'Male, dark hair, green eyes and of approximately two years of age.' The tall woman with deep brown hair read aloud the adoption file in her hands.

'Name: Harry James Potter.' She looked over the top of her reading glasses to the anxious woman that stared back at her. 'This is the boy?'

'Yes, it is.' The woman smiled at the receptionist. 'They said all of the paperwork is complete and we can take him home now?'

'That is true.' The receptionist sighed with boredom. 'Shelly!' She called in a loud, demanding tone.

'Yes, Mrs Harvey?' A younger and more vibrant woman appeared with a little girl clinging to her legs as though she was trying to glue herself to another being.

'Miss...' The receptionist failed to recall the anxious woman's name and turned towards her for the answer.

'Oh, um...Miss Erin Summers.' The woman gasped out. She was nervous and excited about meeting the little boy she was in the process of adopting as her own son. There had been strange rumours involving how he had come to the orphanage, such as that his parents had been mysteriously killed and all he had received from the incident was an odd scar on his forehead. The boy had then had gone to his aunt and uncle but they sent him here after only six months with the claim that he was too much to handle and they could not stand an extra child.

But Erin didn't care. She herself had been a bit different, mostly because she didn't have many friends and therefore had to find ways to entertain herself on her own. Erin had always believed that every child was special and they each could be raised to become equally wonderful people with the right discipline, love and of course, a stable household. This is what she had hoped to give to the little boy named Harry Potter.

'Right this way, Miss Summers.' The vibrant girl told her and Erin quickly followed.

--

They reached a playroom where over twenty very young children were playing or being tended to. Most of the children were at least four or five years old although there were a few toddlers amongst them. Erin had only seen a photograph of her new son and had stared at it for hours the night before, so she scanned the crowd for the small boy with dark hair. And she soon found him. Harry was sitting at a small table across from a little girl although they payed each other no attention. She was drawing a picture and he was building something with blocks.

'Hello, Harry.' Erin smiled at the boy as she approached him. She had tears in her eyes as she finally got to meet her son after over a month of waiting.

Harry turned quickly towards the voice and stared at her with curiosity and for some odd reason, caution.

'Halwo.' He returned.

And from that moment forward, Erin loved him as though she had given birth to him instead of his now-dead mother. It felt like she had lost him and that was why she hadn't been there for him in the past two years of his life. This wasn't true, but to Erin it truly seemed as though this little boy was her son. Her miracle.

--

Moments later, Erin signed the adoption papers without caring for a trial period and simply wanted to take her new little boy home. He was content to just sit in her arms and never made a fuss on the entire way home.

Erin lived some distance from the orphanage in London, in fact it was a very long drive to her little country house and Harry slept through the entire journey. And when they finally arrived to the home they would now share together...that was when things started to turn quite sour.

'What is she doing here?' Erin growled under her breath as she spotted her mother's car in the driveway. She did not get along with her mother for many reasons; the main one was because the older woman only ever demanded things she had no right to and refused to believe that it was possible for her daughter to have control over her own life for even a second without ruining it.

'Come on, Harry.' Erin lifted the sleepy toddler from the car along with his tiny bag of belongings. She carried him across the green lawn and into the large house with bright windows and a warmly-decorated theme.

Harry still hadn't said another word as he just looked around from where he had been placed inside a second-hand playpen with a few toys and a picture book.

'So.' Came the deeper and less joyous voice of Judith Cain.

'This is your solution to a disastrous divorce?' She scowled with disapproval while Erin merely frowned at her with absolute loathing. 'Adopt some poor kid in attempt to erase your own failures?'

'Shut up, mother.' Erin glared. 'What are you even doing here? Haven't I made it clear enough that you are no longer welcome in my life?'

'Oh, you've made it very clear.' Judith's scowl deepened. Her very presence appeared to cast a shadow over the area of the living room in which she stood in; as though all the colour was being leeched from her surroundings.

'But you are young and foolish. You need to be made aware of your mistakes before you make things worst again.'

'Goodbye, mother.' Erin sighed and tried to appear unaffected by the woman's harsh words.

'Do you think this brat will make you happy?' Judith sneered at Harry. The toddler noticed her horrid look and started to whimper as he thought of his scowling aunt that smacked him all the time.

'Leave Harry out of this!' Erin stepped in front of her new son to block his view of the beastly woman he had the misfortune of having as a grandmother.

'You are sick, Erin.' Judith sighed heavily and shook her head. 'You think you can care for a toddler when you can barely care for yourself?'

'I am not sick simply because I don't agree with your petty way of life.' Erin argued.

'You have no friends, no one to care for the child when you tire of his crying and needs.' Judith continued while Erin pondered on the best way to throw her from the house without exposing Harry to extreme violence.

'He is my son.' Erin said firmly. 'I love him and I won't let you damage his life as you tried to mine.'

'Of course not. You'll do that all on your own.' Judith shook her head. 'Always blaming me for your incompetent! No wonder Marcus left.'

'Marcus cared nothing for me.' Erin corrected. 'He was always drunk and preferred to sit in front of the TV all day and do nothing.'

'He had money.' Judith stated.

'But he did not love me. I would rather have love than money.' Erin said flatly. 'Which is something you will never understand.'

'And when this brat cries for food? What will you give him? Love?' Judith snorted and stated the last word with disgust. 'You have much to learn, Erindia.'

'Get out.' Erin pointed to the door while Harry sat down to play with a stuffed dragon. It reminded him of a toy he had from his daddy before the bad man had taken his mummy and daddy away from him.

'Mark my words, Erin.' Judith said dangerously. 'You will never know happiness with this boy. Just like that Sirius Black man did not make you happy, as odd as he was. And this house was not good enough for you, neither were the sums of money you had inherited. This child will be no different. Eventually you'll make a mistake like you always do and he will be gone as well.'

Erin said nothing as he mother turned and left the house. She remained frozen on the spot and her face clouded with dread as she thought of her mother's words. Shaking her head, Erin turned back to Harry and smiled at him.

'Was that you?' She played and a smile returned to her warm face. 'Did you make the mean monster go away?'

'Yup!' Harry played along and smiled at her. He decided that he really liked this new person because she didn't make mummies scream and she didn't smack him or yell at him for confusing reasons.

Erin sighed and picked the boy up as she planned to show him his new bedroom, clothes and toys. She refused to worry about her mother's threat right now unless it was simply to acknowledge that the vile woman had left a newspaper behind on the kitchen counter.

'How strange.' Erin narrowed her eyes at the paper as she could have sworn the pictures had moved. 'I wonder who this “Voldemort” figure is.' She sighed as she spoke to Harry.

'Oh silly, you wouldn't know anything about that scary man now would you, Harry?' She cooed.

And so the woman named Erin Summers invited Harry Potter into her loving home and for two years she treated him to all the things a little boy deserved from his mother.

--

But Judith had been serious with her warning and several weeks after Harry's fourth birthday, social services arrived on the doorstep. They had with them medical forms that Erin knew weren't real and they claimed she wasn't stable enough to raise a child. Apparently she had committed some form of crime involving the adoption of the boy, even though she was certain she had not. Distraught but powerless, Erin had no choice other than to watch helplessly with horror as they took Harry away from her.

She was later committed into an institution when she became depressed over losing her son because no matter how hard she tried to get him back...time and time again she was told that the little boy named “Harry Potter” did not exist.

Part of this reason was the fault of a woman named Natalie Ashworth. She was in charge of the orphanage in which Harry was sent to after being taken from his new mother. For you see, Natalie was a squib. She knew exactly who was handed to her that day. She knew all about the now-famous Harry Potter and his parents as well as the expectation the entire wizarding world already had for this boy's future and his supposed talents.

She sympathized with the boy even more so when a couple showed up the very next day to adopt him. Because she was a squib, she could tell that they were not muggles due to their odd clothes and the way they spoke. They had a young son with them too, being about nine years old. It was when they barely took one look at Harry before they demanded to adopt him that caused her to see it for what it was. Natalie knew that no one would want that child for his cute shyness, his curious personality or gentle nature...they would want him only because he is Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived.

'I'm sorry, you must be mistaken.' Natalie said instead to this odd couple. 'This boy's name is ...Cody Evans.' She told them.

Cody was the name of her great-great grandfather and Evans was the first surname of the boy's birth mother. Although not many were sure to realize the connection between the two magical people and the combination of their names to give Harry a chance at a real family.

'Oh.' The woman frowned and peered at Harry more closely. 'Are you sure? He certainly looks like Harry Potter.'

'We only have muggle children here.' Natalie added and surprised them by knowing about magic; clearly they had assumed she was a muggle too.

'I assure you, Harry Potter has already been adopted out to a family through another orphanage.' Which was true. They simply didn't need to know the finer details of that situation.

As the couple left, Natalie glanced down at the little boy in her arms and sighed.

'Cody Evans? I suppose that will do, kid. One day you'll thank me for this, I swear.' She told him, convinced that it was indeed true.

'One day you will find the perfect home and they will love you only for being you, not because of your name or your past. From this day forward you are no longer Harry Potter...you are Cody Evans.'

Natalie thought she was helping him, but his new name meant Erin Summers would never be able to reclaim the boy she considered as her son. It meant Albus Dumbledore wouldn't be able to track him down to check up on him. And...is also led to Severus Snape giving up all hope of ever seeing a part of of Lily again.

To Severus, everyone inside that house at Godric's Hallow had died that night, along with the last pure piece of his soul.

The house was dark and quiet, mostly because it was very late at night and only one person was awake. Seven-year-old Harry had been sitting in the window seat of the shadowed living room for over three hours as he waited for his guardians to come home from some sort of event he didn't understand.

He had been adopted by them three years ago, although they called him Cody rather than Harry. He knew what his real name was but still everyone insisted on calling him something else. They weren't mean people like the evil man that haunted his dreams nor the aunt who screeched in the background of those same nightmares, but they were not the family he wanted.

The man was always at work so Harry barely saw him and didn't bother much anyway because he felt invisible to the man. The woman was always cranky, she often told him to play in his room or outside so that he couldn't bother her while she read her long books about mysteries and romance. And when they weren't around, the man's sister Emile was stuck with looking after him. She was a rather unclean woman since her face was always smudged and she wore long, messy clothes while her hair was too frizzy to tie up properly and always stuck out in odd places. He never really liked Emile because she was so boring and barely ever said a word to him. Harry often wondered if he was indeed invisible; no one ever really acted as though they knew he was there.

Emile was asleep in an armchair behind him as he continued to stare out at the darkened yet dimly-lit streets of Cambridge, London. He had a feeling in his stomach that something wasn't right, that perhaps he really shouldn't sleep just yet because still his guardians weren't home. And these were the type of people that despite how lazy and uninterested they may appear to be...they were never late.

Then the phone rang. Harry turned and lunged for it but Emile had a sixth sense about phones and doorbells so she had reached it before him. The seven-year-old watched with confusion as she appeared horrified, upset and than downright furious. After mere minutes, she hung up the phone and turned to face him. Her expression was sad and yet her eyes were empty of any sorrow.

'There was a car crash.' She told him. 'They're dead.'

Harry felt his whole world crash around him once again. His parents. Erin. And now these people? Not only was he invisible, but he was also cursed; how else could anyone explain how any family he had the chance to be a part of would vanish?

--

Harry couldn't sleep that night. Hey tossed and turned restlessly until the morning seemed to sneak up on him before he had the chance to really experience even an hour of proper rest. Emile had explained to him that she was his only other relative who could take him in and he had to live with her now. She told him that it wasn't ideal and neither of them wanted to but that was just how things worked.

'Where are we going?' Harry asked grumpily. His mood shifted from annoyed to sad and than back with each hour that passed since he had been rudely woken that morning. He was so confused and didn't know how to feel about everything that had happened in his life. He hadn't cried about losing his guardians and he felt guilty for it, but he was also scared about what was going to happen to him now.

'My husband Simon and I just bought a new place because we couldn't really afford the last one.' Emile sighed as she continued to drive and didn't once glance at Harry who sat in the car seat beside her.

'It's not much, but you'll have your own room and such.'

'I want to go home.' Harry crossed his arms in defiance; this new place didn't sound very nice at all.

'You know why you can't so can it.' Emile scowled. 'Look kid, I know this is a terrible situation but just be lucky that you're not out on the street, okay? We may not have a great lifestyle and all but it could be a lot worst, believe me.' She sighed and pulled up outside the house.

Harry peered at it and swallowed fearfully. It was dark and the same dull stone as all the other houses in the row on the entire street.

'I don't wanna stay here!' He pleaded with Emile. 'It's scary!'

'It's here or the streets.' Emile frowned at him. 'Pick one.'

Harry sniffed and got out of the car. He pulled out his bag and dragged it across the footpath in effort to further point out how much he didn't want to be there.

'You're going to be trouble.' Emile muttered. 'Good thing Simon will sort you out while I'm at work.'

'I hate this place.' Harry looked around. 'It's ugly and scary!'

'So is your attitude.' Emile stepped inside the house and called out to her husband while Harry remained standing outside to observe his new surroundings.

He spotted the house directly across the street from theirs which was exactly the same as all the others and yet there was something about it that caught his attention. Perhaps it was the almost a shift in the air that he felt when he stared at it...something like the presence of magic and belonging.

'Boy!' A loud voice caused him to jump and he spun around to face the man Emile referred to as her husband Simon.

Harry clutched his bag and quickly rushed inside the cluttered and even darker interiors of the house. While Emile had the appearance of laziness, disinterest and defocus...this man wasn't much better. He wore a white singlet over his hairy chest that matched the same dirty shade of his short, messy hair. His chin was covered in stubble and his hands were greasy but dry. Even from a distance the beer and cigarette on his breath was strong and unavoidable. Harry hated him at first sight.

'So you're the brat we've been forced to endure?' Simon asked and rolled his eyes. 'Well you're expected to pull your weight around here, got it?'

Harry could only nod his head because he had a bad feeling that while this man may seem mostly a bit annoyed right now...that may change in the space of a second.

'Good. Start with those dishes and then you can get outside and play for a while.' Simon narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the couch and sat back down to enjoy the rest of the cricket game he'd been watching. Emile had gone upstairs to dump Harry's stuff on the worn bed in his shabby room before she left the house to visit her friends.

Harry sighed miserably and dragged his feet over into the kitchen which was in an unclean but not disgusting state. There were only a few dishes so he quickly washed them off (he was used to this chore from his guardians since they had him do this and make his bed daily).

--

With his soapy task done, Harry did as he was told and stepped outside into the street. He wondered how anyone could remember which house was theirs since there were no numbers and each one looked the same. They counted them, he supposed. Harry sighed and sat on the front step (only a few houses had steps, such as this one due to the slightly uneven ground), and rested his cheek against hand while his elbow rested on his knee in boredom.

He turned quickly when he heard an unfamiliar sound and spotted a dark clothed man leaving an alley a few houses towards his right. The man had dark black hair, black clothes and looked like the sourest man Harry had ever laid eyes on. And yet, he didn't get the same instinctual urge to recoil from this stranger as he had with Simon.

'What?' The man snarled at him when he passed by the steps and noticed the boy staring at him.

'Oh um, nothing.' Harry quickly mumbled.

'Who do you belong to?' The man asked and looked around but other than the two of them the street was vacant, almost abandoned.

'I just moved here.' Harry pointed to the house behind him. 'I'm H-Cody.' He quickly corrected. 'Cody Evans.'

The man's face changed for a fraction of a moment but than he said not a single word and turned to cross the street. The dark man walked inside his house directly across from Harry's...the same house the boy felt an odd connection to minutes previous.

Little did Harry know...he had just met the one person who would not look at him as though he was invisible, who wouldn't cast him aside whenever he was there and this man would come to realize the one thing that everyone else tended to forget: he was just a child without a family to love him or even care when he was hurting inside.

Neither were aware of it then, but Harry Potter had just met Severus Snape.

Severus stepped out of the alley he had apparated to (it was the closest apparation point to his house and the one he always preferred to use), and stepped out of the shadows to glare at the sunlight. The street was empty as is usually was these days. This was how he preferred it. He flicked some dark hair from his eyes and dusted his robes as he began to walk along the street but soon realized that he wasn't entirely alone.

There on the front step of the house directly across from his own sat a young boy who was intently staring at him as though he had never seen another human being before.

'What?' Severus snarled at the boy; he did not appreciate brats who stared at him.

'Oh um, nothing.' The boy replied.

Severus glanced around the street and wondered where this boy had come from since he was sure that the only kids who lived in Spinner's End were punks and teenagers who liked to cause trouble at night. He had also never seen this child before.

'Who do you belong to?' Severus asked as though he actually knew the names of the annoying people who lived around him.

'I just moved here.' The boy pointed to the house behind himself, the one whose step he was sitting on. Of course. 'I'm...Cody.' He seemed hesitant to say his name and Severus was suspicious at first but decided he didn't care and prepared to leave.

'Cody Evans.' The boy concluded and Severus paused in his tracks. He felt a wash of pain upon hearing that last name and noticed that the boy had green eyes. Just like her.

He couldn't formulate a response so Severus quickly turned and crossed the street. He stepped inside his house, slammed the door shut and than leaned against it as he gasped for air. He had not been running and yet his heart beat too quickly inside his chest and he struggled to catch his breath for a moment. A boy with her eyes and her name. It had finally happened...Severus had lost his mind. He was convinced of it.

--

Meanwhile, Harry wondered if his name was offended to that strange man. He had always found it annoying when people called him Cody instead of Harry, but never had he really thought upon the real differences between the two names.

Harry shrugged and didn't really care because his name was the least of his confusions. He was once again at a new household, a place where he was invisible and otherwise ignored accordingly. Emile had said he was living with her now and then she'd basically dropped him off and left. And Simon, that man sent shivers down Harry's spine.

Harry wished he could go back to Erin. He'd been with her for two years and had been very young when he had, but Harry could never forget her. She was everything he had pictured a real mother to be; she cared about him, she loved him and she never ignored him, no matter how small his troubles or fears may be. A home was only as warm as the people who lived in it. Harry hadn't felt at home since he'd lived with Erin.

And so he spent the next few hours thinking of the new mother he'd lost many years ago and it wasn't until Emile was dropped off by one of her friends that he noticed the darkness that surrounded him. Harry gulped and shivered with mild cold as the shadows lingered over him and the distance became a mystery.

'Still out here, eh?' Emile glanced at him as she approached the door. 'Get off the step.' She frowned and he stood to let her pass him.

'I'm hungry.' Harry realized as he followed her inside the house. Simon had departed the couch and was seated at the table eating a sandwich while he glanced occasionally over at the TV where a news report was on.

'Then get something to eat.' Emile told him. 'You've got arms and legs.'

Harry frowned at her but did as he was told and walked into the kitchen to pull open cupboards and drawers for something to eat. He found a box of biscuits and some cereal but nothing that he classified as “dinner”. He tried the fridge next and just settled for making a sandwich with ham and tomato.

'Did you win?' Simon asked Emile about her poker game.

'A few hundred.' Emile smirked and flashed the money from her pocket.

'Good, it's your turn to pay rent.' Simon grunted and returned his gaze to the TV.

Harry picked up his sandwich and started to eat it as he wandered to stand directly in front of the door and examined the house. To his direct right was a desk without a chair, littered with mail and long letters. Near that was the TV resting on a small coffee table and the couch was directly across from that, sitting in the middle of the small area that was the entire room. In the far right corner was a pile of boxes and otherwise stuff Harry classed as junk. Directly in front of Harry at the furtherest wall was the bottom of the staircase which led directly upstairs and yet was partially concealed by a curtain of beaded strings that almost reached the floor.

To his direct left was the rounded table with three chairs where Simon was sitting and which had a few novels shoved to one side. Behind that was the kitchen. The fridge was on the right and had counters a cupboards placed against each of the three walls of the kitchen. The counters were all empty apart from a toaster, microwave and small pile of empty pizza boxes. The rubbish bin resided outside, something Harry had noticed when he'd sat on the step for hours, therefore a plastic bag had been hung on a hook on the side of the fridge and was already half-full of wrappers, cigarette packets and crumpled beer cans.

'Where are the windows?' Harry noticed that there were none.

'What do we need them for?' Simon asked but nudged his thumb towards the kitchen and Harry saw a small window above the sink at the end of the counter directly across from the fridge door.

'Oh.' He said in disappointment since it had a dull, ugly curtain covering it; he had assumed it was a part of the wall since the entire room had a very brown and dull theme to it.

'You've eaten.' Simon pointed as Harry finished his sandwich. 'Get upstairs and go to bed.'

'Yes sir.' Harry sighed and crossed the room to push the beads aside and climbed the stairs which were covered in some sort of material. He assumed it had once been carpet but had been worn off so much had been reduced to just threads glued to the wooden steps.

--

Once upstairs, Harry wondered if he should have asked about his room. There were four doors surrounding him and they were all open. He saw the main bedroom and steered clear of it as it reeked of cigarettes and perfume. Across from that and a little to the left was the small bathroom which had a shower, a bath, a counter with a mirror hanging over it and a storage cupboard for towels etc. Beside the bathroom was the toilet and that left only one other door on the furtherest left.

Harry pushed the door further open to examine his room and was pleased to find that it had a window, however dusty and high it was. It stood directly across from the door while the single bed had the headboard pressed to the wall on his right and on the left was a wardrobe with no doors. In the corners there were piles of old newspapers and a worn rug sat in the center of the room. That was it.

'I hate this place.' Harry grumbled as he approached the bed and sat on it heavily, pleased that at least it didn't fall apart under him as he had suspected it would based on its unstable appearance.

He spotted his bag on the side beside the bed, as though it had been through on the bed but had rolled off. Harry dove through it and pulled out a stuffed dragon he'd been given by Erin and gave it a tight squeeze. It had once been colourful and smelled of honey but now it was a faded, poorly patched toy that barely had any scent at all. Either way, it was the most precious thing Harry owned.

Harry threw his bag into the bottom of the wardrobe to join the few novels littered there and changed into his pajamas which he was beginning to outgrow around the ankles and wrists.

'Boy!' Simon's loud and demanding tone jerked Harry from his sleep the following morning. He gasped with surprise and looked around as he tried to remember where he was. Harry yawned and sat up in his bed, untangled himself from his blankets and than made his way out of the room to stand at the top of the stairs.

'What?' He called down.

'Get down here, you've got chores to do!' Simon shouted and Harry was unsettled by the amount of anger he heard in the man's tone.

Harry rushed back to his room and quickly changed into a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of patched jeans. He didn't bother with his hair and just made his way back down the stairs to face the man who now scared him because of his shifting moods.

'What are my chores?' Harry wondered as he stood near the stairs and stared at the couch where Simon was sitting across from the TV and watching a game.

'The dishes, the floors and the rubbish.' Simon answered.

Harry shrugged as that seemed fair enough and set to work. He washed the three plates in the sink along with the glasses and a lunch container. It only took him a couple of minutes, so did sweeping the floor. He dragged a chair over to the fridge to reach the rubbish and pulled the bag down, which was now full and had more beer cans than before inside it. He tied a unstable knot and carried it outside.

Harry pushed open the front door and stumbled down the steps under the weight of the bag and carried it to the bin, but it was large and the lid stretched out of his reach. Harry frowned as he put the bag down and tried to open the bin.

'Stupid bin.' He scowled at it as he stood as high as he could only to barely brush the brim with his fingers. Harry kicked the side of it once and glared at the rubbish bag on the ground at his feet. He didn't know how he was going to achieve this task and pondered on going back inside to ask Simon for some help. Feeling defeated, Harry grabbed the bag and retreated indoors.

'I can't reach the lid of the bin.' He told Simon but the man didn't even look at him.

'Then grow a few inches.' Simone replied.

'Can't you do it?' Harry complained and that seemed to get Simon's attention.

'Listen here, boy. You're lucky to even be staying here and you need help with the simplest of things?' Simon growled and stood to his feet. Harry recoiled back, but exhaled in relief when the rubbish bag was yanked from his hands and the man headed outside.

'Hey!' Harry cried out when the bag was tipped all over the ground. 'What are you doing?'

'Teaching you a lesson.' Simon snatched Harry by the back of his shirt and shoved him outside as well, as though he was a discardable item like the rubbish bag.

'Now clean it up and put it in the bin.' He scowled.

Harry whimpered as he had landed on his elbow, cheek, and knees. He turned in time to see the front door slam shut and the volume of the TV increased. Sniffing, he slowly sat upright and stared at the rubbish littered around him. A woman passed by and didn't even glance at him or offer to help. He tried asking her to open the bin for him, but he may as well been as vocal as the bin itself because she showed no signs of having heard him.

