Vernon Dursley always considered himself to be a good hard working family man. He was the one who earned the money for the house therefore it should not matter how he came across the money. That should not have been a big deal, right?

That was probably the understatement of the year.

You see, one day Vernon set his briefcase down on the ground while he stopped at a local coffee shop and ordered a coffee with a large pastry to eat. As he was sitting there enjoying his pastry, a small group of men sat at the table next to his. They discussed their matters in hushed voices while Vernon finished up his pastry. Grabbing his briefcase, Vernon left the coffee shop. After opening his briefcase, he discovered a large sum of money inside. Vernon made excuses to leave work that day and went to a bank to stash that money. He later went home and went about his usual routine as if he never found it. That was only yesterday.

“Boy! You had better get up now and start breakfast or you’re going to get it!” Vernon bellowed as he descended from the stairs. A moment later, a small scrawny figure emerged from the cupboard under the stairs. The boy looked to be about 8 but in fact, he was going to be turning 10. He had black messy hair, vibrant green eyes, round taped up glasses and he was wearing hand-me-down clothes that were quite a few sizes larger than he was. Harry, who was always referred to as boy or freak by his relatives, scrambled from his “room” to the kitchen where his uncle was waiting.

Harry got coffee for his uncle and began preparing breakfast. He made plenty of food for his obese uncle and cousin. If he was good, maybe he would actually get a chance to eat. Harry put plates out on the table and poured a glass of milk for his cousin, who was bounding down the stairs. Harry was just setting it down when his cousin slammed into him, making him spill the milk all over Vernon. Vernon’s face began turning a nasty purplish color as he stood up from the table. Harry backed away slowly and stammered out apologies for spilling the milk, even though it was not his fault. It was a well known fact to everyone in the Dursley household that if anything went wrong, then it was automatically Harry’s fault.

“You are going to get it now boy! That was my favorite work shirt!” Vernon roared. He grabbed Harry by his hair and dragged him over to the cupboard under the stairs. He punched Harry a few times before kicking him as he slid to the floor. He grabbed the barely conscious boy and threw him into his cupboard before slamming the door and locking it. Vernon changed into a new work shirt before going back downstairs as if nothing just happened. Vernon ate his breakfast and then left for work while Dudley went to his room to play with his gaming system.

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At approximately 3:30 in the afternoon, Petunia went over to the cupboard under the stairs and unlocked it. “I am having tea with the neighbors and you are not staying in this house alone. Go stay outside for a few hours.” Petunia stated before leaving to prepare herself for the tea party, which was really an excuse for the ladies to get together and gossip.

“Yes Aunt Petunia.” Harry replied as he crawled slowly out of the cupboard in order to not jerk his injuries around. Harry made his way over to the park and sat on the swings, daydreaming about someone coming to rescue him from this miserable life. It began getting dark out and he was lost in thought, therefore did not hear his cousin come up behind him until he went flying off the swing and landed face first in the sand. As he landed, his sore ribs were jarred and it took a moment before he could catch his breath again.

Dudley did not waste time waiting for Harry to catch his breath. He went after him like a wolf set on his prey. Dudley had only hit his cousin a few times before he heard something behind him. Harry took advantage of the loose grip from the momentary distraction and made a run for it. He took off running back towards the house and heard Dudley start running after him. Harry turned the corner onto Privet Drive and was not very far when someone grabbed his arm in a strong grip. Harry tried to rip his arm out of the strong hold but it was no use. Harry turned towards the person and discovered that it was not his cousin who had the grip on him. Before he could say anything or do anything, a cloth covered his mouth and he grew sleepy. The last thing he saw was his cousin turning the corner and another man grabbing him. Then the whole world turned black.

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Petunia returned home from her afternoon tea with the neighbors and noticed that it was getting dark out. She was picking out some food for dinner, when she heard a creak behind her. She turned towards the sound and saw a man standing there. She started to scream but something was quickly shoved over her mouth and her world slowly faded away into darkness.

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Vernon went about his usual day at work, but he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. Vernon went home after work and everything was dark inside. He searched blindly for a light switch before finding one. He flipped on the kitchen lights and the first thing he noticed was the food sitting out on the counter. None of it was cooked or even in the process of being cooked as it usually would be by this time in the evening. The second thing that he noticed was a letter of some sort sitting on the table. Walking slowly towards the table, Vernon paled upon seeing the photograph next to the letter. It displayed his wife, son and nephew tied up and unconscious. Vernon then picked up the letter and began reading.

Dursley—If you want your wife, son and nephew to remain alive you will return our money to us. If you contact the police in any way, your family will die and we will mail you their body parts in cardboard boxes. You have two days to get the money. We will be contacting you.

Vernon read the letter twice before sinking down in the nearest chair. He now had to get all the money to these people in two days before they killed his wife and son. He could care less about his nephew since he never wanted the worthless little freak in the first place. It was too late in the evening for the banks to be open so he would have to wait until the following morning in order to retrieve the money. Since there was nothing more to do for that evening, he went upstairs to his room and fell into an uneasy sleep.

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While Vernon was just getting off work, three men were pulling into an old shabby looking house. It looked bad on the outside but was pretty decent looking on the inside. It had four bedrooms total and three of those bedrooms just now became occupied with people. The men brought in Petunia and placed her in the first bedroom. There was nothing more than a bed in this room. The kidnappers unceremoniously tossed the unconscious woman on the bed before leaving the room and locking the door from the outside.

It took two men to carry Dudley into the next bedroom. He was placed on the bed, which seemed to barely support his weight. They locked his door before leaving. Finally, Harry was brought into the third bedroom. The man carried Harry over to the bed before dumping him onto it. Just as the locks to his door slid into place, Harry began regaining consciousness.

Harry slowly opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. He was in a plain room with nothing other than the bed that he was currently on. He stood up and paused to get over the momentary dizzy spell. Harry walked over to the door in hopes of finding it unlocked by some random chance. He was disappointed because it was in fact locked. Harry knew he had to get out of there, but he wasn’t sure how he would make it out of the room with the door locked. Harry stilled his movements when he heard the door give a slight click. At first, he thought it was a person unlocking his door to come in, but no one entered after a moment of waiting. Harry tried to open the door again and found it unlocked this time.

Harry peeked out of the door and assumed that this was another one of those freaky things that seemed to happen to him. The hallway was empty and slightly dark which meant that it was still night. He heard two voices conversing down one side of the hall and decided that his best chance at escaping was to go in the other direction. Walking as quiet as he could, Harry made his way down to the end of the hall. He was just creeping around the corner when he heard a shout behind him.

“Hey! One of the kids got out!” A dark haired man yelled to his companion in the other room. Harry took off running once he had been spotted. He ran past a few rooms but was unable to run any further when a pair of arms shot out of an open doorway and grabbed him.

“Let me go!” Harry said as he struggled to get away from the man. But the guy just picked up the small black haired boy and slammed him against the wall. Harry was dazed for a moment but began struggling again. He managed to kick the villain right in a very sensitive place which pissed the rogue off.

“You little shit!” The man yelled before slapping Harry on the face. He raised his hand to strike Harry again but it was intercepted by a blond haired man called Alexander, who was the boss of this whole kidnapping. “That will be enough”, said Alex.

Jason, the man holding Harry, let go and Harry scrambled backwards into the corner, as far away as he could get from the men.

“Come here boy.” Alex ordered. Harry stayed where he was and continued staring at the men with wide fearful eyes. Jason grabbed Harry by his hair and pulled him over towards Alex. “How did you get out of your room?” Alex questioned the frightened boy.

“Answer him!” Jason demanded when Harry did not respond. He pulled on Harry’s hair a bit more and caused the boy to let out a quiet whimper of pain.

“I-I don’t know.” Harry stammered out. “The door was locked at first and then it wasn’t locked anymore.” It was as simple as that to him but to these men, it was complicated because that meant that one of them had to have unlocked it. Suddenly there was a loud pounding on the doors and the sounds of pathetic wailing down the hall that was coming from Dudley.

“Let me out of here! I want my mum!” Dudley began demanding. “I’m hungry! Get me some food!” Dudley continued demanding various things from the kidnappers, who were not about to cater to his demands. Shortly after Dudley began his wailing, a shrill voice began yelling. It seemed that everyone was now awake.

“Dudley? Sweetums… Is that you?” Petunia nearly shouted through the door. “I demand to see my son at once!!” She was in no position to demand anything but yet she demanded anyway.

Alexander pulled Harry away from Jason before giving out orders. “Both of you shove that fat boy in the room with his mother so he will shut up.” Jason and Ryan, the dark haired man who noticed Harry creeping down the hall, went over to Dudley’s room while Alex marched Harry towards his Aunt’s room. The man unlocked her door and lightly pushed Harry inside.

“What are you doing here boy?! I don’t want him! I want to see my son!” Petunia continued demanding. She did not seem to know when to stop.

“Will you shut up already?!” Alexander yelled exasperated. “Your son will be here in a second. Just shut up and wait!” Alexander slammed the door, clearly annoyed with her shrilly voice.

When Alex slammed the door, she turned her attention to her nephew. “This is all your fault isn’t it? What have you done to get us in this mess?” As she spoke, she decreased the distance between them until Harry found himself against the wall, with nowhere to go and a very angry aunt in front of him.

“I didn’t do anything!” Harry defended himself. It was no use because as usual, everything was blamed on him.

“You little liar!” She shrieked as she slapped him across the face. “I knew we never should have kept you! We should have taken Marge’s advice and drowned you after you arrived on out doorstep.” She backhanded him and her wedding ring cut into his cheek.

The door opened behind them and Petunia turned away from her nephew to see two men dragging her son into the room. “Dudley!” She exclaimed. Harry slid down the wall and into the corner to watch as Petunia checked over her son to make sure he was okay. Dudley was making the whole situation entirely too dramatic with his whining and sniveling about everything. Harry was jealous over the fact that his aunt cared so much for her own son but could not find time to care at all for her nephew.

The door was once again locked and trapped them all in this room together. Harry continued to sit in the corner while Petunia fussed over Dudley. Eventually Dudley grew annoyed with it and walked away from her. The room was just as plain as the others and there was not much to see. Dudley immediately spotted Harry curled in the corner. He was about to begin taunting his cousin when the door opened again.

“I brought some food and water.” Ryan said simply as he tossed each of them a bag of chips and a bottle. Dudley immediately tore into his bag of chips and Ryan left the room. Harry opened his water bottle and took a few tentative sips. Dudley finished the small bag of chips quickly and spotted Harry’s untouched bag. He went up to Harry and snatched it from him.

“Hey! That’s my food!” Since Harry was punished this morning, he had not been able to eat anything since yesterday and was rather hungry. Harry jumped up in attempt to grab the bag but Dudley shoved him and he fell. There was a slight cracking sound when Harry fell and his left index finger was now slightly bent in the wrong direction. Tears gathered in Harry’s eyes as he struggled not to cry out. Dudley laughed and ended up tripping over his own feet on the way back to the bed. The fat boy began wailing again and Petunia rushed over to him to help him. The sound of Dudley’s loud wailing caused Alexander and Ryan to rush into the room.

“What the hell is going on here?” Alexander demanded when he surveyed the room. Petunia ignored him and went back to fussing over Dudley, who did not even have any tears in his eyes since he was just faking it for attention. Alex went over to the small boy huddled in the corner who was not looking at anyone. He placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder and Harry flinched away from him. “What’s wrong kid?” Alex asked somewhat softly. After all, Alex had a family of his own so he wasn’t completely coldhearted. Harry did not say anything but he just continued to clutch his injured hand tightly.

“Get that boy out of here because all he does is cause problems for my little Dudders!” Petunia shouted as Alex was crouched near Harry. Alex did not reply but he helped Harry stand up before leading him out of the room just before Ryan locked the door again.

“Sit.” Alex said simply and pointed to a chair in the kitchen where the led Harry. Harry sat and Alex pulled an ice pack out of the freezer and handed it to the young boy. “Put this on your finger.” Harry complied and the ice helped just a bit with the pain.

“Thank you.” Harry whispered. This man may have kidnapped him, but he gave Harry an ice pack for his hand and that was something that his relatives have never done for him before. Alex sat there and studied the young boy before him. He was very skinny, unlike his overly large cousin, and appeared to be wearing his cousin’s old clothes since they were many sizes larger than Harry. As he studied Harry, he noticed a small recent cut on his face. He picked up a wash cloth and went over to Harry to wash off the small amount of dry blood. He lifted the cloth up to Harry’s face and the small boy flinched again. He moved slowly to not startle Harry again and lightly washed away the dried blood.

“Where are your parents and why are you living with those horrid people?” Alexander questioned slightly curious. He did not really expect Harry to answer and was surprised when the boy did answer.

“They died when I was one. The Dursleys are the only family I have left.” Harry said quietly before looking up into the hazel eyes of the man sitting before him. At that moment, Harry’s stomach decided to let out a little growl signifying that he was hungry. Harry turned somewhat red and looked away from the blond man.

“Hungry are we?” Alex asked slightly amused and began looking around for some food and he eventually found some leftover pizza in the refrigerator. He gave Harry a piece and ate a piece for himself. Harry took tentative bits from the pizza and barely managed to finish the whole piece since he was used to eating such small meals. Harry yawned as it was now around ten in the evening.

“Come on kid. Let’s get you to your room so you can sleep.” Alexander led Harry to the room and gave him a blanket to keep warm. “Night kid.” Alex said as he closed and locked the door. He learned against the frame and sighed. It was getting hard for him to remember that this was all part of the job and that he shouldn’t get attached to the kid just because he felt bad for him. He double checked the locks on both doors before going to bed himself.

While Vernon was out retrieving the money early that next morning, Dumbledore had just called Severus to his office to talk.

“Would you like a Lemon Drop Severus?” Headmaster Dumbledore asked when his potions master entered his office.

“What is it that you want?” Severus Snape asked, completely ignoring the fact that he was offered a Lemon Drop, as if he would ever eat one anyways.

“Straight to the point as usual, Severus. I have a favor to ask of you. I would ask one of the other staff members but they are all busy or on vacation visiting families…”

“What is it that you want?” Severus repeated, trying to get the main reason for him sitting in the office currently. He had potions to brew and there was too much time wasted when playing along with the headmasters little suspenseful guessing games.

“I was contacted recently by Arabella Figg and she claimed that she has not seen young Harry Pot--” Dumbledore was cut off suddenly by Snape’s exclamation.

“You are sending me to check on that brat?! Why? I’m sure he is perfectly fine! His relatives are probably catering to his demands while we are sitting here chatting.” Severus was about to continue ranting but Dumbledore interrupted before he could say another word.

“Severus, please. He is not the only one that has not been seen. His relatives have not been seen either and they could not have gone on vacation since Arabella is left in charge of Harry when they do so. Please just check into it. If you don’t want to do this for me, then do this for Lily. She would have wanted you to keep an eye on her son for her.”

Severus knew that he could not say no after Albus added that last part. Lily was probably his only true friend throughout his years at Hogwarts. She was always the one who would help him when he needed it, even if he never asked. She was pretty much the caring sister that he never had. Severus resigned himself to his fate of checking on Harry.

“Fine.” Was all he growled out before he left the room with his robes billowing dramatically behind him. Severus apparated to an alley near Privet Drive and quickly transfigured his robes into appropriate muggle clothing, in all black of course. He walked briskly to number four and rang the door bell. No one responded after he rang for the fifth time. He murmured the spell to unlock the door and let himself inside.

Severus looked around the house with disdain as he spotted many photographs of a large child. He briefly studied each photograph and noticed the lack of a certain dark haired boy in any of them. Harry was not in any of the family photos and there were not any school photographs displayed either. Severus stopped his examinations when he heard keys rattling and the door slowly opening. There was a very large fat man in the doorway and he was carrying a briefcase.

Vernon looked up from his position in the doorway and saw a man dressed in all black. His first guess was that this was one of the people who kidnapped his family.

“I-I have your money. Where are Petunia and Dudley?” Vernon stuttered out fearfully. He sounded desperate and he was very pale.

“What on earth are you babbling on about muggle?” Severus said with one of his trademark glares. Something was obviously wrong here and he intended to find out what it was.

“Who are you then? How did you get in my house?” Vernon bellowed, completely ignoring the death glare that was sent his way and was more interested in who this man was since he was not the kidnapper.

“I am here looking for Harry Potter.” Was all that Snape said and that sentence alone caused Vernon to pale a bit more but then turn purple in rage.

“There is no Harry Potter here! You are one of those freaks aren’t you?! Get out of my house!” Vernon roared at Snape, who was not impressed by the man at all.

“I am a wizard if that is what you were referring to. Now, I demand to know the whereabouts of Harry Potter.” Snape leveled Vernon with his death eater glare and Vernon caved.

“I don’t know where he is!” Vernon went into the kitchen and pulled out the letter and the photograph that came with the letter. He handed both items to Severus.

Severus looked over the letter and was about to question Vernon further when the phone rang. Vernon immediately went to answer the phone.

“He-Hello?” Vernon stuttered out. “Yes I have the money.” He listened for a moment then hung up the phone when the other line hung up.

“Was that them?” Severus asked Vernon after he had a chance to look over the letter and photograph that portly man gave to him.

“Yes. The exchange will take place here tonight at midnight. Wait-why are you still in my house?! Get out!” Vernon roared at Snape. Snape was unfazed by the overweight man’s yelling.

“I am still here because Lily was a great friend to me and I owe it to her to get her son out of this mess alive. I will be staying here.” Severus said in such a commanding voice that even Vernon would not dare attempt to make him leave. “No one will know that I’m here and if the exchange goes well, then you shouldn’t ever see me again. If anything goes wrong, I will be able to help remedy the situation. Is that clear enough for you to understand Mr. Dursley?”

“Y-ye-yes” Vernon stammered out, obviously very much intimidated by Severus’ death glares and the fact that he was a full grown wizard who could do magic as he pleased.

“I will be putting up a silencing ward around this house so that the neighbors will not hear anything tonight, along with a few other minor wards.” Since Vernon did not seem to like magic, Severus felt that it was necessary to inform him of what he was about to do so the man wouldn’t panic. Vernon nodded his head but still cringed slightly when Severus pulled out his wand.

After finishing the minor wards, the potions master decided to interrogate the muggle about how this situation was created. Vernon explained how the briefcases were switched by accident and how he kept the money. Apparently these people were not too happy about their money being taken and tracked Vernon down. It was not too hard to do since information about his name and workplace was found inside the briefcase that they had.

“Why is Potter not in any of these photographs?” Severus had wanted to ask about that for a while now.

Vernon paled slightly when he was being questioned about Harry. “The boy is just camera shy.” That was the best excuse he could come up with and since Snape wasn’t looking at Vernon, he didn’t see the relief that crossed Vernon’s face when he let the matter drop.

Severus made himself as comfortable as possible and waited for the time to fly and the exchange to occur.

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Harry woke up somewhat disoriented. It was too bright in the room for him to be in his ‘room’ and the mattress he was on was much more comfortable than the one he normally slept on. He stood up and walked over to the door to see if it was open. It wasn’t but the door gave a sudden click and became unlocked. The memories came rushing back as he remembered the same thing happening the day before. He peeked out into the hallway and noticed that Jason was sitting on a chair reading a magazine, obviously there to make sure that none of them got out. Jason suddenly looked up and saw that Harry was standing there in the doorway.

“What the hell?!” Jason dropped the magazine and darted into the room where Harry had retreated. When Jason entered the room, he found Harry sinking to the floor in the corner. The boy was shaking slightly because Alex wasn’t there to stop Jason from hurting him again. Jason smirked at the sight of the terrified ten year old.

The rogue flicked open the switchblade that he carried in his back pocket and went up to Harry. Harry didn’t move because he was afraid that he would end up being stabbed if he ran for it now. Jason placed the cool metal blade against Harry’s throat and asked, “How did you get out?” in a very dangerous voice that promised pain if the kid didn’t answer.

“I-I don’t know.” Harry trembled slightly as he spoke. “It was the same as yesterday. It just opened for me.” Harry whimpered slightly when Jason pressed the blade to his throat a bit harder. A very small cut appeared on Harry’s neck and a small amount of blood oozed down his neck.

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Jason asked skeptically. He was about to say something else when he heard someone moving behind him. He relaxed his hold on Harry a bit to turn around.

Ryan was standing in the doorway. “I though Alex told you to leave the kid alone and to not hurt him anymore.”

“I wasn’t hurting him much. I just needed to question him a bit. Get out of here and leave us alone.” Ryan left them and wandered into the kitchen. Alexander was sitting at the kitchen table reading some papers. He murmured something before stacking the rest of the papers into a pile and then stood up. Looking around the cupboards he pulled out some Fruit Loops cereal. The blond haired man poured some cereal in a bowl along with some milk before grabbing a spoon and heading down the hall. He immediately noticed that Jason wasn’t sitting in the chair anymore and that Harry’s door was open. Alex placed the bowl on the chair before rushing into the bedroom. He saw Jason holding a knife to Harry’s throat and questioning him about picking locks. Alex hastily crossed the room and pulled Jason away from Harry.

“What the hell are you doing?! I told you to leave the kid alone! What part of that is unclear to you?!” Alex shouted. Harry’s once fearful green eyes now shone with slight appreciation for Alex for once again saving him from Jason.

“He tried to sneak out again!” Jason yelled back at Alex. Alex snatched the knife from the thug and pulled him out of the room where they continued yelling for a few more minutes. Alexander returned after the yelling stopped carrying a bowl of soggy cereal which he placed on the floor before approaching Harry, who was still huddled in the corner.

“Hey kid. Are you okay?” Alexander asked, slightly worried that Jason had a chance to hurt Harry with that knife. Harry just nodded his head to say that he was alright. There was only one shallow little cut on Harry’s neck from the knife and other than that, he was okay. “What about your hand?” Harry looked confused as he looked down at his hands. There was nothing wrong with either hand. His left index finger was a little sore but that was it.

“Huh. That’s certainly weird. I was almost certain that you finger was broken yesterday. Well at least its better. I brought this for you in case you were hungry but you don’t have to eat it since it’s soggy.” Alex passed Harry the bowl of soggy cereal. Harry had never tried this cereal so he ate it anyway.

“I have a daughter named Lisa who is about your age. Now that I think about it, she has done a few odds things before. I remember one time when she was playing in the tree and fell. The weird thing is she sort of floated down the ground and didn’t even get hurt. I had forgotten about it until I noticed that your finger was perfectly fine this morning. I guess you and my daughter can both do strange things.” By the time that Alex had finished talking, Harry was done with the cereal.

“Thank you.” Harry once again said to Alexander. That was probably the fifth or sixth sentence that Harry had said throughout the entire time that he was here.

“No problem kid. Do you need to use the bathroom before I lock the door again?” Alexander asked as he stood up and grabbed the bowl. Harry nodded so Alex led the boy to the bathroom and waited outside the door until Harry was done. “Will you stay in here even though you have a knack for unlocking this door?” Harry nodded his head and Alex paused for a minute before turning around and grabbing the magazine that was still on the floor from earlier. “Here. Why don’t you read this? Just stay in this room.” Alex repeated. Harry mumbled another thanks as Alex closed the door. Alex was just heading back into the kitchen when he heard Dudley’s obnoxious voice.

“Let me out! I’m hungry! I’m bored too!” Petunia could be heard in the background trying to shush Dudley. They were kidnapped after all and typically it is not a good idea to aggravate the kidnappers too much. Alex decided to make things easier by grabbing a rag with chloroform on it and entering Petunia and Dudley’s room. He quickly shoved the rag over the obnoxious boy’s mouth and did the same to Petunia. They both fell into the darkness and the house was finally silent again and would stay that way until either woke up. It would be great if they did not until the exchange that was taking place that evening. It was almost noon so there was still about twelve hours until the exchange was going to occur. All there was left to do now was to wait.

Time seemed to go extremely slow for the rest of the day. Harry stayed in the room reading the magazine for a while before taking a nap.

“Hey kid. Wake up. It’s time to go now. We’ve got a bit of a drive until we get there.” Harry slowly sat up and Alex handed his glasses. Harry placed them on and everything became much more focused. “Luckily, your aunt and cousin are still out of it. They will probably be up soon but we will be in the car by then. Come on, let’s get you in the van.” Alexander led the small raven-haired boy to out of the house. He allowed Harry to sit on the seats, unlike his aunt and cousin, who were tied up in the back still under the effects of chloroform. Harry placed his seat belt on as Ryan started up the car. Luckily Alex was the one sitting next to him rather than Jason, who was placed up front.

They drove for about two hours with only one stop for food and gas. Petunia and Dudley had woken up but they were gagged so that they were not able to talk or complain, which they would surely be doing by now. It was about a quarter to twelve at night when they arrived on Privet Drive. It would be better to have the exchange at night so that it was less likely for them to be seen. Ryan pulled the van into the garage, which was left open for them as Vernon was instructed earlier on the phone. The garage closed when Ryan hit the button and it was finally time for the exchange.

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Vernon had attempted to make himself comfortable but that was very difficult for him with a fully trained wizard sitting calmly on his couch. They both sat in silence for quite a while until Vernon decided to turn on the TV to help alleviate some of the tension in the room. While Vernon watched television, Severus pulled out a book that he happened to have with him and read. The time passed extremely slowly but it was finally nearing midnight. At 11:30, Vernon opened the garage like he was directed to and went back inside.

They heard a car pulling in the garage at approximately 11:45. “I will perform a spell on myself so that you will not see me. I will still be here. Do not tell any of them that I have been here or that I am still here. I will not say nor do anything unless my presence is required. Is that clear Mr. Dursley?” Severus asked in his usual authoritative voice. Vernon merely nodded his head in agreement and watched as Severus pulled out his wand and cast the spell to make him invisible. Just after the spell was performed, the door that led to the garage opened.

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Petunia, Dudley, and Harry were led in as Alexander, Ryan and Jason followed shortly after. Vernon was standing a short bit away carrying the briefcase.

“Open the briefcase.” Alexander commanded. Vernon complied and proved that there was in fact a large sum of money in the briefcase that originally belonged to Alex. “Place the briefcase on the table now.” Vernon did as he was told and Alex motioned for Ryan to grab the briefcase.

“It’s all there.” Ryan said shortly after he inspected the briefcase and estimated whether or not the correct amount was in there. Alex nodded his head in acceptance and let Petunia and Dudley rush over towards Vernon. Harry calmly walked away from Alex, obviously not in a hurry to see his uncle.

“Let’s get out of here.” Alexander said as they prepared to leave.

