Severus Snape lowered himself into his favorite chair in the living room of his home at Spinner’s End. He had spent most of the day cleaning the house and getting it ready for his two young guests. Needing to work out some of his anger, he had used Muggle methods of cleaning the old house rather than using magic.

Snape had gone to visit Lucius Malfoy the night before and had been appalled at the story he heard from his old friend and fellow Death Eater. Malfoy’s true son had died on the same night that Lily had given birth to her son…sons. His precious Lily had given James twin sons. Lucius had switched his dead son for one of Lily’s, only he hadn’t known who the twins had belonged to. If he had, things would have vastly different. He had no doubt that had Lucius realized that his son was actually the child of James and Lily Potter, he would have handed the baby over to the Dark Lord himself in order to fulfill the prophecy. Snape didn’t want to think about how powerful the Dark Lord would be now if that had happened. The thought had him shudder.

He had been the one to give the piece of the prophecy to the Dark Lord and as soon as he realized who the prophecy was about, he had gone to the tavern his father had frequented and gotten drunk. It had been Lily and Albus who found him three days later, sitting in this very chair and still drinking. After sobering him up, Lily had told him that she forgave him…for everything. That very night he had sworn to protect Lily’s son should anything happen to her or James. James’ old school friend, Sirius Black, had been named the boy’s godfather, but Lily had wanted someone who would do a better job of protecting Harry. So he had sworn an Unbreakable Vow, becoming Harry’s protector. Because of the way Lily had worded the vow, Draco was also included under that protection now that the truth had been discovered. That night was also the night he had begun to spy for the Order of the Phoenix .

The Floo flared green and his young godson stepped out, dropping the knapsack he used for his visits to Spinner’s End at his feet before launching himself at his godfather, who grunted when the bony child landed on him. “No one can accuse you of being a Malfoy around here,” he muttered. “That was funny when you were five…”

“Aww…come on, Sev,” the preteen pleaded, giving him that look that always won him over. “You know this is the only place I can act like a kid.”

“That’s why you aren’t on the floor, dragon,” the man said, ruffling the boy’s hair. The young boy leaned his head back against one of the chair’s armrests and draped his feet over the other, making himself comfortable on his godfather’s lap. Snape managed a chuckle, using his wand to move the footstool over so that he could prop up his feet. “You’re getting too old for this.”

The boy merely gave him a look. “You let me do it at school that night right before we left.”

The Potions Master shook his head and allowed himself to relax, something he was only able to do in this company of the preteen on his lap and in the privacy of his own quarters or this house. “I’ll let you stay for now…but only because we have something to talk about.” Draco gave him a smug grin and nodded, waiting for his godfather to speak again. “Do you remember when I had you and Potter brew that potion together about two weeks before the end of classes?”

Draco nodded. “Sure. That’s the one that with a drop of blood for two people will tell you how closely related they are by the color it turns. But I saw you swap it with a vial of something else. How bad could it have been?” he boy laughed. “It’s not like it was going to say that we are brothers or even cousins…”

“How did you know I switched it?” he asked the boy.

He laughed again. “I’ve been watching your slight of hand since I was little. And you didn’t answer my question.” Sighing, the man pulled a corked vial from the pocket of his robe and held it out to the boy. The once clear liquid was now a pale green color. Draco stared at the vial for a moment before looking back up at his godfather. “I don’t have my book with me…what does it mean?”

Snape took a moment before answering. “Closer than brothers…twins.”

“TWINS?!” the boy exclaimed, sitting up so quickly, he nearly fell to the floor. “You’ve got to be joking!”

He pulled two more vials from another pocket, these vials were the same color as the first. “I had the Weasley twins and the Patil twins test your brew for me. As you can see, they turned out the same color.”

“Sev…” the boy pleaded. “Please tell me that you are joking…please…” He went willingly into Snape’s arms when the man pulled him into a comforting embrace. How many times growing up had he wished that he had been this man’s son instead of a Malfoy? This man was both gentle and firm and had shown him more love than his own father had. “Please…”

“I wish I could tell you that, dragon. But I talked to your father and he confirmed it,” he said softly, wishing he could take the pain from this boy. He could feel Draco shaking in his arms and the vials on the table next to them began to rattle. “Calm yourself, little one. Clear your mind. Don’t forget our lessons…”

After a moment the vials stopped rattling, but it was half an hour later before the boy spoke again, his face still nearly buried in the black robes of his godfather. “So…is he a Malfoy or am I a…a P-Potter?”

He rubbed the boy’s back, knowing this was hard on him. “You are a Potter, Draco. We have a lot to talk about, but first we need to go get Potter.”

