The rest of the day had been taken up with crossing the river to the island. Harry had fallen asleep in the boat and hadn’t awakened until a drop of rain landed on his forehead. He drowsily opened his eyes and looked up into the sky. He could hardly see due to the darkness surrounding them. Sitting up, he noticed that Snape was watching the weather around them with a look of apprehension. This didn’t bode well with Harry.

“Is something wrong, Professor?” he asked, pulling his cloak around himself.

Snape was startled out of his deep thoughts when he heard Harry’s voice. “I’m afraid we won’t make it to the shore before this storm hits at its full force.” he said. As if on cue, rain started pouring down on them in torrents. The wind started rocking the boat, despite the levitation spell, and they both had to hang onto the sides to keep from getting thrown out.

“Hang on!” yelled Snape, trying to find his wand in the many folds of his cloak. However, he was unable as a huge wave came out of nowhere and crashed down on the tiny boat. The levitation spell was rendered completely useless in the force of the storm and the boat fell violently into the raging waters beneath them.

Harry was knocked onto the floor of the boat, where he was shocked to find himself submerged in water. His shock turned to panic when something very heavy fell on top of him, effectively pinning him under the water, desperately needing to breathe. He realized it was one of their trunks and he tried to push it off of himself, but couldn’t, it was too heavy. He thrashed his arms helplessly as he started breathing in water. Suddenly, the trunk was gone and he was wrenched from the water, gasping in air and coughing all at the same time. He clung to Snape like a lifeline and never intended to let go. He had never been so frightened in his life. Well, at least not in the ‘air is being deprived from your body’ sort of way.

Severus nearly had a stroke when he had seen Harry pinned underneath the water by his trunk. Reacting without thought, he had pulled the trunk away from him and tossed it aside, further damaging the already damaged boat. Therefore, he hadn’t noticed their increasingly dire predicament until he had Harry safely above the water.

“Oh shit.” he exclaimed. The tiny boat was going to sink, and soon. He looked toward the island and could just barely make out the faint glow of a light. But they were still too far away. They wouldn’t make it, not in this boat. He once again went digging through his cloak in an attempt to find his wand. The damn thing seemed to be evading him. He couldn’t find it. “Where is it!” he yelled.

“What?” asked Harry, still attached to his professor.

“My wand.” he hissed out.

Harry pulled away from Snape and dug out his own wand. “Here.” he yelled over the wind. “Use mine!” he said and thrust his wand into the older man’s hand.

Snape hastily took the boy’s wand and started with a spell that Harry could hardly hear. Suddenly the rain stopped hitting them with a vengeance and the water in the boat parted down the middle and flew out either side of the boat. Looking up, Harry realized that the storm hadn’t ended, but there was some kind of shield up around them. The water was hitting it and rolling off. He was suddenly reminded of the spell Hermione had used for his glasses. The levitation spell was restored and they continued on through the storm towards the island, which was now considerably closer.

“Are you alright?” asked Snape.

“Yeah.” replied Harry, albeit a little shakily. “I never want to do that again.” he muttered more to himself, but Snape heard him anyways.

“Me either.” he said.

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

The rickety boat finally landed on the shore of the island and Harry immediately jumped out. He took a good look around and realized that this was an enormous island. He looked down the shoreline on either side of him, but couldn’t see where it cut off into the river. The trees here were the tallest he had ever seen, with extremely odd looking leaves. But it didn’t matter, as the only thing that did was that they were on land again.

The storm had slacked off some and they were able to actually see where they were going. Harry waited patiently while Snape cast drying spells on the both of them. There was a path off towards their left and they could just barely see a light in the distance. Snape assumed it was the light he had seen while out on the river. Casting yet another levitation spell on their belongings, they followed the path through the trees and were soon in some kind of little village.

When Harry had been told about the island, the first thought that had popped into his head had been some kind of deserted isle with no living life in sight. In fact, he had an image of a movie Dudley had been watching a few years ago flash into his mind. He thought it was called the Blue Lagoon, or something like that.

What lay in front of him was nothing like what his imagination had drug up. There were houses, most of which looked like they were built in the late 1800s, but they probably had been. They continued down the path, which went in-between many of the houses, and then grew larger, like a road. They stopped in front of one of the nicer looking homes, which ended up being a bed and breakfast, as the sign advertised. Although he couldn’t imagine anyone coming out here to visit, as the air of this village alone seemed that of secrecy.

He noticed that no one had ventured outside of their houses when they had emerged from the woods. He had seen some people peeking out of their windows, but they were hastily closed as soon as they saw him looking. He followed Snape up the walkway to the two story house. It was quite beautiful, with a wrap around porch and he noticed a balcony on the other side of the house. There was also a small balcony directly above them. Snape knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer the door.

A woman could be seen through the curtains on the front door coming towards them. She slowly opened the door and peeked her head around it.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” she asked, caution in her voice.

“Deliverance?” asked Snape.

“Severus?” she asked in return, fully opening the door. “Oh, Severus.” she exclaimed, rushing out and enveloping the man in a huge hug. “It’s been so long. Where have you been?” she asked.

“I’ve been teaching, Del.” he replied, and laughed at her incredulous look. “Things aren’t as they were, cousin.”

Things were starting to make sense to Harry. He had been totally confused when the woman had recognized Snape and had actually hugged him. Something he had never expected to see in his lifetime. But, she was family. Very old family at that. She looked more like a grandmother than a cousin. Harry would venture a guess that she was at least in her nineties, but he could be wrong.

“Come in, come in.” she said happily, motioning for them to follow her into the house. She led them to what appeared to be a sitting room and then rushed back out, only to return a moment later with cups and a pitcher of tea. “Sit down.” she said.

