Harry and his grandparents had just finished watching a movie when Cathy arrived to pick up Harry. She came inside, wearing a bright smile, and Connor followed after her, their hands intertwined.

“Did you two have a nice time?” Ellie asked, immediately noticing the bright smile on her daughters face.

“Yes,” Cathy replied, sitting on the couch with Connor next to her. She shared a quick glance with him before turning back to her family. “We have something to tell you.”

Harry looked back and forth between the two, wondering just what they had to say. Whatever it was, it made his mum very happy, judging by the happy smile on her face.

“We’re getting married.”

Silence met this statement before Eleanor jumped to her feet excitedly. She pulled her daughter into a hug before doing the same to Connor.

“I knew something was up when you came home practically glowing with happiness,” Ellie remarked. “Congratulations by the way.” She turned to her husband. “Do you have anything to say Nick?”

Nicholas slowly got to his feet. He stared at his daughter’s fiancé for a moment. He slowly extended his hand to the other man. “Welcome to the family, Connor.”

The adults started talking about the upcoming wedding and Harry sat in shock on the couch. He couldn’t believe his mum was going to marry this guy. He knew they had been dating a while now, but he didn’t think it was that serious between the two. Did that mean Connor would be his new… dad?

Harry was lost in thought as someone sat down beside him. He looked up into the soft caring blue eyes belonging to Cathy.

“Harry? Are you okay with this?” she asked softly.

The boy took a deep breath. “Yeah. I think he is good for you,” he answered honestly. Connor did seem good for Cathy. He just wasn’t so sure how he’d get along with the man now though.

His adoptive mum smiled brighter, and he knew that his approval pleased her. She obviously loved Connor, and Harry was grateful that she took the time to ask his opinion. Cathy gave him a hug before standing up.

“We should be getting home since it is late,” she stated after looking at the clock.

Harry got to his feet and gathered his belongings before saying goodbye to his grandparents and following his mum out to the car. Connor had driven Cathy to the restaurant so he was the one who dropped them off at their home. Harry went to the front door and waited for his mum to unlock it but she wasn’t right behind him like the thought. He turned around and saw her kissing her fiancé goodbye. Being nine, he was naturally grossed out so he turned back to staring at the door and finally Cathy came up and unlocked it as Connor drove off.

Harry placed his belongings in his room and changed into his pajamas before crawling into bed. Cathy stopped by for her usual goodnight but Harry didn’t fall asleep right after that. He stayed awake for quite some time, thinking about everything that had happened today. His mum was engaged to a man that he didn’t particularly like, but he figured he could try once again to get along. Maybe Connor would be nicer since he’d probably be around a whole lot more now? Only time would tell.

Life at the McKinney household became hectic after the upcoming marriage was announced. Papers and notes were scattered everywhere around the house detailing parts of the wedding. The date had been set for a few weeks after Harry’s 10th birthday, on the afternoon of August 12th, 1990. In order for Cathy to get Harry involved in the wedding, she had asked Harry to be the ring bearer boy. Harry was very grateful to be included in the wedding and he even began to get excited for the event.

Connor had moved out of his apartment and into their house the following month after he proposed. Harry still wasn’t sure what to think about that. It took some getting used to seeing the man walk around the house all the time but Harry eventually grew used to it.

The relationship between Connor and Harry hadn’t changed either. They both tolerated each others presence when Cathy was around and ignored each other when she wasn’t. The man continued to shoo Harry away if Harry even attempted to try and talk with the man. Finally, one day after another attempt by Harry to just talk with him, the man snapped.

“Look,” he gritted out. “I don’t like kids. Okay? I don’t want to make any type of relationship between us. Cathy likes when we talk at the dinner table and that is as far as I go. Got it, boy? So stop bugging to me.”

Harry scrambled from his seat and dashed upstairs to his room. He threw himself on his bed and stayed there for a while thinking. He wasn’t going to try anymore, that was for sure. All these past attempts were for Cathy and partly for himself. He’d like a father-figure of his own, but this man would never be that person. So he stopped trying.

Harry’s 10th birthday came and went quickly. He was happy that, despite the wedding which was soon approaching, his mum still remembered his birthday. They had a small party at the house and his grandparents had come over as well. Together, they had watched movies, played a few games and just had a fun simple birthday party.

Finally the day of the wedding arrived. It was a beautiful sunny day and thankfully not too warm. The wedding started at eleven in the morning and everyone showed up bright and early.

Harry, who carried a small pillow with each of the rings on it, slowly walked up the isle as directed. He was wearing a little suit that fit him nicely and he looked positively adorable to the adults, who tended to constantly smile at the cute young boy. The remainder of the ceremony passed and before they Harry knew it, it was over.

The reception was filled with music, dancing and food. Harry lingered by the food table for the most part. It wasn’t like there were any kids his age to dance with, if he even wanted to. He watched as his mum smiled happily when she danced with her new…husband.

Connor really hadn’t been that bad lately, which Harry was grateful for. The man mostly worked and they continued to tolerate each other’s presence.

