Once they had reached the manor, Severus led Draco into the den and sat him down on the couch. Harry hung back, uncertain if he should intrude, sensing his brother needed to be alone with Severus right then. So he lingered in the doorway while Severus tried to convince Draco to let him examine his face.

"Dragon, let me see what she did to you, please," Severus was saying gently. "The bloody bitch hit you pretty hard, now let me see how bad it is."

Draco hunched away, stubbornly holding his palm against his face. "I'm fine! I don't care about it, Uncle Sev."

"Well, I do care, son. I don't like to see you hurt. Now take your hand away, Draco Michael, and let me examine you, right now." Severus ordered in a no-nonsense tone. He gently turned the boy's head around, so Draco was facing him, and reached up and tugged the boy's palm from his face, revealing a swollen bruised cheek and a ragged cut across his face and upper lip that was dripping blood.

Harry winced and Severus swore furiously. Then the Potions Master summoned a jar of bruise balm, a soft cloth, ice, and a basin of water. "Stay still, please. I apologize if I hurt you, but I need to clean this before I put anything on it."

He began to gently clean the blood from Draco's lip and cheek. The blond apprentice remained still, not even wincing when Severus put pressure on the wet cloth over his lip to halt the bleeding. In truth, he barely felt the pain of his cut and bruised face through the greater pain from his wounded soul. Narcissa's words still rang in his head, sharp as glass and twice as deadly. Would that you had never been born! You are nothing but a disgrace . . .You are no son of mine! Her scourging words were joined by those of Lucius's. Traitor, you betrayed me for Snape! Ungrateful whelp!

"There. Hold the ice on your lip and cheek for ten minutes, that should numb the pain and bring the swelling down slightly," Severus instructed, handing Draco a towel with ice inside of it.

Draco took it and obeyed, wishing he had something to numb the awful pain inside of his heart. He had longed to be free of his parents' dangerous dreams and machinations all of his life, and now he was, but he hadn't expected it to hurt this much. He felt as if his mother had reached into his chest and torn out part of his heart with her cruel unfeeling words.

Severus sat silently beside him, inwardly cursing Narcissa to the fiery depths of the ninth circle of hell. He could not comprehend how anyone could speak such unforgivable words to their child, especially a child who had courage enough to turn his back upon the lure of darkness and embrace the light. Miserable cowardly bitching harpy, he's worth ten of you and your husband combined! And you would disown him and wish him dead for being better than you ever could be? I should have hexed your tongue out!

He patted Draco's shoulder comfortingly, searching for the right words to ease the turmoil he knew was tearing the younger wizard apart. "Dragon, you did the right thing," he began softly. "You made the right choice, the hard choice, and I'm proud of you, son. I know how difficult it was for you, but you did it, and I don't think you'll ever regret it."

Gray eyes gazed into obsidian ones, and a hoarse whisper emerged from the side of his son's mouth. "If it was the right thing . . .and I know it was . . .then why the hell does it hurt so bloody much?" Tears gleamed in the gray eyes and meandered slowly down the pale cheeks. "She . . .said she didn't want me . . .!"

"Shhh . . .she was a fool and doesn't deserve you, Dragon," Severus said feelingly. "Ignore her, the jealous bitch. You have me and Harry, we're you're family now, and we'll never cast you out, no matter what. You're my son, not hers. Come here." He drew the injured child into his arms, cradling him against his black-clad shoulder. "It's all right, dragonet. You've nothing to be ashamed of. The right path is never the easy one, it hurts like a son-of-a-bitch, no one knows that better than I do." He began to stroke the blond head, running his fingers through the silky locks and the soothing motion caused a tremor to wrack the slender frame. "Yes, go ahead and cry, child . . .no one will mock you here for tears, I'm no Lucius . . ." Hot tears dribbled down his neck in rivulets as he hugged Draco to him, rubbing the back of his neck soothingly.

