December 3, 1981

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was tired. He had not been able to rest since the terrible events that had unfolded in Godrics Hollow that had resulted in the deaths of two of his favorite students and the incarceration of another. The third former student, Peter Pettigrew, who had died that terrible night, had never been one of his favorites but he felt bad for him too.

He was also having regrets over the fact that he had left an innocent baby with muggles who he knew would never love him the way he deserved to be loved. He felt strongly though that this was the best, no, the only way to keep young Harry Potter safe. The blood wards that living with his relatives provided were the only ones strong enough to keep the infant safe from the newest and worst dark wizard in history.

Still, he felt guilt for leaving the child there. James & Lily Potter had made him promise to never leave him with the Lily's sister Petunia, but the Dursleys were all that were left due to the fact that Sirius Black was in Azakaban. Remus Lupin would have been his next choice if it were not for the archaic laws that made the fact that Remus was a werewolf disqualify him as guardian for the child.

Suddenly, as Albus was thinking about all of this, his phoenix Fawkes burst into song. Albus had heard Fawkes trill and sometimes even sing, but never like this. This was glorious; the song filled the room with joy. As he was listening, enthralled, to this wonderful music Albus noticed that there was a bright blue shimmer in the air. Then, while he was adjusting his senses to these strange occurances a figure appeared in front of him. At first it was just a mist, but in a moment it solidified into the shape of a very old wizard wearing splendid purple robes with gold symbols embroidered all over them.

As Albus sat with his mouth open the wizard spoke "Hello Albus, I've been waiting many long years to make this visit to you. I am Merlin and we have some extremely serious things to discuss."

Albus, who already had already realized the identity of his visitor was overwhelmed with gratitude that he had been given the opportunity to meet this great wizard who so many thought to be just a legend, so he was more than happy to discuss anything with him. "Merlin, what a wonderful surprise, would you like a lemon drop?" he greeted him.

Merlin accepted the lemon drop and the offer of tea. When they were seated comfortably Merlin asked Dumbledore to call Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall to attend this meeting. They were duly called and after they had been introduced and recovered from the shock of meeting the legendary Merlin he got down to business.

"Young Harry Potter is the first order of business," he said. "Albus, I know the reasons for you placing him with his relatives, but this is not acceptable. He is already being neglected and abused and we cannot and will not let this continue."

Minerva, hearing this, nodded her head. She had begged Albus not to send him to his relatives and had even begged to raise him herself. She knew that the wards were important but she also knew that those horrible people would not take care of Harry properly much less love him. She remembered Petunia and her husband from the one time she met them and knew that they hated magic and everyone connected to the magical world.

Merlin continued, "Albus I know too that you feel being raised in the Wizarding world would be bad for young Mr. Potter because of his fame. You are afraid that the adulation will go to his head and make him think that he doesn't have to follow rules. You are afraid that everyone in the magical world will spoil him rotten and make him arrogant and boastful and impossible to control. This is the reason I have asked for Professor Snape to be here."

Upon hearing this Severus looked apprehensive, what in the world did all of this have to do with him?

Merlin, seeing the look on his face, gave a small chuckle. "Severus, I know that you have been a spy for the order. You have done a wonderful job supplying information about the Dark Lord and his followers, but we have a much more important role for you to play in this war. We want you to adopt young Harry Potter."

Severus stood straight up with a look of horror on his face, "Merlin" he shouted, "I cannot take charge of the child, he is James Potter's son!! He will have his fathers characteristics and I will not abide Potter's child in my home!!"

Merlin, knowing this would be the reaction he would receive just gave Severus a smile. "No" he said. "You are the one who will be able to raise him and keep him grounded in the real world. He will learn the lessons he needs to learn with you and even though I never tell anyone what the future holds for them I assure you that in a very short time you are going to grow to love the child with all of your being. I know how much you loved Lily Potter and you will see her instead of his father when you look at the child. Trust me, you are the perfect one for this job. This will be as beneficial for you as it is for Harry. We are not really giving you choices in this matter. The entire council, which I will tell you about later, has made the decision and Fate has wholeheartedly agreed to it too. I cannot explain everything to you now, but Lily will help you with her son."

"Now, to the next part of the business I need to discuss with you. Starting last year very special children are being been born into this world. They are not the first of their kind, but there have never been as many. They will continue to come and one day the world will change because if them. Some are muggles, some are muggle born and some are witches and wizards. These children will have special powers; they will need special education and special care to realize their full potential. In the muggle world some of these children will be misdiagnosed, as ADHD and some will even be diagnosed to be Autistic. This will not be the case. Unfortunately, some may grow up and never realize who and what they are. We cannot let this happen to the children that we care for. As I said, these children are special; the muggle world will call them Indigos, as they will have a very bright indigo aura. They will not learn well in a structured environment, so we need to make some changes to Hogwarts."

At this Albus spoke, "what types of changes are necessary? The Ministry will give us a bad time about changing very much about this school you know. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic tries to run it as it is."

Merlin, chuckling replied "don't worry about Fudge, or the ministry. We will handle them. We have ten years to get ready as that is when these children will start coming to the school. You need to have a house for them, and a new wing on the school for them. You need to find teachers who will be able to work with these children and they will need special training. They need to be educated in psychology and in the teaching of special needs children. You need to start working on this quickly, it will take every bit of the ten years to get this pulled together."

" But first and foremost is getting Harry out of the home of those terrible muggles. Professor I want you to create accommodations for the child in your quarters immediately and I want him out of that house tonight at the very latest. We have provided a house elf to be nanny for Harry, she will be devoted to him and can be trusted to protect and care for him when you are in class, or otherwise occupied. Now please extend you left arm."

Snape extended his arm and Merlin pushed up his sleeve exposing the dark mark. He waved his hand over the mark and recited an incantation and the mark faded and then disappeared.

Snape sat, absolutely stunned, he was so ashamed of that mark and had resigned himself to the fact that the terrible mark of shame would be with him forever.

"Thank you Merlin," he said. "I will do everything within my power to raise the child as he should be raised, and I will try to get over the fact that his father was an insufferable prat."

Merlin smiled, nodded his head and after assuring them that he would be visiting them on a regular basis for the next ten years to help them with their endeavors, said goodbye to the stunned group he disappeared with a pop.

Dumbledore's office was totally silent. Albus, Severus, and Minerva just looked at each other. Suddenly Severus shoved his sleeve up to see if the ugly mark was really gone or if he had imagined the whole thing, but no, the mark was really gone. He looked at Dumbledore and said "Albus, what have I agreed to do? I can't adopt Harry Potter! Merlin must be suffering from dementia! And exactly what did he mean when he said Lily would be around to help me? You know that is impossible."

Seeing that Severus was beginning to get hysterical Dumbledore waved his wand and a pot of tea appeared along with a plate of biscuits. He looked at Snape and with a twinkle in his blue eyes he said, "I would imagine that he meant that Lily will be around to help you. I don't know how, but I believe that Merlin and this council he was talking about have the situation all planned out and under control." He turned to Minerva and smiled when he saw that she still looked confounded. "Minnie, wake up!" he laughed. "We have a lot of work to do before we go to collect young Mr. Potter." Minerva sent him a withering glare, but she collected her wits and nodded. "Yes," she said, "I will pop over to Diagon Alley to buy the things Severus is going to need for the baby while you two get his accommodations taken care of."

Severus walked into his quarters in the dungeons with Albus right behind him. The apartment was spacious with light walls and a plush, dark green carpet throughout. Of course the apartment was underground but there were large magical windows that were spelled with the same sort of charm that was used on the ceiling in the great hall. The windows had views of both the black lake and the forbidden forest. The two wizards spoke an incantation in Latin and a new door appeared in the wall right beside Snape's bedroom door. When they walked into the room Albus looked around and waved his want. The walls became a light blue with white trim and with second wave of his wand another window appeared. Snape, in the meantime, had been looking around thinking about decorations that a one-year-old boy would like. When he got through waving his wand around there were pictures of Disney characters on the walls and a dark blue carpet on the floor. He waved his wand again and another door appeared in one of the walls. "I'm going to fix a room for the house elf that Merlin said would be coming to take care of Harry," he said. The room was small and had a small bed, a small rocking chair, and a small dresser with a mirror. They were admiring their handiwork when they heard a pop. Hurrying back into Harry's room they saw a small house elf. Albus smiled and said "hello there. I am Headmaster Dumbledore and this is Professor Snape and you must be the one Merlin said would be coming to join us." "Yes sir," said the small creature. "I is Daisy Headmaster Dumblydore. I is being Master Harry Potter's nanny."

Snape wasn't really listening to this exchange. He was still having a hard time comprehending all of this. He had never considered getting married, not since Lily had married that insufferable Potter. He certainly had no wish to be a father, certainly not to Potter's child. And now his private space was going to be shared with a one-year-old Potter and a house elf, and a female at that. He turned to the little one and said "I expect you to take care of the child and keep him out of my way. I'm not going to coddle the child and neither are you. Is that understood?" When Daisy looked at him with her ears flat against her head and squeaked out a yes sir Master Professor sir he opened the door to the small room and told her that this was her room. Daisy walked into the room and promptly burst into tears. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his knees and looked up at him as if he were the most wonderful person in the world. "Oh Master! This cannot be for Daisy. Daisy is just an unworthy house elf, she doesn't deserve this beautiful room sir!" Snape looked down his nose and said, "kindly let go of me. I provided this room for you so that you will be close to the baby at all times. As I told you, I have no desire to be bothered by a child screaming in the middle of the night."

While all of this was going on Minerva was having the time of her life. She was all over Diagon Alley with a huge smile of her face. She had begged to be allowed to raise Harry instead of sending him to live with the muggles and had been very upset when she couldn't. Now she knew she would be a part of the child's life. She had loved Lily beyond reason. She loved James too, but he was constantly aggravating her and everyone else with the pranks he and his friends played all of the time. Many of the pranks had been directed at her and sometimes she was tempted to just smack all four of them. Fortunately for the Marauders smacking a student was something she just was not capable of. She had already found a crib, and a dresser for the baby along with all of the sheets and blankets that would be needed. The blankets were soft, fluffy, and in a rainbow of pastel colors. At Madam Malkin's she had found all of the baby clothes that the baby would need. She bought diapers, sleepers, and onesies, and little gowns, sweaters, crawlers, socks, shoes, diaper shirts, some t-shirts, small trousers and even a few robes. Saving the best for last Minerva entered the toy store. Knowing that the toys Harry's parents had given him were lost or destroyed she proceeded to have a ball buying toys for a little boy. She bought balls, and stuffed dragons, and tigers, and lions. She bought an armful of magical books, the characters told the stories aloud so the child could learn what the words looked like in addition to looking at the pictures. Her favorite purchase was a gold & silver mobile for the crib. It played a wizard lullaby and had small magical creatures flying around the crib. She was tired, but what a wonderful day!

