“What happened here? Harry! Wake up!” Severus shouted and tried to get over the whole mess towards his son, who woke up with a jolt.

“Dad! What are you doing here?” Harry asked, flabbergasted.

“I would appreciate if you could enlighten me as to what you are doing here, what happened here, and where we are,” Severus replied sternly.

“Dad, can I tell you another time, please? I’m starving,” Harry answered.

Knowing that Lily and their colleagues were worried about Harry, Severus agreed and asked Fawkes to flash them in front of the Great Hall.

“Where have you been?” Lily asked immediately when Severus and Harry approached the teachers’ table.

“Oh, sorry, I was asleep,” Harry answered innocently, and Severus nodded curtly.

“Are you feeling better?” Hermione asked worriedly.

“Yes, sorry, I’m fine now,” Harry replied automatically, absentmindedly thinking about why he had failed to do what he had intended to do.

-----

When Harry was in bed this evening, Lily came as usual and spoke with Harry for a while before she tucked him in and gave him a kiss.

“Good night, sweetie.”

“Good night, Mummy.”

“Are you still awake, Harry?” his father’s voice sounded into the room. I’d like to speak with you for a moment.

When Lily left the room, Severus sat down on the edge of Harry’s bed. He sighed, thinking about how easily frightened the boy was when he was scolded. “Harry,” he started to speak in a soft voice, trying not to let his son hear how angry he was. “You were very naughty today. Everyone is trying to help you and keep you safe. How could you sneak off like that, worrying everyone?”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Harry said quietly, trying to ignore the fact that his fingers were starting to shake.

“I’m sorry, too, Harry, but I’ll have to give you five spider points,” Severus told his son sternly.

“No!” Harry shouted, horrified. “Oh, please don’t, Daddy. I won’t do it again, I promise…” He slowly trailed off. As upset as he was, he knew that he couldn’t promise not to do it again as he definitely would sneak off again at the next chance.

“You don’t believe that yourself, do you?” his father asked angrily. “You snuck off although you knew very well what the consequences would be.” He pointed his wand at the Hourglass, and the spider hungrily started fawning over his new marbles.

Harry burst out in tears. Severus, determined to remain firm, chided, “I suggest you think hard about the consequences next time you consider doing something you know you should not,” Harry tried to nod and Severus, satisfied Harry had gotten his point, softened his tone a bit, “Now, Harry, it’s not the end of the world, and you can either try to get new phoenix points in order to vanish the spider points or you come to my lab tomorrow after lunch to scrub cauldrons, and then the spider points will be gone as well.” Severus pulled his son in a hug, holding him until the tears stopped running down the small cheeks.

“Harry, I still need an explanation what that room was and what you were doing there,” Severus said softly, black eyes searching green ones.

Harry sighed deeply. Those were both his secrets, which he really didn’t want to spill, at least not yet. ‘But whom can I speak to if not to my father? He’s the person I have the most confidence in, isn’t he? Maybe it would even be good to have someone to confide in,’ a small voice at the back of his mind spoke up. Biting his lower lip, Harry sat up again and slowly averted his eyes to meet his father’s.

“Daddy,” he slowly started to speak, waving his hand to throw a Silencing Charm around them. “Can you promise me that you won’t talk about it to anyone? Not even to Mummy?”

‘Oh my… What can he be doing that has to be so secret? But anyhow, it’s better that I know than nobody knows, and Harry is a good boy, who normally behaves very reasonably. And if he trusts me with this, I shall have enough confidence in him to promise secrecy, but…’ Severus thought.

“Yes, son, I promise to keep your secret,” he answered softly.

“All right,” Harry began to explain hesitantly. “I’m trying to build a computer.”

“A computer?” Severus asked confused. “Isn’t that a Muggle thing?” That was the last thing he had expected.

“Yes, it’s a Muggle thing but I wanted to do a bit of research. I’ve read at least twenty books about it and it seems to be really interesting. I’ve tried to build one after reading a bit about it but I’m obviously too stupid.”

“No, you’re not stupid,” Severus said firmly. “Are you sure that you have to build that by yourself? Is it not something you could buy in a Muggle shop?”

