever share his easel, nor would Ginny, but if I set stuff on the corners on my paper it worked all right.”

“And the lady you were staying with wouldn't allow you to write, either. Insisting that you would be doomed if you even tried. Hmm, we are going to have to work on this. For now, I suggest lunch, though.” Severus said, scooting away from Harry a little before offering his hand.

“How are we going to work on it?” Harry asked, refusing to move.

Severus thought for a moment, before picking up one of the crayons that were on the desk they'd been using.

“Hold this. We are not going to be using it on anything, but you are going to hold it for the rest of the day. It must be in your hand, unless your hand is otherwise occupied. Then it must be on your person.”

Harry took the crayon, flinching.

“Loosen your hold. It is all right for you to hold this crayon.”

Harry loosened his hold just enough so that his knuckles weren't turning white.

“Now, I suggest a trip to the kitchens for lunch. You'll like this, and you'll know where they are for when you come to school here. You'll be the star of the common room with that knowledge.”

Harry followed Severus, grasping onto the older man's hand with the hand not holding the crayon. By the time they'd made it to the kitchens, stopping to chat with a few of the portraits Harry remembered from his last visit, Harry had relaxed enough to giggle as Severus opened the portrait guarding the kitchen.

Although he was extremely tense again the moment they entered and were greeted by the house elves.

“Let me guess…you've never seen a house elf?” Severus said with a dry exasperated tone.

“No.”

“We have got to get you living somewhere where you can grow up with at least the basic knowledge of our world, honestly I don't know what that man is thinking!” Severus mumbled loud enough for Harry to hear and giggle again, relaxing.

“These are house elves. They do all the cooking and cleaning that is needed to keep Hogwarts running. They get mad when you don't allow them to do the cooking and cleaning, so beware,” Severus said, glaring at one of the elves who was glaring at him. Harry snickered.

Severus turned to an elf who was a bit smaller than the others. “We would like lunch. We will eat here, if that is all right.” He turned to Harry. “Tuck your crayon in your pocket while we eat.”

They found themselves pushed into seats and a whole spread of food was placed before them. Harry sighed with delight and started reaching for different sandwiches and vegetables.

“This is wonderful! I'd forgotten what good food tasted like. And no fish! Ah, I love ham sandwiches!” Harry exclaimed, pulling three sandwiches to his plate. He stuffed the fresh vegetables down his throat as if they'd disappear.

“I take it you weren't well fed at the last place either?”

“Not really. Sure there was usually stuff to eat, but Mistress Viola refused to buy anything that wasn't fresh and from the island, except sugar and flour. I managed to grow some radishes and cabbage. I made bread on Mondays and Friday nights. There were some others who managed some potatoes and turnips who we purchased from. We didn't get many other vegetables and Mistress Viola insisted we couldn't have any fruit as it wasn't natural to the island. The Muggle fisherman made me eat at least an orange and an apple each day I worked on his boat, though. One time, he allowed me a Kiwi, now there's a fun fruit! It was so good. One family raised chickens and we bought eggs once a week and a chicken for a meal about every three or four months. We ate a whole lot of fish and seaweed, mostly in soups and stews. We did have mutton twice a month, as well. Once someone brought a cow to the island and we had beef after they decided it didn't make that great an island beast.”

Severus nodded as Harry put away a bowl of chicken noodle soup and another sandwich. He was getting more and more annoyed with Albus and less and less trusting of the Headmaster's decisions in the case of one Harry Potter's welfare.

“Where are you staying? Would you like to me to walk you there or would you rather spend the afternoon with me? I have to brew more potions, but maybe you could assist me.”

“Don't know. I'd love to stay the afternoon with you, though.”

“Didn't the Headmaster tell you where you were going to be sleeping tonight?”

“Haven't seen him yet, he wasn't in his office and Mistress Poppy wasn't in the infirmary, so I came down to see you.”

“Well, I'd better firecall Minerva and see what is going on then.”

Severus stepped over to the second fireplace in the kitchen, the one not being used to cook the food and called to Minerva's office. After no answer he called to her quarters, where he found her, packing a small trunk and getting ready for a journey.

“Minerva, we've a young visitor who is in need of someplace to stay, has the Headmaster contacted you about it yet? Where is Poppy?”

“The Headmaster left before dawn this morning and will not be back to the school for at least two weeks. He left no instructions other than make sure someone is within Hogwarts all summer, he left the care of the wards with Hagrid. Poppy will be in and out all week during the day, she was needed over at St. Mungo's to help with some sort of catastrophe that happened at a quidditch match. I am gong to be gone for three days, leaving tomorrow morning, visiting my Grandchildren while they are all home for the summer. Cordelia only has the one left at home fulltime, you know.”

“Well, I think you need to come down to my office first and chat with our little visitor.”

“Severus, what is it you are not telling me?”

“Just come to my office, we will meet you there.”

Severus closed the fire call and turned to Harry. “It looks like it might be just you and me for a while. Pick up your crayon and come to my office with me.”

Harry flinched as his picked the crayon up, tightening his grip until Severus thought for sure they crayon would break.

“Hold it a bit more loosely, you don't want your hand to cramp.” Severus commented as Harry came near him.

Harry looked up and him and nodded, visibly relaxing his hand around the crayon, and followed Severus as they left the kitchen and walked to Severus' office. Minerva was there waiting for them.

“Harry, love! What are you doing here, dear child?” Minerva cried out as soon as she noticed who the little visitor was.

“The lady who was taking care of me…” Harry started but was cut off by Severus' snort. Harry rolled his eyes and started again. “The lady that was taking care of me decided that she was too old to care for me any more and she wanted to move, so she brought me back this morning.”

“She hired him out to work on fishing boats, Minerva! He still hasn't gone to school yet! Look how thin he still is!” Severus insisted and Minerva quickly hid the smile that threatened to show itself due to Severus' indignation.

“Anyway, after I dragged my stuff up to the front doors I went to look for the Headmaster and couldn't find him, and Mistress Poppy wasn't where she usually is, so I came down to see if Master Severus was still here, and he was. So I stayed with him. We ate lunch in the kitchens, house elves are funny.”

“Well, I am certainly glad to see you, Harry. Shall we figure out where you shall stay for the next little while?”

Harry nodded and the three went into Severus' office. Harry took a book off to a corner to look at it while Minerva and Severus discussed the issue. It took over an hour, and several fire calls to Poppy, before any conclusion could be met.

“Harry?” Severus called when he couldn't immediately see the young boy. Harry waved his hand from his corner and Severus spotted him. “Come over here and see if this sounds all right with you?”

“All right with me? You mean I get choice?” Harry asked as he stood up.

“Of course,” Minerva said, as if Harry not having a choice was the oddest thing she'd ever heard. Severus realized as Harry said it, though, that it could quite possibly be a first for the boy, at least for a long time.

“Harry, Minerva is going to be out of town for a few days. Neither of us, nor Poppy, could get hold of the Headmaster, so we cannot make any long term plans. Poppy said that keeping you housed in the infirmary for at least the next little while is out of the question, as she will be back and forth from the hospital at all hours and isn't comfortable with any child being there alone. So we concluded that you would room with me for the next little while. Minerva will help me make one of the store rooms in my quarters into a bedroom this afternoon, you can help. Does that sound like a plan that could work?”

Harry clapped his hands. “I love it! Will I get to help you make you potions? Can we do more education?”

Minerva caught a glimpse of the crayon in Harry's hand as he clapped and before Severus could answer Minerva asked her question. “Severus, why is young Harry holding a crayon? Was he coloring before I got here?”

Harry's face fell and he flinched as the crayon was brought back to his attention, tensing his hand about it again. “Minerva, that has a long answer and we will discuss it later. Right now, I think we should go see to Harry's room.”