“Why?” came the reply, muffled by the robes the boy had his face buried in. His whole world had been turned upside down in the last hour and it was almost more than he could handle.

Snape snapped his fingers and a moment later a vial floated into the room from his lab. “Here, dragon. Drink this.” The boy took the vial from him and drained the Calming Draft without a word. Severus closed his eyes and silently cursed Lucius for his stupidity. “The headmaster wants you and Potter to spend three weeks with me so that we can try and figure this whole thing out.”

Draco gave a heavy sigh and slowly stood, straightening his expensive robes. “You better take a couple vials of that stuff. Potter will need it,” he said, using the cold tone that he normally used around his own home.

Severus stood and ran his hand over the boy’s hair. Draco leaned into his godfather’s hand. “We’ll talk more later, alright?” The boy nodded. “Take your bag to your room and leave your robe there.”

After a moment, the boy moved to obey, picking up his knapsack and heading up the stairs to the room that he used when he stayed with his godfather. The house on Spinner’s End was an old house that had been in the Snape family for many years. It was very small compared to Malfoy Manor, but it suited the man who only stayed there during the summer break. There were two bedrooms on the first floor, one which Severus’ mother Eileen had converted to a small potions lab. Upstairs, two bedrooms with sloping ceilings and a bathroom were tucked beneath the eaves. The room that Draco used had once belonged to Severus and sometimes his godfather allowed him to climb through the window and they would lay on the roof and watch the stars.

Draco put his knapsack on the bed and with a quiet word and a quick flick of his wand his clothes were hung in the closet or neatly folded in the dresser. With a satisfied nod, he hung his robe in the closet and tucked his wand up his sleeve before making his way back down the steep stairs.

Severus stood near the front door, his hand held out. “Wand…”

“What? But Sev…” the boy protested.

“You are not allowed to use magic outside of school, so hand it over.”

“Mother and Father let me use it…”

Severus gave the boy a look. “One.” He hated having to discipline his godson, but had discovered long ago that the boy was allowed to run wild at home. The only times his father attempted to discipline him was when he did something that Lucius considered tarnishing the Malfoy name and punishment was meted out by the use of the elder Malfoy’s cane. By the end of the first week that Draco had spent with him many years ago it was obvious that the boy needed consistent and loving discipline and so it had fallen to him as the boy’s godfather to raise him properly.

Draco looked up at his godfather defiantly, though his defiance wavered when the man started counting. He had learned from experience that the man expected immediate obedience and if he had to start counting he had earned himself a swat, but if his godfather got to three he would be getting a trip over the man’s knee.

“Two.”

With a deep sigh, Draco pulled his wand from his sleeve and handed it over to the man. Snape held the door open for the boy and gave him a firm swat as he walked past. “Are you gonna do that while Potter’s here?” Draco asked as Snape locked the door.

“If you would obey the first time, I wouldn’t have to do it at all, dragon.” The boy nodded and looked at the ground. Severus reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. “You know what I expect of you. If you follow my rules then you won’t have a problem. The rules don’t change just because Potter is coming to stay with us and neither do the consequences.”

“Yes, sir,” the boy said softly. He took a deep breath and looked up at his godfather. “So what are you going to tell Potter?”

He looked down at the boy. “I’m not going to tell him anything. I need you to convince him to come with us while I deal with his relatives.”

“Are you gonna Obliviate them?” he asked with a sly grin.

“Come here, you,” he said, pulling the boy close so that he could Apparate them to Surrey . Draco wrapped his arms around the man’s waist and buried his face in his shirt, letting Snape take the brunt of the effect of apparating because he didn’t handle it very well.

--

A moment later they appeared in Surrey just a few blocks from the Dursley house. Severus had come by earlier and scouted out a good place for them to Apparate. Once he was sure that Draco had his bearings, Snape turned and started walking toward Privet Drive .

“You never answered my question,” Draco said, running to catch up with his godfather. “Are you going to Obliviate them?”

He looked down at his godson. “You know I won’t answer that, dragon. And while we are here please refer to me as Professor, just as you do at school.”

The preteen nodded. “Yes, sir. What am I supposed to tell Potter?”

“Tell him whatever you need to tell him to get him to come with us.” Draco made a face as they walked up to number 4 Privet Drive and his godfather knocked on the door.

A thin woman opened the door and scowled at Snape. “Figures you would show up. What do you want?”

“Hello to you too, Petunia. May we step in?” Severus asked in the same tone he often used to convince students to do as he wanted. Without waiting for an answer, he stepped inside. “Draco, please go find Harry.”