“We can’t just leave them as witnesses!” Jason shouted. He grabbed Harry, who was the closest hostage. “They could call the police and get us arrested!” Jason pulled out a familiar switchblade that he had taken back from Alex earlier that day.

Snape chose that moment to appear and he summoned the knife away from Jason. Everyone in the house, except Vernon, stood shocked at the sight of a man that appeared out of nowhere. Silence descended upon the household after another shock of witnessing the knife flying over to the mysterious man.

“Come over here Mr. Potter.” Snape said in a deadly tone that practically dared anyone to move or do otherwise. Harry hesitated and then started to walk over.  Jason grabbed Harry by the hair before he could walk any further.

“Who the hell are you?!” Jason demanded as he held onto Harry. “What the hell just happened?!” Snape didn’t answer but instead, he just murmured a few words and pointed what appeared to be a stick, at Jason. There was a slight pop sound behind Harry and the hands holding him were now gone. Harry turned around and saw a slimy toad sitting on the kitchen floor.

“Whoa.” Harry said after a moment of continued silence. “How did you do that?”

“Magic.” Severus answered simply.

“Magic is real?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Yes it is real. You didn’t know this already?” Severus asked, slightly confused, but not showing it, to the reason why the savior of the wizarding world did not know magic existed. He turned towards Harry’s relatives, all whom were looking rather pale. Severus raised an eyebrow waiting for an explanation from them.

“W-we were waiting until he was eleven to tell him.” Petunia stuttered fearfully.

A polite cough sounded from near the garage. Everyone turned towards Alex and Ryan, who were watching silently.

“So this -magic- is real? My daughter does these funny things sometimes. Does that mean she is a wizard or something?” Alex asked curiously.

“The correct term would be witch. When she turns eleven, she will receive a letter if she has been accepted into Hogwarts.” Severus said simply.

“So what is going to happen to Jason over there?” Alexander inquired. “Personally, I believe he is an asshole and wouldn’t mind if you left him that way. It’s not like anyone will miss him anyways.” He added.

“Then I shall just leave him as a toad.” Severus said with a slight smirk.

“What is going to happen now?” Alexander asked tremulously. Plans had obviously changed now that Severus entered the picture.

“I will obliviate everyone here of this entire incident except for Mr. Pot--” Severus did not get to finish because Vernon interrupted loudly.

“Now listen here! You will not be doing anymore of that mumbo-jumbo in this house! I will not have you playing foolish magic tricks on us!” Vernon had gone purple in the face again and Harry made sure he was out of his uncle’s reach. Harry was pretty sure his uncle wouldn’t do anything in front of witnesses but there was always a first time for everything.

“There will be no ‘foolish magic tricks’ as you called it. I will be merely removing your memory of this incident.” Before they had a chance to protest again, Severus cast the Memory charm on the Dursleys along with Alexander and Ryan. “You two were out drinking tonight and mistakenly entered the wrong house. You are now leaving to go home.” They nodded in agreement and left still slightly dazed. Severus then turned to the Dursleys, “You heard a disturbance from downstairs and came out to investigate. There was no one here and you were all about to go to bed.” With that said, Severus apparated out of the house and to the gates of Hogwarts. He entered the grounds and began the long walk to the headmaster’s office.

Severus went up the spiraling staircase and was slightly surprised to see the headmaster awake at such a time. Then again, it never seemed like the older man had time to rest with all the various tasks that he had to complete.

“Lemon Drop?” Dumbledore asked even though, as usual, Severus declined. “How did things go?”

“There was a problem but it has been fixed.” Severus flatly replied. Dumbledore had that annoying twinkle in his eye. “I think he should be removed from their care.” The twinkle left Dumbledore’s eyes and he sat up just a bit straighter.

“Why? He is safest from Voldemort living with his relatives.”

“Did you ever consider that he was not safe from his relatives?” Severus questioned the older man sitting in front of him.

“Have you actually seen anything or are you just speculating?” Dumbledore responded after some thought on the matter.

“I have not seen anything but I do believe that they have not taken care of him as well as they should have. He is much skinnier than his overweight cousin, he wears disgusting clothing that is too large and none of the Dursleys seemed to care about his wellbeing.” Severus replied.

“Hmm…” That dammed twinkle came back. “Where could he go then? There is hardly anyone else around to take care of him…” Albus did not need to continue because Severus caught on to what he was implying.

“NO! I do not want to take care of him. I hate children. I would not be a suitable caretaker. You should ask Minerva or find a nice family or just anyone other than myself.” Albus still had that twinkle in his eyes. There was no way out of this for Severus now.

Albus opened his mouth to speak and Severus knew what he was going to say next. ”If you won’t do this for me, then do this for Lily.” Once again the thought of doing something for Lily was the deciding factor.

“Fine.” Severus growled out.

“Excellent! I will have the house elves prepare a room in your quarters for young Mr. Potter. It will be ready by tomorrow so you are able to bring him here. I will also contact Poppy and let her know that you will bring Mr. Potter for a check up.” Dumbledore replied cheerfully.

“Good night Headmaster.” Severus stood up and exited the office. He retired to his room and promptly fell asleep.

After Severus left, the Dursleys were left standing around. Vernon believed that he came down to check out a disturbance after Snape obliviated the family so when he saw Harry standing there, he assumed the disturbance was caused by him.

Vernon glared hatefully at the ten-year-old, who cringed away from his gaze. Vernon turned to Petunia and Dudley, “Why don’t you both go back to bed.” They both went upstairs and Harry was left standing in the kitchen with a slowly purpling and enraged uncle.

“So boy, what have you been doing out there? Why are you even out of your cupboard?” Vernon asked as he descended on his defenseless nephew.

“I-I wasn’t doing anything.” Harry stuttered out fearfully. Nothing he could have said would have convinced his uncle that he wasn’t doing anything.

Vernon smacked Harry. “You are out of your cupboard.” Another smack. “You were up to something.” Vernon shoved Harry to the ground “You tried to lie to ME by saying that you didn’t do anything!” A kick to the stomach. “And simply because you exist!” Another kick, which resulted in Harry hitting an end table with a vase that promptly fell on top of the boy. It broke into many pieces, most of which became imbedded into Harry’s scalp.

“NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!” Vernon bellowed. He gave Harry another kick to the stomach. Harry curled up in attempt to protect his vital organs. Vernon kicked him hard in his right wrist and a crack was heard. Harry sucked in a deep breath in attempt to hold back a scream at the pain he now felt, if he screamed that would most likely enrage his uncle further. Vernon seemed satisfied with the damage he inflicted on Harry and he practically tossed the young boy into the cupboard under the stairs. Harry hit his head on the way in and lost consciousness.

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Harry woke up slowly to a pain-filled world. He tried to shift to a more comfortable position but it only caused him more suffering. Harry stifled a quiet whimper that could attract his uncle’s attention. It was hard to tell what time it was therefore Harry couldn’t determine how long he stayed there in the cupboard. He drifted in and out of sleep throughout the day and was he just about to drift off again when he heard knocking at the front door.

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Severus woke up the next morning and went about his usual routine. He checked that the room was properly suited for the ten-year-old who would soon be occupying it. It was pretty plain but Harry would have the option to decorate it however he pleased once he got all settled in. Once everything was prepared, Severus trekked to the edge of the Hogwarts wards and apparated to an alley near Privet Drive. He once again transfigured his clothes into appropriate muggle attire and walked up to number four. Severus proceeded to knock politely on the door and thundering footsteps were heard just before Dudley answered.

“What do you want?” Dudley asked rudely.

Severus sneered at him and replied, “I am here to collect Mr. Potter.”

Dudley paled a bit then turned around and bellowed, “DAD! Some weird guy is here to see the freak!” Dudley scampered behind his father when Vernon came charging to the door.

“Why do you want the boy?” Vernon asked as he studied the man before him. The stranger looked slightly familiar but yet he couldn’t remember anything.

“I am coming to take Mr. Potter away from here. He will be living with me until he starts his schooling.” Severus replied to the man.

“He’s not here.” Vernon said adamantly and began to close the door. Severus stuck his foot in the doorway to prevent it from closing. The wizard pulled out his wand and entered the house. Vernon backed away in fear once he saw the wand and let Snape enter.

Snape was about to head upstairs to search the bedrooms when he heard a slight whimper. He turned around and searched for the person who made the sound. There was no one behind him since the Dursleys scampered away. The sound of a car starting was heard, followed by a screeching take off. Severus then noticed a small door that had a lock on it. It was unusual to see a small cupboard under the stairs to be locked. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Severus unlocked the cupboard. The door slowly opened and inside lay an injured raven-haired boy. It was obvious now as to why the Dursleys fled.

Severus reached a hand inside in an attempt to pull Harry out but as soon as the boy felt the hand, he flinched away and began mumbling.

“No Uncle…Please…I’m sorry…I didn’t do anything…No…” Harry incoherently mumbled out in a trembling voice.

“Mr. Potter…” Severus began but dropped the formalities. “Harry. Look at me. I am not your uncle.” Harry slowly opened his pain-filled eyes and gazed into the onyx ones staring down at him, recognition dawned on his face.

“Can you tell me where it hurts the most?” Severus asked in a soft voice.

“My arm and my stomach.” Harry said shortly. He was still having slight difficulty catching his breath.

“Can you drink this?” Severus asked as kindly as he could since he was not normally a kind person at all. Harry drank the potion that Severus had pulled out of his robes and fell into a deep slumber. Severus then picked up the young boy and apparated in front of Hogwarts wards. He trekked up to the infirmary as fast as he could while carrying Harry.

“Poppy!” Severus shouted when he entered the infirmary. He set Harry on one of the beds just as the nurse came rushing in.

“Oh my goodness.” Was all she said before getting straight to work on diagnosing and healing Harry. She shoved a few potions down his throat before casting several healing spells. Poppy also removed all his hair since there was so much glass that was embedded in his scalp. She spread some cream over the cuts on his head and was finished for the time being.

She turned to Severus, who remained in the room while she treated Harry. “His wrist was broken, one rib was cracked and a few others were bruised badly, he had numerous cuts in his scalp, along with bruises from prior injuries. I have healed everything but some of the bruises will require cream to be massaged onto them to help them disappear faster. His wrist will be sore for another day or two along with his ribs. Make sure he gets plenty of rest and that he hardly does anything for the next two days.” Severus nodded his head in agreement. “Since I plan to leave for vacation, could you move him to your quarters?” Poppy questioned.

“That would be agreeable.” Severus gathered Harry in his arms and carried him through the hallways and to the entrance of the dungeons where his room was located. He placed Harry on the bed and tucked him in before heading out to work on a potion.

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Harry woke slowly and found that everything felt relatively good instead of the pain that he had been expecting. He studied the unfamiliar surroundings. It definitely was not the Dursley house since the walls were made of stone and it was not the same room that he stayed in when he was kidnapped. Severus chose that moment to enter the room. Seeing Severus’ face brought back the memories from the night before.

“Thank you, sir.” Harry said respectfully. “For taking me away from them. And healing me.” He added at the last minute. Severus just nodded his head in acceptance for the unnecessary apology.

“How are you feeling?” Severus asked as he pulled out some cream.

“I’m fine, sir.” Harry said even though he was slightly sore, but then again this was nothing compared to what he had felt before.

“Through this door, there is a bathroom that you can use. I will have out some clothes that you can wear instead of these rags. After you clean up, apply this cream to your bruises.” Severus handed him the cream and proceeded to transfigure some clothes for Harry. They would have a chance to shop for clothing soon, but not today.

“Yes sir.” Harry hesitated to ask a question, since that was always forbidden at the Dursley house, but asked anyway. “Could you tell me your name sir?”

Snape almost looked shocked for a moment but he quickly covered up any form of emotions. Throughout the entire events of the last day, he had not once mentioned his name. Oops. “My name is Severus Snape.” He paused for a minute, and then sighed exasperatedly. “You may call me Severus.” He said with some difficulty, since not many had the privilege to call him by his first name.

“Thank you sir.” Harry said after Severus answered his question.

“You do not need to thank me for every little thing. Go take a warm bath and do not forget to apply the cream to your bruises.” Severus instructed the young boy, who did as he was told and entered the bathroom for his first warm bath, since all baths at the  Dursleys were cold.

Harry turned on the water and added some bubbles to it. He undressed then stepped into the warm and bubbly tub. He relaxed in the tub for a while before scrubbing himself clean. Approximately 30 minutes after Harry entered the bathroom, he reappeared in his room clean with a much nicer set of clothes on. His clothes may have been transfigured, but they would be fine until they went shopping and at least they fit. Harry was slightly tired after the bath and he decided that a little nap wouldn’t hurt. He got comfortable on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

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While Harry was taking his bath, Albus entered Severus’ quarters to discuss important matters that involved Harry.

“Severus. How is young Mr. Potter doing today?” Albus had that dammed twinkle in his eyes again, which only meant trouble.

“Potter is currently taking a bath. What is it you came here to ask?” Severus, impatient as usual, wanted to get right down to the point.

Albus’ eyes twinkled even more than before. “I have another favor to ask of you…”

“Why do I have the feeling that you are about to ask me to keep the boy for the summer?” Severus guessed out loud.

“Are you related to Sybil? Perhaps you have some seer blood in you?” Albus trailed off.

“I am not in the mood for jokes right now Albus. There is NO way I could possibly be related to that woman.” Severus spat out. The mere thought of being related to the old bat was sickening for him. “Yes I suppose I can care for the boy. I dislike children greatly but knowing you, you will not accept no as my answer.” Those damn eyes twinkled brighter. Severus stood up, tired of this conversation, “I have work to do. Good day headmaster.” Severus’ robes billowed once again behind him as he took off towards his labs. Albus left the room, joyously sucking on a lemon drop as he went back to his office.

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Harry woke up from his nap when he felt his shoulder being shook. He completely forgot where he was and began trembling. “No…I’m sorry...” Harry mumbled curling into a fetal position.

“Potter,” Severus began, but that was no way to deal with a frightened child. “Harry. Relax, you are at Hogwarts. I took you away from your relatives.” Harry began to calm down and process the fact that he was not at his relative’s house. Harry felt a hand rubbing circles on his back. That was something that no one had ever done before and he began relaxing. Harry uncurled from his fetal position and looked up to the dark-haired man, who promptly removed his hand from Harry’s back. Harry was saddened by the loss of contact but ignored that feeling since the man did not even look comfortable being here.

“I’m sorry.” Harry said simply.

“It was my fault that I startled you. I came here to tell you that it is time for dinner.” Harry nodded then stretched real cat-like before getting up and following Severus. Severus led Harry to the dining room area of their rooms and a house elf served them. “Drink this before eating.” At Harry’s curious look, he explained briefly what the potion was for. “It is a potion that will help you keep food down. You are malnourished and need to eat more. This will insure that you can keep you it.” Drinking the potion down, Harry grimaced and quickly ate some food to get rid of the lingering taste.

Severus led Harry on a short tour of the rooms after they finished eating dinner. “This is a small kitchen area that will have some food stocked. Our meals are delivered by the house elves, but you are welcome to get food from here if you would like a snack.” Severus pointed to a hallway that was in the opposite direction as Harry’s room, “That leads to my bedroom and my private bathroom. You will knock first and then you may enter if I grant permission.”

Severus led Harry into the living room, which was decked out in various shades of green. “This is the living room. You may read any of the books on these bookshelves. You may not read any of the books that are found on the shelves in my bedroom. Those books are dangerous and I will be very displeased if you touch them.” There was not much else to see so Severus led Harry back to his room.

“Would you like to decorate your room?” Severus asked Harry, whose eyes lit up at the idea of decorating his very own room. The boy nodded shyly.

“We can start with the walls. What color would you like then?” Severus asked as he pulled out his wand.

“Could it be a bluish-green color?” Harry asked excitedly. Severus did not respond, but a mumbled spell later and the stone walls were painted a nice blue-green color. “It’s perfect!” Harry exclaimed as he looked around in wonder.

“What color would you like the carpet to be?” Severus icy heart was slightly warmed by seeing the looks of pure joy on this child’s face for just decorating the room.

“Could you make it a really dark blue color?” Severus complied and the carpet was now a dark blue color. They may live in the dungeons, but there was no way that Severus would allow Harry to get sick by walking around on cold cement floors. Severus never minded being bare but with his new charge, it would be best to put carpet in all rooms.

There was nothing else to change around the room. The bed had green sheets and blankets on it, courtesy of the house elves. The room seemed to match nicely and to Severus’ relief, he was not requested to make it in Gryffindor colors. Harry was beaming with happiness as he surveyed his new room. For him, this was the start to a great summer.

Harry had been living with Severus for about a week now. They got along with each other pretty well. Severus stayed in his labs a lot of the time and Harry read. Harry had always loved reading but with his relatives, he was never allowed much opportunity. While living with Severus, Harry had been finally given the chance to read as much as he wanted and he took advantage of that fact. The first book that Harry read was Hogwarts, a History, since he was living in Hogwarts after all. He learned about the founders and more about magic in general from that book.

Harry was reading The Rise and Fall of Dark Arts, when he suddenly gasped and dropped the book. Severus, who was reading nearby, put down his book and looked over at the shocked boy.

“What is it?” Severus asked in his somewhat friendly voice that he only used around ten-year-old.

“I-I’m in this book!” Harry stuttered out. Severus looked over the title of the book and cursed under his breath silently.

“Do you know anything about how your parents died?” Severus asked, resigning himself to give Harry the talk about his parents.

“My aunt and uncle told me they were drinking and ended up dying in a car crash.” Harry informed him.

“Damn muggles.” Severus cursed. “Your parents did not die in a car crash…” Severus began the tale of how his parents went into hiding with Sirius Black as their secret keeper. He explained the details of a secret keeper’s job and how only they could tell of the secret location. Severus explained how his parents died and then he ended up living with his only remaining relatives. “You became known as the Boy-Who-Lived.” Severus finished his tale and looked over to the distraught boy. Harry had a few tears in his eyes and had paled a bit.

After Harry calmed down, the boy began talking. “How could he do that to them? He was their best friend! I don’t want to be the Boy-Who-Lived either! I just want to be normal, not some freak!” Harry exclaimed.

“Harry. Listen to me. You are not a freak. Just calm down.” Harry wasn’t really calming down since this was a lot to take in. Severus was not sure what to do so he went to Harry and knelt down in front of him. He began rubbing circles on Harry’s back as he had done before and the boy calmed down slightly. Then Harry threw himself at Severus and the potions master found that the young boy was hugging him. Severus was slightly uncomfortable with all this contact but he continued to rub circles on Harry’s back. Harry held onto him and eventually cried himself to sleep in Severus’ arms. Severus carried Harry back to his rooms and tucked him in before flooing into the headmaster’s office. When he arrived, the man was sitting behind his desk with a mound of paperwork in front of him.

“Severus. To what reason do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Albus asked as he set a few papers aside.

“Did you know that Harry was unaware of the events involving his parent’s death? And that those wretched muggles told him that they died in a drunken car crash?” Severus asked incredulously.

“I was unaware of that fact. How did he find out?” Albus asked his potions master.

“He read it in a book and I told him the rest.” Severus replied.

“Where is he now?” Albus questioned.

“He had a bit of a breakdown and he is now resting.” Severus informed him.

“Why don’t you take him to Hogsmeade when he wakes up? I’m sure he would love to venture out of the dungeons.” Albus suggested.

“Very well. Good day headmaster.” With that, Severus flooed back to his quarters. He read for a while before Harry walked out of his room.

“Be ready in ten minutes. We will be going to Hogsmeade.” Harry perked up at the thought of visiting the little village that he had heard a lot about. Harry cleaned up a bit and met Severus by the door.

“I do not want anyone to recognize you so I will place a glamour on you to hide your identity.” Severus cast several glamours in attempt to hide the famous scar, but nothing worked. Instead, Severus lengthened Harry’s hair to cover up his scar and somewhat lightened the hair color. Harry no longer wore glasses since Severus had given him a potion earlier that week to fix his eyesight. With that done, they began the long walk to Hogsmeade. They walked mostly in silence, except for the occasional plants that Severus pointed out. Harry soaked up all the knowledge he could and always listened intently to everything Severus told him. Before they knew it, they had arrived in Hogsmeade.

Their first stop was a clothing store, where Harry received a whole new wardrobe. Harry tried to talk the man out of getting so many shirts, pants and other things, but Severus insisted that he would need it all. Some of the clothing was a little larger, so that he would be able to grow into them over time. After shopping for clothes, they headed into a store for children. Severus looked slightly uncomfortable walking in this store that was full of toys and some little kids.

“Go pick out a few things that you would like. Price is of no concern.” Severus instructed the young boy. Harry looked up to him and gave him a large happy smile as he bounded off to pick out some toys. Severus wandered towards the art section. He had seen Harry doodling once or twice and decided to pick out some art supplies. He picked up an endless paged drawing book, pencils, erasers, markers and some paints. When he had finished picking out these items, Harry came back with two toys. Severus paid for the items and quickly left the store. Their next destination was the bookstore.

“You may choose a few books that you would like.” Harry wandered the isles and chose several books. He showed them to Severus, who, after checking he didn’t own the same ones already bought the books. After the books store, Severus bought Harry some ice cream and they walked back to Hogwarts. “Thank you again Severus.” Harry said just before he disappeared into his room to put away all his new possessions. Severus almost, key word being almost, smiled at the sight of this child being so happy over a few items. Perhaps the brat wasn’t so bad after all.

Harry was practically glowing with happiness for the next few days. For the first time in his life, he had a room to call his own, a real bed, clothes that actually fit him, all the books to read and toys that were his, not Dudley’s. Seeing Harry this happy caused some more ice to thaw off Severus’ heart. He was not a man of many emotions but this child was bringing out the feelings that he kept hidden from everyone, except for Lily, who knew him well. She was the only one to care for him even when he insulted her, trying to get her away from himself. She ignored everything and took the time to be his friend and practically the sister that he always wanted. Severus was reminded daily of her through her son. Harry not only had her eyes, but her intelligence. He was very intuitive for his age and loved reading with a passion. Seeing bits of Lily in him helped Severus disregard the fact that Harry was James Potter’s son. When he thought of her, it didn’t really matter much to him that this child was thawing his icy cold heart.

“Harry, I am going to begin teaching you some things this summer.” Severus began one day. “I will be teaching you Occlumency after breakfast every morning. It would help if you read this book soon.” Severus handed Harry a book that came off the bookshelf in Severus’ rooms. “I will also be teaching you basic Wizarding etiquette, so that you know how to properly act around others. I will even consider teaching you fencing since I was taught fencing when I was younger. I know you have read books on potions but you have yet to brew one.” Harry looked excited at the opportunity to brew a potion. He had done plenty of reading on basic potions skills and how ingredients reacted when placed together. “We will work on etiquette and fencing during the afternoons and potions in the evenings. On Fridays afternoons, you may choose any subject that you would like to learn and I will instruct you in that it.” Severus concluded.

“That sounds great!” Harry said enthusiastically. He was definitely ready to begin learning more and practicing magic.

“I talked to Albus and he said that you may get your wand at the end of the summer. For now, you will be using a spare wand that I have around here.”

“Can I try a spell with it?” Harry was certainly full of questions. Once Severus assured him that he would not be punished for asking questions, Harry took advantage of the fact and was constantly asking about things that he learned or heard about.

Severus summoned the wand and preceded to hand it to Harry. Harry picked up the wand and knew that it was not a match, but that it would do until he had a wand of his own. “Lumos.” Harry said and the tip of the wand lit up. “Yes!” Harry exclaimed ecstatically. That was the first spell he had tried and it worked successfully.

“I do not mind you practicing with the wand but I would like you to only practice spells and charms that I have seen you do. I do not want you testing spells without me to oversee your attempts. Once you have shown me that you can correctly cast a spell, you can practice it all you want.” Severus said sternly. It would not be good if Harry practiced spells on his own and something bad happened when no one was around.

“Yes sir-Severus.” Harry was still in the habit of saying sir but Severus did not mind him using his name so there was no reason not to use it.

That was the start to the best summer vacation that Harry had ever had. In a way, it was the best summer that Severus had too since his summer vacations were always filled with potion-making or being by himself. Harry had really opened up to Severus and they both began to get closer. While teaching Harry Occlumency, Severus was able to get a better description about Harry’s life with the Dursley’s. Harry had even opened up to Severus and explained the reasoning behind some of the punishments that Severus saw during their lessons. The reasons for which Harry was punished were completely barbaric since Dudley would constantly do the same thing and not even be rebuked for it. Whether the punishment was justified or not, did not matter since it was done and over with.

Severus planned to have them put in jail but ironically enough, Vernon drank too much one night and ended up killing himself in a car accident along with Petunia. Dudley had been at a friend’s house and was later sent to live with Aunt Marge. They always called Harry’s parents good-for-nothing lazy drunks who got themselves killed and died exactly as they had described!

Harry felt truly alone in the world after that incident. He may not have cared for his family, but he never wanted them to die. Severus was there to help him through the tough times and that caused Harry to cling to him. Surprisingly enough, Severus was not nearly as uncomfortable as before. In the beginning he didn’t know how to behave himself with Harry because he did not usually have this much contact with children but the little boy wormed his way into his icy heart.

Harry progressed well through all of his studies and especially potions. Since Severus was a potions master, Harry knew that the man would be pleased with him if he was proficient in the subject. Harry read just about all the potions books he could get his hands on and studied them as much as he could. Harry never received praise at the Dursley’s for anything he did, but with Severus, he was constantly praised for the things that he accomplished. Harry became excellent when working with potions because it pleased Severus and also because he enjoyed making them.

Harry was also well versed in Wizarding etiquette along with fencing. Harry seemed to have a natural talent with handling the swords. Occlumency was also going pretty good, especially for a child Harry’s age. It was helpful to learn when younger, but it could also be more difficult. Severus was able to see many of his memories, to Harry’s embarrassment, but the man used this opportunity to discuss his relatives and helped Harry get over the abuse the boy had suffered while in their ‘care’. The small boy surely still had nightmares, which Severus was there for him, and the occasional flashbacks, but overall, he was progressing rather well. Unfortunately, August was coming to an end, therefore school would be starting pretty soon. Harry was only ten so he was supposed to wait another year before school started.

During the last week of August, Severus was called up to Albus’ office to discuss what would be happening with Harry once the school term started. Severus entered the office after mumbling another candy name for the password.

“Good afternoon Severus. Lemon Drop?” Albus asked merrily as he popped one in his mouth.

“No.” Severus scowled.