Minerva scowled and Harry trailed along when they left and went to Severus' rooms. Severus gave Harry permission to put the crayon in his pocket as they all manually removed box after box after box of potions ingredients from a room that was off the Potion Master's bedroom, which was large enough to make a decent sized bedroom for Harry. Both Minerva and Severus were astonished at the weight Harry could lift and carry, as well as the pleasant attitude he displayed the entire time they worked. Severus explained to Harry that the boxes contained those ingredients to restock the students supply cupboards which had a shelf life of over a year. He always restocked those during the weeks right after school let out and then waited to restock those ingredients with a short shelf life until the weekend before school started. Minerva asked why many of the boxes contained large sacks instead of vials or jars and Severus answered that he was trying a new supplier who supplied in bulk and left the distributing of the ingredients to individual jars to the buyer, at about only a third of the price he was paying before. Harry offered to help him put whatever he could help with into jars, as he thought it sounded fun. Minerva laughed.

Soon the boxes were out in the sitting room, where Severus had decided they could stay for the time being, and Minerva had requested a bedroom set from the house elves. A bed, wardrobe, and a bedside chest of drawers popped into the room and Minerva set about making sure they would be comfortable for Harry and set the bedcovers to soft blues and greens. Severus, not entirely trusting the elves, quickly made sure no harmful creatures were lurking about, since he knew the bed set had come from storage. Harry was thrilled with it and climbed up on the bed to test it out as Severus and Minerva went to locate the stuff which he'd brought with him. They were shocked to find only a worn out sack and an oilskin bundle which opened to contain a few wool cable knit jumpers. Severus shook his head as they went back to the rooms, meaning to ask Harry if somehow some of his stuff had gone missing, only to find him napping in the middle of his bed with a huge smile on his face.

Severus pulled Minerva out to the sitting room and told her everything he'd learned from Harry earlier about his living situations, including why he had been carrying a crayon around all day. She was indeed furious and between them they decided that they would figure out a living situation for Harry that would be beneficial, before Albus could interfere too much. They figured if they and Poppy set something up that was somewhat stable and safe, then Albus would be unlikely to put up too much a fight, as he'd probably lose face in that situation. They agreed to each write out a list of potential candidates by the time Minerva got back in three days' time. Minerva then started to list ideas to aid Severus in his mission to rid Harry of his fear surrounding writing. After several ideas that Severus considered to be just plain trickery, he briefly wondered if Minerva might have had one of those discussions with the Sorting Hat, just as he had when he was being sorted.

Harry came into the sitting room after waking from his nap while they were in the middle of chatting about possible activities for the next few days. He walked over and plopped himself on the sofa next to Severus and leaned against the man, listening silently while he finished waking up. Minerva was giving Severus something which was just short of a lecture on making sure Harry got to spend plenty of time outside in the sun and getting fresh air and not to make him work too hard on potion ingredient preparations. Harry smiled, before insisting he wouldn't mind at all. They asked about his belongings and quickly found out that the bag and few jumpers were indeed all Harry owned, and Severus added a few more projects to his mental list. They spent the evening just talking, Harry joining in with questions and comments when he chose to. Dinner was brought to them by the elves. It was well past nine before anyone realized how late it was. Minerva was just preparing to leave, after having tucked Harry into bed, when Poppy stopped by.

“We've come up with a plan,” Minerva informed her while Severus told Harry a short story. “We think that if we finalize a plan before Albus even realizes he needs to find new living arrangements for Harry, we might be able to get him placed somewhere decent this time. We are working lists of people we know who might be able to care for Harry for at least a year or so at a time.”

“I'll try to get one together for you as well, when are you going over your lists?” Poppy asked.

“Four days from now. If you could even just be here for lunch or an hour or two in the afternoon, Severus and I would be very grateful.”

“I'll be there. Have Severus leave me a note when you decide for sure. I will want to see Harry at least a few times over the next few days. I wasn't very keen on Albus' last choice of caregivers.”

“Go tell Severus and Harry right now and I'll walk back up with you.”

Poppy and Minerva left Severus' quarters, after confirming an appointment for Harry the next morning at nine. Severus told Harry a second story, smiling to himself as he watched sleepy eyelids slowly hiding the bright green eyes from his sight. After running his hand through Harry's hair, Severus too went off to bed, leaving the door to Harry's room open so he could hear the child should he need him.

Severus awoke to the scent of bacon coming from his kitchen, which he rarely used. He hurried in to find Harry cooking, under the watchful eyes of three house elves who were not looking very happy. Eggs sat on the table, as did toast and several morning drinks Severus hadn't drank since probably his early childhood.

“Good morning, sir. Would you like anything else? The house elves insisted I didn't need to wake you because somehow the food would stay warm and the drinks cold. Isn't that odd? What a wonderful trick, that. I can make more if you would like, as well. They brought me plenty of ingredients when I asked in the kitchen if there was any food I could use to make us breakfast.”

“How…” Severus started, bewildered. Every time he tried to cook anything even remotely looking like food he was chastised by the darn elves. It was one of the reasons he relished the time he spent outside Hogwarts during breaks.

“Hmm?”

“How did you convince the elves to let you cook?”

“Umm, I don't think they were convinced. That's why we've these three here watching me. I kept insisting and they kept saying it couldn't be so, and well...these guys came and have watched my every move.”

Severus laughed. “Enjoy yourself while you can, this will probably be the only time they let you while you're here at Hogwarts.”

“Really? Too bad. I was hoping, since it's just you and me, you know, maybe we could make cookies. I've always wanted to make cookies, but well…”

“We can always ask,” Severus replied, thinking of way he could convince the house elves to let them make the cookies Harry so desired. “Where's your crayon?”

Harry smiled. “In my pocket. I couldn't cook bacon with it in my hand, now could I?”

Severus smiled and set about eating the food before him. He found he also quite enjoyed the cup of milk and glass of orange juice that Harry was adamant that they both drink.

After breakfast, and a short fight over who would clean up, won of course by the house elves, Severus and Harry headed into the Potions classroom. Severus found a few empty boxes and had Harry start to gather all the empty jars and vials. They had filled two boxes when Severus called a halt and informed Harry of his appointment with Poppy. They got Harry up to the infirmary just in time, and Severus was told to come and pick the boy up again two hours later. Severus quickly left to pick up the supplies to implement several ideas he'd had, combining Minerva's concepts into the next few days' activities as well. He quickly Flooed out to Hogsmeade, did a bit of shopping there, and from then Apparated as close as he could to the several stores which he needed to stop at. Severus was astonished he'd managed to get everything he'd planned done in the two hours he'd had free. He even made a short stop in the kitchen on his way back to the infirmary and convinced the house elves that making cookies would be a good test of Harry's math skills, fractions and addition and subtraction, all the really important skills that Harry needed desperately to know.

Severus found Poppy and Harry in the infirmary office. Poppy set Harry to gathering the empty vials and jars from her store rooms so they could take them down to Severus' labs and then pulled Severus aside.

“He has been underfed since he left and shows signs of some serious injuries. They weren't too surprising after he'd told me what he'd been doing the last two years; fishing boats are notorious for being dangerous. He was worried about not having done much magic while he was with that lady; however I assured him he'd been doing it in the same manner as he'd performed magic at his relatives. He definitely had, it looked like at one point he almost lost his wrist to some sort of accident and there has been more than one fracture to his legs, but Harry said he'd never seen a doctor or had a cast. I happen to be familiar with the lady in question and magic outbursts would not have been tolerated well anyway. She probably called him horrid names due to his healing abilities. I still cannot, for the life of me, figure out what Albus was thinking sending a young child off to live with Viola, of all people, let alone a child like Harry who'd already been abused for so long.”

“I don't understand,” Severus said.