Harry? Draco stared at his godfather for a moment before nodding. “Yes, Professor.” He hesitated briefly before walking up the stairs. The first door had several padlocks on the door so he skipped it and continued searching the other rooms, only to find them empty. He headed back toward the stairs, stopping when he heard a soft whimpering. It was then that he noticed the cat flap in the door with the padlocks. “Potter?” he called.

Inside the room, Harry lifted his head, searching his memory for the name that went along with that voice. “Malfoy?” He eased off the bed and moved toward the door.

“Are you alright, Potter?” Draco asked, kneeling down in front of the cat flap in the door.

“I’m fine,” Harry lied, dropping down to his knees as well. “What are you doing here?”

If anyone had told Draco that morning that he would be kneeling on the floor of a Muggle house talking through a cat flap in a door to his twin brother that he had never known existed…a twin brother who had been his enemy during the last school year, he would have hexed them with one of the curses that he wasn’t supposed to know yet. But now he found himself slightly worried about the boy on the other side of the door and he couldn’t begin to explain why he was feeling that way. “We’re here to break you out, of course,” he said lightly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“We?” Harry asked. “Who is here with you?”

“Sev…Professor Snape is here too. He’s down there Obliiviating your relatives. Hand me your wand so I can unlock this door. Merlin, did you not think of doing that yourself?”

Harry sighed and leaned his head against the door. “I don’t have my wand. Where is yours?”

Draco chuckled softly. “Sev takes that whole underage restriction a little too seriously. Where the hell is your wand, Potter?”

“Uncle Vernon locked all my stuff in the cupboard under the stairs. He’s not a big fan of magic,” he said wryly.

“Alright. Stand back from the door,” he told the other boy before standing and walking halfway down the stairs. He called to his godfather who had gone into another room. “Professor? I need my wand back to unlock a door up here.” A moment later his wand floated into the hall and over to him. “Thanks!” He snatched up his wand and hurried back up the stairs and opened the door with a quick spell and flick of his wand.

He stepped into the room to find Harry curled up on the bed once more, his eyes closed. A quick glance told him that Harry’s beautiful snow owl was padlocked in her cage. “You too, huh?” he asked her, unlocking her cage. When he saw the bars on Harry’s window, he coaxed the owl out of the cage and onto his wrist, stepping into one of the other rooms and letting her go out the window with a soft word. He and Harry may not have gotten along this last year, but he couldn’t help but admire the owl. It was quite a magnificent creature.

Turning he went back to Harry…his brother. “Come on, Potter…time to fly.” He levitated Hedwig’s cage and sent it on downstairs while he tried to rouse Harry. “Don’t make me levitate you downstairs. Believe me, I’d take great pleasure in knocking your head against the wall a few times.”

Harry slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself off the bed again, unable to keep from wincing. “Just give me a minute.”

“Bloody hell, Potter, what have they done to you?” Draco nearly hissed.

“Language, Mr. Malfoy,” Severus called from downstairs.

Draco rolled his eyes. “I’m warning you now…that man sees and hears everything,” he told Harry, draping the other boy’s arm around his shoulder and putting an arm around his waist. “Let’s get out of here.” Harry made no protest as his nemesis slowly helped him down the stairs.

Snape was just stepping back into the hall as they came down the stairs. He glanced at his godson and nodded, holding his hand out for the boy’s wand.

Draco gave a dramatic sigh, but gave it to the man. “Harry’s things are locked in that cupboard under the stairs.”

“Where’s Hedwig?” Harry asked, letting Draco practically hold him up. Severus went to get Harry’s trunk and broom from under the stairs. He tapped the trunk once with his wand and it disappeared. He did the same with Harry’s broom and Hedwig’s cage, sending them to Spinner’s End as well before turning back to the two boys.

“She’s safe,” Draco answered. “I sent her to Hogwarts.”

“Good thinking, Draco,” Severus said, his face grim as he ran a quick diagnostic spell on Harry. Draco beamed under his godfather’s praise. Severus gave Harry another look before putting one arm behind the boy and another under his knees, lifting him easily into his arms. “Hush, child,” he told the boy when he started to protest. Harry’s head dropped onto the man’s shoulder and he closed his eyes, unable to keep them open any longer.

“How are we going to Apparate?” Draco asked as they left the house. He knew it would be hard for his godfather to side-along both of them with Potter unconscious…could he even side-along two people when one was the unconscious Potter?