“How are you and Mr. Potter getting along?” Severus spent most of his time with Harry or potion-making and rarely saw the headmaster.

“Fine. I taught him Occlumency, among other things, and he has begun to open up with me and we have discussed those wretched relatives of his.” Severus replied in a bored tone.

“Good, good.” Albus commented. Severus looked up and frowned when he saw those blue eyes twinkling back at him. Obviously the headmaster was up to something.

“What is it this time?” Severus asked as he massaged his temples, mentally preparing himself for the next scheme that he was about to hear of.

“Do you recall the discussion that we had a while back after you told Mr. Potter of his parents’ deaths?” A sharp nod was the confirmation he received. “You told me how he wanted just to be normal. What I am proposing is for you to adopt Harry using a potion that will give him your features. You can give him a new name and a new start to life.” He paused to give Severus a moment to let the idea settle in. “This would also allow Harry to grow up without the entire Wizarding world knowing of every little thing that he does. He could just be a normal child.”

“You certainly gave this a lot of thought.” Blue eyes just twinkled back at Severus. “If, and I mean if, we follow through with this plan, what will Harry do for the school year?” Severus asked wearily.

“Well, if he is as bright as you say, then we can enroll him as a student and he can begin a year earlier than planned. No one would suspect him of being Harry Potter since Harry would be ten at this time.” Albus seemed to have answers to everything.

“He does not look like a ten or even an eleven-year-old. He has gained weight but not that much.” Severus commented.

“Once he takes the potion to make him your son, he should grow taller since all Snapes are known to be tall. Other features should change and he should look close enough to eleven for this to work.”

“I am not agreeing to this idea because I will be discussing it with Harry first. If he agrees then we can proceed accordingly.” With that said, Snape stalked out of the office and back to comfort of his own rooms. When he entered, he saw Harry curled up asleep on the couch with an open book across his lap. He couldn’t stop the small smile that crept onto his face. It was a good thing that no one else saw that, or else they might faint from such a sight. Severus’ heart may have thawed, but the only person to see that was Harry.

Severus walked over to the sleeping boy and shook his shoulder lightly. Harry sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes in attempt to wake up.

“Is it time for lessons?” Harry asked, trying to recall if he fell asleep rather than having lessons like he was supposed to.

“No, I just wanted to ask you something. You do not have to answer me now.” Harry immediately sat up straighter and paid more attention to whatever important bit of information Severus was about to share with him. “Albus called me into his office to discuss what would happen to you while school was in session. I know that you don’t want to be the Boy-Who-Lived so Albus came up with a plan so that you can be a normal child. I would adopt you with the use of a potion that would make you my child by blood. You would take on a new name along with some of my traits. You would not change completely and technically you would still have your mother and father’s blood, but yet with mine mixed in. You would most likely look a combination of all three of us.” Severus explained to the boy who was sitting in shock next to him.

“You would want to adopt me and make me your son?” Harry practically whispered, fearful of his answer.

“Yes.” Severus said without hesitation. “I had been considering adopting you in the first place so I am not doing this for Albus either.” Before he knew what was happening, he had a lap full of an overjoyed ten-year-old hugging him.

”Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Harry mumbled with his face buried in Severus’ robes.

Severus actually chuckled lightly. “I take it you would like to follow through with this plan?” Harry just nodded and held onto Severus. “I will be sure to inform Albus and I will brew the potion immediately.” At this moment, Harry was the happiest child on the planet. He was finally getting the one thing he always wanted: a family.

Throughout the next day, Severus prepared the potion for the adoption. He sliced and diced various ingredients before finally reaching the last step in which he would need to add his known blood along with Harry’s. This would enable Harry to add some of Severus’ features.

“Harry, the potion will be complete as soon as we add our blood. After we do so, you will need to drink it and the changes will begin immediately. It will not be painful but there will be some discomfort.” Severus informed Harry as he completed the second to last step in the brewing.

Harry wordlessly took a knife and made a small incision just as Severus did and let three drops of blood fall into the potion. Severus mumbled a quick healing spell that fixed the small wounds on both their hands and then poured the potion into a glass, which he swiftly handed to Harry.

“Bottoms up...” Harry muttered before swallowing the foul smelling mixture. Nothing happened for a moment but then Harry sank to his knees and dropped the glass on the ground.

“Harry?” Severus lowered himself to the ground and held the small boy as his body underwent changes. “Does it hurt much?” Harry just shook his head negatively and held onto Severus. After approximately five minutes, the changes were complete. Harry shakily made it to his feet before heading to the nearest mirror to see his new image.

Staring in the mirror, Harry noted the various changes his body went through. There were some hefty differences such as his facial structure, which now looked a lot more like Severus’ face. It was once rounded and young-looking but now it was angled like Severus’ and made him look slightly older. His eyes were the same, except they seemed to be a slightly darker shade of green now. There were a few minuscule changes such as his hair becoming slightly longer and straighter, which meant it no longer looked like the typical messy Potter mop. Luckily for him, he gained almost two inches in height, which would help strengthen his role to play an eleven year old. He could tell that he had his mother’s nose and lips after looking at the photographs that Severus had. Harry examined his fingers, which had lengthened and become narrower, more like Severus’ fingers were.

“You are the perfect blend of all three of us.” Severus commented from the side of Harry.

“I really like it.” Harry said simply and smiled at the man who officially adopted him. Harry went over to Severus and gave him a hug. Harry did not go out of his way to touch anyone unless it was Severus. As a young child, he associated the touch with painful experiences but with Severus, he learned that it could be not painful and it made Harry feel wonderful to finally get some affection after being deprived of it since his parents died.

“We will have to do something to that scar that you are well known for.” Severus pulled out his wand and cast a few spells in attempt to hide the scar but all failed. “Hmm…” Severus mumbled uncharacteristically. Severus summoned a tube that contained a numbing substance and applied it to the area around the scar. As he did this, he explained what he was going to do in order to disguise the scar.

“Since this scar is unique compared to others, I do not believe that it can be covered with a glamour. What I will be doing instead is adding additional scars to that area. Essentially, the initial scar will be hidden amongst the others. It’s more effective in the event that a glamour charm failed where you would not be able to reapply it. I am applying this numbing cream so that it will not cause you any pain when I add extra scars to your forehead.” Severus explained before he swished his wand around and muttered spells that would have hurt if the numbing agent was not applied.

“Wow. I can barely see the original scar.” Harry said as he examined his forehead in the mirror. There were a handful of tiny scars going around and through the famous bolt of lightning. Unless it was examined very closely, no one should know the difference. “What should I say if someone asks me where I got the scars?”

“You could say it was a potions accident in which a glass vial exploded and the pieces managed to hit your face. The potion prevented the scars from healing therefore you received this small collection of them as a reminder to be safer around potions.” Severus replied.

“Okay,” Harry replied. “That would make sense since I am the son of a potions master. Oh-- What is my new name supposed to be?” Harry asked curiously.

“My grandfather’s name was Alexander but that name is too common. I have decided on a variation of this name. You would go by Alec Narciso Snape. Narciso is Latin for lily and I thought you might like a reminder of your mother. Does that name sound alright to you?”

“I like it. It will take a little getting used to but I like it.” Harry said earnestly.

“Good. I have some lesson plans to make. If you need me, I will be in my office.” With that Severus exited with his robes billowing behind him like usual. Alec studied the exit Severus made and smirked before heading towards his room to practice.

..........................................

Later that evening, Severus came into his room and informed him that the Headmaster wished for everyone to have dinner in the Great Hall that night. Most of the teachers were back from vacations and visiting family so Albus decided that they should all have dinner together. Alec was feeling mischievous and decided to have some fun.

The boy dressed in all black for that evening. He chose one of his nice black robes with a blue outline and headed into the living room to leave with Severus. Severus merely raised an eyebrow at Alec’s attire and chose not to comment. Alec just gave him a small mischievous smile and they walked down to the Great Hall in silence.

When they arrived, the doors were closed. Albus probably did that on purpose so that the moment the doors opened, everyone would look their way. Severus scowled and pushed open the doors and Alec trailed behind him. As expected, almost everyone turned to see who just entered and saw Severus with his usual scowl in place. They were about to turn back to their chatting when they noticed the young boy trailing behind him. At first, most teachers thought it was a student that had somehow arrived early but then they saw the resemblance between the two. Minerva’s expression was the most priceless of all. Her jaw dropped and she stared at the young boy which was very uncharacteristic of her. Severus smirked at her and she promptly closed her mouth.

“Good evening Severus, Alec.” Headmaster Albus Dumbledore said as they approached the table. There was another chair next to the one that Severus usually claimed. Alec assumed it was his and sat down as his father did.

“Evening Headmaster.” Severus said slightly amused over the whole incident.

“Good evening Professors.” Alec said politely as he began placing food on his empty plate.

“Severus… Is this your son?” Minerva asked and as soon as the words left her mouth, the other teachers quieted down to hear his response.

Severus smirked again and replied. “Yes. Did you think me incapable of producing a child with a woman?”

“No! That was not what I was implying.” Minerva was slightly flustered and decided that returning to her meal would be the safe way out of the conversation. The rest of the table continued to chat about various topics and soon dinner was nearing an end. Alec had rushed through his meal a little so that he would be one of the first finished eating.

“May I be excused?” Alec asked Severus.

“Will you be heading back to our rooms?” Severus asked.

“I wanted to visit the library to pick up a book first, if that is okay.” Alec replied as he wiped his face clean with the napkin.

Severus nodded his head in agreement. “Do not be gone for more than thirty minutes.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Alex said as he stood up and walked towards the door. Since he back was to the teachers, they could not see the smirk that was plastered all over his face. The doors had been left open, which worked in his favor. As he was exiting, he managed to get his cloak to billow perfectly behind him when he turned the corner. Silence reined though the hall but was broken with a slight chuckling from the headmaster.

“Well, Alec is certainly your son Severus.” Albus smiled and popped a lemon drop in his mouth. “Good night everyone,” With that said, Albus strolled out of the hall and up to his office. A few others had also chuckled at the sight of a miniature Snape exiting the Great Hall. Slowly the teachers went about their business and left the hall. As Severus was leaving, Minerva came up to him.

“Did you teach him that trick Severus?” She commented jokingly.

“No.” He scowled at her and left in a similar fashion as Alec had done. He returned to his rooms and read for about twenty minutes when the boy entered their chambers.

“Interesting exit you made.” Severus commented with amusement.

“Why? What did I do?” Alec said innocently. Severus gave a slight chuckle because Alec was rather good at looking innocent.

“We will be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school supplies so make sure not to stay up too late. Be ready by nine thirty.” Severus instructed his young charge.

“Okay. I am going to read now and then I will go to bed. Good night dad.” Alec responded without thinking. Neither said anything for a moment and Alec took it as a bad sign. “Sorry! I shouldn’t have said that. I-I wasn’t thinking,” he stuttered out, thinking that he had messed up their newly created relationship.

“It’s okay Alec. You just caught me by surprise. I don’t mind you calling me dad or father.” Severus said genuinely as he stood up and gave Alec a hug. “It might be considered peculiar for you to call me Severus, rather than father, around others anyway.”

Alec nodded his head and wiped away the few tears that escaped. He headed off to his room to read before going to sleep.

............................................

The next morning found Severus and Alec walking to Hogsmeade, where they could use the fireplace to floo to Diagon Alley. Severus decided to let Alec go first. Alec had used the floo before but was never really good at it.

“Diagon Alley!” Alec attempted to say but he started to cough part way through and mispronounced the destination. He ended up falling onto the floor in a dusty old and creepy building. Alec cautiously stood up and was heading towards the door when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He automatically flinched and pulled away from the touch. The owner of the hand was a tall pale man with long blond hair.

“What are you doing here boy?” The man asked harshly. The shop owner was standing shortly behind this man.

“I-I g-got lost.” Alec muttered out frightened. He always seemed to end up stuttering when he was scared.

“You look familiar…” The blond drawled out as he studied the young boy who was practically cowering in front of him. The man was about continue speaking when someone else came out of the floo. Alec slipped around duo and ran to the man who stepped out of the fireplace.

.................................................

“Shit,” Severus cursed when he heard Alec mispronounce the destination. He went ahead and flooed to Diagon Alley in the event that Alec managed to end up there. Not finding the boy in the Leaky Cauldron, he decided to floo to the nearest alley, which happened to be Knockturn Alley. He flooded over and caught sight of Alec just before the ten-year-old was already in his arms.

“Are you alright?” Severus asked his son, who was slightly trembling in his arms. Alec just nodded slightly and held on tightly. Severus then turned his attention to the men who were watching the scene with slight interest.

“Lucius, Mr. Borgin. My apologies for the interruption.” Severus said simply.

“Severus, who is this child?” Lucius asked, obviously interested in the young boy who was clinging to Severus.

“This is my son Alec.” Severus replied. “We can discuss this later if you don’t mind. We need to get his school supplies.” Severus led Alec through the front door and into the Knockturn Alley. They walked in silence as Severus led Alec to a private room inside the Leaky Cauldron.

“Are you okay now, Alec?” Severus asked concerned for the young boy who was still slightly trembling. Alec nodded his head and wiped away a few stray tears. Would you like a calming draught before we get your supplies?” Alec once again only nodded. Severus pulled a calming draught from the little pouch that he always used to carry potions in. Alec drank the potion and began to relax.

“What happened?” Severus questioned the slowly calming boy.

“I coughed when I was saying Diagon Alley and ended up there. I was about to leave when the blond-haired man grabbed me by my shoulder. I-I just kind of freaked. I pulled away from him and he asked me why I was there and I told him I was lost. Then you came.” Alec recounted, now much calmer after the potion took full effect.

“That blond-haired man was a friend of mine. His name is Lucius Malfoy. His son will not be attending Hogwarts until next year. Let’s get your supplies.” They left the room and headed through the Leaky Cauldron and into the yard where Severus tapped the appropriate bricks and the alley opened. Alec was in awe of all the neat little shops that they passed along the way. Severus led Alec to Ollivander’s to make their first stop. They entered the store and Ollivander came out from the shadows to greet them. For a moment, he just studied them.

Ollivander welcomed his customers and the tape measure began to twist around Alec before Ollivander stopped it. Alec had tried at least five wands before finding the one that suited him. This wand was apparently the brother to Voldemort’s wand, and when Ollivander said this, he stared directly at the section of scars on Alec’s head. Severus paid for the wand and they both left and continued over to the robe shop, where Severus ordered some plain school robes. They gathered the clothes when they were finished and headed over to their next stop, the trunk shop.

Severus decided that Alec needed a good sturdy trunk and they ended up buying an oak one that had three compartments along with his initials ANS inscribed on the top. One compartment was specifically for books furnished with automatically alphabetizing shelves. The second compartment was designed to hold clothes and shoes. The third, and last, compartment was for what ever else that was going to be in the trunk. Severus had the storeowner add an additional secret compartment in order for Alec to have a safe place to hide small items that were of important value to him.

Their next and final destination was the bookstore. Alec went to gather his schoolbooks while Severus checked to see if any new potions books came in. Alec had a small stack of books in his hand when turned around and accidentally ran into someone. He looked up to see the person he ran into and stared up at a familiar blond man…

Harry had a small stack of books in his hand and turned around and accidentally ran into someone. He looked up to see the person he ran into and stared up at a familiar blond man…

“Sorry about that kid.” The man picked up the books that Alec dropped and handed them back to the boy, who was staring at him. The man stared back at the boy and at his green eyes. A spark of a memory started to rise forward but it quickly disappeared. “Have we met before?” The man asked.

“No, sir,” Alec lied to the man as he clutched the books. A young blond girl appeared behind the blond man and spoke to him.

“Who is this daddy?” She asked as she looked over at the young dark haired boy.

“Just a kid that I bumped into,” her father replied absentmindedly. He was still trying to figure out where he had seen this kid.

“Oh.” She replied. “Well then, my name is Lisa and this is my father Alexander.”

“Alec,” the kid replied simply.

“Are you starting at Hogwarts this year?” Lisa asked excitedly. “What house do you think you will be in? I have read all about Hogwarts and it sounds great! Where are your parents? Are they muggles or a witch and wizard?” She was bursting with questions but Alec never had a chance to answer any of them because a hand was calmly placed on his shoulder. Alec glanced up and smiled at his new father who was standing behind him with a closed off expression.

“Oh-Is this your father?” Lisa asked yet another question.

“Lisa, this is my father Severus. Dad, this is Lisa and her father Alexander.” Alec replied, slightly amused by the constant questions coming out of the young girl.

“We really must be going. It was nice to meet you,” Severus said as he pulled Alec away from the pair before either could say anything else. The potions master took the books from Alec’s arms and paid for them. They left and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. As they entered, a man held up a paper and announced to the pub that the mass murderer Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban. Severus paled a bit and pulled Alec closer to him. As they neared the fireplace, they caught a glimpse of the man on the cover of the paper, Sirius Black, who was laughing maniacally. After a successful floo trip back to Hogsmeade, they quickly trekked back to Hogwarts. Severus kept looking around him and was becoming extremely paranoid that Black was about to pop out of nowhere. They reached Hogwarts fairly quickly and Severus led Alec down to their rooms.

“Stay here while I go talk with the headmaster. DO NOT leave the rooms.” Severus said in a dangerous tone, daring Alec to disagree. Alec nodded his head and went to put away his belongings. Alec looked at the calendar and realized that there was only three more days until school started. He pulled out a book and began to read.

...............................................

“Headmaster,” Severus said curtly as he entered the office after leaving Alec down in their rooms.

“Severus, what can I do for you?” Albus replied as he sucked on another lemon drop.

“Black has escaped from Azkaban.”

“I heard about that. What is your concern? Do you believe he would come here?” Albus asked the younger man before him.

“Perhaps he would come here looking for Harry.” Severus suggested as he massaged his temples.

“I will talk with Filius tomorrow and we can see about adding some additional wards around the castle. I do not believe he will be well enough to apparate here or get remotely close enough to the castle before tomorrow.” Albus explained thoughtfully.

Severus gave a sharp nod in confirmation and swept out of the office and back down to their rooms. When he arrived, he saw Alec curled up on the couch reading one of his schoolbooks.

“Alec,” Severus said and Alec looked up at him. “Today will be the last day that you can wander on your own. Since Black is out, he could come here and I do not want you getting hurt. The headmaster will put up additional wards to protect the castle from the murderer in the event that he comes here. I will also be creating a pendant that will give me your relative location if I need to find you.”

“Okay. May I go to the library?” Alec asked. “I was going to return the books that I finished reading.”

“You may go. We will be eating in 30 minutes. Be in the Great Hall by then.” Alec nodded his head in agreement, gathered up his library books and headed down to the library.

Alec made it to the library, returned the books and began his walk back to the rooms. He made a pit stop at the bathrooms and was just exiting when someone grabbed his arms and slammed him against the nearest wall, back inside the bathroom. Alec’s nose hit the wall and blood began seeping out of it.

“You look just like Snivellus.” A raspy voice whispered in his ear. “Tell the headmaster that I was not the Potter’s secret keeper and that I never received a trial. Peter…It was Peter…” He mumbled to himself and had a slight crazed look in his eyes. Obviously the Dementors had affected him and his sanity was a little questionable. For the most part, he was coherent and understandable yet there was also an air of insanity lurking about.

Alec was struggling to loosen the grip that held him to the wall but to no avail. He tried to call out for help but he was simply slammed back into the wall. His nose began to ache a bit from being crushed in the wall twice but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Don’t forget to tell them what I said.” Suddenly everything went black for Alec.

............................................

Severus entered the Great Hall and was surprised to note that Alec was not there yet. He began to worry when Alec was fifteen minutes late. He was about to voice his concerns with the headmaster when one of the ghosts flew over to the table. All the teachers present turned to look at Moaning Myrtle, who rarely came out of her bathroom.

“I was just passing through and I saw a young boy lying still in the bathroom near the library.” Myrtle had barely finished that sentence when Severus jumped up and raced to the bathroom along with the headmaster and a few other professors in tow.

Severus arrived and saw that Alec was not moving, but he was breathing. Severus turned the young boy around and heard a gasp behind him from Minerva, who had seen the blood on his face running from his nose. Severus cradled Alec to his arms and swept off to the infirmary. Poppy was already waiting for them when they arrived and instructed Severus to place Alec on the bed. She waved her wand over him and muttered a few well chosen words. The nurse cleaned off the blood and turned to the others watching the proceedings.

“He will be fine. He should wake up in a few minutes.” Severus sat down and held onto Alec’s hand. Feeling a slight squeeze Severus looked up to see Alec’s eyes fluttering open. The boy looked around, noticed he was in the infirmary and sat up.

“What happened, Alec?” Headmaster Dumbledore questioned the young boy.

“I was leaving the library and stopped in a bathroom. On my way out someone grabbed me and slammed me into the wall.” Alec replied.

“Who was it?” Albus prompted.

The young boy looked up at him and replied, “Sirius Black.” Severus’ face had paled when he heard those words but then it quickly morphed into anger at the man who dared hurt his son.

“What else did he say?” Albus questioned again.

“He said that he was not the Potter’s secret keeper and that he never received a trial. He also muttered something about Peter. That’s all that I can remember.” Alec replied to the older wizard.

“Severus, why don’t you take Alec to your rooms and stay there for the evening? The rest of the teachers will help me search the castle for Sirius if he is still here.” Severus gave a curt nod and picked Alec up. Alec was slightly embarrassed about being carried since he was ten but ignored that since it felt somewhat nice. Once they reached their rooms, Severus gave Salazar, the painting guarding their door, a new password and ordered him not to let anyone in unless it was the Headmaster. Severus also added a few other wards around the entrance just to make the rooms feel more protected. After all, Black was not supposed to be able to get into Hogwarts, but he did it anyway.

“You should rest. I will be in the living room creating a pendant for you.” Alec nodded and went to his room for a short nap.

While Alec napped, Severus pulled out a family heirloom of a silver snake on a silver chain. The first thing he did to it was add a charm so that Severus could track Alec’s location when the boy was wearing it. He also added a spell that would only allow people to see the chain if they already knew of its existence. The only two people who would see it would be Severus and Alec, once Alec placed it around his neck.

A short while later, Alec came back in, looking rested but a bit pale over the whole ordeal.

“Wear this at all times. I will be able to find you as long as you have it on. No one else can see this chain unless you specifically tell them that you are wearing this pendant.” Severus informed the young boy. He assisted Alec in placing it around his neck.

“Since you did not get a chance to eat, would you like me to order something from the kitchens?” Alec nodded. “What would you like?”

“Soup sounds good right now.” Severus nodded and called a house elf to deliver the food.

.......................................

The last few days of vacation passed really slowly. Severus was being very protective over Alec and would not let him wander out of his site, despite the fact that Alec was wearing that pendant with the locating charm on it. The other reason why Alec was never out of his site was because the search of the castle turned up empty. There was not a sign of Sirius Black anywhere in the castle and on the grounds.

Severus didn’t want to let Alec ride the train after the incident but Alec begged his father to let him go. It wasn’t like he was going to be alone so Severus finally relented and agreed to take Alec to Platform 9 ¾ so that the boy could ride the train with the other students. September first finally rolled around and Severus got a hold of a portkey to transport them to the platform. He made sure Alec was situated on the train before apparating just outside of Hogwarts. The train blew a whistle and left behind the platform full of families.

The train slowly took off and left all the parents and younger siblings behind. Alec pulled out a book and began reading. Shortly after he began, two boys entered his compartment.

“Hello! Would you mind-”

“If we sat here? Everywhere-”

“Else is pretty full.” The two red headed boys finished each other’s sentences rather amusedly.

 “Sure that’s fine.” Alec responded to the twins who pulled their trunks in after entering.

“He is Gred-”

“And he is Forge-”

“According to mum, we’re-”

“Fred and George.”

Alec snorted lightly. “Nice rhyme. I’m Alec.” Alec noticed that they were from the Gryffindor house by the insigne on their slightly worn looking robes. “What year are you in?”

“Second. You must be-”

“An ickle firstie then.”

“What House do you think-”

“You will be sorted in?”

“I don’t really know. I like to read so maybe Ravenclaw but then again my father is head of Slytherin so maybe I’ll end up there.” Alec noted the identical features of shock appearing on their faces after that statement.

“I think I see-”

“The resemblance between-”

“The two now. What is-”

“It like living-”

”With Snape?”

Alec pondered that for a moment before answering. “I only started living with him this last summer. He is intelligent and an excellent teacher. Dad taught me fencing, which is really fun, along with other subjects such as Wizarding etiquette.”

“If you don’t mind-”

“Us asking, but why didn’t-”

“You live with him-”

“Before this summer?”

Alec and Severus had created a story to tell others in the event that they were asked this particular question. Alec relayed the story he had been forced to memorize, “I lived with my mother until she died when I was five. I was then sent to some relatives who weren’t very nice.” He winced slightly at the thought of his relatives. The twins noticed the little wince and noted not to bring up that subject in the future. “My father never knew about me because my mum broke up with him. Dad was never aware that Mum was pregnant with his child when she left him.” The story was plain and simple, therefore easy enough to fabricate when telling others. “What about you two? Do you have sisters or brothers?” Alec asked, wanting to get off the other topic.

“Well, first there is Bill-”

“The Egyptian curse breaker.”

“Then we have Charlie-”

“Who plays with Dragons for a living.”

“Next we have Percy-”

“The prat who loves rules.”

“Then comes us two, who happen-”

“To be the best of the bunch.”

“Next is ickle Ronnikins-”

“Our younger chess loving brother”

”And last-”

“But not least-”

“Would be Ginny, the first-”

“Weasley girl for many generations.”

“Wow. You have a large family. That must be nice.” Alec commented wistfully. The twins both stood up after a moment of silence among the three sharing the compartment.

“We are going to find-”

“Our friend Lee. We will-”

“Be back later.”

“Bye.” Alec replied to the twins who left the boy alone in the compartment. Alec pulled out his book and began reading. He became slightly drowsy as he read and eventually fell into a light sleep. Alec began dreaming about the Dursley’s after he had mentioned them to the twins and he must have appeared slightly distressed. Someone was gently shaking his shoulder in attempt to wake him up and upon instinct, Alec shed away from the unknown touch. The dark haired boy opened his eyes and was greeted by the familiar blue eyes of Lisa.

“Hey Alec, did you have a bad dream?” Lisa questioned after witnessing his initial reaction to her touch. Alec just nodded and worked on using his Occlumency barriers to hide his emotions after that nightmare. He quickly regained control of his racing heart and relaxed a bit.