Soon the tears were accompanied by soft sobs, as Draco at last allowed himself the release of tears, and cried all of his pain and shame away into his father's shoulder. The Potions Master never moved, remaining steady as a rock, holding the slender boy to his chest, and giving him the comfort he so badly needed, had always needed, but had never dared to look for from anyone. Until now.

Harry turned away, embarrassed at witnessing such a private moment, and jerked up the hood of his cloak and slipped past the two on the couch, heading towards his room. The drama of the trial had worn him out and he felt like taking a short nap. Then he would try and finish the bloody History of Magic assignment Severus had given him, it was the last one before the exam Severus had made up for him, that he had practically failed in Binns class. And after that, he would see if Draco were recovered enough to go flying with him, since flying had always made him feel better when he was upset over something.

Harry removed the Invisibility Cloak and hung it in the closet before flopping down on his bed and closing his eyes. For some reason, he kept hearing Draco's voice in his head, telling him how lucky he was to have a decent father, instead of the henchmen from hell. And how lucky I was to have Lily for a mum and not a harpy like Narcissa, he thought, wincing as he recalled the stricken look on Draco's face when she had told him that he was no longer her son. What the hell kind of mother tells her kid that? He wondered angrily, thinking of how Lily had died for him. She never would have spoken those words to her son, no matter what he had done. Harry was certain of it. Poor Draco. At least I knew my mother loved me.

Harry yawned, allowing himself to slide into the realm of sleep, hoping that his brother could find some comfort with Severus, who seemed to understand him best.

* * * * * * *

When Harry awoke some two hours later, he was quite hungry, none of them had eaten much for breakfast before the trial. When he went into the kitchen to fix himself a bite to eat, however, he found Severus there as well. Apparently, both Snapes had had the same idea and Harry joined his father in fixing himself a sandwich and some soup.

As he sat down at the table to eat next to the Potions Master, he looked about for Draco. "Where's Draco, Dad? Asleep?"

Severus sighed. "No, he woke up about an hour ago and went flying." Severus had relented and given back Harry his broom so he could practice Quidditch and also Draco, since it would hardly be fair not to let Draco practice as well, since he was the Slytherin House Seeker. "Would you please go and find him after you're done with lunch, Harry? I know he wanted to be alone after what happened this morning, but I think it might be a good thing if you went and kept him company for the afternoon."

Harry nodded. Then he asked, as an awful thought surfaced, "You don't think he'd ever . . .uh . . .off himself, do you?"

Severus stared at his offspring for a full minute before shaking his head. "No. Draco is not suicidal, Harry. Believe me, I would know that, for I have dealt with potential suicides before, during school. He is upset and angry at Narcissa and Lucius, and a bit depressed, but he is nowhere near contemplating suicide. I was afraid of that also, but I have Smidgen monitoring his mental state and she assures me he is not that depressed. His self-esteem and his pride have taken quite a beating today, however, and I think he would welcome a brother to talk to."

"Okay, Dad. I can take a hint, I'm not dense," Harry smirked. "I'll go find him and commiserate with him on how awful it is getting stuck in this family, with the perfectionist Potions Master for a father. Fate worse than death, that." He glanced up at his father, his emerald eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Fate worse than death, eh?" Severus mock-growled, reaching over and giving his impudent brat of a child a light cuff on the side of the head. "Mind your manners, boy, else I'll make you beat all the rugs in this manor by hand and scrub the floor too."

"Oops. I forgot the slavedriver part."

"Boy, you are just asking for me to tan your backside with a wooden spoon," Severus threatened lightly, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

"For what? Telling the truth? You promised you'd never beat me, Dad." Harry pouted.

"A swat or two with a spoon is not a beating, foolish child. Merely a very pointed object lesson. And you are not telling the truth, Harry. You forgot the part where the perfectionist slavedriver gave you back your broom a week early, and may, if he happens to see an attitude adjustment in his two sons, let you off the rest of your punishment chores as well."