“As far as I know you can buy it but I don’t know how expensive it is, and I don’t have any money either.”

Severus let out a small laugh. “Don’t you remember from being grown up that you have a full vault of galleons?”

Large green eyes were looking at him. “No, I didn’t know that,” Harry replied solemnly.

“All right, Harry. I can offer you a trip into Muggle London as soon as the summer holidays start next week. We can find somewhere to buy a computer and see how much it costs. However, are you sure it will work here in the magical world? Don’t you need electricity for that?”

“Yes, Daddy, normally you need electrical power, but I want to try to adapt it to magic, so that it works by magic instead of electricity. Thanks for offering to take me to Muggle London. I really appreciate it.”

Severus stared at his son in awe. “Very well, I shall try to help you whenever you need my help. However, I think it would be prudent to let your mother in on this project. Otherwise she will always wonder where you are and what you’re doing. It will be much easier for all of us if she knows.”

“All right, Daddy, I will tell Mummy sometime then. But she has to promise not to speak to anyone about it.”

“All right, now care to explain what the place was where I found you this evening?”

Harry hesitantly explained that he had found this room accidentally but that he didn’t want others to know about it.

“Fawkes?” he then addressed his familiar, who lazily lifted his head from his plume. “You know you said as soon as the Headmistress knows about the House, everyone can know. How about the Deputy Headmaster?”

Fawkes let out a giggling trill. #As long as the Headmistress doesn’t know about it it’s all right.#

“All right, thank you, Fawkes,” Harry said relieved and proceeded to tell his father about the fifth House that he had discovered.

-----

On Saturday, Severus and Harry went to Hogsmeade together to send the students off with the Hogwarts Express. On one hand, Harry was sad not to be able to see his friends during the next ten weeks; on the other hand he was glad to have more time for his research and for a project that his father intended to start. Harry didn’t know what kind of project it was; Severus had only said that Harry was good enough at brewing Healing Potions so that they could start a very difficult and probably very lengthy research together.

The Hogwarts Express was still pulling out of the station when Severus asked, “Harry, do you have an idea where we can find a shop selling computers? I know the largest bookstores in London of course, but I don’t know anything about computer shops.” Somehow, Severus felt incredibly stupid asking his eight-year-old son such a question.

Harry remained pensive while he followed the train with his eyes. “You know they have kiosks in the Muggle world selling magazines and newspapers, right? Maybe we can buy a magazine about computers and look at the advertisements inside? I remember that Dudley always had magazines but I was never allowed to read them,” he added solemnly.

“That, Harry, is a good idea. Shall we just Apparate to Muggle London and have a look?” Severus suggested and when Harry agreed eagerly, he pulled his son in an embrace and Apparated them straight behind the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry and Severus walked through the Leaky Cauldron and into Muggle London. After a few minutes’ walk they spotted a small magazine shop and went in, surprised about the number of computer magazines that were sold here. “I have enough Muggle money with me, so you may choose two magazines,” Severus whispered to Harry and helped him to select two that held many advertisements including the addresses of shops. He also bought a Muggle map of London. Finally, they left the kiosk and Severus Apparated them back to Hogsmeade immediately.

During the rest of the day, Harry studied the two magazines, finally deciding where they could look for a computer and that he wanted to buy a notebook.

On Monday morning, Harry and Severus Flooed to Diagon Alley and after a short trip to Gringotts where Severus helped Harry to gather enough Galleons for the notebook and change them into Muggle money, the two Snapes headed for the shop Harry had chosen to go. Two hours and a lot of instructions later, Harry followed his father back to Diagon Alley, a rucksack containing his new notebook on his back.

While the two Snapes were walking back toward the gate to London’s magical world, they discovered an Internet café only fifty meters from the Leaky Cauldron. “Oh, Daddy, can we go in there and try it out please?” Harry begged his father, who finally relented, knowing that Harry wouldn’t be able to use his notebook at Hogwarts until he found a solution to make it work with magic instead of electricity.

Harry plugged in his notebook, which automatically connected to the Internet and started the Google search engine. He put in ‘Magic’ and followed a few of the links the page provided. “This is not satisfying,” Severus sneered. “May I?”