They both took seats on the couch that sat opposite of the rocking chair she had sat herself in. “Now, who do you have here?” she asked, eyeing Harry curiously, and placing the pitcher on a table sitting between them.

“This is one of my students, Del. His name is Harry Potter.” he replied, sipping at his tea.

“Why, hello, Harry. I trust you had a safe trip here?” she asked and Harry couldn’t help but laugh at her question. “What?” she asked, truly bewildered.

“That storm gave us quite a bit of trouble, Del. We’re lucky we made it here at all.” said Snape a little scathingly.

“Yes, exactly what are you doing here?” asked Deliverance, pouring Harry some more tea.

“I’m on a bit of a mission.” replied Snape.

“With a child?” she asked, exasperated. “I can only imagine the kind of mission you would be on. And I most definitely doubt this child should be going with you!” she ground out.

“Believe me; he’s more than capable of handling it. He’s handled more precarious situations, haven’t you Potter?” remarked Snape.

“Um…yeah.” said Harry, not wanting to go into the sordid details of all he had experienced to this woman. Although he was getting more than annoyed at being called a child, he wasn’t a child.

“Even so,” continued Deliverance, “if the people are anything like I remember them, it isn’t safe for him. Or even you for that matter. How on earth did you manage to get a teaching job, Severus? Did you hide it from them?” she asked, still marveling at how much this man had achieved.

“Deliverance, I told you already, things have changed. Honestly, don’t you even keep contact with the outside world?” asked Snape, more surprised at his cousins lack of knowledge than he had expected to be. He had assumed she had kept in contact with others, such as himself, but she never sent mail or ever wrote him back.

“Of course I don’t, Severus, are you mad? What if I got caught?” she asked, irritation seeping into her voice.

Harry stared between the two of them in confusion. What were they on about, anyways?

“Things aren’t like they were. We have our own world now.” said Snape, talking slowly, trying to let his words sink into his cousin.

“Excuse me?” she asked, completely shocked. “Our own world?”

“Yes. The Wizarding World, I can’t believe you didn’t realize it. Has it really been three hundred years since you paid attention to what has been going on outside of this island?” he asked.

“Whoa, wait a minute. How old are you?” asked Harry, incredulously.

“I’m very old, Harry. I’m probably the oldest person you will ever meet.” she replied. “Have you ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials?” she asked.

“Yes, hang on, were there really witches there?” he asked, never believing the story to be true, since true witches and wizards could have gotten out of being hanged.

“Some were real witches, and those who remain live here, on this island. We fled when they started hanging innocent people. We did try and save who we could, but they would take our wands, and wandless magic was a very difficult task. This is why we are a secluded people, Harry. We feared what the muggles would do if they ever discovered where we were. Our past experiences with them were unpleasant, to say the least. We decided to stay away from them and keep our presence in the world a secret.” she said, as way of an explanation for the situation. “But what’s this about our own world? Don’t the muggles know of your existence?” The very idea was frightening to her.

Harry thought he could relate with this woman a little with the muggle aspect of the story. He knew all too well how people could react to being a witch or wizard. His relatives would probably jump at the chance to be able to hang him. Sickening.

Severus quickly told her of all that was happening in the Wizarding World, and told of a bigger threat than muggles with a witch and wizard complex, Voldemort.

“Oh dear.” she whispered. “And you defeated him?” she asked, looking straight at Harry.

“Yeah.” he replied, looking studiously at his shoes.

“You’re a very special lad, aren’t you?” she asked. Snape snorted. “Shut up, Severus.”

Snape looked on the verge of arguing with his cousin, but then thought better of it.

“Well now, perhaps you two would like a warm bed to sleep in? Hmm? I’m sure you’re very tired after your journey today. Please, follow me.” she said, and led them up a spiraling wooden staircase. “Here you are, Severus. Your rooms will be connected, in case you need anything.” added Deliverance, pointing at a door on the right wall. “Harry, you’re right in here.”

She led Harry to the next door and unlocked it for him. “Sleep well, dear.” she said, and shut the door behind her.

Harry looked longingly at the bed in the middle of the room. It was huge. The kind you had to use stairs to get into. He had always wanted to sleep in a bed like this, and now he had the chance. He heard a thump outside his door and went to open it. He was surprised to see his things sitting outside his door. She must have brought them up for him. Hedwig hooted lovingly at him from his open window. It was amazing how his owl could find him no matter where he was.

“Potter, keep that bird quiet!” yelled Snape from the other room.

“Yes, Uncl…Professor Snape.” he had almost called his professor by his uncle’s name. He was used to getting yelled at for Hedwig being loud by his uncle. He’d have to watch himself. His thoughts were interrupted when the door connecting his room to Snape’s was opened. And as he was so wrapped up in his thoughts he immediately cringed away from the older man. He had Uncle Vernon on the brain.

Snape looked questioningly at the boy standing in front of him. The blasted child thought he was going to get hit. Damn muggles. He thought the boy and Deliverance should get together and compare notes.

“I see your owl has found you.” he replied, nonchalantly. “Perhaps you should let her out to hunt for food. She’s probably spent the day trying to find you.”

“Oh, okay.” said Harry, relaxing. “I’ll do that.”

“Alright, sleep well, Potter.” said the Professor and he disappeared into his room.

“You too, sir.” said Harry, even though he figured Snape couldn’t hear him. He pulled his trunk over to the closet and opened the door. He was surprised to find a walk in closet. He pulled his trunk in and was almost overwhelmed by a feeling of claustrophobia. He couldn’t even stand a walk in closet. He quickly jumped from the closet and climbed into bed, kicked off his shoes, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.