"Seriously?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Uh . . .no. Forget what I said before, okay? You're the best dad ever and I worship you, sir." He pretended to kowtow to Severus, who rolled his eyes at his dramatics.

"Quit it, you overdramatic brat," Severus ordered, laughing. "Go and find your brother, Harry."

"Sir, yes, sir." Harry saluted him, then ran away laughing, before Severus could give him a swat for his sass. He left the remainder of his sandwich and his soup upon the table, and Severus just shook his head and placed a preserving charm upon it, so it would be fresh when Harry returned to the manor after talking with Draco.

Once outside, Harry summoned his Firebolt and was just about to mount it, when Smidgen appeared in the air before him. "Hi, Smidgen! Great day to go flying, isn't it?"

:Indeed, young Snape. If you are looking for Draco, he is down by the pond.:

"How'd you know . . .?" he didn't finish that sentence. "Never mind, of course you'd know, you can read minds."

:Say rather I can hear thoughts,: the midnight shimmerling corrected with a flip of her tail.

"What's the difference?"

:A great deal, if one is a telepath. Hearing thoughts only require you to lower your shields and ‘listen' to the thoughts projected around you. It is a non-aggressive form of mindspeaking. Reading minds, however, requires that you enter another's thoughts, usually without permission, to extract information, and it is aggressive and invasive. It is not something I would do unless absolutely necessary, Harry. There is no greater fanatic about privacy than a telepath.:

"Oh. I get it now. My mistake, sorry."

:You've no need to apologize to me, youngling. It was an honest mistake.: she said, her violet eyes glittering. She flew higher, her pretty butterfly-like wings bearing her aloft with ease. :Come, shall we go pay a visit to Draco and try to . . .cheer him up, as you humans say?:

"Yeah. Think you can keep up with me, Smidgen?" he challenged.

:I can outfly any wizard ever born, no matter what kind of broom they're riding.: declared the shimmerling.

"Let's test that theory, shall we?" Harry said, than kicked off and the Firebolt shot skyward in a blur.

Harry crouched over his broom, the wind singing in his ears, intoxicated by the sheer joy of flying. He glanced about for the shimmerling, expecting to see a tiny cat hovering just above the trees. Instead he spotted the small black creature some five yards ahead of him, and he blinked and redoubled his efforts to catch the elusive fae creature.

But Smidgen proved herself just as good at flying as she had said, turning and blinking in and out at lightning speed, reminding Harry a little of the Snitch. He played tag with the dreamweaver across the sky, trying his best to catch her, but the clever fae cat refused to be caught, and finally they were above the pond and Harry had to surrender.

:You gave it a good try though, Harry. Draco's down there.: She flicked her wing downward, where the Slytherin sat with his back against a convenient willow, idly fishing with a homemade pole and a thread from his robe and a caterpillar tied on the end of a bent pin. His Nimbus 2001 rested next to him.

Harry circled the pond and then glided down for a silent landing behind his brother. He cleared his throat and Draco nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Merlin, Harry! Don't sneak up on me that way. I almost fell into the pond," he scolded.

"Can't have that, now can we?" Harry grinned, then came to sit down beside Draco. "Get a bite yet?"

"No. But they're out there." Draco jiggled his line a little. He loved to fish, an activity that required a great deal of patience, but was very rewarding and fun. Lately, he'd been on a fishing spree, and usually brought home trout, chubbs, or a bass every other night, and they feasted on fresh-caught fish prepared in a variety of ways.

A moment later, there was a tug on the line, and Draco began to gently tease the fish into the shallows. "See? Told you."

Harry remained quiet, watching Draco play the trout, for it was a large rainbow-sided one, expertly until it was out of the water.

Draco tapped the fish hard against the willow, killing it, then he stuck it inside a small mesh bag tied to one of the willow's roots. "Not bad, about seven pounds. One more like that and we can have ourselves a fish fry."

"Sounds good. Where'd you learn to fish like that?"