When Harry agreed, Severus typed in the names of certain Potions ingredients of which he was sure they had to be known in the Muggle world as well, and it was like an open invitation in a sweet shop to a child. An hour later, during which Harry had drunk two cups of cocoa, watching his father amusedly, the boy hesitantly asked, “Dad?”

Severus nearly jumped, startled before his mind turned back to reality. “Harry, this is extremely rewarding,” he stated. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to come back here every second day during the holidays in order to do some research.”

“No problem, Daddy,” Harry replied, grinning.

-----

When Severus and Harry were back at Hogwarts, Severus explained to Harry what he wanted to research. He carefully described the existing Potion he wanted to improve.

“Are you interested in helping me with this, Harry?” Severus finally asked and when Harry gave him an enthusiastic nod he admonished him, “Then you had better take notes about the ingredients.”

Severus’ monologue about each single ingredient lasted for more than two hours, and in the meantime Harry had filled twenty pieces of parchment.

“All right, Harry. I expect you to study your notes intensively; I will quiz you about the ingredients the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, we shall brew this potion together in the normal way as you have to learn this first before we can start researching on an improvement. After your quiz, I’d like to go to the Internet café once more to do some research on the internet. As I told you, many of the ingredients involved are also used in the Muggle world. Therefore, I hope to acquire certain hints and ideas from the use of the ingredients in Muggle medicine.”

“All right, Daddy. Shall I accompany you, or would you prefer going alone?”

Severus gave his son a confused look. “You want to assist in this project, don’t you? Then you should feel yourself involved in this research as much as possible. By the way, Harry, do you know if the Muggles have a method to get their notes they make on the computer on a parchment?”

Harry smiled. “Yes, the notebook actually has a small built-in printer. I can show you when we return to my room. You only have to activate it, and then you’ll have access to a flap where you can insert paper to print whatever you want. Finally, you push the ‘print’ button.”

“Ah, all right. In that case, we shouldn’t forget to print everything out while we are able to do so. By the way, don’t you think you should ask your mother to assist in your research of trying to operate your notebook with magic? You know that she is the best at Charms, don’t you?”

“Yes, Daddy, I know. It’s just… I mean… I know it’s already eleven months since Mummy came back, but I’m still not used to having a Mummy and to confide in her with everything. You and even Aunt Poppy and Hermione and Luna are still closer to me. I know it’s a horrible thing to say, I love Mummy a lot, and I’m glad to have her back, but…” He slowly trailed off.

“It’s all right, Harry,” Severus said calmingly, putting an arm around the child’s back. “This conversation is only between you and I, son, all right?”

Harry gave his father a grateful nod. “Yes, thanks, Daddy.”

During the next twenty-four hours, Harry didn’t have any time to think about the question if he should tell his mother about his notebook. Severus had kept to his promise and had not told Lily anything. He had just explained to her that they went to Muggle London to do some research and that they intended to repeat this every second day.

Lily didn’t really mind as she wanted to use as much time as possible to prepare for the next school year. The first year as a teacher and as a Head of House as well as a mother to a seven-year-old boy with a tragic first childhood had taken a lot out of her. Only because of Harry’s help, who graded homework, essays, and tests of the younger three classes for her, had she managed to get through the school year relatively comfortably. However, Lily felt sorry for her son, thinking that he was still a child and should enjoy his time playing rather than helping his mother with her work.

During dinner the next evening, Harry hesitantly turned to Severus. “Daddy, do you think we could do the test tonight? I think I’m quite firm with the ingredients and would prefer to be over with it.” Noticing that the teachers around them either grinned like Hermione or glared at his father like Minerva and Poppy, he asked, “Sorry, did I say something stupid?”

“No, my sweetie, you didn’t. They are only impressed how studious you are,” Lily explained calmingly, frowning at her colleagues.

“If you are sure that you prefer to do the test tonight, I am agreeable,” Severus answered as if he was talking to one of his students, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, please, Daddy,” Harry said quietly.

Two hours later, Harry had finished his test to his father’s contentment and went to bed very relieved.