Harry rubbed his nose on the back of his shirt sleeve and crawled on his slightly sore knees to begin collecting the rubbish and re-filling the bag. He eyed the bin as though it was all its fault that he couldn't reach it.

A tear slid down his face and he furiously wiped it away as he collected the bear cans from the ground, not daring to count them although he wondered if they too were somehow responsible for this.

--

Severus paced in his study as he read over an article from the Daily Prophet. He descended the stairs and placed the paper on a table when he heard a noise from outside. Many years ago he had placed a spell on his house so that any sound of disruption would be amplified. If cars drove past or people conversed on phones outside he heard them as anyone would, but a struggle or offending assault and he would instantly be alerted to it.

He peered out his window to see the boy from the previous day aiming a kick toward the bin that towered over him. Severus rolled his eyes as this kid was obviously as much trouble as the rest of them. He hardly saw why a brat taking his frustrations out on a bin was enough to catch the attention of his spell so he stood there and observed for a moment. The boy retreated to the house, but what happened next certainly caught Severus' attention.

He frowned with concentration as he watched the man tip the rubbish outside his own house and then grabbed the boy to shove him outside with it. The child had fallen rather hard and been left outside to clean up. Severus rarely bothered himself with the problems of others, but he would be lying to himself if he said he was wasn't bothered by the sight of the boy being thrown out with the same force as the trash in which had also consisted largely of beer cans.

Sighing, Severus rolled his eyes and moved to leave his house. He glanced around the street and considered hexing the woman who simple walked by the boy and ignored him. Severus crossed the street and stood a short distance from the child who was yet to notice him.

'Not my fault I can't reach the stupid thing.' Harry mumbled and rubbed at his eyes again. 'Tell me to grow, as if that's bloody possible.' He continued and used his anger to constrain his tears. He winced as his elbow contacted with the side of the bin as he reached for another beer can.

'Ow.' He sniffed again and stopped collecting rubbish to just sit there and let himself demonstrate how miserable he felt by crying. He gasped when a shadow cast over him and thinking it was Simon, Harry jumped to his feet and raised his arm to defend himself.

'Calm yourself.' Severus said, surprised by the outburst he had been greeted with and hated to realize it was not a good sign.

'Oh, it's you.' Harry exhaled in relief. Even though he didn't really know this foreboding stranger, he was convinced that he was still better than Simon.

'Could you please open the bin for me?' He asked as nicely as he could even if he expected to be turned down.

Severus glanced at the bin and nodded as he moved to open it.

'Thank you!' Harry gasped in relief and went to return to his task of cleaning the rubbish only to find the bag was full and tied. 'Huh?' He frowned, but picked it up anyway and tried to put it into the bin.

'This is a ridiculous task to give to someone of your height.' Severus frowned as he took the bag off the boy and threw it into the bin before he shut the lid and glanced at the child.

Harry just shrugged and stared at his feet while he rubbed his sore elbow. The stranger stepped towards him so he reacted by stepped away with caution.

'I will never hurt you, Cody.' Severus surprised him by remembering the name he had been given. It was that surprise in which enabled Severus to get close enough to the boy to grasp his chin and lift his head to examine the small scrape on his cheek from the rude fall.

'Who are you living with?' Severus wondered as he cast a simple healing spell on the scrape and the boy's elbow with the use of his wand which was concealed up his sleeve.

'Um, Simon and Emile.' Harry answered without thinking.

'I assume they are not your relatives if you refer to them by their first names.' Severus frowned as Harry merely shrugged again.

'I have to go.' Harry pulled away from the dark man because he was the last person he had expected to act as though he wasn't invisible and he didn't trust the man.

'Of course.' Severus nodded and turned away but paused when the child spoke again.

'Thanks for helping me, sir.' Harry said softly although Severus had heard him clearly.

'You're welcome.' He glanced at the boy and than crossed the street and returned to his house where he planned to do some brewing.

Harry watched him leave and than hurried inside the house. He kept his distance from Simon and just rushed right upstairs to his room, slamming the door closed as he did so. He jumped onto his bed and buried his face into his pillow as he sobbed his heart out for the cruelty the world had bestowed upon him since birth.

There was a knock at the bedroom door a few hours later and Harry rolled over to glare at Emile.

'What's your problem?' She asked him when she noticed the look. 'I only came to ask if you wanted to go shopping with me?'

'Yes please.' Harry said without answering her question. He got up and followed her downstairs where he noticed that Simon wasn't home.

'Where were you today?' Harry wondered as they stepped outside and started walking down the street on the right.

'I was with some friends.' Emile answered. 'I heard you had a problem with the bin?'

'I couldn't reach it!' Harry scowled. 'And stupid Simon threw me outside and tipped the bag everywhere!'

'Well you can reach it now, can't you?' She asked and ignored the comment about Simon.

'No, I had to ask a stranger for help.' Harry admitted.

'Talking to strangers is dangerous, Harry.' Emile sighed. 'They could kidnap you and we don't have the money for a ransom. I'll put some boxes out for you to stand on next time, okay?'

'Yeah, okay.' Harry grunted and remained silent for the rest of the walk home.

'Don't stare at the ground, you need to remember this path.' Emile warned.

'Why?' Harry inquired.

'Because it will be your job to get the shopping.' Emile told him.

'I thought it would help build your confidence and sense of responsibility. We'll give you some money and you buy everything on the list. Any leftover money is yours to keep but try not to spend it all at once.' She explained.

'Oh okay.' Harry shrugged as he sounded good enough except it was a bit odd that they would let someone his age walk to the shops and handle large sums of money on his own.

Emile said nothing else until they reached the shopping center and she taught him how to tell which vegetables are the best, how to weight the meat and which brands were cheaper to get. After they paid for the food and left with four bags each, Harry realized that this wasn't something he looked forward to as the two bags he had were quite heavy although Emile said he'd likely only get two a week instead of the four they had.

--

As they arrived home it was almost dark and Simon had returned home and the TV was off, which Emile seemed to find a bit strange.

'Did you help the brat reach the bin?' Simon asked Emile as they stepped inside and Harry was instructed to put the shopping away.

'No.' Emile sighed. 'Some stranger did. Honestly Simon, it's too high for him. I'll put something out for him to stand on.'

'You better.' Simon scowled as he opened the fridge and extracted a can of beer. 'I'm not having him around if he can't put the rubbish in the damn bin!' He snapped and Harry flinched at the violent sound but Emile appeared uninterested and used to it.

'Well if you weren't so lazy, he wouldn't have to! At least I have a job.' Emile scowled back at him when he rolled his eyes at her lack of response.

'Oh shut up, woman.' Simon retreated to the couch. 'Putting up with you is a job.'

Harry left the last bag partially unpacked as Emile started shouting at Simon, something he hadn't expected from her before. He gasped fearfully and retreated to the back of the kitchen when they argued loudly until he could no longer stand the frightening noise and made a run for the stairs. He shoved the beads aside and climbed the steps as fast as he could before he shut his bedroom door and crawled under the bed.

He lay there for over an hour as they fought and covered his ears as he tried to shut out the sounds. Tears slid down his face as his mind fought to think of something else, such as the man who lived across the street and how his house was probably very quiet and peaceful.

After another hour Harry had fallen asleep under his bed, his mind filled with dreams of a dark man that saved him from a bin with teeth that tried to eat him because it thought he too was rubbish.

It was the beginning of a tradition; whenever nightmares plagued him, the dark man would appear to save him from the beast of the moment. If only it happened in his waking life as well, but little did Harry know...it was about to.

'Boy, get down here and make yourself useful!' Simon shouted up to him the following morning. Harry jerked awake and banged his forehead against the underneath of his bed.

'Oww!' He whimpered and his eyes watered as he reached up to rub his head. Harry crawled out from under the bed and the events of the previous day came rushing back to him. He was hesitant about facing Simon again now that he knew the temper the man had, although Emile had surprised him the night before as well.

Shivering with subconscious cold, Harry changed into some lightly tanned pants and a long-sleeved blue shirt. He took his time to brush his hair and put on his socks as well as his shoes. And when he could not longer delay it, Harry inhaled a sharp breath and began to descend the stairs.

'You called?' He asked Simon carefully.

'There isn't anyone else here, is there?' Simon rolled his eyes as he leaned over the table and eyed the newspaper spread there.

'Where's Emile?' Harry fidgeted nervously.

'At work.' Simon grunted. 'Wash the dishes and sweep the floor. Then I expect you to take the trash out more effectively than yesterday.'

'Yes, sir.' Harry sighed and performed the first two tasks as quickly and yet accurately as he could, which was difficult when Simon kept glancing over at him as though he was waiting to find a flew in his task.

Clutching the rubbish bag, Harry stepped outside and glanced at the house across the street before he eyed the bin. Emile had remembered to place out something for him to stand on so he was able to reach the lid, must to the gratitude of Harry.

Since his jobs were done, Harry moved to sit on the front step and watched the cars driving past.

'Oi!' Simon burst through the door, whacking Harry in the back of the head with it as he hadn't had time to react.

'Did I say you can slack off, eh boy?' He scowled. 'Take this to Mr Kort down the street.' Simon handed him a package that felt like a stack of papers.

'Which house is...?' Harry went to ask but Simon had already vanished inside again and he didn't dare to ask for help. The boy glanced around Spinner's End but it was impossible to tell which house belonged to a person named “Mr Kort”.

Harry knew the chores he was given were so simple and took only a few minutes, but at the same time they were complicated and turned disastrous by something even more simple such as not being able to reach a lid or missing a tiny piece of information. Not knowing what else to do, Harry began to approach the first house on his left and knocked.

'Yes?' A distracted woman with a bad hairstyle opened the door and peered at him with confusion as though she was trying to work out how she knew him.

'Um, does Mr Kort live here?' Harry asked.

'Do I look married to you?' The woman scowled as though she had been offended right before she proceeded to slam the door in his face.

'Get lost, kid!' The fat man living beside her shouted before he'd even managed to ask for directions.

'I don't want any, go harass someone else.' The middle-aged woman in the next told him and than went to answer her phone.

'Are you a friend of Caleb's?' A depressed mother answered the other. 'Well, he's not here so just got home, please.' She than shut the door as well, even going as far as to bolt it closed from the inside.

'Look punk, I don't have any money on me so just get out of here, okay?' The overtired and shaggy man in the next house told him and so far no one had given him a chance to ask about Mr Kort's address.

--

After twenty minutes and many rude, uninterested residences later, Harry was beginning to wonder if Mr Kort even existed. He growled and tried not to feel as emotional as he was leading up to being.

Harry bit his lip and turned to stare at the house the dark man had disappeared into the previous day. He had helped him, maybe he'd do it again? With no other option, Harry decided to be brave and crossed the street, still clutching the unknown package under his arm.

Harry stood on the doorstep for a while before he finally raised his hand to knock. At first there was no answer until he was about to turn away and just give up.

'What?' Severus snarled as he yanked the door open and nearly startled Harry. 'Oh, you.' He glanced at the boy.

'Um, do you know where Mr Kort lives?' Harry asked in a defeated yet equally desperate tone. 'I've tried all the others but...'

'Let me guess, not one cares?' Severus rolled his eyes. 'Look around you. This is not a friendly neighborhood.'

Thinking that was code for “go away”, Harry nodded and sighed.

'Right. Sorry I bothered you.' He mumbled and turned to walk away but felt the back of his collar being yanked.

'Mr Melvin Kort lives a block down the road.' Severus pointed in the opposite direction Harry had been knocking on. 'And he is not an ounce friendlier than these lot.' He glanced at the houses Harry had knocked at.

'No one is, are they?' Harry grumbled as it seemed that so far this unnamed stranger was the only person who didn't slam the door in his face or sneer at his attempts to fulfill small tasks.

'Could you...I mean, if you don't mind, could you show me which house it is?' He asked pleadingly.

Severus looked down at the boy for along moment and than exhaled heavily. 'I shall.' He stepped out of his house and shut the door behind himself.

'Come along, I don't have all day.'

'Thanks.' Harry gasped and rushed to keep up with the man's long strides. He remembered his dreams the night before when this man had saved him from anything that came his way and found that he idolized this stranger in some way. In comparison to everyone else, this stranger seemed so much stronger and mysterious, but in a good way. Like a hero that was concealed by shadows.

They reached the house and Harry eagerly knocked on the front door. After a few minutes a unshaven man with tanned skin and a black cap opened the door. He glared down at Harry with such annoyance that the boy stepped backwards only to bump into Severus.

'I-I...' Harry swallowed and held up the package. 'Simon sent m-me to give this to you.'

'About bloody time, useless as he is!' Melvin Kort snatched the package off Harry and then turned to slam the door in their faces but it didn't reach the door frame.

'What...?' Kort turned and noticed Severus' foot had stopped the door from shutting.

'Look here, Snape. You've got no business here so get lost!'

'This boy has delivered your package and yet your gratitude is shown by slamming the door in his face?' Severus eyed the man and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders to keep the boy from fleeing.

'Yeah. Thanks, whatever.' Kort rolled his eyes and this time Severus let him slam the door.

'You didn't have to do that.' Harry mumbled as he stared at his feet, embarrassed that someone had stood up for him. 'It was just a silly package.'

Severus said nothing as he was sure he knew what was inside that package and instead removed his hands from the boy's shoulder and nudged him towards his house.

'It is not safe for someone your age to remain outdoors in this neighborhood.' Severus advised.

'It's not safe anywhere here.' Harry said and Severus hoped the boy was merely complaining about the new situation and home.

'Emile!' Harry gasped as he spotted her getting out of a car and heading towards their house.

'Cody, not now.' Emile sighed, obviously having not noticed Severus standing there.

'But he did it again!' Harry scowled. 'He sent me to some stupid house without telling me which one it is. Like he made me take the rubbish out yesterday when I couldn't reach. He wants to me fail.'

'You fail all on your own.' Emile shook her head. 'Now get inside.'

'It stinks like beer and smokes in there.' Harry crossed his arms and forgot about Severus as well. 'I don't want to.'

'Well too bad, we all do things we don't want to so get inside.' Emile raised her tone and noticed Severus. 'Who are you?'

'He's not going to kidnap me so don't worry about not being able to pay a ransom.' Harry frowned at her and shoved past as he stormed towards the house.

'I don't know who you are but I suggest you stay away from him.' Emile frowned at Severus before she turned and followed Harry inside.

Severus said nothing and simply turned around to return to his house. His mind was focused on the odd boy and wondered why he kept helping the child. Perhaps because the child reminded him of how when he'd been younger no one had bothered to help him either, not even with the smallest of tasks. Severus prayed their situations weren't really too familiar or else more drastic assistance may need to be taken.

'I hate this place.' Harry frowned later that afternoon as he stood inside by the door.

'Shut up, brat.' Simon told him. 'I hate you and your pathetic whining.'

'You're lucky you even have a place to go.' Emile added.

'This house stinks.' Harry continued as his fears were shoved aside by his anger.

'You don't like the house, huh?' Simon suddenly stood and Harry recoiled back towards the door. 'Well...'

'Simon, enough.' Emile rolled her eyes. 'Can't you just send him to his room and get this conversation over with?'

'Brats don't learn anything without a lesson.' Simon said. 'So shut your pie, woman!' He snapped and sipped the last of the beer in his can before he advanced on Harry again.

'I take it back!' Harry said quickly.

'Too late.' Simon grasped the scruff of Harry's shirt and opened the door with his free hand. He shoved Harry outside and smirked down at him.

'Don't worry, once you spend a night out here, you'll really appreciate the house.'

'Simon, I'm not paying ransom!' Emile scowled.

'Won't need to.' Simon shrugged. 'Everyone can see he's not worth anything.'

'No, wait!' Harry jumped up in spite of his sore knee and rushed to the door but it had closed and was locked.

'I'm sorry!' He pounded his fists against the door. 'Let me in! I can't stay out here! It's cold and...and scary.' Harry turned and wiped his eyes.

He saw that the street was getting darker before the rest of the world and the sun was sinking low. He sniffled and tried to keep his sobs at bay as he sat on the steps and wrapped his arms around his legs.

Harry hadn't known Simon long but he just knew the man wasn't going to let him inside until the sun rose again. He only hoped Emile would and yet he strongly doubted it.

--

Harry must have sat there for over two hours before the cold and darkness began to scare him so much more than the idea of making Simon mad by causing a commotion. He had considered shouting that he'd been locked out but given the friendliness of the people today, he wondered if anyone would really care.

He heard a dog howling in the background and spotted two teenagers near the end of the street digging through a large trash bin and his fear only increased. He saw the lights shining from overheard as well as the windows of the houses around him. Harry could smell roasts and fragrances as well as hear some people laughing over a TV show and others talking loudly on the phone. No one noticed the cold little boy locked outside in the night, starved of his dinner and without anyone to even worry about him.

All but one.

Severus had been passing by his window, which had been cleaned up so that he could keep an eye on the house across the street, and with good reason. He spotted Harry sitting on the step with his head bent over his knees as he appeared to be crying. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

'Blasted muggles.' Severus scowled as he pulled out his wand and summoned a silk, blue blanket he had just washed and had planned to stash in a drawer somewhere. He turned into the kitchen and grabbed a plate from one of the overhead cupboards. He made two slices of grilled cheese and snatched an apple as well as a small vial before he headed out of the house and once again crossed the street.

'Tis' not fair.' Harry sniffled and only felt worst when a cheesy aroma reached his nostrils.

'Hungry?' A voice asked and he glanced up in panic only to see the strange man standing before him with a plate.

'Yes.' Harry whispered hopefully and clutched at the plate when it was passed to him. He eyed the cheese-coated bread and turned to give the man a questioning look of his choice of food.

'My mother used to make that for me on cold nights.' Severus shrugged and knew the boy was cold because he himself was wrapped in his robes and he was able to feel the chill of the night air.

'Thanks.' Harry munched on his food and smiled at how yummy it was. 'Why do you keep helping me?' He wondered.

'Swallow before you speak, Cody.' Severus frowned. 'And you need no justification.'

Harry swallowed and decided that it didn't really matter why the man helped him so long as he didn't do something to change the man's mind. Suddenly fearful of losing his meal, Harry sped up his eating and soon the plate was empty.

'Drink.' Severus passed Harry a vial of a warming potion that was cleverly disgusted as orange juice. He knew it was terrible to encourage the boy to accept such gifts from a complete stranger but somehow Severus had a feeling that the boy was mostly ignored by the best and worst of all people.

Harry shivered again but felt much better with something warm in his stomach. He noticed that the air wasn't quite as cold as it had been as he handed to odd cup back to the man.

'You never told me your name.' Harry realized.

'Nor do I intend to.' Severus answered. 'It's easier that way.'

Harry was going to argue that he knew his name and yet that wasn't entirely true. The man thought he was Cody Evans when really he was Harry Potter. He nodded and remained silent for a moment until he realized that the man was about to leave.

'Please, sir!' He swallowed. 'It's scary out here...will you stay a little bit?'

'Why are you outside?' Severus asked instead. 'I understand you have been locked out but I cannot see what possible excuse they could have for locking a child outdoors all night.'

'I said their house stunk.' Harry blushed.

'Sometimes it is best to remain quiet.' Severus advised and handed Harry the blue blanket.

'Don't fret, child. I'm watching.' He nodded and headed towards his house. He stepped inside and shut the door as he cast many protective charms over the boy and also ones to alert him if anything happened. And with that, he set about preparing to brew a potion he had been wanting to work on for a while.

Harry wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and cuddled into it as he stared at the house across the street. The blanket was softer than any sheet he had ever felt and is smelled vaguely like honey...just like his dragon had before it got old. He wondered if honey was what home smelled like.

Either way, the streets weren't so dark or scary anymore and Harry was able to curl up on the step knowing that even though he couldn't see the man, he was certain that he watched over him all night. His hero in the shadows.

Harry awoke the moment the sun began to rise because he was painfully uncomfortable and had fretted about all night.

He yawned and sat upright, wincing as his body protested with aches and cramps. He rubbed his eyes and pulled his blanket closer as he looked around the street. The house across from him was as concealed and vacant as all the others and yet he felt as though his hero was watching him still. Sighing, Harry glanced at the door of his own residence and crawled over to knock.

'It's morning!' He called out. 'Let me in!' Harry pounded against it and yelped when it opened inwards and he fell sprawled onto the floor.

'Enough with the racket, we heard you already.' Emile scowled at him.

'Get in.' She demanded and he was more than pleased to do so. She didn't even notice his blanket, of which he was quite thankful for because he had no intention to explain it or let them take it away.

'Eat.' Emile added. 'I've got to get to work. Stay out of Simon's way if you know what's good for you.' She pulled on a coat and had left the house in minutes.

Harry made himself some sandwiches and stole a almost-empty box of biscuits as he wondered what Emile's job was and how long Simon had been passed out on the couch for.

After his meal he drank as much water as he could and than rushed upstairs to use the bathroom and change into clean clothes.

Harry curled up on his bed and was indeed very thankful for it more even more so, he loved his new blanket. He was like a shield of calmness when he hugged it and inhale its honey-homey scent.

--

He must have dozed off again because when Simon was shouting to him, it was almost nine in the morning. Harry concealed his blanket under his pillow and rushed from the room to approach the man he absolutely loathed.

'I want a day of peace and quiet.' Simon told him. 'Do your usual chores and then you can get lost until sundown.'

'Where do I go?' Harry wondered.

'I don't care so long as you're back no sooner than sundown.' Simon retorted with a scowl and waved his hand dismissively.

'Okay.' Harry sighed and washed the dishes, swept the floor and took out the little amount of trash there was. He didn't understand why he had to do these thing everyday as they barely took five minutes total now that he could reach the bin's lid.

Harry stepped outside and admired the clear blue sky for a moment before he enviously watched several children ride their bikes past as they laughed together. It reminded Harry that he had only a day or two left until he was due back at school, which was something he didn't mind other than the fact that he'd be the new kid again.

Harry dragged his feet as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and wandered aimlessly around in a circle the street for a moment. He crossed over and glanced at the house of the strange man for a moment before he walked along it down the right side and spotted a park at the end near the corner. He couldn't find a gate anywhere so he crawled under some bushes where he had spotted a hole in the fence that was big enough for him to fit through.

Harry stood and looked around at the swings, roundabout, see-saw and sandbox. Shrugging, he approached the swings and sat on one and closed his eyes as he imagined being a normal kid for once. His legs swayed as he swung and he re-opened his eyes to wondered if this was what it felt like to fly. The higher he went to more he wished he could just soar through the air and land safely on his feet. Harry must have used the swing for over an hour before he ventured to the roundabout and laughed until he felt dizzy.

The sandbox was no fun so he instead climbed a large oak tree in one corner of the park near the swings and that was closer to Spinner's End than the nicer streets everywhere else surrounding the empty park. Reaching for each branch with odd ease although Harry had barely climbed any trees in his life, he soon found himself several feet off the ground and quite liked keeping his distance from the world below.

Harry could see far from his perch and happily stayed there for hours, watching the clouds drift by in shapes or the people that passed around him and went about their normal lives. He shifted his position and felt his hand brush against something on the trunk.

'Huh?' Harry turned and rubbed it further until the moss cleared and a few scarred scrapings were clearly printed there. He frowned as he leaned closer to read it and saw the words “Sev and Lily. Friends forever” carved there. The writing was clearly by someone around his age or a bit older and had been there a while, although the word “forever” was harder to read as a fresher scrapping appeared to have mostly crossed it out. Whoever those two had been, Harry had a feeling that the “forever” part no longer applied.

--

It was early afternoon and a spell told Severus that the boy was no longer at the house. He had been gone for some time and he was worried, no curious, as to where he had gone.

Severus stepped outside and realized that the boy had caused him to venture into the outer world he was trying to shut out more times in a few days than anyone had in a year.

'Point me, Cody Evans.' Severus said to his wand but there was no result so he tried again. He wasn't sure why the spell didn't work unless...was that truly the boy's name? Perhaps his surname had changed than? Either way, his spell was useless.

Severus put his wand away and wandered down the street, thinking of the park he used to spend a lot of time at as a child. He approached the fence and saw the boy climbing down from a tree, dropping a sharp stick onto the ground as he ventured over to the swings. Severus watched him for a moment and placed a tracking spell on the child so that he would always know where he was and if he was in any danger.

With that, he turned and retreated to his home and allowed the boy a moment to himself.

Harry glanced over at the fence as he thought he'd seem something move and spotted his secret hero walking away. He wondered if he had been checking on him and smiled at that thought because it meant that even if it was only to one other person, Harry wasn't entirely invisible anymore.

