During Severus’s period of adjustment the three educators and Merlin were doing research and having meetings about the plans for the new students.

Minerva had found several books on the subject on her first trip to the muggle bookstore and several more on subsequent trips. She was rapidly becoming an expert on the subject, as were Albus and Severus. All three were beginning to be excited about the changes that were coming.

As Severus became more accustomed to having a son he began to spend more and more time with the Headmaster and Merlin going over plans, both for the classroom structures and the additional personnel they were going to need.

Harry began to venture out of Snape's quarters a little more everyday. He explored the castle with Daisy or Dobby. He often flew his new broom, which was just a little bigger and would go just a little higher than his first one. You could see him on the Quidditch pitch or flying around the grounds of the stately old castle on nice days. The students and staff loved to watch him fly, he laughed out loud with shining eyes. He was beginning to try simple aerial tricks, several times bringing the house elves to the very brink of cardiac arrest.

He didn't talk very much still, but he did occasionally and the ones who were close to him were beginning to be able to communicate with him silently. Above all, he loved to visit Hagrid. He loved the little cabin, the magical animals (especially Fang) and he loved going with Hagrid into the forbidden forest.

 One afternoon Hagrid lost him for just a moment in the forest. Panic stricken, the lovable giant started calling for him. As he stopped to listen he heard a child's laughter coming from behind some trees. Hurrying through the trees to get to the child before something terrible could occur Hagrid couldn't believe what he was seeing. Harry was sitting in a grassy clearing with a circle of unicorns lying around him! Two baby unicorns were playing with him! Hagrid was amazed, the unicorns would barely let him approach them and they never let him near the babies!

Hagrid was scared to death to tell Severus about this. He knew what Professor Snape was capable of doing when angry and he was not a happy camper when he stuttered out the story to Harry's Dad.  Severus turned as white as a sheet but he was so amazed that the unicorns had let the boy into their circle that he just looked at the huge man and said, "If anything had happened to my son because of your carelessness I would have hexed you into the next life. From now on Harry does not go into the Forbidden Forest under any circumstances! Do you understand me, Hagrid?"

The Professor heard a voice in his head say "DADDY!! I love to play with Hagrid in the forest! I won't wander off anymore Dad, I promise! The unicorns want me to come visit them again, they told me so."

He turned around and saw his son staring up at him with big, green eyes, which were currently swimming with tears.

Severus sighed "Very well, next week I will accompany you and Hagrid when he goes into the forest. That is absolutely the only way you will be permitted to go."

At that Harry smiled and said "Thank you Daddy!" aloud, making Severus and the relieved Hagrid laugh out loud.

A few days after his escapade in the forest Harry was exploring the corridor where the DADA classroom was located. Curious, he stopped and peeked into the room at the same time that Professor Green was demonstrating the stupify spell. The poor man cast the spell at one of the Slytherins and was knocked back, flat on the floor. The Professor and the whole class turned to see what had happened and there was little Harry with his small hands extended, holding a powerful shield in place between the student and his teacher.

That evening Albus, Severus, Minerva and Merlin met in Dumbledore's office.

Merlin spoke first, "I believe the time has come for Hogwarts to open a pre-school for witches and wizards. Young Harry is becoming more powerful than most of the students here now, and is learning everyday. I believe that he, and the other Indigo children would benefit greatly from a pre-school."

Albus, who had been thinking along the same lines ever since hearing about the unicorns and the shield that Harry had built, and held, without a wand, and with no training, was happy to hear this.

Minerva spoke, "I think this would be an excellent beginning for the new school. I've noticed in the registry book that for the past few years some of the children’s names have been blue. I imagine those are the ones who would benefit most from a pre-school. I believe however, that all of the children should be given the option. According to what I've been reading sometimes a child who is not Indigo will mingle with and learn from the Indigo Kids and eventually become one themselves. Some of the children believe that anyone can become an Indigo."

So they planned, while the small boy who had brought this to a head stayed in his room and wondered how much trouble he was in. When his father returned to the apartment in the dungeons he called Harry to him. "Harry, would you please explain to me exactly what happened this afternoon?" he asked.

Harry looked at him fearfully and replied, "I saw Professor Green throw a spell at that boy and I knew I should protect him, so I just thought about a shield and it came."

