Draco crossed his legs as he continued to sit silently on his bed. It was morning; this was judged by the small amount of sunlight that crept through his bedroom window. However, Draco was the only person who was currently awake. He crossed and uncrossed his arms severals times before he glanced at Harry. Draco frowned and fidgeted but tried to be quiet. He exhaled in annoyance and slid off his bed to change into a pair of jeans and a black shirt. He approached Harry's bed and nudged his brother until the raven-haired boy emerged from the blankets and a free hand reached for his glasses.

'What?' Harry asked in a groan while he squinted to see the blonde.

'Shh!' Draco hissed and cast the partially open door a nervous glance. 'Get up.' He said.

'Why?' Harry spoke in a lower tone and appeared to be concerned as he left his bed and quickly dressed into jeans with a deep blue shirt. He completed his look with a dark blue jacket, and followed behind Draco while the blonde crept out of their bedroom. They slowly made their way down the stairs, cautious not to wake the man they presumed was slumbering a short distance away.

Deciding to remain quiet, Harry continued to follow behind his brother until they entered the kitchen and he shortly realized what Draco might be planning.

'We're gonna make breakfast for him.' Draco said, which confirmed Harry's suspicions. 'He has been so nice and I thought...well, maybe we could do something nice in return?'

Harry recalled the previous night and looked towards the stairs warily before he tugged at Draco's sleeve and explained what had happened; the moment he was sure had actually taken place or in which had meant something.

'Really?' Draco gasped as he listened to the brief tale. He waited until Harry was finished before he quietly busied himself with toasting slices of bread. He fidgeted for a moment as Harry moved to help him as though a spasm of emotion was taking physical form; Harry didn't appear to notice. Draco frowned slightly and wondered if his brother and godfather had really gone ahead and bonded without him. He felt somewhat left out but decided to change that; without discrediting Harry of course. And yet, still he felt as though he should have been the one to bond with Snape first, and not his brother. Exhaling at his selfishness, Draco forced those annoyances aside because in a roundabout way...it was his fault; this had no doubt occurred during his absence, perhaps even as a consequence to Draco abandoning Harry.

--

Snape lay awake in his bed, his ears perked for the smallest sound. He could have sworn he'd been woken by something but was yet to figure out what it was that had startled him from his horrible slumber. He shifted slightly and tried to make out the tiniest sounds he was picking up on; a small movement of feet across tile, the clinking of glass against wood and the hushed whispers of two boys that ought to be in bed. Frowning, he stood and quickly dressed with the wave of his wand but as he reached for the door handle of his room, Snape hesitated. He moved back and narrowed his eyes with curiosity when he heard footsteps outside his room and then a knock at his door.

'Sir?' Draco's voice carried through the wood, unaware that the man was standing right there. 'Um, are you coming down for breakfast soon?' The boy sounded uncertain and embarrassed so Snape decided to spare him.

'Yes.' Snape answered calmly, hearing the sounds of a startled boy.

'Oh! Okay, um...okay' Draco quickly left and there was more hushed whispers until Snape noticed the scraping of two chairs and decided it was time to decipher whatever trouble they were causing.

Snape slowly made his way down the stairs, his mind still buzzing with the previous night although he tried to erase its existence, without success. He paused at the bottom step when he saw Draco and Harry sitting at the table with plates of food laid out supporting jam-coated toast, eggs, bacon and honey-coated biscuits. There was also two glasses of juice (for them, presumably) and a mug of coffee for himself. He recognized all the food as coming from his fridge and cupboards, but never had they been quite prepared like this before on his table, by anyone other than himself.

Snape sat in his usual seat and eyed the boys for a moment, who were looking quite nervous and seemed conflicted between looking at him eagerly and starting at their hands shyly.

'We um...thought you would be hungry and...' Draco mumbled as he shrugged, discouraged by Snape's lack of speech. 'You've been so nice....'

Ah, so this was their form of repayment? Snape mused. Although he couldn't complain; it did look somewhat tempting.

'And I appreciate the thought' Snape said finally, making the boys relax and smile at each other. 'However, I prefer that you each leave the task of preparing a meal to me' Snape said but fought to keep his voice casual.

Silence fell as they proceeded to eat and Snape had to admit that they food was at least enjoyable even though it wasn't his preference. The coffee he didn't dare touch, unsure if they knew how he liked it because he otherwise despised the foul drink.