He pushed himself off the swing in slight midair and landed on his feet with practiced ease. Harry strode towards the hole in the fence and crawled through it, careful not to get his shirt caught on the pieces of wire that was sticking out in a few odd places.

He turned and wandered back along the street the park was connected to and paused outside the stranger's house. Harry glanced at it curiously for a moment until he could delay the inevitable no further and had to face the return to his own residence. Sighing, Harry pushed open the front door and stepped inside, the scents he hated burned his nose as always but he tried to ignore it.

Simon glanced over at him and nodded with approval before he turned back to the TV where the news was on. Emile was home too, Harry noticed, as he saw her cutting lemons in the kitchen. She appeared to be using the sliced pieces to squeeze the juice and to make a sour lemonade.

'Can I try it?' Harry wondered.

'Add some sugar water and you can.' Emile allowed.

Harry did as he was asked by tipping several spoonfuls of sugar into a jug of water and than poured in the lemon juice. He grabbed a glass and served himself a small portion of the modified lemonade to taste.

'Mm, nice.' He grinned. 'What's it for?'

'It's for you to take to school tomorrow.' Emile replied.

'Oh, okay.' Harry was confused of the beverage option but shrugged as he didn't really like their water much anyway. 'Wait, that's tomorrow?'

'Yes. I have your uniform on your bed.' Emile told him. 'It's second-hand but it'll do. Also your bag and books are there too. Don't wreck them because they cost money.'

'Okay.' Harry replied again with a small sigh.

'Good.' Emile exhaled as though relieved. 'Now get something to get, have shower and head to bed.'

Harry nodded and sipped the last of his lemonade before he went through the fridge and heated up some leftover pasta with tomato sauce and mince. It wasn't the same as a fresh meal but it filled him up nonetheless. Despite his rather dull day, Harry was quite tired and was eager to get to bed. Perhaps this was a result of his interrupted and horrid rest the night before? Either way, Harry showered quickly and put on his pajamas as he looked forward to a full nights rest.

He was about to climb into bed when he heard loud murmurings coming from downstairs that didn't quite sound like a hushed conversation and yet had the feel of one. Frowning curiously, Harry tip-toed out of his room and over to the top of the stairs to investigate.

'How much did you spend on the boy's stuff?' Simon asked Emile in a clearly suspicious tone as he strongly disapproved of her actions.

'None more than necessary.' She answered in an equally distrustful tone. 'Why?'

'We've got rent to pay, in case you haven't noticed.' He scowled with a raised voice.

'If you didn't drink so damn much it wouldn't be a problem!' Emile snapped back at him.

Harry flinched dramatically when he heard a loud sound as though something being slammed against a hard surface, something solid and involving glass.

'What's going on?' Harry panicked as he rushed downstairs and saw a beer bottle broken on the floor beside the table and Emile was backed towards the kitchen, staring at it with wide eyes.

'Get to bed, brat!' Simon shouted at him.

'I was just...'

'NOW!' Simon roared and Harry almost fell over with shock and fear. He turned and rushed up the stairs but stumbled on the top step and fell. Harry lay there for a moment and listened intently to see if he had been discovered.

'Oh, yeah...take it out on the boy.' Emile accused. 'As though you're not the one with the bloody problem!' She yelled at Simon.

'You're lucky to even stay here with him.' Simon argued back just as loudly. 'If it were up to me, you'd both be out on the street!'

'It feels like we are, you lazy scum!' Emile and Simone continued at it while Harry crawled into his room and curled up in his bed.

The shouting increased and Harry had to press his hands against his ears just to be able to think straight. He was scared that Simon would hurt Emile since she was always mocking him and he had a scary temper.

Occasionally there was a loud, unidentifiable sound amidst their verbally violent quarrel. Their volumes increased and swearing was mixed into their words as they fought. Harry tried desperately to block them out while he shook with fear and tears made tracks all down his cheeks and leaked onto his pillow.

Harry dug a hand under the pillow and yanked out his blanket to clutch it to himself. He cuddled it for all the warmth and safety he felt it could posses.

'Cody!' Harry was roughly shoved awake the following morning which startled him and he sat upright instantly.

'You've got school so get up.' Emile scowled at him and Harry noticed a coloured bruise on her forearm although it was partially concealed by her deep purple shirt.

'Are you okay?' He asked her worriedly.

'Just be ready to go in twenty minutes.' She replied and left the room.

Harry hugged his blanket once more before he concealed it away underneath his pillow and dressed into his dark school pants and light blue uniform shirt. Once he shoes, socks and cap were on, he grabbed his grey bag and shoved his books inside it before he pulled it onto his bag and adjusted the straps. He rushed downstairs and located his lunch box and drink bottle while cautiously glancing around the room.

Harry made himself some jam on toast and was relieved that Simon didn't appear to be in the house at all. Harry finished and hurried outside to join Emile who was impatiently waiting for him a few feet away.

'I'll take you to school because it's only a short talking distance from where I work, but you're walking home in the afternoon, deal?' She asked him.

'Yeah, okay.' Harry nodded as though he actually had a choice.

'Where do you work?' He wondered as he had frequently tried to think of what her job was.

'That's none of your business.' Emile told him and than half-answered it anyway. 'It's mostly boring stuff half the time and answering phone calls, that kind of thing.'

'Oh.' Harry agreed that it did sound like a rather boring thing to do all day.

They reached the school gates ten minutes later and Emile continued walking without pausing even saying goodbye. Harry watched her leave and than entered the school grounds. He observed a group of children his age playing basketball nearby his right while at his left a group of girls played hopscotch. Already feeling left out, Harry approached the main doors of the brick building just as the bell rang.

He had located the office on his own and the office lady showed Harry to his new classroom where the teacher was already going through attendance.

'Oh, you must be Cody.' The chubby teacher smiled at him and he nodded with shyness when everyone in the classroom turned to stare at him. He put his bag away on a hook near the wall and approached the front of the classroom as the teacher had gestured him to.

'Everyone, this is our new student Cody Evans.' She told them and looked down at Harry. 'Is there anything you'd like to tell us about yourself, Cody?'

'No.' Harry mumbled without daring to even glance up from where his gaze was glued to the floor beneath his feet.

'Very well, have a seat.' She nodded and returned to calling out attendance.

Harry exhaled with fleeting relief and moved to the only available seat in the third row between a dark boy and a girl with pigtails. Neither glanced at him and it seemed Harry was destined to be ignored everywhere he went.

He still wasn't sure why everyone constantly called him “Cody Evans” when he was so certain that his name was Harry, but over the years he had come to realize that if he tried to let people know this they looked at him oddly and no one ever believed him. He'd gotten quite used to having two names and it only bothered him from time to time but the boy was determined to never forget his real name because it was an important part of the parents and new mother he had lost over the years; to them he was Harry Potter and if one day he shall return to Erin, than that was who he wanted to be.

He would even often daydream about being two people. To him, Cody Evans was the invisible boy who lived with people that were happier when he wasn't around and Harry Potter was the normal boy everyone loved and who had a real family. And when the strange man was around, Harry mused about being “Harry Evans”, a mix of both where he wasn't quite loved but he was noticed in a more friendly kind of way.

The day progressed ordinarily with various lessons involving spelling, map usage and history. At lunch Harry sat with two boys that had invited him to join them even though neither spoke to him the entire time and otherwise forgot he was there. Harry didn't mind too much as he drank his lemonade and ate his ham sandwiches.

He had decided that school wasn't too bad in itself but in comparison to the place he lived at...school was the best place in the world.

As time progressed to the point where the school day was almost over, Harry's curiosity began to fade and was replaced with the dread of returning to that horrid house.

He fidgeted in his seat when the teacher announced their weekly writing assignment because he was concerned that it would be impossible for him to complete. The task was to write about what type of person a real hero was, in their own words. They would then have to read it aloud to the entire class.

Harry had peaked over the shoulders of others and knew that some of his classmates were doing it on doctors, police officers and military people, but Harry whenever Harry thought of the word “hero”...he pictured the dark stranger who lived across from him.

The bell rang as it always did around three in the afternoon and yet Harry felt is piercing his ears like an alarm bell announcing a fire. The teacher dismissed them and everyone began to gather their things because he was the only one who wasn't in an eager hurry to leave the school grounds and go home.

'Don't you take the bus?' One boy asked him as they walked down the corridor together.

'No. I walk.' Harry shrugged as he fought to recall the boy's name but couldn't as his hands began to sweat with nerves and he knew Simon was likely to be home.

'Oh. Well, see ya!' The turned and boarded the bus.

Harry looked around towards the exit of the school grounds where parents waited to pick up their children and true to her word, Emile was nowhere to be seen. He sighed and walked out of the gates, lightly brushing past the families as he ducked his head and strode forward.

He hadn't been watching where he was going as he walked and didn't notice when two older boys paused their pacing ahead of him. As a result, Harry dumped straight into them with enough strength for someone to assume that he'd deliberately shoved them.

'Oi, watch it!' The pale boy snapped and turned around on the spot to glare down at him.

'Sorry.' Harry replied quickly but miserably and the boys started laughing.

'Looks like a wimp.' The other boy with a red cap placed over his curly hair chuckled. Two other boys their age joined the little group to find out what was so amusing.

Harry backed away from them as all four of the taller and certainly stronger boys stared down at him and chuckled. He gulped and quickly crossed the nearest street to avoid them and proceeded to walk home although he could heard them yelling after him. Harry panicked when he turned around and saw that they were chasing him with unnerving speed.

Seeing no other option, Harry took off at a run and struggled to remember the way back to Spinner's End as he picked up speed and just charged ahead like a bull going to battle.

It was clearly not his day when he glanced over his shoulder to see if he was still being followed and in that split second, he ran head-on into something black...or rather, someone.

'Sorry!' Harry gasped as he stared up at the familiar stranger but darted to hide behind his hero when he could still hear the boys shouting to him and calling him awful names.

Harry gasped desperately for oxygen as he hid behind Severus and clutched to the man's robes, fearful of the older boys and hoped that his hero wouldn't let him down by shoving him into harms way.

'Where's the freak?' A boy with glasses asked as he and the other three looked around the street for Harry.

Severus narrowed his eyes at them and placed a hand near his left side to protectively cup the back of the scared boy's head. The situation had instantly reminded of the marauders as the boys searched for the one they had hoped to bully.

'You have no business here. I strongly suggest you to leave!' Severus snarled nastily at the youngsters and they wisely chose to turn around and depart rather quickly.

He turned around and glanced down at the little boy who had latched himself to his robes. Harry glanced up at the man and bit his lip tearfully.

'I won't hurt you.' Severus reminded him and didn't have the cruelty in him to move when the boy lunged at him and clutched to him desperately. It broke his heart because the similarities between his childhood and the situation this boy was in were far too close to be anything but equally problematic.

'Make it go away!' Harry's sobs were muffled against the man's robes. Severus wished it was that easy. He was not a man who coddled anyone or knew how to show compassion and despite everything he had done for the boy so far, he really didn't know that much about how to handle children. However, somehow he knew exactly what to do because there was something that guided him...Severus thought of all the things he had wanted most when he had been this boy's age.

'Hush, child.' Severus tried to silence the boy but the child was too distraught. Trying to get through to him, he crouched before Harry and yanked him off his robes. Severus gently but securely gripped Harry's arms to restrain him from either clinging to him again or leaving.

'Listen to me.' Severus said firmly but not unkindly. 'If anything happens, I want you to come to me.' He said and reached into his pocket to extract a very large, black button. With one arm free, Harry reached up to wipe his eyes dry with his sleeve but otherwise focused on the ground and blushed.

Severus discreetly cast a spell on the button and handed it to the boy.

'If you think you're in danger or something isn't right. Rub this button three times and close your eyes.' He instructed.

'I promise you'll be right outside my door and I will keep you safe from anything.'

'Anything?' Harry whispered and stared at the button in his small hands, not once even questioning if what the man had said was really possible.

'Yes.' Severus nodded because by Merlin he would fight Voldemort himself if he had to! No child should go through what he had and Severus was not about to let this innocent child fall victim to a doomed life of darkness and loneliness.

'Now, go on.' Severus nudged the boy towards the house across the street and straightened upright into a standing posture.

Harry nodded and turned towards his own residence. He stepped inside the house with his button clutched in his small hand as he calmed his breathing and ignored a majority of his emotions. He saw Simon scribbling notes on a newspaper at the table while Emile cleaned up the beer cans that littered the living room.

'Hey.' Harry greeted them dutifully and shoved his button into the pocket of his school pants. Neither even looked at him as he spoke so Harry turned and made his way upstairs where he lay sprawled out on his stomach on the floor with his schoolbook and a pencil. Poking his tongue out slightly, Harry set to work on and barely noticed the hours that passed him by as he continued to lay there amongst his homework.

'Boy!' Simon called up the stairs later and Harry jumped to the sound, which caused a small puncture in his work.

'Coming!' Harry stood up quickly and rushed downstairs.

'Get something to eat and head to bed. I don't want to see your face.' Simon scowled at him from the couch.

The place was otherwise rather empty; it seemed that Emile had once again gone out for a poker game with her friends.

Harry said nothing else towards the mean man and merely nodded with obedience as he grabbed some crackers, chunks of fruit and a piece of toast.

After eating his makeshift meal, Harry headed back up the stairs for a shower and than busied himself with putting his school things away where they belonged. With consideration, his button was shoved underneath his pillow in exchange for his soft, blue blanket.

As Harry closed his eyes and cuddled his treasured blanket for warmth, he thought about the piece of paper that rested inside his school bag and smiled to himself as he was quite proud of his work and didn't mind the concept of reading it aloud to the class in a few days. He sighed relatively contently as dreams overcame Harry and drifted him away from the harsher reality.

----

My Definition of a Real Hero by Cody Evans 

 

A lot of people think a hero is someone who wears a uniform and puts out fires or fixes peoples bones, but I think those people are just really smart and have important jobs. I think a real hero is someone that sees things other people can't. They know when someone needs saving in a way that no one else can. Because a real hero doesn't get cats out of trees, chase fast cars or apply stitches because they're someone special who can see when you're sad and knows how to make it better. He can show up and make the scary things go away without having to do anything, it's almost like magic!

I think everyone who is sad or scared has a hero to look over them but we don't always know it because real heroes don't get metals or anything like that, they are just needed for a moment and then they're gone again.

Real heroes are hard to find because a lot of people who need help are invisible to the rest of the world and it takes a really magical hero to find them. But I think that they don't mind looking for us because it's part of being a hero and without them the world is only full of sadness and scary stuff.

I think the best hero is one that hides in the shadows and you never know he's there but then when you need help the most, he comes out and saves you. He makes everything bad go away...because that's what real heroes do.

Harry rubbed his eyes as he awoke the following morning and climbed out of bed. He stretched and gazed through his clouded window to see that the sun was only just beginning to rise. He wasn't sure why he was awake this early but decided to stay up anyway and changed into his school uniform.

He had a little bit of time before Emile was going to walk him to school so Harry cautiously made his way downstairs and decided to have his breakfast while he waited for her.

He reached the last step and hesitated; Simon was moving about in the kitchen as he prepared scrambled eggs in a frying pan.

'What?' He asked Harry the moment he'd spotted the boy staring at him.

'Nothing.' Harry shrugged and stepped into the room. Once the man had turned to ignore him, Harry quickly grabbed some fruit and made himself some jammed toast. There was a tense silence as they each went about their breakfast tasks.

Harry couldn't bare to be near Simon for long, so he ventured outside to eat the rest of his toast as he sat on the front step of the house.

As usual, his gaze trailed over to the stranger's house; the home of his silent hero whose name Harry still didn't know. His thoughts wandered to the button he'd been given and the way the man had scared off those would-be bullies with only a few words. Harry wished he had that kind of power and influence.

He chewed the last of his toast and returned inside to gather his schoolbag. Emile wandered into the kitchen and fixed herself something to eat while Simon retreated to the table and proceeded to complain about whatever he was reading in the newspaper.

Harry paid them little attention as he preferred to pretend away their existence by imagining that he was the only one there.

'You'll be shopping today.' Emile told him as they left the house and walked in the direction of the school.

'Simon will give you the list and money this afternoon as I have to work late.' She sighed. 'Remember the rules.'

'Yeah, the leftover money is mine,' Harry nodded. 'And don't break the eggs.'

'Exactly.' Emile agreed as she glanced over at the school grounds. He waited for her to comment on something or ask him questions about his studies...but the silence continued. It was during these moments in which Harry hated because he was constantly reminded that no one cared.

Harry stopped at the gates of the school grounds and watched Emile leave. He felt downhearted for a moment but convinced himself to appear confident and untethered in case someone noticed and picked on him for it. With those recollections, Harry glanced around nervously for the boys that had chased him the previous day. They didn't appear to be around. With an exhale of relief, he approached a group of boys from his class to watch as they played hopscotch in an attempt to pass the time.

'Wanna play?' A blonde boy asked when he spotted Harry standing on the sidelines.

'Um, sure.' Harry shrugged. He placed his schoolbag on the ground and reached for the stone they passed to him. He tossed it and it landed three jumps away. It felt nice to be invited to join in for once as he never really had friends nor did anyone give him much attention.

The bell rang and Harry turned to grab his bag. He hurried after the group he had played with and followed them along the corridor to their classroom. After he'd hung up his bag on its designated hook, Harry sat in his seat and prepared for the day.

'Good morning, everyone.' Mrs Kline greeted her class and began to call attendance. Harry was used to being "Cody Evans" by now that he responded to this adopted name as clearly as the others replied to their own names.

He thought back to when he had first heard that name, although it was difficult to remember it clearly. It had occurred around about the same time as when he'd been taken from Erin. Harry gasped as he recalled how lady at the orphanage had been the first to call him by that new name. She'd said that one day he'd be thankful for it, or something.

'Cody?' The teacher glanced over at him; she and the rest of the class had obviously heard his sudden gasp.

'Sorry. It's nothing.' Harry blushed and ducked his head with embarrassment while a few of the other students sniggered.

'Okay than.' Mrs Kline nodded and proceeded with the first lesson which was a revision of their spelling words.

Harry kept his head down for a while and tried to ebb away his embarrassment while his realization swam through his mind. It must have meant more than he'd previously thought because he had trouble with his spelling whereas he was usually really good at it.

'Hey, Evans.' A boy behind Harry hissed and he turned around to face the sandy-haired boy with brown eyes.

'What?' Harry whispered and hoped that the teacher wouldn't catch him talking during class; he'd had enough attention for one day.

'What are you doing after school?' The boy asked curiously.

'Uh, shopping.' Harry replied.

'Oh. Well, can't you ask your mum to let you come over to my place instead?'

'I can't.' Harry sighed. The one time he might make a friend and he had no option but to turn the boy down.

'I have to do the shopping by myself.' He revealed and realized that it indeed wasn't a normal task given to a child of his age because the other boy looked quite surprised by his reply.

'Oh, ah...right.' The boy frowned. 'Well, can I come? We can go to the park when we're done, if you like?'

'Yeah, okay.' Harry grinned but winced as the teacher called his name again. 'Sorry.' He told her and turned back around.

'I'm Jack, by the way.' The boy hissed and Harry nodded to let him know that he'd heard him.

Harry fidgeted in his seat and hoped that the day would go past as quickly as the previous one had appeared to. However, it seemed that when one is waiting for something time goes by slower, or at least it feels that way.

The day progressed slowly and almost painfully for Harry. He barely managed not to jump from his seat when the lunch bell rang. At least during a meal break he would be able to find a more effective way of passing time.

'Wanna play some basketball?' Jack asked him as they stepped outside with their lunch-boxes.

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'But I've never played before.'

'Me neither.' Jack smirked as they hurriedly ate their lunch and went to join two boys at the court. The other boys were a bit older than them but Jack and Harry proved to be a good team; they were able to keep up with them although their goal-scoring skills weren't to be envied.

'It's sure harder than it looks.' Jack gasped as he hunched over to catch his breath while Harry went to retrieve the ball. The older boys had gone to hang out with their other friends and had left them the court.

'Yeah.' Harry agreed.

'So, Cody...what are your parents like?' Jack questioned curiously.

'Oh um, I don't live with them.' Harry sighed in admittance. 'They died when I was a baby and I stayed with a nice lady for a while. Than I was sent somewhere else and they died too.' He frowned and hoped he wasn't changing his friend's mind about being around him.

'Who are you with now?' Jack asked instead.

'Just some friends of the other people.' Harry shrugged. 'I don't like them very much. How about you? What are your parents like?'

'Well...' Jack thought for a moment as he straighted and reached for the ball to try and score a goal.

'Mum's a doctor so she's on call a lot. Dad's a mechanic so I know a fair bit about cars because of him. I don't see them much but it's okay, I guess. I mean, I still have my big brother.' Jack shrugged and glanced away as though he was ashamed of his family as well.

'It's okay.' Harry replied. 'Sometimes things just don't work out real good.'

'Yeah.' Jack smiled and tossed the ball upwards. It bounced off the side of the hoop and Harry had to run to catch it.

Harry was really enjoying himself and found that he quite liked Jack. Although he'd never had a friend before so it was nice to finally be seen and that someone chose to spend some time with him. He stared at the hoop and tried to line the ball up with it before he tossed it.

'Nearly!' Jack complimented as the ball hit the side of the hoop...but for some reason it didn't fall. Both boys stared as the ball slid slightly around the hoop's edge and than flipped sideways into the net.

'Wow, score!' Jack seemed to find it amazing while Harry frowned at the bouncing ball and wondered what had happened. Surely that wasn't natural? He had missed the goal, but than how...?

'Yeah, score.' He nodded anyway and brushed it aside as the school bell rang yet again.

'So how long will the shopping take?' Jack wondered.

'Dunno, I've never done it before.' Harry shrugged. 'But it should be faster if you're helping me.'

'Excellent.' Jack grinned. 'I saw which way you left yesterday when those bullies chased you, you live down near Spinner's End, right?'

'Yeah.' Harry frowned as he remembered the bullies. He sat into his seat and sighed. He noticed that this time Jack had moved to sit beside him at his left rather than behind him.

'I've seen the park near there; I live a little up the road from it.' Jack nodded. 'I've always wanted to climb that big tree and try the roundabout...but it's always freakishly empty, so I stayed away.'

'It's not so bad. There just aren't a lot of kids near where I live.' Harry told him.

'Oh, okay. Good. We'll have it all to ourselves than.' Jack smirked.

Harry smiled at Jack and had a newfound motivation towards his schoolwork for the rest of the day as he looked forward to shopping and playing with his first real friend.

Harry barely glanced at the clock on the wall until the home bell finally rang in his ears and he was putting his things away. The boys gathered their bags and turned to leave the school grounds.

'But what about your parents, won't they wonder where you are?' Harry asked Jack as they crossed a road and headed towards the park.

'I'm gonna go home and tell my brother. I'll meet you back here, okay?' Jack asked as he realized that Harry was right.

'Yeah, okay.' He nodded and turned a corner. Once Jack was out of sight, Harry ran as fast as he could home. A new sense of joy had filled inside of him as he couldn't wait to have fun after the shopping. And it wouldn't be too heavy to carry back with a friend to help him.

'What are you smirking at, boy?' Simon scowled as Harry rushed inside a few minutes later.

'Nothing.' Harry lied and put his bag upstairs before he approached the man again. 'I have to do the shopping still, right?'

'Damn right you do! And don't break the eggs.' Simon thrust a handful of notes into Harry's grasp.

'Lose this money and I'll have your head for it.' He glared and than handed over a handwritten list. 'You get none of the change if even one item is missing, got it?'

'Yeah.' Harry shoved the money and the list into his pants pockets before he turned and rushed from the house.

'There you are!' Jack spotted him and the boys started walking to the shops together.

'So what do we have to get?' He wondered.

Harry passed him the list and Jack nodded as it wasn't really a lot of things, but with cans and bottled liquids it didn't seem to be light weight.

They arrived at the store Emile had taken Harry to previously and grabbed a trolley. The boys took turns in pushing it around as they followed Emile's tips that Harry could remember and got most of the things on the list.

Harry discovered that his friend had a mischievous streak in him when Jack suggested that they have three items each and see who can get them the fastest. Harry had been to the store before so he had a little memory of where everything was; and yet Jack managed to only just beat him in their little race by over a minute.

After nearly an hour, Harry read through each item on the list while Jack checked that they had them. Once it was all ticked off, they pushed the trolley to the counter and paid for the purchases.

'How much money do you have left?' Jack wondered and Harry counted it out to show him.

