The last three days of the summer holidays sped by quicker than shadows fleeing the sunlight. Before he knew it, it was their last night at the manor, and Harry was packing his trunk to go off to school, along with Draco. Normally, the prospect of going back to Hogwarts would have filled him with delight, but on this night, he was feeling a pang of regret and sorrow. Privet Drive had never been his home, simply a place he stayed during the summer when he was not in school. But Prince Manor . . .the estate was in his blood now, and he was bonded to it in a way that none save his father could understand. Leaving it, even if it were only for nine months, was going to hurt.

He would miss it, miss the way the sunlight touched the tops of the merlinna trees in the morning, miss the way he could look out his window and see the oak tree where Hedwig had first made a nest for the owlets, all of whom were given away, save for Frost, whom he had decided to keep. He would miss seeing Severus working in the garden, with his old clothes and gardening shoes, planting and watering. He would miss the way the evening shadows lengthened along the grounds and dappled the pond where Draco loved to fish. And miss the walks through the woods and flying through the orchard, picking merlinnas and peaches at dawn. Most of all though, he would miss the easy camaraderie that the three of them had shared here at the manor, for he knew that some of that would be lost once they returned to Hogwarts.

Severus had agreed to permit Harry to take his name publically, and had gone to the Ministry to file a paternity claim the other morning and sign several forms. "More parchment-pushing, Merlin help me," he'd grumbled before Apparating away. But he'd returned in a good mood, all the legalities settled, thanks to a vial of Harry's blood and a Paternity Potion, and now Harry was officially Harry Albus Snape, son of Severus Tobias Snape, heir to Prince Manor.

He'd also picked up a copy of the Prophet, whose headlines now screamed Mother Rejects Son, Taken to Task By Guardian! And Purebloods Convicted By Unanimous Decree! With regards to the Malfoys' trial and aftermath. Draco had taken one look at the headlines and snorted, rubbing his scarred cheek gently.

Still, even though legally the wizarding world recognized him as Snape's son, Harry knew that things between them at Hogwarts would not be as they had been at the manor, despite Severus's changed status as a spy for the Order. For one thing, there were still those who supported Voldemort in Slytherin and Harry was still a Gryffindor. Harry had decided to put the Glamour of his old face back for the train ride to Hogwarts, he didn't want to endure questions on the ride, far better to deal with them at school. Severus had already owled Dumbledore and discussed the fact that he would reveal that Harry was his son at the opening staff meeting and the Heads could then inform their Houses afterwards. Then Harry could remove the Glamour and show the school his true self. And then there was Draco, who was in almost the same situation, how could the two of them reveal that they were brothers without seeming insane?

Harry tossed his schoolbooks, including Severus's History of Magic text, into the bottom of his trunk. He would worry about all of that later, after the train ride and the feast, he still hadn't told Ron or Hermione about Draco yet, that conversation was sure to be interesting, to say the least. And probably take up the entire ride to school.

"Draco, are you going to tell Crabbe and Goyle about me being your brother?" he inquired, folding his school robes and putting them in his trunk.

"Yeah, why? Are you going to tell Weasley and Granger?" the blond asked, placing his Quidditch uniform in his own trunk.

"Yeah, I was. But what does that mean for us at school? Should we tell anyone else?"

Draco looked thoughtful. "I don't know about that just yet, little brother. Some of the members of my House are a little . . .prejudiced and right now I'm going to have enough to deal with trying to keep from being slaughtered in my sleep by them ‘cause I'm a traitor to the Dark Lord without bringing up the fact that I'm a Gryffindor's big brother too."

"Slaughtered in your sleep?" Harry repeated, horrified. "Does Dad know? Maybe you should move into his quarters or something."

"Yes, he knows, and he plans on issuing some warnings of his own the next term, so don't get your shorts in a twist, Harry. I'll be fine, I know how to deal with backstabbers, learned that from Lucius. Once they settle down, we'll see about letting the school know that you're not just my pain-in-the-arse cousin. Sound fair?"

Harry thought it over. Then he nodded. "Okay. But no calling me little brother in public, Draco. Or else . . .I'll tell Hermione you're sweet on her."

Draco glared at him. "You do and I'll hex you so bad your arse and your head will be reversed. And Dad can wallop me all he likes afterward and I won't give a damn."

Harry made a face at him. "Fine. Just so you know."

"Watch it, brat!"

"Watch what? You going all unicorn-eyed over Hermione in her school uniform?"

"Harry . . .don't make me come over there."

Harry muffled his laughter in his sleeve, not wanting to start another fight with Draco on their last night here. Still, Draco had become remarkably easy to tease now that he had admitted his feelings for one Hermione Granger, his brother though mischievously.

Abruptly, he stopped packing and looked out the window at the sun sinking down below the treetops and sighed. "Merlin, but I . . .wish I didn't have to leave here." His hand went automatically to the medallion under his shirt.

There was silence from across the room, then Draco said quietly, "Me too. I'm gonna miss it here. Except for a few things, like doing the bloody laundry by hand."