“Viola is Albus' cousin, this is true, but she isn't a person anyone would logically send a magical child to. The start of the story is rather unclear, but for some reason, Albus' aunt moved out to a small island off the Irish coast not too long after Viola and her twin sister turned three. Her husband followed for a few years, but soon came back to normal society, as he called it. He couldn't handle living in the community his wife had run off to, too many scares of the witch hunt kind. She didn't settle in one of the Wizarding villages, you see. No, she chose a village which was primarily home to some strict Christian religious sect, I've no idea what type, just that they were strict. Albus' uncle was a very powerful wizard, and couldn't live without using his magic…even if it had been feasible. It wasn't, though. He was very involved in the politics of the time, and without him our Wizarding community would be in even more trouble than it is today. So he left his wife, whom he didn't love but had married due to a political arrangement, in her chosen home and made sure to visit his children the once a year his wife would allow. Viola and her sister were raised there until their Hogwarts letters came. Viola's sister, Iris, came to Hogwarts without any fuss and very relieved to be here. Viola refused, insisting that Iris would burn in hell for doing so. Albus' uncle went to retrieve his wife and other child, worried for their safety, only to find that his wife had actually moved her and the girls into some sort of women's commune as soon as he'd left the first time. They were living at their house just during the time their father would visit. She had also effectively dismissed the fact that she herself was a witch, speaking vehemently against witchcraft and sorcery.” Poppy pulled Severus over to a pair of chairs set against a wall, where they could see Harry still at work in the storeroom.

“Viola's father's arrival and his insistence that his wife think about what was really important didn't have the effect Viola thought it would. Her mother apparently felt badly about denying a child her heritage…for the sect was extremely strong on heritages… and Viola's mother handed her over to her father and told her she was not allowed to return until she was past her prime. The evil had been done though. Viola hated magic and she hated our world. She lashed out at everyone and everything within it. She was kicked out of Hogwarts just a few months after she got here, because she spent all her time in classes lecturing all the other students on how they would be burning in hell. Her father moved with her to the outskirts of Muggle London, where she calmed a bit in her religious outspokenness and soon managed to fit into the Muggle high society world. Viola ended up marrying a young Muggle aristocrat and they raised a rather large family. She happily went about believing her children to be void of any magical ability, but they had all shown signs and the children's father contacted Viola's father. Albus' father and Uncle secretly started training each of the children during the night, with their father's consent, as soon as they turned eleven.”

Severus watched Harry as he listened to the story Poppy was telling him, fascinated that Albus' family tree could contain something so off-beat, of course…Albus' own brother wasn't exactly normal either.

“When her twelfth child was still just tiny, and her oldest just turned eighteen, Viola discovered the deception within her home. She was up with her baby, not an activity she had ever really been occupied with before, as she has always left the infant care to the nurses and nannies that they employed. However this night the baby was crying and crying and the nurse was sick with the flu, and the family had only one other nanny due to the other two quitting less than a week before and she was taking care of the other young ones. So Viola was walking with her child up and down the halls when she spotted her father coming up one of the stairways. She followed as her father went into the school room, and watched while her father taught her seven older children magic, the same magic that she knew would sentence them all to hell if they used too much of it.” Poppy called an elf and asked for some tea, and she and Severus watched as Harry crawled on his hands and knees to pull out jars and vials that had been placed in the back of the bottom cabinets. Poppy smiled at the sight and was mildly astonished to hear Severus' soft chuckle. The tea came and Poppy poured. She handed Severus a cup and continued on with the story.

“The next day Viola left the house without any accompaniment for several hours. That night she waited for her father to come again, but while she waited she was busy. First she locked down the nursery, where the nurse and nanny and her five youngest children slept, making sure everyone was shut in. Then she locked the door to her husband's room, making sure he too was inside. After locking the doors, she went to the Library, which was on the bottom floor of the house directly under the school room and nursery. She poured lamp oil over everything in the room, enough oil to have lit every lamp in their house and all the rest of the houses on the street for a full year. Then she stood just inside her room's door and waited for her father to come. Her father wasn't alone that night, though. Albus' father had joined him for the lessons. Viola waited till the men had made it to the schoolroom and checked to make sure all her older children were also within. Then she locked the doors to the school room as well and went back to the library. She grabbed a lit candle on the way. She tossed the lit candle into the room, watched the flames take hold and grow, shut the door and walked out of the house.”

“You're joking, right?” Severus said, horrified.

“No. All the lives in the house would have been lost except she made two mistakes. Her husband's valet had a room connecting to her husband's room which she didn't think of locking and her husband always made certain to be there for part of the lessons the older children had when anyone other than their grandfather came to teach. He went to open his door after he'd figured she'd be asleep, and found his door locked. Knowing he hadn't locked it he went and woke his valet, they left through the valet's room and smelled the smoke which was filling the house. He took off running to the children and sent his valet to alert all the other help. The housekeeper and butler met him in front of the nursery. Those in the schoolroom had already been alerted due to the smoke and heat that had started to seep through the floor. Not being able to open the door, those inside chose to Apparate out. Each grown men side along Apparated two of their charges, the oldest child managed a side along with one of his siblings and the last child in the room managed his first ever successful Apparition without splinching himself that night. The two grown men Apparated back in, to the hallway in front of the nursery. They managed to get the door unlocked. The nanny and the four older tots were waiting to be led out, however they had problems rousing the nurse and the infant. The butler and Albus' father grabbed them after three failed attempts and they all ran for the stairs the servants used, which were the farthest away from the library and still near an exit to the outside. They met the rest of the servants going down the stairwell, herded by the valet. Viola had flown into a rage when she saw her older children escape the house, hitting and screaming at them, threatening their lives with other means of death. She screamed of hell and demons, the need to burn them all at stake. The rest of those exiting the house, family and servants alike were met with the sight of Viola screaming and flailing her arms about, her dress and hair covered in the oils she'd poured in the house before setting it alight, looking every bit the evil witch she was ranting about. Although they got everyone out, it was too late for the smallest baby and the ill nurse. They both died from the smoke the next day. Viola's husband refused to actually have her put in prison, however he did banish her from being anywhere near him or his children ever again. Her father, disgusted with her, brought her back to the island and her mother, who'd happily managed to block from her mind that she had ever had any children at all. Her mother's lack of acknowledgement drove Viola from the commune, and she settled in one of the other coast towns. She took in stray children every once in a while, always older boys who she could then send out to work on the boats and earn a decent living through them, without the need for deadly schooling. Although they all speak kindly about her taking them in, there were reports through out the area that she was rather abusive to them, hitting them and threatening them if they stepped out of her extremely strict set of rules. They are all also still extremely afraid to cross her to this day.”

Poppy paused a moment before continuing. “She has only left the island once that I know of, after her father took her back there. One of Viola's grandchildren, a child of the oldest son, was at Hogwarts in the same class with me. Viola came and tried to find all her grandchildren…I think we must have been second years…and take them away before they could become polluted by the evil magic surrounding them in our world. She managed to kidnap the three who were old enough to go to Hogsmeade during one of the Hogsmeade weekends, and no one could find them for almost two weeks. During that time she'd beaten them and kept them tied up, trying to get them to tell her where each of her children lived, so she could grab the other grandchildren. The children managed to escape on their own and she was banned from the Wizarding world. They decided to ban her instead of send her to Azkaban because they considered it a mental issue and no real harm done. ”

“And Albus thought such a lady would be a suitable guardian for a small child who'd already grown up in an abusive home?”

“Exactly. I just don't trust what other type of environment Albus might come up with for the boy. Somehow, through all this, the child has still managed to keep himself remarkably together and whole, but I honestly cannot imagine that being the case indefinitely. We can think of something, between the three of us, we must.”

Harry backed out of the storeroom, two large pilfered boxes filled to the top with empty jars and vials. “Mistress Poppy, you really ought to go through that room of yours more often. I found empty jars with the date from five years ago sitting on that bottom shelf in the back. Heaven only knows how many extra jars Master Severus has had to purchase that he needn't have had to if you'd have cleaned out your storeroom.”

Poppy smiled at Harry's scolding, relieved the child could still behave in such a manner. “You are right, Harry. I'm sure Severus will make sure to remind me now that he has been informed of the issue. You two boys need to run along though; I must get back to St Mungo's. Take care, dears, and be careful moving those boxes.”

