I. 

Orrville, Ohio, United States

Severus Octavian Snape sat back in his thestral-drawn carriage, staring out at the towering rows of corn as his eyebrows knitted broodingly. He had just dropped his son William off at Norris Lake Quidditch Camp and was on his way back home from the airport, where there was a national Floo system.

Living in the middle of Amish Country, Ohio, Severus had plenty of time to brood.

Especially at times like this, when he felt really alone. It had been ten years, TEN years, since the death of the Dark Lord at his hand, but it meant nothing to him now. With his son gone away for eight weeks, and his wife having left him and taking custody of their other son, he was alone. He truly loved Lily, from the time he first met her on the Hogwarts Express to the time when she gave birth to their twin sons, Harry and William. Even when she chose to continue her career teaching Charms at Hogwarts over moving to the United States after the war, he still loved her. Lily didn't understand... wouldn't understand... that Sev had to get away from the bad memories that plagued him from the war. The things he had been forced to do to keep her and the boys safe...

"But the past is the past," Severus thought as the carriage pulled up the dirt path to his home. "There is only the present and the future."

II.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland

"Miss Tonks, take your seat! This is the fourth year in a row you have been in summer school for failing Charms! You should know the rules in my classroom by now!" Lily Evans snapped irritably.

"Yes, Professor!" Nymphadora Tonks said as she sat down in her seat.

"Alright everybody. Your assignment today is to read through the chapter about conjuring charms. A 12-inch summary is due by the end of today," Lily said before walking over to her chair and sitting down.

Lily's foul mood could be blamed on lots of things. It boiled down, though, to the fact that she was getting lonely. She had sent her son, Harry, off to Norris Lake Quidditch Camp in the US for the next eight weeks. Not for the first time in the last ten years, her thoughts turned to her other son, William, and her ex-husband, Severus Snape.

"Has it really been ten years since our divorce?" Lily wondered. "It feels like just yesterday that Sev had told me he wanted to move out of Britain. I am beginning to see why he gave up teaching Potions here at Hogwarts. They truly can be a bunch of dunderheads. But I don't see why he had to move halfway around the world to 'get away from memories'. If he had just agreed to move to a different part of the UK, or maybe even onto the Continent, I wouldn't have left him. The past is the past, though, and nothing we can do will change it."

I.

Norris Lake Quidditch Camp, Norris Lake, TN

Merlin Cabin - 1 July 1990

"Guys, gather round. Let's go over the normal schedule here," Camp Counselor Charlie Weasley said. "Alright. As you can see, there are seven campers in each cabin. And there are seven cabins in each quadrant, which means there are seven Quidditch teams each block. I would like to go around the room here, and have each of you introduce yourselves, tell us where you are from, what position you play, and one interesting fact about yourself. I will start. I am Charlie Weasley. I am 17 years old, and graduated from Gryffindor House at Hogwarts this year. I am from England, obviously, and I play seeker. An interesting fact about me is that I enjoy working with dragons. Alright, who would like to go next?"

A red-headed boy across the room raised his hand. "I'll go, Charlie. Hi, everyone. I am Ron Weasley, and yes, I am Charlie's brother. I am 11 years old, and also from England. I play keeper, and an interesting fact about me is that I am the second youngest of seven kids!"

Another hand shot up. "I'm Aidyn McDonlevy. I'll be 11 tomorrow. My family recently moved to Knoxville, TN, from County Antrim, in Ireland. Something about me is that I enjoy cooking with my older sister, who is attending the girls' camp across the lake."

"What position do you play, Aidyn?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, I play both beater and chaser, but I prefer chaser," Aidyn replied.

"Well, we're glad to have you here as a chaser, Aidyn. Alright, who would like to go next?" inquired the redheaded counselor.

"I will. I am Aarik Severus Evans, but please, call me Harry. Only my mother calls me by my full name. I am 10 years old, and live in Little Whinging, Surrey, which is in England. I play seeker, and my favourite thing to do is to play football (A/N: read as soccer) with my Muggle cousin Dudley, and our friend, Neville Longbottom, who is here with us," Harry said, smiling at the slightly chubby boy sitting next to him.

"I'll take that as my cue. I am Neville Longbottom, and I am also 10 years old. My parents and I live next door to Harry's family in Surrey, and, as Harry said, we hang out with his cousin and enjoy playing football. I will be a chaser this week, since the keeper positions were all full, but it will be fun. An interesting fact is that I am only a day older than my best friend!" Neville said shyly.

A blond boy raised his hand hesitantly, and spoke with a musical voice, " Looks like I'll be rounding out the chasers, then. I am Richard Logan Leonard. I prefer to be called Rick. I am 10 years old, and I am from Anaheim, California. An interesting fact about me is I like to work with electronics. My dad and I are working on charming a laptop to work in magic-heavy areas."

"Dude, that would be, like, so cool! I am working on writing some music using a computer-based synthesizer, and it would be cool to be able to continue on it when school starts this fall," a sandy-haired boy said. "Oh, by the way, I am Sean Michaelson. I'm 10 years old, and live in Brooksville, FL. Obviously, I am a beater, and I like to write music with my friend, Anders," he finished, throwing his arm around the shoulder of the boy next to him.

"Er... hi, guys. I am Anders Philip Miklos, and I play beater, although you probably guessed that by now. I am 10, although I will be eleven in a month's time. I am from Brooksville, FL, although Sean made my saying that redundant. I enjoy writing prose and poetry, and I am Sean's lyricist, or rather, he's my musician. We're the best of friends, and do almost everything together," Anders finished, pushing up his glasses and brushing his sandy brown hair off of his forehead.

Charlie glanced around at everyone. Then, in a decidedly cheerful voice, said, "Alright, now that we have all introduced ourselves, how about we go over for a spot of lunch?"

The boys cheered and followed Charlie out of the cabin and off to lunch.

II.

Norris Lake Quidditch Camp, Norris Lake, TN

Mess hall - 1 July 1990 12h30

Piling into the mess hall, the Merlin Cabin boys joined the queue for the lunch buffet. There was a wide selection of food, yet Harry had a hard time finding something safe to eat. Being lactose-intolerant meant always watching out to make sure his selections were not dairy-laden. He made it through the salad, main course, and bread lines without too much trouble, and he was now in the dessert line.

"Ice cream, child?" Filius Flitwick, a very short man with wild white hair and a squeaky voice, asked him.

"No thank you, sir. I am lactose-intolerant," Harry replied, picking up a bowl of fruit and turning to go join his teammates at their table.

"Would you like some ice cream, child?" Filius asked, turning toward the camper on his other side.

"No thanks. Lactose-intolerant," he replied.

"Err... weren't you just- right over here?" Filius asked, pointing to his other side.

"No sir, I wasn't. I have been standing here waiting to get a bowl of fruit for the last five minutes," William Octavian Snape replied in an impatient tone.

"Oh, alright," Filius said, confusedly. "Here you go," he said, handing the boy a bowl of fruit before walking away to go sit at the staff table. 'I could have sworn that that boy was on my right, and had walked away, but then he was there on my left... maybe I am just seeing things. One too many blunders to the head, I suppose.'

"Is everything alright, Professor?" Bill Weasley, who was serving as Godric cabin counselor, asked.

"Yes, yes, I am fine. Just a little confused right now. And please, Mr. Weasley, call me Filius."

"Only if you call me Bill. And what, may I ask, has you so confused?"

Filius explained what had happened at the dessert table to Bill and Charlie, who was listening in. The Weasley boys looked at each other, and Bill asked, "What did this camper look like?"

"He is about 5'3/5'4, slim, messy black hair, green eyes and glasses, looks like a cross between Lily Evans and James Potter, if they had ever been married. Perfect candidate for a seeker," Filius said, before asking, "Why do you want to know?"

"I have a camper that looks just like that," they both said in unison. Charlie looked over at Bill quizzically.

"That description matches my seeker, Harry Evans, perfectly," Charlie said. "Only child of Lily Evans. I don't know who his father is; he goes by his mother's maiden name. Lives with Lily in Little Whinging, Surrey, in England. He is sitting over there, by Neville Longbottom," he said, pointing at Harry.

"The description also matches MY seeker, William Snape," Bill replied. "Son of the war hero, Severus Snape, mother unknown, and lives up in Ohio, in the Amish area of the state," he said, pointing at William. "I wonder, weren’t Severus and Lily close throughout school?"

"Very, but around the time that You-Know-Who was offed, they had some kind of falling out. Severus moved here to the States, and Lily stayed at the school as a teacher. She took over my position when I decided to retire here to Tennessee," Filius said. "I never knew that he had a son, and I don't know the father of Lily's son is... you don't think...?"

"It is a possibility. We will just have to observe and see what information we can gleam throughout the summer," Charlie said, when all of a sudden, there was a cry of "FOOD FIGHT!" and almost instantaneously, there was a barrage of food flying everywhere.

I.

Merlin Cabin

"Hey, Harry, did you see that boy, William Snape? He looked just like you!" Neville said.

"And he even has the same last name of your father."

"Coincidence, I am sure. And he looked nothing like me! I am way handsomer than he is!" Harry replied.

"I don't know, Harry. He did look a lot like you. And I heard he plays seeker, too," Ron Weasley said as he started changing into his Keeper kit.

"Whatever," Harry replied. "It's almost time for our first game, so we better hurry up changing, grab our brooms and get over to the pitch before we're late."

II.

Quidditch Field

"And Harry Evans has the Snitch! Merlin wins 330-320!" Flitwick screeched.

The teams landed, and Harry walked over to the Godric cabin seeker, and held out his hand.

"Good game, Snape."

"Good game, I suppose. If it weren't for you having that fancy broom, I would have beaten you to the Snitch any given day."

"Really? How about a Seekers' match? Right here, right now," Harry challenged. "And I will even use an inferior broom, to even up the skills a bit."

"You're on. Thing 1 and Thing 2,” William said, pointing to the Weasley twins, “, you're the refs. On the count of ten, release the snitch."

The two seekers mounted their brooms, Harry riding Neville's, and took their positions. The twins counted to ten and released the snitch, which disappeared fairly quickly.

After about thirty minutes of searching for the Snitch and showing off aerodynamic stunts, the Snitch made an appearance, lazily flapping its wings right in the perfect center between the seekers. Harry and William both took off toward the Snitch, and, just as they both reached out to grab it, it streaked off. They both barreled after it, and Harry JUST managed to grab it before William could.

"Hah! This proves that even on an inferior broom, I am still the better seeker," Harry boasted, puffing out his chest.

"It proves nothing except that you are very lucky," William said. "Good game, though. It's not often that I lose the Snitch to another seeker."

"Good game," Harry responded, pulling off his protective headgear and brushing his fringe off of his forehead.

William mimicked Harry's movements. There was a collective gasp from both boys' roommates, who started circling around the two seekers.

"What is up with you people? You're circling us like a vulture circles carrion, and I, for one, don't appreciate it," William snapped, pulling a decent Snape scowl.

"Dude, you two, it's like looking at mirror images. You two are identical!"

"What?!? No way! I don't look like him!" Harry said. "Neville, c'mon, tell them I don't look like this.. this.. Snape!"

" I don't know, Harry. I told you earlier that you two looked similar. I still hold that, and taking a closer look, he does have the same colour eyes you do," Neville responded.

"A lot of people have green eyes, I bet. And so what if we look alike? I am an only child," William said.

"As am I. I don't want to talk about this nonsense anymore. I am going to take a swim. Who's with me?" Harry said, walking off toward Merlin cabin to change into his swimsuit. The two cabin groups broke up to do their own things, and, for the time being, all notions of doppelgangers were forgotten.

The next couple of weeks flew by quickly. Before long, Merlin Cabin was celebrating Neville and Harry's birthdays. Since they were born only a day apart and lived next door to each other their whole lives, they always celebrated their birthdays on the same day.

"It seems weird to not have Dud here at our party, dunnit, Harry?" Neville idly commented. "This is the first time I can remember that our birthday wasn't spent with Mum and Dad, Aunt Lily, Aunt Tunie, and the rest of the family."

"Yeah, it is weird," Harry said. All of a sudden, there was a loud thump and an "Ow!" heard from right outside the cabin.

All of the boys ran over to the door and piled out to find out what happened. When they stepped outside, they found William Snape, Gregory Goyle, and another boy they knew by face, but not by name laying on the ground in a heap, a ladder leaning against the side of the cabin. It was obvious that they were spying on Merlin Cabin, probably trying to see if they had any strategy plans in the works for Quidditch.

"What in Merlin's name are you boys doing out here?" Charlie asked them. "All you had to do is knock on the door if you wanted to see us."

"It's none of your business what we were trying to do. C'mon, Goyle, Chamberlain, let's get outta here," William said.

"Hold on a minute. Would you guys want to join us for some cake? We are celebrating Nev's and my birthdays," Harry asked, earning an odd look from Neville.

"I guess I could," William said. "As long as it is made with soymilk and not served with ice cream. I am ---"

"Lactose intolerant. Yeah, so am I," Harry interrupted. "Come on in."

They all went in and divvied up the cake. Luckily, it was large enough that the three extra people didn't matter.

*~*~*~*

A couple of hours later, after having eaten the cake and drunk pitchers of pumpkin juice, the boys were all settled down playing Exploding Snap and chit-chatting.

"So, it's both you and Neville's birthdays today?" William inquired.

"No, it's Neville's today. Mine is tomorrow, but we grew up together, and celebrate our birthdays together," Harry said.

"We alternate days from year to year. Last year, we celebrated it on Harry's birthday, and this year on mine," Neville added.

"Hmm. You wanna know something odd? My birthday is tomorrow, too. I'll be eleven," William said.

"Hmm..." Neville murmured, thinking, 'Another anomaly. I wonder...'

"Harry, did you ever ask Aunt Lily what your father's name was?"

"No. Every time I mentioned my father, Mum got this odd look on her face. Sorta like she was both sad and mad at the same time, y'know?" Harry replied.