“I don’t think we were properly introduced in the books store. My name is Lisa Ann Bellini.” Lisa held out her hand for Alec to accept.

Alec applied his newly learned manners of Wizarding etiquette by pulling her hand up to his lips and lightly kissed it. “It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Bellini.” Alec drawled out in an elegant and well practiced tone. Lisa giggled slightly at the formality of it all as Alec released her hand. “I am Alec Narciso Snape.”

“Lily?” Lisa wondered out loud. At Alec’s questioning look, she responded to the unasked question. “I studied Latin when I was in school. If you don’t mind me asking, why is you middle name Latin for lily?”

“It was my mother’s favorite flower.” The name Lily was not too common in the Wizarding world, therefore it was better to play it safe by not saying that was her name.

“Was?” Lisa looked curiously at the dark haired boy next to her.

“My mother died when I was five.” Alec said shortly. This was the second time that day when this conversation was brought up and he’d rather talk about some other time. Especially since his nerves were still somewhat on end after the nightmare. “What House do you think you will end up in?”

“Well I love reading. So maybe I will end up in Ravenclaw. What about you?” Lisa eagerly asked.

“I like reading too so Ravenclaw is a possibility for me as well. I don’t really know though. I tried asking my dad how we were sorted but he told me that it was a secret.” Lisa looked a bit worried that she was going to have to perform some sort of task. Alec saw this look and quickly reassured her, “Dad said it was nothing harmful or dangerous in any way so there is nothing to worry about. I’ll ask the twins when they return.”

“Who are the twins? Are these their trunks?” As soon as she finished saying that, the Weasley twins entered.

“Hey Alec. Have you already-”

“Got yourself a girlfriend?” The twins teased as they sat down on either side of Alec. Alec blushed at the insinuation and murmured out a negative answer.

“Lisa, this is Fred and George. Guys, this is Lisa. I met her at the bookstore before term started.” Alec explained.

“You might want to-”

“Change soon since we-”

“Are almost to Hogwarts.”

Alec glanced outside the window and noticed that it was in fact dark and he could almost see the faint outlines of the Hogsmeade station in the distance. Alex was currently wearing his school clothes so only Lisa needed to change. She excused herself and left in the direction of the bathroom put on her uniform. Alec and the twins chatted for a while before Lisa arrived, clad in her new robes which were obviously made in of a fine material.

“Are your parents-”

“Loaded with cash?” The twins commented as they eyed the fancy robes.

“What do they do-”

“For a living?”

“They do a little of this and that.” Lisa answered vaguely as she sat down. Seeing as Alec knew her father was a criminal, it was not hard for him to understand where the money came from. It was quite possible that some of it was probably from the same money that Vernon stole earlier that very summer.

The train began slowing down as they ascended on the little town of Hogsmeade. The train halted at the station and the students slowly wandered off. All the second years and up piled into the carriages as the first years headed towards the large man yelling, “Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! C’mon, follow me.” Hagrid led the first years to the waters edge where four people piled into a boat. They took off after everyone was situated. A gasp was heard from just about every first year when they caught their first glimpse of Hogwarts. The castle always looked best at nighttime with the torches lit and the shadows adding an almost spooky look to it. The boats came to a halt when they reached the shoreline and the students clambered out onto dry land.

Hagrid led them up the doors, where he knocked and waited for them to open. A stern, older woman opened the doors and led the young students inside. She briefly welcomed them and explained the various Houses at the school. Professor McGonagall, as she introduced herself, also mentioned that they would be sorted into the Houses mentioned earlier but gave no hints on how it would happen. So when she entered the Great Hall alone, many began speculating as to what they would have to do. Some ideas were rather far fetched but before anyone else could say more, she returned.

“We are ready for you now.”

“We are ready for you now.”

With those words said, Professor McGonagall led the line of students into the Great Hall. Lisa looked up and saw the beautiful ceiling. “It’s enchanted to look like the sky outside. I read about it in-“

“Hogwarts, A History. I know because I read that as well.” Alec informed Lisa, who had been sticking near him since they exited the train. Before either could say anymore, the hall had quieted. Professor McGonagall placed a stool on the ground in front of the four house tables and positioned a tattered hat upon it. The hat shocked many first-years by singing a tune about Hogwarts and each of the houses. Everyone applauded once it was finished and waited eagerly for the new students to be sorted. Professor McGonagall called out several names before reaching Lisa.

“Bellini, Lisa” The girl nervously stepped forward and the hat was placed on her head. She sat there for a brief moment before the hat called out, “RAVENCLAW!” The Ravenclaw table clapped for their newest member. The sorting seemed to last forever before they finally got to the last names beginning with S.

“Snape, Alec” announced Professor McGonagall. The hall quieted notably and many students stared back and forth between their potions professor and the young boy who sat upon the stool. Whispers broke out amongst the students at the incredibility of their “evil” potions master having a child.

“Mr. Snape… Or should I say Mr. Potter?” A voice whispered in Alec’s head. “Hmm… Let’s see… Intelligence appears to be your most prominent quality. You could do well in Slytherin though but I can see that you would rather be with your friend so better be… RAVENCLAW!” The hat shouted to the Great Hall. For a moment it was quiet, since everyone expected Alec to end up in Slytherin but a few Ravenclaws and Slytherins began clapping for the boy. Alec stole a look up at his father who was wearing an unemotional mask except for the bit of pride shining in his eyes. Alec wandered over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to Lisa.

Shortly after the sorting was finished, the headmaster called for the feast to begin. When the food appeared on the table, many first years gasped before digging in. Once everyone was full, the headmaster stood up. He gave his customary speech about the do’s and don’ts around Hogwarts along with the list of forbidden objects posted in Mr. Filch’s office. A Ravenclaw prefect led all the first years to the entrance of their tower.

“This is the entrance.” The portrait guarding their entrance was a painting of the four founders standing outside of Hogwarts when they first built it. “The password is Knowledge is Power. Do not forget it.” The portrait opened and the students filed inside.

“As members of the Ravenclaw house you are expected to know the materials ahead of time for each class. We have been known to be prepared so make sure to get ahead by at least one chapter before class. Ravenclaw has not won the house cup in many years so try being of the best behavior and not to lose house points. Girls dormitories are to the left and boys are to the right.” With that said the prefect dismissed them and most headed up to get ready for bed.

Alec said goodnight to Lisa before heading to his dormitory to meet his roommates. Four other boys shared the dorm with him. One of them had dirty blond spiked hair, one black and the other two had brown hair.

The black haired boy introduced himself first, “Hi! My name is Joshua Johnson. You can call me Josh or JJ.” The boy was rather energetic and Alec extended his hand to shake.

“I’m Alec Snape.” The blond haired boy winced at the last name. Alec just raised a questioning eyebrow to the gesture which made him look even more like his father.

“I’m Anthony and my brother is also in Ravenclaw. He told me all about your father.” The blond boy replied to the unasked question.

Alec rolled his eyes slightly. “First off, I’m not my father and second, he is not that bad. He gets a little cranky and strict sometimes, but oh well.” Anthony chose to dig through his trunk rather than respond.

“I’m Dominic.” One of the brown haired boys said to cut the silence in the room.

“I am Mark.” The last boy responded.

“Nice to meet you all. I think I’m going to head to bed now since tomorrow is going to be a long day.” Alec crawled in bed having already changed into pajamas. The others murmured good nights and followed suit. Soon the dormitory was filled with light snoring as the first year Ravenclaws drifted off to sleep.

.................................

Alec was the first to wake the next morning since Severus had conditioned him to get up early. He gathered some items for an early shower. When he left the bathroom 20 minutes later, he discovered that his roommates were just waking up. Josh was the first one ready and headed over to Alec who was reading.

“Do you know how to get to the Great Hall?” Josh asked. Alec shook his head negatively.

“We should ask one of the older students.” Alec suggested as he packed up his book bag. Josh nodded and then went down to the common room, which was decorated in blues and silvers and contained many bookshelves lined along the walls.

Alec walked up to an older student who was reading. “Excuse me, but can you give us directions on how to get to the Great Hall?” Alec politely asked. The Ravenclaw looked up at him and his expression darkened a bit.

“Sure… Just turn left and follow the staircases until you reach the Great Hall.” The older boy just went back to his reading but seemed to have a small smirk on his face.

“Thanks.” Alec and Josh exited the portrait and went left down the corridor. They walked a ways before finally reaching a staircase, which went up. “I don’t think this is the right way. Aren’t we supposed to go down rather than up?”

“I dunno. I was too full and tired last night to pay attention. Let’s go up anyways.” JJ suggested energetically. Alec just followed him and planned to head back if the path did not look promising. Unfortunately they ended up helplessly lost and Alec was getting frustrated.

“What are we going to do?” JJ whined as they tried turning around but couldn’t seem to find the right path to take them back towards the common room.

They were both tired from spending the last twenty minutes wandering and Alec decided he had enough. He slid down the wall and buried his face in his hands. JJ flopped down next to him.

“I wish my dad was here. He’d get us out.” Luckily enough for them, Severus strolled down that hallway in their direction.

“What are you doing down here?” He asked sharply.

“We got lost.” Alec replied as he hugged his father. “How did you find us?”

“Breakfast was almost over and you had not showed up yet so I assumed that something was wrong therefore I tracked you down.” Severus said the last part rather vaguely but Alec knew immediately that his father was referring to the pendant that he wore.  Severus handed a piece of paper to Alec and Josh.  He had grabbed Alec’s schedule and chose to grab Josh’s since the black haired boy was the only other first year absent from breakfast.

“Will we still have time for breakfast?” Alec’s stomach gave a little rumble signifying he was hungry.

“No but I brought along two muffins. This will have to suffice until lunch time. Now follow me and I will lead you to the potions classroom, since that happens to be your first class of the day.” Severus led both muffin eating boys out of the twisted corridors and to the potions dungeon. They were the first to arrive and Alec selected a seat in the front row. Josh pulled up the chair next to his and cracked open his potions book for reviewing. Alec followed suit and they both read until class started.

Potions class was shared with the Hufflepuffs and once everyone arrived, all seats were filled. A Hufflepuff boy named Oliver ended up sitting on the other side of Alec. The boy seemed to be trembling a bit, no doubt having heard stories of the frightening potions master. As if on cue, Severus swept into the classroom with a bang. Everyone jumped a bit except for Alec who was rather used to his father’s dramatic entrances.

Severus gave his usual speech about the subtle science of potion making along with directions on their first concoction. He instructed the students to begin making the boil curing potion that he always started first years with. Alec breezed through the potion seeing as he had done it before. He spared a glance at Josh, who seemed to be doing everything right. Alec then looked to his left at the Hufflepuff, who was just adding porcupine quills with the fire still on.

“Wait--”Alec started to say as he tried to prevent Oliver from adding the quills but it was too late. A small explosion occurred and boils spread over Alec’s arm and all over Oliver. The Hufflepuff started tearing up at the pain and at seeing the menacing scowl on the potion master’s face.

“15 points from Hufflepuff for not following directions!”  The professor barked out at the terrified boy covered in boils. His voice turned softer as he spoke to Alec, “Go to the infirmary and Madam Pomfrey will fix that. Take this imbecile with you.” Alec just nodded and gathered his stuff and led Oliver out of the classroom. Alec was familiar with the dungeons so he was able to navigate them to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey tended to their boils and instructed the boys to relax on the beds while the boils disappeared.

They were finished when the bell sounded so Oliver and Alec headed separate ways to their next classes. Alec searched around a little before finding the transfiguration classroom. He may have spent all summer at Hogwarts, but he didn’t get a chance to do a whole lot of exploring. He mostly knew his way from the dungeons to the Great Hall or library. Other than that, he was just like every other first year trying to find their way around. He found an free seat next to Josh and took it.

“Are you alright now?” JJ asked as he set out his supplies. Alec just nodded and listened intently to the lecture that Professor McGonagall began giving.

After Transfiguration, it was finally lunch time. Since Alec and JJ didn’t get much for breakfast, they devoured their meal rather quickly. Their last classes that day were History of Magic and Charms.

Between classes, homework, and meals, the rest of the week passed rather quickly. All first years began to learn their way around the castle with the help of the older students. Alec, along with Lisa and Josh, had become lost in the twisting corridors at least three more times because of older students and their grudges against Snape. A few of the more rude Ravenclaws had purposely given them incorrect directions which led to them being lost. Severus came to the rescue with the aid of the tracking charm but he was not needed much more since they were learning their way around the corridors.

It was finally Friday, which meant the first years would be receiving their flying lessons that day. They would be learning along with the Hufflepuff first years. Alec lined up with his two new friends alongside the old school brooms. Severus refused to let him fly over the summer until he learned with the rest of the first years. Alec had pleaded with him many times but Severus never relented, most likely because the man hated flying.

“Are you excited? I read a few books on flying already. Quidditch sounds rather interesting but I don’t think I will try out for the team any time soon. I’m not even sure I can do this whole flying thing.” Lisa rambled nervously as she stared at the battered broom that was supposed to support her in the air.

“Relax. You will be fine. I’m sure you will get the hang of it rather quickly.” Alec reassured her just before Madam Hooch, their flying instructor arrived.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Place your hand over the broom and say UP!” Madam Hooch instructed the young Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

“UP!” Many commanded at various intervals. Alec’s broom jumped into his hand along with several other students’. Lisa’s went about half way before falling.

“UP!” She cried again and this time it went all the way into her outstretched hand.

Madam Hooch went around correcting grips once all students managed to get their brooms up. “Alright. Now mount your broom and when I count to three, slowly fly up then touch back down. One…Two…Three.” Students slowly rose off the ground and touched back down as they were instructed. “Good job. Now fly around a bit but don’t go higher than 10 feet.”

For the rest of the lesson they were able to fly around without going too high. Near the end when students became better, she allowed them to fly up higher. Alec, Lisa and JJ were all relatively confident with being in the air so they chose to fly higher. Lisa was adjusting a bit when she lost her balance and slipped off her broom. She let out a scream as she began falling and Alec immediately dove into action. Lisa was nearing the ground when he stretched out and grabbed a hold of her arm. Alec held on tight and slowed their descent until they were both safely back on the ground.

“Thank you sooooo much!” Lisa cried as she pulled Alec in for a hug. Alec stiffened at first but tentatively returned the embrace.

“All of you get out of the way!” Madam Hooch shouted as she rushed over to the two students. “Are you alright Ms. Bellini?” Lisa just nodded. Madam Hooch turned to Alec, “That was some catch Mr. Snape. I believe Ravenclaw’s seeker graduated last year and you could easily make the team. I believe tryouts are tomorrow.” The bell rang. “Class is dismissed.”

“Wow. That was an awesome catch!” Josh commented on their way back up. “Wasn’t that your first time on a broom?”

“Yeah that was. Are you okay Lisa? Did I hurt your arm?” Alec asked with apprehension.

“My arm is just a little sore.” Lisa rubbed it absentmindedly.

“We have potions next so I can ask my dad after class if he has anything he can give you. Let’s hurry or we will be late.” The Ravenclaw trio rushed off to potions and set up their supplies in the front row, where they usually sat.

“Today we will begin working on a simple hair color potion. At the final step, add one drop of armadillo bile for darker hair and two drops for lighter hair. You will test your own potions by the end up class. Start now.” Their potions professor commanded as he sat down to grade some papers. Students shuffled around the class as they gathered ingredients and began preparing their potions. Alec had made this potion over the summer with his father so he knew exactly how to tweak it to make the result the same as when he the first made it. Alec added the juice from a newt’s eye and then placed three drops from the armadillo bile vial into the potion. His concoction appeared to be like the others who had already finished. The rest of the class was just finishing their potions when Severus stood up.

“That was an adequate amount of time for you to complete your potion.” He surveyed their potions and noted that the majority of the class had managed to get theirs correct. “If you potion is the same shade as described in the book, then pour one small vial full and drink it. Effects will be immediate if done correctly.” Students followed directions and nervously drank their creations. Their hair began to lighten or darken depending on their final ingredient.

Alec drank a sip of his potion and his hair immediately turned a navy blue color which coincidently matched his robes. A few people gasped and whispers spread around the classroom. Most people turned to stare at the single blue-haired boy in the class while Severus just looked up and smirked at the sight before going back to his work.

“What did you do wrong? It looks like you brewed it correctly.” Lisa drawled out as she studied his potion.

“Who said I did anything wrong?” Alec responded with a smirk as he ran his fingers through his blue hair.

“I think it looks brilliant!” JJ said with his lighter colored hair. “How did you make it blue?”

“I just added a little something extra.”

“Why would you do that? You could have caused an explosion!” Lisa chided gently.

“I made the same thing over summer with my dad and he told me how to make it blue.” Alec explained patiently to his friend.

“Oh. Well that’s okay then.” Alec just rolled his eyes. “Does it say how long this lasts?” Lisa asked as she flipped through her book.

“It’s supposed to last for about two hours so by the time dinner is over, it should be changing back.” Alec informed her just before the bell rang. “Let me talk to my dad about something for your arm.” Alec wandered up to his father’s desk just as the last students were leaving, with the exception of his friends.

“You obviously remembered how to make your hair blue.” Severus commented to his approaching son.

“Yup. It wasn’t too hard but that’s not what I am here for. Today during Quidditch Lisa fell from her broom and I caught her by her arm, which is a bit sore now. Do you have anything that you can give her for it?” Alec asked.

Severus rummaged through his potions supply before pulling out a dark blue potion. “One sip will suffice.” He instructed as he handed Lisa the potion. “Why didn’t you visit Madam Pomfrey?”

“She fell just before class ended so we wouldn’t have had time to stop by the infirmary without being late to your class.” Severus just nodded his head in acceptance.

Severus suddenly turned towards his son after collecting the vial from Lisa. “What about your arm? Is it sore at all?”

Alec just shrugged. “It’s not bad, I’ve had worse.” That was the wrong thing to say because Severus’ expression darkened at the reminder of the pain Alec went through at the hands of the Dursley’s.

“Wait outside for Alec.” Severus ordered JJ and Lisa, who complied. “Alec,” Severus began. “We have gone over this before…”

“It’s just a little sore. It doesn’t matter to me.” Alec interrupted.

“It might not matter to you, but it matters to me. I am here to help you when you need it whether it’s something small or big. Day or night, I don’t care. Just let me help you.” Severus reasoned with the young boy who still reverted back to habits learned at the Dursleys’. He had learned to ignore his pains and wants and obviously Severus was still trying to break that behavior.

“I’m sorry. Some habits are hard to break.” Alec replied miserably. Severus gave the blue-haired boy a hug before ordering him to drink a sip of the same potion Lisa just took.

“Don’t keep your friends waiting.” Severus smiled a bit and he gave Alec a light shove towards the door. Alec met up with his friends and they headed off for dinner in the Great Hall.

After dinner, the Ravenclaw trio headed off to the Library to do homework. Alec was preparing his transfiguration essay while JJ worked on his potions and Lisa on her charms. They mostly worked in silence except for the times when they’d ask something related to their homework.

Lisa yawned and stretched out. “I’m finished and I’m tired so I think I will head off to bed.”

“I’m tired too. I think I will follow you. What about you Alec? Are you done yet?” JJ said as he began packing his books up.

“I am almost done. I want to find a book once I’m finished and then I will head back to the dormitory.” Alec replied as he chewed slightly on the end of his quill.

“Do you want us to-” JJ yawned, “-wait for you?”

“Don’t worry about it. I can tell you are both tired so you can head up without me. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes since it’s curfew then.” Alec replied as he scribbled down more on his essay.

“Goodnight.” Lisa and JJ chorused.

“Night.” Alec replied absentmindedly as he continued working. He continued scribbling down information for his essay before he checked the time again. Curfew was starting in 5 minutes so he grabbed all his homework papers into a pile and rushed out of the library and towards the Ravenclaw dormitory. Alec was walking quickly to the dormitory when someone’s foot appeared in his path and before he could stop himself, he tripped over it. His homework went flying about as he crashed to the ground.

“Watch where you’re going,” Someone spat out before muttering a spell at a pile of homework, which promptly caught fire. Alec sat up and looked for the mysterious person but they had fled the scene. Alec mumbled out a water spell but it was no use since that piece of homework was burnt to ashes. Luckily for him, that was an easy potions assignment that he could quickly redo later. Just as he finished gathering up his homework, someone came around the corner. Unfortunately for Alec, it was Filch.

“What do we have here?” Filch leered at the young boy. “Curfew started over five minutes ago boy.” He said sharply. Alec winced slightly at the term since it brought back memories of his uncle using that word constantly. He was cut out of his musing by a hand gripping him by the scruff of his robes.

“Come along boy.” Alec reluctantly went with the man as he was pulled into the nearest teacher’s office. Filch, who still had a hold on his robes, pulled him into Professor McGonagall’s office where she was currently talking with Severus. Both turned towards the door at the sound of it opening and spied Filch who was practically dragging Alec inside.

“Unhand him now.” Severus commanded in a lethal tone. He certainly did not appreciate his son being handled like that.

Filch let go immediately, “I caught him wandering the corridors-”

Alec interrupted in defense, “I wasn’t wandering the corridors!”

“Well then what would you call that boy?”

Wincing slightly at the term boy once more, Alec answered. “I was on my way back to the tower but you just grabbed me and pulled me along before I had the chance to explain myself.”

“I’ll handle this. You can leave now.” Severus growled at the caretaker. Filch muttered things about brats as he stalked out.

“What happened?” Severus asked, as he inspected his son’s ruffled appearance.

“I was on my way back to my dormitory when someone tripped me. I didn’t see who it was because it was dark and it happened so fast. They also burnt my potions homework.” Alec replied and then yawned. Severus frowned as his son shrugged off the matter.

“Come along, I will walk you back to your dormitory. I apologize for the interruption,” Severus directed towards Professor McGonagall. “We can finish our conversation over breakfast. Good evening.” Minerva just nodded and smiled at them.

“Goodnight professor.” Alec said as he was leaving with his father.

“Goodnight.” She replied back to them before they walked out of the room.

Severus walked Alec all the way to the Ravenclaw common room before saying goodnight. Alec entered and headed straight to bed after such a tiring day. Tomorrow was Saturday, which meant he could sleep in but it also meant that tryouts were being held for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Alec slept restlessly that night as he tossed and turned over nightmares. In his current nightmare, his uncle was gripping him just as Filch had done earlier and when someone shook him awake, he flinched away from the contact. Alec blearily opened his eyes and met the concerned gaze of Josh.

“Bad dream?” JJ assumed and Alec nodded his head in agreement before getting up. “Well Quidditch tryouts are today! That would be totally awesome if you could make the team!” JJ said enthusiastically as he pulled on a pair of robes. Alec changed into comfortable clothes for the day before the two boys met up with Lisa in the common room. All three Ravenclaws headed off to breakfast together before going to the Quidditch field. Alec asked permission from his father to borrow his broom for the tryouts. Severus could dislike flying but he still owned a Nimbus 1700, which was a fairly new model.

“Good luck,” Lisa and JJ chimed as they walked to the spectators section while Alec headed towards the tryout area.

“Alright. Listen up.” The Ravenclaw Quidditch captain called out. “We only need a seeker this year. So if you came here to try out as a chaser or anything else, you may as well leave now.” A good portion of the people left and only five boys and two girls were left. The captain then ordered everyone to mount their brooms and just do some basic flying. One of the boys was a terrible flyer so the captain dismissed him rather quickly. He then released the bludgers as they were practicing their flying. Two more Ravenclaws left after the bludgers came too close to them and almost hit them. The only remaining people were Alec, a third year, a fifth year and a second year girl.

“I am going to release the Snitch now and whoever finds it first will most likely end up on the team.” The Snitch was released and it quickly disappeared. Alec flew around searching for it and he noticed it by the goal posts. He dove off after it immediately and the others were quickly trailing him. When he neared the snitch, it took a dive downwards and Alec trailed it. He was coming closer and closer to the ground as he stretched his hand out just far enough to make the catch. The other Ravenclaws had pulled up when it appeared that he might slam into the ground. Alec pulled out of the dive just in time to avoid hitting the ground and his feet managed to brush against the grass ever so lightly.

“You are definitely on the team.” Zachary Kirkland said as he flew over to Alec. “That was one hell of a catch. How old are you?” He scrutinized the dark-haired boy.

“I’m eleven.” Alec replied

“Damn it. I don’t think they let eleven-year-olds on the team.” The Ravenclaw glanced at the boy and noticed the broom he was holding, “Whose broom is that? First years are not supposed to have brooms.”

“It’s my dad’s broom. He let me borrow it for the tryouts.” Alec replied.

“Wait a minute… You are Snape’s kid? Maybe they will let you on the team after all…” The Ravenclaw pondered for a moment before concluding that Alec needed to get his father’s permission before he could be officially accepted in the team. Alec nodded in acceptance and headed back for the castle with his friends in tow.

“That was awesome! And to think that that was only your second time on a broom!” JJ commented slightly in awe of the great catch his friend made.

“You could have broken your neck on a stunt like that…” Lisa interjected.

“So did you make the team?” JJ interrupted curiously as they trekked down to the potions professor’s classroom.

“I have to ask my dad first.” Alec replied as they arrived at his father’s door. He pushed open the door and saw his father grading papers. Severus looked up as they entered and stood to greet them. He walked over to Alec and did a quick glance over and double-checked that Alec was in one piece.

“I saw that dive. You could have broken you neck.” Severus unknowingly repeated what Lisa had said minutes ago.

“Well… I knew I could catch it…” Alec trailed off.

“Promise me you will be more careful in the future.” Severus gently ordered.

“I promise.” Alec vowed as he handed back his father’s broom.

“Did you come here just to return this?” Severus asked as he stowed the broom in the corner.

“Well actually Zachary, the Ravenclaw captain, said that I can be on the team if you give your permission…” Alec held his breath in anticipation of his father’s answer.

Severus did not have the heart to say no to his anxious son. “Fine. But anymore dives like that and I will reconsider.” Alec just grabbed him for a big hug.

“Thank you so much!” Alec said. “I’m going to tell Zachary now. Thanks again and bye!” Alec shouted as he left the classroom.

“I hope I don’t regret that decision…” Severus muttered as he slumped down in the chair.

Alec was officially on the team now that he received his father’s consent to participate in the dangerous sport. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team had practice three, sometimes four, times a week. Alec became rather busy with the increasing amount of homework on top of Quidditch practices. He spent most of his time working on homework in the library with his two friends. The rest of September flew by rather quickly.

