“Draco was more severely affected than you were. He used some kind of Divination to draw us to the two of you. He saved your life.” Severus told his son.

“But where is he?” Harry asked again. “At Malfoy Manor, here at Hogwarts? Aunt Andromeda's clinic?” All of those places made sense to him.

“He is at Mt. Mungo's hospital.” Bellatrix told him. “They think he'll recover eventually.” She said quietly.

Harry's eyes were wide and scared. “What do you mean? He's not okay?”

Severus shook his head sadly. “Magical exhaustion. Nearly made him a squib.”

That it self was shocking beyond belief. Harry couldn't imagine being a squib. Magical was part of his life, he couldn't dream of living without it. And magicless people like Filch didn't seem to be very pleasant. “Will his magic come back?”

Severus and Bellatrix exchanged looks over his head. After a moment of silent communication they came upon an answer.

“It most likely will. But it will take a few weeks for his core to recharge.” Severus said. “Did you read the books on magical cores that I lent you?”

Harry nodded. “Yes. I found them very interesting. Especially where it talked about. . .”

Bellatrix watched first in amusement, then in boredom as the two carried on a discussion about magical cores, muggles, squibs and dreaming. They probably would have talked for the entire day if she hadn't interrupted. “We do have other things to do today.”

“You still don't plan on going now. Not after what happened. . .” Severus looked at his wife. Even after more than five years of living together she still manages to surprise him. Luckily, so far none of the surprises had been dangerous.

“He took the strengthening potion. And with things changing I think it would be better to go sooner rather than later.” Bellatrix said while giving Severus a significant look.

“What are you talking about?” Harry asked. He defiantly did not like being left out of conversations.

“Very well.” Snape stood up. “Get dressed Harry. Make sure your robes are easy to slip off. While we're in Diagon Alley we'll get you some new dress robes.” He left the room in a whirl of dark robes.

“There isn't much time to waste.” Bellatrix said before she also swept out of the room.

Harry sighed before getting out of bed. Even with the potion he was feeling slightly tired. “What about Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius, what did the aurors do to them?” He asked worriedly.

The entire family had bad experiences with aurors and their techniques boarded on the Dark Arts at times. Especially when they interrogated possible Death Eaters, something that both Severus and Bellatrix were overly familiar with. At Severus had never really gotten along with the Ministry. They found it hard to simply accept Dumbledore's explanation of his spying, they just wanted to throw him in Azkaban.

“They're fine Harry. The aurors held them in a Ministry holding cell for three days, but they didn't have any evidence so after that they returned to their home.” Severus told him. “They want to get together and actually have a celebratory meal soon.”

“I thought we all knew that it was almost time to go.” Bellatrix strode back into the room and seized her husband's arm. “We've got plenty to do today. And we are going to stop at an Apothecary. So get ready!” She hauled Severus out of the room and made Harry's bedclothes disappear with a wave of her wand so that he got out of bed although he was still yawning.

Harry wore green robes with silver edging. They weren't quite dress robes, but they defiantly were nicer than anything most people would wear just to go shopping. Normally he only wore them to official school functions, like Quidditch games. Harry always supported Slytherin since both of his parents were from that house and his Da was the Head of Slytherin.

“Time to go!” Bellatrix shoved her wand into her arm holster and gathered a pinch of floo powder. “Come on!”

“A moment.” Severus walked out of their bedroom, he was still buttoning up his robes. “What's the rush Bella?”

“Bellatrix, not Bella”! Mother snapped. “And I want to get everything done before hour.” She threw her powder into the fire and stepped in. “The Leaky Cauldron!”

Severus sighed. “Can you manage alone?” He asked his son. “I've got some more strengthening potion too, if you need it.”

Harry nodded. “I'll be fine. And I just had a does of the potion. I can't have any more for three hours.”

“Fine then. Floo out. I'll ward the rooms behind me.” Severus took the floo pot down and made sure that he had enough before pushing him closer to the fire.

“The Leaky Cauldron!” Harry cried after turning the flames green and stepping in. He whirled through the fire place and watched as all the other opening passed by him. This was the first time he'd actually been able to see anything. Normally he had to take his glasses off and then he wasn't able to see anything.

He rounded another bend and saw his mother's form in front of the exit and stepped neatly out onto the mat. It had taken him ages to learn how to exit the floo without tripping and falling on his face. But it was defiantly worth all of the hours that it had taken.

“Harry, move out of the way.” Bellatrix pushed her son to the side. “You never stand in front of the floo when you know that someone else is coming through.”

True to her word, a few seconds later Severus stepped out on to the exact spot that Harry had just been standing on. He cast a cleaning charm over himself and put his wand away. “I thought you were in a rush Bella. Standing around chatting doesn't get our work done.”

Bellatrix scowled and pulled them out of the pub with her. She tapped the brick, the entry opened and the three stepped into Diagon Alley.

“Severus, take the boy to get his robes. I'm going to Gringotts.” Bellatrix ordered before striding down the road as if she owned the world towards the large white building at the end.

