"WHAT!?"

Severus winced as those two identical voices rose in absolute horror and he turned to find both his nephews staring at him with expressions of mixed horror and outrage.

"Malfoy is your godson!?" Harry exclaimed.

"That rotten, no good, son of a..." Henry started to sputter, but stopped himself when his uncle narrowed his eyes.

"That's enough, boys," Severus told them, sternly. "Yes, Draco is my godson and he does come to spend two weeks out of every summer here-which is why he has his own room."

"H-He's not coming this year, is he?" Harry asked, feeling a knot form in his stomach.

"He may," Severus told them, honestly, "it depends on what his father and mother have planned."

"Well," Henry said, snarling his nose in disgust, "that's just peachy, isn't it? The little ferret that tried to kill us will probably be sharing a bathroom with us in a few weeks!"

Harry snorted at his brother's sarcasm and description of their adversary but their uncle didn't find it at all amusing.

"Unless you'd like to take a sore bottom to bed with you, Henry Jacob," he told his blue-eyed nephew sternly, "you will watch your tone of voice."

Henry nodded, sighing. "Yes, sir," he said, grumbling, "but how can you let him anywhere near us after what he did!?"

"As I told you yesterday," Severus told them, "Draco-if indeed he is the one who cast the curse-did not intend to harm you...just humiliate you."

"He still would have killed us if not for Mum's protection," Harry told him, shrewdly.

Severus sighed. "We're still not even sure it was Draco, Harry," he told him, feeling a headache coming on.

The Boy-Who-Lived crossed his arms. "And if it was?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in a very Snape-like way. "What's going to happen to him? Is he going to get just away with it?"

"Of course not," Severus told him, "and believe me, after I am done with young Mr. Malfoy he will not only regret casting such a disgusting curse but will never again go snooping or even thinking of touching one of his father's dark spells ever again."

Harry and Henry exchanged glances with each other and gulped simultaneously. In that moment, judging by their uncle's ominous tone alone, they actually felt sorry for the blonde haired Slytherin-even though both agreed he'd deserve whatever he got.

"Now then," Severus said, "why don't you two help me see what we have by way of food in the pantry while I check the refrigerator and cabinets. We're more than likely going to need to make a run to the supermarket in the village."

So, for the next thirty minutes, that is what they did. Inventory.

"Well, boys," Severus said after they compared notes on everything, "it seems we currently have a couple of sacks of flour, a container of salt, some dried beef sticks, and a box of moldy crackers."

Harry and Henry wrinkled their noses.

Severus chuckled. "My sentiments exactly," he told them, smirking. "C'mon, let's head into town." He started for the backdoor again, and the boys followed him.

"How exactly are we going to get into town, Uncle Severus?" Henry asked, curious.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "are we going to walk?"

Severus snorted. "Of course not," he told them, "we'll be taking the truck."

"Truck?" the boys asked, looking around. "What truck?"

"This one," Severus said, walking over and removed a large grey tarp to reveal a 1932 Chevelot classic truck. It had not windows except for the windshield and was painted a pale blue in color.

"Wicked," both boys' exclaimed at the same time.

"Is it yours?" Henry asked, his blue eyes alight with awe.

"Does it even work?" Harry asked, his emerald eyes skeptical.

"Yes, it is mine," Severus answered, "and yes, Harry, it does work-quite well, actually."

"Where'd you get it?" Henry wanted to know next.

"How much did you give for it?" Harry asked. "Aren't these classic types worth a lot?"

"I bought it just after I purchased the cottage," Severus told them, running his hand over the hood, "and I actually didn't give all that much for it. The original owner was just ready to be rid of it and besides it didn't run at the time I bought it-it was quite the hunk of junk."

"Who fixed it up?" Henry asked.

"You?" Harry asked, smirking.

Severus grinned. "Surprised, are we?" he asked them, smirking. "Yes, as a matter of fact I did fix her up. My dad, Tobias, was quite the mechanic when he wasn't drunk out of his skull and the few times he actually did anything with me was to show me how to handle tools and turn a hunk of heap into a classic."

"Wicked! Cool!" Henry and Harry exclaimed again.

Severus just chuckled. "Hop in, boys," he told them, "and let's head out. I want to be back before dark."

The two boys crawled into the cab, Harry slid over in the middle while Henry got the passenger seat. Severus go in behind the wheel and buckled his seat belt. "Seat belts, boys," he told them.

Henry fastened his right away, as did Harry. "Did they even have seat belts in the '30s?" he asked, curious.

"No, actually," Severus answered. "I added these when I fixed her up." He turned the key in the ignition and the older machine purred to life.

"Here we go," Severus told them, putting the truck into gear and stepped onto the gas pedal.

He pulled onto the road and headed for town.

"Sir?" Harry asked, looking at his uncle curiously.

"Yes, Harry," Severus said, glancing down at his green-eyed nephew out of the corner of his eye.

Of the two of them, Harry rarely called him 'Uncle Severus' and he couldn't help but wonder why the boy had an aversion to that particular form of address. It was definitely something to look into.

"I was just wondering," he said, "what will happen when we get back to school?"

"What do you mean?" Severus asked, puzzled by the question. The new school year didn't start for a good two and half months. Why was the boy wondering about it now?

"Well," Harry said, "I guess what I'm asking is am I going to be placed in Slytherin?"

Severus hesitated about answering. "I'm not really sure, Harry," he told him, honestly, "would it be so bad if you did?"

Harry bit his lip. "All the Slytherin's in my year are mean and nasty," he told him, "and I don't want to lose my friends."

"Why do you think you'll lose your friends?" Severus asked, curious.

Harry glanced at his brother. "Well," he said, "Gryffindors don't like Slytherins and well...if I became a Slytherin...well..." He trailed off, unable to get out just what he was trying to say.

"That's the things about friends, Harry," Severus told him. "If they turn on you for something you can't help or control then they were never really your friends to begin with. It is those who will stick by you no matter what they are your true friends. Do you believe Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger to be such?"

Harry nodded. "Of course," he told him, "but what about Neville, Seamus, and the others?"

Severus shrugged, his eyes never leaving the road. "If they are as good friends as they claim to be," he said, "then they will not be bothered by it, but as I said we do not yet know what will happen come September. You may have nothing to worry about."

"But you believe I will be, don't you?" Harry asked, shrewdly. "That I'll be in Slytherin, I mean."

Severus smirked. "I believe it is a real possibility given the characteristics you've been displaying," he told him, "but as I said we still have two and half months before the school year starts. Do not let one little worry ruin you summer."

"Yeah, Harry," Henry said, nudging his brother. "Besides, we're probably going to drive the old bat so crazy this summer that he'll beg Dumbledore to keep you Slytherin." This, of course, had been whispered so only Harry could hear it.

However, the 'old bat' had sharper hearing than they realized. "This old bat, Henry Jacob," Severus said, smirking, "isn't as easily driven insane as you may think...and I'd remember that should you attempt anything too outrageous it will be your hides, not mine, on the line."

The boys' wrinkled their noses. "Yes, Sir," they answered together, identical put upon looks on their face.

Severus chuckled. This was going to be one interesting summer.