"Uncle Sev, where else? When I stayed with him during the summer, he always took me fishing, ‘cause he knew I really loved it. My father would have thrown a hissy fit if he'd known that his heir was participating in a Muggle sport and loving it, but we never told him." Draco sighed, leaning back slightly against the willow. "He never knew a lot of things we did. If he had . . .I'd probably still not be able to sit down."

"Why would he punish you over a little thing like fishing? Or whatever else you did?"

"Because I was allowing Muggle ways to influence me," Draco replied bitterly. "That's like one of the seven deadly sins to a Death Eater. Father believed the only things a Muggle was good for was providing his inner circle with some fun and giving them a target for their rage. To him, they were lower than beasts. And the only thing a beast is good for is target practice."

"That's just so . . .twisted and wrong."

"Mmm . . .well, he's a twisted bugger, all right. I'm glad I can still live with Uncle Sev. He said I was always welcome here."

Harry was quiet for a minute. "He's right. You belong here."

Draco lifted his eyes from the pond and turned to look at Harry. "Never thought I'd see the day when you'd say that."

"Me either. But . . .things are different now."

"Why? Because my mother's a classic bitch and rejected me in front of everyone?" Draco demanded sharply. "I don't need you to feel sorry for me, Harry."

"I'm not. I feel sorry for me, stuck with a touchy pain-in-the-arse brother for life."

"Oh, yeah? Look what I get stuck with. A risk-taking heroic imbecile of a brother who's guaranteed to get me in trouble for life." Draco returned.

"Poor baby. Would you rather be living at Malfoy Manor then?"

"No. It's not safe there right now. And . . .it's got too many bad memories for me. Maybe one day . . .when I'm of age, I'll return there and set it to rights, clear out all of Father's old stuff and Mother's too and make it mine again. But for now . . .this is my home, little brother."

Harry scowled. "Will you stop calling me that?"

"Why? It's true. I'm older and bigger than you, Harry."

"Only by three months and half a head!"

"So? You're still littler than me, kid."

"I might be smaller, but I can still outfly you, Draco."

"Uh huh," snorted the other, reeling in another trout. "In your dreams."

Harry was about to retort to that, but then he caught sight of Draco's right cheek, the one Narcissa had struck, and saw that though the damage had been mended, Draco now bore a jagged scar on his face. "Holy Merlin! Your face!"

"What? Did I suddenly grow tusks?"

"No . . .but you've . . .a scar across your cheek. Kind of like mine, only not as famous."

"Like I'd want to be famous." Draco rolled his eyes. He reached up a hand to rub the scar absently. "Uncle Sev says I could hide it with a Glamour Charm, but I don't want to. I want people to see what she did, the wicked bitch. She disowned me as her son, so I'm disowning her as my mother. Let her rot in Azkaban for all I care. Who needs her? Not me."

Harry said nothing, simply let Draco rant, sensing this was what he needed.

After a few minutes, Draco muttered, "Guess it's true, what they say. You can choose your friends but not your relatives."

"Not quite. Dad chose you to be my brother."

"And?"

"And it was the right choice." Harry admitted. "For better or worse, you're an honorary Snape. And my big brother, Merlin help me!"

"You need a lot more than just Merlin's help."

"Look who's talking."

"Watch the mouth, kid. Or else," Draco warned playfully.

"Or else what?"

"Or else your big brother here's gonna kick your arse."

"Right. You and what army?"

"I don't need an army, when I can do this." Draco smirked, then he pulled out his wand and cast a Tickling Hex at Harry before the other knew what he was about.

The next second Harry was rolling about on the ground, helpless with laughter. "Ah-hahaha! Okay . . .hahaha . . .I'll behave . . .promise . . .take the spell off . . .Draco, please . . ." He writhed on the ground, snickering uncontrollably as ghostly fingers tickled him in every place imaginable. He was reduced to begging after three minutes. "C'mon . . .before I pee my pants . . ." Another round of giggles followed.