It was currently October 20th and Potions class was just ending when the potions professor requested Lisa and Josh to stay behind just after the bell rang. Alec packed up his things and was prepared to wait but his father had other plans.

“You may wait for your friends outside, Mr. Snape.” The potions master said to his son. The look on Severus’ face told Alec that he was going to wait outside whether or not he wanted to so he complied and left the room.

Severus warded the classroom to prevent Alec from listening in to the conversation they were about to have. “What I am about to say is to stay between the two of you.” The Ravenclaw first years exchanged nervous glances with each other before turning their attention back to the professor. “First, has Alec mentioned anything about his birthday to the two of you?” Both shook their heads negatively and that made things easier for Severus to explain. “Alec never had a birthday party and tomorrow is his birthday. I have been planning a small party and I’m sure that Alec would be appreciative if you two could attend it.” Lisa and Josh looked shocked at the thought of their friend never having a birthday party.

“So this is a surprise party?” Lisa asked and Severus gave a brisk nod in agreement. “Why hasn’t he ever had a birthday party before, sir?” Lisa dared to ask.

Severus scowled a bit but answered none the less, “Alec grew up with muggles. That is all I will say and Alec will be the one to tell you more if he chooses to confide in you. Don’t pressure him.” Severus added with a stern glare.

“Is there anything that he might want for his birthday?” Josh asked after a moment.

“I am unsure about that. Alec has not requested anything so I can not suggest anything at the moment.”

“Where will the party be professor?” Lisa questioned as possible present gifts shifted through her mind.

“It will be our quarters shortly after your evening meal in the Great Hall. I will alert Alec that I wish to see him after Quidditch practice. If you both choose to attend, then you are required to be in my office before Quidditch practice is over.”

“We will be there sir.” Lisa stated firmly.

“That is all. You are dismissed.” Severus said briskly before turning back to grading papers. Lisa and Josh gathered up their belongings and headed out the dungeon door, where Alec was waiting.

“What did my father want?” Alec curiously questioned as they walked to the Great Hall for dinner.

“Nothing much. It was mostly about an extra credit project that Josh and I are doing.” Lisa explained.

“Why did I have to leave the room?” Alec questioned as they reached the Great Hall.

“I don’t know. Can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m rather hungry right now.” Alec just nodded in acceptance but made a mental note to bring it up the following day.

 .................................................

The following morning Alec received a bit of a surprise when his father’s owl arrived in front of him along with a note. Alec removed the note and read the short message.

Alec-

I would appreciate it if you could come by our rooms this evening after Quidditch practice.

The note was not signed but it didn’t need to since Alec recognized his father’s familiar scrawl. Alec looked up and meeting his father’s gaze. He gave a short nod to confirm that he would be there after practice.

“We better hurry or we will be late for Charms.” Lisa commented once she checked the time. The Ravenclaw trio gathered their belongings and headed off to charms.

.................................................

Alec trudged towards the dungeons after Quidditch practice was over. He slowly made his way up to Salazar, the portrait that guarded their rooms. “Aconite,” Alec told the portrait, who promptly opened so he could enter. It was slightly dark when Alec came inside and just before he went to light his wand, the lights came on.

“Surprise!” Was shouted from within the room. Alec looked around and noticed all the birthday decorations along with a cake sitting on the dining room table. He then noticed the headmaster and his transfiguration professor standing off to the side with smiles on their faces. Alec had gotten to know both professors rather well over the summer and was glad to see them outside of classes.

Alec just stood there, too stunned to move until his father put an arm on his shoulder and led him in.

“Happy birthday.” Alec was about to protest that it wasn’t his birthday but he realized that he was a new person and therefore he had a new birthday.

“Wow.” Alec said.

“That was stated rather eloquently.” Severus said with a smirk to his son who looked at him and gave a slight glare before looking back to everything around him.

“Thank you.” Alec whispered but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Well shall we have cake or presents first?” Professor Dumbledore asked cheerily as he sucked on another lemon drop.

“Presents…?” Alec trailed off and belatedly noticed the pile of presents on the side of the table.

“We will be having cake before presents.” Severus stated as he led his son to the chair in front of the cake. Alec sat down and everyone crowded around the cake which was lit with candles. Everyone including Severus, who would never admit it, sang the happy birthday tune. Alec closed his eyes and made a wish before blowing out the candles.

“What did you wish for Alec?” Lisa asked as the cake was being served.

“I can’t tell you or else it wouldn’t come true.” Alec replied with a smile before digging into the cake. “Mm… chocolate, my favorite!” Chuckles rang around the room at Alec’s comment.

Shortly after they finished eating, Lisa handed Alec a small wrapped gift and encouraged him to open it. Severus gave him a reassuring nod when Alec looked his way. Alec tore off the wrapping and pulled out a delicate glass figurine. Alec gasped as he realized he was holding a glass lily.

“I remembered what you said about lilies being your mother’s favorite flowers so I ordered this via owl post. I also charmed it so that it is unbreakable and when you tap your wand on it, it will light up.” When Alec tapped the lily it lit up in a green color and started changing from one color to another.

“Thank you very much.” Alec placed the lily on the table and gave Lisa a small hug. He sat back down and Josh handed him his next present. Alec tore off the blue wrapping paper to reveal a photograph.

“This was from yesterday!” Alec exclaimed as he viewed the Wizarding photo. The photo displayed Alec, Lisa and Josh in the common room trying to do homework. Josh had become bored and tossed a wadded piece of paper at Alec who caught it and chucked it back at him. A mini paper wad fight ensured between the three.

“I asked one of the older students to take a picture of us last night. I had her develop the picture and I created the frame with a little help on the transfiguration part.” Josh explained as he smiled at Professor McGonagall, who was the one to assist in making the frame. The Transfiguration professor had created the wood portion of the frame while Josh added the little decorations and the inscription along the bottom.

“Thank you very much Josh.” Alec said sincerely as he placed the photo on the table next to the glass lily. Professor Dumbledore handed Alec the next present that he brought for the young boy. Alec removed the brightly colored wrapping that only the Headmaster would use. The first thing Alec pulled out was a book on potions ingredients and how they react with each other. The second item was a bag of lemon drops, which caused Severus to let out an uncharacteristic snort.

“Thank you headmaster! This was one of the books that I have wanted to read but all the copies were checked out of the library.” Alec smiled gratefully at the man before popping a lemon drop in his mouth. Alec sucked on the candy and held out the bag for others to indulge if they chose to. Lisa and Josh each took a lemon drop along with the headmaster, of course.

Professor McGonagall handed Alec his next present and watched at the young boy ripped into the package. Obviously Alec enjoyed tearing open the packages since it was probably the first time he received the chance to do so.

“Thank you!” Alec said genuinely as he pulled out the book on transfiguration along with a small assortment of candy. Next Severus came up to Alec and handed him his next gift. It was large and long and Alex became excited with hope of what was most likely inside. Alec wasn’t disappointed because once the wrapping was off, a Nimbus 1900 was displayed.

“Wow.” Alec said in awe of the brand new broom in his hands.

“Eloquent as ever.” Severus once again remarked lightly at Alec’s choice of words. Alec didn’t respond and chose to give his father a hug instead.

“Thank you so much! Am I allowed a broom even though I am a first year?” Alec questioned as he released his father.

“I informed Severus that you would be permitted a broom since you are currently on the Quidditch team.” The headmaster responded to Alec’s question.

“Thank you all so much for the best birthday ever!” Alec said with a large happy smile.

“Well I believe that it is getting late and I will retire for the evening.” The headmaster said as he stood up.

“I believe that I will do the same.” Professor McGonagall stated. Alec walked shyly over to the professors and gave each of them a small hug along with another thank you. Everyone bid the two professors good night as they headed out. Alec pulled Severus away from his friends who were chatting together.

“May I sleep here tonight since it is a Friday?” Severus nodded. “Could Lisa and Josh also sleep over?” Alec asked with bright green hope-filled eyes.

Severus figured that this would be Alec’s first sleepover so he agreed. “That is acceptable as long as you do not stay awake very late.”

“Thank you so much!” Alec gave him another hug before rushing over to his friends to share the news. They agreed to stay over and the three Ravenclaws left to get clothing and such from their dormitories. Severus conjured up two extra beds just as they arrived back.

“Normally I do not condone two young boys sharing a room with a young lady but in this case, I will make an exception.” Severus informed them before wishing the trio good night as he retired to his room for the evening.

“Nice color choice.” Lisa commented upon seeing Alec’s room. “Did you pick the colors after you were sorted or before?” She asked as she examined the blue carpeting and blue-green walls.

“I picked out these colors earlier this summer.” Alec replied as he placed his birthday gifts in his room. The glass lily and the picture both went directly on his nightstand. Josh entered the room after changing into his pajamas and Lisa excused herself to do the same. Once everyone was clad in pajamas, they all curled up onto Alec’s bed since it was the largest.

“Was this why my father held you both after class to discuss?” Alec questioned the other two who nodded guiltily about knowing of the party beforehand.

“Was this really your first birthday party?” Josh couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah.” Alec paused, as if debating over the matter before continuing, “The relatives that I lived with were not the nicest people. Their son was horribly spoilt while I was forced to do all sorts of chores and the cooking.”

“Did they ever hurt you?” Lisa whispered, not wanting to hear the answer but yet wanting to know at the same time.

The only response was when Alec gave a very small nod. A few tears leaked out of Lisa’s eyes before she moved forward and wrapped her arms around Alec. Lisa pulled back after a minute and composed herself once more.

“Enough of that. How about I tell you both this great scary story?” Both boys nodded. “Okay. There once was this creepy man who…”

...............................................

The following morning found three sleepy Ravenclaws who were woken up by Severus.

“Breakfast will be served in ten minutes,” Was all Severus said before he exited the young boy’s room. Alec groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“Why can’t we sleep in more?” Josh asked equally tired.

“My dad likes to get up at the same time every day, regardless of what day it is. If you want to eat, we have to be out there in ten minutes.” Alec replied as he pulled on some socks. Ten minutes later, the three first years headed out into the dining room area, where a large breakfast was waiting. Severus was already at the table, sipping on a cup of coffee.

“Good morning dad.” Alec said as he and his friends sat down. They began serving themselves and dug into the meal. After breakfast was finished, the three Ravenclaws dressed for the day and received Severus’ permission to test Alec’s new broom on the empty Quidditch pitch.

Alec had a great time flying his new broom and let both of his friends fly on it too. Unfortunately, the Hufflepuff team reserved the pitch later that afternoon so they had to leave. Lisa and Josh went to work on homework and Alec returned to visit with his father.

“Did you have a pleasant time flying?” Severus said after looking up from his book.

Alec nodded energetically. “It was great!”

Severus put down his book and stretched. “Would you like to practice your fencing? We have not sparred for quite some time.”

“Sure. Let me change first.” Severus nodded and went into his room to pull out their fencing equipment. Alec came back clad in a green short-sleeved shirt along with black slacks. Severus tossed a sword at Alec, who caught it with practiced ease. Alec went through a few practice movements before turning and facing his father.

Alec immediately went after his father, who blocked his moves rather easily since he was much more experienced. Alec picked up the pace and kept going after his father with quicker movements before finally nicking the man on the arm. Severus looked at Alec with amusement before going after his son and causing the boy to enter defense mode. Severus ended up nicking Alec on the arm but neither wound was bad so both continued sparring. Alec thought he had an opening to get his father but Severus just knocked Alec’s sword away.

“You are getting better.” Alec beamed at him and Severus smiled back.

“That round lasted longer than the last time we sparred.” Alec commented as he retrieved his sword. When Severus first taught Alec, they used safety swords with enchantments to protect them from being injured. Once Alec was proficient enough, Severus allowed them to use real swords, but with lessening enchantments on them. The charms minimized the damage that the sword could inflict but it still created a slight wound if one was hit.

Severus pulled out his wand and murmured a spell that healed the small cuts on both of their arms. “Have you been practicing your Occlumency?”

Alec nodded as he sat down on the couch. “Would you like to test?” Severus pulled out his wand and attacked his son’s Occlumency barriers, which remained intact.

“Very good.” Severus praised after he tried to break into his son’s mind multiple times.

Alec stood up. “I’ve got a little more homework that I think I will get done before dinner so I am going to meet up with my friends.”

“You did well today.” Severus said as he too stood up.

“Thanks. I’ll see you at dinner. Bye dad!” Alec called out as he headed off to do homework with his friends.

“Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the year—Slytherin versus Ravenclaw!!” Lee Jordan announced to the cheering crowd.

“Captains shake hands,” Madam Hooch instructed. Zachary stretched his hand out to meet the hand of Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team’s fifth year captain. Madam Hooch tossed the Quaffle in the air and blew her whistle to let the game begin.

“Ravenclaw is first to get the Quaffle. Bentley passes to Melany as they near the goal. Melany looks like he is about to shoot but drops the Quaffle to Watson who is flying below and she catches. She shoots and scores!! Ravenclaw 10, Slytherin 0!” Lee Jordan broadcasted to the roaring crowd. “Slytherin is now in possession of the Quaffle. Ravenclaw beater Thompson smacks the bludger at the Slytherin who drops the Quaffle to avoid being hit. Bentley catches the Quaffle and shoots but the hoops are saved by the Slytherin keeper. Slytherin is once again in possession….”

Alec circled the field as his eyes frantically searched for the small golden snitch. Slytherin seeker Terence Higgs trailed after Alec for a while. Alec became annoyed and decided to shake him off. He dove down as if he saw the snitch and Higgs wasted no time in following. The ground was getting closer and closer but Alec continued to dive with Higgs right on his tail. Alec pulled up before he got too close to the ground but the Slytherin wasn’t as lucky. Higgs’ broom was older, therefore he wasn’t able not able to pull out of the dive completely. The Slytherin lost his balance and fell onto the Quidditch pitch. The crowd laughed at this sight, especially since he had been outsmarted by a first year. Higgs scowled and climbed back onto his broom and took off, thankfully leaving Alec alone.

Alec continued to search for the winged ball and finally caught sight of the golden flash. It was near the ground so he once again took off in a dive. The Slytherin seeker hesitated, thinking it was another trick, but then he too spotted the snitch. Alec was a lot closer and was the first to reach the golden ball. Alec wrapped his fingers around the struggling snitch and pulled out of the dive, clutching it tightly.

“Ravenclaw wins!! Alec Snape has caught the snitch!” Lee Jordan shouted. Three fourths of the school cheered loudly since the Ravenclaw team has not beaten the Slytherin team in a very long time. The Ravenclaws headed off towards the locker room to change before going back to their dormitory, where a small celebration party was about to begin. The team was ecstatic that they managed to beat the Slytherins and that it was a first year who caught the snitch.

The Ravenclaw party turned out to be bigger than expected but it ended at a reasonable time. Most Ravenclaws congratulated Alec for his performance and some students apologized for automatically thinking the worst of him since his father was Snape.

The following morning, Alec awoke and belatedly realized that it was Halloween. Normally this was an average day but now he knew that his parents died on it years ago. He went about his usual routine, trying not to think about the parents he never knew. Classes seemed to go extremely slowly for the young Ravenclaw who was lost in thought. Even in potions, Alec was not fully concentrating and managed to ruin his potion, but at least he didn’t cause an explosion. His father noticed Alec’s preoccupied behavior and cast a few discreet worried glances his way.

“Mr. Snape, please remain behind.” Severus requested as the bell sounded. Alec reluctantly lingered in the classroom as his friends left with the rest of the class to eat dinner.

Once everyone was gone, Severus spoke again, “What is wrong?”

Alec shrugged but his father gave him a look that meant he better say something. “It’s Halloween today. Well… I guess I have just been thinking about life and what it could have been like it they never died.” Alec replied with emphasis on they, in reference to his real parents.

“I see. Try not to think about how things could have been and enjoy things as they are.” Severus advised. “Why don’t you go eat in the Great Hall? The Halloween feast will be starting soon. I have work to complete before I attend the feast.” Alec nodded and gathered up his belongings before heading out the dungeon door. The corridor was empty and rather quiet since just about everyone was already at the feast.

He was almost out of the dungeons when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Alec turned around quickly with his wand in his hand and tried to put up a shield to prevent a red curse from hitting him. His shield failed and the curse struck him. He caught sight of a Slytherin robe patch before his vision turned black. Without vision, his other senses kicked into overdrive as he attempted to protect himself from the unknown attacker. Alec used a few basic reversal spells in attempt to remove the blinding curse but it was no use. He turned towards his attacker as he heard the approaching footsteps. Before he could react, another spell hit him. This one silenced him so there was nothing he could do to call for help. His wand was torn from his grasp and he heard it skid across the corridor, too far for him to get to. His attacker pulled him into an abandoned classroom and proceeded to lock the door. Alec gasped when he was suddenly kicked, but no sound came out.

“Stupid little first year.” The mysterious person muttered angrily. “Embarrassed… front… entire school…” Alec only heard portions of the muttered words but he could tell that it was a male and he did not recognize the voice. Alec then felt the person step on the fingers of his right hand in attempt to break them. Alec tried to use his left hand to shove the foot off but he was kicked in the jaw. His mouth snapped shut and he barely managed to avoid biting his tongue. The first year tried to fight back but the person was larger than he was and stronger. Once the attacker was sure Alec’s right fingers were broken, he kicked the boy two more times before he was satisfied. Alec remained on the floor clutching his hand and hoping his father would come looking for him soon.

..................................................... 

Severus finished his work before stalking to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. He arrived and searched for the familiar face of his son and was disappointed to note that Alec was not present. The feast began and Severus kept glancing around in hope of his son walking in late but the young boy never showed up. Severus used a spell that showed Alec’s location when he was wearing his pendant and was surprised to see that Alec was not in his common room skipping out on the meal. The boy appeared to be in an abandoned classroom, which did not make sense. Severus frowned and stood up to exit the Great Hall. He stalked to the classroom quickly and noted that there were wards locking the door from the outside. That fact really made him worry so he pulled out his wand and cast a spell that blasted the door open.

......................................................

Alec heard the sound of the door blasting open and heard the rushed footsteps that came up to him and a hand was placed on his shoulder. Alec shed away from the touch but when he heard his father’s voice, he rushed into the man’s arms.

“Alec?” The boy held onto his father tightly. Severus pulled out his wand and sent a message to the headmaster to meet him with Madam Pomfrey. He scooped the boy up and rushed to the Hospital Wing where the Headmaster and healer were already waiting.

Severus placed the boy on the bed and turned to the Headmaster with a furious expression on his face. “The person who did this will have detention with me every night for the rest of the year.”

The Headmaster nodded solemnly. “Do you know what happened?” Severus shook his head negatively. Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to walk over. “How is he?” The headmaster questioned.

“All the fingers in his right hand are broken and he has a few bruises. He will need to take it easy for the next few days. He should be well enough to be released by tomorrow.” Madam Pomfrey explained. Severus went over to sit by Alec’s bed while the Headmaster and healer conversed.

“What happened?” Severus quietly asked his adopted son.

Alec turned towards his father and moved his lips but no words came out. Severus immediately understood and cast a reversal spell that allowed Alec to speak again.

“I can’t see,” Alec whispered as he turned to look towards his father. “I can’t see.” Alec replied, although it was slightly hysterical at this point. Severus pulled out his wand and tried reversal spells but none worked. The potions master finally reversed the spell with a dark, but not illegal, counter-curse.

Alec held onto his father as several tears leaked down his face. Severus held the boy until he fell in an exhausted sleep. Severus turned to the Headmaster and healer who were still present.

“Someone used a blinding and silencing spell on my son.” He growled out. “The blinding spell leads me to believe that it may have been one of my Slytherins. That spell is not commonly found in books, which leads me to assume that it came from a personal library.”

Madam Pomfrey summoned a scroll of parchment from her office and handed it to the head of Slytherin. “I was intending to give this to you earlier today. I am low on these potions and I would appreciate it you could brew them for me.” The healer handed over a list of several commonly used potions.

The potions master took a deep breath, in attempt to calm down. “I shall get started on these as soon as I reach the lab. Alert me immediately if there are any changes in his health.” Madam Pomfrey nodded as Severus swept out of the Hospital Wing and the Headmaster left shortly after.

The young boy had fallen into a restless sleep but it did not last for long when he awoke to someone cursing about a tree. At first, Alec thought he was dreaming because it did not make sense for someone to be upset with a tree, but then it dawned on him that some magical trees hit back. He slowly opened one eye and let out a quiet gasp at the man making his way across the infirmary. The man heard the gasp and pointed his wand at the boy.

“Not a sound,” intruder warned as he approached the young boy. Alec stared into the blue eyes of Sirius Black as the man drew near. The escaped convict seemed to have a few shallow cuts and several bruises that were forming, from what Alec guessed was the tree that the man was cursing about. The convict pulled Alec to his feet and hauled the young boy towards the potions cabinet. With a flick of the wrist and a few well chosen words, the cabinet wards fell and it opened.

“You had better know your potions.” The man muttered. “Which of these is a basic healing potion?” Alec raised a shaky hand and pointed to a light blue colored potion. “You had better be right or else…” He left the threat hanging as he downed the substance. The potion took effect and the cuts began to heal.

“You are Snape’s kid right?” The boy nodded slightly. The convict let out a bark-like laughter. “I never thought Snape would have a kid.” He was about to say more when he heard the door open. He pulled Alec closer and turned towards the opening door.

“Snivellus…” Black called out at the man who entered. Severus stopped his movement and turned sharply towards the speaker with his wand in hand. His first reaction was to curse the person who called him that cursed name but the hex died on his lips when he saw his son.

“Black,” Severus hissed as he partially lowered his wand.

“Not going to curse me?” Black asked mockingly. “Would it be because your son is right here?”

“What do you want?” Severus asked through clenched teeth.

“I didn’t get a trial. I want one.”

“What good would that be?” Severus sneered at the man. “You would still be convicted as a murderer.”

“Did you tell them what I said last time?” Black asked Alec as he gripped the young boy’s shoulder.

“Y-yes,” Alec timidly replied.

“If you would actually listen once in a while Snape, then you’d realize that it wasn’t me! I wasn’t their Secret Keeper! It was Peter!” Black cried out in frustration. Snape just sneered at the man again and tightened the hold on his wand.

“I think I will hold onto your brat until you get me that trial.” Black informed the enraged potions master.

“No. Leave him out of this.” Severus said in a steely tone as he glared at the man holding his son.

“Aw… isn’t that sweet. Snivellus would rather sacrifice himself than his son. I never knew you had a heart.” Black ridiculed. “Get rid of the wand then.”

“Let him go first.” Severus commanded.

“No. He’d take off and alert someone before I make it out of here. Get rid of the wand.” Snape scowled but complied and tossed his wand away and it rolled under a bed. Before Severus could say or do anything, Black stunned him and everything went black.

The convict laughed as Snape fell to the ground and muttered things under his breath about the man. The escapee wrote a note and left it on Alec’s bed before hauling the boy towards his father. He turned the empty potions bottle into a portkey and all three disappeared from the hospital wing.

When the portkey was activated, an alarm sounded from the headmaster’s office. He stood up from his desk and turned off the shrieking alarm. He checked the device that alerted him of the portkey to see where the incident occurred and noted that it was in the Hospital Wing. He left his office and walked quickly to the Hospital Wing.

When he arrived, everything appeared to be normal. Upon closer inspection, he discovered Severus’ wand on the ground along with a note on the bed. The Headmaster strode into the Healer’s office and noted that she had fallen asleep at her desk.

“Poppy.” She didn’t even stir. “Poppy!” His loud exclamation caused her to jump awake.

“What is it Albus?” She blinked groggily.  “I haven’t slept well all week and now you wake me up.” She was slightly grumpy from her awakening.

He handed her the note. “Severus and Alec are gone.”

.............................................

Alec landed with a thump and surveyed his surroundings with disgust. The room they landed in was dark and horribly dusty. Everything looked as if it had not been touched for many years. Alec was roughly yanked to his feet and pulled into a nearby room. His father was also levitated there and dropped unceremoniously onto the floor. The room was extremely plain and had nothing more than a few chairs and rugs scattered about it. The walls were bare and there wasn’t a window in sight. Black slammed the door and Alec heard him cast a locking charm.

Alec scooted towards his father and wished he would wake up soon. Severus regained consciousness approximately a half hour after they were shoved into the room. His onyx eyes opened slowly and he sat up quickly. He belatedly noticed that Alec was sitting to the side of him.

“That bastard!” Severus exclaimed furiously. “He hasn’t harmed you has he?” Severus briefly examined his son and Alec shook his head negatively. Severus pulled the young boy close and held him.  Alec fell asleep in his father’s arms while the man pondered over several ways to try to get out of this situation.

.............................................

“What are we going to do Albus?” Poppy asked worriedly as she skimmed over the note. “It says he wants a trail and custody of Harry once he is freed. How are we going to tell him that Harry is Alec?”

“I do not know Poppy. I will alert the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the situation and see about getting him a trial. Once that is arranged, we will attempt to contact him.” Albus took a deep breath. “I just hope that Severus and Alec will be okay until we can get things straightened out.”

.............................................

Alec opened his eyes and gave a quiet yawn that alerted his father that he was awake. “How are we going to get out of here?” Alec quietly asked.

“I do not know,” Severus admitted. “I am sure that the Headmaster will be able to find us. Until then-” Severus stopped speaking and abruptly stood up and pulled Alec behind himself just as the door rattled and opened.

Sirius Black entered the room with his wand already out and pointed at them. “I need a Restorative Draught to get over the effects of the Dementors. You are going to brew it for me.”

“What if I make you a poison instead?” Severus sneered. “Your potion skills were dismal therefore how will you know what it is?”

“You’d poison your son? After all, he will be testing it first.” Black retorted.

“Fine,” Severus hissed. “Where is the lab?” The potions master began to pull Alec with him towards the door but stopped when Black spoke.

“Leave the boy here.” Black ordered.

Severus scowled deeply at the other man. “If you harm one hair on his head-”

“Shut up Snivellus and get moving.” Severus reluctantly let go of his son who moved to the corner of the room. Both men exited the room and Alec was left to wait for his father’s return. A short while later, the door opened but it wasn’t his father.

“Come with me,” the escaped convict commanded. Alec warily got to his feet and followed the man into a kitchen. “Sit.” Black pointed to the large dining table with many chairs. “Are you hungry?” Alec shook his head negatively. Sirius Black flopped down across from Alec and studied the young boy. “You look familiar…” He commented but shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“You’re a first year right?” Alec lightly nodded. “Are you in Slytherin like Snape?” Negative shake of the head. “What house then?” Black questioned.