Harry looked up, when he felt a light tap on the shoulder. He stared up into the blue eyes belonging to his adoptive mum. She was really pretty today. Her dress fit her perfectly and the design looked wonderful on her.

“Would you care for a dance?” she asked, still smiling brightly.

“I-well, I don’t really know how to,” the ten-year-old admitted.

“That’s okay. Just try not to step on my feet, and you’ll do fine.” She grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor. Harry felt really short at his 4’4” height, compared to her 5’7”. After he got the hang of it, it was kind of fun dancing around with his mum. Luckily, he’d only stumbled on her feet once or twice.

After the reception was over, Cathy and Connor left for their honeymoon. They were driving to a place along the beach for a nice relaxing week. Harry would be staying with his grandparents in the mean time, which suited him just fine. He always loved spending time with them so it would be a nice week for Harry as well.

Harry was eating breakfast one morning a few weeks after the wedding and thinking about what he wanted to do for the day. Connor had to work today and Cathy would be home with him so maybe they’d do something fun together. Plans changed unfortunately when she was called into work after a colleague called in sick. What made that day even worse, was when Harry found out both of his grandparents were out of town for the weekend. The ten-year-old began to dread what he knew Cathy would suggest next, and sure enough, she did.

“Connor?” she asked, gaining the man’s attention from reading the paper. He looked up and smiled at her, which she returned. “Do you think it is possible you can bring Harry with you to work today?”

“Don’t you have a babysitter or someone else you can contact?” he suggested.

“I’ve never had need for one since my parents were always available. They’re out of town this weekend visiting a friend so I don’t have anyone else to leave him with. I can’t take him with me since I am due to interpret in court later this afternoon and he is too young to be left home alone,” she explained.

Connor thought for a minute before nodding. “I guess I can take him.” He turned to Harry. “Bring a book or something to amuse yourself until I get off at four.” Harry nodded his agreement and went back to eating his cereal. After he finished, he raced upstairs to get dressed and then he grabbed a book.

Driving with Connor was a quiet affair. The man had the radio on low and neither talked until they arrived at his office. It was a small building located on a quieter street off the busy Charing Cross Road. Connor entered the office and Harry trailed after him, clutching his book to his chest.

“You can sit here,” he indicated to the chair, “and make sure you don’t touch anything.” With that said, Connor busied himself with his paperwork. The ten-year-old opened his book and started reading, hoping that would pass the time. It worked for about an hour, but then he became bored. He looked around the office for a while and stared at the pretty much bare walls. The only things that were on the walls were some certificates and a single picture from the wedding.

Harry started fidgeting after he began to feel the need to use the bathroom. He didn’t want to disturb the other man so he sat there quietly until he couldn’t take it any longer.

“Is there a bathroom that I can use?” the boy asked quietly.

Connor looked up, gave an annoyed sigh, before setting down his pen. “Our bathroom is out of service right now. Since you can’t sit here without fidgeting, then why don’t you go wander? There are plenty of bookstores around here and I’m sure one of them has a bathroom.”

Harry paused for a minute. Wander? On his own? He didn’t want to get lost but then again, anything was better than sitting here for hours and hours. To a ten-year-old, that was like forever.

“Um… okay,” the boy agreed hesitantly.

“Good. Be back before four o’clock or else you’re walking home.”

Harry nodded and left the office. It wasn’t like this was the first time he had wandered London alone. He shuddered, not wanting to think about the times when he actually lived on the streets out here. The boy quickened his pace, intent on finding a bathroom first thing. Luckily enough, the first bookstore he came across had a public restroom. Afterwards while washing his hands, a thought came to him. He hadn’t really practiced changing lately so why not do it now? He stared at his reflection in the mirror and watched as his hair changed to match Cathy’s along with the rest of his facial features. It felt good to “wear” this face again so decided to leave it for the rest of the day.

For a while, he browsed through shelves, looking at various books until he got bored and decided to leave. He wandered for a while, entering some stores and skipping over others. Harry made sure to keep track of the time and exactly where the office was located so he wouldn’t get lost.

Harry glanced down once again to check his watch and noticed the time was going on three already. With his head down, he didn’t see where he was going and bumped into a large man. For a minute, he froze, thinking this guy was his Uncle Vernon. It took him a second to notice that this man looked nothing like his uncle, other than the fact that he was large. He muttered out a sorry and ducked into an alley to catch his breath. Why was it Vernon never stopped haunting him? He sighed wearily and leaned against the wall. After staying there for a while, he decided it was about time to head back. Before he exited the alley, he once again bumped into another person, causing this man to drop his jar, which shattered upon impact with the cement.

Harry looked up at the dark gaze belonging to the man standing before him. “I-I’m really sorry, sir.” The boy bent down and began picking up all the little squishy things. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were tiny eyes, belonging to a beetle perhaps? It was slightly disgusting, but Harry was determined to pick up all of it since he did make the man drop the jar in the first place.