'Nice. We could get an ice lolly each and maybe a ball to play with?'

Harry knew he wasn't supposed to spend all of the money at once but there was plenty and they had said it was his.

'Alright. You get them while I wait with the bags.' He handed the money over and Jack disappeared into a store for a few minutes. He returned with a bright blue ball and two ice lollies.

'This was great.' Jack commented as they carried the bags back to Spinner's End while also trying to lick their treat.

'Yeah. I have to do this once a week, so maybe we could do it again sometime?' Harry hoped.

'Sure.' Jack nodded and followed Harry to the house. 'Wow, this place is creepy.' He glanced around at the shadowed houses.

'Try living here.' Harry said bitterly. 'Wait here; I'll be right back.'

'Okay.' Jack shrugged and waited outside while Harry carried all the bags inside.

'There you are.' Simon scowled at Harry although the boy was back early.

'I got everything.' Harry told him and tossed the rubbish from his ice lolly into the bin before he put the shopping away.

'I'm going to the park for a bit, is that okay?'

'Yeah, scram.' Simon nodded without taking his gaze off the TV. 'I don't want you around.'

'Thanks.' Harry gasped and went outside to rejoin his friend. He closed the door just as the stranger left his house across the road and appeared to be heading toward an alley nearby as he glanced down at a list of his own.

'Who's that?' Jack pointed to the stranger.

'Oh, not sure.' Harry shrugged. 'I mean, I don't know his name but he's cool.'

'He looks mean.' Jack observed the man's dark appearance and the glower on his face.

'I know, but sometimes it's the people who look nice that are mean while the ones who look mean are just grumpy.' Harry shrugged. 'Come on, the roundabout awaits!'

'Yeah.' Jack grinned and rushed after Harry.

Both boys ran right past Severus who was caught off guard when two kids suddenly ran by him. He noticed that "Cody" had a friend and was thankful that the boy had someone else because Severus wouldn't have made it through his own childhood without Lily. Everyone needed a friend.

Harry and Jack played at the park until it started to get dark. They bid farewell and Harry began his slow walk back to Spinner's End.

He really hated the place he lived in and the way the adults treated him, but the world seemed a lot brighter when he had a friend to hang out with from time to time. It reminded him that not everything was bad and scary.

He stepped inside and was surprised to see Emile there was she had said that she'd needed to work late. His curiosity was fulfilled when he realized he'd just walked into an argument.

'What was the reason?' Simon snapped. 'They just fired you on the spot? What did you bloody do, woman?' He stood and glared at Emile.

'I stole some cash, that's it.' She scoffed. 'Not fricking much though, if you ask me.'

'And I didn't!' Simon growled. 'How are we going to pay the rent?' He shouted. 'And the food? Boy, how much change do you have?' He turned on Harry.

'Um, not much.' Harry quickly pulled out all his change and Simon snatched it.

'You idiot!' He turned to Emile. 'Can't you do one thing right?'

'Don't take this out on me!' Emile shouted back and Harry covered his ears at the sound.

'You got fired!' Simon retorted. 'Now we're going to starve and the rent won't be paid. You expect me to take out another loan from Mr Kort? No way! Get off your fat arse and find another job.'

'Why don't you? All you do is watch TV and complain all day!' Emile screamed at him and Harry was frozen to the spot near the doorway.

'Don't you DARE turn this around on me you useless wrench!' Simon bellowed.

'Boy, you're getting a job.' He pointed at Harry as though his words were the law.

'What?' Harry gasped. 'I c-can't! I'm just a kid a-and I have school!'

'Too bad. Someone's got to pay their way around here.' Simon growled.

'Leave Cody out of this.' Emile said. 'You get a job, you idiot!'

'NO!' Simon strode to Harry and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. 'You better side with me, boy. You're getting a damn job and this wrench is being thrown out.'

'This is my house!' Emile shouted. 'Don't you dare!'

Simon glared down at Harry and shook him. 'Tell her to get out.'

Harry trembled with fear and glanced at Emile. He couldn't do such a thing because it was her home too and without her Simon would have no one but him to yell at.

'TELL HER!' Simon bellowed and Harry whimpered just as a cup that had been sitting on the table burst and shards of glass fell everywhere. The shock of the incident was enough of a distraction that enabled Harry to slip from Simon's grip and flee upstairs.

'Get back here, brat!' Simon ran after him.

Harry slammed his bedroom door shut and grabbed his blanket for comfort. He heard the man thundering up the stairs and didn't know what to do. Than he remembered the button. He frantically searched his pockets and under his pillow but it was missing!

'Dare you run away from me!' Simon burst into the room and the door rebounded against the wall. 'You get down here and do as you're bloody told.'

'Leave me alone!' Harry pleaded as his hand brushed over something near the end of his bed. He turned and stared at it, realizing that he had found his treasured button and his only escape.

'What is this? A baby blanket?' Simon grabbed at the blanket and Harry panicked.

'No, let it go!' Harry dropped the button as he used both of his hands to tug at his precious blanket. 'It's mine, let it go!'

'Nothing is yours!' Simon shouted. 'You live here only because we dare to put up with you. So give this ragging thing up!'

'No!' Harry yelled back desperately. 'It's mine!'

There was a loud riiip and the blanket became two. Harry stumbled backwards and smacked his head against the side of his bed as he fell. He grasped his end of the blanket and shoved it into his schoolbag as quickly as he could with mere seconds to snatch his button.

Simon dropped the other piece of the blanket and approached Harry; his face looked more livid than Harry had ever seen it.

Taking a huge risk, Harry lunged for the second piece of his blanket. Simon had caught him and the punch that contacted with his face was awful, like a hammer being dropped onto an already-injured foot.

Tears shed from Harry's eyes as he reached up to touch his pained nose and stared at the blood that smeared his hand. He shoved the last piece of his blanket into his bag and sat on the floor as Simon gathered more anger and turned on him again.

'You freak, you bloody brat!' Simone shouted as Harry rubbed his button desperately and hoped that the man was right about it being special.

'I'll teach you a lesson!'

Harry closed his eyes as he rubbed the button a third time and for one horrible second he thought nothing had happened. Only then did he realize the silence around him and how it felt oddly colder. Harry felt sick inside for some reason and his nose throbbed even more as blood continued to drip down his face and onto his school shirt.

Harry pried open his eyes and saw that he was outside and standing right in front of the stranger's house. This was his only chance. But Harry still didn't know the stranger very well and wasn't sure if he wanted to hide right across the street from Simon.

He glanced around at the dark street and pondered on just making a run for it. Maybe he could go to Jack's house or...no, that wouldn't work.

'Where is he?'

Harry gasped as he heard Simon's voice and the man burst out of the house. Frantic, Harry reached up and pounded against the door of the stranger's house with all his might. He silently pleaded that the man had returned to the house by now since he had gone someplace that afternoon.

'Please be home, please, please. Please be home.' Harry trembled as he banged desperately against the door when Simon finally spotted him.

'What happened?' Emile asked as she too stepped outside. She nursed a sore elbow until she turned and saw Harry as well.

'That brat!' Simon swore profoundly as he advanced towards Harry.

'Please, please!' Harry begged and gasped when the door flew open and his hero stood there looking quite concerned.

'Save me!' He stared up at the man while Simon continued to yell behind him. 'He's going to kill me!' Harry trembled and was certain that his words were true.

Severus had been brewing a complicated potion when he'd heard the banging and had gone to investigate it.

When he'd opened the door he saw the young boy in tears and with blood all over his face and on his clothes. He was stunned by the sight and even more so by the child's terrified words. He glanced over at Simon who was composing himself as he crossed the street and continued to glare at the boy.

'That brat's a liar.' Simon pointed to Harry. 'He's in trouble and needs to be punished. Don't believe whatever rubbish he's told you.'

'I can assure you, Mr Gale, that I am not fooled quite so easily.' Severus said smoothly and out of the corner of his eye he noticed that the child had started crying.

'Good.' Simon nodded, having misinterpreted what Severus meant. 'Get home, boy!' He snarled at Harry who had clutched a handful of his hero's robes.

'The boy is not going anywhere with you.' Severus stepped forward and placed a hand on the back of Harry's head just as he had the previous day.

'That brat is under my care.' Simon scowled. 'You have no right.'

'For a child under your care, it appears that he isn't cared for even in the slightest of terms.' Severus narrowed his eyes. Even Simon seemed to realize that this man could be very dangerous.

'We didn't even want him!' Emile joined in as she caught up with the group. 'My blasted brother got himself killed and we had no choice but to take him in.'

'If you want him, you can have him!' Simon snapped. 'He's nothing but trouble! Good for bloody nothing!'

'I can't expect terribly incompetent people such as yourselves to notice anything worthy about a child in which you don't even realize is exactly that...a child.' Severus had on his most intimidating glare and the other adults were starting to realize they should probably leave Harry alone now.

'I'm done.' Simon growled. 'I don't ever want to see that punk again. I'm moving out too, you can have your stupid house.'

'I don't want it.' Emile frowned and glanced at Harry. 'You're on your own now, kid. No one wanted you then and no one will want you now.' And with that they turned and headed back across the street.

Severus thought the boy would be relieved to be rid of them but instead the child resolved further into tears and sank to the ground.

'Get up.' Severus instructed but Harry didn't even hear him. Rolling his eyes skyward, Severus grasped the boy's arm and dragged him inside the house far enough that he could shut the door and block out the cool night air.

'Nose...hurts.' Harry remembered and poked his still-bleeding nose.

'Do not touch it.' Severus scowled as he cast a healing charm and disappeared the blood from the boy's clothes and face.

'Wash your hands and than use this.' He passed the child a balm. He wasn't quite as gifted with healing as one would presume and had only managed to make sure that the boy's nose wasn't broken.

Harry nodded and struggled to his feet. Severus pointed out the directions to the bathroom and Harry slowly climbed the stairs as he did as he was told. He kicked over a stepping stood and stood on it to look into the mirror and noticed that the blood was gone. He washed his hands with the prickly soap and gulped when the red liquid flowed down the drain.

Harry stared at it for quite some time before he was able to turn off the water and dry his hands. He dabbed on the balm, which hurt a bit but than his entire nose tingled until it felt quite better already.

He stepped down from the stool and sat on the floor. Harry extracted the two halves of his blanket from his schoolbag that he had over his back and sniffed at the torn and bloody object.

Ten minutes later that's exactly how Severus found him.

'What are you doing?' He demanded to know.

'He wrecked it.' Harry continued to stare at the blanket. 'It was special and he ripped it.'

'It's just a ridiculous blanket.' Severus was surprised the boy still had it.

'No, it's not!' Harry insisted and sniffed the larger half of it. 'It smelled like home...like honey. And now it smells like blood and yucky stuff.' He shivered to think of the cigarette ash and beer on the man's hands as he'd yanked the blanket.

'It is easily fixed. Now, get off the floor.' Severus sighed as he snatched the blanket from the boy and grasped his arm to lift him into standing position. He nudged the child back downstairs. Harry sat on the nearest armchair as he entwined his thumbs and stared intently at them.

He didn't dare look around the stranger's house because he already knew it was darker than his previous residence and it actually scared him quite a lot. Although the many shelves of books were a bit interesting.

Harry also hoped it wasn't a mistake to come here because while Simon's treatment was often brutal and unkind...this man was unpredictable and Harry was still yet to learn of his motives.

'What happened?' Severus question the boy as he stood a few feet away with his arms crossed over his chest.

'I...I got back from the park and they were shouting.' Harry curled up into a ball and sniffed again. 'Simon yelled at me and said I had to get a job cuz Emile lost her job.' He told Severus.

'I didn't want to. I mean, I'm just a kid!' He insisted and hoped that his hero would believe him.

'Go on.' Severus encouraged.

'Simon got mad because I wouldn't do what he said and then something really weird happened. A glass broke. I mean, it went everywhere and no one had touched it!' Harry gasped.

'Than I ran.' He ducked his head further. 'Simon chased me and I tried to get my blanket. I was gonna use the button you gave me but he punched me.' Harry sniffled and tried to conceal his tears but it was too overwhelming.

'I was so scared.' Harry sobbed. 'I-I thought he was gonna k-kill me!'

'Hush, it's over now.' Severus placed a hand atop the child's head and guided him closer as he crouched before the child. Harry realized that he meant and lunged at Severus to hug him; he wrapped his arms around the man's neck and clung to him desperately.

Severus remembered all the times his parents fought and how scared he had been for himself and his mother, how all he had wanted from for someone to take the pain away, to make sure he was safe. There were times when all he had wanted was a bit of friendly contact from his mother or father; a hug or reassuring words that would help him sleep and make the world just a little bit brighter instead of being clouded with darkness as it always appeared to Severus.

His heart ached for the little boy that was in a similar situation that he had been and how desperately the child held to him as he sobbed his young heart out against Severus' robes. He rubbed the boy's back as he recalled his mother had done once or twice when he had been much younger.

He said nothing and just allowed the boy to vent for a while until finally the sobs subsided and the child pulled away to sit on the armchair again.

'Sorry.' Harry mumbled. 'But thanks. If you hadn't saved me...I-I dunno what Simon would have done.'

'No one has the right to harm a child.' Severus frowned.

'Now I've got nowhere to go.' Harry realized. 'They'll send me back to that lady who gave me a pretend name.' He muttered without realizing it. 'And Erin will never find me, ever!'

Severus wondered what the boy was talking about but another issue had to be addressed first.

'You stated that the glass had abruptly shattered?'

'Yes.' Harry nodded. 'It was like the basketball.' He realized. 'I missed the hoop but than it sort of stayed there and fell in the net.'

Ah, interesting. Severus just realized that he and this child were even more alike than even he had originally realized. Accidental magic, indeed. That did raise some furthermore interesting questions though.

'Where are your parents?' He wondered.

'They died.' Harry said sadly. 'When I was a baby. Then Erin took me in and she loved me but...now I don't think she'll ever find me.' He sighed and leaned back against the armchair.

'You are tired. You may remain here until I figure out where to send you.' Severus nodded and Harry stood. He wondered about what the boy meant by a "pretend name" but for now he preferred to just let the child rest after such a traumatizing day.

Harry was barely aware of his clothes being transfigured into pajamas as he lay against the softness of a single bed and cuddled up to his clean, repaired blue blanket. His eyes closed and he fell asleep within seconds.

Severus glanced down at the child and shook his head with amusement towards the attachment the boy had formed with the blanket. He was pleased however, that the boy was with him now and no longer across the street with those uncaring beasts that dared to call themselves people.

'They can't hurt you anymore, Cody.' Severus brushed some hair from the boy's face. 'I never escaped before it was too late, but I promise that you will.' He frowned with determination.

Severus narrowed his eyes as his fingers brushed over an odd scar on the child's forehead. It was shaped like a lightning bolt and for some reason it seemed to be familiar.

'Who are you?' Severus whispered although he expected no answer.

It was becoming quite clear to him now that perhaps this boy wasn't just Cody Evans, but in fact he was someone else...someone familiar.

Severus frowned as he tried to figure out the latest mysterious bestowed into his mind until his own tiredness won over. Severus left the room to clean his lab and head off to rest as well; he had been brewing constantly lately and needed sleep.

He'll figure out what to do with the boy tomorrow; for now it would all remain a mystery and Severus was only pleased that he had saved the child from a terrible fate. He guessed it made him some kind of hero...it was also the last thing he had expected to happen because this boy had made him realize that there was hope.

There was still light in the world and he wasn't quite ready to let it go again.

The sun was brighter than usual the following morning, but the light was cast over a different place than Spinner's End.

Erin Summers awoke with a start, having broken free from her dream of the dark-haired toddler that she was still determined to find.

Sighing, she rubbed a hand over her face and climbed out of bed to change. She brushed her teeth and didn't bother with breakfast as she searched her table for a particular pile of papers. She had been given a clean bill of health and since that day many weeks ago she had been relentlessly searching for her special child. And she finally had a solid lead.

Grabbing her car keys, Erin clutched the form and rushed outside to her car. The child's car seat was still in the back as she didn't dare to remove it even though he would surely be too old for it now.

As she pulled out of the driveway, Erin wondered what little Harry looked like after all these years and tried to imagine an older boy but with those same emerald eyes she loved so much. The eyes that had shone up at her with innocence and curiously; it was his eyes she missed the most.

As she parked outside the designated building, Erin barely remembered to lock her doors before she gathered her eager courage and hurried inside.

'Can I help you?' The woman behind the counter asked and Erin glanced at the name tag before she nodded.

'Yes, Natalie.' Erin said with a firm nod and placed the important form onto the surface of the counter that separated them.

'I'm looking for my son...Harry Potter.'

'I'm sorry, what did you say?' Natalie frowned at the woman.

'This is an orphanage, for children without parents who are seeking new ones.' The squib assumed that this woman was either regretful about leaving a child there and wanted him back, was mistaken, or else her child had somehow (however unlikely it would be), been wrongly place into their care.

The strange part was that Natalie felt she should know that name, “Harry Potter”. But she did not. Her memory of such a child was gone; taken from her mind by the magical tip of a wand many years ago.

Erin knew this woman wasn't telling the truth and yet she appeared to believe in the words she was saying. She scowled at Natalie but had a feeling that she wasn't going to get far with this woman.

Sighing, she nodded defectively and turned to cross the room as she thought out another strategy. The wall she stared at was dull and provided her with no motivation, only a large, aged photograph to stare out that hung in a frame on the wall.

Leaning closer, Erin saw the long rows of boys of various ages but none older than nine. With a startled gasp, she recognized the pair of green eyes she adored as well as the dark hair and the most angelic smile she could never forget. It was her little boy...it was Harry!

'Is there a problem?' Natalie asked from the counter as she heard the woman's surprised gust of air and noticed the way Erin was clutching to her chest as though she was struggling to breathe for a moment.

'No. nothing.' Erin waved her off as her gaze trailed along the names beneath the image. She knew the year was right, although she checked three times to ensure it was really him...the name was wasn't right. It said Cody Evans and yet there wasn't the slightest mistake as to who that young boy really was.

And suddenly, all her years of failure began to make perfect sense. She had been unable to find harry Potter because as far as the world knew...that was no longer his name. Cody Evans, he was called instead and Erin's motivation had been found.

Spinning around to grin at the suspicious lady at the counter, Erin took broad steps towards her and thought on how to word her phrase.

'The boy in the picture, Cody Evans...what happened to him?' Erin wondered.

Natalie was going to ask why it was nay of her business, but considering that a few of those children were still up for adoption, it might be beneficial to give this woman answers because she may decide to claim one of the children.

'Cody Evans, let's see...' Natalie navigated the database and frowned.

'Hm, that's strange. He's not listed.' She said.

'Okay, I understand.' Erin nodded quickly. 'Thank you.'

She dashed from the building and quickly got into her car. She started the engine and sped around the nearest corner before she stopped and gasped for air.

The file was gone, and the woman who had last seen Harry as Harry Potter had no memory of him...Erin knew her mother must have involved herself somewhere along the line.

A fury built up inside Erin as she clenched the steering wheel with her hands and glared straight ahead. How dare she! Erin growled like a feral animal as she thought of all the vile and torturous things she wished she could do to that awful beast of a being.

As her rage continued to build, Erin almost missed the incident that followed; a tree was seemingly struck by lightening, based on the fact that it snapped in two and fell onto the road a few meters from the front of Erin's car.

She sat there and stared at it for a long moment before she opened her door and glanced upwards at the sky. It was clear blue with no a single cloud in sight.

'How odd.' Erin commented before she forced her mind back to the pressing matters at hand; she had to find her son. Or rather, some record of a boy named "Cody Evans".

A heart-breaking wail broke the silence of Spinner's End at seven-thirty that same morning. Severus was already awake but nearly smacked his head against the kitchen cupboards when he heard the sudden sound.

Concerned and a little annoyed, he clutched his wand and shoved it into the pocket of his robes before he rushed upstairs and found Harry sitting upright in his bed, tears streaking his face as he trembled with fear.

'What is the matter with you?' Severus demanded to know but was deeply concerned with the sight he saw before him.

'I-I...' Harry shivered as he remembered the green flash of light, the coldness of being pulled from Erin's arms as she sobbed, the glares cast his way by his previous guardians and than the shouts of Simon as he threatened worst that a boy could fear.

'A nightmare.' Severus sighed with realization and nodded.

'Alright, up you get. Wash your face in the bathroom and get dressed into your school clothes.' He instructed.

Harry swallowed and turned towards his left to see a chair beside his bed where his school pants and shirt sat folded atop it. His schoolbag was hanging on the back of the chair also and he could see his assignment sticking out of it somewhat.

'I don't wanna go to school.' Harry shivered again although he wasn't at all cold. 'What if they find me there?' He panicked.

'So such thing shall occur.' Severus stated calmly. 'I have already spoken with the headmaster at your school and I will pick you up the moment the final bell rings, understood?'

Actually he was lying. Severus had placed several charms on the boy so that any adult who recognized the boy would fail to notice him.

Also, he made sure that the school no longer had any record of a Cody Evans living with Emile or Simon, therefore if by some unlikely chance they did demand the boy, the school would dutifully refuse.

Although they had made their intentions clear that night; the moving van was already outside the house across the street that precise moment.

'Are you sure?' Harry whispered, obviously scared that if he so much of left his bed than someone awful would happen to him.

'I do not have time for this useless dawdling.' Severus sighed. 'Get up. Get dressed. And join me downstairs for breakfast. Now.' And with that final statement, he turned and left the trembling boy's room.

Harry's eyes were wide as he wondered the consequences of not following that order. He usually did whatever he was told but it felt much safer to just bury himself under the covers of his newest bed and pretend away the scary world. Too fearful and unsure, Harry did exactly that.

--

'You are tiring my patience.' Snape growled as he returned to the room ten minutes later and it was obvious that the boy hadn't moved an inch.

'Get up!'

'No!' Harry called back from underneath the sheets.

'I c-can't! He sniffed and no matter how hard he tried, the tears began to fall down his young cheeks once again.

'And pray tell, why you seem incapable of the simplest of actions?' Severus knew he was being rather unfair but the sooner the child learned to toughen up, the faster he would regain confidence and move forward with his life.

'I-I...' Harry swallowed. 'I'm scared!' He admitted with embarrassment.

'I don't want to go! Every time someone doesn't want me anymore or they die, I get put with another horrible person who doesn't care about me.' He re-emerged from the blankets and Severus was struck by the terribly heart-broken boy, although the child's gaze was on the blankets on his lap instead of him.

'I just want to grow up so I can live by myself and shut the world out.' Harry admitted as he had given up on ever finding true happiness that everyone around him leeched from him or else he never had to begin with.

Severus softened at those words and moved to crouch in front of the child. He lifted the boy's chin with one hand and brushed his other hand across the boy's cheeks to rid them of tears.

'If you grow up too fast, child, than you will miss out on many adventures.' Severus spoke as calmly as he could while a rage continued inside him towards beasts like Simon Gale and Tobias Snape that wrecked childhoods and brought darkness into the world.

'And don't you think it would be terribly lonely to live by oneself?'

'Maybe. But at least no one will yell at me or-or...call me a freak.' Harry sniffed again and despite the hand under his chin, he lowered his gaze once again.

'And there are no adventures for those that the world hates.' He added in a whisper.

'Come.' Severus stood and reached out a hand to the child, offering as much comfort and reassurance that he could. It was the same amount of warmth he wished he'd received as a child, no matter how much he exclaimed that he needed nor wanted any close contact with anyone.

Severus was never very good with children, but this child was different...this child had already revealed him to possess a level of warmth he hadn't even realized still resided inside his heart. This kind of compassion had remained dormant for so long, Severus thought it had faded...but as it seemed, it was merely waiting to be let out.

Harry rubbed his sleeve across his nose and than stood. He stared at the outstretched hand before he reached out and grasped the larger one with his own.

He watched the stranger for a moment and wondered what he was going to do but allowed himself to be tugged along the corridor and towards the end where it appeared to just reach a blank wall.

'Can you see that?' Severus pointed to the ceiling and Harry nodded when he spotted a small string dangling a few inches from the ceiling.

'Give it a good tug.' Severus instructed as he lifted the boy onto his shoulders. Harry sat there for a moment and didn't notice the trust he showed as he didn't even hold on and merely reached upwards to pull at the string.

At first it seemed as though nothing had happened, but than a narrow flight of stairs materialized and Severus lifted the boy into the second step.

'Well, go along.' Severus encouraged but the boy stepped back and shook his head.

'Very well.' Severus understood the distrust and proceeded up the stairs while the Harry curiously followed behind him.