-----

In the morning, Harry woke up with a lot of memories of the Dursleys and a completely sore body. He wasn’t even able to drag himself out of his bed. When Lily came to wake him up for breakfast, astonished that Harry wasn’t up yet as he normally was the first to be up and about in the morning, Harry only said, “Sorry, Mummy, I don’t feel good. Can you get Daddy for me, please?”

“What’s wrong, sweetie? Are you sure Daddy will be able to help you?” Lily asked worried.

“Yes, I’ve had it before; it has to do with my first childhood,” Harry replied quietly, and Lily hurried to get Severus.

“How did you get these injuries, Harry?” Severus asked sternly after waving his wand at the child.

“Uncle Vernon,” Harry mumbled, playing with his bed cover. “Can you heal me or call Aunt Poppy, Dad?”

“I have to call Aunt Poppy, Harry; these injuries are too serious for me to help you.” Two minutes later, Severus returned with Poppy in tow.

Poppy checked on Harry and fed him several disgusting potions before she ordered him to stay in bed for the day. “You’ll probably be sore for a few days, sweetie, but we can give you Pain Relieving Potions anytime.”

“All right, thanks, Poppy,” Harry replied before he drifted off and his breathing evened.

While Harry was asleep, Severus carefully explained to Lily what had happened to Harry during his childhood at the Dursleys. Finally, after sobbing for half an hour, Lily was so enraged that she promised, “Petunia is going to hear from me!”

-----

On the next day, Harry resumed his research together with his father. During the next weeks, they did a lot of research. Every second morning, they checked several ingredients on the Internet, and every other morning, they occupied themselves in the Hogwarts library. Afterwards, Harry and Severus talked about their findings and decided how to try to alternate the original potion.

The afternoon was spent in Severus’ private lab, where they tried to brew slightly different versions from the original potion. It always took two afternoons to brew one potion completely as the potion had to simmer for a long time before they could finish it.

To Harry’s chagrin, he wasn’t allowed to do any more practical or theoretical research after dinner. Poppy had again talked to her colleagues complaining that Harry was too pale and worked too much. Therefore, the teachers had decided to take turns taking Harry outside to fly, walk, or play during the evening.

Harry enjoyed the evenings very much; however, he was a bit sad not to have the least bit of time for his computer studies. A month after he had bought his notebook he still didn’t have a clue how to get it to work at Hogwarts. However, he knew that the research he was doing together with his father was far more important as they could help many people if they succeeded. Working together with Severus, he was very confident that they would be able to reach their aim sometime in the future.

During the first two weeks of the holidays, Harry had only been allowed to prepare the ingredients under Severus’ watchful eyes while the older man brewed the potion at the same time. As soon as Severus saw that Harry could prepare the ingredients flawlessly he had allowed Harry to brew the difficult potion. After two weeks of brewing, Harry could do it perfectly even if each potion was slightly different from the others. Therefore, Severus had gone over to occupying himself by brewing another version at the same time. Brewing at the table next to Harry’s he was still able to keep an eye on his son, ensuring that he didn’t make any mistakes, which could be dangerous.

One day at the end of July Harry had just started to cut the first ingredients when Severus said, “Tomorrow we will pay the Minister of Magic a short visit as we are in need of persons who can test the different samples we have already brewed. I don’t think that we’ve already found what we’re looking for but if we don’t test the Potions we won’t know. I have already asked Tom and received his consent to use Riddle Manor to accommodate the test persons for two days while Tom and I will watch them in order to see if your Potion has any effect. Would you be willing to accompany me to the Ministry?”

Harry gave his father an unsure glance. “I don’t mind, Daddy, it’s up to you if you prefer to go alone or with me.”

“All right, in that case I shall ask Minerva to Floo-call her old friend Scrimgeour and arrange an appointment for us for tomorrow morning. Now let’s get to work.”

Harry gave his father a short nod and concentrated on his ingredients. Nearly four hours later he had only to stir the potion eleven times counter-clockwise and eighteen and a half times clockwise to finish the potion when he suddenly gripped his head and moaned in agony. Fortunately, Severus had already finished his own potion and took over from Harry immediately, motioning the child to sit down for two minutes until he could tend to him.

“Is it your scar?” Severus asked horrified, silently counting while stirring the potion.

“Yes,” Harry confirmed.