Severus and Harry spent the rest of the morning washing out all the jars and vials that Harry had ferreted out from Poppy and his rooms, crayon in pocket. Severus explained to the child the reason cleaning out the vials and jars before putting anything new in them was so important, in the form of the same lecture he gave the first years every year and seemed to repeat at every level after that as well at least once a year. He was nearly bursting with excitement when Harry not only understood the importance but could carry the idea forward with examples. At lunch, Severus made Harry hold the crayon, since he hadn't been able to really, all morning. After lunch, Severus pulled out his first surprise.

“We are going to make you a chest to store your items in. A wooden one. Today we will be doing the measuring and marking, and then I'll be doing the cutting with a charm. You also must carry your crayon in your hand all afternoon.”

Harry looked interested, even if he did have to carry his crayon, and followed Severus out to the front of the school.

“These are Wizarding Cedar planks. They are from a regular cedar tree, however they have been charmed so that certain spells are easier to set…and others hold longer. Your trunk with be four feet long, two and three quarter feet deep, not counting the lid, and two and a quarter feet wide. Our planks are eight inches in width and two inches thick. Now why did I choose the measurement I did for depth?”

“Because it will take four planks, and so we will not have to cut a cut all the way down one of the planks for the main part of the chest,” Harry answered right off the bat.

“Exactly, Harry. This is a good sized trunk, but I wanted something you could store all your items in during the next few years.”

“Won't it be heavy?”

“No, because the wood itself has already had feather-light spells placed upon it, and it is also spelled so that the chest and all it contains will also be under a feather-light spell.”

“Wow! Magic is just so useful sometimes,” Harry said, rather awed. “I used to have to move the trunks at Mistress Viola's house when she got bored with where they were and I'd be sore for days afterwards.”

“We are going to put together the sides and the front and back first, and then we will work on the top and bottom.”

Severus and Harry cheerfully started laying out the planks, figuring out which planks they liked lined up together and then started measuring with the enchanted tape measure Severus produced from inside his robes. At first Severus had to do most of the marking, as Harry still froze each time it got to that point, but after about thirty minutes into the project Severus caught Harry using his crayon (which Severus had secretly transfigured into chalk) to mark the measurements he'd taken himself. Severus spell-cut the planks and showed Harry how to measure for the dowel joiners they would be using to attach the planks to each other. By mid afternoon, they had the panels for the front, back and both sides completed, and Severus cast the spells that would fuse all the joints together, making them stronger than usual.

They decided to call it a day on the trunk and went downstairs, where after milk and sweets Severus set them both to organizing ingredients into the jars they'd washed in the morning. Severus showed Harry how to measure out the exact amounts using the hanging scales as well as the sliding scale, and how to properly label each jar…writing the ingredient, date procured, and where it was from (found on the outside of the bags), the date it was put into the jars, and any special notes. Severus did the writing himself, but half way through the fourth bag of materials he stopped in shock after Harry passed him a jar already labeled (although in chalk). Severus quickly spelled the chalk so it would set and not smear and asked if he could transfigure Harry's crayon to a pen. Muggle pen in hand, Harry's shaky printing joined Severus' neat script labeling the ingredients until dinner time. They ate in Severus' rooms, and then shelved the ingredients they'd sorted out. Together, they'd managed about a third of the boxes that had been in the sitting room and Severus was in a great mood. He found an old set of Exploding Snap cards that someone had lost to his confiscation drawer and Severus introduced Harry to the game.

After dinner and baths for both of them, Harry and Severus read until it was time for Harry to go to bed. After Harry was tucked in and sound asleep, Severus went into his lab and put together three sets of some of the healing potions that took time and had overnight setting stages which Poppy needed for the infirmary before he too went to bed, for a more peaceful sleep than he'd remembered having in a long time.

The next day, they started with breakfast cooked by the house elves, and then Severus went into his lab to finish a few of the potions from the night before and start a few batches for the day which had to simmer for many hours, thus leaving them the afternoon free again. Harry came with him, and much to Severus' surprise happily helped prepare the ingredients with a quick efficiency that most of his Potions students couldn't grasp. With the extra help, Severus had time to gather another of his surprises for the few days he was in charge of the boy, and set up an easel with jars of paints, a multitude of brushes, and large sheets of paper for the boy to work with. Harry pulled off his shirt, with the excuse that he hadn't enough clothing to ruin any bit of it, and set to work painting. Severus watched the child enjoying himself as he brewed. Harry painted not only with the brushes but with his body as well, using his hands and arms to make parts of his scenes. His scenes were detailed and realistic, rock pools containing odd aquatic life, ships rolling over the ocean waves, and wild landscapes filled page after page of paper. Severus knew without a doubt these were scenes that Harry had actually witnessed.

As Severus finished what needed to be done with the potions for the morning, including bottling the finished ones from the night before, he made a request of Harry. He asked the child to draw someplace he would like to see above all other places. Harry stood paralyzed for a few moments. Severus feared he'd reintroduced the block he'd seen earlier, but right before Severus could recant his request, Harry started painting. It wasn't as smooth as when he'd brought forth the scenes he was pulling from memory, and several sheets of paper were torn off and ripped up. Severus went back and started a few potions that were quick to brew so Harry wouldn't realize Severus was waiting for him and while he brewed he watched the boy take that step from being able to just copy and work with something he'd seen to reaching in and drawing forth the ability to put together the images in his imagination and get them through his hands to an outside surface. Red and yellows, oranges and browns came together to create an image that Severus could place as belonging somewhere in Egypt. Severus could tell the pictures had come from either a verbal account or from a description in a book, the pyramids and sphinx not quite right and the river much to near by, with temples that were from entirely different areas included. Harry stepped back with a look of pride upon his face that warmed Severus' heart, as much about the boy seemed to do.

“I want to go there someday. I remember Bill spoke of wanting to visit and told me about all the great wonders and I want to go there, too,” Harry said, gathering his brushes and washing them out in the sink in the lab.

“It's marvelous. You've done a wonderful job today. Go take a quick shower and I'll have lunch waiting for us when you get out,” Severus said. Harry ran off to the shower and Severus cleaned up his painting corner, making sure the pictures were set safely aside to dry. He bottled the potions he'd worked on while Harry was painting his Egypt, and quickly added them to the growing amount of finished potions on his ‘For Poppy' shelf.

A house elf was waiting to take their lunch order when Severus came back into the main rooms of his quarters. He ordered soup and sandwiches, again, hoping Harry wouldn't mind. Harry was delighted with the grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup which was served…so delighted that Severus had to remind him twice to go get his shirt on before Harry finally listened and retrieved his shirt from the lab, so he could eat. Severus asked about the shirt, finding out how few items of clothing Harry really had. He made a mental note to have Minerva take the boy shopping when she got back.

They worked on the trunk again during the afternoon. They fixed the bottom, fitted so it would be inside the walls and then they cut the pieces for the lid, including the two inch sides and the piecing together of the top of the lid. When they had all the pieces together and ready to be joined into the box shapes, Severus had Harry come with him to make a fire call to a professional trunk-maker in Hogsmeade who'd agreed to come up to the school to join all the pieces together, using special tools and special spells he wouldn't share with Severus. Severus and Harry played outside in the sun, walking around the lake and skipping rocks, even chasing each other as they waited for the man to come. Harry watched fascinated as the man worked joining the pieces to make the corners manually, squaring them, and then joining them together magically. Harry asked questions which the professional seemed delighted to answer, and Severus watched as Harry's face lit up with each new piece of information Harry gathered. As soon as the box was together the trunk-maker asked how they were going to finish it, and Harry asked if there were any tools he could use to engrave and carve images on it with, which were of course safe for him to use. The trunk maker agreed to allow Harry to borrow a set, and said he'd have them delivered by evening. Harry told them that after he'd done his carving he wanted it so that the wood color shone through, but it would still be protected from getting scraped and marred and protected from the weather. The trunk maker told Severus to bring it down to the shop when Harry had finished and they would do the protective spell work for free for him.