Severus looked at him and said, "It just came to you? Son, do you realize how difficult it is for most wizards to perform wandless magic? I don't believe a child your age has ever been known to do it, except in cases of accidental magic!" He looked down at the little boy and seeing the laughter in the brilliant green eyes, he had to smile. Shaking his head he said, "Harry I swear you are giving me gray hair! I found one in my brush this morning!"

And thus Hogwarts Magical Pre-School was bought about.

The pre-school was situated in a new wing on the south side of the castle. Albus and Merlin went on the lawn with their wands one night when the moon was rising. They built a magical fire and threw some stones into it. As the two wizards spoke an incantation and pointed their wands at the fire the stones started growing and multiplying. One by one they floated out of the flames and into place on the outline that had been marked on the lawn that afternoon. By morning the addition was finished and they took Snape, McGonagall, and the rest of the staff on a tour.

The offices were on the ground floor, as well as a cafeteria for the teachers and students. Severus could just imagine what that room would be like once it was filled with noisy children. At the end of the hall a large door connected the wing to the rest of the school, which would be handy for getting from one place to the other quickly.

The three classrooms were on the first floor. There were desks for the small students, but there were also large areas for other activities. There were desks for two teachers in all of the three rooms. The rooms were all light and airy with large windows and bright colours. Severus knew that Harry would be happy there.  In addition to the classrooms this floor housed a small infirmary, which would be run by a pretty blonde young medi-witch named Catherine Thornedike. She would, of course, be under Poppy's supervision, but she would be responsible for the young students' health.

The third floor consisted two dormitories, one for girls and one for boys in the event that any of the children remained overnight. Staff quarters were on this floor as well. All of the rooms were spacious and already looked nice and comfortable, as they were equipped with hundreds of toys, Severus suspected that it had been Minerva’s doing.

The whole wing had been charmed to react to the students' and teachers' needs with the same spell used to create the room of requirement. This was basically a wing of requirement.

The basement consisted of one huge room with chairs, couches, and small tables scattered about holding magazines and books. One whole wall consisted of a giant fireplace. This was for the parents to bring the children to school in the mornings and to return to pick them up in the afternoons. This private floor network would be connected to the fireplace in their homes and could only be used by the parents or guardians of the students. They were also warded to refuse entry to anyone who had any bad intentions towards the school, the main building, or anyone within them. The students were allowed to stay during the school term if the parents so desired, but most of them would probably be day students.

Later, coming into the Great Hall for dinner the professors noticed several new faces among them. Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and tapped on his glass as soon as everyone was seated. "It is my great pleasure to introduce you to the staff of Hogwarts Magical Pre-School. To my left is Catherine Thornedike, the medi-witch for the pre-school. Most of you met her today during our tour.” He quickly introduced the rest of the staff. There was Amy Whitehouse, a young woman with brown hair and laughing blue eyes, Merry Jenkins, who was a middle aged woman with greying hair and round glasses, Leon Snodgrass, a young man with long auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail, Constance Green who was married to the DADA instructor Professor Green, Laura Black, who was related to the man blamed for the murders of James and Lily Potter, and Brian Woodall who just looked up and grinned at everyone.  Stephanie Brown, the last to be introduced had quickly captured the attention of a certain Potions Professor.  She was a gorgeous woman, tall and slim, with black hair, olive skin, and huge brown eyes, she happened to be a Paediatric Psychologist. Merlin stood next and after the applause he received he made another announcement. “It has been decided by Headmaster Dumbledore and myself that the Headmaster for our new pre-school will be Professor Severus Snape. Snape sat with his mouth open and a look of astonishment on his face. Had  Merlin fallen down and bumped his head he wondered? He thought about it for a minute and decided maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. He would be able to obtain quarters out of the gloomy dungeons, he wouldn’t have to put up with clumsy dunderheads causing explosions everyday anymore, but best of all, it would put him into daily contact with Dr. Brown! The next day invitations went out to all the parents of magical children who would be five before the next school year started requesting a meeting the following week at Hogwarts. The day after that the headlines of the Daily Prophet read:

HOGWARTS TO OPEN MAGICAL PRE-SCHOOL

SEVERUS SNAPE TO BE HEADMASTER OF NEW PRE-SCHOOL

THE BOY-WHO-LIVED TO BE ONE OF FIRST STUDENTS