"What about you, William? Do you know your mother's name?" Neville asked.

"No, I don't. I know is that she is a Muggleborn and lives in the UK. All I have of hers is this locket which has a picture of her on one side and me on the other," William replied.

"May we see it, please?" Ron asked timidly.

"Sure," he said. He reached up and unclasped the chain holding the locket around his neck before opening the locket and holding it out for Ron to take.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, paling drastically.

"What's the matter, Ron?" Neville and Harry asked at the same time, while Charlie looked over in concern at his little brother. Ron just held out the locket, and Harry and Neville looked at the picture in it before paling themselves.

"Where did you get this picture again?" Harry croaked.

"My mother gave this to me when I was born. I have never seen her, except in this picture. Why do you ask?" William said, somewhat perturbed by the Britons' reactions.

Harry shakily reached up and unlatched the chain from around his neck, opened the locket on it, and held it out for William. When William took a look at the picture in the locket, his eyes promptly rolled back in his head and he fainted.

"I cannot believe this! I just cannot believe this!" William ranted, pacing back and forth by Harry's bed. "Your father is my dad, and my mother is your mum! We're like, brothers, and our parents never Ruddy TOLD US!"

"Actually, William, you two are more like twins. You look alike, your birthdays are the same exact day, and you were born to the same parents, so you are twins," Neville said logically.

"Twins! Of course! How much more complicated could my life be than to have a bloody twin that my father never told me about!" William continued, slowly growing more frantic in his pacing. Finally, Charlie stopped him and handed him a vial of Calming Draught, telling him to drink it.

"Feel a little better now, William?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley," William said, giving him a shaky smile.

"Call me Charlie. Mr Weasley is my dad. And if I am not mistaken, isn't my brothers Fred and George in your cabin?"

"Yeah, they are. Why?"

"I believe that it would be a good idea to have them over here to talk with you two about being twins," Charlie replied. "I know, I know, what is there so special about being twins? However, they can help you with the so-called 'twin telepathy' and such, and give you advice about working on the twin-effect... hopefully by the time camp is over, you could give them a run for their money on figuring out which twin is which!"

"Alright. I guess it couldn't hurt. I mean, in one day, I go from being the only child of a single father who happens to be a war hero and first class potions master to having an identical twin who was the only child of a single mother who was a war hero, former Obliviator in the war, and is now the Charms teacher at the school that my entire ancestory went to. So I guess your brothers could help me and Harry cope," William said.

"I agree. I would like to learn what it truly means to be a twin," Harry replied.

"Alright. After today's Quidditch game, I will have my brothers come over to see you," Charlie responded. "However, it's time to go! Get kitted up, guys!"

They all started to change quickly, except for William, who did not have a game that day.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Late that evening, a knock sounded on Merlin Cabin's door. Harry walked over and opened the door to reveal his brother and the Weasley twins.

"Gnarly. I was wondering if you guys would show tonight. Now let's get this show on the road," Harry said. "What do William and I need to know about twins?"

"Well, the first thing, of course..." started Fred.

"...Is how to talk..." George continued.

"...Twin-Speak!" Fred finished up.

"Not to mention twin telepathy, and copying each other's mannerisms. Makes it easier to confuse people when you talk, act, and even look alike. We have confused SO many people, and pulled off so many pranks without people knowing who was Fred and who was George thanks to being twins!” they continued.

“Let’s get started, then,” William said.

--insert time gap here--

“Its hard to believe we only have two more weeks of camp before we have to go home to our parents and we will never see each other again,” Harry said wistfully. “At least we have had this summer.”

“You know, I wonder why they separated? I mean, they are both intelligent, caring, friendly (for the most part) people. Hell, they even sent us to the same Quidditch camp. What is the likelihood of that happening? I just wish I could get to know my mother. Y’know, Dad won’t even let me consider Hogwarts as a possible secondary school. He wants me to go to Great Lakes Magical Academy in Michigan,” William complained. “He must have known you would be going to Hogwarts.”

“Not only that, but Mum teaches at Hogwarts. She took over Professor Flitwick’s job a few years back when he decided to start working here at the camp. I would love to meet Dad as well, especially seeing as he is the world’s best Potion Master, and I would like to go into potions as a career down the road. That or healing. Either way, a potions mastery is a must.”

The boys lay back in the hammocks by the lake, pondering what life would have been like with their parents together.

“Harry… I have an idea!” William blurt out, sitting up in his hammock before it tipped him over onto the ground.

“Harry… I have an idea!” William blurted out, sitting up in his hammock before it tipped him over onto the ground.

“What’s your idea?” Harry asked, chuckling as he went to help William up from the ground where he landed.

“There was this Muggle book I read once, The Doppelgangers , who were in the same situation as us. Well, almost the same situation. Their parents sent them to the same boarding school or something, but when they went home, they each went to the other parent and spent time with the other parent. Maybe we could try and pull the same thing. After all, we don’t want all those lessons with the Weasley twins to go to waste, do we?”

“Nope. I’m all for it, but how will we pull it off? I mean, I live in England, and you live in some Amish village…”

“Orrville, Ohio,” interjected William.

“Yes, yes, Orrville. You speak English and Pennsylvania Dutch, while I speak English, French, and Latin. You live like the Amish, I was raised Roman Catholic. You were raised simplistically, while I have lived in the lap of luxury. We may be twins, but our personalities and backgrounds are nothing alike.”

“Well, we have two weeks before we go home. Let’s see what we can do. I’ll teach you the Amish way of life, and you can teach me the rich, luxurious Roman Catholic life. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Harry responded, sticking out his hand.

They shook hands, and got down to work.

~*~*~*~*~

The night is always darkest just before the dawn, so if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it. On the other hand, it's also a fantastic time for plotting out the best way to fool your parents. The twins spent the last two weeks perfecting each other’s personalities and habits, as well as how to plot what would happen later this morning.

“Alright, Harry, when we get to the airport, the Floo address to get you back to Orrville is “James Cox”, which will take you to Dayton International Airport’s Floo Station. Father will be waiting for you by the barrier to the Muggle side of the airport. You like…?”

“Playing with the neighbourhood children, brewing potions, especially prank ones, and reading Muggle novels.”

“Exactly. Always call dad Father, and remember, the area is an Amish community. There are no background noises of television, vehicles, or whatnot to drown out noise, so try not to blow up the lab or talk about magic outside of the wards that dad has set up. We do have a private Floo, but that is only used to get to the next large city, which is Columbus.”

“Alright already. I know about that. Now your turn to get the third degree. At the airport, there will be a house-elf named Dobby waiting for you. He will pop your luggage back home. Remember, he will think you are Harry Evans, and you are his best human friend. His only true human friend, really, but none-the-less, treat him like you would your best friend ever. The Floo address is Heathrow Airport. When you get there, Mum will be waiting. You live down the street from Mum’s sister, Petunia Dursley, and Aunt Petunia’s husband, Vernon Dursley, and their child, our cousin, Dudley. Mum works as a professor at Hogwarts, teaching Charms. Our next door neighbours are the Longbottoms, Neville’s family. You are best friends with Neville and Dudley. You like…?”

“Playing soccer, which is called football in England. The head of government is Queen Elizabeth II, in figure only, and the head of state is Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. And since we live in a Muggle neighbourhood, we drive Muggle motorcars instead of horse-drawn carriages, and it is on the left side of the road.”

“Exactly, and if you must write something, remember the British spelling is slightly different than US usage. The words “neighbour”, “colour”, etc., that is spelled with an –or ending, is usually spelled with an –our. Also, football will always mean soccer, and lorry means bus. We have a telly, a phone, and all Muggle appliances and such, since it is in a Muggle area. The toilet does NOT have a self-rising seat, and is not self-flushing, so remember to do those for yourself. Mum makes us clean our own room, and it has a single bed and set of bunk beds, because Nev and Dud stay over a lot. Their rooms are the same way as ours. Petunia is called Aunt Petunia, and Vernon is Uncle V. We call Nev’s parents Aunt Alice and Uncle Frank. Our grandfather lives with us…”

“What do we call him?” William asked.

“Grandfather,” Harry said simply. “Are you all set to go? The busses are here.”

“Yeah, I am ready to go,” William replied

“Tally-ho, dear brother. Remember, ask about Dad when you get to England. And I will ask about Mum,” Harry said, picking up William’s trunk.

“Aye aye, brother,” William saluted as he picked up Harry’s trunk.

They loaded the busses, and were off to start… Project Parent Trap.

Knoxville International Airport

Knoxville, TN

As the campers were piling off of the bus and splitting up in the airport to find their various ways home, Harry was growing increasingly more nervous. He would be meeting his father for the first time in his life. Not that his father would know it was him. He would think Harry was William. Maybe it would give Harry a chance to see and get to know the real Severus Snape.

“Brother!” Harry heard, snapping him out of his reverie.

“Yes, brother?” he replied.

“Sean gave me these,” William said, holding up what appeared to be normal, everyday hand mirrors. “They’re charmed for two-way communications. All you have to say to activate it is my name. Make sure you are in my… er… our bedroom when you call me, though, because there are silencing and privacy charms up. That way, we won’t be caught out before we are ready to spring the trap.”

“Ingenious idea, really. I’ll have to write to Sean and thank him for these. Unless... does the charm only work on these mirrors, or is there a larger mirror network?”

“It is a network...” started William, before Harry gasped and yanked William backwards into a restroom. “What in Merlin’s name did you do THAT for?”

“I just saw our house elf, Dobby, out there. It’s show time, baby. Call me tonight, and we can set up a schedule for weekly updates on how Project Parent Trap is progressing. Now head on out there and call for Dobby, so he can find you.”

William did so, and was on his way off to England within minutes. Harry gave William a few minutes to get on his way before heading out of the restroom. He went over to where he had set his luggage and drug it over to the Floo point. Handing the clerk his return voucher, he grabbed a handful of Floo powder, threw it into the fireplace grate, and stepped in, calling out “James Cox” as he did so. In a swirl of fiery colour, he was on his way.

“Oomph!” Harry wheezed as the Floo unceremoniously dumped him out head-first onto the hearth at Dayton International Airport.

“You never could Floo gracefully, could you, Childe?” chuckled a tall, pale man with lank, greasy hair.

Harry glanced up and saw the speaker in question, and gasped out “Father!” He scrambled up and ran over to give the man a hug. “I’ve missed you! I missed you so very much!”

“You have only been gone for eight weeks, William. You could not have missed me that much,” Severus Snape said to his son.

“Only eight weeks. Yeah. For some reason, though, it felt like so much longer. It feels like as if this is the first time I have ever met you in my life, I missed you so much,” Harry said. “I am glad to be home.”

“Well, we’re not quite there yet. We’ve a long ride ahead of us. Let’s go, though,” Severus said.

Harry followed his father out into and through the Muggle part of the airport. As they stepped outside, Harry squinted as he tried to spot their carriage through the glaringly bright sunlight.

“Father?” Harry asked. “Where is our carriage?”

“I used the Floo to get to Columbus, and rented a Muggle vehicle there. Last time, the Muggles got suspicious about a seemingly horseless, motorless carriage. We will be going back down I-70 and will be in Columbus in about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic, and can floo home from there,” Severus said. They walked up to a brand new BMW, and Severus popped the trunk. “Here. Let me load those in the boot, and we can finally get out of this God-forsaken maze called an airport.”

They got into the vehicle, and were on their way.

________________________________________

Heathrow Airport

London, England

“Oomph!” William uttered upon becoming acquainted with Heathrow Airport’s floor, face first. He quickly stood up, brushing the soot off from the front of his clothing. A quick glance around the room showed that his mum was sitting next to another lady with a giraffe-like neck. Racking his memory, he recalled that she was his Aunt Petunia. Walking toward them, he called out, “Mum! Aunt Petunia! I am so glad to see you!”

The two women stood and turned to look right at William.

“Harry! You’re back!” Lily said, opening her arms for a hug.

“Oh, mum!” William said, throwing himself into his mother’s waiting arms. “I missed you so much. It’s great to be back, to be with my family...”

“I’m glad to have you back, too, honey,” Lily said.

“Hey, Harry!” a voice said from behind him, putting emphasis on the name Harry. “You mind if I get a hug from my Aunt Lils, instead of bogarting her all night?”

William let go of his mother and turned around. He broke out in a grin and said, “Hey there, Nev. Nice to see you made it, instead of falling out of the wrong grate, again.”

“Yes, yes, well... How about giving your Aunt Petunia a hug?” Petunia spoke for the first time since the boys had arrived.

William walked over to her and gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you too, Aunt Petunia. It’s great to be back with my family. Speaking of which, how is Grandfather? and Aunt Alice?”

“They’re both fine. Now that you’re both here, let’s bust a move on getting out of this infernal airport,” Lily said. She led the way through the airport’s Wizarding quadrant out onto the Muggle street.

A limousine was sitting out front with a chauffer waiting at the door. Upon seeing the group, he snapped to attention and said, “Ms. Evans and company, I presume?”

At the quizzical nod from Lily, he continued, “A Mister James Potter has paid me to be at your beck and call, so I am at your disposal for the rest of the day...”

Snape Cottage

Orrville, Ohio

“Oomph!” Harry said as he landed face-first on the hearth in his father’s house. “I hate these bloody Floos. You would think that with all the great minds in the Wizarding World, they would find a better way to travel than through the bloody fireplace!”

“You never have been graceful with the Floo or portkeys, William. Do you want me to put the Cushioning Charm back on the hearth or will you be alright?” Severus asked.

“No, I’ll be fine. I would like to go unpack my stuff, if I may please be excused, Father?” Harry asked.

“No need to. I came into possession of a house-elf while you were at camp. If you had bothered to write over the summer, I would have informed you of this,” Severus said, giving his son a pointed look. “This is the first time you have ever been away for the whole summer, and you immediately seemed to forget about poor old Dad, all alone at home with no one to talk to and nothing to do but brew potions and listen to the Wizarding Wireless, which seems to have gone on a Celestina Warbeck kick this summer.”