Arriving back at the castle she headed straight for Snape's quarters. After she showed off all of her purchases and put everything away Albus announced that it was time to go bring Harry home. They went to the fireplace in Snape's living room and flooed directly to Arabella Figg's house on Privet Drive in Little Whinging. After explaining to Arabella that Harry was going to be adopted by Snape, who shuddered when Albus announced this, they left and walked to Number 4.

The trio stood in front of the door and, not knowing about doorbells, knocked on it. A large fat man opened the door with an unpleasant scowl on his face. "What are you people doing here? We don't want your kind her, get off of my doorstep," he thundered. Dumbledore flicked his wand and the man flew back against the wall. He led Snape and Minerva into the house saying, "Mr. Dursley, surely you don't want your neighbors to see us talking to you? Let us go into the parlor and talk for a few minutes." Speechless, Vernon led them into the parlor where his wife, Petunia was watching television and a large unattractive baby was stuffing cookies into his mouth as fast as he could. They could see pictures of the child, Dudley all around the room, but not a one of Harry. There was a large pile of toys in the playpen with him but he was too busy eating to worry about toys.

Albus looked around the room and asked the whereabouts of Harry Potter. Vernon snarled, "The brat is in his room, that's where. He hit our precious Duddikins with a toy truck so I punished him and put him to bed."

The old wizard looked at him, with no twinkle in his blue eyes and said "Harry will be going back to Hogwarts with us tonight. Professor Snape here is going to adopt. Would you be so kind to get his toys and clothes together while we go get the child?"

Vernon looked surprised, "Toys? The freak doesn't have any toys, and he has the pajamas he was wearing when he arrived on our doorstep. It's bad enough that we were saddled with him, but we're certainly not going to spend our hard earned money on one of his kind!"

Before Minerva could hex the arrogant idiot Albus thundered, "your hard earned money? You have been given an extremely generous stipend to provide for the child's needs with plenty added for your trouble. What do you mean your hard earned money? Take us to the child immediately or you will find out exactly what our kind can do when we are angry!!"

Looking fearful Petunia stood up and said, "I will take you. Harry sleeps right here in the cupboard under the stairs." She nervously opened the door and stood back. Dumbledore and Snape had to bend over to look into the small, dark space.

There on a small cot laid a beautiful baby boy. He had unruly black hair but his most striking feature was the brilliant green of his eyes. The scar on his forehead, left by the killing curse that Voldemort, the dark wizard who had killed the child's parents had not started fading yet, and therefore was very noticeable. The baby was filthy and his little face was tear streaked. Minerva bent down to look when the two wizards stood up and sobbed out loud.

"How could you treat your own nephew like this" she asked Petunia. "His mother was your sister, how could you do this?"

Petunia was intelligent enough to know that she was on very dangerous ground. She didn't answer; she just looked down at the floor.

Minerva conjured a baby blanket and wrapped the baby then picked him up and drew him close to herself. "You will never get a chance to hurt or neglect this boy again you despicable woman" she promised the wretched woman.

 Albus produced a document and containing his anger instructed both of the Dursleys to sign it. "You have just signed away all rights to Harry James Potter" he said "and you have also given Severus Snape permission to adopt him. You are very lucky that we are not calling the authorities about the way you have neglected this child, as a matter of fact the Ministry may decide to contact them anyway. Since you have been so unloving towards Harry, and because you have been so greedy with the money that was provided for his care I take great pleasure to inform you that Harry is the heir to one of the largest inheritances in the Wizarding world. I am sure that had you loved him, as you should have he would have shared all of it with you. I'm very glad that I decided not to inform you of this before I found out how you have treated him. I promise you that if you try to do anything to interrupt this adoption you will regret it. Whatever efforts you made would be not only unsuccessful, but would be enough for me to call the children services about his treatment myself."

The three wizards, with the small wizard, turned around and left the house, leaving Vernon and Petunia Dursley with their mouths hanging open.

A short time later three people, one carrying a small boy appeared in front of the gates of Hogwarts. Harry Potter had come home.

Entering the school the three wizards did not even glance around at the beautiful entrance hall. Dumbledore headed to his office, explaining that he needed to get the document to the Ministry immediately. Severus and Minerva continued with Harry to the apartment in the dungeons. Entering the apartment they headed directly to the nursery. Daisy meanwhile, seeing the absence of a changing table and rocking chair for the baby had procured both, for which Severus was extremely thankful.

While Severus was looking at the chair and the changing table Minerva was unwrapping the baby, after laying him on the table. Severus heard a gasp from the older witch.

"Severus, come look at this child! Oh, the poor little boy!! How could anyone let any child get in this condition? Especially their own nephew!"

 Seeing that his friend was almost in tears Severus crossed the room with long strides and stopped in his tracks when he saw his new son. The baby was wearing the pyjamas he had been wearing when he was left at the house on Privet Drive. They looked as if they had not been changed or laundered in the whole time he had been in the Dursley home. He was filthy and so thin that his little ribs could be counted just by looking at him. The baby didn't cry, he looked up at the strange man with so much sorrow in his green eyes that Minerva and Severus were both close to breaking down.

Severus put his hand on the boy's head and said "Minnie, he has a small fever. Please watch him so that I can get some potions for him."

Daisy had gone to prepare some bottles for the child but now she appeared from the kitchen and took the filthy pyjamas and diaper off of him.

 "Oh goodness!!" she exclaimed. "This poor baby has got the worst diaper rash I be ever seeing. "Oh, my poor little Master!! Daisy is going to be caring for you, you is going to  be happy and fat before I is done with you my precious one."

Upon returning Severus spooned some of the fever-reducing potion into the child. Having done this he proceeded to wave his wand up and down the thin little body.

"He doesn't appear to be in any danger or have any long lasting effects from his ordeal thank Merlin," he told the witch and elf who were holding their breath waiting for the results of the scan. "He is terribly malnourished, dehydrated, and has a nasty infection from that diaper rash. It's good that we intervened when we did or I doubt the outcome would be the same, his body would not have been able to survive the deprivation for much longer. Daisy, I brought this ointment for his rash, I thought he would have one when I saw the condition he was in. Please apply it after his bath and every time you change his diaper until it is healed."

Minerva just could not hold it in any longer. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she cried out "WHY, why did Albus insist on taking Harry to those terrible muggles? I tried to make him realize that he was making a mistake, but he wouldn't listen to me. And now, just look how much this child has suffered."

"Albus was doing what he thought was right, Minerva," said Severus. "He was wrong and he knows that and he has to live with it. Don't blame the wrong person, you and I both know that the blame goes all the way back to Voldemort. Our Headmaster was desperate to ensure that Harry was in the safest possible place, and the fact that Petunia was related by blood convinced him to place him with the Dursleys. He was aware that Lily's sister and her husband did not like magic or anyone associated with it but he never dreamed that Petunia would harm the boy."

While the two professors were engrossed in their conversation Daisy had been busy with her young charge. She had given him his bath, which appeared to be the first one he had been given for a very long time. She was so upset about the neglect this child had suffered that her ears were flat against her head when she brought him back to the nursery wrapped in a fluffy blue towel.

Severus left the room to prepare a meal for the starved child while Daisy got him dressed. As soon as the house elf was done Minerva picked him up and hugged him. She breathed in the baby scent and smiled.

"Now that you are all clean young man, are you ready to eat?" she asked him with a smile.

 Harry just looked at her with big eyes and a solemn expression on his little face. He had not been hugged, or held, or cuddled since the night the bad man had come to his home and hurt his Mama and his Dad. Remembering his parents made him sad. Big tears started rolling down his face, but he did not make a sound. He did not know where his Mommy was because right after the bad man left the big man came and took him away. He had left him with the mean people. Uncle Moony and Uncle Padfoot had not come to see him either. He kept waiting for someone to come take him back to his mommy but no one ever did. Then these people came to get him, but they didn't take him to his mommy either. He did not know where he was, or who these people were and he was so afraid!

 These thoughts made the tears keep coming and he couldn't stop, even though he knew that people did not like little boys who cried. He knew that little boys who cried were put in the cupboard and left there by themselves in the dark where the spiders lived, but he just could not stop.

Stepping back into the room Severus found Minerva rocking the baby and both of them had tears streaming down their faces. Severus bent over to take Harry and immediately the child flinched.

"Why child, you are afraid of me!" he exclaimed.

 After transforming a toy building block into another rocking chair Snape took the child and sat down with him in his lap. He sat there for several minutes silently holding the little boy while gently rubbing his back. He was silent for a long time because he was almost in shock. Where were these feelings he was having coming from? He wasn't supposed to be experiencing feelings like this! He could actually feel it and he wasn't sure he liked it. He looked down at Harry, who was quiet now. The baby looked back up at him with those eyes and he felt it again.

It felt as if something was tugging at his heart. Snape's heart had been encased in ice almost all of his life. Whenever his father hit his mother or beat him the ice grew a little thicker and a little colder. It had to be that way, because if he reacted or tried to stop his father, it just became worse for his mom and for him. Severus didn't realize that the feeling was the ice beginning to melt, he just knew that something was different now.

"Hush Harry, it is going to be all right. No one is going to hurt you because I am not going to let them. You are my little boy now and I will take care of you. You are going to live here with me and Daisy is going to take care of you. Don't be afraid anymore, you are safe here with us."

Minerva was observing all of this with her jaw dropped. Where was Severus? Who was this man holding Harry and crooning to him? This could not be Severus Snape, the terror of the dungeons! As she watched she realized that this was indeed Severus Snape. Maybe Merlin was right, maybe Severus was the one who should raise Harry. Harry was considered the saviour of the wizarding world and Minerva was beginning to believe that the child was going to be Severus Snape's saviour as well.

They took Harry to the kitchen and seated him in a brand new high chair. Severus set a bowl of oatmeal in front of him and put brown sugar and milk over it, Harry needed good food and lots of nutrients. After looking at the cereal for a long time Harry began to realize that this was really for him. His mommy had taught him to feed himself and this looked so good, but Uncle Vernon said that they could not afford to feed him all that food. They gave him the food that was left after Dudley had eaten, and that was usually just a couple of spoons full. Timidly he reached out and picked up the spoon and when he realized that no one was going to smack him he proceeded to begin to eat.

Severus watched him carefully and realized that he was obviously afraid to eat. This fact made him so angry that he almost lost control but knowing that this would frighten the little boy more than he already was, he managed to control the anger.  Minerva had the same reaction and managed to control her anger too but she feared that she would not be able to contain it very much longer so she stood and said goodnight to father and son.

Harry had finished eating and his little eyes were beginning to droop. Severus carried him back into the nursery and sat with him in the rocking chair again. He sat and rocked the child, holding him close until he saw the baby's eyelids close and he dropped off to sleep. He put him in his crib, covered him with a soft blanket and called Daisy. She appeared with a pop and Severus took himself off to bed too, it had been a very long and confusing day.