Harry stepped inside the darkened attic and wondered what was so fascinating about an empty, dusty room with a single small window high above their heads. He turned towards the stranger and frowned as he was convinced that this was some sort of trick.

Severus leaned on one knee as he lifted a loose floorboard and extracted a large jar of coloured sand. He tipped the entire contents onto the floor and gave his wand a little wave before he turned to study the boy's reaction.

'Wow!' Harry gaped as the sand almost looked like a liquid as he turned blue and formed the shape of a whale swishing its tail and sprouting water.

Than it turned red and it was a blazing bonfire. Next was a bright yellow sun, a flock of white birds, a green field with long grass, a purple star that sparkled among many smaller ones, a white rabbit hopped, a castle stood tall on a mountain, a train issued smoke, a pile of books opened at than the sand formed a beach with yellows, blues and greens.

It swirled with rainbow colours and than grain by grain it flew back into the jar as Severus screwed it shut.

'That was amazing!' Harry exclaimed, his sadness temporarily gone. 'It was like magic! How did you do that?'

'As you stated, it was magic.' Severus nodded and was thankful that he had kept his treasured gift which had been given to him in third year by his mother and Lily in efforts to remind him that no everything in the world is black and grey.

'I used to come here as a boy and use this jar of sand to remind myself that there are still adventures to be had.' Severus said.

Harry's grin faded as he stared at the space where the sand had been (and oddly enough, none of the dust there had been disturbed), but he realized what the man was trying to tell him.

'Come along.' Severus said and retreated back down the stairs with the boy following behind him. Harry sighed as he wandered into his room and changed into his school clothes as requested, grabbed his bag and stepped downstairs to sit at the table. He ate his toast and drank his milk before he was ready to go.

'Have you brushed your teeth?' Severus asked.

Harry frowned and dumped his bag on his chair and headed upstairs to the bathroom. He used the toilet and washed his hands as well as brushed his teeth before he was sure every required task was done.

He never noticed how his toothbrush had ended up in the bathroom, nor how there was a fresh tube of children's toothpaste waiting for him to use.

'Now I'm ready.' Harry sighed as he retrieved his bag and nervously followed the man outside. He gulped and rushed to almost collide with Severus for safety when he spotted Emile growling at the man who was trying to move her bags of belongings into the moving van.

Oddly enough, she never noticed him. Harry frowned at this but hurried to keep up with his hero and didn't want to risk being seen.

'Sir?' He wondered after a moment and once they were free from Spinner's End. 'I still don't know your name.'

'Severus Snape.' He answered and knew it would be a bit unfair not to let the boy know his name by this point.

They reached the school faster than Harry had ever made it there before, probably due to the fact that Severus walked much faster than Emile.

'Y-you promise you'll be here when the home bell rings?' Harry turned towards his hero as he paused at the gates.

'I promise, Cody.' Severus nodded. 'You are safe now.'

'Thanks.' Harry felt relieved and waved to his hero who now had a name.

'Evans!' A boy's voice called out and Severus hesitated as he remembered James Potter doing the same thing to Lily all the time. He flinched and turned to watch the scene as Jack joined his friend.

'Hey, you're early.' Jack commented as he greeted Harry.

'And who's that.' He rudely pointed over to Severus but shivered when the man glared back at him.

'My hero.' Harry smiled. 'Come on, I'll explain later.'

Severus watched as the two boys entered the school building and felt a bit nervous about leaving the child there unattended but knew his safety measures wouldn't fail.

With a sigh, he turned back towards Spinner's End and spotted the vile occupants from the boy's previous “home”. Yes, he had other matters to attend to. Severus smirked as he approached the residence opposite his own.

Harry had trouble concentrating on his schoolwork all morning. He excused himself for the bathroom twice and often daydreamed as he pondered on the horrible things he'd dreamed of and the even worst stuff that was pure reality. But whenever it got too scary, the images formed into sand that coloured and became topics of interest, such as a tree full of bloom or a flowing river. It was peaceful.

The lunch bell finally rang and Harry rushed to join his classmates outside while Jack followed closely behind him.

'You alright, Cody? You seem a little, I dunno...distant?' Jack glanced at his friend as he bit into an apple.

'Um, yeah.' Harry sighed and for a moment he paused and wondered if he could trust his friend with the truth. He had never told anyone before, not after he accepted that no one would believe the truth about him. Was it worth the risk? What could possibly go wrong if he did?

'Can you keep a secret?' He asked Jack.

'Sure.' He friend shrugged.

'No, I mean really keep a secret.' Harry narrowed his eyes. 'It's big and really important to me.' He said seriously.

'I promise I won't tell.' Jack nodded. 'What is it?'

Harry stared around and tugged his friend around the back where they weren't able to be overheard.

'I know this may sound crazy, but I swear it's true.' Harry sighed and wondered if he was making the right decision in telling his first and only friend whom he still barely knew.

'Um, well I was born with a different name.' He began.

'My parents were killed when I was a baby and than a really nice lady adopted me. When they took me away from her for reasons I don't know, the lady at the orphanage changed my name and since then no one believes me when I tell them it's not true.'

'So...you're not really Cody Evans?' Jack frowned as he absorbed that information. Harry waited for the laughter and eye-rolling, but it never happened.

'What is your name?'

'Harry.' He answered. 'Harry Potter.'

'Harry Potter?' Jack gasped loudly and his eyes widened. 'You...you're the boy-who-lived!'

'Huh?' Harry frowned.

'What do you mean?' Now he was even more worried and hoped that his friend wasn't implying something terrible. 'Surely you mean someone else?'

'No.' Jack shook his head. 'My cousin Celia told me stories about a boy named Harry Potter whose parents were killed by someone really evil and yet the boy lived! She said it was a miracle.'

'Where did she hear it?' Harry questioned and now it was he who was somewhat disbelieving.

'She overheard a group of weirdly-dressed woman talking about it when she was younger. She's an adult now.' Jack shrugged.

'Are you really him?'

'I dunno.' Harry sighed. 'But I'm not Cody Evans.'

'And who was that dark man? You said you'd explain.' Jack added curiously about the man who he had glimpsed once across the street on their day of shopping and than he showed up to drop Harry off at school?

'Severus Snape.' Harry replied and relaxed as he friend appeared to believe him and didn't think he was a liar or crazy.

'I only just found out his name. Um, something really bad happened last night and he sort of...saved me.' Harry blushed. 'I'm staying with him for a while.'

'Oh.' Jack was quiet for a moment as he studied his friend and sighed.

'Harry, are you okay?'

Harry's head snapped up and he marveled in two things at once; firstly, he had never been called by his real, first name since Erin and secondly, someone actually wanted to know if he was alright.

'I...um, I'm getting there.' Harry swallowed. 'Mr Snape is really nice and he showed me something really cool that helps me feel better.' He shrugged and sat on the grass as he used the wall of the school for back-support.

Jack joined him and seemed to ponder on saying anything before he finally gathered the courage to do so.

'You can tell me, if you want to.' He shrugged. 'I promised I won't tell. And...well, you're my friend.'

'Thank you, Jack.' Harry smiled. 'You have no idea how much that means to me.' He felt his fondness for his friend swell as he hesitantly but gradually explained the situation surrounding his moving around, his horrible experiences with Emile and Simon, and than how Severus has saved him. He kept the tale brief, but Jack seemed to get the main points.

'What? That foul...' Jack growled deeply about Simon.

'If I'd been there, I'd have kicked him where he deserves it worst!' He snapped and frowned. 'How could he do that? It's not your fault he's a useless, foul git!'

Harry smiled and nodded. 'Yeah, I suppose.' He agreed as he joined his friend in venting and calling Simon every horrid name they could think of; they even invented a few new ones just before the bell rang and it was time to return to class.

'So um, what do I call you?' Jack wondered as they rejoined their class and sat in their desks (Jack had taken to sitting on Harry's left every time now).

'Cody; you'll have to.' Harry sighed. 'Because it's how everyone knows me and it'll be weird to call me...you know?'

'Yeah.' Jack frowned. 'But I guess I could call you that when it's just us.'

'Sure.' Harry nodded. 'So long as it doesn't get confusing.'

'Nah, I'll think of Cody as your nickname.' Jack replied smartly and opened his spelling book when the teacher requested them to.

Once the home bell rang loud and clear in the ears of every student, Harry was quite nervous. He knew Severus had promised to pick him up and yet still he worried.

Jack was aware of this and had vowed to stand with him until dark if he had to while they waited for the dark name named Severus Snape.

'You don't have to do this.' Harry reminded him as they headed for the school doors.

'I want to.' Jack reminded him. 'You're my friend and I'm not going to ditch you.'

'Thanks, Jack.' Harry smiled and glanced towards the gates. And there he was.

Severus wasn't in his usual robes but instead wore a black, long-sleeved shirt and even blacker pants. He looked oddly normal, unless you noticed the glower he cast most kids that ran past him as though their mere thoughts along should land them in a lot of trouble.

He spotted Harry and his frown disappeared when he also observed the fiercely protective and yet equally nervous expression of the other boy.

'Who is this?' Severus glanced at Jack when he and Harry stopped in front of him with the gate separating them.

'Um, this is my best friend, Jack.' Harry introduced.

'Hi.' Jack waved briefly. His nerves faded when he felt proud to being referred to as Harry's “best” friend. 'I saw you the other day.' He added.

'Indeed.' Severus nodded. 'I am content in knowing that Cody has at least one true friend to stand by him.'

'Yeah well, Simon is a right old git.' Jack growled and crossed his arms.

'I told him what happened.' Harry added. 'Um, is that okay?'

Severus noticed that Jack now seemed worried that he had gotten the boy in trouble so he nodded and they each relaxed.

'We best be going.' He added and Harry bit farewell to Jack. As the boys parted their ways, Harry rushed to keep up with Severus and his anxiety returned.

'What if they see me?' Harry gulped as he walked on Severus' right-hand side and tried to conceal himself as they stepped into Spinner's End.

'Cody, please calm yourself.' Severus sighed.

'In the highly unlikely chance that they would dare to even glance your way, I shall do whatever means necessary to ensure that they are unable to so much of utter a single word of insult.'

'Really?' Harry asked and Severus wondered why he had to constantly confirm everything he said.

'Yes. In.' He nudged the boy towards the door and watched as he stumbled lightly but otherwise obeyed his instruction.

'Place you belongings in your room and change into more carefree attire.' Severus added. 'I trust your teacher has bestowed homework upon each of your classmates?'

'Not today.' Harry said as he extracted a few papers from his bag and put them on the table with the intention of checking them once he had changed into other clothes.

'She just marked old stuff and gave them back.' He added before turning to rush upstairs.

Snape eyed the papers and reached to grasp the one on the bottom with the highest mark. It appeared to be an essay of some sort, titled “My Definition of a Real Hero”.

Interested, Severus sat down at the table to read it while he waited for the boy to return. He didn't need to be sorted into Ravenclaw to understand exactly what this particular piece of work was about.

Severus Snape wondered when he had ever been referred to as a hero and how a child who had constantly suffered had so quickly latched onto the smallest of kindness Severus had cast him.

A small twitch of his lips indicated the early signs of a smile as he replaced the piece of work and mused about the irony of someone like him being a hero. With all his mistakes in life, he considered himself entirely unworthy of such a title. And yet this boy begged a differ.

Harry came down the stairs in a pair of faded pants and a black shirt. He sat at the table and flipped through his marked assignments. Severus was curious when the boy lingered on the essay he'd just read and frowned at the material as though he thought his mark to be undeserving.

'It is quite an impressive assessment of a hero.' Severus commented and Harry glanced up with surprise.

'Yes, but my teacher asked a lot of questions that were annoying.' Harry sighed. 'I think she thought something was wrong because of some of the stuff I said. I thought it was quite good. I guess she believe me though, since she gave me top marks.'

'Your teacher was correct to question the meaning behind your words.' Severus said seriously.

'Something was very wrong. No child should suffer as you have.'

'And yet I did.' Harry said in a tone that was more befitting to a child much older than himself.

'I did suffer. I hurt, I cried and sometimes I even thought about running away. No one asked questions then.' He frowned. 'They only asked once everything was right again. I know you that I have to give things a chance, but honestly sir...I think the world is full of a lot of people who don't care about kids like me.'

'As true as that may be, there is no reason to give in to their cruelty.' Severus told him. 'How else will those who do care know to offer kindness if you act as though everything is fine?'

'People like you just know.' Harry offered a light smile.

'You saw me when no one else did. You helped me when no one else cared. You saved me when no one else...' His voice cracked a little and he ducked his head. 'Thank you.' Harry sniffed. 'I know you didn't have to but...you did anyway.'

'And I would gladly repeat my actions should such a situation present itself.' Severus said firmly. 'Although I am certain that I shall no longer need to.'

Harry nodded and smiled through his tear-brimmed eyes. He placed his papers on the table and steadily approached the man who had offered him more in a few days that anyone else had in a few years.

'And still, I thank you Mr Snape.' Harry whispered as he stood in front of the man and stared up at him.

Severus felt a surge of fondness for the boy in front of him that looked up at him with an expression he could not recall anyone ever aiming towards him in his entire life. It was gratitude, unwavering loyalty, complete acceptance and...love. After everything this boy had been through, he was still capable of such.

'You're welcome, Mr Evans.' Severus returned and placed a hand on the back of the boy's head, guiding him into his arms again for a reassuring hug. Although it felt as though the child had reached out and touched his heart instead.

After Lily, Severus could not believe that such an emotion had formed inside himself out of seemingly nothing. One would think this boy was his son and he'd been with him for many, many years.

His son?

Severus liked the sound of that.

'Is it weird living with him, Harry?' Jack asked as he shifted his position where he was sitting cross-legged on the grass below the large tree Harry had once climbed.

The two boys were at the park near Spinner's End on a calm weekend morning. Between them was a chessboard that Jack had brought along as the two boys were attempting to learn how to play, based on a book Jack got from his brother that explained the rules.

'A bit.' Harry smiled every time someone, though it was only really Jack, called him but his real name. 'But I'm used to moving around, so it's not too weird. Just...different.' He sighed and watched as Jack took one of his knights.

'That sounds rough.' Jack commented and glanced at his friend sadly, not being able to imagine what it would be like to go from home to home like Harry did. His family wasn't perfect, but Jack loved his parents and his brother. Harry hadn't experienced that before and it made the sandy-haired boy sad.

A silence fell over them as the two friends played and tried to focus on the game while their minds wandered elsewhere. Harry's mind was most active, as he thought about things that had happened to him, such as how his parents had died when he was a baby and how his relatives placed him in an orphanage when he'd only been a toddler. Then he'd been placed with Erin, until he was taken from her and placed with yet another family. For five years that was fine, until they died in a car crash and Harry had ended up with Emile. And simon; Harry shuddered at the thought of the angry, cruel man.

Four different houses, situations and people. Some he'd been there for years, other much less. Yet four days after he had been saved by Severus Snape, Harry already felt more connected to his fifth residence than all the others. Even more than Erin, because while he knew he loved her and could remember her a bit...Harry had still been quite young then and memories were all he had left.

Severus Snape was right here in his life now.

The dark man had sheltered him and given Harry new hope, however small it may be. And then questions filled his mind and he became distracted from the game, having forgotten how the queen moves. He didn't noticed until Jack snatched up the rulebook to check it over and correct Harry's mistake.

Sighing, Harry dropped the chess piece onto the grass and leaned back, tilting his head so he could stare upwards at the white clouds far above his head. Briefly he wondered what it would be like to fly and leave all of his problems behind on the ground. The game forgotten, Jack glanced towards the blue and white as well as he exhaled and fell backwards so his back and pressed to the grass and his arms were widely spread on either side of him.

Since Harry had told him the truth about not being “Cody Evans”, Jack had accepted it and come to consider “Cody” as the nickname he called his friend when they weren't alone. Jack had adapted to how Harry could be talking and playing a game one minute and then he'd be silent and distracted. Jack couldn't blame him, as he was still angry at Simon and sympathetic for his friend's situation. He wished he could do more to help, yet he felt selfish in wanting to spend any time he could with Harry and therefore robbing his friend of the chance to be home with Mr Snape.They had spent every afternoon at school and the most part of the weekend at the park playing games, competing on the swings, and struggling to learn the complexity of Chess.

'Jack?' Harry's voice whispered and his friend glanced over at him and worried about the troubling expression on his friend's face.

'Yeah, Harry?' Jack asked.

'Who am I?' Harry frowned and looked at Jack, who had sat up to return the gaze. 'I mean, I don't know my real parents and I've got two different names. I've tried to always do what I was told, but I don't know...I, well I don't know who I am. What do I like? Where would I go?' Harry lowered his emerald eyes towards the ground.

'Where do I belong?'

Jack would have shrugged, as he didn't have the answers, but something he saw in Harry's eyes and posture made him determined to give some sort of answer, to help his friend and ease the mood. He thought really hard about what Harry had asked him, trying to come up with a solution or something Jack could tell him. Anything at all that didn't resemble the honest “I don't know”.

A smile formed on Jack's face as he reached towards the air in front of him and cupped his hands, though he didn't appear to be holding anything. 'Look, Harry, look!' He said with as much enthusiasm as he could. Harry looked up quickly but was only confused when he saw his friend's hands were empty.

'What?'

'It's gold, Harry!' Jack invented. 'Don't you see? Lots of gold coins! I bet we could do anything with these, go anywhere in the world and buy lots of stuff.' He nodded and jumped to his feet. Confused but wanting to be distanced from the moody, serious stuff, Harry stood as well.

'I'm hungry.' Jack said. 'With this gold we could buy anything we wanted. I think I'll have a pie. A warm, meat pie. What would you like?' He glanced at Harry.

'Oh, um...' He frowned and tried to think. If he could eat anything in the world, what would it be? 'Pancakes.' Harry decided. 'You can put anything on them and they're always really yummy.'

'But if we're going to have pancakes and pies, we'll need to go someplace really nice to eat them.' Jack continued to play and Harry had forgotten how it had started as he joined in as well, a smile forming on his lips as well.

'Where?' Harry asked. 'A resturant?'

'Of course.' Jack nodded. 'But where? With this gold we can go anywhere in the whole wide world, Harry! I'd like to go to Paris as it's really nice there, I hear. Where would you like to go, Harry?'

'I would...' Harry remembered looking at pictures in books at school and tried to think of which places had caught his attention the most, places he'd like to see in real life rather than just on the page of a book.

'China.' Harry nodded. 'It's got a huge wall and I imagine if we stand on top of it everything would look really cool.'

'Okay, so pancakes and pies in China.' Jack remembered. 'And since we're in China, we should have a look around too...but how will we get everywhere? Bus, train, plane?'

'A plane.' Harry told him. 'It would be fun to fly.'

'Aren't you scared of heights, Harry?' Jack commented. 'That's a really long way up.' He looked to the sky and shivered at the thought.

'A little.' Harry confessed. 'It would be worth it though.'

'Important people might be on the plane.' Jack frowned, pretending to think as he held his imaginary pile of gold in his hands. 'We will need to wear something nice, to give a good impression. I think I'll wear blue and silver, that sounds nice to me. We can't wear the same thing though, because that would look silly.'

'I'll wear green and black.' Harry told Jack, thinking of Severus Snape and the black he wore, though green came to mind as he pictures his mother's eyes that he had inherited. If felt nice to wear something that connected him to both.

'Imagine if there was a magic pet store in China.' Jack continued. 'We could have any animal we like. What about a snake? Or a dolphin? I think I'd pick a bird though, a really cool one, and it would deliver mail for me so I don't have to buy stamps.'

'I'd like a lion.' Harry grinned. 'Because they're so strong and other animals listen to them, plus they're always pictured with a family.' His mood sank a little at that thought but Jack gave him no time to ponder further into his memories.

'A lion sounds cool. A bit too scary for me, though.' Jack winced. 'And on the way back, we'll need something to do because it will take a long time. I like music, so I'll just listen to that. Remember, we can have and do anything we want with this gold.'

'I'll read a book.' Harry said, now replying almost instantly. 'About adventures. And if I get tired of reading, I'll just watch a movie. I've always wanted to see “Mary Poppins”, so I'd watch that.'

Jack smiled and dropped his hands to his side, looking at Harry with a goofy expression that put a frown on his friend's face.

'What?' Harry asked and worried that he had done or said something stupid.

'Who are you?' Jack reminded Harry of his questions earlier. 'What do you like? Where would you go?' He shrugged. 'I don't know much about Cody Evans or Harry Potter. But you? Whatever your name is, I know that you like pancakes. You also like things that are green or black. You'd like to see China one day and you're a bit afraid of heights but would like to fly and see amazing sights. And the animal you like the most is a lion.' Jack nodded in a matter-of-fact tone that matched his smug expression.

'I also know that you're a good person. And...well, you're my best friend.' Jack blushed a little as he said that. 'And I will do anything to help you find a family, Harry. I asked my mum if she and dad could adopt you, but they said they'd always wanted two sons and feel the family is complete. I don't think they thought I was serious, though.' He frowned and felt bad for letting his friend down.

Harry, who had tears in his eyes, couldn't manage a reply and only flung his arms around his surprised friend and hugged him. He didn't care about his name, or what his favourite colour was, only that Jack had accepted his regardless of anything like that and had tried to help him, had stood by him even in unfamiliar situations, and above all had called Harry his “best friend” just as Harry had said about Jack.

Harry thought he had the best friend in the whole wide world and no one or anything was ever going to take that away from him.

Parting, the two seven-year-olds glanced upwards as the sky had darkened and raindrops dripped onto their foreheads. There was a rumbling in the distance and they both began to panic, thinking they had to get out of the rain. Since Spinner's End was closer and Jack's parents weren't home, the two boys slid through the gap in the park fence as the rain began to fall and turned towards the further darkened street.

They stood next to a forming puddle and did not move, as voices had just called out to them.

'Look who it is!' A older boy with glasses pointed and the younger pair only realised the bully and the group who had chased Harry once before had somehow managed to find them and catch up without them noticing, because they had been distracted by the rain.

Worse, there was no warning as a red-haired boy shoved Harry quite hard, obviously still angered and holding a grudge. Either that or the group just liked picking on those younger than themselves for little or no reason.

Harry, gasping from the impact, slipped backwards and landed on his rear in the puddle he had carefully avoided a moment earlier. Jack looked quickly at him and then growled like an angered beast as he charged at the four boys, aiming his fists at the red-haired one, without any consideration for the fact that he was out-numbered by the others and much smaller than they were.

'You leave him alone!' Jack shouted, though it was mingled with the rain and thunder above and around them.

The boys laughed and the bespectacled boy shoved at Jack, until the sandy-haired boy had fallen beside Harry. Without a puddle to hand in, Jack had hit his elbow against the road and winced at the pain. Harry wiped water from his face and stared when he saw the blood from his friend's arm seeping into his puddle. Looking over at the boys, Harry was too scared to move even as he was soaked to the bone and Jack bled nearby.

'Get 'em.' A blonde boy smirked as they all rounded on the pair sitting in the water on the ground.

Shaking with fear, both Harry and Jack didn't know what to do. Yet, as though they had planned it, both boys inhaled and climbed to their feet. Sore and blinded by the rain, they each clenched fists and charged at the older, bigger boys.

They weren't sure what happened because they could hardly see now, but somehow they had ended up on the ground again within seconds. Harry had blood dripping into his eye and his lip stung. Jack was groaning about his arm and shadows loomed over them, mixed with the laughter of the bullies. Harry glanced where he thought Spinner's End was and wondered where his hero was now. Severus always showed up to save him, so where was the man now? Why wasn't he chasing these bullies away like he did last time?

Harry felt alone again, only this time he wasn't invisible and he wasn't being ignored.

'H-Harry?' Jack's voice reached him, sounding cold and scared.

Harry looked in his direction and reached to grab his friend's wrist, not sure what they could do to survive this incident but wanted to make sure Jack knew that they were in it together and Harry would never ditch him. As the rain continued to fall yet the thunder was quietened, the two boys winced towards their attackers, their minds fighting for a way to escape while their bodies protested against the pain and cold.

As fists raised and the laughter continued, both smaller boys closed their eyes in defeat yet determination to stay as strong as they could.

CRACK!

Jerking their eyes open at the sound, Harry and Jack stared as a large tree branch fell onto the room and effectively separated them from the bullies, who appeared to be blocked for a moment. Wasting no time, Harry gasped and got to his feet. He continued to hold Jack's wrist and yanked him upright with a desperate motion.

The two boys ran.