“I’m sorry, Father. We meant to write, really we did. It’s just that there was so much stuff going on that by the end of the day, all that could be done was to collapse into bed,” Harry said.

“We?” Severus asked. “Who’s we?”

“I meant to say me. I did make good friends with the guys in my bunk, though. I am sorry I didn’t write more over the summer,” Harry said as he walked over and sat down in the chair opposite his father. “I have been doing some thinking, though, about the up-and-coming school year, though. I know I am going to be going to Wizarding school, but other than Great Lakes Magical Institute, Salem, and the various day schools, what are my other options?”

“Well, there are a couple of boarding schools in Canada and on the West Coast. There are also the three major European schools: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Durmstrang Institute of Magical Arts, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. I would advise that if you get an acceptance letter to Durmstrang, that you decline it, William, because it caters more to the dark families. It would look suspicious if the son of an ex-Death Eater went to a dark school. Beauxbatons is more of a feminine school. I went to Hogwarts, and it was alright. I would prefer if you went to Great Lakes, though, so I could see you more often.”

“I know, I know. I was just wondering. I also wanted to know something else, Father. What was my mother like? How did you two meet, and why did you divorce?”

‘Great. Just great,’ Severus thought. ‘Of all the days for William to ask about his mother is the day of our wedding anniversary. I suppose, though, he does have a right to know.’ “Well, William, I know you know what your mother looks like. You have her green eyes, you know. Lily Evans was my best friend throughout school. She and I went to the same Muggle Primary School and were in the same year at Hogwarts. While I was a Slytherin, she was a Gryffindor. We didn’t let that come between us, though. During our fifth year, we started going out together. We thought it was logical, because while most couples started dating and then got to know each other, we had gotten to know each other before going out. She was always kind-hearted, pretty, smart, and friendly. She would help anyone in need, even if they looked down upon her for being a Muggle-born. After graduation, we decided to get married. A year later, you were born. Soon after you were born, the war was ended. I couldn’t handle being in England any longer, because of all the harsh reminders of my past. I tried to convince your mother to come with me to the States here, but she refused. We never truly divorced, but are legally separated. I moved here to Orrville, and she stayed in our home and teaches Charms at Hogwarts. To this day, I regret the fact that we are not together. Maybe one day, I will be able to go back and face my demons in England. I just cannot right now. I am sorry, son. This is hard for me to talk about,” Severus said as he started to get emotional.

“I am sorry, Father. I didn’t mean to drag up painful memories. I just wanted to know what my mother was like,” Harry said, feeling truly guilty for making his dad so sad the first day he ever got to spend with him. “I am glad that I still get to see you every day. If there is anything I can do to make you feel better, I will do it. I hate to see you so sad, Da- er... Father.”

“It’s alright, William. It is just hard sometimes. Today would have been our eleventh anniversary,” Severus said, finally regaining control of himself. “No harm, no foul. Enough of this depressing talk. I have been doing some research into improving the Wolvesbane Potion, if you would like to help me, though.”

“Sure, Father,” Harry said, getting up. He walked over to where Severus was standing and gave him a hug before following him into the potions lab, where the two of them spent the rest of the evening tinkering away trying to improve the shelf stability of the Wolvesbane.

The next morning, Harry woke up and fumbled for his glasses. Looking around, it took him a few minutes to figure out where in Merlin’s name he was. It all came rushing back:  he was in his dad’s home, sleeping in his brother’s bed. For the first time ever, he was staying at his dad’s home.

Harry got out of bed, stretching as he stood up. “Merlin, that feels good,” he murmured as his muscles relieved themselves of the cramps and stiffness from a long night’s sleep. He walked over to the dresser to get some clothes to wear for the day before he went to take his shower. Pulling open the drawers, he pulled out a pair of shorts, a sleeveless, black t-shirt with a picture of a bubbling cauldron on the back, and went to open the underwear and sock drawer. He received a bit of a shock upon opening it, though. He reached in and pulled out a pair of bikini briefs, and said to himself, “There’s no way in hell I am wearing these. Luckily, we each brought back our own clothing from camp, so I have some clean boxers still. I’ll ask Dad later to get William some boxers, or at least some boxer-briefs.”

Harry grabbed a pair of socks (“Good, he wears no-show socks, too!”) and went over to grab a pair of boxers from his trunk. Then, thinking back to the diagram of the house’s layout, he headed toward the bathroom to take his shower and head on to breakfast.

“Good morning, William. How did you sleep last night?” Severus asked his son.

“Good morning, Father. I slept well last night. I really am glad to be home again,” Harry replied.

As the two of them were sitting and eating the breakfast prepared by Blinky, their house-elf, Harry casually mentioned, “Father, you remember I turned eleven at camp this summer?”

“Yes, William, I remember,” Severus said, wondering where this was leading. “Why?”

“I think I am finally old enough to pick out my own clothing,” Harry replied. “For the most part, I like the clothes you get me, but there are a few things I would like to change. For instance, is it absolutely necessary to wear sleeved t-shirts under my dress shirts or at night? I noticed at camp that the majority of boys wore sleeveless a-shirts... ‘wife-beaters’, I think the Muggle term is. And they all wore boxers. I am growing up, Dad, and I would like to switch to adult-type clothing.”

“That is fine, William,” Severus said, relieved that his son wasn’t asking for something like a tattoo or something else outrageous.

Just then, several owls flew in through the hinged “post-door” above the window. All of them except one landed in front of Harry. The loner delivered the USWA Today* to Severus. Harry took the letters off of the owls’ legs and stacked them up before starting to read them. There were acceptance letters to ten different schools, a copy of Quidditch Monthly, and a letter from his brother. He carefully tucked that one in his pocket before reading his other letters. “Father, I received my school letters today,” he said.

“Yes? And where were you accepted to, William?”

“I was accepted to all four American schools, Wickham Academy of Magical Arts in Canada, Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Wellington Institute of Magic in Australia. I know I am refusing Durmstrang and Beauxbatons right out, as well as the Canadian school, because they even said in their letter, ‘You will be the first boy ever accepted to our school, because we desire the fame that comes with being the son of the world’s best Potions Master’. I would like to go to either Great Lakes Institute or Hogwarts, because they both sound like wonderful schools. The Australian school sounds nice, but it is too far away,” Harry finished up.

“It is your choice. Just remember, you need to make a decision in the next couple of days, and send back a reply owl, so you can acquire the proper supplies in time for school to start,” Severus warned him.

“Yes, Father. May I be excused?” Harry asked.

“You may, William. Would you like to help me out this afternoon? I have a large order to fill for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston, and I could use some help preparing ingredients for the potions,” Severus inquired casually. He really didn’t need much help, but wanted to spend as much time as he could with his son before he went off to school for nine months out of the year.

“Sure, Father. What time would you like to start?”

“Dinner is at high noon, as usual. We can get started immediately after.”

“Yes, sir,” Harry said, mock saluting his dad before grinning and heading out into the yard.

He walked over to a gazebo near the edge of the yard, and sat down in one of the swings in it. Pulling out the letter, he broke the wax seal with the Evans crest his mother had commissioned. He slid the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it. He began to read the letter his brother had sent him:

Dear Harry,

I made it back to England safely. It is wonderful to finally have met my mother, as I am sure you are happy meeting Father. I asked Mother about Father last night, and she went off on a rant about how he stood up his family and walked out on us and left the country. She nearly slipped a couple of times about there being two of us, but caught herself, and I didn’t call her out on it, if only for the safety of PPT.

I cannot believe you wear those stupid boxers and a-shirts! It is ridiculous looking and uncomfortable in the utmost! I am grateful I brought back my clothing from camp, and at least we both wear the same type of socks.

Mother keeps getting flowers and chocolates delivered to her from some James Potter, whomever he is. I don’t think it is serious, because she continually curses his name every time he sends something. He even had a limousine pick us up at the airport!

I will be on the mirror today (August 15th) at 3pm GMT, so be ready!

Your brother,

William

Harry read through the letter twice. He couldn’t believe that his mother was still holding a grudge against his father, and thought he had abandoned them. Although, Harry did have the benefit of both sides of the story, so he could make a more accurate decision on what to believe. Looking down at his watch, and realized that, with the time change, William would be calling him on the mirror in five minute’s time, so he hurried back to his room and threw up a silencing charm and a spell lock charm, which only allowed him to take down the silencer. He pulled the mirror out of the trunk just as William’s face appeared.

“Brother,” he said warmly.

“Brother,” William replied just as warmly.

“I just finished reading your letter, and barely had time to get up here and cast the silencer before you called,” Harry said.

“I figured as much. When I wrote the letter, I forgot you were 5 hours behind us instead of the other way around, because I was trying to catch you at 8pm your time. Sorry about that,” William said.

“S’alright, Will. I am glad you made it safely into England. I am surprised, though, that Dobby and Blinky didn’t notice anything about our auras being different, or if they did, they didn’t say anything yet.”

“I never thought about that,” William said, horror-struck.

“I plan on talking to Blinky later about it. On another note, though, you better get adjusted to wearing boxers and wife-beaters as your base layer, because I convinced Dad to let us pick out our own clothing from now on, and I am replacing your sleeved undershirts and bikini briefs with them. You honestly had to notice that almost every boy wears them now. Well, except Neville, who wears boxer-briefs, but he was an early starter into puberty, and wanted some extra support down there.”

“I can’t believe you did that! I don’t like boxers! They are uncomfortable and baggy!”

“Oh, grow up already! I have some news, though. Dad is still in love with Mum, and they are still married, although they are legally separated. He never mentioned that there are two of us, nor did he nearly slip or anything, but from what you said about him, and what I have noticed, he is careful with everything he says and does. Now, I have two questions. One:  where do you want to go to school? Your school letters have arrived, and you have been accepted to all the American and Canadian schools, as well as Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Wickham in Australia. Second:  what’s this about James Potter? I know that he had a crush on Mum in school, but obviously, she chose Dad over him.”

“I would like to go to Hogwarts, no matter what Dad says, and by the time school starts, it will hopefully not be a problem. And as I said in the letter, James keeps sending flowers and chocolates over and had a limo waiting for us at the airport. I know nothing more than that right now, but I will try to find out for you, if you would like.”

“Please do. I will write you a letter later this week with a time for the mirrors. Anything special you need from the magical shopping district here?”

“Not that I can think of, no. Need anything from Diagon Alley?”

“No. Talk to you later, then. Love ya, brother.”

“Love ya, brother. Talk to you later.”

The boys signed off the mirrors, and Harry took down the wards before going down to play in the yard for a while.

“Father?” Harry asked.

“Yes, William?” Severus replied.

“I’ve decided where I want to go to school.”

“Really? And where might that be, William?” Severus asked, praying that his son said Great Lakes Magical Academy.

“I would like to go to Hogwarts,” Harry said, nervously waiting to see his dad’s reaction.

For his part, Severus appeared more composed than he really was. His jaw dropped, his eyes bulged, and he was speechless at first. On the inside, he was panicking, knowing that Lily would be sending their other son to Hogwarts, where she herself taught.

Finally finding his voice, Severus said, “I thought you were leaning towards going to Great Lakes, William. At least, that is what you had been saying before you went to Quidditch camp.”

“Well, some of the boys I bunked with at camp are on the Hogwarts admission list or already attend Hogwarts. Also, I wanted to go where you went, Father.”

“Well, fine, I suppose it will be alright for you to attend Hogwarts. We will need to send off an international owl to reply with your acceptance,” Severus said, trying to figure out a way to hide the fact that his son was a twin and the two would be going to school together.

“I will go write the letter, then,” Harry said.

“Yes, yes. Do that, William,” Severus said distractedly.

Harry headed off to his room to write his acceptance letter, and to call William on the mirrors to let him know he would be going to Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, William was just returning from playing with Neville and Dudley. As he walked down his street, he saw a limo with the Potter family crest on the sides parked in his drive. “What is going on here?” he thought.

He walked up the drive into the house Harry and his mother lived in. He heard voices coming from the living room, and went to the door to listen in.

“Lily, I would really love it if you would go with me to supper tonight,” a males voice said.

William heard his mother giggle, which seemed rather unusual. Lily spoke in a breathy voice reminiscent of a teenaged girl, “I would love to, James. Where are we going?”

“My family owns this little restaurant in Venice. I have a Portkey that will take us there at 8:00 and back whenever. Next time, since you will know where it is, you will be able to Apparate there.”

“Okay, James. I will be ready by 7:45,” Lily giggled again.

William quickly composed himself from the shock he was in, and ran up to his room before his mother or James Potter could find him eavesdropping on them.

Just as he walked into his room, William saw his mirror light up, so he threw up the wards agreed upon with his brother and went over to answer the call.

“William here,” he said.

“William, I sent in your acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Dad seemed shocked that I said Hogwarts, because you evidentially had been talking about Great Lakes?” Harry said.

“Yeah, I had been,” William said, “but I would really rather go to Hogwarts now that I know you will be going there. Now that I know you exist, really. I bet he is nervous about the two of us 'discovering' each other when we start, and doesn’t know how to admit he had been lying to me for most of my life about being an only child.”

“Well, that makes sense. I wonder how Mum will take it when she finds out that she will be teaching both of her sons come the 1st,” Harry pondered.

“I am glad you mentioned Mom. I have some big news that requires immediate attention. I think she is under the affects of some kind of love potion or charm. She was giggling and talking like a love-struck teenager a few minutes ago when, of all people, James Potter asked her to go to supper with him!”

“Oh... My... God! What did she say?” Harry asked.

“She said yes, she would love to. They are going to supper at a Potter family restaurant in Venice tonight at eight. I think it is time to fully implement our plan,” William said urgently.

“Alright. I will do so right away on my end.”

