Albus Dumbledore awoke with the sun as was his habit. He grumbled slightly to himself about how he could use a few more hours, but got out of bed despite his weariness. 'I wonder if Severus has returned?' He grabbed his favorite (and most gaudy) robe and creaked his way to his office. “Fawkes, did Severus return to the castle last night?”

Fawkes turned his head and thought jeeringly, 'Little do you know old man that all your plans are about to collapse around you.' Out loud, he gave a soft trill and shook his head in the negative to answer the Headmaster's question.

Dumbledore frowned in vexation at this news. He walked over to his desk and quickly scribbled a note on a blank piece of parchment. “Take this to Severus Snape, Fawkes. I want it to be clear that I expect an immediate answer. Do you understand?”

Fawkes chirped his response and in a brilliant shower of sparks flashed himself to the home of Arabella Figg.

Dumbledore sat down at his desk and contemplated his fingers. “I do hope that Severus hasn't gotten any clever ideas. He too often sees more than I wish him to. He has become far too observant for my tastes.”

Severus started awake when he heard what sounded like an insistent tapping upon the window in his room. He looked toward it and saw the bright plumage of Fawkes flickering like flames in the brilliance of the sunrise. He quickly went to the window and opened it. “Good morning, Fawkes. Is something wrong?”

The old man sent me with a message. He seems to believe that I am little more than an owl. I would apprise him of his idiocy, but that would only make him suspicious of me, so I demur. Here is the letter. He demands an immediate answer. Fawkes' annoyance at being used as an owl was obvious in his tone.

Severus reached out and took the message. He opened it slowly, not sure he wanted to know what Albus had written and began to read.

Severus,

I stayed up late last night waiting to hear what you had discovered about the situation at the Dursley household. I was dismayed when I received no news from you by midnight. Did something prevent you from contacting me? I would appreciate being privy to what you have learned. Please respond to this message as soon as you received it.

Albus Dumbledore

“I suppose I will have to tell him something.” Severus frowned in thought. “I cannot apprise him of the complete truth, of course, but I will have to be careful to give enough information that he will have no reason to be suspicious.”

You might consider trying to buy yourself some extra time, by insinuating that due to the late hour, you were unable to contact the family at all.

“That was exactly my intention. One should not waste opportunity when it comes knocking.” Severus summoned a quill and after spelling the original message clear, penned his response on the same piece of parchment.

Headmaster,

I apologize for not contacting you immediately upon my arrival. I regret to say that I have not yet had the opportunity to visit with the Dursley household. When I arrived on Privat Drive last night, all lights within their home were extinguished and it was apparent that the household was already abed. I thought it wise to wait until today to contact them, as I did not wish to cause unnecessary conflict by rudely awakening the household.

After my discovery, I returned to Arabella's home and apprised her of this difficulty. She most graciously invited me to stay the night within her home and proceeded to give me some insight into the neighborhood. I believe, based on our conversation, that it would be best to wait until early evening to attempt contacting the the household again. This is to ensure that every member is available for questioning, if it is found to be necessary.

Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused by my thoughtlessness.

Severus Snape

“With luck, this note will give me the time necessary to spirit young Harry away to safety.” Severus sent a brief prayer to whatever deities might be listening that his hopes would be realized.

Fawkes cooed soothingly and rubbed his head gently on Severus' shoulder. Do not worry, young warrior. I will ensure that he takes the message at face value.

“Thank you, Fawkes. I appreciate your help more than I could ever express.” Severus reached up and gave Fawkes a good scratch. Fawkes extended his clawed foot to Severus, who passed him the message. Taking to the air, Fawkes gave a gentle trill of support and vanished.

Severus closed his eyes briefly, then decided that he had best awaken Arabella and Harry soon. They had a lot to accomplish and very little time in which to accomplish it in. 'Today is Harry's birthday. We will have to do our best to make it a good one for him, despite the worries we have. We should have time to have a fairly restful breakfast, then we will have to endeavor to make a plan to extract Harry from the neighborhood safely and with haste.' Severus quickly showered and dressed, then proceeded to the Yellow bedroom to awaken Harry.

Harry snuggled deeper into the nice soft pillow his head was resting on. He shifted slightly and yawning expansively, opened his eyes. 'Huh? How'd I get here? Last I remember I was in the kitchen...I guess that someone must of carried me up here.' He gave a mental shrug and got out of bed. He quietly walked to the bathroom and used the facilities. After washing his hands, he brushed his teeth. He was quite glad that he had stayed at Mrs. Figg's house often enough that he kept a toothbrush here. 'I wonder if The Man is still here?'

A knock suddenly sounded on the door of the room causing Harry to give a little squeak of startlement. Harry walked over to the door and opened it. “Hello.” he said shyly to the tall dark man.