Severus and Harry walked the man down to the gates. Severus asked about potential use of potions for some of their finishing and the pros and cons of using potions versus just spell work and Harry acted like a regular little boy, running off here and there chasing bugs and investigating sounds in the bushes. Every once in a while Severus would call out to the boy and remind him to be careful and Harry would call back that he was doing so.

“You have a remarkable son there,” the trunk-maker told Severus.

“I wish he were my son, however, he is just a temporary charge for the summer. He is indeed a remarkable child, though. I enjoy what little time I get to spend with him.” Severus replied. He paused for a moment before he realized that this man hadn't noticed who the boy he had spent the afternoon with was, and Severus looked over to Harry, trying to figure out how that was so.

Harry's hair was long and flopped in his face, and Severus noticed that although he'd managed to get his arms and hands cleaned in his shower, he must not have ducked his head under at all. There were paint smears across his forehead still, one which completely covered his telltale scar. There was even paint decorating his ears.

The trunk-maker continued on and Severus listened as he spoke about how unusual it was to find a young child who was not only interested in watching, but could do so without causing problems and asked intelligent questions while he worked.

“If you are ever in need of sending him out as an apprentice, keep us in mind. We are always on the look out for youth who have the interest and skill to study in our line of work. It isn't a job which brings much glory, so many students never even consider it,” the man informed Severus as he went out the gates and started down the trail to Hogsmeade.

Back at Hogwarts, Severus pulled out his last set of treats for Harry. It was a large bag, and contained many styles of Muggle note books, several of which were designed for students who were just learning to write. They had large lines across, which were marked down the middle by dashes. Severus spelled the alphabet across the top of the walls of his lab, as he'd seen at the store he picked up the notebooks from. There were also two cases containing different sized pencils and pens.

“While I brew today, you need to learn to write your alphabet. When you fill one of these tablets, it will make a noise. I will then give you your prize. They are numbered, do them in order. I want you to do books one, two and three in the manner I am about to describe. I want two pages of each upper case letter, then two pages of each lower case letter. Repeat, but do the upper case then lower case of that letter next to each other, followed by the next letter, in order. The Alphabet is on the wall, as well as inside the front pages of your first three note books. The one inside your notebooks even gives instructions on how to make each letter. Begin. If you have a problem, raise your hand and say ‘Sir'.” Severus set Harry to his task and then completed the potions he'd started in the morning. Several times Harry called for his help, sitting quietly with his hand in the air after his initial call of ‘Sir'. Severus would help him as soon as he could, and Harry would get right back to his task. It took an hour for the sound of the chime to go off, signaling that Harry had completed the first book. Severus went over to a backpack which was sitting by his front lab table and pulled out a book full of fairytales, Wizarding style. By the time Severus was finishing up the potions he'd had going all day, an hour later, Harry was finishing up his third notebook. He'd procured an illustrated encyclopedia of magical animals as his second treat. The third chime sounded as Severus stirred the last potion for the last time.

“Perfect timing. I noticed you worked much quicker through your last two books, I do hope your writing did not suffer.” Severus said, as he reached for the notebooks to look through them. Harry's writing hadn't suffered but continually got better as he wrote more and more. “Excellent. You know these letters Harry. You read wonderfully, you speak superbly and you can spell amazingly well. You just needed to teach your body how to write them.” Severus reached into the backpack and pulled out another collection of stories for Harry, this one full of the myths of Greece and Rome, both Wizarding and Muggle versions included within it.

They ate dinner, and while they were eating a house elf delivered the tools Harry would need for carving his trunk. They came with instructions for the best results and a promise the tools had been spelled to prevent cutting into skin. Harry set right to work, first drawing out the patterns he wanted and then starting on the carving and engraving. Severus went back into his lab to work on some more of the short-brewing-time potions, settling himself in such a manner that he could keep an eye on Harry as well.

Severus' lab clock chimed to inform him that it was past nine at night, and Severus looked around him in amazement. He'd accomplished much more that evening than he'd expected and Harry was still carving away, having lost his sense of time as well. Severus set about bottling and cleaning up, and entered the sitting room just in time to see Harry kneel back and admire his work.

“It's done. Just about perfect, don't you think?” Harry asked.

Severus looked at the trunk and had to agree. There was a border all around the lid on both the top and sides of a mixture of swirls and different sea animals. On the edge around the bottom of the trunk were different types of reptiles and snakes hiding in grasses, tree trunks and under rocks, except the right hand corner on the front, which had a large dragon carved. On one side, a large tree trunk, which shaded a tortoise, was also home to several Muggle style fairies. Severus spied a badger and a raven hidden in the carvings as well. Granted none were very detailed, or perfect, but all the creatures were identifiable. Many of them vaguely reminded Severus of some pictures of rock art he'd seen someplace.

“The griffin is behind the Dragon, peeking out of the den, mostly because I only knew its head looked a little bit like a lion.” Harry said.

“You forgot your new book, didn't you?” Severus asked, teasingly. Harry blushed slightly and Severus continued. “It's incredible. I can't believe you finished this in just a couple of hours.”

“It's been four and a half hours or so, Sir. It's well past ten o'clock now.”

“It took me over an hour to clean up and bottle potions?” Severus said, amazed, then he dashed off to count. Harry laughed and followed.

“Well, I won't have to make any more of those short-brewing potions. I'm all stocked up for both Poppy and myself, I even have extras. Since I didn't have to stop and count washed vials, I just bottled them and put them away. I didn't realize how many potions I'd bottled today. I probably will have to count vials tomorrow, and we still have some ingredients to sort through. I need to see if I need to purchase any jars or vials before beginning to brew the next batches. It will be more like today, where I start in the morning and then finish in the evening. I might even start several potions tomorrow evening as well, which would finish the next morning.”

“Can we take the trunk into town tomorrow? I could return the tools.”

“We might do so, however only if we get some more writing done beforehand and get a good start on these remaining ingredients.”

Harry smiled and nodded, before heading off to bed. Severus checked the room, noticing that Harry had picked up the tools and cleaned up as much as he could while Severus had been talking to him and looking at the chest, without Severus even noticing Harry was busy. Then Severus, too, went off to bed.

Severus awoke to the sound of arguing the next morning, and looked out of his room to see what the fuss was about. Harry stood face to face with a house elf, hands on his hips, talking back. The house elf kept insisting it was right and trying to pound its head against an end table, which Harry then berated it for.

“No kippers. I will not eat them! They smell. Take them away.”

“No, no young master. Yous must eat them, they is healthy. Master always has kippers on this day, you must, you must.”

“Stop that, you crazy thing. You'll hurt yourself. And take them away.”

“But Sazzy will be in trouble, master, yous must have the kippers.”

“No! Stop hitting your head!”

“Yous must have the kippers!”

“No!”

“Yous must!”

Severus decided to walk in before one or the other did some real damage, trying hard not to laugh. “Sazzy, remove the kippers. It will be fine. See if any of the cats who wander the school would like them. Harry, sit down and eat your breakfast, it looks like porridge today.”

They ate, showered (Severus made sure Harry washed his hair, as well, this time around) and then headed directly into the lab, where Harry set to completing the next three tablets. The first tablet was just normal notebook paper, and Harry was to use two lines per letter…writing the alphabet in the Aa Bb Cc style until it was filled. Severus described how to properly space the letters, and how that was the same way one put spaces between words. When the chime for the fourth book went off, Severus looked at the letters, making sure they were neat and tidy, and then fished out Harry's fourth prize, a book that talked about knights and castles, the feudal system and ancient weaponry, all from a Muggle point of view. There were diagrams and pictures, mostly, with the descriptions precise and clear. Severus had been highly impressed with the whole series of books and planned on buying a few just for his own use when he could get back to the Muggle bookstore where he'd located the book. Then he explained to Harry how the next two notebooks would work. Severus would say a word and Harry would write it, keeping to the two-lines- tall letters while he mastered each letter's shape and form. If he got the word wrong the notebook would ding and Harry would have to write the word again. Harry started writing, Severus calling out whatever words came to mind as he brewed the potions. After an hour and half, Harry had filled the fifth notebook and was rewarded with a book of children's poetry. He finished the sixth notebook an hour and half after that. Harry quickly picked up and went into the sitting room to count the unused jars and vials, finishing up that task just as Severus was finishing the morning's brewing. Severus pulled out the sixth book from the backpack and handed it to Harry. It was a collection of fables.