“Your best bet would be to let Blinky know who you are, and have him slip a Calming Draught into Father’s soup... no, that would never work. He is a Potions Master and can detect almost any potion, especially such a basic one. At least have Blinky have one ready for when you tell him at supper tonight.”

“All right. I will,” Harry said. “I better go... the monitor charm just went off.”

“Love you, brother, and Godspeed!” William said.

Harry hung up his mirror and waved his wand quickly to change his clothing and deodorize himself before taking the wards down. Walking over to the door, he opened it to find his father on the other side.

“William, what were you doing that required you to ward your room?” Severus inquired, suspicion evident in his voice.

“I was changing clothes, because I got rather dirty playing in the yard,” Harry said.

“Well, William, Blinky has an early supper ready for us. We are going to have to go early to the airport to catch an International Portkey in the morning. We are going to Diagon Alley in London to get your school supplies.”

“I’ll be down momentarily, Father,” Harry said.

Severus nodded and walked back downstairs. As soon as his father was out of hearing range, Harry said, “Blinky!”

The little house-elf popped into his room, and said, “Yes, Young Master?”

“Blinky, I have something to tell you. I am not William Snape. I am his twin brother, Harry Evans. I need you to have a calming draught ready for when I tell Father which twin I actually am.”

“Yes, Young Master, Blinky will. Thank you for trusting Blinky with this information and mission.” Blinky popped back out of the room, and Harry started down the stairs.

“That was a wonderful supper, Blinky,” Severus told his elf when he and his son had finished eating.

“Thank you, Master Snape, for your most kind words. Blinky always wants the best for his Master and his son,” Blinky said, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet.

“Father, I have something really important to talk to you about,” Harry said.

“Yes, William?” Severus said, wondering what else his son could want. After all, ‘William’ had convinced him to allow the boy to change from his traditional bikini briefs and V-neck t-shirts to boxers and ‘wife-beaters’, convinced Severus to allow him to go to Hogwarts, and was getting to go to Diagon Alley the following day.

“Father, I am not William,” Harry stated simply.

“How could you not be William, silly? I know my own son,” Severus said laughingly.

“I am your son. I am just not William. I am Harry,” Harry said.

Once Harry’s words sunk in, Severus paled and he fainted.

“Ennervate,” Harry said, grateful that his tutor had taught him the anti-Stunning charm.

Severus awoke, stood up, and rubbed the back of his head before saying, “You’re my little Harry? My baby boy who I have missed all these years?”

“Yes, Dad, I’m Harry,” he said. “You and Mum must really think a lot alike, because you sent William to the same Quidditch camp that Mum, Aunt Alice, and Aunt Molly sent Neville, Fred, George, Ron, and me to.”

“Well, you know what they say about great minds, don’t you?” Severus joked, his voice thick with emotion.

“Yes, well,” Harry said quickly. “I really have enjoyed the time I have been able to spend with you, Dad, but I just spoke with William. We have a problem with Mum…”

~-~-~-~

“Harry!” Lily called out.

“Yeah, Mum?” William replied, wondering just what in Merlin’s name he should expect to hear come out of his mother’s mouth.

“Come downstairs a minute – I would like to talk to you without shouting where the whole neighbourhood can hear us!”

William went downstairs to the living room and sat down across from his mother. “Yes, Mum?”

“As you probably know, Lord Potter has asked me out to supper in Venice. You will be staying here; would you like to stay with Aunt Petunia or Aunt Alice?”

“Aunt Petunia’s, and can Neville come over?” William responded. He really needed Neville’s help filling Dudley in on everything. They would have done so sooner, but Vernon won a two-week trip to Majorca and they were just getting back.

“May Neville come over, and you will have to ask Aunt Petunia. It is her house, after all,” Lily said, automatically correcting her son’s grammar. “Why don’t you go over and ask her while I get ready?”

“Alright, Mum!” William said before rising and heading out to go next door to his aunt’s house.

~-~-~-~

“You’re telling me that James bloody Potter has my wife under some kind of love potion or spell and is trying to woo her?” Severus snapped.

“Yes, Dad. That is exactly what I am trying to tell you. William told me that earlier. Lord Potter is taking Mum to supper at some restaurant in Venice that he owns, and is likely going to pop the question, relying on his potion to get her to say yes,” Harry exclaimed.

“How exactly have you been in contact with your brother? I have only seen one owl come for you since you got back from camp, not counting the school owls,” Severus inquired suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.

“We have a set of communications mirrors,” Harry said. “Now what are we going to do about saving Mum from that pompous, arrogant fool?” he finished with a Snape-esque scowl.

Severus smiled faintly, proud that both his sons were growing into fine young men, and were trying to get their family back together. “Get in contact with William and see about getting a meeting set up between your mother and me. I’ll contact the IPC and get us a Portkey to the UK. Okay, Harry?”

“Alright, Dad,” Harry agreed before going off to mirror-call his brother again.

~-~-~-~

“Aunt Petunia!” William called as he ran up to his aunt and gave her a hug.

“Welcome back from camp, Harry,” Petunia said as she extricated herself from the tight grip William had her in. “Why do I feel you have an ulterior motive for coming over, instead of just being happy to see us back?”

“Well, I am happy to see you back, but you are right about the motive. Mum wanted to see if it was alright if I came over to stay while Lord Potter takes her out on a date. And can… MAY Neville come over, too?” William said in a rush.

“I’m sorry, Harry. Uncle Vernon has to be into work early tomorrow morning, and we are both exhausted from the trip,” Petunia said. “Aunt Alice, I am sure, will be able to watch you, and Dudley may go over as well, if she agrees, and he wants to.”

“Thanks, Aunt Petunia,” William said sullenly. He hugged her goodbye, before heading over towards the Longbottom home.

~-~-~-~

“Oh, for the love of Merlin, why won’t you pick up, William?” Harry asked himself. “William Snape,” he told the mirror again. A ringing sound came from the mirror, before a tinny-sounding voice said, “The IMS user you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Would you like to leave a message?”

“Yes!” Harry snapped.

“After the tone, please leave your message,” the voice said. *BEEP!*

“William, this is your brother! Call me immediately when you get this message! Dad knows, and is trying to get us a Portkey over there!” Harry said in a rush before disconnecting the call.

~-~-~-~

“Aunt Alice!” William called out, knocking on her front door.

“I’ve told you time and again, child, just come on in! There’s no need to knock here – you’re family!” Alice said.

“I was wondering…” William started.

“If you could have Dudley come over while you are staying here while your mother is on her date with Lord Potter?” Alice asked. “You know you are always welcome here, as is Dudley.”

Noticing William’s puzzled look, she said, “While you were on your way over here, both your mother and Petunia called. You boys are staying overnight.”

“Oh. Well, thank you, Aunt Alice,” William said. “I better go get my stuff ready for tonight, then, and call Dudley.”

“Alright, kiddo. See you soon,” Alice said, hugging William tight before he ran off back home.

~-~-~-~

“Harry,” Severus said as he knocked on his son’s bedroom door.

“Yeah, Dad?” Harry asked.

“I got us a Portkey, but it will be a week before we can leave. There’s a lot of outbound traffic going to Britain for the World Cup, evidentially.”

“Well, William still hasn’t answered his mirror, and I have called several times,” Harry whined.

“Would you like some cheese?” Severus asked with a completely straight face.

“Huh?” Harry said confusedly.

“That’s some fine whine you are showcasing, and I wanted to know if you wanted some cheese with it,” Severus smirked.

“Har-de-har-har,” Harry said sarcastically. “Really, though, I can’t get through to William!”

“Give it some time, Harry. There is a 5-hour time difference, and he might be doing something. I am sure he is simply over at one of your friend’s houses or talking to Mum or something simple like that and we are just not thinking of it,” Severus reasoned. “Give it about a half-hour before trying again.”

“Alright. I will keep the mirror with me, in case he tries to return my call,” Harry said.

“Alright. Now, just relax,” Severus said. “How about playing a game of chess with your old dad?”

“Okay, Old Dad,” Harry teasingly agreed, grabbing his mirror and chess pieces before following Severus downstairs.

“Mum!” William called out.

“Yes, Harry?” Lily’s voice came from her bedroom, where she was putting on her makeup.

“Aunt Petunia says she and Uncle Vernon want a night to rest, so me and Dudley are staying at Aunt Alice’s house, okay?” William shouted.

“I know already, honey. Aunt Alice called and told me. Now go and get your bag together, and remember to take clean socks this time! It’s embarrassing to have my son wear socks so smelly that they are literally screaming to be washed!”

“Yes, Mum!” William said, thoroughly disgusted with his brother.

“And, Harry, behave yourself!” she admonished.

“I always do,” William responded cheekily.

“Yes, dear. Now scoot!”

“I love ya, Mum!” William said and ran off to his room to get his stuff.

“King to B1,” Severus said.

“Castle to D1. Checkmate,” Harry said. Sev’s King threw it’s crown down on the board as Harry’s pieces applauded. “I’m sorry, Dad. Remember, though, I had Ron and Percy Weasley teaching me how to play.”

“Damn Weasleys,” Severus muttered before saying, “Good game, Harry.”

“Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me.”

Just then, Harry’s mirror started ringing, so he answered it. “Hello?”

“Harry, it’s William. What is so important that you had to leave fourteen voicemails?” William asked testily.

“I asked him to call you, young man,” Severus said. “He was just following my orders, although a bit obsessively.”

William’s face went white when he heard his father’s voice. “Harry, are you using a voice-changing charm, or is Father right there?”

Harry simply handed the mirror to Severus, who said, “I am right here – Harry told me about how you two switched places and that Mum is going out on a date with Lord Potter tonight.”

“Yes, she is. And he will likely be proposing. She acts like she is under a love potion or charm around him. I am scared about it,” William said honestly. He never could lie to his dad.

“Well, Harry and I have a Portkey scheduled for one week from today. Harry,” Severus said, turning to the son in his living room, “Is there anyone in particular, preferably an adult, that can be trusted with the information about your switch? Someone that can set something up on the sly to switch the two of you back and give me a chance to talk to Lily?”

“Well, I have always been close to Aunt Petunia and Aunt Alice [Longbottom], but I always go to Aunt Alice when it comes to keeping secrets. Since Aunt Petunia is Mum’s sister, the two of them are really tight with each other, and I don’t think that Aunt Tunie would be able to keep this from Mum. Also, with Neville and I being born a couple of hours apart, we grew up as if we were twins,” Harry said with an apologetic look into the mirror at his brother.

“Dudley and I are staying the night at Neville’s house, so I can tell Aunt Alice tonight,” William said.

“What about Dudley and Neville?” Severus said. “I remember them as babies, but I know nothing of their character now that they have grown up a bit.”

“Neville already knows. I think he realized we were twins before we did,” Harry laughed, remembering how he had brushed off Nev’s suspicions at first.

“Dudley doesn’t know yet, though,” William said. “He and his parents just got back from Majorca. Harry, can he be trusted?”

“He can. Neville, Dud, and I were… are… like brothers. Just let everyone know not to tell Mum or Aunt Petunia,” Harry said.

“Wait a minute… the day before we get there, William, let your mother know. It is her right to know, as your mother and my wife, which son she is taking care of,” Severus said.

“I am supposed to be getting my stuff together,” William said. “I’ve gotta run.”

“Alright. Call us tonight after you talk to Aunt Alice,” Severus said. “Have fun.”

“Remember clean socks,” Harry said. “Also, only wear boxers to sleep in… Remember, you have to get used to them before Hogwarts!”

“You know, I want an explanation of this sock thing one day! You aren’t the first person to mention it!” William said.

Laughing, Harry promised he would tell William the story one day, and the two of them hung up.

Severus decided he needed some time to think before talking anymore about the boy’s… trap. He told harry he would be in his library until tea time.

“Okay, Dad. See you at tea,” Harry said before settling into his chair to read a while.

"Yes. Your Aunt Alice pulled some strings and got our Portkey moved up to tomorrow. We will be staying at the Leaky Cauldron when we get there. Get your stuff together, bucko, because it is time you go home," Severus said, a little harsher than he meant to, considering the situation.

Harry, who was hurt by his father's tone, stormed upstairs and started packing.

~-~-~-~

"Boys! Time to get up!" Alice called up the stairs. "Aunt Lily has some news!"

The three preteens all groaned at being woke up so early.

"What time is it?" Dudley asked.

Checking his watch, William said, "Six thirty in the  morning."

"Well, we best get up and dresses, or else Mum will come up and in, and I don't think she will want to see any of us, especially not Lard Boy here, in just our boxers. Even if they are cute little Toy Story ones," Neville said, managing to tease both Dudley and William in one run.

"Shut up, Nev!" William groused, displaying the characteristic Snape scowl. "And at least I have something interesting to look at, unlike you, Mr. Pink Pants!"

"Hey! These boxers were white, until Mum accidentally washed them in a load of reds," Neville retorted.

"Both of you shut up already," Dudley said. "I swear, y'all fight like an old married couple sometimes!"

‘Well, I always did think Harry was cute. William is identical to him, and with him not having been raised as my brother, I wouldn't feel like I am committing incest,' Neville thought.

‘Hmm... Neville is hot. Maybe... nah. I bet he doesn't even swing that way,' William thought.

‘I wonder what's for breakfast?' Dudley thought.

As the boys finished dressing, each wearing a pair of blue Nike nylon shorts, white sleeveless T-shirts, black low-cut socks, and trainers, they mused what it was Lily wanted so early in the morning.

~-~-~-~

"Oh, Merlin, I can't do this. It has been ten years since I have seen Lily, and now I am to take a Portkey back to see her? What will I say? Merlin, what will I wear?" Severus said aloud.

He didn't realize it, but Blinky the House-elf was in the room, so he was startled when he heard Blinky say, "Master?"

"Yes, Blinky?" Severus asked after jumping about a meter in the air.

"Master, I's can tell you still love Miss Lily. I can see the bond that is between you's. Just tells her that you is loving her still, and that for the sake of Young Master and his twin, you is wanting her back," Blinky advised. "And sir? I think you's would look good in this robe and shirt."