"Or scrubbing the dungeon with a toothbrush."

"Or picking weeds in the entire garden."

The two continued reminiscing over their hated punishment chores for a few more minutes, until Draco scowled and said, "Okay, little brother, enough with the sentimental stuff. It's making me sick. Besides, we both know half of those chores were your doing."

"Me? You were the one who started half the crap with me, Draco!"

"The hell I did. Who knocked me on the ground first after that race through the orchard, huh?"

"You were being an insufferable prat and cheating!"

"A shortcut is not cheating, bonehead!"

"We never agreed on a shortcut, so yes it is!"

"Harry, sometimes you are so dumb, it's a miracle you ever graduated primary school."

"Look who's talking! You didn't even know how to wash a dish till you came here, Mr. Brilliant!"

"Why you-!"

"Boys! Don't make me come in there!" yelled their father warningly and both of them jumped about a foot. Then they shut up.

"Now look what you did," grumbled Harry, shooting Draco a Snape glare. Stupid sly Slytherin prat!

Draco glared right back at him, then turned to grab his books off his desk, giving Harry the silent treatment with his nose in the air. Bloody stubborn Gryffindor git!

Smidgen flew into the room then, her nose wrinkled in disapproval. :Quarreling again, are we? Typical brothers, the pair of you. Sun, Moon, and Stars have mercy!:

Just another typical day at Prince Manor, the shimmerling thought wryly, curling up in the middle of Harry's bed and beginning to groom her shining black fur.

* * * * * *

The tall black-robed wizard stood on Platform 9 and 3/4's amid two school trunks and four owl cages, with his arms crossed over his chest, glowering sternly at the two teenagers before him, one wearing Slytherin colors and the other Gryffindor. He was clearly lecturing them on the upcoming school year, admonishing them in typical parental fashion.

" . . .remember I am Professor Snape to you in class, not Dad. I will not have it said that I play favorites with my sons."

"Merlin forbid!" Draco muttered under his breath.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course we'd never call you Dad in class. We want to live till we graduate, you know."

"Really?" one eyebrow arched up over a familiar snarky sneer. "Mind your tone then, young man, or else you won't live to see Christmas break, because I'll have used you for an experimental potion way before then. Clear?"

"Yes, sir."

The exasperated parent heaved a sigh and continued. "I will also be monitoring your grades, boys, and any slacking or procrastination will result in you being moved into my quarters for the duration of the year, where I can personally supervise your studying." Both boys blanched, and he went on with an evil smirk. "Also, any detention you earn from a teacher will be reported to me and I will then give you additional detentions and punishments for embarrassing me in front of my colleagues."

"WHAT? No fair, sir!" protested Draco. "Nobody else gets in trouble twice at school."

"Nobody else is my son either, young man. So best you behave, Draco Michael. That also means no fighting of any kind with each other for any reason, the same as it was at home. Or else you know what awaits you, need I remind you?"

Both boys blushed and studied their shoes.

"No, sir," Harry answered, squirming uncomfortably as he recalled the humiliating memory of being turned over his father's knee for a sound spanking a mere two days ago for getting into a fistfight with Draco.

He had gone too far with teasing the other boy over Hermione and Draco had lost his temper and punched him in the mouth, Harry retaliated by hitting Draco in the stomach, and before they knew it they were brawling like cats and dogs. Until Severus had come in and yanked them off each other by their ears, scolded them soundly, and kept the promise he had made earlier of spanking them like a pair of naughty four-year-olds. It had been utterly embarrassing, not to mention it stung like hell too.

Beside him, Draco shuffled his feet and gazed down at the pavement, the tips of his ears a bright scarlet as he too recalled the humiliating outcome of their last fight. No way did he want his father doing that to him at school, at home had been bad enough! "We remember, sir."

"I should certainly hope so." Severus intoned sternly. He had hated keeping that promise, but he had known better than to go back on his word, no matter how much he had wished to. "Because next time I catch you beating the blazes out of each other over some stupid comment, I'll blister your behinds with the spoon. So don't test me," he warned, hoping that awful threat would deter them from further brawling.

"We'll behave, sir," the two chorused emphatically.

"For once in your lives," the professor said sarcastically. Then he cleared his throat and said softly, "Remember this as well. If you ever need anything, advice, extra quills, a book, money, a potion, peace and quiet, anything at all, my door is always open. Don't hesitate to come on in, I will always be there for you, any time of the day or night. Just like I am at home." Then he caught both boys to him in a rather awkward hug and whispered, "You have both made me very proud this summer, no father could ask for better sons. I love you."

His two sons clung to him for a long moment, reveling in his sincere praise and the strength of his arms about them.

"Love you too, Dad," Harry answered, sniffling a little.

He was echoed by Draco, who swiped a quick hand across his face.

Then they stepped back quickly, praying no one else had seen them being hugged by their strict perfectionist Potions professor, even if he happened to be their father.

Just then the train pulled up to the station with a loud screech and a whistle, making the two younger owls hoot in alarm, until Hedwig soothed them with a soft chirrup.