“You've done very well. I think we can, indeed go to Hogsmeade today. I think we will have lunch there. I want to do something first though.”

They informed the house elves that they were heading to Hogsmeade and wouldn't need lunch. As Severus dug about in his drawer of confiscated items and found some Muggle make-up he'd taken from one of the girls in his sixth year Potions class the year before, he asked Harry about the count on the vials and jars. Spreading a tiny amount on Harry's head, he found the make-up covered the scar well enough so that unless someone was really looking closely at the child, no one would notice anything. Severus made another mental note, this time to ask Flitwick about charms which could set the Muggle make-up so it would stay until a counter-charm was spoken and it was then wiped off, without smearing. While Severus applied the make-up, Harry informed him that he didn't think they'd need more jars for the ingredients left, nor did he think they'd need more vials for this first round of potions, however Severus would need more before he did the batches later in the summer.

They packed the trunk into a carriage that the house elves had asked Hagrid to get ready, and headed to Hogsmeade. Harry chatted with Severus, asking if they could visit the same stores they went to last time Severus had taken him to Hogsmeade. Severus felt the smile beaming across his face knowing that Harry had just as fond memories of that day as he did. They dropped the trunk off at the trunk makers, and Severus was once again told that they would love to have Harry as an apprentice if ever he was looking for a line of work to follow. The master carver who worked at the shop was highly impressed with Harry's work. They informed Severus and Harry that the spell-work and finishing work on the trunk would be complete by two in the afternoon, leaving Severus and Harry a little over two hours to spend in Hogsmeade.

They ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks and walked over to the clothing store. Once again, Severus filled out Harry's wardrobe, making sure the boy had enough to clothe him for a week, including a winter cloak, a summer cloak, and two sets of robes. He walked the child over to the shoe shop, and bought Harry a pair of trainers and a new pair of boots, declaring his old boots way past their usefulness and finding from the cobbler that they were also about a size and half too small. After they made the rounds to the rest of the shops children always clustered to…namely Zonko's joke shop and Honeydukes sweetshop, as well as a toy shop hidden a bit down one of the alleys…they headed to the book shop and a store that sold writing supplies. Severus bought Harry his own quill set, black and green inks, and several rolls of parchment, although he also informed the child that he wasn't quite ready to start using them yet. By then it was almost two o'clock and they headed back to the trunk store.

They loaded the trunk and started home, the carriage taking a slow pace as it drove back to the castle. Severus and Harry talked more about the type of education wizard children learned and what areas of Wizarding education Harry was missing. Severus determined that he'd send Minerva back to the book shop to get books on childhood education for the Wizarding family, as well as household charms and heritage books.

They went directly to the lab when they got back, Severus setting up Harry's painting equipment and giving Harry his next three tablets.

“It will be a bit more difficult to win your next books. First we will have a lesson about how words go together in sentences and paragraphs. In your notebook, labeled number seven, you will find the first several pages filled with the rules for writing sentences, when to use upper case letters, how to punctuate your sentences, how to make combined sentences, and other things of that nature. Fill book seven with proper sentences, it will ding when you make a mistake. If you cannot figure the mistake out on your own, raise your hand and say “Sir”. I will come help you as soon as I can. I don't care what you write your sentences about, if you need ideas look at your last notebooks with the words and try to use each of them in a sentence. When you get that tablet filled, you may paint for an hour. Then you will come back to work on tablets eight and nine. In the beginning of these you will find information about writing longer pieces. These notebooks are larger and broken into three sections each. You will find the first section tells you how to write a paragraph. The other sections deal with different types of longer pieces of writing, including letters, essays and stories. When you need more information than given on the first few pages of each section, get my attention and I will help you. Are you ready?”

Harry sat down and started to work on his first notebook. Again, as during the days before, Severus paid nearly as much attention to Harry as he did to his potions. He staggered the finishing of those from the morning with the starting of new potions, listening as Harry named off items he saw within the lab and then the sitting room, making sentences which most the time turned out right on the first try. A few times Severus heard the ding, but it wasn't until they'd been at their own projects for nearly an hour that Harry had a problem he couldn't find the answer to. Severus was once again impressed by the quiet and calm way Harry sat waiting while he got the potions to a stable spot and could come to Harry's aid.

“I cannot figure out what the problem is here, Sir,” Harry said, pointing to the sentence on the page. Severus read through the sentence several times before he finally understood what was wrong.

Severus finally found the misplaced comma and Harry was on his way again. Severus finished up several of the morning potions, stopping to bottle and shelve them before Harry finished his book of sentences. Severus came over to read them, happy that Harry had mixed a good amount of long and complex sentences with short sentences, as well as including a good amount of proper nouns and a wide mix of punctuation. He pulled the seventh book from the book bag, a multi chapter book for young readers that followed the adventures of a boy in the magical woods outside his house.

Harry helped Severus prepare the ingredients for his next six batches of potions before pulling out his paints and brushes. The scenes Harry painted that day were from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Severus was especially enthralled with a painting of the lake and one of the Three Broomsticks. Harry cleared his paints up before Severus even had to remind him and asked that Severus come and go over the rules in the next notebooks with him, when he could.

Severus got to a point where he could pause again, as Harry watched…as enthralled with Severus' brewing as Severus was with Harry's painting.

“I love watching you work, sir,” Harry told him as Severus sat beside Harry. “You move so quickly and it is very smooth and elegant. Someday, I want to move like that.”

Severus smiled and ran his hand over Harry's head. “You are well on your way, Harry, well on your way.”

They went over the structure of paragraphs, and their purposes. They spoke of how they differ when writing a letter to writing an essay or story. Severus went and found examples of each of the different types of writing he wanted Harry to be able to accomplish, so Harry could recognize them better.

Then he listed out two projects for each section he wanted Harry to write about before dinner. He told him to write a letter to Minerva and one to Bill Weasley, and he wanted to see a story about some sort of creature he might find on Hogwarts grounds and one about one of the children they saw running around Hogsmeade. He then wanted an essay telling about a typical day when he lived with Mistress Viola and one about what he'd like to do on his holiday. Then he wanted a how-to essay about sorting potions ingredients and one about bringing in a catch of fish. Severus also wanted Harry to write an opinion piece on why education was important and one on why cleaning out jars before putting a new ingredient into them was important. The final paragraphs Severus wanted Harry to write were in the ‘learning to write a paragraph' section and so could be whatever Harry wanted to write, as long as it was a good paragraph.

Harry went to work quickly, starting with the last two assignments Severus had given, but the two which came first in his books. He wrote a description of Severus as he brewed and then a paragraph on how interesting it was to have a window in the dungeons. Harry giggled as he wrote the two essays about potions work and Severus smiled at the sound. He had not heard it all that often since Harry had come back, but the few times he had heard it, it was like music to his soul. Harry wrote his piece about what he'd like to do on holiday right before he wrote a letter to Bill and then one to Minerva. After that Harry sat staring into space for a while, and Severus finally headed over to ask what was wrong.

“These other ones are difficult to write.” Harry informed Severus.

“Why?”

“I am having problems with the stories. I can't imagine what the children running about Hogsmeade might do, I just don't know. I don't know what creatures are around either, except I thought I saw rabbit prints yesterday and I saw some butterflies, but how could they make a good story?”

“And the rest? Are they hard to write as well?”

“No,” Harry said softly. “Those are difficult in another way. I don't want to think about that time any more. I would have the same problems writing about a day when I lived at my aunt's house.”

“So that would cover the essay about the fish as well?” Harry nodded.

“How about your education essay?”

“There is just so much I want to say about that, that I didn't know how to get it out and not be a jumbled up mess.”