Blinky held up a dark blue dress robe with a lighter blue French-cuffed shirt. "A pair of navy blue trousers, and black dragon-hide boots to finish it our, and you's will be looking very nice!"

"Thank you, Blinky. You have been very helpful today," Severus complimented the grinning little elf.

"You is welcome, Master Severus," Blinky said. He snapped his fingers, and the outfit, complete with an under-layer, hung itself on the bathroom hook, ready for the next morning. With a second snap of his fingers, luggage appeared in the room, and with a final snap of his fingers, Severus' clothing and essentials packed themselves for the trip. As that finishes, Blinky sealed the luggage and popped out of the room with it.

Severus sat down on the bed with a sigh, amazed at how efficient his elf was. ‘I am lucky," he thought. ‘I have a loyal elf. Both my sons love me. I also got a chance to get to know my little Harry.'

~-~-~-~

William, Neville and Dudley trooped down the stairs and into the living room where Alice, Frank, Lily, and, surprisingly, Lord James Potter were waiting for them.

"Good morning, boys. Sleep well?" Lily asked.

"Yes, Aunt Lily (Mum)!" the boys chorused.

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news," Lily said. "I guess I will get the bad news out of the way first. Harry, we're moving to Scotland in two and a half weeks."

"No! All my friends and family are here!" William protested.

"I know, honey. That's why I am delaying the move until you start Hogwarts, so you will have the rest of this summer with your friends here. And with the Floo network, you will still get to see them during the summer," Lily said soothingly. "You want to know the good news? What am I thinking? Of course you do! Lord Potter asked me to marry him, and I said ‘Yes'!"

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!" all three boys yelled at once.

"Harry!" Severus said as he knocked on his son's bedroom door.

"Yeah, Dad?" Harry replied, walking over and opening the door.

"Mind if I come in a minute?" Severus asked.

"C'mon in. It is your house, after all," Harry said cheekily.

Severus stepped into Harry's room and said, "You know, over the last nine years, I have seen this room change from a nursery to a toddler's room to a young boy's room. It was always slow to change, though, as were William's tastes in décor.

"This summer when you came back from camp in William's place, you shocked me in more ways than one. New paint on the walls - I still can't believe you picked purple, of all colours! Well, at least it wasn't pink! - new artwork, asking for new clothes. All changes I wasn't expecting. By the way, does William know you changed his underwear out for boxers and A-shirts, or is it meant to be a surprise for him? For that matter, does he even want to wear boxers and A-shirts or are you pranking him?"

"No, I am not pranking him. He was upset with me for making him switch over to them, but he has gotten used to the idea. If he were to go to Hogwarts wearing those... things he called underwear, he would have been teased mercilessly. Before you ask, he really does want to go to Hogwarts," Harry explained in a rush.

"Alright, fair enough," Severus said. "My point, though, is that you, and by proxy William, are becoming young men, and I didn't see it before now. You both are capable of making some of your own decisions and such. I am grateful that I have got to spend this time with you, however briefly. At the same time, however, I am upset with you two for choosing to prank your mother and myself like this!"

"I am sorry, Dad, but this is the only way that we could think of to get to meet our other parent!" Harry said. "Especially since you wouldn't tell William anything about Mum, and Mum wouldn't tell me about you. Also, neither of you told either of us about each other! I thought I was an only child whose father didn't want him, and William thought the same, only about his mother."

"Well," Severus said emotionally. He cleared his throat in an Umbridge-ish manner before continuing, "We do have a 9a Portkey to catch, so please tell me your stuff is ready!"

"Blinky has already taken it downstairs with yours," Harry said. He choked up a bit as he said, "I'm gonna miss you, Dad!"

"I'll miss you, too, son. Now that you and William know about each other, your mother and I will work something out so you boys get to see each other. You will get to see both your parents, as well."

"I'd really like that, Dad. I just wish you and Mum would get back together," Harry said, tears flowing freely down his face.

"Legally, we are separated, as your mother didn't support my idea of leaving Britain after the war," Severus said. "I have never stopped loving your mother, but apparently she stopped loving me the minute James Bloody Potter stepped back into her life."

"She has hated James Potter for as long as I can remember, and the only way she would change her mind about him is if he has slipped her a potion or put her under the Imperious curse," Harry said.

"We'll see about that later today, Harry. Let's get some breakfast or lunch as it were, seeing as it will be afternoon when we get there."

"Okay, Dad," Harry said, struggling to get his emotions under control.

Severus put his arm around his preteen son's shoulder and they walked out of Harry's bedroom for the last time together.

Longbottom House
Little Whinging, Surrey
07.15 am GMT

"Whaddya mean you're getting MARRIED?!?" William snapped, shocked that his mother had just confirmed his worse fear.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man!" Lily said coldly. "No matter how upset with me you are, I still get treated with respect by you. In the matter of my getting married to Lord Potter, that is fairly obvious. I love him, he proposed, and I accepted. Simple as that."

"But, Mum! You've hated him since he tried to get Dad killed in your 5th year!" William said, causing Lily to pause and frown. She was certain she had never told Harry about that incident, ever.

"Things change, Harry," Lord Potter told William. "Plus, that incident was an accident caused by Sirius Black. I was the one who saved your father. Your mother and I are getting married, whether you like it or not. I promise, Harry, that I will not try to take your dad's place. However, I hope you will give me a chance. I will try to be a good parent, and treat you as my own."

William mentally sighed before sullenly replying, "The best I can do is try."

"That's all I ask, Harry," Lord Potter said.

"Well, unless anyone has a better idea," Alice said, "let's go eat breakfast and get our day started!"

No one was brave enough to cross Alice Longbottom (especially after her row with her mother-in-law, Augusta Longbottom *shudders* Now that is a long story!), and they trooped into the dining room to eat.

~-~-~-~

Snape Cottage
Orrville, OH
09.00 am EDT

"Harry!" Severus said. "The Portkey will be activating any minute, so please grab hold already!"

"Fine," Harry huffed. He was irritated and sad that he had to leave his dad's home so soon after getting there.

Just as soon as both had taken hold of the rope serving as a Portkey, they felt the usual hook-behind-the-navel that accompanies Portkey-travel, but as this was a Trans-Atlantic Portkey, the feeling was ten times stronger. As they travelled, a vortex of colours swirled around them. Or were the colours still and the guys swirling? Either way, it was the most disorienting and nauseating 38 seconds of Harry's life.

With a thud, Harry and Severus landed on barstools directly in front of Tom, the Leaky Cauldron's Innkeeper.

"Two butterbeers, Tom. And a calming draught for my son," Severus said.

"Right away, Mr. Snape!" Tom said, flashing his toothless grin.

"Leave it to your Aunt Alice to have our Portkey deliver us right onto barstools in the very inn where we are to meet her," Severus griped.

"On the plus side, at least no one was sitting here," Harry said jokingly, trying to calm his churning stomach.

"Had you arrived ten seconds sooner, you would have landed on the Longbottoms," Tom said, handing Harry his potion and a butterbeer and Severus the other butterbeer.

"Did you notice which way they went, Tom? They're who we're meeting," Severus asked.

"Room 7, at your convenience," Tom replied.

"Thank you," Severus said. "Harry, take your potion and let's go upstairs."

Harry grimaced as he swallowed the foul-tasting potion and rose to follow his father up the stairs.

~-~-~-~

"James, I want a Muggle-style ceremony," Lily said. "In a church, with bridesmaids, a long-trained white dress, and everything."

"No problem, Lils. How about Westminster Abbey? I can get Nicholas to preside over our ceremony, and you can wear whatever you want, even your birthday suit, if you so choose," James smirked as they strolled along the Strand, window-shopping.

Lily glared as she said, "You'd like that, wouldn't you? I said I want a long, white dress WITH A VEIL. Now let's stop here at Twining's and get some tea and crumpets."

"Yes, dear," James sighed, thinking, ‘Even with my "assistance", she doesn't love me completely.'

~-~-~-~

"Room 3... room 5... here we go, room 7," Harry counted off as the two walked down the hallway.

Severus knocked on the room's door before muttering, "Alohomora", causing the door to swing open.

"Ah, Severus! So good to see you again!" Alice gushed. "C'mon over here and gimme a hug!"

"Alice," Sev said warmly as he walked over and embraced his old friend. "It has been much too long."

"Well, that is your own doing, what with your running off across the pond after the war," Alice said.

Harry, William, and Dudley just stood there, staring in amazement at the friendly bantering argument. Neville, who was used to this kind of thing from his mother, just chuckled and said, "Care to make introductions, Mum?"

"Ah, yes. My apologies," Alice said. "Severus, the proper young gentleman is my rascal, Neville. The handsome, muscular blond boy next to him is Dudley" (who was blushing at his aunt's description of him) "and I do believe you know your own sons. Boys, this is your Uncle Severus. By the way, Harry, why haven't you given your doting old aunt a hug yet?" she finished indignantly.

Harry hung his head apologetically as he said, "Sorry, Aunt Alice!"

"Well?" Alice said expectantly, holding her arms open.

Harry ran over and gave her a hug. "I missed you, Aunt Alice!" he cried.

"I missed you, too, munchkin. Although, I did have your brother over, masquerading as you, so I didn't even know you weren't here until a night or two ago," Alice explained.

"Well," Severus said before Alice could really stick her foot in it, "we need to take the boys school shopping, don't we? And we need to get ready to meet with Lily and James, as well."

"Er... yeah. What you said," Alice said nervously.

"You did tell Lily we were coming, right?" Severus asked with a piercing gaze held on Alice.

"I told you I would, didn't I?" Alice said.

"Yes, you did."

"And have I ever failed you before?"

"No, you haven't. But..."

"Well, what makes you thing I would have failed you this time?"

"Humph," Severus snorted before turning away. "Well, we need to head over to the Strand to do some shopping, as the boys are to wear Muggle clothing under their robes and on weekends. After that, we will hit Diagon Alley. Alright?"

"Fine," Alice responded. "Boys? Do you want to eat supper here in Diagon Alley or in Muggle London?"

"Muggle London," Neville said immediately, chorused by William.

"Diagon Alley," Dudley requested, and William agreed, changing his mind.

"Well, Harry, you are the tie-breaker," Severus said, "as your brother here double-voted."

"Can't we just snack here at the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry asked queasily.

"As that is a place in Diagon Alley, then we will have a Diagon Alley Dinner (DAD!)," Severus said. "Harry, did that potion not help you any?"

"It worked. It is just the thought of food so soon after the breakfast that Blinky made us," Harry said. "It's making me nauseous. I swear, that elf had to have bought out at least an entire farm to make that much food!"

"He is a good cook, isn't he?" Severus replied blissfully. "Let's get going, though, if we are going to get everything done today."

"Tally-ho!" all four boys said, following Alice and Severus out of Room 7 and into Muggle London.

~-~-~-~

To passersby, James Potter and Lily Evans appeared to be silently enjoying their tea and crumpets, contemplating the passersby and traffic. In reality, however, nothing could be further from the truth. You see, James had cast an Illusion charm and a silencer so that he and Lily could freely talk about their wedding, which would include both Muggle and Magical components.

"James, dear, who was it you said you would get to officiate our wedding?" Lily asked.

"Nicholas," James replied.

"Nicholas? You don't mean Nicholas Flamel, do you?" Lily queried with a frown on her face.

"Yes, honey. Is there a problem with having an old family friend officiate our wedding?"

"Considering I am Catholic, yes. Nicholas hasn't officiated a Catholic wedding since before the Reformation!"

"Just because he hasn't doesn't mean he can't," James protested feebly, looking out the window.

"I have a friend who attends Mass over at Holy Trinity Wizarding Catholic Church, and she said her priest would be willing to officiate our wedding," Lily said.

"Hey... isn't that Severus over there?" James exclaimed suddenly, pointing over past a group of people on the opposite side of the Strand.

"Yes, it is!" Lily exclaimed, shocked.

~-~-~-~

"Alright, boys, we need to shop for clothing. You all need a full wardrobe with appropriate selections for attending school in Scotland," Alice said.

"Let's start here, with the shoe store. You may each pick out one pair of trainers, one pair of boots, and one pair of dress shoes," Severus said.

At Dudley's protests, he added, "Yes, you too, Dudley. While you won't be attending Hogwarts, you still need appropriate clothing to attend Smeltings, which is in Northern Ireland."

"However, don't get your socks here. They'll be much less expensive at the department stores," Alice mentioned.

The boys ran inside the shoe store to pick out their shoes. Sev motioned for Alice to wait so they could chat a minute.

"How has Lily been, Alice?" he asked.

"Oddly, she has went quickly from hating James Potter to accepting a marriage proposal from him," Alice replied. "Then again, she hated you during 5th year."

"The boys seem to think that she is under some sort of spell or potion to make her like him."

"Hmm... I never thought to check for potions or spells on her, and Frank is friendly with James, so he was happy to see two of his friends finally getting along.

"Well, I need to check her for both, because I don't want her to get together with Potter if she is being controlled by him," Sev growled.

"You still love her, don't you?" Alice asked, her eyes locked on something across the street.

"With all my heart," Severus said before following Alice's gaze. He nearly gagged when his eyes fell on his ex-wife sitting at a table with James Potter.

At that moment, they saw James point towards them and Lily looked up and out the window. Her eyes widened in shock as her gaze locked onto Severus'.

TBC...

Parlour, the Leaky Cauldron

"I was under the assumption that one Ms. Lily Evans had been made aware of my arrival in London. Yet what do I find? I see her sitting at a café table dining with my schoolyard rival and looking at me as if she was not aware I was on the same PLANET as her, much less the same continent!" Severus ranted. "I thought you said you had informed her that I would be here with my... her... our son. Additionally, William told me that you would be telling her!"

"I'm..." Alice started.