"You gonna behave?" Draco waved a finger in front of Harry's nose.

"Yes! Yes! Draco, have . . .mercy!"

"What for?" he inquired impishly, smirking at the sight of his brother wriggling and howling uncontrollably.

"Dra-a-co! . . . .PL-E-E-A-S-E . . .!"

"All right, guess you've learned your lesson," and he canceled the spell with a flick of his wand.

Harry, whose skin was now ultra-sensitive to the touch, continued to squirm about even after the spell was off for a few minutes. "You are . . .evil, Draco!" he sputtered when he could talk without giggling.

"Yeah, yeah. So's every big brother, so better just get used to it."

"How would you know?"

"I've seen what the Weasley twins do to Ron when they're pissed at him," answered Draco with a sly smirk.

So had Harry. "You'd better not get any ideas . . .otherwise I'll . . ." he groped about for a suitable threat, but his mind drew a blank and all he could think of was, "I'll tell Dad."

Draco burst out laughing. "Typical, go running to Dad and whine about how mean Draco is. You're perfect, Harry, since all little brothers are tattletales."

"I am not!" replied Harry indignantly. Then he realized something else. "Hey, you called Severus ‘dad'."

"Yeah, guess I did." Draco answered swiftly. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"No . . .it's just . . .I've never heard you call him that before and it sounds a little weird." Harry explained awkwardly.

"D'you want me to stop?"

"No, of course not! You're my brother, Draco, then you have to call my father "Dad", because that's how its done. Don't you know anything?"

"I know way more than you, baby brother," taunted Draco.

"Ohhh, no! You are NOT calling me that! No bloody way!"

"I just did." Draco put the fishing pole on the ground and picked up his Nimbus. "C'mon, baby brother. Come and get me." He jumped on his broom and was off in the sky in two seconds.

Harry mounted his Firebolt and took off, a determined look upon his face. He chased Draco all across the sky, nearly catching the elusive Slytherin a number of times, until they were both breathless. Then Harry revealed the fact that Severus had said they might be let off their punishment chores early and Draco let out a whoop. "Saints and serpents! How'd you con him into that, Harry?"

"Easy. I just pretended I was you." Draco made a face at him. "Only kidding. I didn't do anything, he thought of it himself."

"Wicked. Y'know, Harry, we really ought to give him Phantom now." Draco reminded him. "They're flying all over now and I think they're ready for their new homes."

He indicated the large oak tree, where some of the fledglings were now perched. They all had their flight primaries now and could fly longer and longer distances. Draco and Harry had begun teaching them to come when they whistled and to perch upon their shoulder or wrist without digging their claws into them. The owlets were very smart and learned quickly, though as yet they hadn't mastered carrying the mail. But they could handle scraps of parchment in their beaks and Harry was sure that in a week or two they would be bigger and stronger and able to handle envelopes and small packages.

Of the four, Phantom was the quietest and most graceful flyer. Frost was the quickest, being the smallest. Athena was the smartest, learning new behaviors the fastest. "She's definitely the one for Hermione," Draco said, pleased with his choice. And Zephyr was also a good flyer, and the most affectionate of the brood, he liked to snuggle on your shoulder.

"When d'you want to give him Phantom?" asked Harry, grinning as the fledglings came to fly about them in lazy circles.

"After supper, of course. Speaking of supper . . .Merlin, I nearly forgot the fish!" Draco cried, and summoned the mesh bag with the fish in it from the pond. "Yum! Fried trout! It's like food of the gods."

"What were you, fish deprived or something growing up?" Harry teased, though he loved fried trout too.

"No, but we never had fresh fish, just whatever one of the house elves cooked and there is nothing that tastes half so good as freshly caught fried trout." Draco sighed in bliss.

"And you're going to clean them this time," Harry reminded, for last time Draco had gone fishing, it had been Harry's turn to cook dinner and he'd ended up having to clean the fish and cook them.