--

When they were done, Draco and Harry instantly got to their feet with the intention of cleaning up. Snape quickly raised his wand and the plates flew into the kitchen, washed themselves and returned to their rightful place.

'Hey, that was cheating.' Draco huffed and Snape was reminded of Narcissa for a moment.

'We were going to do that.' Harry added with a brave frown and eyed Snape as though the man didn't understand how things were supposed to work.

'Precisely.' Snape answered and rose from the table. 'I want each of you upstairs to complete your Transfiguration essay, now!' He said and the boys looked startled as they quickly turned to obey his command.

'Did we do something wrong?' Draco hissed to his brother as he climbed the stairs.

'Maybe he doesn't like eggs?' Harry returned, equally unsure.

Snape ignored them and sank back into his chair, his head swam with too many thoughts and his concealed expression fell from the effort to maintain it. There was silence and he barely realized that he hadn't heard their bedroom door close until it was too late. He straightened only slightly when he heard the hushed voices again although he didn't know what they were saying. He felt prematurely aged and tired. Snape slumped forward slightly as he tried to grasp his thoughts and control the thousands of things that swished inside him, most were feelings, the others memories and confusions. The rest was fear.

'I don't like hugging.' Draco scowled at his brother as Harry clutched his sleeve and dragged him back down the stairs. 'Lemme go, it's embarrassing!'

'Fine.' Harry released him and scowled. 'If you think he should suffer because you think hugging is too girlie, fine.' He turned and crept towards Snape.

'Argh, damn you.' Draco growled and followed after his brother while rolling his eyes skyward.

'Sir?' Harry asked uncertainly and wasn't sure if it was good or bad that Snape didn't react to his voice other than to lower a hand from his forehead.

'He might be mad.' Draco said cautiously. 'Harry, maybe we should leave him...'

Harry stared at the black figure and his mind flashed with Vernon as he hastily took a step backwards.

'Y-you're right, maybe we should...go.' Harry swallowed and it was then that Snape turned, his face blank and composure casual.

'I am merely tired.' Snape sighed. He was annoyed at himself for slipping and then worrying them further.

Harry glanced at Draco and stepped closer to Snape. 'We're sorry if we did anything wrong.' He said.

'No.' Snape answered firmly. 'Breakfast was fine. You are not at fault here.' He stood and watched the boys for a moment but wasn't sure what else to say. It was easier to maintain a strong and blank stance when he wasn't around people all the time, however with the boys constantly around he was finding it difficult without taking into account the previous night.

Harry bit his lip, cast the floor a glance and then just like the night before, he stepped forward quickly before his mind could object and hugged Snape around the middle.

Snape, having half-expected the action, was able to recover from the shock more quickly and awkwardly patted the boy's back. Draco scowled and his fists clenched slightly as he now realized that Harry had hugged Snape twice and he hadn't once.

'I'm glad you're okay though.' Harry said and stepped back, blushing. 'I'm going to do my homework now.' He added and turned to head upstairs.

Draco stood rooted to the spot and eyed Snape nervously. 'May I?' He asked softly, unsure and not quite as straightforward as Harry.

Snape wanted to say no and scream how much he hated being touched at all, but the look on the boy's face and the fact that he had already endured it twice from Harry clouded those thoughts. He nodded shortly and Draco rushed to him as though he only just realized how badly he needed the contact. His hug was tighter and more desperate than Harry's and Snape felt his hands moving of their own accord to comfort the boy out of concern.

Draco squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled the oddly herbal scent of Snape as he felt something solid in his chest loosen, like a burden he hadn't realized he'd been wearing. As he inhaled again, his mind felt dizzy and a memory flashed into his awareness.

--

Draco inhaled his mother's scent as she lifted him from his playpen. She smelt like roses, as always, with a small hint of something sweeter and more foreign. He yawned and looked over her shoulder, listening to her soft hums as he eyed his father through the partially open doorway and saw him pacing in the other room. Lucius turned and another figure came into view, Severus Snape.

Draco watched them talking and wondered what was going on, who this new person was and if he was going to meet him. But his mother turned and all he could see now was the exterior through a large window, showing a vast lawn and clouded distance. Draco complained as he wanted to watch his daddy and friend more but she didn't heed his request.

'Hush child.' Narcissa said as she moved him back to smile at him. 'Your father shall return in a moment. He is having a word with your godfather, dear.' She said more to herself as she doubted he would understand her.