“Good morning, Harry. May I come in?” came the man's deep voice.

“Um, yeah...,” Harry moved out of the way and watched as the man entered the room and walked over to the bed and gestured for him to sit down.

“Before I say anything else, congratulations are in order, I believe. Happy Birthday, Harry.”

Harry's eyes widened with surprise that the man had remembered that it was his birthday. “Thank you, sir. I'm not used to anyone remembering my birthday, at least not in a good way.”

Severus did his best to hide his disgust at the Dursleys and said, “You are welcome, Harry. I came to wake you and to ask what you would like for breakfast. As it is your birthday, it shall be your choice.” Harry would enjoy this birthday. He would see to it.

“I can really choose?” Harry found his lips stretching into an ecstatic grin as he was suddenly immersed in a glow of happiness. The Man was wonderful. His Aunt Petunia would have expected him to make breakfast for the family and wouldn't have allowed him to have any of it most likely. To have someone offer to make him breakfast had him over the moon.

Severus was taken aback at the strength of the boy's joy at his simple offering. 'Why is he so happy about such a simple thing?' “Of course, Harry. What would you like?” Severus tried to keep his voice level and calm, not wanting to make Harry feel at all nervous.

“Um, I'm not sure. What choices are there?” Harry wasn't sure what might be available in Mrs. Figg's kitchen and didn't want to ask for anything too difficult to make.

“Harry, whatever you want you will get, regardless. Just ask.”

“Then I would like to have pancakes and sausage links. If that's alright?” Harry was a little unsure, but he knew somehow that this man would do as he said.

“Very well. Do you know what variety of pancakes you would like? Do you want them plain or would you prefer to have something added into the batter, such as blueberries or chocolate chips?”

“The um..blueberry kind, please.” Harry was stunned at this opportunity. He had always wanted to try blueberry pancakes. They smelled so amazing.

“Excellent choice. Now, shall we find you some clean clothing to wear?”

“I have clothing here, sir. I stay over here a lot and Mrs. Figg has a couple of outfits that she keeps in this room for me to wear.”

Severus gave a sharp nod. “In that case, wash up and dress. I will go downstairs and begin the process of procuring breakfast.”

“Yes, sir. I won't be long. Promise.”

Severus smiled and stood. He walked over to Harry and ruffled his hair slightly. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we have time enough for you to shower if you wish.”

Severus left the bedroom and started to head toward the stairs, but decided that he had best stop by Arabella's bedroom first to see if she was up. He knocked on her door, and called out softly, “Arabella, are you awake?” Having received no answer, he thought, 'I will let her sleep in a bit longer. It will do her no harm.'

Once Severus had walked downstairs and entered into the kitchen, he said in a commanding tone, “Dassy!”

A small house elf, with large, cerulean eyes appeared before him.“You called, Master?”

“I need you to fetch me the necessary ingredients for blueberry pancakes, enough for two adults and a ten year old child, and about a pound of sausage links.”

“I will be but a moment, Master.” Dassy vanished from sight with a soft pop and reappeared not a minute later and placed the requested items on the counter. “Do you wish Dassy to cook for you?”

“No thank you, Dassy, though I do appreciate the offer. I do, however, have something else for you to accomplish for me.”

Dassy wiggled with joy. Master was a good master, but rarely asked anything of her and she wanted so badly to be useful. “What do you need? Dassy is happy to help.”

“I need you to find an appropriate house from among the properties that I own for myself and a young child to live in. I'm especially interested in the ones that are unplottable and unknown by both my....former associates and Albus Dumbledore. I need a place by this time tomorrow, if it is all possible. Now go and quickly.”

Dassy's eyes widened with the realization that something very important was happening in her life. She was overjoyed that her master trusted her with this task. “Dassy will find the perfect house for you, Master. I will make you proud.” She vowed to her master before disappearing once again.

“I know you will, Dassy.” Severus murmured a moment later. “You have never let me down.” He was quite proud of his house elf. She had worked very hard to learn how to speak properly just to please him. He was confident that she would be successful.

He snapped his fingers and the stove lit immediately, then reached for the appropriate skillets. He set the pans to heating and turned toward the ingredients.

Harry had picked out the best clothing that Mrs. Figg had for him in the armoire and put them on. He wanted to look nice for his birthday, because he had a feeling that it was going to be the best one he had ever had. He quickly scurried over to the stairs and after a quick glance around, gave a wicked smile and slid down the banister.

He sniffed the air and smelling the wonderful scent of cooking sausages, felt and heard his tummy grumble. He couldn't wait to eat his first ever birthday breakfast.

Severus quickly glanced toward the kitchen door as Harry came into the room. He hid a smile at Harry's obvious good mood. He figured that it might be a good idea to properly introduce himself.