"Fine." Draco pointed his wand and spoke a charm and the next thing Harry saw were two perfectly filleted trout, skinned, de-boned, and gutted. The heads and entrails were in a neat heap on the ground, at least until Hedwig's brood spotted them and flew down to eat with glad cries.

"Where'd you learn that spell?"

"A cookbook in the library," said his brother smugly. "I was looking for some new fish recipes and came across that instead. You really ought to learn it, Harry. It's a real time saver."

"Smug twit!"

Draco smirked. "Slytherin ingenuity. If you don't know it, research, and if that doesn't work, you invent it."

Harry sniffed. "I prefer the Gryffindor way. If you don't know, find someone who does and ask them."

"Whatever." The other boy shrugged, then headed for the manor, anxious to batter the fish and eat them.

* * * * * *

While Draco cooked, Harry ate the remainder of his sandwich and soup, for he was starving. In addition to the fish, Draco had also made some fresh string beans, grown in the vegetable garden, and a side of buttered noodles. By now, he was a competent cook, thanks to Severus and Harry's tutoring.

After rinsing out his bowl and spoon, Harry then set the table, using his magic to levitate the plates and silverware to the table, since it was fun to play about like that, and Severus didn't mind so long as he wasn't in trouble. That was another wonderful thing about living in Prince Manor, no Ministry official could tell if an underage wizard was using magic, since the Evermist blocked any trace spell. Of course, with Severus to monitor them, they didn't really need a Ministry official, Harry reflected wryly.

"Magic, Mr. Snape?" inquired his father silkily from behind him. Harry jumped about a foot. "Is there something wrong with your hands?"

"Uh, no, but you said that we were off punishment, sir."

"I said you may be off your punishment if I saw an attitude adjustment, not that you were," Severus corrected, frowning.

Uh, oh, Draco thought, turning away from the stove. Big mistake, little brother. Never assume with Severus Snape. Time for me to save your arse again. "You let us off our punishment early, sir?" He gave Severus a huge grin of delight, which was not feigned. "Thanks, you're the best, Dad!"

"Not quite, Draco. Your brother merely assumed I . . .did you just call me Dad?"

"Uh, yeah. I've wanted to for awhile now, but I had to make sure it was okay with Harry first," Draco explained, then he turned back to his fish, a pleased smirk on his face. There, little brother! A distraction.

Severus looked at his other son, astonished. "And I assume you don't mind Draco calling me Dad?"

"Nope. After all, he is my brother," answered Harry.

Severus found his mouth quirking up into a huge smile. "Finally! I was afraid you were never going to acknowledge that little fact, either of you. Congratulations. You are now officially off your punishment chores."

And the next sound that was heard in the kitchen was the sound of two teenage boys hollering in glee.

Until Severus said, "Draco, your fish are burning."

"Ahh! Damn!" the would-be chef yelped and raced to the stove to rescue his dinner.

* * * * * *

After dinner, the family gathered in the den, usually to read or play Dragons Wild or wizard chess, but this time Draco and Harry were also planning a surprise for their father. They watched as the Potions Master sat down on the couch, his copy of Most Potente Potions, a journal produced by Potions Masters that circulated internationally, in his lap, before Harry whistled a certain sequence of notes that would bring Phantom to his side. He'd made sure the kitchen window was open before beginning to whistle, so he was sure the owl would both hear him and be able to enter the manor speedily.

Severus barely glanced up at Harry's call, he knew the way they had trained the fledglings to respond to whistled cues.

A moment later, Phantom flew into the den, his gray with white barred wings making no noise as he landed gracefully on Harry's arm. "Good bird," he praised, and fed the young owl a treat. He knew it was important to always reward the birds when they responded to a command correctly, so they would remember. Owls, even magical ones, were not the most intelligent of bird species, and constant repetition was a must when training one. Or so said the book Tips on Training Your Owl in the library.

