After lunch, it was time to go. Harry and Henry bade Ron and Ginny farewell, received crushing hugs from Mrs. Weasley, and then followed their uncle out the door.

They Apparated once more, and then found themselves standing on a sandy beach. Behind them, the White Cliffs of Dover loomed in the distance and the choppy looking waves of crashed upon the surf while sea gulls rode the air above them.

"Come along, you two," Severus instructed the boys, "my home is just ahead."

They followed behind him, nearly having to run to keep up with his long legged stride, and soon found them at a rather small looking cottage. It was a traditional sort of wood and thatch cottage, and from the looks of it couldn't possibly be more than one room at the most.

"Uh, Uncle Severus," Harry said, hesitantly, "are you sure there's going to be room for all of us in there."

Severus smirked and looked at him. "Quite sure, Harry," he said. "Remember, appearances can be deceiving. Come on." With that, he strolled up to the door of the cottage and walked inside. His nephews looked at each other a moment and then followed. Upon entering, their moths dropped in astonishment.

They were standing in a entryway that from the outside of the cottage would have filled the whole of it, only it didn't. They stepped down and found themselves in a living room with a roaring stone fireplace, soft looking sofas and chairs, and in the middle a staircase leading to an impossible second floor. On either side of these were two doors.

"Due close your mouths, boys," Severus told them, smugly, "it's only a house. Upstairs is the bedrooms. Through the door on the right you will go down into my personal potions lab-you are under NO circumstances to ever go down there without me. If I find you have, you will not sit for a week afterwards. The other door goes to the kitchen and the backdoor. Come, I'll show you your bedroom." With that, he started up the stairs.

The boys, still amazed at what they were seeing, quickly followed him up. They found themselves in a hallway with five doors. Three stood on the wall directly in front of the staircase and then there were two on each end.

Severus pointed to the door at the left end of the hallway. "That is my study and the library," he said. "You may use it for when you're doing your assignment. However, there are certain books that are off limits. Should you try to touch them, I will know, and again you will not enjoy sitting for some time should you do. The other end door leads to my bedroom, and since I value my privacy as much as the two of you do I will expect you to knock before entering and never go in there when I'm not. Understand?"

Harry and Henry nodded. "Yes, Sir," they said, simultaneously.

Severus nodded, satisfied. "The door in the middle," he said, pointing, "is the bathroom. There is another one down stairs, but it has only a toilet and a sink in it, so we will just have to share this one. Your room is the door on the left."

"What's the other door?" Harry asked, pointing to the door on the right.

"That is the guest bedroom," Severus told them, "but there is only ever one guest who comes to stay with me so you may as well say it is his bedroom."

"Who?" Henry asked, curious.

"My godson," Severus told them, going to the door of their bedroom and opening it.

"Who's that?" Harry asked, as he and his twin followed him into their new room.

It was rather large room and with a flick of his wand Severus doubled all the furniture for them. There were two beds, two wardrobes, two small desks in each other corners, but only one nightstand in-between the two beds that they would have to share. A small rounded window above it gave the room some light, but there were also lamps on the desks so that they could read at night if they wanted.

"What colors would you like?" Severus asked, avoiding the question asked of him. He wanted to get them settled before he had to deal with childish theatrics.

Harry and Henry looked at each other. "Uh, how about blue," Henry suggested, "but not too light."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "like maybe navy or something."

Severus nodded, flicked his wrist, and two identical navy blue bedspreads appeared on their beds. They were only nearly identical because Harry's bed was checked with silver squares while Henry's bed was checked with gold squares.

"Wicked," the boys said, approvingly.

Severus flicked his wrist again. A bird's perch appeared on Henry's side of the room while a stand to hang a cage appeared on Harry's side. "Place the bird and snake on those," he instructed, "and then take out your things so that I may enlarge them." They did this and he did so.

"Put your stuff away," he instructed and watched them put everything where it was supposed to. "Good, now let's go see the rest of the place." He turned and headed back out the door.

Harry and Henry followed, wondering what else their uncle had in store for them. They followed him back downstairs and through the door he had said would lead to the kitchen-which it did. The kitchen looked just like any other kitchen they had seen, except maybe it was cleaner.

Severus opened a door that apparently led to the back of the cottage. "Come on," he said, "there is something I wish you to see." With that, he stepped out the door.

Again, they followed. They found themselves in a sandy backyard of sorts with what appeared to be a medium sized barn and paddock attached to it. Severus stepped up to the fence of the paddock, put his fingers to his lips, and gave a shrill whistle. Three amazingly beautiful horses, two stallions and a mare, came trotting out to greet him. Harry and Henry's mouths dropped open again.

"Do close your mouths, boys," Severus told them, "before flies fly decide to fly in them. Come meet Athena, Ares, and Apollo."

The boys stepped up to the fence and got a better look. One of the stallions was a palomino with blondish mane and tale. The other was a large black brute that obviously had a temperamental nature, as well as considered itself to be the "lead" stallion. The mare was smaller, of course, with a reddish-brown coat and a glossy mane and tail. She was also obviously with foal.

"They're beautiful," Harry told his uncle, amazed.

Severus grinned. "Yes, they are," he said, proudly. "Apollo is the palomino. He has a very easy going nature, though if you're not careful he'll try to nip at you for fun. Ares is my personal mount, and be warned he's very picky about letting someone ride him. I know what to do to get him to mind, but most don't so I'd advise you to ride one of the other two. Athena is the sweetheart of the three, and the gentlest creature on earth. Until she foals, of course, you won't be able t ride her but afterwards I'm sure she'll allow one of you to."

"We don't know how to ride," Henry told him, "but I'd sure like to learn. They're incredible, Uncle Severus, but how to you keep them fed while your at Hogwarts?"

"There is a village not too far from here," Severus explained, "and there is a little old man I hire to watch the place for me and feed my beauties here. He does a good job, and he's honest as the day is long so I have no fear of him taking advantage or doing them harm. He can't enter the cottage, of course, as I spell it locked each year after I return to school, but he keeps the weeds down and makes sure the roof gets fixed if some of the thatch comes off during a storm."

Harry turned back to the cottage. "This place is amazing," he said.

Severus nodded. "It's peaceful," he told them. "Well, come along boys. I need to go see what were lacking as far as food is concerned so that I can run into town to the grocery store." He headed back inside to the kitchen.

Harry and Henry followed. "You never did answer my question," Harry told him, frowning. It had just dawned on him, in fact.

"Which question was that?" Severus asked, though he was afraid he already knew the answer.

"Who's your godson that comes to stay with you?" Harry repeated his earlier question.

Severus sighed. He supposed it was now or never. "Draco Malfoy," he told them, counting down to the explosion he knew was about to occur. He timed it pretty accurately, as a matter of fact.

"WHAT!?"