“Ravenclaw,” the young boy said.

“Better than Slytherin,” Black commented. “Have you ever played Quidditch?”

“I’m Seeker for Ravenclaw,” Alec informed him.

“Not even James made it his first year.” Black’s eyes glazed over slightly while lost in old memories but he just shook his head again to concentrate.

“Where is your mother?” Black was full of questions for the son of his enemy.

“She died when I was young,” Alec muttered.

“Oh. Where’d you get these scars?” Sirius Black leaned towards the young boy to get a closer look. Alec leaned back all the way in his chair as the man neared him

“Potions accident,” the young boy mumbled nervously as the man examined his small collection of scars surrounding the infamous lightning bolt. If one looked close enough, the lightning bolt could be spotted and apparently Sirius Black recognized it because he gasped lightly and backed away from the boy. He vigorously examined the boy sitting across from him before staring intently at the green eyes.

 “Harry?” Alec winced at the name. That was confirmation enough for Sirius because the man rushed to him and pulled the young boy into a hug. Alec tried to pull away from the man and was finally released after a moment. Alec backed away while trying to get his breathing under control and slid to the floor in the corner of the room. Sirius walked towards him with concern written on his face and went to pull the boy up from the dirty floor. Alec raised an arm to shield himself as if expecting to be hit. Sirius visibly scowled at this reaction.

“I’m not going to hit you. Why would you--” He trailed off momentarily before a murderous expression crossed his face. “He hits you?! I’m going to kill the bastard for that!” He pulled out his wand and ran towards the door. Alec jumped up and rushed after the convict.

“No! Don’t hurt him!” The man would not listen and picked up the pace to the potions lab. When Black arrived, he slammed the door open and pushed the potions master into the wall with the wand pointed at his throat.

“What do you want Black?” Snape growled from against the wall. “I just finished your potion.”

“I’m going to kill you for hitting Harry!” Snape’s eyes widened when the convict called Alec Harry.

“I have never hit-” Black slammed a fist into the professor’s already crooked nose.

“Don’t lie to me! He was flinching away as if he was expecting to get hurt! Why is he even in your custody? Why does he look like you?” Black pressed the wand into his neck demanding an answer.

“I took him away from his abusive uncle and adopted him.” Severus replied as he held onto his bleeding nose.

Alec finally found the right room after getting lost in the large house. “Please! Don’t hurt him!” Alec cried breathlessly as he spotted the escapee holding a wand to his father.

Just then an owl flew through an open window and dropped a letter in front on Black. He released his hold on the potions master and preformed several spells to check the letter for tracking charms and any other spells. Once he deemed it safe, he opened it and quickly skimmed through its content.

“Dumbledore arranged for me to have a trial.” Black smiled slightly. “He didn’t mention anything about custody of Harry. Probably didn’t want me to find out but I know now.” He scowled darkly at Severus who was still holding his bleeding nose.

“Can we go back to Hogwarts now?” Alec asked quietly from the doorway.

“Huh? Oh yeah. I guess I will make you a portkey to Hogsmeade and you’ll have to walk the rest of the way to Hogwarts.” Sirius picked up a random piece of paper and turned it into a portkey. “It will activate in about two minutes.” He handed the paper to Snape who then stalked over to his adopted son.

“I’d like to keep in contact with you once I am cleared,” Sirius said to the young boy. “Even if you look like a Snape,” He added. “I doubt Snape has said anything good about James but I can surely tell you some interesting stories from our youth.” Alec nodded unsurely since he had not heard much about his real father.

“Touch the portkey before it goes off.” Severus instructed his adopted son. Alec placed his hand on it right before the portkey deposited them in an alley in Hogsmeade. Severus and Alec briskly walked the rest of the way to Hogwarts. Neither felt like talking for the journey so they traveled in silence all the way up the Headmaster’s office.

“Lemon Drops,” Severus muttered out the password that admitted them into the office. Severus opened the door and saw that the Headmaster was currently talking with someone through the floo. The older man finished his conversation and turned towards them.

“Are you both alright?” Albus questioned the two who took seats in front of his desk.

“We will be fine. I would like to get this discussion over as soon as possible.” Severus rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“Of course,” The older man said. “Would you like to place your memories of the event into the pensieve?” Severus nodded.

“What is a pensieve?” Alec asked curiously.

“A pensieve stores memories for others to view. You have to concentrate hard on the memory before it can be properly removed. I am sure Severus can show how to use it some other time. For now, I would appreciate it if you would allow me to remove the memory for you.” Alec concentrated on the memories from the hospital wing to the house as he felt the headmaster’s wand at his temple. A silvery strand came out and was placed into the pensieve.

“Could we also get your memories from the attack that led up to your stay in the hospital wing?” Albus Dumbledore once again removed the memories from the young boy. The headmaster reached into his desk and pulled out two familiar wands and handed them to each owner. Severus used his wand to add his own memories to the pensieve.

“Severus, would you like to view the memories with me?” Severus nodded. “This will not take very long. Once we are done, you both can rest.” Both older men disappeared into the pensieve as Alec remained in the office. After a few minutes a soft trill caught his attention and he noticed the beautiful bird that was perched on a stand. The young boy went over to the bird and petted its soft feathers.

“Fawkes is a phoenix, in case you did not know.” The Headmaster’s sudden voice startled Alec. “I am sorry my boy. I did not mean to startle you.” Alec returned to his seat next to his scowling father.

“He will be removed from the team and receive detention every other night for the rest of the year.” The potions master growled.

“Who?” Alec asked.

“Terence Higgs. He was the once who attacked you.” Severus replied as he took several deep breaths to calm down.

“Oh. He was the Slytherin seeker right?” Severus nodded and stood up.

“Come. We are going to get some rest. Thank you Albus.” Severus said.

“Good bye Headmaster,” Alec said as he followed his father out of the office to their rooms to get some sleep.

“Hey guys,” Alec said as he flopped down into a seat next to his friends the following morning at breakfast.

“Where have you been?!” Lisa practically shrieked in his ear.

“Well, I’m actually not sure if I can tell you. I’ll ask my dad after breakfast.” Alec searched the head table for a sign of his father and spotted him stalking towards the Slytherin table and speaking in hushed tones with a student. The young boy belatedly realized that his father was conversing with the Slytherin team’s ex-seeker. The culprit paled a few shades and followed the potions master out of the Great Hall.

“I wonder what that was about,” an older Ravenclaw commented. “He never gets upset with Slytherins unless they have done something awful.”

“Why did you skip out on the Halloween feast?” Lisa inquired as she sipped her juice.

“I didn’t skip it on purpose.” Alec muttered. “Like I said before, I will tell you as much as I can after I receive permission from my father. We also can’t talk in here because too many people would overhear.” Alec picked at the remnants of his food after he was full. He was getting ready to leave with his friends when the post arrived. Hundreds of owls flew into the room and landed in front of their respective owners. An owl landed in front of him with today’s Daily Prophet.

SIRIUS BLACK SURRENDERS AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC!

“Ministry employees received a severe shock when mass murderer Sirius Black appeared unarmed in the lobby area of the Ministry of Magic. Black claims that he never received a trial and that he is innocent of the charges that he was previously imprisoned for. Amelia Bones, Head of  the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has apparently granted Black a trial that will take place November 17…”

The article went on to explain the details of the trial along with a recap of the crimes that Black was accused of committing. Alec stuffed the paper into his bag and led his friends to his father’s office. They heard the potion master’s raised voice as they neared the room. The door opened as they arrived and a red-faced Terence Higgs shuffled out. Higgs didn’t bother to look at them or say anything as he made his way out of the dungeons rather quickly.

“What did you say to him?” Alec asked curiously as the three Ravenclaws entered the office.

“Nothing that you need to hear,” Severus smirked slightly. “What are you three here for?”

“I wanted to ask you if I could tell them about yesterday.” Alec pulled the paper out of his bag and handed it to his father. “It doesn’t mention anything in the paper therefore I don’t believe that people know what happened.”

“You may tell them. Black will be charged with kidnapping but that bit of information is not known by many people until the trial occurs. You may discuss this in the privacy of your room.” The bell rang so the three Ravenclaws took their seats without another word.

Later that evening Alec told his friends of what had happened the night before. Lisa and Josh were thoroughly shocked that Sirius Black was able to get into the castle in the first place. Alec assured them that they were safe since the papers reported that the escaped convict had turned himself in that morning. That fact helped his friends rest easier.

...................................................

The time until the trial flew by for Alec with classes, homework and Quidditch practice. Before he knew it, November 17th arrived. Alec slept in his room the night before so he was able to get up and leave early with his father and Headmaster to arrive at the courtroom. They took an authorized portkey to the Ministry of Magic. After passing through security, they arrived to the designated room and took their seats. Several others piled in the room and waited for the proceedings to begin.

“Bring the accused forward.” Two guards led Sirius Black into the courtroom and sat him down in a chair. Chains came to life and tied him to the seat. He looked a bit better after when Severus and Alec last saw him although he was still rather pale.

“The charges against Sirius Orion Black are: premeditated murder of James Potter and Lily Evans-Potter through the act of disclosing their location while under the Fidelius Charm, murder of thirteen muggles, murder of Peter Pettigrew, escaping Azkaban, and kidnapping Severus Snape and Alec Snape. What is your plea?”

The man representing Sirius Black, attorney Mr. Myers, answered for him. “My client pleads not guilty to premeditated murder, murdering thirteen muggles and the murder of Peter Pettigrew. My client pleads guilty to the escaping Azkaban and to kidnapping charges.”

Quiet whispers were heard around the courtroom when it was announced that Black pleaded not guilty to several of the charges. “Quiet!” Judge Wright shouted and the whispers silenced.

“You may begin your opening statement Mr. Turner.” The prosecutor stood and gave his speech.

“Sirius Black is an irresponsible, reckless man and a murderer. He indirectly caused the Potters’ death when he revealed their location to You-Know-Who. Black even laughed maniacally when he was captured all those years ago. This man is a true killer who belongs back behind bars in order to allow the Wizarding world to rest peacefully once again. Sirius Black is guilty of the stated charges and I will prove it.”

“My client Sirius Black is innocent of the murder charges previously stated. All his life, he was trying to prove his difference from the Black family with their practice of dark arts. He was not the Potter’s Secret Keeper that betrayed their trust and later led to their deaths. He is not the man who forced young Harry Potter to grow up without his parents. It was Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was their Secret Keeper. Pettigrew was the one who betrayed them. I intend to prove that my client is innocent of the murder charges and that it was Peter Pettigrew who fooled everyone and led the Potters to their deaths. Thank you.” Mr. Myers sat down as he finished his speech.

“Bring out your first witness Mr. Turner.”

“I call Miss Calderon to the stand…” The prosecutor called numerous witnesses that morning. Mr. Turner questioned each individual thoroughly before allowing Mr. Myers a chance to interrogate the witnesses. Each witness described several details about the night when Black was arrested. The prosecutor even called witnesses to describe Sirius Black’s personality to prove that the man was irresponsible along with other negative traits that the he possessed.

Judge Wright called a recess to break up the court for a short lunch. The trial began again after everyone arrived back to the court room. The prosecutor had called all the witnesses and Mr. Myers received his chance to question the witnesses of the defense.

“I call Severus Snape to the stand.” Severus stood and left Alec sitting with the Headmaster as he took a seat on the stand.

“Please state your name and occupation for the record.” Mr. Myers requested.

“Severus Snape, potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

"Please describe your relationship to Mr. Black."

Severus described the mutual hatred they felt for each other and how they acted around each other at school.

"Did Mr. Black specifically go out of his way to cause you harm while in school?" Myers asked.

"Occasionally he would but he tended to target all Slytherins in general as an outlet for his pranks." Severus replied from his seat.

"Did you or your classmates ever retaliate? If so, what would you do?"

"We would return the favor with our own pranks which tended to be a bit vicious at times but it was what they deserved." Severus informed them.

"So basically, you gave as good as you got?" Myers questioned.

"Yes," was the short response.

"The witness is yours," Myers spoke towards the prosecutor.

"Mr. Snape, was the accused a violent man?" Mr. Turner asked as he approached the witness.

"We were all a bit violent at times."

"That would be a yes then." Severus gave a sharp nod. Mr. Turner continued, "Has he ever shown signs on mental instability?"

"We all did idiotic things but none of those actions would lead me to believe that Black was showing signs of mental instability." Severus replied.

"Was Black the Secret Keeper for Lily and James Potter?"

"I was under the impression that he was but-" Mr. Turner cut him off.

"That’s a yes then."

"No." Severus interjected. "I was never informed directly by Lily or Potter that he was their Secret Keeper. It was common knowledge that Black was Potter's best friend and it made sense that Black would be their Secret Keeper."

"No further questions," Mr. Turner sat down disgruntled at Severus' persistence to get his word in.

Mr. Myers stood, "I call Alec Snape to the stand." Alec slowly walked to the stand and swore the oath to tell the truth before sitting down.

"Can you please tell us your name and school for the record?"

"Alec Snape, first year Ravenclaw at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Can you describe the events that took place on the day of your kidnapping?" Myers asked the young boy. Alec relayed the events that led up to that day, omitting the incident that led up to him being in the Hospital Wing in the first place. That did not need to become common knowledge if it could be helped.

"Did Mr. Black harm you when you were kidnapped?" Myers questioned.

"No." Alec replied.

"No further questions." Sirius Black's lawyer sat down and Mr. Turner stood.

"Mr. Snape," he addressed, "What was Mr. Black like when he kidnapped you? Violent? Disturbed?"

"I don't know. He wasn't mean to me but he said mean things to my father." The lawyer approached the young boy and stared down at him.

"Do you know why he was mean to your father?" The man questioned as he continued to stare intently at the young boy.

"Dad told me about him and how they hated each other in school. That’s probably why he was so mean to him but not me." Alec replied unnerved as the man stared.

"Have you always lived with your father?" The man asked. Alec paled slightly and was reluctant to answer but thankfully Mr. Myers stepped in before he had to reveal anything about his previous life.

"Objection. This line of questioning is not relevant to this case."

"Sustained. Redirect your questioning Mr. Turner to a different topic." Judge Wright said.

Mr. Turner nodded his head in agreement and changed the questions back to the kidnapping. He was soon finished and Alec was able to go back to his seat. Severus rubbed soothing circles on Alec's back as he held the young boy. Several other witnesses appeared and gave testimony before it was Sirius Black's chance to testify on his defense.

"What is your name?" Mr. Myers asked his client.

"Sirius Orion Black," he replied while under Veritaserum.

"Were you the Secret Keeper of James and Lily Potter?"

"Yes." Whispers started but quickly died down as Myers asked his next question.

"When were you released of the duty as a Secret Keeper?"

"One week before James and Lily died." Black replied in the same monotonous voice.

"Who took over as Secret Keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew." Several soft gasps rang through the court room.

"Did you betray the Potters’ to You-Know-Who?"

"No."

"Who did?" Myers continued to question.

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Did you murder Peter Pettigrew?" The lawyer asked.

"No."

"Did you murder thirteen muggles?" The man questioned his client.

"No." Whispers started up as people questioned the truth of his statements. Since Veritaserum was being used, every word he said had to be true.

"Silence!" Judge Wright shouted. The whispers stopped immediately. "Continue." The judge said to Mr. Myers.

"Who killed thirteen muggles?"

"Peter Pettigrew," was the monotonous reply.

"How did he escape?" Myers asked.

"He transformed into his rat Animagus form and ran into the sewers after killing the muggles."

"So you did not kill Pettigrew, thirteen muggles and you didn't betray the Potters, which later led to their deaths?" Myers asked his final question.

"No to all the questions." Black replied.

"No further questions." Myers sat back down, satisfied and certain that his client wouldn't be charged for killing those people or betraying the Potters.

"Did you escape Azkaban?" Mr. Turner asked Black, who was still under the effects of Veritaserum.

"Yes."

"How?"

"Objection! If this piece of information were to become common knowledge, then we could have many escapees on our hands." Myers said.

"I agree with Mr. Myers." Judge Wright said.  "Do not answer that question Mr. Black. I may request that bit of knowledge later in private." Sirius Black nodded and did not answer.

Mr. Turner continued his questions, "Did you abduct Severus Snape and Alec Snape?"

"Yes."

"No further questions." Mr. Turner sat down and he was sure that Sirius Black would be convicted for the kidnapping and escaping charges. It was rather obvious that the murder charges would be dropped seeing as he couldn't lie while under the truth serum.

Sirius was the last person to testify and after the two lawyers gave their closing statement, the jury deliberated on the outcome. The Wizarding world's judicial system was basically the same as the muggle system. Random witches and wizards were chosen to be in the jury as long as they did not harbor any conflicting feelings for Sirius Black. It was approximately an hour later when the jury returned with the verdict. A piece of paper was handed to the judge who announced their findings.

"For the charge of premeditated murder, you are found not guilty. For the charge of the murder of Peter Pettigrew, you are found not guilty. For the charge of murdering thirteen muggles, you are found not guilty. For the charge of escaping Azkaban, you are found guilty. For the charge of kidnapping, you are found guilty.” Judge Wright paused briefly before reading the sentencing portion of the trial.

“You have been given the minimum sentencing for the kidnapping charges as you pleaded guilty and no one was harmed. The minimum sentence for kidnapping is seven years. The sentence for the escaping charges that you have been found guilty of is two years.” Sirius paled at the thought of nine more years in Azkaban. The judge continued, “However, since you have previously served sufficient time for your crimes, you are free to go.” Once that was declared, there were several reporters who rushed out to make sure that the results of the trial hit the papers. The people guarding Sirius released him and let him walk away now that he was a free man. Sirius slowly made his way over to Alec who was still seated with his father and Headmaster while others filed out of the courtroom.

“Can I briefly talk with H-Alec?” Sirius almost slipped up and used Harry when asking Severus.

“You may but we will be leaving once the other people disperse.” Severus stated.

“Hey.” The newly freed man greeted the young boy. “I’m sure that you don’t want to ever hear from me again. I mean I did kidnap you and…” Sirius rambled.

“Do you have any pictures that you can send me?” Alec interrupted quietly.

“Huh?” Sirius looked puzzled before it dawned on him that Alec was referring to pictures of his biological parents. “Of course. I can do that. Would you mind if I owled you from time to time to keep in touch?”

“That’s fine. I don’t have an owl though but I can use Dad’s.” Sirius grimaced when his godson called Snape dad.

“Can I talk with you privately?” Sirius asked Snape as nicely as he could manage.

Severus gave a short nod. “Headmaster, would you mind taking Alec outside?”

The Headmaster nodded and addressed Sirius, “Congratulations on your freedom and I apologize for not realizing that you never received a trial. Please hold a civil conversation for once.” He said the last part to both men who nodded slightly.

Once Alec and the Headmaster left the area, Severus turned back to Sirius. “What is it that you want?”

“He’s my godson. I want to visit with him occasionally.”

“Technically, he is no longer your godson. He has been officially adopted through an irreversible blood ritual that has legally made him my son.” Severus sneered.

“Look Snape. I just want to see him once and a while. I don’t want to cause problems.” Sirius paused and it appeared to have pained him to say the next words, “Please.” He said with some difficulty as he stared at the man in front of him.

“I will consider your request,” Severus swept out of the courtroom and headed over to the Headmaster, who was conversing with Alec.

“All finished?” Albus asked the potions master. Severus gave a sharp nod and the Headmaster pulled out a portkey that returned them to the school.

...................................................

Several days later at breakfast, an owl arrived with a package for Alec. The small white owl perched on his shoulder as he read the letter.

Dear Alec,

I found pictures of James and Lily for you. Most of the pictures are when they were older but several are of their younger years. Remus Lupin, a friend of mine, charmed this album to show you the pictures as they are but everyone else will see it differently. Only people who know of your true parentage will see the real pictures. I hope all your classes are going well and I’d like to hear back from you if you get a chance to write.

Sirius

P.S. The lovely lady who has probably perched herself on your shoulder is yours to keep.

“What were you sent?” Lisa inquired curiously.

“Nothing,” Alec replied. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Alec asked, distracting his friend from her original question since he wanted to view the pictures in private later.

“Is she yours? I didn’t know you had an owl,” Josh commented.

“I just got her this morning. Let’s go before we are late to class.” They stood up and headed out. “We’ve got to get to dinner on time today.” Alec added mischievously.

“Why? What have you been up to?” the first year Ravenclaw girl lectured.

“Nothing,” Alec said innocently. “You’ll see at dinner.” The bell rang as they filed into Professor Greene’s class. He was an acceptable Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher but tended to get distracted from the lesson and ended up telling random stories instead.

...................................................

“So what is going to happen?” Josh whispered to Alec. Alec just shook his head and ignored the question. Shortly after dinner began several Ravenclaws’ and one Slytherin’s skin began to change colors. Once the students noticed, their colors began to vary. Several students turned red or blue while the lone Slytherin turned purple.

“Please follow Madam Pomfrey to the infirmary.” The Headmaster directed his statement towards the colorful students. “She should be able to mend you in just a minute.” Once the students ceased their laughter, the assumptions were made as to the culprits behind the prank. Just about everyone suspected the Weasley twins because they were always the guilty ones in the event of a prank. Students were surprised when the twins showed genuine surprise for the joke and began plotting ways to find out who really committed the prank.

Alec led his friends to his personal rooms after dinner was finished to insure that they were not overheard by anyone.

“Spill it. How did you manage that prank?” Lisa demanded as they sat down on Alec’s bed.

“I had a little help from my dad.” Alec admitted.

“Why those people?” Josh pondered aloud.

“That was just a little bit of entertaining payback to those people who had been rude to us, for no reason I might add, at some point this year.” Alec stated.

“I think it was pretty cool!” Josh concluded with enthusiasm.

“What was up with the color changing part?” Lisa asked curiously.

“The potion was made to show your mood if you used it on paper. Dad helped me tweak it a bit to have the person turn colors according to their mood.” Alec replied. “Blue means happy or amused, red represents embarrassment and purple was anger.”

“That Slytherin kid was certainly angry with that shade of purple. Who was he anyways?” Josh questioned.

“That was Terrence Higgs,” Alec responded innocently. “Why don’t we play some exploding snap?”

The days until Christmas holidays were decreasing as each day flew by with the never ending piles of homework among other time-consuming activities. Alec corresponded with Sirius as often as he could using his new owl, Hedwig, to send letters to the older man. Sirius Black's trial was a hit source of gossip around the school. Students were shocked to learn that the man was sentenced to Azkaban without a trial and that he turned out to be innocent. The article did not contain too many specific details, such as the names of victims, therefore the school never learned of Alec's and his father's involvement with the trial.

It was the day before Christmas break and the students were excited about the upcoming holidays. Most teachers, with the exception of the potions master, went easy on the students when their attention was so obviously elsewhere.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Alec asked his friends as they walked out of the charms classroom.

"I'm going home. My relatives will be coming over for a large family dinner on Christmas day." Lisa said.

"I'll be heading home too. I don't think I know of anything that we have planned but we will probably end up visiting relatives at some point. What about you Alec?" Josh asked as he descended the stairs.

"My dad will be taking me to see Snape Manor since I have not been there yet. Other than that, I don't know what we have planned." Alec slid into a seat at the Ravenclaw table for lunch.

"Cool. Maybe we can all get together at one point?" Josh suggested.

"I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you guys came over to my house. We could exchange gifts then if you'd like." Lisa offered to her two best friends.

"I'll ask my dad," Alec took a bite of his food and swallowed before continuing. "I'm sure that will be fine though. What about you?" He addressed Josh.

"I'm certain my parents won't mind me visiting over at a friend's house. What do you guys want for Christmas anyways?" Josh took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"I can think of a few books off the top of my head...." Lisa commented.

"You always want books!" Alec observed. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"I like books!" Lisa declared defensively.

"That's why you're in Ravenclaw..." Alec drawled in a tone much like his father's.

"I'll let you know when I think of something else. We'd better go if we want to make potions class on time." The three first years finished their meals and headed to the dungeons.

"Pop quiz." Professor Snape announced to his class as the dungeon doors slammed closed shut behind him. "All textbooks and parchment will be removed from your desks immediately. When you receive the quiz, you may begin."

The first part of class was spent on the quiz and the second half was devoted to brewing a potion. They were reviewing the boil curing potion, which thankfully everyone completed correctly without any visits to the hospital wing.

The bell rang and the class was dismissed. Most students packed up and tore out of the room to get away from their irate potions master, who appeared to be having a bad day. The man was currently sitting at his desk, furiously marking papers with his red ink. Alec remained behind and motioned for his friends to head out without him.

"Hey dad," Alec said as he stood in front of his father's desk. "Bad day?"

"Those dunderheads can not comprehend the art of potion brewing. They don't realize their foolish mistakes until their cauldron melts." Severus rubbed his temples tiredly.

"They probably don't try very hard because making potions seems like a skill that they won't need later in life." Alec surmised.

"Did you remain behind to question my current disposition or was there something you require?" Severus dropped his hands from his temples and opened his eyes to face those of his son.

"I did want to know what was wrong but I also had several questions for you. Can I ride the train with my friends?"

"May I," Severus corrected. "I suppose you may do that. What other inquiries do you have?"

"Will we have a chance to go Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade? I'd like to find gifts for my friends but I'm not sure what to get for them yet."

"I will arrange a time to travel to Diagon Alley. I have several potion ingredients that I require for a potion that I will be brewing over the break therefore I will allow you to purchase gifts for your friends while we are there." Severus replied as he placed papers off to the side.

"Ca-May I," Alec corrected himself, "visit Lisa and her family with Josh to exchange our gifts?"

Severus pondered for a moment. "I suppose that is acceptable. Her father will have forgotten your summer encounter, given that I Obliviated him, but you have not, therefore I'd like you to be cautious around him and anyone else in that house."

"I promise to be cautious. Thank you for agreeing. I'm going to tell my friends now." Alec said. "Thank you very much!" He added as he left the potions classroom.

..............................................

Alec boarded the train with all the other students who were going back home for the holidays. The three Ravenclaws had a compartment to themselves and mostly spent the passing time chatting. The lady with the cart came by selling candy, which Alec bought plenty of to share with his best friends. They ate candy and swapped chocolate frog cards with each other. All too soon, the train arrived at the station and they clambered out of their compartment and made their way to the platform to look for their families.

They came across Josh's family first. Mrs. Johnson was a muggle while Mr. Johnson was a wizard. After introductions were made, Josh and his family departed. Alec followed Lisa through the barrier separating the wizarding and muggle worlds. Her parents were standing out there already waiting for her. She rushed over to her parents and gave each of them a hug.