They turned to Spinner's End and ran as fast as they could. The puddles splashed water everywhere and often caused them to slip and scrape their knees, but they held hands to make sure they didn't get separated and always helped the other up. 

As the house Severus Snape lived in came briefly into view, Harry slipped again and hit his already-sore head against the wooden door. He remained there, crouched on his hands and knees as Jack had released his hand to pound on the door, though it was muffled by the now-pouring rain. Harry ached and was scared still as he sobbed. His emotions loosening from his control even though he wasn't sure why he was crying. Was it because he was an orphan? Was he missing Erin who would have him in a warm embrace right now? He he simply hurt? Was he lost in how he was and who everyone thought him to be?

Or had it finally happened...everything came to a crashing halt all at once?

As the door opened, Harry wasn't even aware of it, because his mind was being bombarded with memories of a bright green flash, of his fat uncle's enraged face, of Erin crying as he was pulled from her arms, of sitting by the window and waiting for guardians to come home but they never did...and of Simon. The blood from his nose as the punch hit him, the shredding of his blanket, the unreachable rubbish bin, the crumpled cans of beer, and the shouting that filled his ears.

Faces, sounds and pain.

It all blurred together until Harry yelped when a hand snatched at his back and pulled him into a warmer, dryer place. He was released and slipped onto his hands and knees again, ignoring the frantic rambling of Jack and the cluttering of someone moving about in the kitchen or at a table.

And then Severus Snape came into view and Harry stared at him through his blurring tears. He wiped them away with his sleeve and blinked, realising where he was and what was going on. Jack was standing nearby shivering and whimpering about his injured elbow, though he seemed more worried about Harry.

'A-are you okay, Har-' Jack gasped and his eyes went wide. 'Cody?' He finished and looked warily at the man who had just paused in his action of reaching for Harry.

Severus glanced at the second boy before he snatched Harry by his clothes and pulled him upright.

'Each of you require a bath. Now.' Severus pointed to the stairs and was relieved that both boys quickly headed in that direction.

Severus hadn't paid much attention to what Jack was saying to Harry and therefore hadn't heard the near-slip, though one was clear to Severus in a manner stronger than it had been before: Cody was not the boy's real name.

Whatever his name was, the other boy knew it.

-- 

Half an hour later and the two boys were dressed in some of Harry's spare clothes as they sat on the floor in front of the fireplace. Severus was nearby discreetly spelling their clothes dry as he watched the silent, tired children with a look of distrust. He glanced away and sorted through some balms he intended to use to fix their injuries, and only looked up again when one of the boy's spoke.

'I'm sorry about your chess set and book.' Harry said miserably to Jack as they had forgotten to grab them when it rained and both were likely ruined now. He remembered that Jack was fond of his older brother and those items had been a gift from him.

'It's okay.' Jack sighed, though he didn't blame Harry was was sad about the loss of those two objects he was fond of. 'I could probably get new ones.'

'Boys.' Severus spoke. 'Come here.'

Jack and Harry shred the blankets that had been wrapped around their shoulders and approached where the man was standing by the table. He offered a balm to Jack who began to rub the cream onto his injured elbow and then another on a few bruises he had.

Harry, however, sat on a chair and watched as Severus crouched in front of him and rubbed his own balm on the cut on his forehead and then the split on his lip. The rest Harry could do himself as he could see those bruises or cuts. He reached for the balms that Jack had finished with but paused when Severus did something odd. The man moved some hair from Harry's forehead and brushed a finger over the scar that Harry had forgotten he even had. It was a bit faded now and was almost always concealed by his hair that was longer than it usually was. Why would Severus be so interested in it?

'How did you get this scar?' Severus asked.

'I don't know.' Harry replied. 'I've always had it.'

'Can I see?' Jack tried to position himself so he could glimpse at the scar, but Severus had released the hair and it was concealed again. Harry rose a hand to show his friend, but Severus had ushered Jack back to the fireplace.

Sighing, Harry applied the balms and yawned, his eyes feeling heavy as he just wanted to lie down somewhere soft and safe. Seeing an armchair nearby, he moved to curl up in it and closed his eyes, letting sleep lure him into blackness.

When Harry awoke a few hours later, the rain outside had stopped and Jack had already gone home as his brother had come to get him. Harry had missed all of that as he sleepily opened his eyes and saw Severus sitting nearby with a thick book. He remained still and watched his hero, thinking that he had seemed so grumpy and sour when Harry had first seen him the day Emile had brought him to Spinner's End, yet now he didn't look like that at all.

Of all things, Harry thought that Severus Snape simply looked...sad.

Rising from the armchair he had been sleeping in, Harry crossed the space of the room to where Severus had been reading (he'd closed the book and glanced over the moment he saw Harry move). Still in a sleepy state, Harry stood in front of Severus and then climbed onto his lap. Closing his eyes again, Harry didn't fall asleep but lay there curled up on the man's lap as he felt the warmth and safety fill him inside. A hand came down to his back and another his head, where it brushed some hair from his face. The man's breathing was soothing and Harry wanted to stay there forever.

'Who are you, Cody?' Severus asked.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he turned to face the man who was looking down at him, his black hair curtaining his face yet Harry could still see the curious yet firm expression with little effort. He should have asked Severus what he meant, but Harry knew. He wasn't “Cody Evans” and Severus had figured that out too.

His hero was like that...always noticing things about Harry that no one else did.

'I don't know.' Harry answered.

Sure, he knew his real name but even with Jack's game earlier he still didn't entirely know himself. He liked green and black, and pancakes, and China and lions...but those were small facts, small pieces of a whole that he couldn't understand. Who was he? Harry didn't know.

'You don't know?' Severus repeated, drawing out each word as he spoke. 'How do you not know who you are, child?'

'I was given a pretend name.' Harry said and paused to yawn. 'I don't know who I am. Only that I like pancakes, green, black, lions and China.' He shared, rambling a little as he closed his eyes again. 'I'm just me. I don't know my mum or dad either. Erin knows who I am...' He sighed. 'She could tell you. Erin knows the real me...I don't.' Tears brimmed his eyes as he opened them again.

He had been so sure that he was Harry Potter, the boy who was loved and had a family. Yet he lived as Cody Evans, the invisible burden no one wanted. He realised that he wasn't either. Names were just names, something to call another thing, like a fork is a fork and a book is a book. He may as well be called “boy” because that's all Harry was.

He was just a boy with two names who belonged to no one.

Severus hadn't said anything, so Harry opened his eyes again and saw that the man was looking towards the book he had left open on a pile of books.

Curious, Harry shifted a little to glance at it and saw that Severus hadn't been reading, he had viewed a picture that had been placed between the pages, like a bookmark only it would not have been seen when the book was shut. Invisible until someone either came across it by luck or searched for it...just like how Severus had found Harry.The picture was black and white and showed a smiling girl that Harry thought looked pretty, yet somehow familiar.

'Who is that?' Harry pointed to it. Severus did not lift his gaze from the picture as he answered.

'Lily.' Severus said sadly. 'She...' He paused and wondered how to phrase what she had been to him, yet the name had caused a gasp from the boy. Pulling his eyes from the picture, he looked down at the child.

'You're Sev!' Harry realised.

'How do you know that name?' Severus growled, which startled the boy he had – for some reason – permitted to curl up on his lap like a kitten.

'From the tree. “Sev and Lily – friends forever”. Though, it wasn't for forever, was it?' Harry felt bad for the man, having lost a friend like that, which would explain why he looked sad all the time. He would feel really sad too if he lost Jack or even Severus.

'No.' Severus glanced at the picture again. 'It did not last forever. Nothing does.'

'Erin said love does.' Harry said. 'Erin told me that love lasts forever even if the person you love isn't there anymore. That's how I know she still loves me.'

'Who is Erin?' Severus had heard the name before, yet he had thought so little of it that it only sounded familiar to him.

'She's my new mother.' Harry reminded him. 'Mean people took me away from her and put me back in the orphanage.' He scowled. 'She was crying and said the mean stuff they were telling her wasn't true. I am her son now, but they didn't believe her.' He glanced at Severus as he remembered something with a smile, though hardly aware of what he was actually revealing.

'I was going to be Harry Summers.'

'Her name is Erin Summers?' Severus verified and knew that he now had a place to start.

He had said that the boy could stay with him until he figured out where to send him. And now Severus had his answer. He would find this “Erin Summers” and deliver her son back to her, assuming she still wanted him.

'Is “Harry” your real name?' Severus glanced at the boy, while his mind still thought that Erin sounded more familiar than it should...as though her name meant something more to him but he could not remember what it was.

'Yes.' Harry nodded as his eyes closed again as he yawned.

Severus looked down at the slumbering child and made the connections, once he had ceased to try and place Erin's name.

Cody was really Harry.

He had a scar on his forehead shaped like a lightning bolt.

His parents died when he was a baby.

He had emerald eyes just like she had.

Yet, Severus thought it was still a wild guess to think that this kind, troubled little boy could be Harry Potter. He hardly believed in coincidences, but he had long ago held too tightly to Lily and anything associated with her. The picture he had been looking at had not been touched since he had accepted that she and her son were gone forever. And as he brushed hair from the boy's face, Severus remembered that “forever” was not always so, and sometimes even when a person has placed careful plans or given up hope...life could still surprise them.

Was this “Cody” really Harry Potter, son of lily?

Severus wasn't sure, but he decided, as he watched the small child sleep peacefully on his lap, that he did not care. He made a firm choice to let the matter drop, to not explore the possibility because it would resurface what he'd rather leave to rest.

A long time ago, Lily had needed him and then she left. Her son then needed him, but the boy was gone. Now Cody needed him, but in an entirely different way. And Severus wasn't going to let this boy down. He was going to find Erin Summers and help Cody live the life he deserved, the life Severus had been cheated of.

And so, for the first time in so many years, Severus had a purpose again, he had a duty to the child asleep on his lap, to protect him and deliver him to someone who loved him.

As Severus shut the book and hid Lily's picture once again amongst its pages, he failed to realise that the boy already loved and cared for...exactly where he was. 

Clack clack clack

The sound of her footsteps on the polished wood floor was the only noise Judith Cain was aware of as she proceeded to walk along the spacious, prestige corridor of her home in Yorkshire.

Pausing at the doorway of a grand living room, she glanced towards a portrait of her great-grandmother who was giving her a scowl before the painted woman turned to mind her own business.

'You came.' Judith stated, not questioned, as she glanced towards the man seated uncomfortably on her least favourite armchair.

'I had little choice in the matter.' The man did not seem annoyed or sarcastic, merely getting straight to business and he did not like small talk.

At least not with the likes of Judith Cain.

Shifting in his seat, the man cleared his throat as he watched her cross the room and sit in a blue armchair across from the floral one he was in.

'What is this about?' He asked.

'Ah, Marcus...I thought you would already know.' Judith's smile did not reflect happiness but rather a scheme just below the surface of her smug expression. 'It seems you have a stepson.' She said while accepting a tray of tea from a nervous house-elf.

'I'm no longer married to Erin.' Marcus scowled as politely as he could. 'The boy has no ties to me, thankfully.'

'You despise children?' Judith asked casually.

'No.' Marcus said after a moment of thought. 'I despise your daughter, no offence.'

'None taken.' Judith frowned deeply. 'I am not all too fond of her either. She has made many mistakes and isn't living up to her expectations of the family. She adopted a boy of less-pure blood, and she is relentless in finding him again.'

'Oh, he's lost?' Marcus asked and avoided the tea offered to him. He was not going to make a fool of himself again. 'Run away, no doubt.'

'Hardly.' Judith sighed. 'Intervention was required. Erin is not well.'

'What has this got to do with me?' Marcus narrowed his eyes. 'I care nothing for Erin nor her brat.'

'Precisely.' Judith smirked. 'I have an idea of where the child is. He is seven-years-old now and named Cody Evans. He is residing out of sight, however...I cannot get close to the boy. Stronger magic is at work and I cannot locate the source.' She said with a scolding tone, as though it was his fault even when it could not possibly be so.

Judith also did not like to admit failure, even if it was unavoidable in this case.

'And you think I will have more luck?' Marcus scoffed. 'You give me too much credit.'

'Luck is for the hopeless.' Judith said firmly. 'The boy was residing with an old buddy of yours...Simon Gale?'

'Oh.' Marcus leaned back in his seat and lowered his gaze. 'Yes, I still see him from time to time.'

'Curious, isn't it?' Judith said suspiciously. 'Your friend just happens to have gained custody of your ex-wife's son.'

'It happens.' Marcus grunted. 'I did not lie. I have no interest in her or the boy. What is it you want me to do? I may owe you a debt but if you're thinking of harming the boy...'

'Oh no, don't be ridiculous.' Judith waved off his concern. 'The child is but a means to an end. I only need one simple act from you. Infiltrate the school the boy goes to and dose a drink that will be offered for free as part of an event. Ensure that every child gets one.' She explained while Marcus calmed with his request.

'What will the potion do?' Marcus assumed that is what she meant by “dosing the drinks”.

'Nothing harmful to most, however any child who has been near a magical person recently or is magical themselves will fall ill. Not sick, only ill...the purpose of the potion is to rattle the boy and make sure he does not feel safe.'

'I fail to understand the purpose of this.' Marcus was confused.

'Of course.' Judith rolled her eyes. 'The poison does not harm, though may cause a few side-effects, however any enchantments over the boy will falter. Within days all magic will shed and those protections will be gone. We will be able to see and follow him with ease.'

'What do you intend to do to him then?'

'Make him vanish.' Judith spoke in a pleased tone. 'My daughter is close to finding him...I cannot allow that. I will wipe his memory of her and I will erase any traces of magic he may possess. It is a...specialty, of mine. Marcus, will do you as I ask?'

'Where's the potion?' Marcus nodded.

Harry lay in bed awake as the sunlight came through his window.

He did not move and merely stared upwards, lost in his own thoughts. Sighing, he rolled over and looked across the room at a random spot on his wall. He had been with Severus Snape for almost three weeks now. The man had been searching for Erin Summers, his adoptive mother, and if he had any results, Severus wasn't sharing them with Harry.

He wasn't sure what to think of staying with Severus now, which is what Harry had begun to call him instead of “Mr Snape”. The man was not pleased and preferred to be called “Sir”, yet Harry could not help it once he called his hero something else in his mind.

The reason why Harry lay in a contemplative mood on a school morning was because he was once again thinking about where he belonged and the confusion of having two names. This time it was different, because he just wasn't sure where he stood with his hero. Before, everyone he had stayed with were either new parents or guardians, yet even at the age of seven he understood that it had to be permitted on some piece of paper for an adult to “own” him as their child or for him to stay with them.

Severus Snape had no such papers.

Harry wanted to go back to Erin so badly that it ached when he missed her, yet the thought of leaving his hero alone in a dark house in a darker street seemed unfair and he simply didn't want to let go of the one who saved him and showed him kindness.

'Are you ill?'

Harry was startled when Severus appeared at the doorway of his small bedroom. The man approached him and placed a warm hand to his forehead. Harry didn't make a sound and merely returned to staring at his chosen focus on the wall many feet away.

'What is the matter with you?'

'I don't want to go to school today.' Harry replied and looked over at the dark eyes of his darker-clothed hero. 'I want to stay with you. Please?'

'Absolutely not.' Severus frowned. 'Get up.'

'No.' Harry frowned. 'I'm not going-arh!' He yelped when he was grasped by his arm and yanked out of bed and into standing position.

'You will go to school.' Severus instructed. 'I shall be here when you return. Your education is of utmost importance and I will not tolerate laziness, do you understand?'

'Yes, sir.' Harry nodded sadly and stared at the floor.

'Hurry up. I have no desire for you to be late.' Severus said and left the room to allow the boy to get ready for school.

-- 

Five minutes later, Harry stood just outside the house in his uniform and with his bag draped over his back. He pouted and nudged the ground with the tip of his shoe while he nibbled on a piece of toast.

'No dawdling! Come alone, now.' Severus gave the boy's back a light shove to get him moving. 'And look where you are going.' He sighed.

Harry glanced up from the ground and huffed with annoyance. Swinging his arms at his side while he gradually followed Severus towards the school, which felt further away than it usually did.

'Jack wants to sleepover on the weekend.' Harry suddenly remembered and looked towards the park nearby, having not noticed the man's flinch at his words. 'His parents said he could, if you don't mind. Apparently his father likes you.' Harry conversed in boredom. 'He can come over, right?'

Severus glanced at the hopeful green eyes and grunted. 'Perhaps. I shall consider the matter and confirm permission with Jack's father. You shall know by tomorrow afternoon.'

'Thanks!' Harry grinned and increased his steps, hurrying along to the school gates as he couldn't wait to tell Jack the news. 'Oh...' He paused and glanced back at his hero. 'Sir, uhm...I was wondering, can-can I make it extra special?'

'Meaning?' Severus narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

'Can we order a pizza and a movie?' Harry asked. 'I read about it in a story and Jack is my very best friend. I want him to have fun. And can I get him a new chess set? I feel bad for what happened to his other one.' He lowered his gaze, remembering the day with the rain and bullies.

'I shall consider it upon speaking with his father.' Severus said in a dreading tone. This was part of the torture of having a child in his care. 'Now go along...learn something useful.'

'Yes, sir!' Harry nodded and rushed into the crowd of boys from his class, since he felt much more comfortable there now. Spotting Jack, Harry ran over with a grin on his face but paused when he saw the sad way his friend looked and walked.

'What's wrong, Jack?'

Jack looked up quickly and spotted Harry, instantly blushing and looking away again.

'Oh.' He said. 'It's nothing. Well, I mean...never mind.' Jack sighed. 'What are you so happy about?'

'Severus said you might be able to sleep over on the weekend.' Harry said. 'He's gonna talk to your dad about it first. He said he'll give us the answer tomorrow afternoon, probably after school.'

Harry watched his friend very carefully.

Jack looked delighted by the news, yet Harry had caught the relief in his eyes. Feeling worried, Harry stepped forward and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, which caught Jack's attention.

'Don't be sad.' Harry said. 'You can tell me anything, just like I told you. We're best friends, Jack...I don't want you to feel bad and I know something's not right.'

'Thanks, Harry.' Jack smiled with tears in his eyes.

He gripped his friend's sleeve and tugged Harry around the side of the school building, the same spot where Harry had made his own confessions, which had begun their friendship.

'It's my brother.' Jack stared at the ground, his voice sounding more vacant and miserable than Harry had ever heard it. 'Michael, that his name...he, well...' Jack swallowed and struggled to say it aloud, because that would make it true.

'What happened?' Harry asked patiently.

'Last night, mum and dad got into a big fight with him.' Jack sniffed and fidgeted uncomfortably. 'I didn't really hear a lot of it as they were all yelling at once, but it woke me up and I crept down the stairs to try and listen. They don't normally yell like that.' He frowned.

'I think mum even came home early. Anyway, it...well, it ended bad. Michael's gone now. He packed up and left, said he was n-never coming b-back.' Jack's voice broke as tears flooded across his cheeks.

'He didn't e-even look at m-me or say g-goodbye...n-nothing!'

Harry, feeling angry at Jack's family and terribly sad for his friend, was glad that he had come to school today as he wrapped his arms around his best friend and hugged him, trying to help in any way he could.

Jack hugged him back, thankful that he had someone to cry on as his parents had just shouted for him to go to bed and they had been gone by the time he woke up the next morning.

'I'm s-such a baby!' Jack said as he cried into Harry's shoulder.

'No, you're not.' Harry said stubbornly. 'I've cried lots too. Severus said sometimes we have to cry because it makes us stronger. If we don't then we might forget how important things are, like the stuff that makes us cry.'

'W-what does that m-mean?' Jack asked as he stepped back and rubbed at his eyes, still sniffling yet no longer embarrassed by his emotions.

'I dunno.' Harry shrugged. 'I think it means that your brother is important to you. That because he didn't say goodbye and left made you sad was important too. If you don't cry, you might not think it's so important. Next time you might not care.' Harry said wisely, having had a whole five days to think about what the heck Severus could have meant.

Jack nodded and offered Harry a thankful smile when the emerald-eyed boy fished a tissue from his pocket and offered it to his friend. Jack blew his nose and bit his lip.

'Erin, my adoptive mother...she never said goodbye to me when they took me away.' Harry shared.

'But she loved you.' Jack frowned. 'Why didn't she say goodbye? If you love someone and you're not gonna see them for a long time or ever again, you're supposed to say goodbye!' He grumbled.

'Erin said that goodbyes feel like an ending.' Harry remembered.

'Michael said he was never coming back.' Jack crossed his arms. 'It was an ending.' 

The school bell rang and both boys remained still, each not wanting to go back to class and sit at their desks when inside they were hurting.

Jack knew his parents weren't home, and how to get in his house on his own, so he wanted to just run away and hide in his room. Harry managed to talk him out of it and dragged his friend to class. His hero Severus knew everything and Harry didn't want to make him mad and they were supposed to be at school to learn things. Even so, for the entire lesson the temptation of just running away for the day lingered on the boys mind until lunch.

Because lunch brought about an entirely new set of issues.

Jack was still downhearted as he and Harry snuck around the side of the school to their private spot against the wall under the shade of trees. Jack pressed his back against the bricks and slid to the grass, sighing with misery.

Harry sat on his right and was holding his schoolbook with a frown, disliking his poor effort from the last lesson. He was too focused on his sad friend and knew Severus would be disappointed in him for his lack of concentration on his studies, but Harry decided Jack was more important.

'Would you like to play a game?' Harry asked and didn't move to eat the sandwiches he'd made himself for lunch.

Jack didn't look too hungry either.

'No.' Jack replied as he looked upwards at the tree far over their heads.

'How about think of movies we might want to watch if Severus and your dad let us have a sleepover?' Harry suggested.

'Okay.' Jack agreed, yet fell silent again and didn't seem to be thinking of the chosen subject, not that Harry could blame him.

Leaving his friend to his thoughts, Harry glanced back at his closed schoolbook and frowned, wishing it would be more interesting and useful than as the reminder it currently was regarding his school-based failures that day. In a bout of frustration, not towards his book even as he held the object responsible; however, regarding his inability to help or even cheer up his friend, Harry tossed the book away from him.

It landed a few feet away and both boys watched it; Jack with curiosity as to what Harry was doing, and the latter in pure irritation to its uselessness.

'Why can't you be more interesting, you stupid book?' Harry snapped and glared at it.

With a crackling sound coupled with a colourful demonstration of sparks, the book was suddenly transfigured into a very large, dark green frog.

It sat on the grass, blinked once and croaked.

The boys stared wide-eyed at the creature and were silent for a whole minute as they could not believe what had just happened.

'H-how...?' Jack gulped. 'Harry?' He darted a look at his friend.

'I...I don't know.' Harry replied as he watched the frog that was once his schoolbook.

It reminded him of what happened when Simon had shouted at him and the glass had broken even when no one had touched it. Severus had called it something.

'It was...magic.' Harry said.

'Magic?' Jack frowned. 'I thought that was just tricks and stuff? This is real!'

-- 

When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, the sound startled the book-turned-frog, who croaked once and hopped off. It couldn't get far with its large stomach, yet the boys had to chase after it with relative difficulty in attempt to capture it.

'I have to get it back!' Harry panicked. 'It's my book. All my work is in it! Severus won't like me if I don't bring it home. He might kick me out!'

'No, he won't.' Jack replied, yet was equally stressed as he helped his best friend try to catch the frog.

'Bad book, stay!' Harry scolded.

'Come back!' Jack added.

The frog croaked again and was reaching the end of the school boundaries, so both boys knew they had to grab it now or risk leaving the school yard and getting into a lot of trouble. Neither had yet considered how they would explain how such a frog even appeared, or why it was so important to get it back.

With Harry blocking its path, the frog turned to another direction, just as Jack jumped towards it. The sandy-haired boy grumbled as he rolled across the grass and then turned to lunge at the creature.

'Gotcha!' Jack declared with a smirk, pressing his weight onto the over-large frog to keep it still.

Harry leaned beside him and unzipped his bag. With all their hands, the boys lifted the frog (Jack almost dropped it because it felt slimy), and shoved it into the confines of Harry's bag. Trapping it inside, they exhaled and leaned back on the grass, glad the frog seemed too confused to bother moving around.

'Mr Evans! Mr Bailey!'

Both boys cringed as their teacher Mrs Kline called out to them from the doorway of the school, her hands on her hips and a stern expression of disapproval set on her face.

'Er, sorry!' Harry jumped up and grabbed his bag, grunting as he tried to put it on his back but it was really heavy with his secret frog inside.