A few hours later Severus awoke with a start. He jumped out of bed and ran to the nursery, something was wrong, he just knew it.

 Harry was lying silently in his crib with big tears rolling down his face again. He had woken up and it was dark and he didn't know where he was. He knew he was alone, and he knew that he could not call for anyone because little boys who woke grown up people in the middle of the night had to be punished. He did not want to be put into a cupboard so he cried silently. Seeing that Harry was distressed Severus picked him up and held him close. He sat and rocked with him for a while but Harry refused to let himself go back to sleep. He did not want to wake up alone anymore. Finally Severus looked down at him and seeing the big green eyes looking back at him, he sighed.

"Harry, would you like to come sleep with me tonight?" he asked.

Harry nodded his head and burrowed into the nice man's chest. So Severus took Harry and went back to his own room. He put the baby into the bed and climbed in himself. He waved his hand and the lights went out. Feeling the little body next to him stiffen up he waved his hand again and a very small night-light appeared in the air on Harry's side of the bed. The baby immediately relaxed and father & son went to sleep.

The next morning Severus was sitting in his office, trying to catch up some of his neglected paperwork. Albus knocked on the open door and walked in with some official looking documents in his hand.

"Good morning Severus" he said with the famous Dumbledore twinkle in his eyes. "How did your first night with your new son go? I trust everything went smoothly."

Snape shook his head and sighed.

"Albus, I just don't know. This scares me more than going to the Dark Lord when he summoned me did. Harry is afraid of everything. Poor boy can't help it, but I don't know if I am the right one to help him."

"Severus, of course you are. You are really the only option. You live most of the year here in Hogwarts where he will be safe, you know more than anyone alive what Voldemort is capable of doing, and you certainly know what it is like to be alone."

Snape sighed again.

"Albus, the child hasn't made a sound yet. When he cries, he cries silently. I found him in his crib in the middle of the night crying without making a sound. I asked him if he wanted to sleep in my bed with me and he just nodded his head. I turned the light off in my bedroom and he instantly stiffened and as soon as I charmed a night-lite for him he relaxed and went to sleep. When I put him in his high chair I honestly believed that he was afraid to eat. I think that he thought he would get in trouble if he tried to eat."

Albus called a house elf and requested a pot of tea. When they were settled with tea and biscuits he spoke.

"The child needs to be around someone that he knows. He witnessed his parents get killed, was sent to muggles where he was neglected if not abused, and finally was taken from that home by three people who he doesn't know and brought to yet another strange place. I believe that James and Lily had a house elf named Dobby. They got him for the express purpose of protecting Harry. We need to find him."

Severus called for Daisy and she appeared immediately with a pop holding Harry in her arms. He asked her "Daisy, are you familiar with a house elf named Dobby?" When she nodded vigorously he asked "do you know what happened to him?"

"Oh yes Master Professor sir. A bad wizard stole him the night the big bad wizard killed my Little Master's mommy and daddy. He is being Mr. Malfoy sir and he made my friend bond to him and makes him be doing all the nasty chores at his manor."

By this time Dumbledore had Harry on his lap, feeding him a biscuit. A small cup of pumpkin juice had appeared next to the teapot. He asked Severus to read the documents from the Ministry. These made the adoption official. Severus Snape had a son.

"We have to go Malfoy a force him to release Dobby Severus" said Dumbledore. "We will have the ministry send some Aurors with us. I'm positive that Voldemort knows that you no longer have his mark, and about the adoption too."

He turned to Daisy and told her to take Harry back to their quarters. He told her to take good care of him and that they would be back very soon. Upon hearing this Daisy took the baby from him and they disappeared. The two wizards went to the fireplace and flooed to Dumbledore's office, from which they flooed to the Ministry. Twenty minutes later Professor Snape, Headmaster Dumbledore and ten Aurors appeared in front of the gates of Malfoy Manor. When they rang the bell demanding admittance Lucius Malfoy opened the door.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit Dumbledore? The Headmaster of Hogwarts and the traitor you brought with you have no business here.  He sneered at Snape who returned the glare ten fold. 

"We are here to get the house elf Dobby. We know that you stole him from Harry Potter; however, we are will not press charges with the Ministry if you give him a piece of clothing right now. This is non-negotiable Lucius, we are going to take that elf back to his rightful owner."

Malfoy did not like this at all, but what could he do? He knew that he had been caught. Stealing a house elf called for a term in Azkaban and he certainly did not wish to reside in that grim place. So, reluctantly, he called Dobby and instructed him to go fetch him a clean shirt. As soon as the elf appeared again with the shirt Malfoy took it from him and then handed it back and said "I am giving you this shirt you worthless little creature."

Dobby's ears had been flat against his head since he had appeared in the room the first time, but hearing these words made them stand straight up. There was a huge smile on his face as he turned to the two wizards standing behind him. All of a sudden the smile disappeared and the ears went right back down.

"Thank you, Dobby is worthless elf who should be punished. Dobby is not protecting Little Master Harry and must be punished.” With this he fell on the floor and started to pound his head against the floor.

Dumblore picked him up saying "No Dobby! You do not need to be punished, you were stolen and you do not need to assign the blame to yourself. Harry is safe now and he has a new father, Professor Snape has adopted him."

With that the group turned around and walked back out of the gates where they turned and disappeared, leaving Lucius Malfoy, who was wishing that he had the courage to have hexed them all, but who was aware at the same time that it would have been an impossible task. Malfoy was a powerful wizard but Dumbledore and Snape were both much more powerful.

Upon arriving back at the castle Snape and Dobby went to Snape's quarters to check on Harry. The walked into the nursery and Harry looked up. His face lit up with joy upon seeing his old friend and he ran across the room straight into Dobby's arms and hung on as tight as he could. He still didn't say a word, but the smile on his face told them all exactly how he felt. He didn't want Dobby to ever leave him again.

 "It is being all right young Master, I is here now and the bad wizard gave me clothes because your new daddy made him. I was not wanting to leave you but that evil wizard just grabbed me and I is being gone from your house! Dobby was going to punish himself, but Headmaster Dumblydore stopped me. Headmaster and Harry's new daddy is being wonderful men." 

Severus then introduced Dobby to Daisy. It was very apparent that Dobby was not at all pleased about sharing his Master Harry with another house elf because his ears did their drooping thing again.  Professor Snape explained however that this was necessary.

"Dobby, I need both of you. I need you to protect Harry and I need Daisy to take care of him. You two can do this together. There will be times that I will have to leave him to take care of things and I need to know that he is well cared for and safe. With both of you here I will not have to worry about my son every time I leave him."

Both elves nodded their heads and replied that they would be happy to work together for Master Professor and Little Master Harry.

Suddenly Fawkes' song was heard through out the apartment and the air started shimmering the way it had yesterday in Dumbledore's office. A moment later Merlin was in the room with them with a huge smile on his face.

"Albus, Professor we have been watching and we are pleased with what we have seen. Severus you have a large job ahead of you. I know you have doubts about your ability to raise this child, but we know that you are the only one to do it. Now, tomorrow morning both of you and Professor McGonagoll are to meet the Council. I will be here after breakfast to take you to the meeting. It is time for you to find out about the Indigo children.

Albus, Severus and Minerva met the next morning in the Headmaster's office, where they had a light breakfast delivered by one of the house elves.

“What Council has Merlin been talking about? I've never heard of any Council other than the Wizengamot. We know that isn't the one he is talking about because as the chief Warlock you would be the first to know about all of this." Severus asked.

Minerva spoke up, "He is right Albus, and I’ve been thinking the same thing. If Merlin is involved then it must be a very important body, but why have we never heard of it?"

Albus simply smiled and sipped his tea. "I've been thinking about this, and I have come to believe that whatever they wish to speak to us about is going to change our world. This Council has never, to my knowledge, shown themselves before. If they do have anything to do with the happenings in the magical world they have never interfered. Surely they were aware when it went through dark times in the past. Merlin mentioned Fate and Fate has never been known to interfere with the time line of mortals. I'm positive that Harry is involved, but I don't believe that this involves Voldemort. They would not interfere in what would be considered by them to be just another war."

As Albus finished speaking the phoenix music sounded again, the air shimmered and Merlin was with them. He smiled at the three professors and asked if they were ready. Receiving assurances that they were he waved his wand and recited a spell.

Dumbledore's office disappeared and the four of them were standing in a large room. The room had white marble walls that were veined with gold in the centre of which there were breathtaking stained glass windows made of various shades of blue and purple with gold flakes embedded.  The floor was just like the walls and in the exact middle of the large expanse of marble was a huge picture of a beautiful blue phoenix. The King of the Magical Animals was the same beautiful colours as the stained glass windows.  High above their heads was a skylight with the same beautiful stained glass. The bit which most caught Minerva’s attention was the huge crystal fireplace with a magical fire which was residing on the wall opposite them.

Sitting in front of the fireplace was a large mahogany table with carvings of ivory and ebony unicorns, phoenixes and other magical creatures inlaid into the top. A large throne-like chair made of mahogany and upholstered with indigo velvet was at the head of the table. Fifteen less opulent chairs were around the table, six on each side and three at the end of the table opposite of Fate.

As Merlin led our dazed trio to the table the hauntingly beautiful music swelled around them again. As they listened, entranced, the larger chair at the head of the table started to glow getting brighter and brighter. The light continued to get brighter until Albus, Severus and Minerva had to shield their eyes. Never had they seen anything that bright, nor heard anything as beautiful as this music! When the light faded to a dim glow they saw the figure of a large man at the head of the table. The light engulfed him while at the same time it appeared to be coming from him. It sparkled like the figure’s bright blue eyes and it made his long white hair stand out like the moon at midnight. He was dressed in white and held a white staff in his left hand. Fate looked at Albus and smiled gently.

"You are correct Albus, we do watch everyone all of the time. We know everything that happens in your world and though we do sometimes try to guide you mortals from this dimension, we never interfere. And now it is time for you to meet the rest of the Council."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth a door opened in the wall and the Council came into the room in single file. The Headmaster and the two Professors looked at the first four as they came through the doors with astonishment. They recognized all four of them as their pictures were all over the place in Hogwarts, they were the Founders of the magical school.

Merlin introduced the rest of the Council as they stepped through the door. There was Falco Asealon who was in Hogwarts: A History as the first known Animagus. Severus remembered reading about him vividly. It was the sort of story which made his lip curl; One day while walking through the woods Falco was watching a falcon in the sky and the next thing he knew he was flying alongside it. After landing upon firm earth he managed to change back into his human form and discovered that he could change back and forth between the two forms.  Severus’s attention snapped back to the front of the room when they were joined by the famous wizard duellist Alberta Toothill and Queen Maeve, who had trained witches in Ireland long before Hogwarts was founded. Then there was the famous Quong Po who specialised in magical creatures, Elladora Ketteridge who almost drowned when she discovered the properties of gillyweed as she accidentally consumed it one night after having also consumed a lot of firewhiskey. Out desperation she stuck her head in a bowl of water. 