Severus smiled. “I want you to write each of these essays anyway, even though they are difficult. I think it will be good for you to face and deal with Mistress Viola. It will help you move past it, writing often helps people do that. Later I will ask you to write about days at your aunt's house as well. I would find the one about bringing in a catch of fish fascinating, think about writing it to inform me just of how it is done. Take it out of how you fell about it, and just describe the process.”

“What about the others?”

“We will need to find someway to help you with the story-telling and right this minute I am going to show you a few ways to tame those ideas that get overwhelming.”

Severus showed Harry several methods of brain storming and then organizing his thoughts and Harry insisted he was ready to try again. Severus went back to brewing and Harry went back to writing. Harry's education essay ended up being many pages long and Harry brought it over to Severus to show him, beaming proudly about it. Severus had to admit, it was a better essay than he usually saw in his first years until about half way through the year. Harry had good reason to be proud of it. Harry then scrunched his face up and plowed through the essays about the fish and Mistress Viola, putting his head down on the table he was working at in relief when they were finished. Severus was just as proud of that as he was of Harry's wonderful essay. Then Harry stared off into space some more, stuck on the whole fiction idea.

Severus got all the potions to their simmering points and went to collect Harry, who'd been staring at his notebook for about a half hour straight, for dinner. He was almost at a loss about how to help Harry create a work of fiction. They ate dinner and then settled down to a relaxing evening of trying to get rid of the boxes of ingredients still littering the sitting room floor. They were down to the last two boxes when it was time for Harry to go to bed and Severus to finish up or continue working on the potions simmering in the lab.

Severus put Harry into bed and told him to read at least one or two stories from one of his books before going to sleep. Severus was up late again, finishing his potions just before midnight. However, he was almost done with those potions Poppy required that could be brewed in the early summer and he was rather relieved about that. With Harry's help, somehow the days had passed by much quicker and he had hardly noticed how much brewing he'd accomplished along with everything else. They had accomplished a lot because, although Harry was frustrated by his difficulty with writing the fiction pieces, Severus was amazed at how quickly Harry had caught on to writing. His printing was neat and controlled, he didn't mix up letters, and he had moved from simply managing words to writing at his age level in just one day. Harry delighted Severus in so many ways, and Severus was not looking forward to Minerva being back the next day.

They were awakened the next morning by a house elf informing them that breakfast would be held in the Great Hall, as more than just a handful of people were in residence again. Harry and Severus arrived to find not only Poppy and Minerva there, but Flitwick, Hagrid and one of the people who were trying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post for the next year. Harry smiled and chatted with Hagrid about the creatures which lived on Hogwarts grounds while they ate. Severus took the time to discuss the spells about setting make-up that he'd been meaning to ask Flitwick about, which produced many more options than Severus had actually thought possible.

When Severus was finished, he stood and Harry quickly excused himself to follow. Minerva and Poppy followed a little while later and found Harry and Severus sorting through the very last of the potions ingredients. Harry proudly shouted, when the final ingredients of the last bag were measured and placed into the last jar. “It's perfect! I told you! I told you we'd have just enough jars!”

Severus laughed. “All right, I admit, you were right and I was wrong. Are you happy now, brat?”

Harry laughed and threw himself onto the sofa. “Of course. I wouldn't have been upset if I'd been wrong though, either.”

Severus stood and ruffled Harry's hair as he walked past. “I know. I consider than to be one of the most wonderful characteristics about you, little one. Well, that and the fact that you are an amazingly hard worker and always seem to enjoy yourself while doing so.”

“Why wouldn't I? Work needs to be done and one should endeavor to find the joy in all one does.” Harry tilted his head to the side and smiled. “Hey! I did gain something worthwhile from my time with Mistress Viola, after all!”

“I think you will find, as time goes by, that you learned much to be thankful for in the long run. Even if much that you gained was learned in a manner distasteful to all of us who care for you,” Severus replied.

“Here, Here!” Minerva said from the door.

“Minerva and Poppy, it's a pleasure to see you. Have you both come to discuss what we spoke of before?” Severus asked.

“Yes,” Minerva answered. “And I think I've got a perfect solution. Cordelia's youngest is going on one of those exchange student programs and she was thinking of taking in a foster child during the year he was gone. I spoke to her about Harry and she'd be willing to care for him for the next three years, if we can either find somewhere else for him to reside during the summer when her children are home or find a way to disguise who he really is.”

“We can. Between Flitwick's charms and Muggle make-up he could be safe that way.”

“The wards on her house are extremely strong, her father and I set them up that way when they decided to leave the Magical world during Voldemort's first reign. Children in her area attend a myriad of after school classes; she'd send Harry to the same tutors that she had work with her boys throughout their upper years, starting as soon as he gets there. She requested Harry find one or two other areas in which he could attend after school classes so he had something to answer with when other children asked, you know art or some sort of instrument. The schools are good there, but Harry would have to know how to write.”

Harry smiled. “We've got that covered, too.”

“Really? In just three days? You brilliant wonderful child!” Minerva gushed, running to give Harry a kiss on the cheek. Harry blushed.

“The problem is he'd need to be ready to go within three days, or we'd have to keep him here until the end of the summer. Cordelia's taking her children off to France for a holiday, and she said Harry and I could go as well if we are prepared before they leave.”

“Could you arrange to always accompany them on holidays like that?” Poppy asked. “I don't like the idea of Harry leaving the country until he can protect himself.”

“I could. I often summered with them, so it would not be considered odd.”

“How did her children do on their OWLS and NEWTS?” Severus asked.

“The tutors are excellent. Her oldest received O's in four out of the five NEWTS he took, as did the next two children. The youngest will take the NEWTS when he comes back from Australia.”

Severus nodded.

“Best of all, Cordelia agreed that if we gave the child an owl, he could keep it with him and we could write to Harry this time!”

Severus and Poppy smiled. “There is one more person to speak with. Harry? What do you think?”

Harry turned to Minerva. “Is she nice? Will I get to go to school? Will she punish me?”

“I think she's nice.” Minerva said, holding her arms out to Harry, who came to sit on her lap. “You will go to school and although you may need a tutor to catch up with all the other children, Cordelia is willing to find you a good one and help you herself. The school is a good school and you will learn what is considered needful for a very good Muggle education. Yes, Cordelia will punish you, but she will not hit you. She will set rules and you will lose privileges when you break them, much like it is dealt with here at Hogwarts. She knows you have not had an easy past, so she will also recommend that you should not be hit at school if there is any other option.”

“And I can still talk to you here? Could I fire call Master Severus or Mistress Poppy, too? What does an owl have to do with anything?”

“We use owls to deliver our letters, and if you have an owl you can tell it who to take the letter to and it will bring it to that person. We will see about firecalls, as Cordelia isn't usually connected to the Floo.”

Harry looked at Severus, who was smiling and seemed at ease with the situation. Then he looked at Poppy, who looked excited about where he was going to live. This was Mistress Minerva's child; she would be kind and trustworthy if she was at all like her mother. “I'll go. What do we need to have done to be ready?”

“You'll need a trunk, and some more clothing and other supplies.”

“I have a trunk, and Severus bought me some clothing. Let me show you!”

Harry dragged Minerva off to view what he owned, speaking proudly about his new trunk and his clothes, his notebooks and his new books.

Poppy smiled at Severus. “Are you going to be all right with this?”

“He needs to live somewhere, and this is the most hopeful I have felt in a long time. Cordelia is a good person. I have met the two oldest children, and they were polite and well mannered. I know she will take care of Harry. I will miss him though.”

“But Severus, we will be able to communicate with him this time. Cordelia will even write and ease your worries, I'm sure.”

“I know, Poppy.” Laughter came from Harry's room and Severus could hear Minerva telling Harry what clothing he would still need. “It will be quiet here without him.”

“You will be able to get your work done.”

“Ah, come and see Poppy. Harry doesn't seem to prevent me from getting work done like any other child might.”

Severus walked her to the lab and Poppy was astonished at the amount of her potions already tucked away.

“He helped with the preparation of the ingredients and his presence in the lab was soothing. I found myself able to manage two or three more potions at a time than usual.”