'You missed the arrival of the fire truck.' Mrs Kline shook her head as they rushed towards her. 'Due to your lateness, you may not get the chance to see it before it is time to go inside. Come along, to the main hall now. The Fire Safety Awareness lecture is about to begin.' She pointed down the corridor.

'Mr Evans, is there something wrong with your bag?'

'Er, no.' Harry replied quickly.

'Where is your book?' She sighed. 'You need one to take notes during the lecture.'

'I er, lost it.' Harry couldn't exactly tell his teacher how he had turned it into a frog that now rested at the bottom of his bag.

'He can use mine!' Jack jumped in to the rescue. 'Come on, let's run for it!' He hissed to Harry, who nodded and followed his friend as they ran off towards the hall.

--

Jack and Harry picked seats with their class around the middle of the crowded room. As they looked towards the podium where an aging man stood to talk about the dangers of fires and precautions to take, Marcus slipped unnoticed onto the school grounds as per the request made of him by Judith.

A table was set up for the students afterwards. One side was covered in boxes of white bags that contained messages and activities to raise awareness, such as stickers and colouring pages as well as informative booklets. The other half of the table was where the teachers were preparing to set up cups to hand out to each child.

There was a large beverage dispenser, which contained a lime and raspberry drink which was a new flavour sample from the company who sponsored the Schools Fire Safety Awareness events.

With a notice-me-not charm already in place from earlier, Marcus lifted a deep blue toned potion bottle from the inside of his jacket.

Lifting the lid to the dispenser, he poured the contents inside and was glad it didn't require stirring. The poison blended into the drink easily and changed the colouring a tiny bit but not enough that anyone would really notice.

Stepped away, Marcus replaced the lid and hurried into the shadows. He had been instructed not to linger, as detecting the children inflicted was not part of his duty. Glad to be finished with the task, Marcus turned and walked along a street away from the school.

Several minutes later, he had disaparated and removed all trace of his visit, apart from the influential drink that would soon be consumed by the children.

--

Harry was closest to the isle between the two groups of students crowded on either side of the room. Jack was to his right and they tried to focus on what was being said about what to do in the incident of a fire, however the concealed frog would sit still no more.

'Stop it!' Harry hissed and placed his bag on his lap.

'Shhh!' Jack said urgently as a few classmates turned to look at them. 'Whack it.' He suggested.

'I don't want to hurt him.' Harry frowned back in a hushed tone.

'It's a book.' Jack returned.

'Not anymore!' Harry said.

He winced when a shadow loomed over them and Mrs Kline glared in their direction, placing a finger to her lips to indicate that they needed to remain quiet and listen to the lecture.

With the bag motionless again, Jack and Harry looked towards the podium, but the man had a droning voice that put them into a state of inattentive boredom.

Somehow, for the whole time the lecture was in progress, Jack was able to keep from falling asleep and Harry prevented his bag from hopping off his lap.

When it was finally time to move, the boys nearly fled the hall in desire to be free from the horrible situation of anxiety and boredom within. They followed the others outside and lined up for the cup of drink and goody bag at the tables.

Harry grunted as he tried to keep his grip on the bag and Jack acted as a barrier so the teachers didn't get suspicious of Harry's squirming schoolbag.

As they reached the table, Harry was no longer able to tolerate his former book and swung the bag over his back, effectively stunning the frog with his movement.

-- 

The home bell rang as Harry and Jack were some of the last to receive their free cup of juice and bag. As Jack dug through his and pulled out a sheet of stickers showing flames and words like “have a smoke alarm” or “stop, drop and roll” written on them. Laughing, apparently in a much better mood than before, he reached over and stuck a bunch of them on Harry's face.

'Jack!' Harry tried to fight him off with one hand, since the other gripped the strap of his heavy bag.

Unable to fend off his friend, Harry started laughing as well while they walked half-blindly to the gates of the school. They paused when each spotted Severus standing there, looking displeased by their playing as each boy was covered in stickers and giggling like the young kids they were.

'Come along, Cody.' Severus said with a frown.

'Oh, okay.' Harry turned to his best friend. 'I'm sorry about what happened. I wish I could make you feel better, but you're my best friend so let me know if there is anything you need, okay?' He tried to offer a smile.

'Thanks.' Jack smiled and gave his friend a hug. 'Oh, er...' He looked at Severus and then avoided the man's gaze, lowering to whisper to Harry even as Severus overheard him.

'Good luck with...you know?'

'Right.' Harry frowned at the thought of his frog. 'I'll see you tomorrow.' He waved and the two boys parted, still unaware of the poison they had both consumed.

'Sorry, sir...I'm ready now.' He added to Severus as he followed his hero back to Spinner's End.

'It is evidential that you demonstrate little dissatisfaction in regards to attending school today, Cody.' Severus said as they walked.

'Huh?' The seven-year-old frowned.

'You do not regret going to school, despite your resistance this morning.' Severus frowned as he simplified his words, recalling that he was speaking to a young child.

'Oh.' Harry sighed. 'Not really.'

He hoisted his bag higher and grunted with the effort. He wondered why, of all things he could have created from his book, why he had to be a particularly well-fed frog of unnatural size. Wincing, he stepped inside the house when Severus held open the door.

The boy failed to notice the look of constrained suspicion on the man's face as he watched Harry walk to the table, almost limping, and carefully dumped his burdening bag on the ground.

'I demand to know what you are attempting to conceal.'

'W-what?' Harry stared at the tall man with alarmed eyes. 'I-'

'Choose your words wisely, Cody.' Severus cautioned. 'I do not appreciate being lied to.'

'It was an accident, I swear!' Harry promptly burst into hysterics, scared that his hero was going to kick him out once he found out what he had done and how freaky he was.

'I was angry, and wishing I did more stuff in school to sh-show you, and now I...it just happened! I spent all afternoon trying to stop it, but I...' He ducked his head and tears slid from his emerald eyes. 'I'm so, so sorry!'

'Show me.' Severus said in a wary tone.

Harry glanced at the door to make sure it was shut, before he bent and slowly lifted the heavy dark green frog from his bag. It croaked and tried to squirm away, but Harry hugged it tightly to keep it in his arms, which was quite a feat considering the largeness of the creature.

'Stay, book.' Harry demanded. 'You've got me in a lot of trouble, you know.'

'This...was your schoolbook?' Severus stared at the frog. 'I see.'

'You're not mad?' Harry dared to look at him.

'The appearance of accidental magic is not an occurrence in which should provoke anger, Cody.' Severus said as he approached the boy and his fog. 'I shall return this creature to its rightful form.'

Harry looked down at the frog, who looked back up at him with round blue eyes that matched the colour of his book's cover. He felt sympathetic for the frog, because Harry had created him and now he had to become a book again. His shoulders slumped, under the physical weight and emotional one, as Harry was very reluctant to hand him over.

'I kinda like my frog.' Harry said sadly. 'I don't want him to become a book. He was stuck in my bag all day and didn't get to hop. He likes hopping.' He sniffled. 'I bet he likes swimming too. And he never got to do that.'

'Oh, Merlin.'

Severus placed a hand over his face and sighed, counting to five before he tried to work out how to approach the situation. 'And what of your schoolwork?' He questioned with reasoning that would unlikely be much concern to a child.

'I can re-do it.' Harry said. 'I told my teacher I lost my book, anyway. Please don't kill him, Severus. I like him now. I've never had a pet before.'

'And now shall be no exception.' Severus growled. 'Where you do suppose we keep it? I cannot have a slimy toad hopping all over the place.'

'He's a really big frog, not an ugly toad!' Harry defended the creature, who croaked in reply and tried to free itself again, but the small boy had a vice grip on him.

Severus reached for his wand, intending to change the creature back into the book because once the boy let go of the thing, they could move on. However, the desperation in the child's eyes as he actually cuddled his frog closer to his chest indicated that his attachment was more profound than Severus realised.

What concerned him further, was the way the boy's eyes seemed unfocused and his skin paled, even as the grip on the frog never slackened.

'Why is it so hot in here?' Harry asked.

Severus glanced toward the barely-lit fireplace and frowned, since it was actually quite the opposite. He looked at the frog, who seemed to be quite uncomfortable yet not the cause. Exhaling with dread, Severus stepped closer and let the frog hop past him when Harry released it.

The boy leaned sideways and Severus had to rush forward to catch him, ignoring the existence of magic for that brief few seconds.

'Cody?' Severus felt the child's heated forehead, which was still covered in stickers, and wondered what had happened.

He had been fine a moment ago!

'Froggy...didn't do it.' Harry mumbled as he leaned his sweaty forehead to Severus' chest. 'I don't feel too good.' He groaned. 'I'm tired. Can I go...to sleep? Froggy can sleep...with me...promise.'

As the child's eyes closed, Severus stood with the boy in his arms and marched upstairs, dropping Harry carefully on his assigned bed. Summoning a few potion vials in case they were needed, Severus leaned closer and checked the boy's pupils, his pulse and breathing rate.

All signs pointed to poisoning, and a heavy one yet he instinctively sensed it was not designed to be fatal.

'They shall require greater methods than this, Cody.' Severus said as he conjured a wet cloth to rest on the child's forehead. 'You cannot be harmed quite so simply. I doubt they expected that the child in which they attempted to poison resides with a Potions Master.' He frowned and removed the cloth, brushing the dark hair away from Harry's face with his hand in an act of compassion.

'I swore to myself that I would keep you safe.' Severus uttered with fierce determination that rivalled his intense anger towards the unknown culprits behind the boy's ill-fated condition.

'And that is precisely what I intend to do.'

Harry expected to wake in his own bed the following morning; however, as he opened his eyes and looked around, the boy realised he was in the main room downstairs. Glancing once at the closed front door, his memories of the previous afternoon resurfaced. He looked to a nearby chair and saw Severus asleep in it with a thin faded green blanket half-draped over himself.

Without realising his ill health, Harry slid from where he had been sleeping and carefully crossed the room to where the man was, wondering why his vision seemed blurred and his footsteps wobbly.

Grasping the blanket as he fell forward in weakness, Harry sat there in a daze before he looked up and saw he had woken (or rather, startled) Severus. The man placed a cool hand on Harry's forehead, yet did not appear too concerned.

'Do you feel ill?' Severus asked. 'Are you experiencing any discomfort or pain?'

'I feel wobbly.' Harry frowned. 'Everything feels heavier. What happened? Where's my frog?'

Severus lifted the boy onto his lap and felt his forehead again, thinking quietly as Harry spoke.

'Cease concern for the frog. It is fine.' Severus complained as he summoned a vial of colourless liquid. 'Drink this.'

'No.' Harry cross his arms. 'I won't. It's probably yucky. It looks yucky.' He pointed to the vial with an expression of disgust. 'And last time I had something to drink...Frogabook!' He stopped in mid-sentence to smile at his frog, who had apparently been sleeping right beside him on the other chair where Harry had woken.

The creature croaked once and seemed sad it could not reach the boy who had given it life via magic.

Rolling his eyes at the ridiculous name the boy had given the creature he had not yet been permitted to keep, Severus gave the child a stern glare and held up the vial again. He was too tired for disobedience and also not in the mood to battle with a sick little boy.

'Drink.' Severus instructed. 'Do you believe I would give you something which might cause you harm? Another has so foolishly done so, which is the reason for your need to consume this antidote.'

Harry pulled away from the vial again, shaking his head in rejection, even as the man's words caught him by surprise. Even at seven-years-old, Harry realised Severus was telling him someone had tried to hurt him by giving him poison. Dizziness clouded any further thoughts as Harry sluggishly reached for Severus, but missed and held the vial instead, through clever maneuvering by his guardian.

'Drink.' Severus said once more.

'Yucky.' Harry mumbled as he lifted the vial to his lips and complied with the request, wanting nothing more than to feel better again and play with his frog. Sighing, as the empty vial slipped from his small hand and onto the floor, Harry leaned against his hero's chest as his emerald eyes closed.

Severus ignored the fallen object and quickly checked the boy over, worried that something had gone wrong, but only detected exhaustion. Not sure what to do, as the boy needed his rest to recover yet was so latched against him, Severus looked over at the noisily croaking frog with dislike.

'Be silent, you despicable creature!' Severus hushed in an angered tone.

His glares and intimidation had no effect on the being who only wanted to be near the little human it had grown so fond of in such a short time. With a grunt of dread, since he knew the frog would wake Harry if he didn't do something, Severus hovered the creature over to join them.

The frog, happily named “Frogabook” by Harry, was silenced by shock towards its sudden ability to fly as it was magicked towards the pair. Its eyes wide, the frog became cautious of Severus and eager to be near Harry. Once again ignoring all loathing aimed its way by Severus, the creature hopped closer and licked Harry's forearm before it settled to protectively sleep on the child's lap.

Deciding to ignore the annoyance and avoid listing potions ingredients he could use the frog in, Severus focused on the little boy curled against him. The precious child he had vowed to himself to protect and save from the darkened life Severus had once endured, and still did in a way. Brushing some hair away from the child's face, he was glad the boy was even alive and therefore leaned back to allow the trio on the same chair to rest.

-- 

By afternoon, Harry had done nothing other than sleep.

Severus, however, had been busy for hours non-stop. The idea of leaving the boy alone in his bedroom with the infuriating frog was delayed and neglected until he could avoid the issue no longer. Severus had ventured to the school to gain as much information as he could, and being the Potions Master and smooth-talker he was, Severus now knew exactly what the cause was and who the targets included.

Of the whole school, every child in attendance had received a cup of the drink which was supposed to be a new flavour or something, Severus gathered, yet only three children had been reported to have fallen ill. Cody Evans, Jack Bailey, and a girl older than them by the name of Mandy Delleware.

With the information he now had, Severus could understand why, as he visited both the Bailey household and the Delleware's. They believed the lies he had to tell about his disguised antidote concealed as medicine, in order to cure the children, though Severus tried not to feel judgemental towards their easy acceptance. Mrs Bailey was a doctor, after all, and would have argued the matter further, yet she had been on call at the hospital that day.

Returning home, or at least the house he resided within, Severus went to check on the child in his care.

The poison only effected those who were magical or had recently been exposed to magic. Mandy Delleware was ten years old and seemed the sort of girl who had few friends due to her shy nature, therefore since she didn't even know the two boys, Jack and Cody, Severus guessed she was a muggleborn witch. Her parents were clearly muggles, from what he had seen during his visit. He already had suspicions about Cody being a wizard and with the magical incident of his school book being transfigured into a frog, Severus was not at all surprised when Jack had gotten sick from the exposure as well.

And quite profoundly.

Severus decided not to tell Cody his best friend was sicker than he was, though the man had confidence in the eventual recovery of each child. The poison was not designed to be fatal, and yet he knew the intent was malicious enough to motivate the man to locate the one responsible.

Exhaling, Severus stepped into the kitchen and just stood there, looking through the window to the house across the street where he had first seen Cody Evans. He saw Mr Kort wandering along the street, which was quite strange as the horrible man was rarely seen outdoors during the day. Severus remembered assisting the boy to drop off a package to Mr Kort, something his own father had made him do as well.

Thinking about that, Severus allowed his mind to drift to some of the interactions he'd had with the little boy in his care. It seemed so long ago...

--

“Who do you belong to?” Severus had asked as he looked around the street, having no idea where the unfamiliar child had come from.

“I just moved here.” Cody had replied as he indicated to the house behind himself as he sat on its step. “I'm Cody...Cody Evans.”

--

“Ow.” The child sniffed as he started crying. Severus approached him and cast his shadow over Cody, who gasped and jumped to his feet. The boy raised his arm to shield himself, until he realised who it was.

“Calm yourself.” Severus had told him.

-- 

“Oh, it's you.” Cody had sounded so relieved. “Could you please open the bin for me?”

--

After the package had been delivered to Mr Kort, Severus directed the thankful boy away from the place.
“It's not safe for someone your age to remain outdoors in this neighborhood.” Severus had said.
“It's not safe anywhere here.” Cody's words spoke volumes and Severus remained quiet as he observed the interactions between the child and Emile – the woman who was supposed to care for him.

“Cody, not now.” She said.

“But he did it again!” The boy tried to tell her. “He sent me to some stupid house without telling me which one it is. Like he made me take the rubbish out yesterday when I couldn't reach. He wants me to fail.”

“You fail all on your own.” Emile shook her head. “Now get inside.”

'It stinks like beer and smokes in there.” Cody crossed his arms. “I don't want to.”

--

“Sorry.” Harry mumbled to Severus. “But thanks. If you hadn't saved me...I-I dunno what Simon would have done.”

“No one has the right to harm a child.” Severus managed to keep his anger in check as he spoke.

-- 

“How do you not know who you are, child?”

“I was given a pretend name.” The boy said and yawned. “I don't know who I am.”

--

'Is “Harry” your real name?” Severus looked at the boy, wondering how Erin's name sounded familiar, as though her name was significant to him somehow. The answer had never come to him.

“Yes.”

--

Severus walked away from the window and proceeded to the place he now considered to be the boy's room.

 The frog was sprawled at the end of the bed, though watching Severus carefully as he passed by. The man looked down at the slumbering child and knew it was going to be an enduring night ahead for them both.

'Muggle...Magic...' Harry mumbled as he rolled over to further face Severus. 'Flying...'

Severus had noticed an interesting fact about the child, in regards to magic and the very existence of it. Since he'd discovered the boy to be magical himself, which the poison further proved by reacting to him, Severus had told him a bit about magic and some phrases, yet Cody always surprised him by having more knowledge than he remembered detailing.

He'd brushed it aside so many times, yet perhaps it was a clue in a way, towards the boy's previous life.

Sighing, as he'd had a trying day, Severus turned to let the boy rest. A choking sound made him spin around quickly and check on the boy. Cody was upset, as evident by the tears sliding down his cheeks.

'No...' Harry groaned. 'I be good. Simon...no!'

Severus growled at the memory of the vile idiot who the boy had to stay with until he had been rescued, and didn't care for the child's rest any longer as he tried to wake the ill boy.

Strangely, nothing worked.

Severus nudged him and called his name, but Cody did not respond at all. Was the illness getting worse? He didn't know that a terrible nightmare had seized Harry, which was a rare side-effect of the poison. Severus did realise, with utter dread and worry, that for some unknown reason...the poison was still in the child's body, and still wrecking havoc as the undeserving boy tossed and sweated with agony. He didn't know what to do. Severus had given the antidote, which already showed signs of working on the other children when it had been administered.

'Cody!' Severus shook the paling boy again. 'Wake up. Cody!'

--

'Is “Harry” your real name?”

“Yes.”

--

His eyes widening at the recollection, Severus released the boy and gasped for breath as he inched away. Was this really Harry? Was Lily's little boy becoming further ill in front of him while he stood by, helpless to ease his suffering?

Is that who Cody really was?

'No.' Severus denied adamantly as he stood over the boy again.

He couldn't be Harry Potter. This boy was sweet and caring, even to someone who didn't feel he deserved it. Lily had been his friend once, but it ended a long time ago. And James...well, Potter was nothing more than a bully and a fool to Severus.

This boy wasn't like that.

Cody was joyous when delighted, content to enjoy the simple things, and always looking at Severus with admiration. He trusted Severus, he relied on him with his life and happiness...and Severus didn't know how to help him as pain and fear twisted through his small form.

'Cody.' Severus tried again, desperate to do anything to wake the boy and pull him from whatever nightmare world filled the seven-year-old's mind. 'Harry!'

The name slipped out before he had time to stop it.

In an instant, the child's emerald eyes shot open and he stopped moving. Harry looked dazed until Severus came into view, and a smile formed on his young face. His expression quickly crumpled as tears continued to shed and he gasped with hurt.

'Simon said you could never love me.' Harry cried, though too sick to sit up. 'He said you think I'm stupid and useless!'

'Hush, child.' Severus sat on the edge of the bed, ignoring the flustered frog's attempts to move closer to the emotional boy who was so unwell. 'It was a nightmare.'

'No, it was real.' Harry sniffed. 'He told me once that no one would love me. That's why I have no mum or dad. I've gone to lots of places and they all leave me...' His sobs overcame him as he forced himself upright, though Harry wasn't sure why or where he could even run away to. He just wanted to hide from what was hurting him, not realising how deep it stemmed from inside himself.

'You have me.' Severus told him in a softer tone than he usually used, his chest constricting his breaths at the sight of the broken child in front of him.

A boy he had failed to protect, despite his best efforts.

Harry looked at Severus and flung himself at the man, which was impressive considering his nausea and dizziness. The man wrapped his arms around the crying boy and pulled him onto his lap. He remained firm and strong for Harry, while inside Severus felt just as broken and injured. How could this boy have so much impact on him? It was strange and seemingly unnatural. No matter what he'd gone through with Lily, somehow this boy touched his heart beyond what she had.

It was, perhaps, because the child returned the unwavering love when Lily had not.

However, Harry's moment of emotional distress and lunging himself at Severus had cost them both. All through the night, the boy was constantly waking Severus and keeping him busy as the child's condition got worse. The poison was finally expelled from his body, which was a terrible ordeal for both. Harry was constantly throwing up, getting a feverish headache, and experiencing a horribly upset stomach. Severus assisted Harry through each moment, even if he felt the lack of sleep was going to cause him to collapse.

The frog had long ago vanished underneath the bed in an act of self-preservation and remained there until sunrise.

And when the sun finally began to shine, Severus and Harry were fast asleep and calm for the first time all day. Harry slept soundly in his bed, the covers kicked aside as his frog hopped up to join him, squirming and clawing at the mattress as it tried not to slide off. With relief, the creature remained on the bed and made its way to Harry, where it allowed the boy to pull him close into a subconscious, gentle hug.

In his own bed, Severus was stretched out in a position he rarely slept in. His hair was a mess and he hadn't bothered to change into his pyjamas as he had lied down on the bed and never got up again. Since Harry would be fine in a couple of hours, Severus allowed himself the bliss of passing out.

Harry slowly opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at the sight of his frog's large eyes staring down at him from where he sat on the boy's chest. It was the only time the frog wasn't heavy, for a reason neither Harry nor Severus could comprehend.

'Hello, Frogabook.' Harry said in a quiet, strained voice. 'Is it morning now?' He yawned.

With a croak, the frog jumped off him so Harry could sit upright.

Yawning again, Harry only had vague memories of the night before. Stepping out of bed, he remained still to see how his legs felt. Able to stand and walk without many consequences, Harry wandered out of his room and almost fell over in alarm when a voice suddenly spoke to him.

'What are you doing out of bed, young man?' Severus disapproved.

'I'm sorry.' Harry looked over at Severus, who he hadn't noticed leaving a nearby room. 'I was hungry.'

'That is a good sign.' Severus sighed with relief. 'I shall bring you something to eat. Return to your bed.'

'I'm bored with being in bed.' Harry complained, though he looked a bit dazed and exhausted, no doubt from his ordeal the previous night.

Severus was about to object, but thought better of it and sighed, wondering if the boy remembered the details of the night before. He reached down and picked Harry up, something he didn't make a habit of doing and always avoided. He carried the sleepy, recovering boy downstairs and placed him on the sofa. Conjuring a pillow and draping a sheet over Harry, Severus retreated to the kitchen to make the boy some soup.

Frogabook had conquered the stairs and soon hopped over to join Harry, and was lifted onto the couch beside the boy because he couldn't reach on his own.

'I'm glad you're here, Frogabook.' Harry told the creature. 'You're really nice. I don't miss my school book at all.' The frog croaked happily in reply, trying to convey that he cared for his human as well, as a wide smile formed on his face.

Nearby, Severus watched the exchange and wondered if Harry had forgotten about him entirely. For the rest of the day, Harry hardly acknowledged Severus at all, leading the man to wonder why. It remained that way for the next day as well, though Harry did spend most of it sleeping.

-- 

When the weekend arrived, Harry was doing much better and slept less.

He ate three solid meals again and Severus could only be relieved. After the hassle of adding a working phone in his house, Severus allowed Harry to call Jack to see how his friend was doing after he'd learned Jack had been sick as well. Both boys chatted on the phone for an hour, talking about the frog, and all the things they were going to do or play once they were fully healed again - such as the sleepover Severus wished they would forget about.

'I wanted to ask you something.' Harry looked boldly over at Severus the night before he would be returning to school.

'Go on.' Severus allowed as he paused in his reading and looked over at the child.

'Well...' Harry fidgeted and pulled his frog closer, who had gained a bit of weight over the last few days. 'How do you tell someone you're really thankful and care about them a lot, when you don't know how to say it?'

'Words do not always suffice.' Severus looked away. 'However, I am certain you will find the words when you need them.'