"Mom, Dad, this is Alec Snape. He is one of my best friends. My other friend Josh had to leave with his parents. I was hoping that they could come over to our house so we can exchange gifts one of these days. Is that okay?" Lisa asked.

"I'm sure that will be fine as long as both your friends receive permission from their parents." Mrs. Bellini replied to her daughter, who jumped excitedly. "Where are your parents?" Lisa's mother addressed Alec.

"My father should be around here somewhere." Alec turned around to search for his father's face but knocked into someone and fell to the ground.

"Watch it boy," an extremely large woman said.

"I'm sor-," the words died on his lips before he found his voice again. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." Alec replied to the woman that was once his Aunt Marge. She didn't recognize him or else she would probably be accusing him of causing Vernon and Petunia's deaths. She ignored the apology and walked away. A man stepped out the shadows and helped Alec up before returning to his post.

"Are you alright?" Lisa asked as she stepped towards her friend through the crowd of people.

"I'm fine. Who is that guy?" Alec asked curiously.

"That is just one of my father's guards. I saw recognition in your face when you saw that lady. Who was that?" Lisa inquired.

"That was my Aunt Marge. Well she is not really my aunt but I was forced to call her Aunt Marge. I wonder what she is doing here." Alec thought aloud. He then saw the rather large reason for his Aunt being at the train station. It was his cousin Dudley, who was still in his Smeltings uniform. Apparently Dudley was on vacation as well and it appeared that nothing much changed for the fat boy. He was still as overweight as ever.

"Alec," a hand drew him away from his musings and he realized that his father arrived. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes. I have to grab my stuff first," Alec indicated to his luggage which was on the ground next to the Bellini's.

"Say goodbye to Ms. Bellini and grab your belongings and we will locate an alleyway to depart from." Alec said his goodbyes, grabbed his trunk and followed his father to a deserted and dark passageway. Severus shrunk the trunk then held the boy tightly as he apparated them to Snape Manor and appeared outside the main gates. Severus performed a spell that would allow the wards on the manor to recognize Alec's magical signature so that he could enter.

"Welcome to Snape Manor," Severus said as he led the young boy into the large house. This manor was not nearly as large as other wealthy pureblood's manors, but its size suited the two of them perfectly. The potions master led the young boy into the manor where they were greeted by a house elf dressed in relatively nice clothing.

"Master Snape is home! And he brought a young master too! What can Binky do for you sirs?" The house elf asked eagerly.

"Binky, would you prepare a light evening meal to be served at six thirty?" Severus asked his elf.

"Yes sirs. Binky can do that for you. I will get started immediately!" She popped away to begin preparing their meal. Severus led Alec through the house on a short tour. The manor contained six bedrooms, a formal dining room along with a casual dining room where they would hold their meals, several sitting rooms along with bathrooms scattered throughout the house. The basement contained a potions lab where Severus constantly experimented along with a large cupboard for the potions master's ingredients.

Severus led Alec to his room which was decorated the same as his room in Hogwarts. After Alec settled in his new room, he went to the casual dining room where he and his father ate before retiring back to their rooms for the evening.

......................................

Severus approached Alec, who was reading in the library, on the third day of vacation. "Alec, an old," he paused in search of the right word, "friend of mine, Lucius Malfoy will be stopping by this evening for dinner. I would like you to be on your best behavior and try to get along with his son. Draco will be attending Hogwarts next year. I am not asking you to be friends with Draco, but please tolerate him for this evening."

"Lucius? That name sounds familiar..." Alec murmured. "Have I met him before?"

"You met him very briefly while we were on our first trip to Diagon Alley."

"Oh. Was he that blond creepy guy in the store that I accidentally flooed to?" Alec questioned as he closed his book and placed it on the counter.

"Yes. He was the blond creepy guy as you so eloquently put it. I have been able to hold off his inquiries for quite some time but he insists on meeting you." Severus replied.

"Okay. I guess I should clean up my room and get ready since it is already three in the afternoon. What time are they coming?" Alec stretched and stood up.

"Dinner will be served at six thirty. Our Guests will arrive at six. Please be on your best behavior and do not let our etiquette lessons go to waste." Alec nodded and left to clean up his room, which was the only chore that he had to do since the house elf did the rest.

Right at six, the fire flared green and an older blond man stepped out of the fireplace. His wife stepped out after a moment followed by a young blond-haired boy. Both Snapes were dressed immaculately as were the Malfoys. After introductions were made, the two young boys were sent off while the adults discussed matters.

Alec led Draco to his room, where the blond boy looked around in disgust.

"This is your room? Where is all of your stuff?" Draco questioned as he gracefully sat down on the chair located in the corner.

"This is all I have." Alec murmured self-consciously as Draco stared intently at the dark-haired boy.

"Where is your mother?" Draco inquired as he brushed a piece of lint off his dress shirt.

"She died when I was five," Alec replied as he took a seat on the edge of his bed.

"She was our kind right?"

"What? Oh, you want to know if she was a witch." Draco nodded impatiently. "Yes she was a witch."

"Good. I don't socialize with mudbloods." Before either boy could say anything else, a pop was heard and Binky appeared.

"Dinner will be served momentarily young masters and your presence is required in the dining room." The elf informed them and both boys stood.

"Thank you Binky. We will be on our way now," Alec replied to the elf, which then popped away.

"Why are you so polite to that elf? They are inferior to us and are nothing more than slaves." Draco chided.

"It's my elf and I will treat it as I wish," Alec informed the blond as he exited the room. Draco scowled and didn't say anything else as he followed his host to the dining area.

The meal was a bit tense with small conversations occasionally starting up and the whole evening seemed to drag on. Once the meal was over, the Malfoys did not linger long before flooing back home.

"What did you think of Draco?" Severus asked after their guests were gone.

"I don't really like him. He is very spoiled and complained that my room was too plain. It is not like I have had a whole lot of time to decorate it and add my personal belongings to the room." Alec replied. "I'm tired and I think I want to go to bed early since tomorrow will be a big day with my friends."

"Good night," Severus said as he pulled out a book to read.

"Good night dad," Alec said as he headed upstairs towards his room. Alec was just falling asleep when he heard his door creak open. His father entered the room and tucked the covers around him.

"Good night son," Severus said as he lightly kissed the boy's forehead and left the room. Alec fell asleep with a smile on his face.

After waking up the next morning, Alec wrapped his presents for his friends. When the boy was out shopping with his father, he found all the gifts he needed. For Lisa, he bought a package filled with girly items. Since these were the magical versions of cosmetics and accessories, it was not likely that she would already own such a thing. For Josh, Alec purchased a Quidditch poster signed by the captain of his favorite team.

While in Diagon Alley, he also managed to pick up gifts for his father and Sirius. The Ravenclaw found a pair of picture frames with Quidditch items decorated along the border. They were relatively simple but Alec figured the ex-convict wouldn't mind having a recent picture of his godson.

Alec struggled to find something perfect for his father. Before he could buy anything, he had to convince the man that he needed to shop alone for a short amount of time. Alec stumbled across a shop that sold all sorts of unique gadgets. The boy ordered an elegant silver pocket watch and paid extra to have the Snape family crest inscribed on it. The watch wouldn't be ready until Christmas Eve; therefore Binky would have to be the one to pick it up since Severus was not likely to venture out on Christmas Eve.

Alec finished wrapping his friends' gifts and set them aside. He made his way down to the dining room where his father was sitting at the table sipping his coffee.

"Have you wrapped up the gifts?" Severus asked as Alec took a seat across from him.

"Yes. I just finished wrapping them." Alec replied as Binky popped in.

"Can Binky get anything for young Master Snape?"

"May I please have some hot chocolate?" Alec asked and Binky nodded her head before popping away. The elf reappeared with a cup of steaming hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.

"Thanks Binky," Alec said as he accepted the hot beverage. He then turned his attention to his father and asked, "What time do we leave?"

"We will depart at ten thirty." Severus replied. At precisely ten thirty, Severus used a portkey to deposit them a short walk away from their destination.

"These are some nice houses," Alec commented as they walked up the street. The houses along were large and extravagant-looking. The two wizards walked until they stopped in front of the house number 610. The house was white with columns supporting the top floors. The front yard was very large and the entire place was surrounded by a security fence.

Two men who were walking on the premises, spotted them and began walking towards them.

"Who are you and what do you want?" One of the men asked as they approached.

"My name is Severus Snape and my son Alec is here to visit with Ms. Bellini."

"Please enter. We were under the impression that you would be arriving in a vehicle." Severus looked towards Alec with a slightly questioning gaze as they entered through the opening gates.

"A vehicle is a muggle transportation device," Alec whispered to his father and pointed slightly towards a car in the driveway.

Severus stared over at the car briefly and quietly muttered, "Abnormal looking muggle invention." Alec stifled a laugh as they headed towards the front entrance with their two escorts. It was a sight to behold when they entered with all the Christmas decorations along with other artifacts displayed.

"Alec!" Lisa exclaimed happily as she descended the stairs with Josh in tow.

"Hi Lisa, hi Josh. How have your holidays been so far?" Alec asked.

"Pretty good," Josh replied as he followed Lisa down.

"Mine has been good, too. You?" Lisa inquired as she reached the bottom step.

"So far it has been wonderful. Its nice to get a short break from school." Alec added.

"Why don't I show you my room and a little later we can exchange gifts." Lisa suggested and Alec nodded before turning to his father.

"I will return at four," Severus informed his son, who gave him a quick hug. Severus left and Alec followed Lisa to her room. The room was decorated with light pink wallpaper and white furniture. She had a four poster bed similar to those in the dorms, a desk with several papers scattered about, a large bookshelf filled with various books and several comfortable looking chairs in the corner.

"Nice room," Alec commented as he glanced around.

"Thanks. So what have you been up to so far? Have you finished your homework yet?" Lisa questioned as she plopped down in a light blue chair. The three Ravenclaws relaxed and conversed about their vacation along with upcoming plans. Lunch was served at twelve and once they finished eating, they exchanged their gifts. Lisa loved the gift that Alec brought along with a rare book that Josh bought for her. Josh was ecstatic over the signed poster and enjoyed the Quidditch book that Lisa perchased for him.  Alec received Quidditch through the Ages from Josh and he got a self-inking quill and parchment kit from Lisa.

For the rest of the afternoon, they relaxed and enjoyed each other's company without having to worry about finishing homework or going to any classes. Unfortunately their time together came to an end when four o'clock rolled around. Severus returned for Alec while Mr. Johnson arrived for Josh.

"Are we getting a Christmas tree?" Alec asked after they departed from the Bellini residence.

"I suppose we will get a tree. I have not participated in the Christmas festivities for quite some time. Would you be adverse to the idea of going out tonight to get a tree?"  Severus questioned the young boy alongside him.

"I'd like that very much! Where do we get the tree from?" Alec asked curiously.

"There are plenty of trees located behind our residence and those will be sufficient to use." Severus explained.

"You're going to cut down a tree? That will take forever!" Alec exclaimed.

"Are you forgetting that we are wizards? It requires a simple spell to cut the tree and I will levitate it the rest of the way to the house." Severus looked amusedly at his son.

"I was thinking like a muggle," Alec mumbled as they arrived into the alley. Severus held out the portkey and they were swept away to their manor.

,...........................................................

After they finished their evening meal, Severus ordered Alec to bundle up since it was rather chilly outside. They left the house and trekked towards the trees located behind their residence. After walking for a short while, they came across the perfect tree. The tree was not overly large but not small either. It was perfect.

Severus cut down the chosen tree easily and levitated it until they arrived inside the living room area, where he proceeded to lower the fir into the stand. He added a sufficient amount of water to keep the tree alive and he pulled out dusty ornaments that were stashed away for quite some time. Father and son spent the remainder of the evening placing decorations on the tree and several holiday items throughout the room.

"Would you like to place the star on top?" Severus asked Alec when the star was the only item remaining.

Alec's face lit up. "I would love to! I have always wanted to place the star up top."

Severus handed Alec the star and picked him up. Alec had grown since the adoption but he was still small and easy for Severus to lift. The potions master raised Alec and he carefully placed the star on top of the tree.

"It is late and you should get to bed. We can add any additional decorations tomorrow before your other guests arrive." Severus shooed the boy upstairs to sleep.

............................................................

The fireplace flared green and two men stumbled out of the fire. A sandy-haired man came out behind the dark-haired man.

"Hello Sirius," Alec greeted as his godfather regained his footing from flooing.

"I hate flooing," Sirius mumbled as he straightened up. "Alec, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Remus Lupin." He introduced his sandy-haired companion.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Lupin." Alec held out his hand to shake the older man's hand.

"You may call me Remus." Remus shook the out stretched hand.  "I feel old being called Mr. Lupin," he added.

"Where is Snape?" Sirius asked as he examined the room they arrived in.

"He is in the lab finishing a potion. He said it was complex and not to disturb him unless there was an emergency." Alec informed them as he relaxed in a chair and invited them to do the same.

"Oh. Does that mean he's going to join us when he's done?" Sirius asked with a slight grimace.

"This is his house Sirius," Remus pointed out.

"He will be done in about ten minutes so once he is finished he will join us," said Alec.

"How has school been for you?" Remus asked.

"I love it. It's much better than my old school and I have learned lots." Alec replied.

"What are your favorite subjects?" Remus questioned.

"I like Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms. Herbology is okay, History is boring with Binns teaching, and Astronomy is alright. Defense is fun to learn but the teacher tends to get off topic a lot."

"Binns even bored Remmy over here and he loves learning," Sirius commented. "I still don't know why the hat didn't place you in Ravenclaw."

"I like to read but that does not automatically mean that I will end up in Ravenclaw," Remus replied defensively.

"Lupin, Black," A voice greeted neutrally from the doorway.

"Snape," Sirius acknowledged back.

"Severus," Remus addressed. "We appreciate that you are allowing us into your home to visit with Alec." Severus did not respond and a tense silence descended on the room.

Sirius cleared his throat and turned his attention on his godson. "Would you like to open you gift now?" Alec looked towards his father for permission and received a light nod in response.

Alec went over to the well-decorated tree and pulled out the gift with Sirius' name written on the tag. "Here, this is for you." Alec handed Sirius the gift and Sirius handed Alec his. "I'm sorry that I was unable to get you anything Remus. I did not know at the time I was shopping that you were going to visit."

Remus just waved off the apology, "That's perfectly fine. I do have a gift for you though." The sandy-haired man handed Alec a small wrapped gift.

"Open yours first," Sirius instructed and Alec complied.

"Thank you very much!" Alec exclaimed as he unwrapped the broom polishing kit. The broom he received for his birthday could use some polishing up.

Alec set the kit aside and opened the gift from Remus. It was a book titled Finding Your Inner Animal: Animagus Training by James Potter. Alec looked up to Remus with wide eyes.

Remus answered the unasked question, "Yes, James did write this book. It contains all the notes that he took when he attempted the transformation. I thought you might like to own something that was James'."

Alec smiled up gratefully at Remus, "Thank you."

"Do not attempt anything in that book alone or without adult supervision." Severus warned.

"Let the kid learn to be an animagus. He has good potential to become one. You can even study it with him."

Severus sneered at Sirius. "Who says that I need to study that book?"

Sirius looked at Snape skeptically. "You can't be an animagus." He stated.

"Why not?" Severus questioned as he smirked at the man lounging in front of him.

"Prove it then."

"Are you really an animagus dad?" Sirius winced slightly at Alec's last word. The man would probably never get used to his godson referring to anyone other than James as father.

"Can I please see your form?" Alec asked excitedly.

"May I," Severus murmured as he stood up. He slowly shifted into a large black animal. Severus' animagus form was a panther. Alec rose from his seat and approached the large animal that was his father. He stroked the fur and managed to trigger a soft purring sound from the large cat. Alec eventually stopped his ministrations and allowed his father to return to his normal state.

"That was so cool!" Alec announced.

"Your full of surprises aren't you Snape?" Sirius commented. Binky chose that moment to pop in and announce that dinner was served. Alec spent the remainder of the evening chatting and relaxing with the others. Sirius and Remus realized it was getting late when Alec yawned. They prepared to leave when Severus stopped Remus.

The potions master shoved two vials into the man's hands. Remus examined the contents and his eyes widened when he realized what they were.

"Is this--" Remus spared a glance over at the boy who appeared to be falling asleep in his chair. Severus gave a brisk nod in response. "Thank you very much. I really appreciate it." Remus said with sincerity. Sirius went over to his godson and said his good byes to the half-asleep boy. Alec mumbled a thank you and goodbye before dozing back off. Sirius and Remus used the floo to return home after the wonderful evening they had.

Severus looked over at his son, who was fast asleep and picked up the small boy. Severus carried him and gently placed his on his bed. He tucked Alec in and turned off the lights before heading to bed himself.

.................................................................

Severus snapped open his eyes when he felt someone staring at him. His son was standing in front of him, still clad in his pajamas. "What is it you require at," Severus glanced at the clock, "seven a.m.?"

"It's Christmas! Come on! You have to get up! Please!" Alec begged excitedly. Severus grumbled good-naturedly and proceeded to get up. He allowed the young boy to practically drag him downstairs and into the sitting room. There were several packages located around the tree.

"I shall open my gifts when you are finished," Severus informed Alec, who wasted no time digging into his pile of gifts. The first gift Alec opened was a small box of candy which consisted of Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Beans, Ice Mice and Cockroach Clusters, all from the Weasley twins. Since the train ride, he has kept in contact with the boys even though it was sometimes hard to understand them when they finished each other's sentences.

The next gift he opened was a box of lemon drops courtesy of the Headmaster. He hoped that the Headmaster would like the gift he sent. While he was out shopping in Diagon Alley, he came across a pair of socks that had mini-lemon drops designed on it. It was rather simple but hopefully the man liked the socks.

Alec opened the next gift which turned out to be an Invisibility Cloak. The note did not say who it was from, although Severus speculated that it was from the Headmaster. Apparently this cloak belonged to James at one point and it was only right for Alec to get it.

There was a good-sized gift for Alec that was from his father. When the wrapping was gone, a wooden chest was revealed. There were several drawers and when Alec opened one, it revealed ingredients.

"The potion components located in this drawer are specifically for entertainment purposes." Severus pulled A Potions Guide for Pranks from the drawer and showed it to Alec. "This book has several ideas that you may consider using if you feel the need to prank your fellow classmates. Additional standard potion ingredients can be found in the other compartments. The chest is designed to assist in the preservation of these components by maintaining a suitable temperature." Severus explained.

"Wow! Thank you very much!" Alec gave his father a hug before handing over a wrapped parcel with Severus' name on it. "This is from me. I hope you like it."

Severus carefully unwrapped his gift and extracted the silver pocket watch from the tissue paper located inside the box. "Thank you," Severus said as he examined the watch. The Snape crest was etched on it and the watch was attached to a silver chain.

Severus opened his last two gifts. From Albus, he received a box of lemon drops just as Alec did. The other gift was from his son's two best friends. They included a short card that wished him a happy Christmas along with a scarf made up of Slytherin colors.

Binky popped in when they were finished unwrapping everything, "Would you sirs like to eat now?"

"Yes. We will be there shortly." Severus responded.

Alec stood and gave his father a big hug. "Thank you so much for everything! This is the best Christmas I have ever had!"

"Me too," muttered Severus.

Christmas break came to an end rather quickly to the dismay of the students. Alec spent what remained of his vacation relaxing with his father. He completed his homework early on so that he would not have to worry about it later. Severus permitted Alec to assist him on several potions that were needed for the infirmary since its supplies were low.

Several days after Christmas, Severus worked with Alec on the things that he taught him over the summer. It was difficult for them to squeeze in time when they were both busy during the school week. Now that it was winter break, they had plenty of time to practice. Severus tested Alec's Occlumency barriers and Alec appeared to be doing a good job at keeping them up and withstanding Severus' mental attacks.

Both Snapes practiced sparring against each other several times throughout the duration of the vacation. Alec showed some improvement in the area even though it had been a while since they last practiced together. The manor provided a sufficient amount of space for them to practice in along with the Snape family swords. Severus always charmed the weapons to inflict little damage if either was hit by them. Alec liked sparring and his father did not mind practicing with his son.

Alec immensely enjoyed his vacation especially since he got to spend so much time with his father. Unfortunately the break came to an end. Alec had packed up all his belongings the night before and they were now departing from Snape manor. Severus used a portkey to deposit them near the station, where Alec boarded and Severus apparated away once his son was safely on the train. Alec met up with his friends in a compartment that they had saved for themselves. They talked about their vacations and bought some candy off the cart when it came by. The train ride went rather fast and before they knew it, they arrived at Hogwarts.

They enjoyed a nice meal in the Great Hall before heading to their dorms to sleep. Classes resumed and students got back into their habits of studying and completing their homework. The next Ravenclaw match was coming up against the Hufflepuff team in two weeks time. The team practiced diligently when they arrived back from break and it paid off. Ravenclaw won the match when Alec caught the snitch and the final score was at 220 to 50.

January passed relatively quickly and February was just around the corner. Alec knew his father's birthday was soon approaching. February 2nd was on a Saturday therefore Alec would be able to spend the day with his father without any classes to get to. The only problem now was the present for the man. Alec could not think of anything that his father could use and didn't already own. It was also relatively difficult to get off the school grounds to purchase a gift so it would be tricky to find something suitable.

It was out of luck that Alec found the perfect gift for his father. He was walking around the lake pondering about the coming birthday when he noticed a small dark animal walking on a rock. He moved towards the animal and it spotted him. When the small creature saw his approach, it backed away and slipped from the rock it was perched on and fell into the lake. The animal screeched and flailed its limbs as it made its way back towards the shore. Alec cautiously approached the animal lifted the small being out of the water and set it on the ground. It was a small and now wet, black cat. It shook itself to remove excess water and began grooming itself.

"Hey there kitty," Alec said as he reached down to touch the soaked creature. The cat hissed at him and resumed cleaning itself. Alec pulled out his wand and sent a basic drying charm at the cat. The cat stopped licking its now dry fur and turned towards the boy who sat down on the grass. The feline approached Alec and started purring.

"Where did you come from?" Alec asked as he stroked the dark fur. He received a quiet meow in response. "That doesn't exactly answer my question," Alec muttered. The animal looked to the side and paused before pouncing on something to Alec's right. It slapped down its white paws on a tiny white mouse that was scurrying out of its hiding place. The cat looked like it was about to eat it but Alec lifted the feline's paws and the small mouse escaped. The blue eyes of the cat stared up at him and it let out a growl.

"Don't look at me like that. I wasn't about to watch you eat that mouse. I can get you some real food and milk too." The cat peered at him before purring in agreement. Alec bent to pick up the black feline, but it backed out of reach.

"Come on now. I was just going to pick you up," Alec muttered and reached for the cat again. The creature dodged his hands and strode forward towards the school.

"Alright, alright. I won't carry you. You certainly have an attitude," Alec spoke to the cat, which walked alongside him. Alec led the way to the kitchens, which he learned the location of through the Weasley twins. Once he tickled the pear, the portrait opened and both Alec and the cat went in. The house elves brought the cat some tuna and milk and gave Alec some snacks to munch on.

"I wonder if Dad would like a cat for his birthday..." Alec pondered aloud. "How would I hide you until Saturday?" The answer to this question arrived through the painting he just entered through.

"Good afternoon Alec. How have you been?" The Headmaster asked as he entered the kitchens. The house elves brought him some refreshments and biscuits.

"I've been great, sir." Alec responded.

"Who is your friend over there?" Albus motioned to the cat, which had finished eating and was now once again grooming itself.

"I found him or her, as I'm not sure yet on the gender. It was on a rock near the lake and this is the first I have seen it so I don't think it is someone's pet." Alec replied as he sipped his pumpkin juice.

"I don't believe this is a student's pet, nor one of our staff member's. Are you planning on keeping it?" Albus questioned with twinkling eyes.

"I was thinking about giving it my father on Saturday for his birthday," Alec mentioned.

"That would be an excellent idea. I do not believe that Severus has ever had a cat although he has a certain affinity for them." The Headmaster responded and then bit into a biscuit.

"I'm not sure what to do with the cat until then; Saturday is two days away and I don't want him to see the cat before his birthday."

Albus smiled, "I could shall we say, watch your friend here until then. He may reside in my office until you wish to pick him up."

"He?" Albus nodded. "Thank you so much! That would be perfect. I could pick him up on Saturday morning. What will I do for the cat's needs?"

"I suggest you talk to Professor McGonagall. She will know exactly what a cat will need," Albus replied with his twinkling blue eyes. Alec looked briefly puzzled before it dawned on him. Professor McGonagall was a cat animagus therefore she would be very helpful in determining what he needed for the cat.

"Thank you very much professor! I think I will go to her now to see if she has time to help me. I'll be by Saturday morning," Alec stood to leave. Before heading out the portrait he gave the scrawny cat a quick pet and then he left.

.......................................................

Professor McGonagall was extremely helpful once she got over being amused with the whole situation. She assisted Alec in transfiguring several cat toys along with the litter box. She placed a spell on the box that would automatically clean itself once it was used. The professor also showed him how to make food and water dishes and once the feline had a name, Alec would be able to etch it on the bowls. The Transfiguration professor demonstrated how Alec could inscribe the name on the dish as a finishing personal touch. Alec stored all the items in his trunk and planned to wrap them Friday after classes.

............................................................

On Friday night, Alec slept in his bed in the quarters that he and his father shared. Early on Saturday morning, Alec crept out of his room and made his way to the Headmaster's office. He arrived at the entrance but had to pause to think about the password. The young Ravenclaw knew the password was based off some type of candy but it was a matter of guessing the right one.

"Um... Lemon Drops?" Nope. "Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?" Didn't work either. "Chocolate Frogs?" No again. "Blood Pops?" That worked and the staircase was revealed. Alec ascended the stairs and politely knocked on the door. He heard the Headmaster reply with a quiet enter and Alec opened the door. The older man was sitting at his desk busy with filling out some paperwork for something or another.

"Good morning, sir," Alec greeted.

"Alec. Take a seat. Would you like a lemon drop?" Albus offered. Alec smiled and popped one of the candies in his mouth.

"I hope the cat hasn't destroyed anything in your office," Alec said as he looked around briefly to make sure nothing appeared ruined.

"Everything went fine. I took the liberty of owling the owner of a pet store in Hogsmeade to inquire about any missing felines. It appears that this particular cat was rather insistent on getting outside despite the owner forcing it back inside several times. He was rather pleased to learn that someone wanted this cat and said there was no charge."