Next to enter the room was the founder of Hogsmeade, Hengist of Woodcroft. The last was a mysterious wizard named Paracelsus. There was no written history about him other than the basics, but for some reason his image was on the most popular chocolate frog trading card and Severus distinctly remembered being hit on the head by a bust of this very same wizard when Peeves dropped it down on his head. Merlin joined the wizards and witches and all twelve seated themselves. When the three mortals had seated themselves Fate spoke again.

 "I know you are wondering why you are here. Your world, both magical and muggle, is on the very pinnacle of a New Age. As we sit in this room there is a wave of new children in the world. We are on the brink the next stage of the evolution of mankind. Never before has change occurred as rapidly as it is going to be happening now. These children will be called Indigos, they are our future and they are coming. These children are going to have special needs simply because they have such special abilities. Often in the muggle world they are misdiagnosed and prescribed medicine that constricts their abilities. We cannot let this happen to them in our world and we need to help the muggles to realize what is happening so their children will be able to flourish and do what they are here to do. There are not a lot of them in the world as yet, but the number is growing and will continue to grow. You will see more of them every year and we are going to help you get ready for them.  The Indigos are here to lead and to unite us." 

Dumbledore spoke up "In what way are these children going to be different?" 

Rowena Ravenclaw stood up, looked at the three educators and said. "They are said to have warrior personalities, which indicates that they will lead and take charge. They know that they have things to do and will not be deterred from their goals. But they do not always like authority and rules. They demand absolute honesty and possess that trait themselves. They will not react well to the typical classroom scenario of separate classes for each subject and each age educational program. An indigo child will find a subject that interests him or her and will plunge into that subject to the exclusion of others. When they have learned what they know to be enough they will go onto something else and the cycle will continue.” She paused for breath before continuing.  “They are very sensitive and some will be considered to be prodigies. Some may be brilliant artists or extremely talented musicians and they will firmly believe that everyone can do this if they want and if they believe that they can. Some will have no interest in the arts, some will be drawn to technology and some will be seers. They are all different.  They will not be forced to do things that they know are wrong for them but if you can make them understand that it may be wrong, they will usually be willing to reconsider." 

Albus, Severus, and Minerva were reeling.  Finally Severus spoke. "We cannot just let the students decide what they want to study! Why, that would be chaos! They will want to laze about or play all day. They will not learn anything except possibly how to play Quidditch." 

"No," said Godric Gryffindor "you will find that they learn more. Why make someone who is not interested in Divination study it? Why make someone who is not interested in charms, or transfiguration, or potions study those subjects? If they are not interested in what they are studying then they will not learn it well and will not use it."

 Salazar Slytherin looked at Snape and said "Severus, I believe that you will find that these children will be interested in most of the subjects offered, and will probably request teaching in subjects that are not normally offered in our schools. This must be encouraged, it is one of the things that the Indigos will need, the freedom and encouragement to explore and to learn and to grow at their own pace is extremely important."  Looking at all three he continued, "The main problem we are going to contend with will be making the people understand that dark magic does not necessarily mean bad magic. There is very little magic that is evil, even though it can be used for evil purposes by evil wizards." Once again he paused to look around the room impressively  

“Fate told you that the muggles misdiagnose some of the Indigos as ADHD, Autistic or disruptive. You will find that your greatest educational tool will be communication. You must communicate, openly and honestly with these new kids. If you give them cause to distrust they will be disruptive and rebellious. They know better than we do what they need to be successful and they intend to get it. They are strong-willed but not really stubborn." 

Helga Hufflepuff looked at them and said "this is such a wonderful thing. You will see two children who are best friends mingling with other children for a day or an hour or a week. This will not mean that the two are at odds; it just means that they do not have the need to be with that friend at that time. In a short time you will see children from different houses interacting in a way that they never have. Some of the students who are not Indigo will be drawn to these children and eventually may even become Indigo themselves. They will want to go to the special wing to learn with them, and this must be allowed.” Helga’s face betrayed just how excited she really was and she was nearly gasping for breath as she finished her speech.  “They will eat with their friends, instead of with their houses. Quidditch teams will no longer be house teams, but teams that are formed by the students themselves. The children will also be more tolerant of muggles and they will not like or approve of the rules about muggle- wizard interaction. Oh, I am so going to enjoy watching and helping with this new stage of mankind's journey." 

Merlin arose from his chair. "You have learned much today my friends. I am going to transport you to your home now and I am planning to stay at Hogwarts for a while, if that would be agreeable." Fate spoke one more time."The Council will be watching and helping. If you need us as a body or if you need just one member tell Merlin and he will arrange it. Together we will help these children accomplish their mission and while we are leading and teaching the Indigos, the Indigos will be leading and teaching us."  With this Merlin approached the three, waved his arm and recited another spell causing the four to disappear.

The three educators stood in the Headmaster's office dazed and silent, much as they had done two days before. Merlin however made himself comfortable by conjuring a pot of tea and a plate of cakes, which he offered to them.

Severus declined, stating that he needed to check on Harry and left for his quarters. Albus and Minerva sat and joined Merlin for tea.

Minerva spoke, "I still don't quite comprehend the concept of Indigo Children, or why we need to change the school. Hogwarts has remained as it is since it was founded more than a thousand years ago. Our students receive the finest education in witchcraft and wizardry, why can't we teach these children as we always have?"

"Minerva," said Merlin, "the world is going to be changing. These children are our future, they are here to lead us into a new golden age where love will triumph over fear and awareness will triumph over ignorance. Their gifts and their intentions are discerned from birth. If they are interested in a subject they will soak up the knowledge like a sponge, because of this they will be very advanced in their areas of interest."

He continued, "You will find that they will respond much better if you treat them like respected adults. As I told you before, they demand honesty. When they are confronted with a problem they will create the experience they need to help with the problem, or with the area in which they need to grow. They do this because they learn best by experiencing life.  We have got to create the environment they need to achieve their full potential and while Hogwarts has been, and still is, the best school of its kind in existence, it simply will not work for the Indigos as it is."

Albus looked at Minerva and smiled, "We can do this. Imagine what these children are going to be able to accomplish, Minnie! We have a few years to prepare and I believe that you will see that the Council knows what they are doing. If these Indigos can make our world a better place, then it is up to us to help them in any way we can."

There was silence in the room for a few minutes as Minerva thought it over. Then she said, "I suppose you are right. I am going to go to London to find some muggle books on the subject. We are going to need them if we are going to do this properly."

She stood up and after grabbing a handful of floo powder from the small bowl on the mantle she stepped into the fireplace and said "The Leaky Cauldron," leaving the two aged wizards enjoying their tea.

While Albus, Minerva and Merlin were discussing the future Severus was dealing with the present.

Upon entering his quarters he headed straight for the nursery, where he found the two house elves and their young charge, Harry. But the nursery did not look the same; the Disney characters had been replaced with all sorts of magical creatures flying among clouds. There were dragons, hippogriffs and many others flying all over the walls.

Daisy spoke up, "Master Professor, young Master Harry is being such a smart young one! He is waving his hands and the walls is being changed."

Harry, in the meantime, had spotted his new father and was hiding behind Dobby. He didn't know this man well enough yet to trust him, but he remembered Dobby and knew that Dobby would take care of him.

Realizing this Dobby picked him up and handed him to Severus, who was still in a state of shock upon hearing Harry had actually performed wandless magic. Everyone knew young witches and wizards sometimes performed accidental magic, but this was different, this was done intentionally! He carried the baby out into the living area and sat on the couch in front of the fire with him on his lap.

"Harry, you certainly managed to surprise me," he said. "I can hardly believe that someone your age actually did that." Seeing tears well up in the green eyes that were staring up at him he continued, "Oh no son, you are not in trouble. I'm not angry with you. As a matter of fact young man I think what you did is wonderful! I can't wait for you to be old enough for me to teach you more magic."

He called Daisy and asked her to bring some toys and sat Harry down on the rug to play with them so that he could work on grading some papers that he had left upon his desk. After working for a while he stopped and sat watching the baby play. He noticed that Harry was looking at a crystal phoenix that was sitting on a high shelf on the other side of the room. As he was congratulating himself that the statue was out of reach of small hands one of those small hands waved and the phoenix rose and floated across the room to the child who was sitting there guiding it.

As the new daddy sat there with his jaw dropped open Harry looked up at him and suddenly smiled a huge smile. Snape had not seen a smile on the baby's face since they had brought him to Hogwarts and was amazed that a smile could contain such beauty and joy, especially coming from a child who had lived through everything this small boy had. It was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds. Severus's eyes shined and twinkled and he looked as if he had been given the world.

Severus ran to the fireplace and floo-called to Dumbledore's office. "Albus, come quickly. I need to show you something right now!"

Albus and Merlin came through the fireplace right away. They found Snape beside himself with excitement and Harry sitting on the floor with a crystal statue in his small hands.

"Albus, the boy can do wand-less magic!" Snape yelled. "Look at him, he summoned the phoenix from that high shelf over the fireplace! And he redecorated his room too!"

By now Harry was beginning to feel afraid. His new daddy was yelling and Harry was afraid that he was going to be put into a cupboard. His little face lost its smile and large tears started rolling down his cheeks. He had only wanted to look at the pretty bird; he wasn't going to hurt it. Maybe if he put it back he wouldn't be in trouble anymore. So thinking, he waved his hand again and the phoenix floated back across the room to its original position while the three wizards stood there amazed.

"Well Severus," said Merlin, "you are certainly going to need to learn about Indigos because you definitely have one here. His aura is a little weak right now because of the neglect he has suffered, but this child is one of the new kids."

A week later Severus walked into the nursery and Harry looked up with a smile. The change in the baby was amazing; he had gained weight, had rosy cheeks and smiled frequently. For the past couple of days he raised his little arms and jumped up and down every time he saw his Daddy, making the wizard realize that he had been missing something in his life.

He worried about Harry though; he had found him several times with silent tears rolling down his cheeks in the middle of the night. Those were the nights that he took his son to bed with him. He could tell that the little boy trusted him to keep the monsters away. Then too, there was the fact that Harry still had not spoken a word. He hadn't even laughed out loud. This lack of sound coming from a baby just could not be natural.

While he was thinking about how to help the boy he heard Albus calling from the floo. Walking to the fireplace he saw the old Headmaster's head inside the flames.

"May I come in Severus? It’s very important, I have something to give you."

At Severus's nod he stepped into the room holding two boxes and a letter.