“There is a squib that lives on the next street over. We can use her Floo,” he answered his godson. Arabella Figg was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and had been keeping an eye on Harry since he had been placed with the Dursleys. How she had missed this, he wasn’t sure. Or maybe she hadn’t missed it, but Dumbledore had chosen to ignore it as he had chosen to ignore the truth about his godson and the boy in his arms. “You can not tell your father about any of this Draco,” he told the boy firmly, giving him a look.

He nodded. “I know, sir. I never tell him anything unless it’s something that has to do with the Death Eaters. I’m not stupid, Sev.”

His eyes darkened. “I think we are going to have to have another talk about your eavesdropping.”

Ten minutes later they stepped out of the fireplace and into Snape’s living room at Spinner’s End. “Draco, run upstairs and turn down Harry’s bed.” When the boy ran to comply, Severus eased Harry onto the couch and rolled him onto his stomach. With a wave of his hand, the sleeping boy’s clothes disappeared and he summoned some quick healing salve from his lab. Cursing Lily’s sister, he gently applied the salve to the boy’s welts and bruises. Lily would have pitched a fit to see her son in such a condition.

After doing what he could to heal the boy, he spelled him into a healing sleep and with another wave of his hand soft pajamas appeared on the boy. He sat back on his heels. “I haven’t done a very good job of protecting your son, Lily,” he whispered. He glanced through the kitchen and into the dark dining room. “Didn’t I just say something about your eavesdropping, Draco?”

The blond sheepishly slide around the corner and into the room. “I wasn’t sure if I could come back…”

Severus gave his godson a look. “Don’t try that innocent act with me, mister. Did you do as I asked?” The boy nodded. “Thank you. It’s late. Go get ready for bed and I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he said, carefully lifting the sleeping boy into his strong arms.

“But Sev…”

“That’s Uncle Sev to you, Draco. And I know that you don’t have rules at Malfoy Manor, but you do here. When you break my rules there are consequences. If you don’t want to face those consequences, then I suggest you obey.” With a dramatic sigh, the boy turned and ran back toward the stairs. Shaking his head, Severus carried Harry upstairs and into the room at the top of the stairs. He put Harry down and tucked him in, gently running his hand over the boy’s hair. Contrary to popular belief, he really didn’t hate kids. Well, not all kids. There were some he could do without. However the only woman he had ever considered having children with had married another man. Now her two precious sons were in his house…together as brothers for the first time since the day they were born. “Rest well, Harry.”

Across the hall, Draco finished getting ready for bed and sat on the edge of the bed to wait for his godfather. It had been a long time since the man had corrected him so many times on his first evening there and he did feel bad about it. Even though he pretended he didn’t, he did have a conscience. He adored his godfather and hated to disappoint the man. He looked up when Severus walked into the room and pulled the desk chair over to sit in front of him. This couldn’t be good. “Are you really mad at me?” he asked, sounding much younger than his barely twelve years.

“I’m not mad, Draco, but I am disappointed.” The boy sighed, looking down. “Eavesdropping is a very bad habit and we need to break you of that.” Eavesdropping was what had gotten Lily killed. His eavesdropping. “Thirteen years ago I was eavesdropping on a conversation and reported it to the Dark Lord, not knowing the whole conversation. Because of what I told him, a very old and dear friend and her husband were killed. I am responsible for their deaths, Draco.” The boy stared at his godfather in shock. “Not a day has gone by that I haven’t regretted what I did. It took me a long time to forgive myself. Do you understand now why I don’t want you eavesdropping?” The boy nodded, still staring at the man. "Don’t let me catch you doing it again,” he told the boy firmly and giving him a very pointed look.

“Yes, sir,” he whispered, knowing full well what would happen if he got caught doing something his godfather had expressly forbidden. He had done that last summer and that was an experience that he didn’t want to repeat…ever, if he could help it.

Severus reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Now, Harry is still sleeping and should sleep through the night. I haven’t had a chance to tell him anything. When I do, I want the three of us to view your father’s memories together.”

“Does Father know that I’m really a Potter?”

“Will you just trust me for now, dragon?” he asked the boy, motioning for him to get under the blanket. Once Draco had done so, he tucked the boy in. “It will be easier for me to explain the rest of it to both of you at the same time. But I will tell you this right now, your father doesn’t remember what happened. And he won’t until I decide to return the memories to him.”

Draco smirked up at his godfather. “You really do like to Obliviate people, don’t you?”

“Hush,” he said, giving the boy a light swat that he barely felt because of the blankets. With a wave of his hand, the lights in the room dimmed. “Go to sleep, little dragon.”

The boy yawned. “Uncle Sev?”

“Yes, Draco?” he asked, pausing as he walked to the door.

“What are we going to do about school?”

He sighed. “I don’t know yet. I just don’t know.”