"And another thing:  Just an hour or two ago, while we were on the Strand, you reassured me that you had told her!" Severus added angrily. "You failed me big time, Alice Prewitt!"

"Longbottom," Alice corrected. At Severus' nod, she continued, "And I am sorry, Severus. Sometimes, it is necessary to stretch the truth. I do have a good reason for not telling her, though."

"It damn well better be good," Sev exclaimed. As Alice didn't immediately offer up her excuse, he scowled and said, "Well?!?"

"You mentioned the boys said that Lily might be under the effects of love potions and/or control spells?" Sev nodded. "Well, this morning, Lily came by rather early, presumably to pick up William. However, James was with her, and they asked Frank and me to round everyone up in the parlour, as they had an ‘announcement' to make. You can probably guess where I am going with this."

"Just tell me," Severus ground out.

"James proposed, and she accepted," Alice said in a rush. "I am sorry, Severus, but until we know for sure about everything, please don't do anything rash!"

Before Severus could answer, a Patronus in the shape of a doe glided into the room. In a gentle, feminine voice, it announced, "Petunia's house, 9am. Remember my last, Severus!"

Severus paled at the memory that simple sentence invoked. At Alice's questioning glance, he said, "The day we broke up, I told her I needed to get away from Britain, away from the memories of the war. Well, she didn't take that news so well. She cast a Bat-Bogey Hex on me so strong that it felt like winged rocks the size of Greater Whinging were crawling out of my nose and taking flight."

Alice flinched and said, "I'm assuming she means that she will repeat that incident if you're a no-show in the morning?"

"You know what they say about the word ‘assume', don't you? Anyhow, I am not taking a chance," Sev said.

~-~-~-~

At the same time, in Room 7

"So, Harry, how did you enjoy your time in Ohio?" William asked.

"It was... different. Dad and I spent quite a bit of time working on improving the Wolvesbane Potion and we may have found a cure," Harry said. "No one is willing to try it, though, so the world may never know."

At Dudley's giggles, Harry confusedly asked, "What?"

"You just sounded like that owl from the Tootsie Pop commercial," Dudley grinned.

Harry laughed as he realized what he had said, and William shook his head.

"I am so glad I don't have television at home," William said. "Commercials like that one are just so... so... stupid!"

"They're not stupid, they're funny!" Dudley protested. "Besides, I saw you laughing at some of them!"

"Alright already... William, how have you liked Britain?" Harry asked.

"It's scary," William said.

Dudley and Harry exchanged looks before chorusing, "How so?"

"Well, for one, y'all drive on the wrong side of the road. The food tastes funny and the tea is too strong. And I can't believe y'all invented English, but have managed to mangle it so bad that it isn't understandable!" Will ranted.

"We mangled English? No, my dear brother; it is Americans like you who have mangled English," Harry said.

"You call cookies biscuits, French Fries are chips and chips are crisps! And what is with this obsession about hell being full of blood?"*

"We spoke English before you, so you all mangled it," Harry said hotly.

At that time, Neville slipped into the room. Harry, Dudley and William looked over at him, making him ask, "What?"

"Where have you been?" Dudley grunted.

"Spying on Mum and Uncle Severus," he replied. "They have been arguing because William told Uncle Sev that Mum was going to tell Aunt Lily that Harry and Uncle Sev were coming, while Mum lied to Uncle Sev and told him that she told Aunt Lily, when she really didn't," Neville gossiped.

"Really?" Harry said. "Well, we're here now, so she'll find out soon enough anyway."

"She already knows somehow," Neville said. "She sent your dad a Patronus message, telling him to meet her tomorrow morning, 9am, at Aunt Petunia's house. Plus, I found out why they split up!"

"Why did they split up?" Dudley asked.

"According to Uncle Sev, he wanted to get away from ‘memories of the war', while Aunt Lily didn't want to leave Britain. She was so against the idea of moving that she popped Uncle Severus with a Bat-Bogey Hex pretty hard. By the way he described it, it sounds like it could be worse than any one Ginny has ever cast!"

Dudley, Neville, and Harry all shuddered at that thought, all three of them having been on the receiving end of Ginny Weasley's signature hex.

"Boys! Supper!" Tom the Innkeeper called out, knocking on the room's door.

"Thanks, Tom. Do you want us to go get Dad and Aunt Alice?" Harry asked.

"No need. They're already on their way down," Tom said. "Now wash up and go eat! The missus made some wonderful beef roast and vegetables. If you don't hurry, it'll be gone before you get there!"

"Aw-right! Mrs. Tom's roast!" Harry, Neville, and Dudley cried, rushing to wash their hands and get downstairs, trailed by William, who was wondering what was so special about a roast.

Tom grinned. He never failed to smile whenever he heard kids call his wife "Mrs. Tom", and he was glad they liked her cooking so much that they got this excited about it. He headed down to the kitchens to tell her about it.

~-~-~-~

Dursley Residence
Little Whinging, Surrey
09.00am

*Ding-dong* sounded the doorbell when Sev pressed the button by the door. Even though he had lived in a Muggle area for the last decade or so, devices such as the doorbell still fascinated him. As that thought occurred to him, he muttered, "I wish I had not spent so much damn time around Arthur Weasley, the Muggle-loving fool."

Just then, the door opened and his former sister-in-law peered out at him. "Severus! What a pleasant surprise! Won't you come in and visit?"

"Surely your sister told you I was coming," Severus said darkly, "as she... requested... I meet her here." He followed her into the parlour, where he took a seat near the door.

"No. She was out late with that Potter fellow again," Petunia said sourly. "There is something about him that I just don't like. I can't quite place my finger on it, though."

"In a nutshell, he is an ‘arrogant toe-rag'," Severus said. "Or at least, Lily used to call him that. When she decided to show up, or if she ever does, I will be checking to see if she is under the influence of any spells or potions."

"Makes sense," Petunia replied. "By the way, what brings you here?"

"I just told you that Lily told me to meet her here," snarled the scowling Snape sourly.

"I meant to Britain, you bitter, batty bachelor," Petunia said with a scowl of her own.

"Amateur," Sev said. "Your scowl couldn't even frighten a kitten. And if you must know, my sons decided to trick their mother and myself by switching placed on their way home from Quidditch camp. It seems that Lily and I picked the same Summer League for the boys. "

"The boys did WHAT?!?" a voice shouted from behind Severus.

Sev rose and turned around. He came face-to-face with his ex-wife. "Lily. How lovely to see you."

"Yeah, yeah. Save the pleasantries and tell me what you meant about Harry and William," Lily snapped.

"They switched places on us," Severus stated simply.

"Do you mean to tell me that for the last few weeks, I have been housing a virtual stranger?" Lily asked.

"He's your son, for Merlin's sake, not some random stranger!" Severus said angrily, "and he wouldn't even be a stranger to you, random or otherwise, if you hadn't decided to leave me ten years ago!"

"Me, leave you? As if! You were the one to desert his family! Running off to America just to ‘get away from the memories'," Lily yelled furiously.

"At lease I've not turned to someone I hated all my life, just to fill the void in my life!"

"Guys! Lower your voices! We don't want or need the bobbies getting called out here, do we?" Petunia called out.  The two lowered their voices and continued arguing.

"And what makes you think I have a ‘void in my life' that I am trying to fill by going out with James? Couldn't I just love him for who he is?" Lily said hotly.

"As a matter of fact, I believe not," Severus said. "Based upon information passed on to me by various sources who's names shall remain anonymous, I have reason to believe that you are under the influence of love potions and/or control spells."

Lily visibly flinched as if slapped. "James wouldn't do that," she told Severus before turning to Petunia and asking, "Would he, sis?"

"I don't understand a lot about magic, but I do find it odd that you went from hating even the mention of James Potter to wanted to get married to him," Petunia said honestly. "Would it hurt to allow Severus to check you for potions and spells?"

"I suppose not," Lily said. "Go ahead, Severus."

Severus drew his wand and waved a few complicated patterns as he chanted, "Specialus revelio... formulus revelio... revelio totalus..."

As he finished each spell, a piece of parchment appeared on the coffee table. He picked them up and, upon reading them, announced, "You have at least four potions in your system, five spells on you, including one Memory Charm, and there are multiple spells on both your engagement ring and your necklace."

Lily gasped and took off the ring and necklace, laying them on the coffee table. With an apologetic look, she said, "I am sorry for the way I acted, Severus, Petunia. It was rude and un-lady-like. Severus, is there any way to get a definite count on the potions in my system, and what they are?"

"I have to brew a reveling potion, but give me a day and I will have it and a general nullifier, Lily," Severus said.

"You said the boys switched places on us?" Lily said lightly, bringing the conversation full-circle, and she and Severus started chatting about the boy's antics.

Recognizing the fact that Sev and Lily needed a few minutes, Petunia offered to get some tea for the three of them. She puttered around the kitchen while the water was warming, and she wondered what her nephews would have been like if Lily had married James instead of Severus. "Harry Potter... hmm... nah, it just doesn't sound right," she decided.

The kettle whistled, and she walked over and poured the boiling water into the pot on her tea service. She carried it towards the parlour. She walked in at the end of the conversation:

"Lily, for the last ten years, there has been a void in my life," Severus said. "I still love you, Lily..."

TBC...

"I cannot believe that the two of you would do something like this!" Lily Evans said angrily as she paced back and forth in front of the couch on which her sons Harry Evans and William Snape were sitting. Also sitting around her living room was her ex-husband, Severus Snape and her best friend Alice Longbottom with her son Neville. Her nephew Dudley Dursley was in the kitchen helping his mother, Petunia Dursley née Evans, prepare tea for the group. Lily continued, "And you, Alice Prewitt, knew they had switched on me, but you didn't tell me! I thought I could always rely on you to keep me in the loop, especially with something like this!"

"And I thought I could trust you, Lilith Snape, to remember that I am married!" Alice snapped, causing Lily to turn red. "I am a Longbottom, and have been for the last eleven years! And to be honest, I only found out a day or two ago that the boys had switched. The boys came to me and Frank the day that the Dursleys got back from visiting Marge in Majorca. As a matter of fact, Severus knew before I did, and had been making arrangements to come switch the boys back when I contacted him for the first time since he left!"

"Mum," Harry piped in. "We, William and me, decided to switch places at camp. You and Dad both chose Norris Lake Quidditch Camp. It was Neville who first noticed how similar we looked and acted. It took a few weeks before we figured out we were actually twins, and a bit longer before we came up with our plan."

"Yeah, Mum. We only did it because I wanted to get to know you, and Harry wanted to get to know Dad," William added. "Before this summer, I thought I was an only child who missed his mum greatly. While Harry had Dudley and Neville as ‘siblings' of sorts, and Uncles Vernon and Frank as father figures, he thought Dad didn't care about him. We just did it to get to know our other parent."

"Nevertheless, you should not have played such a dirty trick on us," Lily said. "Did it ever occur to you that you might be causing your father and me to violate custody agreements? Not only that, but the two of you violated our trust in our children!"

"That's just it, though, Mum. For ten years, the two of you were lying to us by not telling us we had a twin brother," William said. "Never once did either of you say anything about us to the other. In regards to the custody arrangements, they suck!"

"I suppose we could have handled everything a bit differently, Lily," Severus said.

"There wasn't a way they could have alternated months or weekends, though," Alice said.

"Whaddya mean, Aunt Alice?" Harry asked curiously.

"I believe she is saying that with the two of you attending Muggle primary school, you couldn't have had a conventional shared custody arrangement," Petunia said as she walked in carrying a tea service. She was followed by Dudley, who was carrying a snack tray.

"No, we couldn't have done that," William agreed. "But we could have at least alternated summers or holidays or something."

"At least we could have wrote each other if you guys had been honest with us," Harry said. "I would have liked to know I had a brother and Dad who loved me."

"Alright," Lily conceded. "It was a mistake not to tell you about the other. That doesn't excuse the fact that you two pulled this... this... whatever this was. Your father and I will consult the solicitors to see about adjusting the custody arrangements for the summers. You will be together during the school year anyway at Hogwarts."

Harry and William looked at each other, then at Neville and Dudley and nodded. "Works for us," they chorused.

Lily nodded at Severus, who rose and said, "Alright, boys. Why don't the four of you go play for awhile so the adults can talk a bit?"

"Okay," all four boys said happily before running up the stairs to a chorus of "No running in the house!"

~-~-~-~

Later that same day
Leaky Cauldron, Room 7

‘Why did I have to tell her I still love her?' Severus thought as he sat in an armchair in front of the fireplace. He picked up his glass and sipped at the brandy provided to him by Tom the Innkeeper. ‘Of all the idiotic things I could have said, I had to blurt that out! She's engaged for Merlin's sake! And to James bloody Potter at that! It's not like she's going to call that off just to come back to me when I say I still love her!'

He rose and hurled the rocks glass into the fireplace before starting to pace in front of the fireplace. For the remainder of the evening, he mulled over ways that he could get her to forget what he had said.

~-~-~-~

7h00 am
Evans House
Little Whinging, Surrey

"Harry! William! Get down here!" Lily called up the stairs. She had hosted a sleepover for four hyperactive eleven-year-olds, which meant she was exhausted and cranky. Neville and Dudley had already went home this morning, and her two brats were yet to come down.

Her tone of voice expressed that she meant business, and her sons came thundering down the stairs, plopping themselves down into kitchen chairs. They were both dressed in matching black tank tops reading "← I'm with Stupid!" with white nylon shorts. They both looked up with innocent looks on their faces and said, "Good morning, Mum!"

"William Severus Snape, why aren't you dressed properly? You are to return to Orrville with your father this morning," Lily snapped.

"We have decided that we are not going to be split up until we have reasonable custody agreements!" the boys said in perfect twin-speak, finishing together. It took them about three weeks' training with the Weasley twins to perfect this trait.