"Severus, a deliveryman from Gringotts just delivered these for you and Harry. They were found in the wreckage of the Potter home and put in their vault at Gringotts with instructions to deliver them to you and Harry. They had been misplaced, which is why you have not received them before. They also sent their deepest apologies. Call young Harry in here and let's see what this is about."

When Harry opened the larger box his brilliant green eyes became as big as saucers. There was the little toy broom that his Uncle Padfoot had given him on his birthday, and the little snitch that had come from Uncle Moony. He jumped on the broom and hovered twelve inches above the carpet, just like his Father had taught him to do on that last afternoon in Godric's Hollow. He looked up at Snape and Dumbledore and he was so happy that for the first time they could see his aura. He shone like a bright star and all around him were different shades of blue, the baby's joy could be seen shimmering in the light. Never had the two wizards seen anything like it, it was indescribable. They could do nothing but stand and stare in awe.

When he could tear his eyes away from the happy boy Severus glanced down at the letter. He immediately recognized Lily's handwriting! Deciding to deal with the letter and the smaller box later after Harry was in bed, he excused himself and went to his room to put them in a safe place.

While his Dad was out of the room Harry released the tiny snitch. As Albus watched with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face, the little boy chased the snitch around the room. Suddenly, disaster! Harry came flying around the corner at the same time his father was coming into the room and WHAM!! Harry got him at knee level and the Professor, feared by every student at Hogwarts, flew up in the air, went head over heels and landed flat on his back with his robes up over his head!

Before Severus had time to realize exactly what had happened to him he heard a sound that he had not heard before. He heard a child's laughter. Moving the robe from his face he looked up at a little boy hovering over him and laughing!

With a smile on his face Professor Severus Snape stood up and said to Albus, "Leave it to James Potter's son to fly me down and then laugh about it!" Picking Harry up he laughed with the baby.

"Yes, wouldn't James be proud of his son now?" laughed Dumbledore. Still chuckling aloud he stepped into the fireplace and returned to his office.  Looking at Fawkes he said, "you know old friend, Harry Potter is the best thing that has ever happened to Severus. I believe that soon he is going to realize that the feelings he is beginning to have for his adopted son are love."

Snape was thankful for the sound of Harry's laughter and wanted to hear it again. He called Daisy and asked her to get the baby dressed warmly. When Harry came back with his warm clothing on Snape picked up him, his broom and the snitch and took them outside to fly.

Harry and his Dad spent the afternoon outside. Harry was already showing a marked talent for flying and Severus could tell that he was going to have to teach him some rules, but for today he just stayed close to him and watched carefully. After the little daredevil almost gave him a heart attack by flying out over the lake Severus took him back into the castle.

Later, after dinner and bath time Severus tucked Harry into his bed. Kissing him goodnight he said, "Good night son, know that you are safe and that you are loved. I will hear you if you call to me."

Leaving the sleepy child he retrieved the letter and the small box from his room. He put the box to one side and opened the letter.

Dear Severus,

When you read this you will be my son's legal father, Fate and the Council have told me so. I need to explain some things to you, things that you don't know.

Two weeks before Harry's birthday Merlin came to me, and took me to the Council. Fate explained to me that he could not change the future, James and I were supposed to die when we did; however, it was not Harry's time. He is there for a very important reason.  This is why the Avada Kedavra curse did not work on him but rebounded and vanquished Voldemort. I know that everyone is convinced that he survived because of my love, but many mothers have given their lives in failed attempts to save their children. Please know, my dear Severus, that it was fate, all of it was fate.

I found out that Dumbledore intended to leave my son at Petunia's house and begged the Council to intervene. You know her Severus you know her well. I could not leave things as they were; I had to protect my child.

Severus, I know how you felt about me. I always loved you but I was in love with James. You were my first and best friend, both in and out of Hogwarts. You helped me so many times when Petunia was giving me grief about magic and other things too. I could always talk to you about anything, important or trivial. I have missed you so much these last few years and now Voldemort is to kill James and I and we will never have a chance to talk again.

I asked the Council to send Harry to you and to urge you to adopt him. You are the only person I can trust to raise him to be the man I know he can be. I know too that you will grow to love the little scamp as if he were your own son. I understand that at first you will think of James when you think of Harry but that will pass and you will look at Harry with love and with pride for all of his accomplishments, which are fated to be many.

Because I was determined to watch over my child the Council helped me with a spell. It is ancient magic, and could be considered by some to be dark. Dark or not, I didn't care; I have to watch over him, and help you with him. Open the box that came with this letter and put on the medallion that you will find in there. This will make it possible for me to know when I am needed and I will come.

Severus, I cannot tell you the future but know that you are not fated to spend your life alone. You will have the love of my child and the love of your own children. There is a woman out there who is right for you and you will be meeting her soon. Don't close yourself off from her when she appears in your life my old friend; open your mind and your heart. You will never regret it.

Please give Harry a kiss from me when you put him to bed and tell him how much he is loved.

Yours,

Lily

Severus opened the small box and through his tears he saw a gold and silver medallion on a gold chain. In the middle of the medallion was a blue phoenix, just like the one on the floor of the council chamber. Putting the medallion over his head he felt a wave of magic engulf him.

Morning found him still sitting, watching the fire, and thinking about Lily and Fate.

The students returned to school and Severus tried to get him life back on track.

The recent events had totally shaken his whole existence, he was no longer a professor and spy. Now he was professor and father and he believed that being a spy was easier. He was used to unruly pre-teens and the even more unruly teens. He didn't know how to take care of this child that Fate and Lily had decided he was to raise! Then the letter came back into his mind.

Severus had loved Lily, more than she had ever realized and he had known that she regarded him as a big brother and best friend. They had met as children and had been best friends from day one. When he joined the Death Eaters she had stopped speaking to him entirely. It killed him that he couldn't explain that he had joined Voldermort's legions as a spy or that Dumbledore had asked him to do so. He knew though, that she would be safer if she were not near him anymore. If he stepped out of line or was discovered as a spy the Dark Lord would go after anyone Snape cared about. He could not let the egocentric maniac know how much he cared for her.

When she married James, Severus was drunk for five days. The sixth day he woke up miserable, sick and filthy, but he also woke up determined. He would never let anyone get that close to him again. He would not give pain a chance to come at him again in this way. He might not be able to control pain coming from outside sources, but he could control pain coming from the inside. He would just close that part off and build a little more ice around his heart. And so he became the Terror of the Dungeons, the most feared wizard in the whole school. He knew the students did not like him, but he was glad.

Time continued and Severus grew to care about Harry more than he had thought possible. He was still feared by the students, but the enjoyment had gone out of it for him. He had even caught himself wishing that one of them would just smile at him one time. He quickly got that thought right out of his head, but the memory remained. Lily had not come to him as of yet, but then there had been no emergencies. He almost wished one would arise so that he could see her again.

Harry had begun to shadow his daddy when he was in his lab. He was extremely interested in the potions he watched Severus brew. He still had not spoken one word and even though he acted frustrated sometimes when he tried to communicate, he refused to even try to speak. He loved to sit in his father's chair and pretend to read his father's books. Since these were books that Severus had picked up over the years and were about extremely advanced spells and potions and even ancient magic he always chuckled when he saw the baby sitting there "reading."

Harry did not go to the potions classroom while class was in session very much. The child drew so much attention that the students didn't pay attention to the lessons. When he was four years old his Dad asked him if he would like to go to class with him on the first day of school. Would he! Harry had nodded his head, smiled and ran to get his cloak. --

Harry was sitting at a small desk beside his father's desk with a piece of parchment, drawing pictures of flying flame breathing dragons and flying snitches when the students came into the class. Snape waited for the class to take their seats and began the lesson.

He wrote gillyweed on the blackboard with his wand and looked at a red haired boy sitting in the third row who had been trying to be inconspicuous so that he would not be called upon. Charlie Weasley was fourteen years old and was the seeker for Gryffindor. He also possessed the dubious reputation of being the Romeo of the school. He loved girls and all of the girls loved him. Studying was definitely not high on his list of favourite things to do.

"Mr. Weasley who discovered the properties of gillyweed and how did it come about?" the Professor asked.  When he did not get an answer he stalked over to stand in front of the young man, who by now was red faced as well as red haired. Sneering at him and putting his face very close to the now shaking Gryffindor he hissed, "Surely the wonderful Mr. Weasley, loved by all the girls and famed as a brilliant Quidditch player can say something! Any second year would be able to answer that question, but of course you have to have a brain to be able to use it you dunderhead!"  As he opened his mouth to say something else equally blistering he heard a voice from the front of the room. He whirled around and there stood his son glaring at him.

"It was Elladora Kitteridge! And she discovered it because she was drunk and ate some and stuck her head in a bucket of water," shouted Harry. "And you're mean!  And you're a BULLY!"

With this Harry burst into tears and ran out of the room.

Snape stood there thunderstruck. He couldn't believe it! Harry had talked; moreover, it appeared that he had actually been reading all those books, as that was the only explanation for him knowing the answer to that question. Then it struck him; Harry had called him a bully! He remembered what it had felt like when the Marauders had bullied him while he was a student, and he also knew how it felt to be bullied by Voldermort. He had to find Harry; he could not bear the thought that his son thought that he could be like that!

He hurriedly dismissed the class and called for Dobby. The elf appeared with his ears flat again. "Yes Master Professor sir, you called for Dobby?" he said.

"Dobby, have you seen Harry?" asked the worried wizard, fear lacing his panicked words.

"Yes sir, Dobby is knowing that Little Master is needing him so I's is getting him and taking him to his nursery. Harry is being crying and Daisy is with him," replied the elf with reproach in his voice.

"Thank you," said Severus. "You may go back now, tell Daisy that I will be there shortly."

He turned and walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He knew that it was his treatment of the student that had given Harry the impression that his father was mean, was a bully, and was to be feared. He knew that somehow he had to make the little boy understand that he wasn't really like that. He never wanted to see his son look at him with that look in his eyes again.

He also could not understand just why Harry had picked this time to speak aloud when he had never spoken one word before. He didn't know how he was going to handle this and didn't know whom to talk to for help.  

As he was sitting with his head in his hands he felt a wave of magic in the room and heard Lily's voice saying, "Severus it will be fine, you just need to talk to him."

He looked up and she was standing in front of him. Smiling gently she said "Severus, Harry has been talking to you for a long time, you just weren't listening to him." Seeing the confused look on his face she continued, "Listen to him with your mind, he is talking to you with his mind Sev, you just have to be still and hear him." With this she disappeared leaving Snape with a stunned look on his face and joy in his heart.

Hurrying to his quarters he went straight to the nursery. Daisy was rocking Harry and singing a soft lullaby to him. The boy was still crying and Severus took him from the elf's arms.