Severus Snape had just completed his weekly apothecary trip when some foolish child ran into him, causing him to drop the jar of beetle eyes. He sneered at the kid, who muttered out apologies and bent down to retrieve the spilled contents. He watched as the boy swiftly gathered all the potion ingredients, without much thought. It appeared to be a muggle boy, judging by the lack of robes. It took him a moment to realize the boy hadn’t even become disgusted with handling such ingredients; they were rather squishy and disgusting but yet they were needed in many potions.

The pile in the boy’s hand was growing larger and there was no where to place them, so Severus pulled out a spare jar. As he tapped the boy on the shoulder, he noticed how the child flinched back and stared back at him with guarded eyes.

“Here,” the potions master grumbled as he shoved the jar towards the boy. The child grabbed the jar and dumped his handful of beetle eyes in it and continued to pick up the remainder of them.

Severus watched thoughtfully. This muggle child wasn’t like others he’d seen. They were always rowdy and rambunctious and just had too much energy. Now this child was calm and had immediately apologized for breaking the jar. Then the child had even begun to pick up the ingredients without waiting for a command to do so.

He was torn from his musings as the boy stood and held out the jar, which now contained all his beetle eyes in it.

“Here you go, sir.” Severus accepted the jar he was handed. “I’m sorry for running into you and causing the other jar to break.”

The potions master just brushed off the apology and inspected the ingredients to ensure they were not damaged. They were acceptable enough for his students to use.

“Sir, may I ask what you might use those beetle eyes in, if they are in fact beetle eyes?” the boy timidly asked.

Severus was surprised. This muggle boy could tell by just looking at them that they were beetle eyes. Some of his second and third year students couldn’t tell the beetle eyes apart from the Puffer-Fish eyes.

“They are indeed beetle eyes. I use them to make-” he paused, deciding whether it was safe or not to mention potions, “potions,” he concluded, figuring that he wasn’t likely to ever see this boy again so it wouldn’t matter anyways. The child might end up thinking he was some crazy guy anyways making up stories about brewing potions, which muggles only hear about in those silly little fairy tales.

“Oh,” the boy replied rather dumbly according to Severus. “Do you dice them up or grind them before adding them in?”

The potions master was once again shocked. This mere muggle was actually thinking about how one would add them in, unlike the rest of his students. The incompetent ones tended to toss the ingredient in, regardless of whether or not is should be diced, grinded minced and so on.

“It depends,” Severus replied as he studied the boy, who looked genuinely interested. “on what potion I am creating.”

“Do you make medicines? Like to help with a cold or the flu?”

“I do, but none require the use of beetle eyes,” the older man replied.

The boy looked like he was going to ask another question, when his watch beeped. The boy looked down at his wrist and paled significantly.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ve got to go,” the boy stuttered before he dashed away.

Severus looked at the boy’s retreating form and wondered just what made the boy retreat hastily. Even if he was nothing more than a muggle, Severus wanted to talk a bit further with the child. He seemed rather bright and asked intellectual questions, unlike the rest of the dunderheads he had the misfortune of teaching.

Severus just shook his head and sighed. The boy, whose name he never received, possibly had the potential to succeed in potions. If only he were a wizard…

Harry glanced down at his watch as it beeped and paled when he noticed it was already four o’clock. He was going to be late!

“I-I’m sorry. I’ve got to go,” Harry stuttered before he dashed away.

He weaved in and out of the crowds as he rushed to his destination. He wished he would have had more time to talk with the tall, but slightly scary bat-like man, since the possibility of potions intrigued him. The idea of creating something, such as medicine or potions, to help others fascinated him.

Harry stumbled to a stop in front of the office building and quickly glanced at his watch. He was about ten minutes late. He took a deep breath and concentrated on changing his face back to it's original form. He then steadied himself and slowly pushed open the door. Connor was sitting at his desk with a scowl on his face.

“You are late,” the man snapped as he got to his feet.

Harry held his ground as the man approached. He spoke softly, yet clearly, “I’m sorry-” he began before he was cut off.

Connor reached forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. The man leaned in close and said quietly, but harshly, “Don’t let it happen again.” He released his hold on the boy’s shirt and shoved him towards the door. “Get in the car.”

Harry grabbed his book from the chair he sat in earlier and exited the building. He climbed in the front seat and buckled up. He saw Connor lock up the building before getting in the car and driving them home.

Just before Harry opened the car door, a hand on his wrist caused him to stop. He slowly looked up and met Connor’s gaze.

“Don’t mention to Cathy your little excursion today,” he stated firmly and tightened the hold on the boy’s arm.

Harry nodded automatically. He didn’t think his mum would like that he was out wandering around London by himself anyways. He hadn’t planned to tell her anyways, especially since his day went much better without being stuck around Connor.

Harry jerked his arm away from Connor, quickly entered the house, and headed up to his room first thing. He stayed in there until he heard his mum arrive home. The boy went downstairs and greeted her.

“So how was your day with Connor?” She asked as she kicked off her shoes.

“Fine,” Harry replied with a quiet sigh. “Just fine.” If only that were true…