"Molly sent her twins to camp as well, didn't she?" Lily asked. At the boys' nods, she groaned and said, "You boys need to remember that Severus and I are your parents, so you have to do what we tell you to do, and what we are telling you to do is for William to go to Ohio with Dad and Harry to stay here with me. It is only two weeks until school starts, and you two will be together at Hogwarts for an entire school year, during which the solicitors will work out the custody arrangements." Just then, the doorbell rang. Lily said, "Don't... move!" before striding over to the door to answer it.

When she opened the door, she found Severus on the other side. "C'mon in, Severus," she said. "I need your help with the boys. They refuse to be split up again and are trying to confuse us à la Weasley."

Severus grimaced, remembering all the horror stories he had heard about the Weasley twins. Following Lily into the kitchen, he took in the sight of his preteen sons. Laughing, he said, "Nice shirts, boys!"

"Thanks, Dad!" they said in perfect harmony.

Laying the rope serving as a Portkey on the table, he casually asked, "What's this I hear about your being bratty this morning, boys?"

"Like we told Mum, we're not being split up until we get a reasonable custody arrangement worked out," William said.

Walking up behind Harry, Sev placed his hands on his son's shoulders. Squeezing his son's shoulders, he said, "How's this for a custody arrangement - you will go with me to Ohio while Harry stays here with his mum?" Severus said authoritatively. "So, are you ready to go, William?"

"Are you sure I'm William?" Harry said, affecting an American accent.

"Or am I William?" William said in his "normal accent".

"Boys, this is not funny," Severus chuckled nervously. "Dad's Portkey leaves in a few minutes, so now is not the time for games. Now William, go get your stuff so we can go!"

"Okay, Dad," both boys answered, rising.

"Still not funny, boys," Severus said. "You have to the count of three to willingly tell me who is who, or else you are grounded."

"And for the real Harry Evans, you're not home free... whatever punishment your dad gives William goes double for you!" Lily added.

"But Mum! You said we would go on our annual zoo trip!" William cried.

"The zoo?" Severus asked.

"Yes, the zoo. Mom, Aunt Alice, and Aunt Petunia take us boys to the zoo every year right before the school year starts," Harry explained.

"So the two of you made me miss the Portkey back to Ohio, because you disagreed with us over custody arrangements and a trip to the ZOO?!?" Severus fumed.

"Dad, Mum, we will tell you who is who... after the two of you take us on our annual zoo trip," the twins said.

"Or... we ground you both, and we use a spell to determine who is who," Lily threatened.

"Magic can't do that!" Harry said nervously. "Right, Dad?"

"Are you willing to take that risk?" Severus said casually. "Because while there may not be a spell I know of that does that, there are several potions that could determine who you are and your lineage. And the real William can confirm I routinely carry Veritaserum on me." The boys looked at each other, horror-struck.

"Lily?" Severus asked. "The Portkey is gone anyway, so why don't we go ahead and take the boys to the zoo? William and I are free for  awhile until we can get another Portkey." He gave Lily a Look which said, ‘Just trust me'.

Lily nodded and said, "Alright. Boys, go get your socks and shoes on. Once you do that, go get Dudley and Neville ready so we can get going."

"Cool!" both boys cried, high-fiving the other. They rose and hurried off to do what their mother told them to do.

~-~-~-~

As soon as Severus and Lily heard the boys leave the house, Lily turned to Severus and said, "What's the big idea? You go from threatening eternal punishment to offering to take them to the zoo?"

"They think the two of us will be taking them to the zoo, so it is obviously a plot on how to get us back together. However, you are engaged to James, and they don't like him, so why don't you invite him to go in my place?"

"I like how your mind works," Lily grinned. "I get a date, and the boys get punished by having to deal with James Potter."

"Exactly," Severus smirked.

~-~-~-~

"Mum!" Harry called out at the same time William was calling out, "Dad!"

"We're back!" they chorused, joined by Neville and Dudley. Harry ran off to the restroom while the rest of the group started to settle into the living room.

"Why, hello, boys," a voice said from behind them. All three of them turned to find Lord James Potter climbing out of the Floo, dusting soot off of his suit.

"What are you doing here?" William snarled.

"Your mother invited me, Harry," James replied.

As of yet, he had not been informed that Lily had, in fact, two children, so he didn't realize he was talking to William instead of Harry. So as Harry stepped into the room saying, "Why in Merlin's name would she invite you, you git?", he just stood there looking back and forth between the two twins.

"There's TWO of you?" he croaked finally.

"Don't feel bad, Mr. Potter," Harry said soothingly. He walked over to William and put his arm around his brother's shoulder. "Mum and Dad didn't tell us about each other either. By the way, I'm the real Harry Evans, and this is my brother, William Snape."

"Okay," James said distractedly. "Boys, where is your mother?"

"She's in the kitchen, I think," Harry said.

"Or, at least she was when we went over to Aunt Alice's place," William added.

"Okay. Thank you, boys," James said before wandering off toward the kitchen in a daze.

"What was that all about?" Neville asked Dudley, who shrugged his shoulders.

The four boys sat down on the couch to watch television until the group of adults were ready to go.

"I can't believe that Dad decided not to come and had the audacity to send James Potter in his place," Harry griped as the group piled off the tram at the entrance to the zoo.

"I know," William said sycophantically. "Why are our parents trying to make our lives miserable? I know that Dad still loves Mum, and you said Mum still loves Dad. Yet, whenever we try to set it up for them to get back together, they pull something like this?"

"Guys, don't you think that maybe, just maybe, your parents have given it their best and just aren't meant to be together?" Neville asked.

"And if Aunt Lily is still in love with Uncle Severus, then why did she say yes when Lord Potter proposed?" Dudley mentioned.

"Boys, do you have your school IDs?" Lily interrupted.

Harry, Dudley and Neville reached into their back pockets to get their old school IDs out of their wallets. William, however, mentioned, "Dad homeschooled me up until now, so I don't have a school ID."

"That's okay," James said. "It's only an extra £2. It's not like I don't have the money."

"Of course he does," William muttered before audibly saying, "Thank you, Lord Potter."

The four boys followed James and Lily into the zoo. Harry and Dudley wanted to see the snake section while William and Neville wanted to see the new ape exhibit. After about ten minutes of arguing, it was decided that Lily would take William and Neville to see the apes ("Why do you want to see them? All you have to do to see apes is to look in the mirror!") and James would take Harry and Dudley to see the snakes ("Mr. Potter will fit right in!"). The plan was to meet up at the cafeteria in a couple of hours.

As the groups split up, Harry turned to Dudley and started whispering frantically into his cousin's ear, "I cannot stand this guy. We need some way to scare him off, and hopefully away from my mum permanently!"

Dudley nodded and said, "I have an idea on how to run him off for good, but it will have to wait until lunch. You are the magical cousin, so wing it until then."

"Alright, alright. I suppose you can't fill me in beforehand as to what you have planned?" Harry asked.

"Nope. You will just have to wait and see," Dudley said petulantly.

"Boys, whatever you're plotting, can it wait until after the snake exhibit? I am terrified of them and want to get through here ASAP," James called out.

"Yes sir, Lord Potter," Harry and Dudley chorused with smirks on their faces.

~-~-~-~

"Hey, Aunt Lily!" Neville called out.

"Yes, Neville?" Lily replied.

"Look at this one!" Neville pointed at an ape who was laying reclined on a rock with its feet propped up, relaxing. "It looks just like Uncle Vernon, doesn't it?"

"You shouldn't talk about Uncle Vernon like that, Neville," Lily said as she walked over. "Hmm... it does look like him, though."

Neville and William laughed at that before running off to look at the next primate.

‘You know, I think that maybe I did make a mistake by not going after Severus ten years ago,' Lily thought. ‘I miss having William around, and it would have done him and Harry good to have each other around growing up. Plus William and Neville look so good together. I haven't seen Neville look so... happy around anyone before.'

With the seeds of double about her relationship with James starting to grow in her mind, Lily hurried to catch up with her son and nephew.

~-~-~-~

Harry and Dudley ran from cage to cage in the snake exhibit, checking up on their longtime favourite "pets" and taking in the sight of new ones. While looking at his personal favourite, the Brazilian boa constrictor he had nicknamed Amigo, Harry had a brainstorm. Thinking quickly, he said in Parseltongue, «Hey, Amigo!»

«Yes, my friend?» Amigo hissed.

«You see the man in the blue suit over there?» Harry replied, pointing at James.

«Yes.»

«Well, could you pretend to be asleep while my cousin and I lure him over here? You will get a chance to scare him big time, and this gives me a chance to break you outta here!»

«Sure, Harry. Do you go to Hogwarts this year, or should I make my way towards Surrey?» Amigo asked.

«I go to Hogwarts this year,» Harry said. «Now pretend to sleep!»

Amigo "fell asleep" immediately and Harry called out, "Dud? Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah, Harry?" they both said, walking over to him.

"This snake is so boring... Mr. Potter, get him to do something!" Harry requested.

Dudley leaned over and whispered into Harry's ear, "This is your big plan?"

"Just wait..." Harry replied distractedly.

James had leaned over the rail and was tapping on the glass. Just as he started to lean forward a little further, Harry vanished the glass that James had been tapping on, causing James to lose his balance and fall into the cage. Amigo the snake stopped pretending to sleep and slithered up to James and hissed, «See you later, sucker!» before sliding over James' head and down his back. James let out a loud, girly scream and visibly wet himself from fright.

As the snake passed Harry, it paused and hissed, «Thanks, friend. See you in two weeks!»

«Bye, Amigo!» Harry replied, laughing at the whole situation.

Dudley, who was doing his best not to laugh, started to melodramatically imitate his mum's "hysteria act", crying out, "But the glass... where did the glass go?"

The zookeeper came rushing into the exhibit and helped James out of the boa's cage, apologizing, "I am so sorry, sir. I have no idea of what could have made that glass pull a Houdini on us! Allow me to get you a cup of tea in my office."

"That would be nice," James said shakily. "Come along, boys."

"But Mr. Potter!" Dudley whined. "We've only been here for a little bit, and all we got to see was a sleeping snake!"

"Dudley..." James said warningly.

"Boys," the zookeeper said, squatting in front of them, "how's this? We go to my office to get your chaperone a cup of tea, and I'll get one of my workers to take you two on a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo! You'll get to ride in a golf cart and see the animals up close and everything!"

"Cool!" the boys chorused. Then Harry piped up, "My brother and our cousin are with my mum at the ape exhibit... can we go get them so they can go on the tour with us?"

"Sure," the zookeeper said genially. "We pass right by the ape exhibit on the way to my office."

Harry and Dudley followed behind the zookeeper and James. As they passed the ape exhibit, Lily, William and Neville were just coming and they joined the procession to the offices. While James told Lily and Zookeeper his side of the story, Harry and Dudley filled William and Neville in on what really happened, along with their plans, finishing with Dudley saying, "Although I could probably pull off what I have planned for lunch now if you guys could distract the adults, guys."

The other three readily agreed and followed the adults into the building. Walking through a maze of hallways, they all finally arrived at the Zookeeper's office. They were seated at a conference table when the zookeeper said, "I will get tea for the adults. What do you boys want to drink?"

"Coca-Cola, please," Harry and William chorused, smiling at each other.

"Redpop, please," Neville requested.

"I'll have pumpkin juice," Dudley said. At his aunt's glare, he said, "Okay, how about orange juice?"

"Coming right up, folks," Zookeeper said, stepping out of the room.

As he left, Lily spoke up, "I don't know what you boys did, but we will be discussing this when we get home!"

As she finished speaking, the zookeeper came back into the room, followed by an aide carrying a drink tray. The aide sat the drinks in front of their owners and excused herself from the office.

All of the room's occupants of the room took a sip of their drinks simultaneously. However, as Neville set his glass down, it tipped over, spilling Redpop on the table and all over James' white dress shirt.

"Neville! Must you always be so clumsy?" Lily scolded, dabbing at James' shirt with a napkin.

"I'm so sorry, Aunt Lily!" Neville cried.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Lily snapped, accepting a new wad of napkins from the frantic zookeeper.

"I'm sorry, Lord Potter," Neville offered.

James just glared at Neville before turning back to Lily and saying, "I will need a new shirt. At least the suit coat is dark, so the stain shouldn't show too bad if the drycleaner can't get it out."

"Good point," Lily said consolingly. "Now that we have this cleaned up, drink your tea. It will help you calm down."

Or so Lily thought. While Neville was apologizing and Lily was cleaning up, aided by the zookeeper, Dudley had spiked James' tea with a potion that forced the imbiber to spill their guts on their current thoughts. No sooner had James taken a big gulp of his tea before he was blurting out, "The day we get married, Lily, is the day I ship those two brats of yours off to a year-round boarding school in Switzerland!"

Lily looked up, surprised, and  asked, "What, James?"

"You heard me, Lily," James snapped.

"I will not allow you to send my children out of the country just because of an accident at the zoo!" Lily said, incensed.

"I've hated them since day one. Today was just the final straw. So what'll it be, Lily? Me... or them?"

Lily looked at James for a minute before looking over at her sons and nephews. Looking back at James, she firmly said, "Them."

Shocked, James asked, "Excuse me?"

"T-H-E-M, them," Lily said. "Do you want me to spell it out in serpents for you?"

"Aargh!" James roared before storming out of the room. Lily apologized to the bewildered zookeeper and whisked the four 11-year-olds out of the room.

"Harry and Neville set a snake on Lord Potter?" Severus asked incredulously.

"Didn't I just say that?" Lily snapped. "And to top it all off, James wanted to ship Harry and William off to a year-round boarding school in Switzerland or some other God-awful place. He gave me the ‘option' of either him or my children."

Severus sat back in his seat and thought for a couple of minutes while Lily fumed. Finally, he asked, "Well?"

"Well what?" came the reply.

"Well, did you choose the twins, or do I get the custody of them both while you run off with Lord Pratt-Arse... excuse me, Potter?"

"I chose my children, of course!" Lily exclaimed. She was surprised that Severus would even think she would consider losing both of her boys.