"Wow. That was nice of him," Alec commented. "I am sure you are busy and I'd like to get back before dad is awake. Although chances are he will already be up and getting ready. Thank you again for watching the kitten."

"It was not a problem. He's a friendly cat most of the time and appears to have a bit of a temper when he doesn't get what he wants." Albus' blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "It almost reminds me of someone we both know..." He added.

Alec laughed. "Then they will be a perfect match for each other. Thank you again." Alec said as he stood. He walked over to the black cat, which was sleeping on a chair, and picked it up. The feline didn't jump out of Alec's arms yet made a displeased sound as he allowed the boy to carry him to their new rooms.

Alec arrived just as he heard the shower shutting off. He quickly placed the animal in his room and asked it to stay quiet, hoping that it understood. Alec returned to the sitting room and sat down on the couch, waiting for his father to come out. Severus entered the room and looked over at Alec suspiciously.

"What are you doing up this early on a Saturday?" The potions master asked. "As far as I know, you don't have Quidditch practice today."

"I just had something to take care of this morning. That's all." Before the young boy could be questioned further, the portrait on the door opened and Albus appeared with the Head of Gryffindor in tow.

Severus scowled at them. "It is too early to have my quarters invaded by a Gryffindor and an energetic Headmaster."

Albus laughed. "Someone hasn't had their coffee yet." The potions master sneered.

"We are here for the party."

"What party?" He asked flatly.

"Your party of course. It is your birthday today, is it not?" Severus chose not to comment and headed off instead to get some coffee. Fifteen minutes later and with the aid of several cups of coffee, Severus was more awake. Albus handed over a gift certificate to the local Apothecary along with another small bag of lemon drops. The Headmaster was addicted to those things and determined to spread them around as much as possible!

Minerva gave Severus a set of 8 self-inking quills with red ink that could be used for grading. She even threw in a small bag of cat treats, although the potions master thought it was meant as a joke in reference to his animagus form.

Alec retreated to his room and before coming out, he instructed his father to close his eyes. Severus grudgingly complied and waited as Alec neared him. The man was rather shocked to see his son holding a black cat in front of him. It appeared to have had a blue bow around the neck but the cat hadn't liked it, therefore tore it up.

Alec handed the cat to his father and watched as the two stared at each other for a moment. The feline accepted his new master and began purring. Severus removed the torn up bow and the cat licked his hand approvingly.

"Do you like it?" Alec asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Thank you very much," Severus gave his son a smile.

Alec's face lit up with pleasure. "Let me get your other gift." Alec went back to his room and pulled out a box decorated in green wrapping paper. The feline jumped down and went to explore the rooms while the last gift was opened. The last present contained all the items that were necessary for the cat, including the litter box, food bowls, and other various accessories.

"I made them myself! Professor McGonagall showed me how to make the toys and added a charm to keep the litter box clean. Do you have any names in mind? I was going to etch the name on the bowls once you decide on one." Alec said.

"I do not have any names in mind at this time. This is very nice transfiguration work," Severus added as he looked over the cat toys. There were several stuffed mice in different colors and each had details such as eyes, whiskers, and tails. The detail in the transfiguration work was not bad for a first year.

"I'm afraid we have work to attend to, therefore we will leave you two with your new cat. Happy Birthday Severus," The Headmaster said as he exited.

Minerva paused before exiting, "I'm sure both you and your cat will enjoy those treats."

Severus scowled lightly and replied, "I've tried them before and they are rather good..." Alec looked at him with wide eyes before laughing. Minerva stood shocked for a moment, after all, it wasn't everyday that this particular colleague of hers joked. She left the room lightly chuckling to herself.

"What are you two doing?" Alec asked as he approached the whispering twins who appeared to be plotting a new prank.

"Nothing," they answered simultaneously and attempted to sound innocent.

"Let me rephrase that. Who are you going to prank?" Alec lifted an eyebrow as he started at the two red heads.

"When you do that you-"

"Look a lot like Snape and it-"

"Makes us feel like-"

"Confessing our pranking plans"

"Therefore we will tell-"

"You that we are pranking-"

"Percy." They finished in unison.

"Ah. Percy again? What did he do this time?" Alec questioned.

"He reported a Lee to a Prefect-"

"When he came in five minutes-"

"After curfew began. We are now"

"Attempting to find our-"

"Rule-loving-brother"

"How do you plan to do that from here?" Alec asked curiously. The twins shared a glance and nodded together. They pulled out a slip of old tattered parchment and gestured for Alec to move closer. Alec moved forward and looked at the item in their hands.

"We solemnly swear that we are up to no good." They both recited together.

The parchment began to change. Lines formed everywhere and at the top it said The Marauders Map.

"This map-" One twin began before Alec interrupted.

"Shows where everyone is in the castle," Alec finished as he examined the map. He quickly located the space that said Fred Weasley, George Weasley and Alec Snape. The Ravenclaw was glad to note that the map said Alec Snape rather than Harry Potter.

"How did you know what it does?" One twin asked.

"My Godfather told me about this map," Alec replied.

"Who is your Godfather?" The other twin asked.

"Sirius Black," Alec replied with a smirk.

"What!?" Twin exclamations erupted from the two red-heads.

"You heard me. His name is Sirius Black a.k.a. Padfoot." The twins exchanged shocked glances.

"Do you know who Moony,-"

"Wormtail and Prongs are?"

"Moony is my Godfather's good friend Remus Lupin. Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew and Prongs was James Potter," Alec informed the twins. "You two can meet Moony and Padfoot if you'd like. They should already be on their way to see Madam Pomfrey right now."

"Lead the way" They chorused and all three headed towards the infirmary.

"Hi Sirius, hi Remus," Alec greeted as they entered the hospital wing. Remus downed a potion and both men looked over to the new arrivals.

"Hey kiddo," Sirius greeted and gave his godson a light hug. "Who are your friends?"

"One of them is Fred and the other is George. I'm still working on telling the difference." Alec supplied as he sat on a vacant chair.

"We humbly present-"

"You with the-"

"Marauders Map" They finished simultaneously.

Sirius's eyes widened as the twins held out the map for him to take. He muttered the words to activate the map and briefly examined it before deactivating.

"How did you get this? Filch confiscated it from us in the end of seventh year. Nothing we did for him was enough to get it back even though he never knew exactly what it did." Sirius asked the twins who immediately grinned.

"We snatched it from his desk first-"

"Year when his back was turned. It-"

"Took us a day or two to-"

"Guess the right password."

"Incredible," Remus remarked as he took the map from Sirius' hands. "Can we hold onto this for a while? We promise to return it to you."

"Sure. Anything for the Marauders." They proclaimed together. The bell sounded for lunch break to be over. The three students said goodbye and headed towards their classes.

Madam Pomfrey came back to check Remus over before the two men left. With the aid of the Wolfsbane potion, Remus was not nearly as injured from the recent full moon. Sirius pressured Remus into getting this check up just to make sure everything was fine. Madam Pomfrey knew him well therefore she agreed to give the lycanthrope a brief exam after his recent transformation. Once she was satisfied that Remus was healthy, she dismissed them and went back to her paperwork.

"I wonder what name he shows up under," Sirius mumbled aloud as they walked towards the kitchens for a snack.

"Who?" Remus asked.

"Alec. I just wondered if he shows up as Alec Snape or his other name." Rumors had a way of spreading rapidly around the castle and it was best not to mention specific names out loud.

Remus pulled out the map as Sirius tickled the pear to gain entrance to the kitchens. The house elves swooped on them and offered plenty of food and drinks. Sirius began eating while Remus searched the map for Alec's name.

"There it is. It says Alec Snape. Most likely because that is his new legal name. It appears that Alec is in potions class rig--" Remus trailed off. He stood suddenly and pulled Sirius up with him.

"Wha-?" Sirius muttered as he tried to swallow the food in his mouth. After he accomplished this, he turned towards Remus who was frantically pulling him towards the dungeons. "What is wrong with you Moony? I was hungry!"

"Look at the map!" Remus shoved it in the ex-convict's hands as they rushed towards the dungeons.

"Where on the map?"

"Dungeons. Near Snape's room."

Sirius cursed loudly and picked up his pace.

..............................

Potions class was another typical lesson with brief instructions before getting right to work. As usual, halfway through class someone would mess up their potion and the Professor would yell briefly before dismissing the student to clean up. Today, a Hufflepuff girl managed to botch her assignment and was sent to clean up the sticky potions substance spread all over her hands. As she exited the classroom, a rat slipped in unnoticed.

................................

"I am going to kill that sniveling little rat!" Sirius ranted as they entered the dungeons.

"Be quiet Sirius! You are going to inform him that we know he's here if you insist on shouting." Remus instructed. "You are not going to kill him either. You have just been released from prison and you'd better not end up there again!" They arrived at the location where the rat had last appeared on the Map and didn't see him. Remus pulled out the map and quickly scanned for Pettigrew's name.

"Where is he?" The ex-convict demanded as he glanced furiously around.

"He is in the potions class and it looks like Snape knows. You'd better run and get Dumbledore." Sirius took off running again. "Padfoot runs faster!" Remus added and Sirius stopped momentarily to change into his animagus form, and then took off again to the Headmaster's office. Remus attempted to enter the classroom but he had no luck. Snape had warded the room strongly and the Headmaster would have to disable the wards.

.......................................

Alec and Lisa just finished their potions when a soft pop sounded behind them. The knife on the table used for chopping ingredients was snatched and Lisa was pulled backwards. The glass vial she was holding dropped and shattered. Instantly, the class turned to see what happened. A short and slightly chubby man was holding a knife to Lisa and a wand in his other hand.

"Pettigrew," Severus spat and had his wand out in an instant but could not curse the rat unless he risked hitting Lisa.

"S-Snape," Peter stuttered as he held Lisa like a shield.

"What are you doing here of all places?" Snape asked snidely as he assessed the situation.

"Bl-black is coming to k-kill me," The rat stammered out.

"What led you to that conclusion?" Severus sneered at the rat animagus.

"I-I heard him sh-shouting just now," The balding man replied nervously as he felt around his pocket for something.

"Damn mutt has no sense of discreetness," Severus muttered angrily. "What do you want then?" He snapped.

"W-ward the room first," Peter ordered as bravely as he could even though he was terrified of Snape.

Severus glanced around the room before resting momentarily on Alec's green eyes. "And if I don't?"

Pettigrew caught the look Snape shared briefly with Alec and made the assumption that this boy was more than a student to him. Alec, who hadn't moved since Pettigrew grabbed Lisa, was suddenly pulled backwards.

"What is your name boy?" Alec winced as Peter dug his long nails in his arm.

"Alec," came the short reply.

"Alec what?" Peter demanded since this boy obviously meant something to the potions master and wanted to know why.

Alec glanced up at his father, who was still holding his wand but didn't dare shoot off any curses at Pettigrew unless risking hitting either student, and replied, "Alec Snape."

Peter let out a short laugh. "I never thought you would ever have a kid." Pettigrew unknowingly repeated nearly the exact same thing that Sirius Black first said to the Potions master when he found about Alec.

A few shouts were heard down the hall. "Hurry up and ward the room or they get hurt." Pettigrew threatened as he tightened his hold on Alec and Lisa. Snape reluctantly complied and the room was warded temporarily to keep others out. The Headmaster however would have no problem disabling the wards once he arrived.

"N-now toss your wand on the ground," The rat animagus insisted as he briefly let go of Lisa to dig through his pockets again. Severus slowly placed his wand on the ground near his feet to have easy access to it. Pettigrew finally pulled an old rusty bottle cap out of a pocket and grabbed Lisa's arm once again to keep his hold on her. He noted that Snape's wand was out of his hands and decided it was time to leave. Pettigrew was lifting his wand to tap the bottle cap in activation when Severus realized what the rat had. His hand swiftly went down to retrieve his wand in an attempt to accio the portkey but it was too late and Pettigrew disappeared with Lisa and his son. Just after they vanished, the wards came down because the Headmaster had arrived. He along with several others instantly burst into the room.

"Severus?" Albus questioned the man who was staring at the space where Alec last was.

"He's gone. I should have protected him better. It's my fault. That rat knew Alec meant something to me when I foolishly shared a glance with my son," Severus replied in a distraught tone as he gazed continuously at the spot.

"It is not your fault Severus. We will find them. Now can you tell me what occurred here?"

........................

The three landed in a deserted hallway of an old dusty house. Lisa slipped and twisted her ankle which caused her to cry out. Alec was immediately by her side and attempted to comfort her.

"What are you going to do now?" Alec asked the rat animagus who was getting up from the filthy floor.

"I-I'm leaving. Good luck getting home," The balding man replied rudely. He proceeded to turn into a rat and was escaping through a hole in the wall. Alec was not about to let him get away and pulled out his wand to stun the creature. The rat was unable to avoid the spell and fell over unmoving but alive. Alec stuffed the rat into a pocket until he was able to hand the animagus over to the proper authorities.

Lisa massaged her ankle a bit, "What now?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know. I think this house is warded and we might need to be outside in order for my dad to trace our location." Alec surmised. "Do you think you can walk?"

Lisa slowly got to her feet and swayed slightly before regaining her balance. Alec held out his arm to steady her as she took a tentative step. She winced slightly but was determined to walk. They slowly made their way towards a door that hopefully led to an exit. After trying several doors, they finally found the one that opened to the outdoors. Outside, a large green lawn was seriously overgrown and past the grass was a forest of trees.

"I hate forests," Lisa declared. "Let's stay away from that." Alec nodded in agreement. They stood there for a short time, hoping that someone would come soon but no one arrived. A howl was heard to the left of them and both students turned towards the sound. They couldn't make out the creature who howled but they could see a shape moving slowly towards them through the thick grass.

"We should head back into the house now," Alec suggested as they moved backwards.

"Will they still be able to track us if we are inside?" Lisa questioned fearfully.

"I don't know but I'd rather be inside then some animal's next meal," Alec responded as he tried the door. It would not open. He tried every unlocking charm he knew but nothing helped.

"If we can't get back inside then we should hide elsewhere but I don't know where we could hide," Alec said aloud as he glanced around. The animal was slowly stalking towards them and they didn't have much time to think.

"Let's find a tree to climb. If we are lucky then that thing won't be able to get us up there," Lisa suggested.

"That means we have to head towards the forest," Alec pointed out as he assisted Lisa down the lawn towards the first trees that were located about 15 feet behind them. They made their way to the forest and searched for a tree that they would be able to climb. They spotted one that would have to work because they already could catch a glimpse of the animal that was stalking them. It was a large wolf and it had black fur along with sharp looking claws and teeth. Lisa grabbed onto a branch while Alec attempted to help shove her up and out of the reach of the animal. She made it safely into the tree and Alec was pulling himself upwards when the wolf knocked him down.

The gray eyes of the wolf creature stared into the young boy's terrified gaze. Alec's hand searched frantically around himself searching for the wand that had slipped from his grasp when he fell, but he couldn't find it anywhere. Shouts were heard in the distance and the wolf paused turned and his head to the side with his ears perked up.

Lisa shot red sparks in the air to alert people of their relative location. She then fired off a stinging hex to distract the wild animal from devouring her friend. The animal growled as it felt the sting and Alec took the momentary distraction to kick at the beast. The wolf wasn't expecting it and slipped down the slight hill they were on. When it regained its balance, it sprung forward to attack.

Alec had just picked up his wand and wasn't quick enough to avoid the wolves jaws that nipped his arm. The boy cried out in pain and attempted to stun the animal. The beast avoided the light but the young boy was quick to fire off another curse that managed to hit its mark. It was a cutting hex that nicked the wolf's hind leg. The beast became very agitated and leapt onto Alec, who tumbled down the small hill.

Lisa cast several spells at the wolf since she wasn't at risk of hitting Alec. The animal evaded the spells and was intent on going after the fallen boy. Alec was attempting to sit up but was having no luck. He had hit his head on a rock while sliding down and was currently dizzy. He pushed aside the wooziness and searched for his wand but came up empty handed. The wolf was about to attack when a large black cat appeared out of nowhere. Alec recognized his father in his animagus form and knew that help had arrived.

The panther's ears were pressed far back and it hissed menacingly at the wolf who growled back. The cat's paw swiftly swatted the muzzle of the other beast before the wolf could react. It howled in pain as three long deep scratches were visible by the blood leaking from them. The wolf attacked and the fight was on. Neither was winning because they were evenly matched. The wolf's claws managed to swipe Severus' snout in a similar manner as the large cat did earlier to the wolf. Both animals were sporting scratches in various places that were bleeding freely. The wolf was becoming frustrated and leapt again and managed to get a hold on the black cat's neck. The panther was thrown down the hill once the wolf put all of its weight into the last attack.

The wolf's victory did not last long because it was once again attacked but not by the panther, which was slowly standing again. This time is was a large black dog that resembled the Grimm. The dog joined the fight but the wolf was much too tired to continue. The animal chose that moment to retreat and took in the opposite direction of the house. Sirius chased after the wolf to assure that it left before running back and transforming into his natural state.

Severus had already transformed back and was holding Alec in his arms. The young boy had watched the whole fight and feared for his father's life when the wolf managed to throw the panther down. He was reassured that things would be okay when Sirius arrived to help fight off the wild beast. Once Sirius had obtained the attention of the wolf, Severus transformed back and hugged Alec tightly until others arrived to take them back to Hogwarts for treatment.

................................

Light slowly filtered through Alec's tired eyes and he went to roll away from the light but let out a gasp of pain as he moved his left arm. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his father's bandaged form sleeping in the bed next to his. The potion's master had several bandages along his arms and three partially healed claw marks along the side of his face, all from the wolf's attack.

Alec slowly moved into a sitting position and made note not to move his arm too much. His left arm had a white bandage covering it where the wolf had managed to nip him. He wasn't concerned much with his own injuries though because he was intent on getting to his father's side. He slowly sat up and had to pause to get rid of the slight dizzy spell before making it to his feet. Once he managed that, he crept across to his father's bed and pulled himself up on it. He pulled the covers over them both and snuggled next to the man him. Obviously the potion's master was under the influence of a potion or else he would have woken when Alec crawled in. Alec yawned before dozing back off to sleep, safely in his father's arms which unconsciously tightened around him.

....................................

Sometime later, Alec woke to the feeling of a light hand stroking in his hair. He burrowed his face into his father's side wishing to go back to sleep but it was too late. A soft chuckling was heard from his father when he mumbled about going back to sleep.

"Alec," Severus whispered in his ear. Alec stirred lightly. "You need to get up. Poppy will need to change your bandage soon and you need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Alec mumbled but his stomach decided it was and growled.

Another quiet laugh from his father, "I know you are comfortable but you need to eat."

"Fine, fine," Alec replied as he moved into a sitting position. Madam Pomfrey came in and got set to work on changing all of their bandages. Luckily for them the wolf was not a werewolf, therefore neither would be infected. The Potions Master grumbled about being treated like a child when he was perfectly capable of doing it for himself but the nurse steadily ignored him and kept to her work.

After their bandages had been replaced with fresh ones, they ate their lunch. It was fairly late in the afternoon and students would be in their class currently, which explained the quiet hallways. Right as they finished their light meal, the Headmaster walked in.

"Good afternoon," He greeted as he pulled up a chair between their beds. Madam Pomfrey had sent Alec back to his own bed before changing their bandages.

"Good afternoon sir," Alec replied as he reached for his glass of water.

"How are you feeling?" The older man asked.

"Better," Alec said as he placed his glass back down after sipping it.

The Headmaster looked expectantly at Severus, waiting for a reply on how he was feeling. "I am fine Headmaster. Do no be concerned for me," Severus replied after a moment.

"I will always be concerned for your welfare," The headmaster's blue eyes twinkled. Severus just scowled lightly at him.

"Alec can you tell me what happened after you disappeared?" Albus asked the younger boy sitting before him.

"We landed in this dusty room and Pettigrew was going to just leave us there. He changed into his animagus form and was about to escape when I stunned him. I think he forgot to take away our wands and figured we'd let him get away. I stuffed him in my cloak pocket. Did you find him?" Alec asked.

"We did. The stunner had worn off in the hospital wing and he tried to run again. He is currently in the Ministry's custody and awaiting a trail." Albus informed him.

"Good. Anyways, I figured we would need to step outside because there were most likely wards on the house preventing you from finding us." Alec stated.

"That was indeed true. Your father was not thrilled when the tracking pendant you wear could not tell him your location. He continuously watched it until he received a signal." Alec smiled over at his father.

"Lisa and I stepped outside but then we heard a howl from the forest but when we tried to get back inside the wards had locked us out. The wolf began stalking towards us so we decided to climb a tree to get out of its reach. We made our way to the trees in the opposite direction of the wolf but it was hard finding a tree that we'd be able to climb since they were all tall. Anyways we finally found one and I had lifted Lisa up and was climbing up myself when the wolf knocked me down. I lost my wand momentarily and I had just grabbed it when the wolf bit me. I hit it with a cutting curse and it knocked me down again but this time I went down the hill. I think I hit my head on a rock or something because I was really dizzy. Right after that was when my dad arrived." Alec finished his story.

Severus went on to finish his tale of how he fought the wolf and how Black came to finish the battle. Once the Headmaster heard everything, he bid them a good day and popped a lemon drop in his mouth as he left.

...........................

The following day, Alec awoke to hearing two voices talking quietly nearby. He rubbed his eyes as he slowly sat up. "Hey guys," Alec greeted his two best friends.

Lisa immediately jumped up and hugged him, then proceeded to cry. Alec rubbed her back slightly awkwardly, trying to figure out why she suddenly burst into tears.

"Lisa? What's wrong?" Alec questioned the distraught girl.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for not helping you out there. I-I just froze when the wolf attacked. Then I didn't want to hit you so I didn't risk casting anything! I only hit it with that stupid stinging charm because I had an open shot. I'm so sorry for not doing anything to help you and now you're hurt!" Lisa cried.

"No. Don't think that! You did help me. You alerted the adults where we were. And don't worry about me. I will be fine in a few days," Alec assured her. She relaxed slightly, having forgotten that she did help in some way.

"So... When can you leave?" Josh asked to break to quietness that descended on the room.

"Today, I think." He replied. "Have I missed much schoolwork?"

Lisa jumped right in, eager to inform him of what he needed to catch up on. Alec couldn't help but smile as Lisa went on, giving detailed instructions of the lessons that he missed.

........................................

Alec, Lisa and Josh sat down at their table for the leaving feast which arrived too soon for their liking. Exams were finally over and summer break had arrived which meant that everyone would be heading back home. The hall was currently decked out in silver and green because the Slytherin house had won the cup again. They were celebrating over at their table but they were not the only ones. Ravenclaw house had won the Quidditch cup for the first time in a very long while. The final Quidditch match had taken place two weeks earlier and Alec managed to once again catch the snitch before the opposite team's seeker.

The Headmaster gave a quick speech at the end of the feast before dismissing everyone to bed since students had to get up early to take the train back home. Alec had wanted to ride the train but he and his father would be flooing to Snape Manor later in the afternoon.

Alec said goodbye to his friends before they boarded the horseless carriages that would take them to the train. Alec headed back to his room but stopped to pet Asphodel first. After petting Asp, as he nicknamed the cat, Alec headed to his room to start his homework. He'd rather get it finished as soon as possible to avoid doing it later in vacation.

Severus planned to take Alec somewhere special for the holidays but he had not revealed the location just yet. They would floo home and leave the next day. Severus was very tight-lipped on the whole trip and never once gave into Alec's pleading. They would only be gone for two weeks since Alec wanted to make Lisa and Josh's birthday party. Both her and Josh had summer birthdays in July. Lisa's was on the 9th while Josh's birthday was on the 12th.

Alec continued to work on his homework and managed to finish two essays out of six. His father arrived later in the afternoon after having finished closing everything in the potions lab. He came in and was holding a jar labeled Gillyweed. The ingredient's name sounded familiar but Alec couldn't think of what it was for. He wanted to look it up in his Herbology book to see why his father brought it but Severus announced that they would be leaving in five minutes. Alec placed his homework into his trunk which he had packed up the night before. Once everything was stowed away, he pulled his feather-light trunk next to the fireplace. Severus came in moments later with his own trunk floating behind him. The Headmaster had kindly opened their fireplace to the floo network temporarily so they would be able to floo from their quarters.

They flooed to Snape Manor and Alec headed to his room. Binky had welcomed them home and made sure their trunks were placed in their rooms. There was no use in unpacking since they would be leaving again tomorrow and it was easier to take the trunk since everything he owned was already stored away in there. Alec vigorously worked on his homework and managed to complete one more essay and was halfway through yet another one when he had to stop for dinner. They ate the food Binky served them before retiring for the night.

The next morning, Alec woke up and realized this would be their first trip together. Alec had never really been on vacation anywhere since he always ended up being stuck with Mrs. Figg when the Dursleys went places. He showered and dressed quickly before leaving his room in search of his father. The excited boy found the older man sipping a cup of coffee at the dining table.

"When do we leave?" Alec asked excitedly.

Severus checked the time on the pocket watch that Alec gave him for Christmas. "The portkey will activate in five minutes. Binky!" he called.

"Yes Master Snape?" Binky asked after appearing.

"Grab the trunk in my room along with the one in my son's room and bring them down here," Severus commanded. The creature nodded and popped away. The house elf reappeared with both trunks and waited for her master's next command.

"We will be on vacation for two weeks. Keep the house clean as usual. Dismissed."

"Yes Master Snape." The elf replied before disappearing.

Severus shrunk both trunks and placed them in a secure pocket. Alec noticed when his father stood, that for once, he wasn't wearing all black or robes. The potions master had on black slacks with a dark blue shirt. Severus noticed the stare and raised an eyebrow.

"We are heading to a small town that is inhabited by muggles. We can not wear robes and I don't believe they would be appropriate for the weather. Grab onto the vial," Severus instructed as he held out the empty potions vial which had been turned into a portkey. Moments later, both father and son were swept away from their manor only to land next to a rock in a place far from their home.

When Alec landed, he immediately looked around them and gasped. They had landed on the beach and for the first time in his life, Alec got to see the ocean.

"I take it you approve of our destination?" Severus asked his awestruck son. Alec turned to him and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here! I have always wanted to see the ocean. Thank you, thank you!" Alec replied overjoyed.

"We will come back to the ocean later but first we will dine at the local café for breakfast." Severus said.

Alec stared at the oceans water which appeared to go on for endless miles. He turned away from the beautiful sight and followed after his father with a large smile on his face.