“We did not get a chance to speak further last night and I wanted to ensure that you had some information about who I am. My name is Severus Snape and I knew your mother very well. Lily was my best friend and I loved her very much. We lived very near each other while growing up and met when we were just a little younger than you are now. She was on a swing in a local park and having reached the highest she could go jumped off and floated gracefully down. Now, this was something only a magical child could do and being one myself, I just had to get to know her.”

“So you wanted to know my mum, because she was a freak just like you?” Harry asked, a quizzical expression on his face.

“Harry..., having the gift to use magic does not make you a freak. It merely means you have a special ability. It is no different than excelling at sports, the arts, or even academics. Never...ever allow anyone to make you feel that way. Do you understand me?” Severus said firmly. He was barely able to keep the true depth of his ire from showing to Harry. He was horrified that Petunia's attitude toward magic had seemed to have worsened with time.

Harry was surprised at Mr. Snape's words, but not wanted to anger the man unduly, said, “Yes, sir. I'm sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize. I am well aware that you have been indoctrinated to think a certain way about yourself. We will work on this together, if you are amenable.”

“I'm not sure I understand what you mean, sir, but I will do my best.” Harry smiled and gazed up at him, his emerald orbs shining with hope. He really wanted this man to like him.

“You will understand with time, Harry.” Severus said, as he began to place pancakes and sausages onto . “Could you do me a favor, Harry?”

“Um, sure. What do ya want me to do?” Harry said, excited to be useful.

“Please go upstairs and fetch, Mrs. Figg. Tell her that breakfast is ready.”

Arabella woke slowly, as was her norm, and gave a long, slow, luxurious stretch. She was accustomed to waking at dawn, and was very surprised to see that the sun was already high above the horizon. “Oh, dear,” she whispered, “We've overslept!” She quickly slipped out of bed and grabbing her housecoat, walked swiftly to the room she had assigned to Severus Snape. “Severus? Are you up and about yet?” she said, as she knocked firmly upon the door.

“Good morning, Mrs. Figg. Did you sleep as well as I did?” came a soft, sweet voice from near the stairs.

Arabella turned and smiled at Harry, who looked very relaxed and well-rested. “Yes, I must say that I did. Too well, in fact, as I overslept.” She said ruefully.

Harry giggled and said, “Mr. Snape asked me to come upstairs to see if you were awake. He told me to tell you that breakfast was ready.”

“Breakfast? At this hour? Why, it's practically brunch!” Arabella spluttered, slightly flabbergasted, then sighed, “Very well. Tell Severus that I will be down in ten minutes. I wish to get dressed and attend to my morning ablutions before breaking my fast.”

“'kay, I'll tell him.” Harry said happily as he practically skipped down the stairs.

Severus Snape turned and hid a smile as Harry came back into the kitchen, still in an obviously chipper mood. “Did you speak to Mrs. Figg, Harry?”

“Uh huh,” Harry chirped, “She told me to tell you that she would be down in ten minutes. Said something about getting dressed and doing morning....a-a blue sons? Whatever that is.”

“Ablutions,” Severus corrected him gently, slowly enunciating the word. “She meant that she wanted to do her morning routine of washing of her hands, face, and teeth.”

“Oh...I see!,” Harry exclaimed, then frowning. “Why didn't she just say that?”

“She used the term ablutions, because it takes less words to explain what she was doing.” Severus calmly explained. “Breakfast is ready, so go ahead and sit down at the table and I shall serve you.”

Arabella sniffed the air with appreciation as she descended the stairs. Walking into the kitchen, she exclaimed, “Something smells marvelous. What are we having for breakfast today?”

“We are having blueberry pancakes and sausage. Mr. Snape let me choose, 'cause it's my birthday.” Harry said with a happy smile.

Arabella gasped softly as she realized that she had forgotten. “Oh dear, how amiss of me! I completely forgot. I apologize, Harry. Happy Birthday, sweetling.”

“It's alright, Mrs. Figg. I know a lot has gone on and it's easy to forget things like birthdays.” Harry shrugged. “I'm kinda used to it.”

Arabella's eyes filled with tears. “No Harry. It's not alright. You are a very special boy and I care about you. I shouldn't have forgotten something as important as your tenth birthday.”

“Don't cry, Mrs. Figg. Please!” Harry ran over to her and gave her a hug. “You and Mr. Snape have already given me the best present ever. You care about me and are helping me get away from my family. That means so much to me, you know?”

Arabella held him close and stroked his hair. “Yes, my dear. I do know. I wish that we could have gotten you out of there so much sooner.”

Harry looked up at her, his eyes eerily wise. “Maybe it just had to be the right time. If you had been able to get me out sooner, things might have gone wrong. You never know.” After those words, they all fell into a contemplative silence.