The two boys turned to gather their trunks, waving hello to Hagrid, who had agreed to escort the students back to Hogwarts this year at Dumbledore's request.

"Hurry, boys. I will see you later at the feast." Severus urged, then he turned away, picked up Phantom's cage, and walked swiftly towards the exit before anyone could see the sudden tears in his eyes. Luckily everyone else had arrived just then and all was chaos as they attempted to load everyone's belongings upon the train and board in a timely fashion. Get hold of yourself, Snape! You're becoming as sentimental as Albus, crying over a little thing like sending your sons off to school. They're fourteen, not five, for Merlin's sake. And you'll see them in three hours, you maudlin idiot.

Still, the black-robed figure paused before making his way off the platform, watching until his boys had gotten on the train, blinking hard, a faint smile on his stern features. Take care of my boys, Hagrid. My Dragon and my Phoenix. They are the most important things in the world to me. Well, except for a certain half-fae warrior, but who's counting? Then he Apparated away in a flash of blue light, going to his classroom to prepare for the new term, where he would put the fear of God into a new generation of rambunctious, disrespectful, know-it-all teenage wizards. After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

Harry boarded the train, holding tightly to Hedwig and Frost's cages, wondering why the Express seemed so much more crowded this year than last year. Had they gotten an influx of students or something?

"Harry! There you are!" Ron waved to him from a compartment two doors down. "What kept you, mate?"

"Uh, I was saying goodbye to my . . .dad," Harry said awkwardly, making his way into the compartment and plunking down both cages on the opposite seat, next to Ron's new cage with Zephyr inside.

"Oh." Ron said, then blushed a bit, not knowing what else to say. It was hard to imagine Snape, of all people, saying goodbye to his son. Then he remembered he still owed Harry a proper thank you for his belated birthday present. "By the way, Harry, thanks loads for Zephyr. He's . . .incredible, much better than any owl anybody in my family ever had. . Percy was like, green with envy, when Zephyr showed up at the Burrow with the letter, know what I mean?" Ron's eyes were shining. "Now I finally have a pet of my own that's not a family heirloom, and he's just the coolest thing. I gave Pigwidgeon to Ginny, so she could have her own owl."

Harry smiled. "You're welcome, Ron. I couldn't give Hedwig's son to just anybody, you know."

Just then Hermione burst into the compartment, carrying Crookshanks's carrier in one hand and a cage with Athena in it in the other. She was smiling brightly. "Hi, Harry! Hi, Ron! You'll never guess what happened three days ago. I received the oddest package in the mail . . .this owl named Athena here, along with a note that said she was a gift from someone who . . ." Here Hermione broke off, blushing. " . . .admired my brains and my talent and the way my . . .uh, hair blew in the breeze. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before."

"Sounds like somebody's sweet on you, Mione," remarked Ron, snickering.

"Yeah, I wonder who it could be?" Harry added, concealing a knowing smirk behind his hand. Nice going, big brother!

He slid over to make room for Hermione and her pets, she was clearly flattered and curious about the author of the gift and Harry knew she would be trying to figure out who it could be all through the train ride.

"Umm . . .Harry?" Hermione was peering at him intently.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering. . .if the professor's your dad, why don't you look like him? You still look the way you did before."

Harry shook his head. Trust Hermione to notice that right off. "It's a Glamour spell, we didn't want to cause a row on the train or during the feast. Once Dad tells the rest of the staff, the Glamour will be reversed and I'll look the way I did at home, my real self. You'll see, later on. I really am his son." Then he decided to change the subject. "So, how was your summer, Ron?"

"Same old, same old. You know," Ron shrugged. "The best part was you giving me Zephyr." Then he leaned forward and said, "How was your summer, Harry? Living with Snape at . . .where did you say it was again?"

"Prince Manor," replied Harry, cupping the medallion beneath his shirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a turquoise and violet wing and a black form as Smidgen blinked into the compartment and settled herself atop Hedwig's cage with a sly wink.

"Ooh, it sounds lovely, Harry," sighed Hermione dreamily, and Ron rolled his eyes. "What was it like there? Tell us everything!"

"Everything? Are you sure you really want to know about everything me and my family did over the summer? Some of it was pretty boring."

"Harry! With Severus Snape as your father, nothing is ever boring," Hermione pointed out. "And what's this I hear about Draco Malfoy living there too? Now spill it!"

"Okay, okay, keep your skirt on, Hermione. I'll tell you as much as I can," laughed the heir to Prince Manor, though not everything, of course. Then he began his tale, beginning with the morning he had woken up early and gone down to cook breakfast at Privet Drive, to discover a bloodied and battered Potions Master upon his aunt's brand new suede couch. Little did he know that said discovery would change the course of his life forever, and give him at last the very thing he had always longed for-a home and family of his own.

His two friends listened, spellbound, as Harry related the events of that most unusual summer, when the manor had chosen him as Heir Apparent, and he had gained a father and a brother and a place where he belonged.