'Daddee!' Draco whined but was once again ignored although her humming continued and he felt sleepy. Moments passed and he was barely aware of being laid in his crib. There was silence and voices until a hand touched his forehead and a different scent filled his nose, the herbal scent that was not his mother or father, and yet...he liked it.

'If it comes to it, I will take care of you little dragon.' Severus whispered and then he was gone while Draco fell into sleep at last.

-- 

Snape heard Draco's sharp intake of surprise and pulled back to see the boy staring at him with new adoration and alarm.

'I remember you!' Draco said with a grin. 'You came to see my dad and said you would look after me, if it came to it.' He recalled quickly, babbling slightly in his discovery. 'You called me little dragon.' He added with a small frown but felt a bit fond of the memory now.

'Yes.' Snape nodded, surprised the boy remembered although he had thought he'd been asleep when it had occurred.

'You still smell the same.' Draco said softly although Snape heard him and wasn't sure if he should be offended or not. 'Like potions.' He added and looked up at him with a warm smile. 'You do care about me.' Draco realized.

'You are my godson.' Snape answered simply. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and assumed that Harry was eavesdropping but the boy didn't want to join them or else felt he shouldn't.

'Now upstairs, I shall inspect your progress in one hour.' Snape added in a sharper tone and Draco turned quickly to head upstairs. Snape watched him leave and saw Harry watching him, looking a little sad as he turned and entered the bedroom as well. The door shut again and Snape made his way into the living room where he collapsed onto the couch. He wished it could just swallow him up and rid him of everything that contradicted who he had been and how he had felt for the past nine years.

While the boys worked upstairs, Snape retreated to his bedroom and shut the door. He magically locked it and warded it to tell him if the boys went anywhere apart from the bathroom.

He sat on the edge of his bed and hung his head. His mind swam with something he had long ago forgotten but was now resurfacing. He had charmed the memory away himself, stored it secretly in a vial and had never intended to touch it ever again. Half was for their safety, the other for purely selfish reasons as he did not think he could live with himself if he dwell upon it too frequently. He would never have recovered all those years ago if he kept the memory firm inside his own mind.

Exhaling, he tipped it into a small pensieve he had hidden in his wardrobe that he never used but felt it was a right enough occasion to do so. Careful not to touch any of his mother's memories stored there, he dipped his head in and felt foggy as he tried to cope once again with the scene, only now he could see it all and was able to take in everything without having to struggle so profoundly.

As he watched, the memory returned to him and reminded him of the facts such as how this occurred exactly two weeks before that horrible night...

--

They were in the living room of Malfoy Manor, it was very late afternoon and Narcissa sat on the couch with a sleeping Draco while Lucius and Snape stood nearby. She looked worried and paler than usual, but fought to keep herself under control while the wizards discussed an issue of dire importance.

'I no longer agree with the Dark Lord's ideas'. Lucius revealed. 'I believe it would be best for our safety if we distance ourselves. This is getting nowhere and I fear our loyalties will not be rewarded'.

'One cannot simply leave the Dark Lord.' Snape frowned at his long-time friend. 'He will know and you will suffer. I wish I could be of assistance, however I have nothing else. You have your family, I understand this'.

'Please come with us, Severus!' Narcissa couldn't hold her silence any longer. 'You don't have to keep doing this'.

'I do not wish to intrude.' Snape frowned. 'And I remain loyal to the Dark Lord! However, I will not betray your decision'.

'That's a load of dragon dung' Narcissa scowled about his loyalty.

'Wife, please.' Lucius sighed and earned himself a growl from her. 'Let us discuss this before you wake the boy'.

Narcissa sat back down. She hated it when he referred to her as “wife” when he tried to humiliate her into obedience during an important moment. Although he was right, she was not handling the situation quite as well as he appeared to be.

'Where do you intend to go?' Snape inquired.

'You are a valuable friend, Severus.' Lucius sighed. 'However I cannot entrust our plans to you unless you wish to join us'.

'Understandable.' Snape nodded, slightly disappointed. 'However, please bear in mind that should you meet an unfortunate end due to your abandonment of the Dark Lord, I will be the one bestowed with Draco'.

'And that is our only relief.' Narcissa said softly while Lucius stepped forward firmly, his wand still in his hand as he did so.