“Come on.” Severus pushed Harry in front of him. “We'll go to Danica's. She makes the best robes.” He took his son to a side street that held large, expensive and good quality shops. Usually only the Upper classes of Purebloods shopped here. Like LeStrange's and Black's.

“Can I help you?” A younger woman, the apprentice asked as soon as they'd stepped into the shop. “We've got an. . .”

Severus interrupted her smoothly. “I need Hogwarts uniforms and new dress robes for my son.” He walked toward the centre of the shop. “I also need another winter cloak.”

“Of course.” The apprentice pointed him toward the cloaks and positioned Harry on a stool to fit the robes to him. Her mentor, the shop owner also came out to help her.

The selection in the store was quite amazing. It was organized by styles, sizes, and colours. It took Severus less than five minutes to find a very nice, heavy, black cloak to wear that winter. He headed to the children's section and started looking through the dress robes.

Harry was very bored. He was standing there was the uniforms were adjusted and taken in and let out. The shop's Hogwarts uniforms were made in one size and magicked to fit everyone. The black material of the robes reminded him of the robes that his Da favoured all the times. His mother wore them too, ut she liked it when there was purple mixed in.

“We're finished Mr . . .” The apprentice looked to find his father.

“Professor Snape.” His Da said, in answer to her question. “And I'd like these two pairs of dress robes for my son. And this cloak.”

“Very well. If you'd step over here please?” The apprentice took the clothes from him and charmed the first dress robe onto Harry.

The older man who owned the store fit Severus into his cloak. “A fine choice. These cloaks are weather resistant and have heating charms built in. And unlike most fabrics they tolerate drying charms better than ever.”

Severus nodded. “I'd also like to have my son's Hogwarts cloak made from this material and in this style.”

“Of course, of course.” He turned to his apprentice. “Erica, have a cloak made for the boy like this one.”

The girl, Erica, nodded politely and summoned an adult sized cloak with a wave of her wand. She fit it neatly to Harry and piled of the the finished clothing neatly on the table at the back of the shop. “Is that all Sir?”

“Yes.” Severus stepped off the stool and accepted the pile of clothing. “How much?”

“Fifteen galleons, eleven sickles.” The man said.

Severus fished the coins out of his money bag and handed them over. “Here.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.” The man nodded politely and the door swung open behind him.

Severus lead his son out of the door and shrunk the bag until it fit neatly in his pocket. “Now we'll meet your mother at the Apothecary.” He headed toward his favourite store in the entire place. Another Potion Master ran the store and they always had something to talk about.

Harry pushed open the door to the Apothecary and wrinkled his nose at the smell. His Da used charms to keep everything smelling nice since his supply room was in their quarters, near where they slept. The Apothecary had more people in it than the robe shop and Harry even thought he spotted a family in muggle clothing.

“Jeremy!” Severus approached the man standing at the back. “I need a potion kit box.”

The black man raised an eyebrow. “Just the box Severus? Not the entire thing?” He look around and spotted Harry. “Is this the son that you've told me so much about?”

“Yes. And you know I don't trust potions kits. The ingredients are always faulty and there never is enough of them.” Severus snapped at him. “Did you get that shipment of boomslang skin in?”

Jeremy scowled but produced the box. “It's in the back. You want a look. There are some decent pieces.” He offered.

'Fine.” Severus handed Harry a piece of paper. “You need to come up with everything on this list. Make sure it's good quality!” He told him before storming into the back of the shop.

Harry looked down the list. Everything on it was simple enough and he knew how to identify the better and fresher ingredients. He filled the jars, vials, and bags with the things he needed, ignoring the other people in the shop as he went about his business.

“Hi.” A girl in jeans and a blouse stopped him. “My name's Megan Jones. Do you think you could give me a hand?”

Harry looked at her. Mudblood.  He thought automatically. Her lost expression and muggle clothes screamed her blood status to the world. “What do you want?”

“I was wondering where . . .” Her voice trailed off as her looked behind him.

Harry spun around. His mother was standing behind him now, a large money bag attached to her waist and she was scowling at the girl. “Jones? I don't believe I know that name. Come Harry, you must play in the mud.” She took his arm and lead him to the back of the shop.

Severus and Jeremy had just emerged.

“Did you get everything?” Severus took the potion kit and began looking through the contents.

“Do you know what he was doing?” Bellatrix hissed. “He was about to talk to a mudblood! She asked him for help!”

Severus looked slowly up at her. He had the nastiest expression on his face. Harry shivered. I never want him to look at me like that. He thought.

“There will be muggle-borns at Hogwarts Bellatrix. Get used to it.” He closed the potion kit with snap and turned to Jeremy. “I'll take this kit and send those pieces of boomslang skin to me.”

“Will do Professor. That be ten galleons and six knuts.” Jeremy accepted the money and tucked it into a metal box underneath the table.

Severus hurried out of the shop. “What next?” He asked Bellatrix.

“I think it's time to get a wand.” She said.