"Son, I'm sorry. I would never do anything to hurt one of the students; I am just trying to teach them and get their attention. I know they fear me, but at least they learn. I don't want you to think that I'm a bully, Harry."

As he looked down at his child, Severus knew that he would have to change. How could he expect Harry to grow up to be the kind of man he should be if grew up watching his father terrorize children? He knew that he needed to do some deep soul searching, so he kissed his son and placed him back on Daisy's lap. Retreating to his study he spent the rest of the night watching the fire and thinking.

The next morning Harry was not in the classroom, but the students saw the beginnings of change in their Potions Instructor.

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

The next week was the last week of the school year, and after the sumptuous Leaving Feast the students departed, leaving only the staff, house elves, Merlin and Harry. Knowing that the end of summer would bring a major workload Severus decided to take Harry on holiday. So the two of them, along with Daisy and Dobby, packed their bags and prepared to leave for a month at the shore in Newquay. This was the first time Harry had been outside of Hogwarts for any length of time, so he was excited, but not nearly as excited as the two elves. Daisy was beside herself trying to be sure she had everything that everyone would need and Dobby wanted to raid the castle's kitchen to fill three coolers and four bags full of food. Severus had to threaten him with a gift of clothing to make him give up on that idea. Unbeknownst to the eagle-eyed professor however he still managed a couple of bags of food, he was taking no chances of his Little Master being hungry.

When they finally got to the resort it was time for Harry to go to bed. After reading two stories and finally getting the child to go to sleep Severus wandered out onto the patio and stood watching the moonlight play over the water. The man, who had always been just the Potions Professor, didn't know exactly how had gotten himself into this situation. He wasn't sure he would be able to be a good Headmaster, he still wasn't sure that he was a good father, and being brutally honest he had to admit to himself that he was afraid.

"I would never admit that to another living soul," he murmured aloud.

"Well, Sev," said a voice from the shadow of a large oak tree "I'm not a living soul, so I guess that's all right."

Turning, he saw Lily standing at the dark end of the patio. She was engulfed in a soft white light. As she smiled at him the light got a little brighter, and her green eyes twinkled.  "You’re going to be just fine Severus," she continued. "You have changed in the past few years my friend. I always knew that you weren't the terrible ogre that you tried to become after you took the Dark Mark and I've been waiting for you to realize it. I know you will come to full realization soon, which is one of the main reasons I wanted you to adopt my son. Having Harry is one of the things that will help you realize your own worth, and your new position will help too.  I know you will teach him not only the skills he needs to be a successful man, but you will give him both the spiritual and the moral foundations he will need to become a good man."

Snape looked at the shade of the only woman he had ever loved and asked, "Why haven't you come again before? It's been so long, and Harry didn't even see you the other time you were here."

"No, Severus, he didn't see me, and he cannot for many more years. If I appear to you in his presence he still won't hear or see me. I have been around you both much more than you realize. When you are in need of my help you will be aware of my presence, but only then.” She paused and looked at him seriously, “Your new post as Headmaster of the Pre-School will help you too when it comes to Harry. He is going to be extremely powerful but he will not be the only one who is. The children who will be coming into your school are different from the students Hogwarts has taught before. They are going to have special skills and special talents. Never be afraid to let Harry, or any of the children express themselves Severus, that is most important. But always remember that they need discipline too, in fact they want discipline, and all children do. You will be able to find the balance you need Headmaster Snape, you are going to be fine."

With those words Lily wasn't there anymore. She didn't apparate and didn't exactly disappear or fade from sight, she just wasn't there. Snape spent several hours that night on the patio, listening to the breeze, and the waves and enjoying the moonlight on the water.

The days at the shore passed and father and son finally had time to spend together. Back at Hogwarts Snape's duties frequently left Harry spending most of his time with the elves. Severus did try to spend quality time with him, but it just didn't happen very often. But now morning would find the two walking along the sand dunes, with Harry laughing with joy, as he ran in and out of the frothy waves.

Severus loved to walk down the beach with Harry darting ahead of him, stopping every few steps to pick up a seashell which he would put in a little pail that he carried every time they went onto the beach. Severus most definitely did not love the times Harry decided to throw bread or crumbs to the gulls. Nasty, noisy creatures! A few times he had to make a hurried trip inside to take a shower and shampoo his hair. Harry however continued to feed the birds because Snape, seeing how much the boy loved it, did not have the heart to deny him.

So the month passed slowly and peacefully. The only high drama occurred one afternoon just before they were scheduled to return to the school when the Professor took Harry for a swim. Wild horses could not have dragged Severus Snape out onto the beach in a bathing costume, so he stood on the shore while Harry happily paddled in the waves. The man's attention was drawn for just a few seconds by a sea gull diving after a fish and when he returned his gaze to his son, his son was not there. Snape's heart dropped when he saw the empty expanse of water! Desperately searching the waves he saw a small pair of glasses floating in the water, and black curls just under the surface! Frantically he ran into the water and dove to where he had seen the curls. Seeing his son floating just ahead of him, he grabbed the small body and headed for the surface with Harry in his arms.

He stumbled onto the beach and laid his son down on the sand. The child started coughing and was immediately violently sick as his body got rid of the seawater he had ingested. Seeing this, Snape collapsed beside Harry and lifted him into his arms with tears mixing with the salt water on his face.

"Harry, I was so afraid. I was afraid I wouldn't get to you in time. I cannot even think what I would have done if you had left me," he cried.  Suddenly the truth dawned upon him, he loved this child. This was his Son and always would be. He could not even imagine what his life would be without the little boy in it. He felt two small hands upon his cheeks, and looking down his brown eyes met the green ones. After a few long seconds Harry smiled and said, "I love you too Daddy."

Severus had enjoyed his holiday; however he was grateful to return to the castle. He had so much work to do that he wasn't even sure where to start. It was the 29th of July and Harry's birthday was on the 31st. He needed to plan a small party for the child and had not as yet decided on a gift for him. Then on the first of August the teachers would be coming to get ready for the small students that were be there soon. He still had to take Harry to buy new clothing too. Luckily, the school would provide whatever was needed, so that he did not have to worry about school supplies.

Snape also had to move to new quarters because Horace Slughorn was taking over the position of Potions Professor and would need the quarters that he and his small family were currently occupying.

Because he wanted to spend more time with his son, especially after his epiphany on the beach, he decided to take Harry with him to his office the morning after they returned home. Entering Snape's office Harry went directly to the bookshelves that covered two of the walls. Finding one he apparently found interesting he sat in one of the comfortable, green leather chairs and started turning pages. Snape, who still not adjusted very well to the sight of a five year old child reading advanced text books, just shook his head and immersed himself in his own work.

After working for a few hours Severus called a break. "What have you been reading," he asked Harry.

Harry looked over and replied, "Oh, I'm reading about turning into." When his father looked confused he continued, "you know, turning into animals. That sounds like so much fun!"

"Well, one day you may be able to find out if it is fun, but that won't happen for several more years. That is one of the most complicated and difficult spells to learn. It takes much studying and work and some are never able to make the transition, Harry," he replied to the boy who was looking at him with a sparkle in his eyes. "What do you say we have some lunch in the Great Hall, and afterwards we'll see about out new accommodations?"

After lunch they returned, with Albus and Merlin, to the pre-school wing.  After some discussion the group went to the third floor and Snape said aloud "I need an apartment for myself, my son and two house elves.“  As soon as the words left his mouth a door appeared on the wall at the end of the hall. Opening the door they found a spiral staircase, which opened up, onto a spacious room with gleaming hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows on the wall opposite the staircase. There was a hall leading out of the room that revealed two bedrooms, a study and a laboratory for Severus, and two small rooms for Daisy and Dobby, which were connected by a common sitting room. All of the rooms, with the exception of the elves, who didn't need the floo, had large stone fireplaces, which were connected by floo to Dumbledore's office and to all of the fireplaces in the new wing. Severus had the password needed to make it accessible to the outside world too, so he and Harry could floo to Diagon Ally or other places as needed.

There were two large, comfortable looking couches and several chairs, all in black leather and a huge, round, glass table which sat in front of the fireplace with one of the couches and two of the chairs around it. The rest of the furniture was situated so you could sit and look out of the window at the view, which was beautiful.

Harry entered his room with the three wizards following behind him. He had a large bed with red hangings and a red and white rug on the floor. There was a small play table with chairs and a large cabinet for his wardrobe. He looked around for a moment and then with a wave of his hand the red hangings were blue and the rug was blue and white. He waved his hand again and the small play table was a desk with one chair. The remaining chairs were now bookshelves, which were full.

Severus and Albus stood staring with their mouths open, while Merlin looked absolutely delighted. With a chuckle he said, "Gentlemen, the new kids are here. It is going to be an interesting future with children such as this one for us to try to keep up with."

That evening as the new Headmaster was putting his things in the right places he heard a voice coming over the floo. Walking into the living area he saw Dr. Brown's head in the fire.  "Severus, may I come through for a moment? I'm downstairs in my office at the moment."  Upon receiving permission she stepped out of the fire holding the hand of a small girl.  "Headmaster Snape, I would like you to meet my daughter, Jaelle.”   The little girl smiled shyly at the tall, pale man looking down at her. "Hello sir, I am going to be a student here at your school," she lisped.

Jaelle had long, thick black hair that framed her small heart shaped face with riotous curls. She had olive skin and beautiful brown eyes framed with long, curly black lashes like her mother. She was acting shy at the moment; however Severus could see the mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Good evening, Jaelle," he said, "I hope you like it here. Would you like to meet my son? I believe he is about your age, he will be five years old tomorrow." Calling Harry he told him to take Jaelle into the kitchen and ask Daisy for a snack.

When the children left the room Severus turned to the gorgeous woman standing beside him.  "What a pleasure to see you again Dr. Brown. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening? Is there any problem with your office, or your quarters?"

"Oh no," she replied. "Everything is fine, I just wanted to say hello and introduce you to Jaelle. Her father died three years ago so she will have to live here with me. I needed to ask if that would present any difficulties. And please call me Stephanie when we aren't downstairs in the school."

The most feared professor in Hogwart's history just stood there and stared at the vision standing in front of him. Merlin! This woman is beautiful he thought.  Gathering himself together he replied, "Only if you call me Severus. And of course she can stay here with you, a few of the students will stay here anyway. When she is old enough to go to the regular school she will be in one of the houses as will Harry, but she will still be able to stay with you whenever she wants."

In the meantime the two children were in the kitchen gorging on biscuits and hot chocolate. Jaelle looked at Harry and asked if any other children lived there. "No," he replied, "not right now, but when the term starts the castle will be full of kids, and a few of the kids who go to school in this building will stay here too. Are you as excited about going to school as I am?" he asked.

Jaelle looked sad and said "No, I don't want to go to school. I wish I didn't have to. None of the other children in my old nursery school liked me because I was different. I'm magical, and I'm a Rom."