"Good. I'm glad you left that jerk," Severus said honestly.

The two of them both relaxed into the armchairs in front of Lily's living room fireplace. After about 25 minutes of thoughtful silence, Severus looked over at Lily and asked, "Remember the day I left for Ohio?"

"Vividly," Lily said dryly.

"Why didn't you come with me, Lily? I loved you with all my heart - I still do! - but you refused to come with me."

"I didn't want to leave my parents," Lily said. "Nor did I want to miss out on seeing my nephews grow up."

"No, I suppose not. Instead, you missed out on one of your sons growing up. However, now that all the boys are Hogwarts-bound - or Smeltings-bound, in Dudley's case - would you consider coming back with me to the States?" Severus pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but I don't think I could," Lily said apologetically, looking torn.

She rose and left the room, leaving a sulking Snape in her living room.

~-~-~-~

Walking past an overflowing dumpster, Severus entered the broken-down phone booth which served as the Visitor's Entrance to the British Ministry of Magic. Dialing 62442, he descended into the Atrium and strode over to Security. After presenting his want to the Security Wizard, he proceeded to take the lift to Level 6:  The Department of Magical Transportation and entered the Portkey Office.

"Good afternoon, sir," a young female assistant said from behind him. "May I help you?"

Severus turned and said, "Yes, I am looking for Alice Longbottom."

"She's right over here, Lord Snape," the assistant said, pointing to a cubicle across the room. At Severus' confused look, she said, "Surely you remember me?" As Severus shook his head, she got a constipated look on her face before her hair started cycling through a plethora of colours.

"Nymphadora Tonks!" Severus said triumphantly, remembering who she was. "You're Andromeda' and Ted's daughter, right?"

"Yes," Tonks scowled. "Just remember this... if you ever call me Nymphadora again, you will find yourself on the business end of my wand. Capisce? "

"Okay. Now where did you say that I could find Alice?" Severus asked.

"She's over in the cubicle with ‘Wonderland' on the nameplate," she said, pointing to the left.

"Thanks, Nymphadora!" Sev said before running off to Alice's cubicle. Tonks just shook her head and went back to her work.

~-~-~-~

Walking into Alice's cubicle, Severus smirked when he saw Alice listening to an enchanted set of headphones. Walking up behind her, he tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to jump up wildly and draw her wand.

Turning, she caught sight of a smirking Severus Snape and said, "Merlin, Severus! Don't do that!"

"I just tapped you on the shoulder," Severus said, smiling. "Do you have my Portkey ready yet?"

"Er... about that..." Alice stuttered nervously. "I wasn't able to get you one."

"What?!?" Severus snarled. "How the Hades am I supposed to get home with William without a Portkey?"

"There's about a three-week wait for a Portkey, so if you want to wait, I can put your name on the list," Alice replied, glancing at a parchment on her desk. "Or you could use Muggle transportation. If you do that, I would recommend Pan-Continental Airlines."

"I can't wait three weeks for a bloody Portkey," Sev muttered. "Much as I hate to admit it, you might be onto something about Muggle transportation."

Alice smiled and gave Severus directions to the Muggle Liaison Department of the Ministry of Magic so that Sev and William could leave the country the Muggle way.

~-~-~-~

Using the papers and money provided for him by the Ministry of Magic, Severus went to Heathrow Airport and purchased two first-class tickets to Ohio before heading back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with Lily, Alice and the boys.

"Boys, time to get up!" Lily called up the stairs. She was getting tired of having to wake up Harry and his guests like this. ‘From now on, Alice or Petunia can host any and all sleepovers. I have done my fair share for the last seven years!' she decided.

She was pulled out of her musings as she was suddenly faced with two sullen, and for once, well-dressed, sons. "Boys, why the long faces?" she asked.

"I don't wanna go back to Ohio," William pouted.

"Yeah. Why do we have to be separated, anyway?" Harry asked. "I thought you and Dad were going to fix the custody arrangement."

"We have petitioned the court for an amendment, but these things take time," Lily said. "Especially since the divorce was filed with both Muggle and Wizard courts. There's also the fact that William and Severus are now under USMA jurisdiction."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Lily left the kitchen to answer it. William turned to Harry and said, "I'll miss you, brother. Even though it is only a week until we start Hogwarts, I wanted to spend the rest of the summer here with you. I will miss all the guys here, especially Neville." At that, William blushed a deep shade of red.

"Ooh... do you have a crush on Neville, William?" Harry teased.

"Yes," William whispered, afraid that Harry would reject him now for sure.

"Cool. Neville's a great guy. You two would be good together," Harry said seriously.

"You mean it doesn't bother you that I am gay?" William asked, shocked.

"Nope. Why would it? I am gay, too. Mum says that it doesn't matter much in the Wizarding world whether you date a guy or a girl as Magic allows reproduction between any type of couple. The entire Wizarding world is actively bisexual, at the very least."

Just as Harry was explaining this, Severus and Lily walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, boys," Severus said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Dad," the boys chorused, dropping their previous conversation immediately.

"William, Aunt Alice wasn't able to get us a Portkey home," Severus said.

"Does that mean we can stay here until school starts?" William said hopefully.

"Nice try, brat," Severus replied. "I got us USMA passports and two first-class plane tickets to Ohio. Mine is one-way, and yours is round trip, with your return date being the 30th of August."

"Why do I have to go home for just a handful of days?" William whined.

"Because I'm the dad, and I said so," Severus said. "Besides, you need to get your own clothes and possessions to take to school instead of depending on Harry for stuff. Now go and say your goodbyes. The taxicab will be here in half an hour."

William and Harry rose and left the kitchen, heading towards Neville's house.

~-~-~-~

After knocking on the Longbottoms' door, William turned to his brother and said, "At least it is only a week, y'know?"

"Yeah," Harry said, depressed. "Sucks, though. We shouldn't be separated like this."

As Harry finished speaking, Neville opened the door. With one glance at the twins' faces, he knew why they were here. He held his arms open and William rushed up to give him a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you so much," William said, crying on Neville's shoulder.

"I know. I'm gonna miss you, too. I lov-... really like you," Neville stammered.

"I love you, too, Nev," William said. "And I'll see you again next week on the Hogwarts Express."

At that, both boys brightened a bit, and Neville said, "That's right! I forgot you were going to Hogwarts, too!"

"I've got to tell your parents, Dudley, and his parents goodbye real quick. I've only got..." William paused and looked at his watch before continuing, "22 minutes before the taxi gets here."

"Taxi?" Neville asked, ushering William and Harry into the kitchen, where Alice and Frank were drinking coffee while reading the Daily Prophet.

"Yeah. Aunt Alice couldn't get us a Portkey, so Dad went and bought Muggle airline tickets," Harry explained.

"I wish I knew who the lamebrain was that suggested he do that," William added.

"As a matter of fact, young man, it was my idea," Alice said.

"Thanks a heap," William grumbled before running over and hugging her tightly. "I'm gonna miss you, Aunt Alice!"

"I'll miss you, too, squirt," Alice replied, hugging William back tightly.

"Hey, Alice - don't Bogart the nephew!" Frank said jealously after a few minutes.

"Sorry, dear," Alice said sheepishly, releasing William.

William turned and went to hug Frank. "I'll miss you, too, Uncle Frank!"

"I'll miss you, too, kiddo," Frank replied, ruffling William's hair.

"William," Harry said, touching his brother's arm, "twelve minutes until the taxi gets here."

"We'll write, William, and you'll see Neville at Hogwarts," Alice said. "Now go say goodbye to the Dursleys."

With a final hug to each of the elder Longbottoms, William, Harry, and Neville ran over to Petunia and Vernon's house, where Petunia was waiting for them on the porch with Dudley.

"Hello, dears. Vernon has left already for work, but said to tell William ‘goodbye'," Petunia said.

William reached out and hugged his aunt. "I'm gonna miss you guys."

"And we'll miss you, William. Don't forget, though, we'll see you at Christmas."

"Oh, yeah!" William exclaimed. He had forgotten that.

"Ain't you gonna say goodbye to your favourite cousin?" Dudley teased.

William went over and bear-hugged Dudley and said, "Make sure you write to both of us at school. You got the Muggle post-drop address, right?"

"Yeah, Will, and I gave you guys my Smeltings address, right?"

"Yep!" William replied.

The four boys wrapped themselves into a group bear-hug and Neville, Harry and Dudley cried, "We'll miss you, Harry!"A honk sounded from next door, and the boys looked up to see that the taxi had arrived.

With a final hug to Aunt Petunia, William and Harry went over and got into the taxi next to Lily, while Severus supervised the driver loading his and William's luggage into the boot. Finally, the driver got back in the taxi and Severus stepped up to the front passenger side door. "Heathrow Airport, please," he said, getting in.

The cab pulled away from the curb and they departed from Surrey.

~-~-~-~

9am EDT
Somewhere over Ohio

"Attention, passengers:  this is your Captain. We are now approaching James Cox/Dayton International Airport. The local time is 9:01 am, 25th August, and the temperature is 78*F. Thank you for choosing Pan-Continental Airlines," came the pilot's voice over the intercom.

William thought back to being at Heathrow Airport...

- Flashback -

After going through security, the twins followed Sev and Lily to a café near Sev' and William's terminal.

"I know that we should have this down pat, but the boys come to my place for Christmas, right?" Lily asked.

"Yes, and they come to my place for Easter," Sev replied.

The twins, oblivious to their parent's conversation, were making pranking plans for Hogwarts. They were going to give the Weasley twins a run for their money, both Galleons and Pounds Sterling.

"Dad said that the caretaker, Argus Filch, is a Squib," Harry said.

"Yeah, he is," William replied, grinning evilly. "And I know how to brew a potion to put in his mop water that will make everywhere he mops turn red, white and blue! The more he mops, the longer the colours last!"

"Sweet!" Harry said, high-fiving his brother.

«Now boarding Flight 91 to Dayton, Ohio,» came the voice over the intercom.

"That's us," Severus said. The boys rose and embraced one last time. Then, Harry hugged Severus and William, Lily. Finally, Sev and William walked over to the attendant at the gate and handed her their boarding passes.

"Good-bye, boys. William - see you next week, right here!" Lily reminded him. She and Harry waved as Sev and William walked down the runway.

- End Flashback -

*Ding ding*. "Attention, passengers... Please buckle your seatbelts as we begin our descent," the stewardess said.

William pulled himself out of his thoughts and buckled his seatbelt. "Dad?" he asked. "Is it okay if I miss Mom, Harry, and Neville already?"

"You don't miss Dudley?"

"I didn't really get to know him that well," William replied.

"Ah. Well, I miss your mother and brother as well... although, I didn't realize you were really close to Neville," Severus frowned.

"Yes," William replied dreamily. "He is just so... so wonderful!"

"I'll take your word for it," Severus said dryly as the plane touched down.

As they disembarked the plane, William said, "That is another reason I didn't want to leave Surrey."

"You'll see your brother and your boyfriend next week!" Sev replied.

"Dad!" William replied. "Neville's not my boyfriend!" (‘Yet...' he mentally added.)

"Whatever you say, son," Severus smirked. "Let's go get our luggage and go home. Blinky should have our third breakfast of the day ready."

William smiled at that. Never before had he been able to have three breakfasts in a row and at the appropriate times. His mother served him one, and there was one served on the plane, and now his dad's new house-elf was making them one.

The two smiling Snapes strode through DIA and claimed their baggage. As they exited the building, Severus hailed a taxi and gave the driver directions to their house.

On the hour-long cab ride, Severus and William discussed the upcoming school year, Severus' plans for improving some potions, and the date of the custody hearing. Finally, they arrived at their Orrville home.

When the two of them stepped through the wards surrounding the property, William spotted someone sitting on their front porch.

"Harry!" he cried out, running up to his brother.

"Hi, William. Hi, Dad. Did you know that the Concorde gets you here in half the time?" Harry said.

"Yes, I have heard that," Severus said faintly. "Wh- what are you doing here?"

"Well, about five minutes after you guys left, we realized that we couldn't live without you two any longer," Harry explained. "So we rushed over and bought plane tickets and came here."

"We?" Severus and William inquired simultaneously.

"We," Lily Evans said, stepping out onto the patio next to her son.

"Dearly beloved friends," the priest intoned, beginning the wedding. "We are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of His congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in Paradise in the time of man's innocence, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and His Church:  which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with His presence and first miracle wrought in Cana of Galilee, and is commended of St. Paul to be honourable among all men, and therefore is not to be enterprised, or taken in hand unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy man's carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding:  but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God, duly considering the cause for which Matrimony was ordained.

"One was, the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and praise of God. Secondly, it was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication, that such persons as have not the gift of continence might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body. Thirdly, for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity:  into which holy estate, these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore, if any man can show any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or hereafter for ever hold his peace."

"I object," came a voice from the back of the church.

Fr. Worland, the priest, looked up as everyone turned to see who spoke. Lord James Potter stepped into the sanctuary and said, "I have found evidence that the two before you, Father, can not be legally married now before you. They are already bound in Holy Matrimony."

"Do you have evidence of this, my child?" the elderly priest asked.

Walking up the main aisle way, Lord Potter pulled out a sheaf of papers and handed them to Fr. Worland. "Here is a notarised copy of the marriage licence, as well as a copy of the birth certificates of their twin sons. Notice, there is a trial separation date noted, but no where is it documented that they ever divorced."

Looking at Lily and Severus, he continued, "Although I dislike the union betwixt these two, they are married, and therefore cannot be married again."

"Yes, I concur," Fr. Worland said. "In that case, may I be the first to congratulate the two of you on your recommitting yourselves to married life?"

"Thank you, Father," Sev and Lily said, both beet red in the face, turning and sitting down in the front pew as the priest turned to offer the Mass. (Well, everyone was already there!) Finally, forty-five minutes later, the priest intoned, "Ite missa est," to which the congregation responded, "Deo gratias" and everyone rose and exited the church.