Poppy turned to look towards the sitting room again and spotted Harry's corner. His easel was still out, and the stack of unused notebooks was sitting, waiting to be worked on.

“You've done well, Severus. Without you I don't think he'd be as far along as he is now.”

Severus nodded. “Let's go join Minerva and Harry.” Severus picked up the backpack sitting by the desk at the back of the room.

Minerva and Harry had got all his clothing piled on his bed, and were making a list of what was still needed, which was mostly summer clothing that could be worn while traveling.

“He won't need a back pack; he has this one here and another bag that held his notebooks. I have also purchased some writing supplies and he can take his art supplies with him.”

Harry pulled Severus over to his bed and made Severus sit down. Then Harry climbed on his lap and leaned against him. “I wish you could come with us. I bet you could find loads of materials in France for your potions.”

Severus smiled and wrapped his arms around Harry. “I know I could, but there are things I must work on this summer. I will miss you.”

“Severus, can you keep the boy today? That way Poppy and I can run and purchase what he still needs.”

“Gladly, Minerva.”

Harry looked up and smiled. “Can I help you make a potion today?”

Severus smiled back. “I think there might be one or two you can assist me in making.”

“Yes! Let's go!”

Harry ran to the lab, and Severus lagged behind just long enough to ask Minerva to purchase the books on household charms and heritage that he'd thought about getting for Harry when they were on their way home from Hogsmeade a few days prior.

Harry and Severus spent the day brewing. Harry helped this time, settling over his own cauldron, doing his own stirring and adding most of his own ingredients. Harry turned out a very good burn salve and Severus found him some personal-use-sized containers he could have. Severus also taught Harry how to write his numbers, which Harry caught on to very quickly. They went to the classroom and covered the chalkboards with addition and subtraction facts, as well as a few simple multiplication and division facts.

Poppy and Minerva were back before dinner and they all ate in Severus' quarters. Severus and Minerva helped Harry pack up his items from the lab after dinner, while Poppy had to run back to the hospital due to some complication or another with one of the patients she'd been working with. Harry looked very gloomy the entire time, and actually broke into sniffles when Minerva took down the easel and tucked the paints and brushes away into a container she'd picked up so they could safely be stored in his trunk.

Severus sat down with Harry at Harry's work space, pulling Harry again into his lap, and took out all the rest of the notebooks. He took out each one and went through the instructions at the beginning of it, explaining to Harry how he wanted each notebook completed. He spelled topics for essays to appear on the top of each page, informing Harry he only had to choose from the topics listed for half of his writing assignments. He recast the spell so that a miniature notebook would appear on his desk in his office when Harry completed each notebook's tasks, instead of the notebooks chiming. It would appear a different color as to how well each task was finished. Severus promised to send a treat of some sort for each one.

“A book?”

“Or some chocolate from Honeydukes. Whatever type of treat you'd like. The backpack I brought into your room last night has books, the ones which were supposed to be the prizes for each of these notebooks, but I want you to have them now. They are no longer your prizes. Keep reading from them. Reading is important, but I want you to also remember to always find the joy in it. There is a dictionary and an atlas, learn from them.”

“I like the books.”

Severus smiled and reached for the paintings.

“Keep those, Severus, except for the one with the view of the lake. That way you'll remember me.”

“I never forget you, Harry, but I'd love to have them. Where would you like me to put the painting of the lake?”

“Can you shrink it smaller? I want to be able to fit it into my treasure box.”

“Treasure box?”

“Yeah, the box I got the first time you brought me here. It's my treasure box. I added the book from the Weasleys to it and even managed to fit in my Weasley sweater. I also put in a sea shell we dragged up in a net one time and a piece of driftwood that looked just like a snake, it even had a mouth and eyes. I hid it from Mistress Viola, so she never made me get rid of it.”

Severus shrunk the painting down to the size of Harry's notebooks and Harry smiled and tucked the painting inside one of the books.

“Have you and Minerva decided what name you will go by?”

“Yeah, we decided Harry Evans would work just fine. Minerva says that was my mum's last name. She didn't explain why I wasn't going to be using Harry Potter though.”

“I'm sure you'll figure it out soon.”

“Minerva said you're taking me to Diagon Alley tomorrow, to get me an owl.”

“Did she, now? She forgot to tell me that.”

Harry laughed. “She said we need to go early, so we can go to her Cordelia's house before dinner.”

Severus nodded. “We will leave directly after breakfast.”

Sleep was restless for both Harry and Severus that night, and breakfast was a solemn affair. Severus brought out the Muggle make-up and showed Minerva how to cover Harry's scar and the spells to keep the make-up on intact until the caster wished it to be removed, informing her that Flitwick thought it could probably last a week, if they chose.

Harry and Severus Flooed to Diagon Alley and went to the bookstore first. Severus bought Harry a large magical encyclopedia about Egypt and a book about Potions before they headed over to pick out Harry's owl. After much discussion, Harry ended up owning a Snow White Owl. They quickly looked around the rest of the stores, stopping at last in the Quidditch store. There Severus bought Harry a book on Quidditch and a small game which resembled the miniature match Severus had once transfigured on his desk. Harry asked for one more stop, a toy shop. Severus brought him to a small shop just outside the Leaky Cauldron, in Muggle London.

Harry asked for a stuffed animal. They finally decided on three; a green and black dragon, a snowy owl just like his new owl, and a silver snake. Harry laughed when Severus asked why those creatures.

“The dragon is you, since you insist you aren't my knight. The snake is for Slytherin, because if I were a Slytherin I'd probably get to see you more than if I were a Hufflepuff. The owl is because I figured if I had a stuffed owl, owning a real one wouldn't be too odd if I ever make friends, I could just say I'm owl-obsessed. This isn't my only one, you know. Remember? ”

Severus laughed. “I do. You know, with thoughts like that you just might make it into my house.”

They left and headed back to the castle. Although they'd taken a carriage into Hogsmeade in the morning, they decided to each lunch at the Three Broomsticks and then walk back to the school. It was a lovely walk, nice and slow. They discussed everything, Harry's fears (that he wouldn't make friends and that it wouldn't end up being a nice place to live) and Severus' planned summer research (he wanted to get the Wolfsbane Potion working well enough to be of use…as it was now, although it kept a werewolf saner during their transformation, it made them so ill afterwards that it wasn't worth it), the things both planned on doing, the types of classes Harry hoped to have, and the types of interests Severus hoped to pursue.

Minerva was waiting for them at the front doors. Severus went with them and they finished packing Harry's stuff. Severus taught Harry how to manipulate his trunk, giving him the commands to make it float behind him and even the command to make it float, but have it appear to be on wheels. Poppy met them at the doors, and they said goodbye. Severus and Poppy stood on the steps, watching Minerva load the trunk into the carriage waiting to take them to Hogsmeade. Minerva went to lift Harry into the carriage, when Harry broke away and ran back up the stairs, into Severus' arms.

Harry was crying. Severus was stunned and swept Harry into his arms. He tucked Harry's head against his shoulder and held him close, remembering the first time he'd held the boy this way, when he was carrying the battered child to Hogwarts.

“Promise you'll write back, promise.” Harry cried.

“I promise. I will always be here for you, Harry. Always.” Severus said.

“I'm holding you to that.” Harry said, giving Severus a tight hug, which was returned. Harry then motioned to be released and Severus set him down. Holding his back straight, Harry walked to the carriage, looking over his shoulder as he got to it, and smiled.

Severus and Poppy watched as the carriage drove away. “He's going to be fine, Severus.”

“I know, Poppy. And I'll see him again.”

Severus didn't see Harry again for almost three years. They wrote to each other three or four times a week, but Severus didn't get to see the child outside of the photos which Minerva brought him at least twice a year. Then one day, Harry once again appeared in Severus' Potions classroom, along with his trunk and bird, demanding Severus consider him for an apprentice after the Headmaster refused to send his Hogwarts letter… but that my friends is a tale for another day.