Seeing that Harry looked bewildered she continued, "people don't like the Roma, they call us gypsies and they think that we will steal from them. Some of the people do things that they shouldn't, but not all of the Roma are like that. I would never steal from anyone, nor would I cheat them. If I told someone’s fortune I would only tell the truth. And I never mean to break things with my magic, it just happens sometimes when I get upset."

Seeing that his new friend was on the verge of tears Harry said, "Hey, it's ok. I would like to be your friend. I think you're pretty and you are very nice. And I've broken things with accidental magic too. That's what they call it when things happen because you're upset, it isn't your fault you know."

Their parents came to see what they were up to and found the two children laughing and talking as if they had known each other all of their lives.

"Goodness, Jaelle doesn't usually makes friends with anyone, and certainly not this quickly. I can see that this is going to be good for her," exclaimed Stephanie. Looking at her daughter she said, "Darling, it is time for us to go back to our quarters. It is already past your bed-time and we need to be up early in the morning."

And so, after receiving and accepting an invitation to a small birthday dinner for Harry the next evening the two most beautiful females in Hogwarts took their leave of the two most bedazzled males in Hogwarts.

Harry's birthday started with Severus being summoned to Dumbledore's office. Stepping out of the fireplace, he was greeted by the sight of Sirius Black sitting on the comfortable, squishy couch. He was extremely thin, very pale and his eyes had a haunted look in them. Snape just looked at him, he wasn't glaring, but he wasn't smiling either.

"Come in Severus," smiled Dumbledore. "We have some things to talk about and I wanted to do it early so you can spend the day with your son."

Severus glanced over at Sirius, expecting an explosion but Sirius was looking at him strangely. He stood up and walked up to his old enemy and put out his hand. "Severus I owe you several apologies for several things over the years." With a wicked grin he continued, "not everything, you understand, but for some things." He sat back down with a bang.

Snape almost smiled at the confusing speech coming from the head of the pureblood Black family. He turned to Merlin and asked, "how did you free him? Does he know about Harry?"

Merlin chuckled and replied, "Oh, I just had a little talk with Minister Fudge. You know, I believe that very soon someone will call for a general election. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Author Weasley in the office in the very near future. But to continue, Sirius was in such a bad way that I had to take him straight to St.Mungos where he has been for all this time. And yes, he is aware that you are Harry's legal father, Severus."

Sirius stood again, "Severus, I was upset when I first heard about the situation, but I'm not as hot-headed as I used to be. Having dementors as roommates will make you grow up sooner or later, and it's mostly sooner. Everyone thought that I was never coming out of prison and Harry had to have a father. But Severus, please don't revoke my right to be his Godfather."

At this Snape turned to the two older wizards and yelled "OKAY, WHO SNITCHED MY POLYJUICE POTION? THIS CAN'T BE SIRIUS BLACK!!"

At this Albus and Merlin laughed out loud. "I assure you that it is my dear boy", laughed Albus.

After Severus told Sirius that he was indeed to remain as Godfather he went on to explain that although Harry could and did talk, it was not a frequent occurance. "Of course," he said, "you can communicate with him without spoken words. He talks to me more that way than aloud. He is an extremely bright young boy and his magic is amazing. We have not done tests on his magical core as of yet, but they will be done when he is a little older."

Sirius looked thoughtful. "You know, I don't know if Harry will remember me. It has been a long time, and he was very young. Do you think I could come to his birthday dinner this evening?" After being assured that he was welcome he was about to go to the room that Dumbledore had asked a house elf to make ready for him when the Headmaster stopped him.

"Just one more minute please Sirius. I'm calling a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix this evening after Harry's dinner. Both of you need to be there."

Snape returned to his quarters to find Harry jumping up and down with excitement. "I'm five years old Daddy," he yelled. Laughing, Severus picked him up and kissed his forehead. "I know you are, my boy. Do you want your birthday gift before or after breakfast?"

Receiving the answer he had expected he called Dobby and asked her to bring Harry's gift. She disappeared and in a moment she and Dobby both appeared and Dobby was holding a large box with a silver ribbon on top. Harry, with eyes as big as saucers, reached for the box and setting it down upon the floor he pulled off the lid. He looked down at the furry little face, and blue eyes of a pure white puppy. He squealed in delight and picked the fuzz ball up from the box. Looking up at his Father with a shining face he smiled. Severus heard a voice in his head telling him how much he loved the gift and how much he loved his Daddy.

Harry and his Dad spent the morning flying together. Harry could go higher now and loved scaring Snape with loops and tricks. Watching him the man could see James in his son and, for some reason, it didn't bother him as he had thought that it would. He found himself happy with the fact that Harry was happy, and that he was his son.

They went back inside and Harry took a nap under Daisy's watchful eye while Severus did some reading in front of the fire. They spent a quiet afternoon together and went down to the Great Hall where Harry found a huge cake and lots of presents. He noticed a man standing in the crowd of professors by the head table looking at him. He thought he had seen him somewhere, but he didn't know where. The man walked towards him and went down on one knee so that he would be on the little boy's level.

"Hello Harry, do you remember me?" When the child shook his head the man continued, "I'm your Uncle Padfoot, Harry. I'm your Godfather."

Suddenly Harry remembered, he remembered this man and his Daddy wrestling on the floor and laughing. He remembered this man turning into a big black dog and taking rides on his back. Harry smiled, nodded and threw his arms around his Godfather's neck as the others watched with lumps in their throats.

When Severus and Harry returned to their quarters they heard the puppy whining from his box in Harry's room. Harry ran to pick him up and hugged his wriggling little body. "Dad, do you think he is lonely without his brothers and sisters?" he asked.

"He could be son, but he will forget about them in a day or two," Snape replied. "He may stay in your room with you tonight, but under no circumstances are you to allow him on the bed." Transfiguring a sock into a small bed for the puppy he placed it beside the fireplace and told Harry that Blue, which is the name the boy had given the new pet, could sleep there.

After Harry was asleep in his bed with Blue asleep in his bed by the fire, Severus left and went to Dumbledore's office. Most of the members of the Order were there, as was Merlin.

Dumbledore stood and said, "All right everyone, we need to get started. There are some startling events that you all need to be aware of. I'm sure that all of you have heard that Sirius has been cleared of all charges relating to the deaths of James and Lily, and that Peter Pettigrew has been charged."

"For the past several months there has been an increasing parade of Death Eaters turning themselves in to the Ministry. They all told such a strange story that the Department of Mysteries was called in to investigate, and the results were staggering. It seems that not one of these people joined Voldermort willingly. It appears that somehow the Dark Lord placed an extremely ancient, and forgotten curse on the ones he wanted and it had an effect similar to the Imperius. It is as if the person cursed is hypnotized. When he activates the mark on their arm they change into Deatheaters. After a few hours the spell eases off and they do not have any recollection of anything they have done. As I understand it, there are a few people who cannot be affected by this curse, or by hypnosis. Severus is one, so are Bellatrix Lastrange and Lucius Malfoy. Bellatrix, Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew (everyone already knew he was still alive) are the only ones still loyal to him and Peter only stays because he knows he cannot return to our world."

"We have also discovered that Voldemort is probably in a forest in Albania. He tried to create horcruxes so that he could not die. The magic that he used to split his soul combined with the killing curse that rebounded when he tried to kill Harry, killed the pieces he split off and it is slowly killing his magical core. He is incurably insane now and when his magical core dies so will he. As his magical strength lessened so did the power of the curse placed on the ones with the dark mark. When these people discovered what had been done to them and knew what had been done to innocent people because of things they were forced to do they came to turn themselves in to the authorities. Some of them may have to go to prison for a short sentence, but most of these unfortunates will be given amnesty."

"Hopefully now that we know about where he is he will be caught. We will still have to be vigilant, the three with him are extremely dangerous, but we are not going to have to worry about Voldermort again. It is indeed a happy day for the world."

"But what of the prophecy?" called Molly Weasley, a short, stout redhead.

Merlin answered, "Nothing is set in stone, not even a prophecy. A prophecy is just a vision of what could happen if the circumstances are right. Think for a moment, if Voldermort had not been told about the prophecy he would have had no reason to attack the Potters and he would not have cast the killing curse at their son."

Seeing regret, guilt, and grief mirrored on the former potions professor's face he continued, " Severus, you were fated to tell him, just as it was Fate that led him to attempt to create horcruxes. Prophecies do not always come true but Fate will not be changed."

Everyone stayed after the meeting to talk about everything that they had been told. They were trying to comprehend the fact that they did not have to live in fear anymore and there would be no dark mark floating above some poor muggle's house again. Voldermort's reign of death and terror was finally over. Slowly they drifted apart and returned to their homes.

When Severus opened the door of Harry's room he was expecting to have to take Blue out of his master's bed and return him to his own. He walked over to the bed and saw immediately that it was empty. His heart pounding, he looked around them room and saw not one, but two puppies asleep by the fire. With shaking hands he picked up a little black puppy. When the puppy opened sleeping eyes the unbelieving man saw that they were Lily green. He looked again and noticed a white mark on the puppy's head, a white lightening bolt. This puppy was his son!

Harry looked back at his Dad and immediately he was a little boy again. "Dad, he was crying because he missed his family. You told me not to bring him into bed with me so I had to go to his bed."

Silently Severus shook his head. "Turning into animals, that was that book you were reading a few days ago. You did it from reading that book! I can see that I am going to have to keep an eye on what books you read from now on young man."

Tucking the little boy back into his own bed, this time with Blue beside him, he returned to the living area where he spent another lengthy night staring at the fire.

Morning finally arrived and Severus, after checking that Harry was still sleeping, left early for the Great Hall. He was the first to arrive and the house elves promptly served his breakfast. He wasn't really hungry, but was grateful for the coffee. Shortly after he had arrived Stephanie appeared. She too was looking for coffee.

"Good morning Severus," she greeted him. "What brings you down so early in the morning?"

Severus told her about Harry's changing into a puppy the previous evening, and about the other things he had done. "I have a hard time realizing that he can actually read, and understand, the books I've found him engrossed in, but when he puts what he is reading to practical use it is unlike anything I've ever seen, Stephanie."

The attractive doctor looked thoughtful as she replied, "I believe that Harry is going to continue to amaze you. He is obviously extremely intelligent and when a subject interests him he soaks it up like a sponge. This is only part of the explanation for his ability to perform advanced magic though, I think that a large portion of it is that he has been raised here in Hogwarts. No one has admonished him for underage magic because it isn't an issue here in the castle; therefore, he doesn't realize that he is not supposed to be able to do it or that it is anything out of the ordinary."

She paused and looked at Severus for a moment before continuing.