Harry gently scratched the owl under the chin and Phantom chuffed at him happily. Phantom was a handsome owl, somewhere inbetween Hedwig and Stormrider for size, and having the most unusual markings on his feathers, he was primarily gray, save for some white patterns on his wings and breast which sort of resembled curved S's.

He cast a look at Draco, motioning for him to begin, and the blond wizard cleared his throat and announced, "Dad, we've got a, uh, surprise for you."

Severus looked up from his journal, a cautious expression on his face. "A surprise? What have you done now, Draco?"

"Nothing! Why do you automatically assume we're in trouble?"

"Because, nine times out of ten, you usually are," returned his father.

"Not this time. I know your birthday was, like, ages ago, but Harry and I couldn't think of a present to get you until now."

"You shouldn't worry about that, Draco. Having you here with me is enough of a present." Severus said quickly.

"No, it isn't," disagreed his son. "This is partly a birthday present, Dad, and partly a kind of thank you for putting up with all the crap we pulled all summer. We know we drove you crazy. Anyway, Harry and I would like you to have Phantom here. He's the best of brood, and we think you deserve a new owl, since your last one was killed."

Severus was shocked speechless for once.

"Here, Dad. Take him," Harry said, and transferred the owl from his arm to Severus's. He turned to the owl and said quietly, "This is your new master now, understand? He's the one you deliver the post for and the one who'll take care of you now."

Phantom hooted softly in understanding, then walked up Severus's arm and perched upon his shoulder, cooing into his ear.

Severus reached up automatically and scratched the owl on the chest and the bird closed his eyes and made a contented noise in his throat. He continued to stroke the owl for several more minutes, getting the bird accustomed to his touch and murmuring to it, "Hello, Phantom, my name is Severus. I think we shall get on very well indeed, for you are a spectacular owl, yes?"

"He's the quietest flyer, Dad, and he's the most graceful as well," Harry informed his father, grinning.

Severus looked up from stroking the owl and said, in a voice that quivered with emotion, "Thank you both. I . . .I know how fond you've grown of the fledglings . . .This is a magnificent gift and I shall cherish him for a long time. I've been meaning to replace Shadow, but . . .I never had the time to go to Eeylops and pick an owl."

"We know, Dad. That's why we chose Phantom," Draco said, smiling. "We thought he suited you perfectly. Look at his feathers, they've got S's on them."

Severus examined his new owl's feathers. "Why so they do! How appropriate." Phantom hooted in agreement, then walked up to the back of the couch and began preening himself, content with his new master.

Severus beckoned his two sons over to him. "Come here, you two. That was totally unnecessary, you know, but thank you very much." Then he stood up and hugged both boys to him.

Grinning, the boys hugged him back. At long last, they were a proper family.

Severus smiled down at the two and thought of how far they had both come since the beginning of the summer, when all they did was snipe and argue with each other. "I'm very proud of both of you for learning to set aside your differences and become brothers to each other," he told them sincerely. "You'll find that'll help you immensely when you get back to school, for now you have more than just yourself to rely on."

"Yeah, Harry needs all the help he can get," Draco chuckled.

"Speak for yourself!" retorted his brother.

"Boys!" their father warned. "You haven't even been off punishment two hours and this is how you're behaving?"

"Well, yeah. We're brothers, what do you expect, Dad?" Harry pointed out.

Severus heaved a sigh. "Some peace and quiet in my house. But I suppose that would take a bloody miracle, so I'll take what I can get."

"We promise to behave until school starts," Draco said.

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"Why? It's only four days from now, Dad."

"And the amount of trouble you can cause during that time is unbelievable," their father said wryly. "Don't look at me like that, Harry Albus Snape, for you know I'm right."

"Maybe," Harry conceded. Then he added, "But we'll give it our best shot, right, Draco?"

"Sure, Harry," promised his brother. "Miracles do happen, you know. Even in this family."

The other two chuckled, though Severus thought that they had already had a miracle occur, and he wasn't holding his breath for any more.