'We have made our decision, Severus.' Lucius said. 'Now you need to make yours'.

-- 

His wards alerted him to the boys movement and so he pulled himself from the memory and returned it to its vial, annoyed that he had tempted himself to begin looking at it.

'Sir?'

Snape turned towards the now-opened door and saw a shy-looking Harry standing there. The boy fidgeted as his gaze shifted from the floor to the man and than to the glowing from the wardrobe.

'What?' Snape sighed and waved his wand to secure the pensieve from sight and reach.

'I um...' Harry stepped cautiously into the room and his attention shifted to his entwined hands as he wondered how to phrase his words. He was clearly nervous and unsure but also determined so Snape remained quiet and allowed the boy a chance to find his words.

After a moment, Harry exhaled and relaxed as though he had given up on his decision and changed his mind. 'I just wanted to know if you're really okay with us staying here for the rest of the summer.' He shrugged.

Snape knew a lie when he heard one, but didn't comment. 'As I have already previously confirmed, yes.' He answered and eyed the boy curiously, wondering what he had really come to talk to him about.

'Oh, okay.' Harry nodded with a heavy sigh. 'I'll leave you to it then.' He mumbled and turned to leave. He reached for the doorknob and hesitated. As he turned back to stare at Snape, Harry wondered if he had made the right choice in backing out of his decision. There was only so much more he could hide and despite never having any adult to rely on his entire life, he still felt eager to do so. It was not a matter of trust this time though, it was just that Harry didn't feel brave enough to risk it. Some Gryffindor he was.

'Is something bothering you?' Snape questioned when the boy just stood there and appeared to lose himself to his own thoughts.

'No sir, nothing.' Harry lied and left the room. Snape watched the door shut soundly and sighed. He was already slipping, letting the boy get away with such obvious lies and misleading. And when he asked himself why he hadn't reacted or what he should have done instead, Snape found his mind shifting towards the memory again. It was overtaking his conscious and he really should have left it well enough alone, but the decision he had made that day still haunted him. In a way, he felt it had shaped every bad thing that had happened to him up until now.

Deciding to continue serving the Dark Lord after he passed up the chance to leave it all behind had robbed him of many opportunities that he didn't know he had missed until it was too late. Lily, Lucius, Narcissa...they died and he had done nothing to prevent it nor could he have done if he had known; something told him he'd have ended up just like them if he had tried. Harry and Draco, they had ended up with the Dursleys because of the deaths; had Snape been able to cope with the death of Lily than perhaps he could have cared for them. Who was he kidding though? Severus Snape care for two toddlers who preferred their dead parents to him? But he did care for them, a small suspiciously Lily-like voice in his head reminded him.

Snape ran a hand through his black hair and exhaled, although it was more of a frustrated grunt than anything. He glanced towards where the pensieve was and forced his gaze away. He did not need a memory to remind him of his mistakes nor the guilt to tell him how much he regretted it.

Why had he even bothered to revisit that moment? What clue was hidden within it that could change anything? What had he hoped to discover from tormenting himself over it once again? Lily always told him that he couldn't change the past, he could only look towards the future. It seemed such a simple statement when he had first heard it but he was older and wiser now, he knew that the past will always be there to forever haunt him until he found a way to separate himself from it through the art of dulling his emotions and controlling his composure.

And yet his many years of training was being undone and Snape found himself feeling the aches of loss again as well as the weight of his past mistakes.

A small sound pulled him from his tortured musing. He opened the bedroom door an inch and saw Harry and Draco sitting on the floor of their bedroom as they laughed about something while they were surrounded by books and parchment.

Snape watched them for a moment and wondered if everything that had changed with himself in the past few weeks or so was a result of their presence. It seemed impossible that two children who weren't even related to him by blood could have such an impact on who he had spent years training himself to be. A composed, dark professor who saw joy in nothing and expected top results from every task set before him or those under his teaching.

It unsettled him and he quickly shut the bedroom door, shoving away the sight of the boys that lingered in his mind. He could not afford this undoing, he could not risk losing the composure as it was all that kept him in one piece.

'You are not their father.' Snape scowled softly to himself. 'Do not delude yourself so.' He shook his head and exhaled as he forced himself to remain calm and indifferent. He would spend the next hour convincing himself that the boys were under his care for the summer, nothing more.

"We have made our decision, Severus." Lucius said. "Now you need to make yours".