"You will notice that Harry has had no problem with accidental magic occurrences, but almost every other wizard or witch child does. That is because the children of the magical world are told that they are too young to perform magic, that their magical core isn't strong enough. The fact that their cores are strong enough is the reason for the accidental magic. The magic has to have an outlet, therefore they have outbursts."

While the two were engrossed in their discussion the rest of the staff had appeared. Severus and Stephanie decided to finish their discussion later in the day and applied themselves to breakfast, which Snape decided he wanted after all. A few minutes later several owls appeared and one of them dropped a copy of the Prophet in front of them.

Severus glanced at the paper and promptly forgot all about breakfast. The headlines read:

Sirius Black Declared Innocent!

Minister of Magic Under Investigation!

He immediately turned to the article which read:

It has been disclosed to the Daily Prophet that Sirius Black has been in St. Mungos since January, 1982. He was taken out of Azkaban Prison by none other than Merlin himself and was immediately hospitalized for injuries and emotional problems which were a direct result of his stay in Azkaban.

In further stunning developments the Wizengamot and Merlin have called for an investigation into the prosecution of Lord Black, who is the head of the Black family, one of the oldest and most influential families of Britian's magical community. It appears that Lord Black was never brought to trial, and this fact has been the subject of one of the biggest cover-ups in the history of the wizarding world.

Lord Black's innocence was discovered when scores of Death Eaters turned themselves in to the Ministry of Magic and it was brought to light that Peter Pettigrew is still alive and was the one who betrayed James and Lily Potter. Pettigrew was also the one responsible for the deaths of 13 muggles, an act that has also been credited to Lord Black.

The investigation is expected to reach all the way to the Minister of Magic's office. Further developments will be reported as they occur.

The next day's headlines read:

Cornelius Fudge removed from office!

General Election Called!

Severus skipped hurriedly to the article, his fingers shaking slightly.

Cornelius Fudge has been removed from the office of Minister of Magic. The Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore, will fill the post until a new Minister is elected next week.

To Severus' delight the following week the headlines read:

Arthur Weasley Elected Minister by a Landslide!

The article read:

Arthur Weasley, who has worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department of the Ministry of Magic for the past 15 years, has been elected the new Minister of Magic. Mr. Weasley, who is well known for his love of all things muggle, says he plans to work towards better understanding between the muggle and magical communities.

Mr. Weasley is the husband of Molly Weasley, formerly Molly Prewitt. He and his wife are the parents of seven children and have been instrumental in the fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

And the good news didn't stop there because the very next day the headlines read:

Voldemort is Finished!!

Celebrations Rock the Magical World!

The magical world is celebrating today after receiving word that Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldermort, has been captured in the magical forest located in the south of Albania. With him were Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and Peter Pettigrew, all of whom committed suicide rather than being captured.

Because of extremely dark magic performed by the Dark Lord, he has lost his magic. According to Dr. Byron Stoner, of the North Britain Hospital for the Incurably Insane, the affects of dark magic employed by Voldermort are such that his magical core is dying and when the core dies so will Voldermort.

Fireworks are planned tonight all over the country. Tomorrow has been designated a national holiday and there will be a special ceremony at the Ministry of Magic where amnesty will be granted to the unfortunates that were cursed and used for such terrible things by Tom Riddle.

The day before the opening day of the new pre-school found Severus and his staff in the cafeteria of the new wing. There was a large pot of coffee, a larger pot of tea and a plate of pastries.

"Welcome to all of you," he started the meeting. "I'm sure you are all wondering exactly what we are doing and I've got to tell you that I am too. We are going to be teaching in a brand new way, one that has not been tried in the magical world before, and it is going to be a challenge to each and every one of us. It won't always be easy, we are going to have to forget a lot of what we have learned, but I believe that the results will be spectacular."

"As you are all aware by this point, we are going to be seeing a new type of student and we are going to have to adjust our teaching accordingly. We will not have very many structured classes, mainly reading and arithmetic, and even those won't be structured in the way we have been used to. These students are going to need to work at their own pace, and I believe that you are going to find it will be a faster pace than you are used to seeing. Are there any questions so far?"

Constance Green raised her hand and receiving a smile and nod from Snape she asked, "How will it be structured then?"

Severus smiled, "It won't be structured at all. As I said, we will teach all of the children reading and arithmetic but other than that they will know what they wish to study and our job will be to simply guide and help them. Some of them, such as Harry, will already know how to read; some will know math and those students will probably not show very much interest in the classes. If so, we will give them a test and if they pass it the classes won't be required. There will of course be rules. You will find that most of our students don't care for rules. But if they are explained in a forthright and honest manner I believe that the majority of the children will abide by them. These new students value honesty very highly and will not tolerate dishonesty, whether in others or themselves. And now I am going to turn the floor over to Dr. Brown."

Stephanie stood and addressed the teachers, "As of this morning we have ten children enrolled in our new pre-school. They are much younger than the other Hogwarts students and will require closer supervision. You will probably find though that these children are more self sufficient than most children their ages are."

"We do have two seven-year-old twins coming to us that will definitely require supervision. Fred and George Weasley would normally have stayed in the primary school that they have been attending, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley want to send them to us. I believe these two young men are Indigos, but they have not done well in the muggle school. They have been labelled disruptive and troublesome. It has been suggested that they may be ADHD. I have talked to the authorities at the school, to their parents, and to the boys themselves. These boys are definitely middle children; they have three older siblings and two younger. When they started experiencing outbursts of accidental magic they found that it brought attention their way. When they started using the accidental magic to play pranks on their teachers, classmates, and family members it brought them even more attention. Fred and George are extremely bright boys and the poor muggle teachers didn't know what had hit them. You are going to have to be on your toes around them."

"The youngest Weasley boy, Ron, will be attending our school too. The Weasley family has not had very much money until recently and Ron has had a hard time realizing that money is not the most important thing in life. He is a good kid, and once he realizes that being poor does not make him inferior he will be fine. There is also a younger child, a daughter, but she will not be attending until next year."

"I'm sure you have all met my daughter Jaelle and the Headmaster's son, Harry Potter. Jaelle is a quiet child and so is Harry. Harry however is another one we need to observe carefully. He is extremely intelligent and very advanced for his age. He has been reading advanced textbooks from his father's library since he was a year old. Reading them, comprehending them, and performing the spells he reads about. Harry performs transfiguration, levitation, and has already become an animagus. All of this has been done on his own after reading books about the subjects. He also performs wandless magic."

"Hermione Granger is a muggle born witch who is also extremely intelligent. I really do not believe that she will do well in this kind of learning environment, I am afraid that she needs the more structured classroom. We shall have to see."

"Neville Longbottom will also be coming tomorrow. He is the son of Alice and Frank Longbottom, who are incurably insane because of the torture they endured at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.  Neville has very little self-confidence and very low self-esteem. He is a bright child, but he doesn't believe that he is. Neville is very interested in Herbology and given the proper encouragement will probably show skill in potions."

"We also have Sean Smith, a muggle born whose parents are aware of and accept the magical community, Cora Wright and Draco Malfoy. It is very possible that Draco may be a problem for a while. His mother tried to keep him away from the dark things that went on in their home but his father did not always permit it. He has seen much more than any child should ever see and it has left some scars. I believe though that with enough encouragement Draco could turn out to be one of our more outstanding students."

Stephanie sat back down and Severus stood to bring the meeting to a close. As he was getting ready to release the teachers to go about their business Dumbledore appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning everyone, I hope you are all as excited about tomorrow as I am. We are going to see some incredible things from our new students and I cannot wait to see them. But I came down to tell you that our new Minister of Magic is giving an important speech this evening at the Ministry of Magic Building and I would very much like to see all of you there. I believe that he is going to have some surprises for us."

After Dumbledore left the teachers stood to leave. Severus stopped Stephanie as she was on her way out the door. "Would you like to accompany me to the speech this evening?" he asked. "Jaelle can stay with Harry, Daisy and Dobby are excellent babysitters."

Stephanie agreed to the plan and returned to her office. Several people remarked later about the silly grin that was plastered on Headmaster Snape's face for the rest of the day.

Arriving at the Ministry building that evening they found the room filled to capacity. Severus, seeing Dumbledore seated in the first row with the other members of the Wizengamot, waved and received a wink in return. As they took their seats Arthur Weasley walked out upon the stage and stood behind the podium.

"Good evening everyone, thank you for taking time to come down here tonight. I will try not to take too much of your time, but there are several important things that I need to speak to you about this evening. I have spent the past few weeks meeting with several people and with Merlin, the Council (no one knew what this Council was of course), and the Wizengamot. It is time for our world to change. We have become stagnant and if we do not make some changes our world is going to get smaller and smaller until it is gone."

"It is time for all of the members of our world to receive the same rights that we have reserved for ourselves. Being a wizard or a witch does not mean that one is superior to the other magical creatures that inhabit our world. The giants, the centaurs, the vampires, the goblins, and the werewolves are not inferior just because they are different. Difference is not a bad thing, nor should it be used to keep any person, magical or otherwise subservient to us. These members of our world should be able to hold jobs, to vote in our elections, and to live where they wish, just as we do."

He paused and studied the faces in front of him before continuing. 

"A man's worth should not be based upon his looks or his family name. A man's worth should be based upon the kind of person, or goblin, or werewolf, or vampire, or giant, or centaur he is. These races have just as many intelligent, talented, kind, good members as our does. Why should we hold ourselves above them and despise them as inferior to ourselves? Why should they be hated because they are different? Why should a man who was bitten by a werewolf as a child be forbidden to be the guardian of his best friend's orphaned son? Why should a vampire not be allowed to work for the Ministry?"

There were a few murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

"Our world is coming out of one of the darkest eras in its history and this dark era was brought about by hate and ignorance and bigotry. The other magical races do not trust us, and who can blame them? This has got to change and we are the ones who have to bring about this change. Never again should fear rule our world. All of the citizens of the magical community will be treated equally from this moment on. No one will be denied their rights because we are afraid that given equal rights they will rise in the world and become as good as we are. They are already as good as we are and each and every one should have and will have the right to go to school, and to work, and to live where ever and how ever they wish."

Arthur took a deep breath.

"Because of hatred and fear we have hidden our world from the muggle world. This is not the dark ages; we need no longer fear the witch-hunts. We are so concerned about the blood lines, well let me tell you, I am a pure blood, but that does not make me one iota better than the muggle that I see when I go to London, or the half-blood, or the muggle-born that works down the hall from me."

There was another brief pause.

"It is time for us to start emerging from the shadows. We can learn much from the muggle world and we have much to teach them. I am asking all of you tonight to support your Ministry of Magic as we work to make our world a better place for everyone."

With this Arthur Weasley turned around and walked off of the stage. For a moment the atrium was completely silent and then Albus Dumbledore stood and started clapping. Soon everyone was on their feet clapping and cheering for Arthur Weasley, the new Minister of Magic.