'I've tried.' Harry said. 'I don't know what words to use. Can't I just hug you and you'll understand?'

Severus looked up quickly, having realised what the boy was implying, and could not find a suitable answer to respond with. The boy hadn't been ignoring him at all. Harry had been trying to find the right words to thank him, to say he cared about him a lot, but wasn't able to figure out how to convey his message.

'I tried writing it down, but I'm not real good at that.' Harry said to himself. 'I tried to teach Frogabook to deliver the message, until he ate my paper and the rest of my sandwich.' He frowned at the frog, who looked up at him with wide, innocently oblivious eyes.

'You needn't thank me.' Severus finally said. 'I did what any capable adult should for a child. You were ill and required care. I merely provided it.'

Both boy and man stared at each other for a long moment, each unable to say what they really wanted to, and neither being sure of why they felt as strongly as they did, or why the bond between them had developed so fast when it hadn't with others. There was a connection formed from Severus' desire to protect the boy and Harry's wish to feel loved.

And so they sat there, staring and uncertain, until Frogabook's croak broke the trance and Severus glanced away.

'Can I hug you anyway?' Harry's words almost made Severus laugh.

He didn't have to answer, as the boy was already climbing towards Severus when he'd asked it. And unlike any other time he'd embraced the boy briefly, Severus wrapped the child in his arms and cloak as Harry cuddled close. Severus was, above all, immeasurably relieved the boy was going to be okay.

--

And just like that, Harry was soon preparing to go back to school the following morning.

He woke earlier than usual and ate his breakfast, feeling nervous about returning to the place where his sickness had been caused. Severus assured him, multiple times, that such a thing would never happen again. The boy was still anxious. He'd called Jack to make himself feel better, and check his best friend would be coming back as well.

'We are departing in three minutes!' Severus called to Harry in a growling tone. 'I will not hesitate to drag you the entire way to school if you dawdle a moment longer.'

'I'm coming!' Harry panicked as he grabbed his bag and hurried down the stairs. 'No, Frogabook. Stay.' He nudged his frog away with his shoe, trying to stop it from escaping out the door.

Severus gave the creature a look of contempt.

The frog had been forced to lose a little weight and now wore a new shiny blue collar around its neck, complete with a silver name-tag.

'Two minutes.' Severus stated.

'Stay.' Harry said firmly to the frog, who looked miserable and croaked sadly. 'I'll be back later, I promise.' The boy added and quickly turned, rushing out the door and shut it behind himself.

He looked over at Severus and gulped.

'What if-'

'No.' Severus instantly interrupted the boy as they started to walk to the school. 'Cease your questions of insecurity. Do you believe I would return you to school if it were not perfectly safe for you to go back?'

'No.' Harry looked downwards. 'I know you wouldn't. But I'm still...I mean, they're out there still, aren't they? The ones who hurt me and my friend?'

'They will be shortly dealt with.' Severus said in a dangerously low tone. 'We are here.'

Harry flinched and glanced at the children of various ages running around and playing. He didn't want to go through the gates and stepped away, only to be rudely shoved forward by Severus.

'Bye.' Harry waved after Severus promised to collect him at the end of the day, as he always did.

Sighing miserably and tugging lightly at his collar for no reason other than as something to do in his anxious state, Harry slowly glanced around in search of Jack. Inhaling a long breath in attempt to feel braver, Harry started walking towards a bench and sat down. He knew he was safe again, but his mind wouldn't settle the bad scenarios or fears of being hurt again.

It was harder when he still hadn't seen Jack anywhere.

'Hello.' A girl's voice startled him.

Harry looked up and saw a girl older than him standing only feet away. She had chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes, several freckles on her face, and wore a bright ribbon in her hair. She seemed to be even more nervous than he was, if such a thing was possible.

'Are you Cody?' She asked quietly. 'I'm Mandy Delleware. I just wondered if you could pass on a message to your dad? Could you tell him thank you from me and my family. The medicine he gave me really helped.'

'You were sick too?' Harry realised. 'Oh, he's not my dad...but, I'll tell him thanks from you.' He nodded.

His dad?

That was a wonderful thought, which filled Harry's stomach with stars rather than just butterflies and bees, as it felt to contain with his anxiety to being back at school after what had happened.

'Thank you, Cody.' Mandy offered him a smile and hurried away.

'My dad?' Harry whispered to himself and smiled, occupying his mind with thoughts of a real parent instead of his paranoias about school.

So deep in thought, he failed to notice he was being watched until hands clamped down on his shoulders and nearly caused him to fall of his seat in fright.

'You shall be cursed with a deadly case of purple skin!' Jack said in a menacing, dramatic voice while Harry tried to recover from his shock. 'Your nose will grow to three inches and your feet will turn into hooves.'

'Hi, Jack.' Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. 'What have you been watching on TV now?'

'Jack, who's Jack?' The sandy-haired boy continued theatrically. 'I'm Captain Earnest and I have cursed you for two hundred years. You should be like, screaming and stuff now.' He sighed, his enthusiasm diminishing as Harry did not react accordingly.

'Who lives for two hundred years?' Harry returned. 'And “Captain Earnest” doesn't sound too scary for a villain.'

'Well, what would?' Jack jumped over the bench and then leaned back to sit beside his best friend. 'Welcome back, by the way. School's just as boring as ever, unfortunately.' He added with a wink.

'I dunno. I'm not real good with villain names.' Harry rolled his eyes and smiled at Jack, knowing his friend was trying to pull him from his worry and it had worked. 'Thanks. How long have you been back?'

'A day or so.' Jack shrugged. 'I mostly hid up that tree over there.' He pointed casually to a large tree in a corner not far from the gates, as though sitting in a tree for a long period of time was an effective defence against being tricked or attacked. 'And when we were inside, I armed myself with...well, I only had some sharp pencils and a ruler.' Jack frowned. 'But I was ready for them! I swear, if they'd shown up...they'd be no match for me.'

'Sure, Captain Earnest.' Harry burst out laughing, much to Jacks false astonishment.

'I'm serious.' Jack stated.

'You really hid up a tree and walked around threatening to poke people with your pencils or ruler?' Harry snorted, staring at his friend with disbelief.

'Sure.' Jack shrugged. 'I didn't have you as my back-up so I had to use whatever I could. What would you have done?'

'Pretended to be sick so I could go home early.' Harry admitted. 'I don't think it would work, though.'

'I tried that.' Jack pouted. 'Mum had fore-warned them, so I just got extra homework. I think that's a crime, giving me more work to do when I already have so much to catch up on.'

'Don't remind me.' Harry pulled a face, since he had missed a decent amount of work as well while he had been sick.

The bell rang and the boys headed to class, choosing their usual seats as they prepared for a day of learning. Harry realised it wasn't so bad once he fell back into familiar routines and subjects, almost feeling glad to be back at school, after all the time he'd spend in bed feeling sick and bored. Having Jack at his side, making a point of showing Harry his extra-sharpened pencils, certainly helped a great deal.

It wasn't until the last hour before the final bell that things changed.

Their teacher, Mrs Kline, silenced the class to tell them about a major assignment in which they would be graded on, which filled Harry with dread and discomfort.

'Over the next few weeks I want each of you to write a speech about yourself. You must include some of your favourite hobbies, a bit about your family and who they are, as well as dreams you have for the future.' Mrs Kline explained.

'After three weeks, we will have a special day at school where parents are invited to see you give your speech to the class. There will be snacks for everyone and then a showing of your family tree, which we will start work on tomorrow.'

Her words ringed in Harry's mind through the next hour.

He didn't hear the final bell, but noticed everyone getting up and leaving, so he did the same. Jack was a bit quiet as well, probably thinking about his older brother Michael who had left home so suddenly not long ago.

Saying goodbye to Jack, Harry turned and walked through the gates to where Severus was waiting for him. They exchanged a few greetings and Harry forced the assignment from his mind the best he could.

It worked up until they paused outside the house and Severus didn't open the door.

'Is something troubling you?' Severus asked.

Harry looked up at his hero and thought about how much he wanted to share Jack's imaginative stories and the silly things his best friend had done today to cheer Harry up. He wanted to ask if being stuck in a tree was an effective way to hide from those who might hurt them, or if pencils could be sharpened only to a certain length before they become too dangerous, and more than anything else...Harry wanted to confine his fears about the upcoming parent event.

Harry couldn't.

He was scared, because of what Mandy had said about Severus being his dad. He didn't have a dad. Or a mum. Or any siblings at all. He had no family, he was the boy everyone had forgotten, seen only be two and loved by no one. He wished Severus had the papers to say Harry could stay with him forever, and Harry wished he could show Jack that he was a better brother than Michael ever could be. He voiced none of those things, preferring to keep them inside, reminding himself of his lack of actual family and how foolish daydreams weren't going to change it.

So, as Severus asked is something was bothering him, Harry lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes. He forced down his urges to blurt it all out, to hug and cry against his hero and beg him to get the papers so he never had to leave.

Harry never wanted to be the invisible, forgotten boy with two names, ever again.

'No.' Harry lied. 'I'm okay. It was a scary day, but I'm alright now.'

He watched Severus looked at him with suspicion, certain his lie had been caught, as he bit his lip and awaited a response. The man let the matter drop and turned to open the door.

Severus acted quickly enough to raise his foot and prevent an over-excited frog to tackle the recently-recovered boy. Croaking in disappointment to have a black shoe hindering his access to his young human, Frogabook glared at Severus as he patiently waited for Harry to drag him off to the main room.

'I really must charm the doorway to prevent that nuisance escaping.' Severus muttered to himself as he stepped inside and shut the door behind them.

He despised the annoying creature to no end and suspected it was quite mutual, however the once-a-book frog was adored by Harry. The boy hugged and rambled to the creature with such acceptance and fondness that Severus would never allow anything to happen to the frog either.

Somehow, as Severus watched Harry and the frog sitting together on the floor, he knew there was one thing he and Frogabook had in common. They both cared more about Harry than they did their distrust and dislike of the other. It was no longer about keeping the boy safe from harm, as Severus wanted Harry to be happy as well. Even if it meant Severus and Frogabook would spend an entire day glaring at each other as they waited for the time when Harry would be home.

Thoughts of the frog aside, Severus tried to hide a smile as he watched the seven-year-old move to a table so he could start on his catch-up homework. He watched over the boy and felt comfortable in knowing he was healed and his attackers would be confronted. Severus knew exactly where they were and had allowed the charms to slip moments earlier, fully aware of being watched.

When Harry was dropped off at school the following day, Severus would be paying a visit to a woman...Judith Cain.

Simon had returned to the neighbourhood in the early afternoon and Severus showed no mercy in exploring the idiot's mind for details about who could be interested in lowering the protective magic over Cody. Severus was no fool. Further research on the poison had told him all he needed to know about the intentions of the ones brewing and using it. Simon had to be the link, as no one other than Emile knew of where the boy was. Perhaps a few Social Service people as well, but Severus doubted their involvement in releasing any details. Simon knew a man named Marcus, who had been married to Erin.

The pieces fit and Severus had to act quickly, not for answers and putting an end to future harm upon the child so undeserving of being hurt, but before they became too attached.

Looking down at the boy, Severus knew he had to act soon. And he hadn't yet, because he ached at the idea of saying goodbye to the miracle of a child he was protecting and caring for. The fondness for Cody or Harry was so strong it was dangerous for them to remain together unless...Severus couldn't think of that now. He was going to confront Judith Cain tomorrow, and only then will he make any decisions.

'Could you help me, please?' The emerald eyes looked up at him.

Severus had helped him, far beyond a struggle against homework or an enduring illness. He had saved the boy's life, had given him a reason to smile again, and taught Harry what it was like to be acknowledged, cared for, and loved. Regardless of what may happen the next day and the outcome of new information, Severus vowed to always remember how this boy had unconditionally loved him in return...in a way Lily never had.

Harry looked down at the piece of paper on the desk in front of him, holding his pencil loosely in his hand as he re-read the words at the top of his page: Cody Evans' Family Tree. Sighing, he glanced around at his classmates and felt ashamed to see them writing away on their own pages without pausing like he was. Jack worked slowly, but even he had something to write down. Harry looked back at his own, wondering what he could put because he had to write something. 

What had his parents names been? He didn't really know, or he had long ago forgotten.

Harry felt relieved when the lunch bell rang as he stood and avoided the disapproving frown from Mrs Kline when she saw he hadn't written anything yet. Harry clutched his empty family tree to his chest and followed behind Jack on the way outside.

Sitting under a shady tree near their favourite corner, Harry and Jack ate their sandwiches in quiet. Harry was looking down at his paper while Jack busied himself with a comic book he'd brought to school with him.

'Are you okay, Harry?' Jack asked.

'Huh?' Harry was startled from his misery at the sound of his real name.

He smiled and remembered Jack saying he would use “Harry” when they were alone and considered “Cody” to be a nickname. He was so lucky to have such a great friend who always cheered him up and was there for him, though Harry doubted Jack could help with this.

'Oh.' Jack's eyes lowered to the paper in Harry's hand. They didn't say anything for a moment, until Harry noticed Jack's family tree being shoved in his face. 'Look at mine.' Jack urged. 'Go on.'

Harry frowned and exhaled, seeing he may as well take the distraction. He held his friend's piece of paper and lowered his emerald gaze to the page.

He was surprised as he read what Jack had written so far.

Jack Bailey's Family Tree 

Mother         Father

Judy             Gordon

Brother       Brother

Michael       Cody Evans

'Brother?' Harry looked over at Jack. 'But we're not related. I don't get it.'

'Well...' Jack shrugged and took his paper back, looking embarrassed. 'I just...I'm not real close with mum or dad. And Michael...he's gone now. It doesn't seem like a proper family, so I put you as my brother because you're my best friend. I don't think family is just about who we're related to.'

Harry smiled widely at his friend and hugged Jack. It felt so simple once Jack had explained it, because if family was only blood then there wouldn't be orphanages. So as the bell rang and they returned to their classroom, Harry felt more determined to work on his family tree. He grabbed his pencil only seconds after sitting down and read over his piece of paper again. He wrote “Erin Summers” for mother and “Jack Bailey” for brother. He halted again, thinking about what he could call Severus. He wasn't his dad and yet there was no family title for “hero”.

Leaning back in his seat, Harry glared at the paper and wondered why it was so important. It was silly to him and he didn't want to do it. Earning a frown from his teacher, Harry grumbled under his breath and bent his head over his nearby school book. If he couldn't work on the tree for now, he'd start on his speech.

He dreaded the day in three weeks when he would stand in front of the class to read his short speech and show his tiny family tree, in front of all the parents, but none of his own.

--

While Harry was at school stressing over his family tree, Severus strode boldly through a crowded London street in attire that was only barely Muggle. His gaze was sharply alert as he walked with his hand in his pocket, gripping his wand.

Spotting the cafe he'd been looking for, Severus narrowed his dark gaze at the woman seated behind a newspaper. The table in front of her was bare and her face was concealed by the paper, but he knew it was her. The moving photograph on the front page of the Daily Prophet was clue enough.

'Judith Cain.' Severus said in a low, loathing tone.

The paper folded to reveal her face, which showed smugness mingled with bored annoyance towards the entire situation.

'When I received an urgent owl late last night,' Judith spoke as Severus moved to sit across from her, if only to avoid causing a scene with so many Muggles hurrying by. 'I never imagined it would be you who had written it. Severus Snape.' She smirked at his name. 'I do wonder what the Ministry would think of this – the so-called former Death Eater with a child in his care.'

'I doubt they would find it nearly as alarming as a supposedly charitable woman plotting the harm of said child. I suspect the rumours alone would leave your reputation in tatters.' He said in a casual tone, though the threat was evident in his gaze.

Her smugness vanished at once.

'What is it you want?' Judith growled, wary enough not to raise her tone and capture unwanted attention to themselves. 'And why are we meeting in such a filthy place?' She glared at a passing businessman with disgust, which was likely aimed at the Muggles rather than the surrounding street.

'What is your interest in the boy?'Severus re-directed and refused to explain his own actions; he felt she had no right to demand any answers from him. Nor did he intend to give them.

Judith leaned back in her seat and studied Severus with her cold gaze for several minutes. He did not repeat himself nor appear agitated by her delay. It unnerved her because she was used to being the one in control and with the highest composure.

Many lies shifted through her mind, and yet a scarce gist of the truth was spoken.

'My daughter's fragile mind is filled with foolish ideas and I must protect her.' Judith said in a tone absent of any motherly concern. 'Since she fell hopelessly in love with a wizard, she developed a reckless state of mind. You might be familiar with him; Sirius Black?'

Severus tensed at the mentioning of Black and narrowed his eyes, realising just how much the name “Erin Summers” was so recognisable to him now. Sirius Black had spent a large amount of time towards the latter part of their seventh year at Hogwarts bragging about the girl he'd met by that name. Severus recalled such easily because of the intrusive manner in which Sirius Black declared such on a regular enough basis.

'I attended Hogwarts with Black, yes.' Severus said with a frown. 'Your daughter is a witch?' He asked for clarification.

He did not use Erin's name in effort to withhold how much he was aware of the situation, even when Severus knew he was still missing so many details.

'Not anymore.' Judith said with utter disgrace. 'Not since she was ten. Her magic was erratic and poorly at best. I do not know what went wrong with my daughter for her to make all the idiotic mistakes she has.'

Severus said nothing as he withheld his anger and waited for her to explain how any of this was linked to Cody and the reason this woman wanted to harm him. He hated the way she was talking about Erin, because it reminded him a lot of his own father. Somehow, he did not think Erin was anywhere near as bad as she was being made out to be. It worried him a little, because as far as Severus was aware, one was not born a witch and then one day just stops being one.

'Some years ago, my daughter made a compulsive move after her rash divorce with a wealthy and promising husband.' Judith explained as much as she could while withholding any detail she felt he did not need to know. 'She adopted a small boy. The same boy we have met to discuss. He is an unruly child who brings bad luck, and in her care it was nothing short of a horrible disaster waiting to happen. I had to step in.'

'The boy no longer resides with her.' Severus pointed out, keeping his emotions and reactions in check.

'But she is determined to find him.' Judith pressed, unaware that staring right at Severus' eyes was not the best move on her behalf. 'As long as he can be found...'

'Regardless of what you may believe, Miss Cain...It is not your decision to make.' Severus said firmly. 'He is not your child and I shall be damned if I allow any further harm come to him because of your petty delusions.'

'He is not your child!' Judith rose from her seat, an action he mirrored in case he had to reach for his wand.

And this was why he had chosen a Muggle area as crowded as the cafe was, because the usage of magic would be detected by the Ministry and not even Judith Cain would risk such embarrassment. It had another purpose as well, which barely contradicted his first reason.

'Whatever trickery you conducted to have the boy removed from his new mother will not work with me.' Severus said in a very threatening tone, though quiet and composed as he forced himself to be. 'I have already taken the necessary steps to ensure that one further action on your behalf shall result in dire consequences for yourself and anyone who aides your crime.'

'How dare you!' Judith gasped. 'Can't you see-?'

'On the contrary, I am able to clearly see through your spawned lies and malicious intentions.' Severus growled.

'You'll ruin everything!' Judith screeched, not caring for the crowds around them now, even when Muggles gave her odd looks as they passed. Severus tried to ignore the added attention as he focused intently on where he knew her wand was stored inside her sleeve. 'That wretched girl will tire of the boy and-'

'You are under the assumption that the arrangement currently in place in which makes me the circumstantial guardian of the boy will, in fact, not remain so.' Severus noticed how easily his words surprised and momentarily silenced her.

'You intend to keep the brat?' Judith pulled a face of distaste, clearly thinking the boy wouldn't amount to anything and was nothing more than a burden.

'I will ensure no harm comes to the boy.' Severus corrected and glanced quickly at the crowd, seeing it was thinning rather quickly. He had timed everything as he had meticulously planned. 'I have never met your daughter, though the rightful mother she is. If she manages to find the boy then I will deal with it accordingly.' He added and smirked at the woman he now despised.

'This is the last time you will see me, and you will never hurt the boy again – Obliviate!'

Harry dragged his schoolbag behind him as he left the building and headed towards the gates to wait for his guardian to pick him up from school.

Jack was trailing behind him with his face mostly hidden behind one of his comic books. Harry had been amused at first when Jack kept bumping into people or tripping over his shoelaces as he read, but the storm clouds overhead were dampening his already suffering mood.

He had a little less than three weeks to somehow fill in a family tree with names of family members he didn't have. Sighing as he rested his chin on the fence, Harry glanced around the path and searched for his black-clad hero. He considered putting in the names of the people he'd been staying with for a while, until they'd died and he'd been passed off to Emile. But that would mean putting her in the family tree...and Simon. Shuddering, Harry turned his back on the fence and watched Jack chuckle at his comic. Pulling his family tree from his bag, Harry stared down at it and frowned. He'd written Erin and Jack, but so many spaces were still empty.

And he hadn't worked out where Severus fit in either.

After a raindrop landed on his page, Harry shoved it back into his bag and stared up at the darkening sky. A few more raindrops fell, causing Jack to complain about his comic getting wet, but otherwise it didn't seem like a heavy downpour was on the way.

'Where is he?' Harry complained as he stared around at the groups of kids reuniting with their families and was yet to find his hero.

If he weren't so miserable, Harry would have realised this was the longest Severus had ever taken to show up at the school to collect him.

'Who?' Jack asked distractedly.

'You know!' Harry was getting frustrated now. 'Jack!' He whined. 'He's not here yet and it's going to rain.'

Sighing, Jack gave up on reading his comic and looked around at the gathering groups, thinking Harry had simply missed the man. Severus was always so black and therefore realistically the sour man could never be missed in the crowd of hugging mothers and beaming fathers.

'I dunno.' Jack shrugged. 'Mum's not here yet either. Don't worry, they'll come.'

But Harry did worry.

His former guardians before Emile were always on time and then one day they weren't. They had been killed and he never saw them again. He'd lost Erin as well. What if something had happened to his hero? Where would he go if he was on his own again...back to Emile and Simon?

'No.' Harry whimpered. 'What if something bad has happened?' He spun around and grabbed Jack's arm, pleading with his friend to believe him. 'Jack, he's never been late before – not like this!'

Harry's near-panic was infectious to Jack, as the sandy-haired boy began to worry as well. After all the movies he'd watched on TV about monsters and criminals, Jack's mind instantly began to dream up the worst sort of scenarios that could have happened. To the seven-year-old, Severus possibly being eaten by a giant crocodile was no laughing matter.

'We have to find him!' Harry insisted.

'Find who?' A woman's voice spoke and Harry, for a split second, thought it was Erin coming to save him.

The anticipating smile on his face faded in a flash when a woman who looked nothing like Erin stood there under a large brown umbrella.

'Aunt Stacy?' Jack frowned. 'What are you doing here?'

'Your mother had to work late and your father is assisting some friends who are moving into their new house.' Stacy sighed. 'Your mother called me and asked if I could take you home. Who's this?'

'Oh, this is Cody and he's my best friend in the whole world.' Jack smiled nervously, looking at Harry as he tried to be calm but was still worried.

'It's nice to meet you, Cody.' Stacy smiled and held out her hand, which Harry rudely ignored because he was busy searching the emptying path for his hero.

'Did you see a tall man dressed all in black?' Harry asked her anxiously. 'He's late.'

'No, I don't think so.' Stacy shrugged. 'Is he your father?'

'We don't use that word.' Jack hissed to her not-so-quietly. 'He's never been late before. Do we have man-eating lizards in this part of London?'

'Still watching Michael's old movies, I see.' Stacy rolled her eyes. 'Don't worry, I'm sure nothing bad has happened. He probably got a little held up at work, Cody.'

'He doesn't go to work.' Harry frowned at her. 'He keeps me safe, and lets me keep my frog even if he doesn't like it much. He's been really nice and I...I don't wanna lose him.' His anger dissolved as tears overcame him and Harry sank to his knees on the wet ground.

The rain began to steadily fall and both onlookers weren't sure what to do; Harry just hunched there and was reduced to sobs.

Jack, at loss of what to say, joined his friend on the ground and awkwardly put a hand on Harry's shoulder to show his support. He felt really bad for reading his comic now while his best friend needed him. He didn't think he was being a very good friend, but Jack was determined to fix it any way he could.

'We have to find him.' Jack told his aunt firmly with a fierce glare set on his features. He was determined to do whatever it took to make Harry happy again. 'This is not normal, Aunt Stacy.' Jack told her. 'Something isn't right!'

'Okay.' Stacy nodded and moved to stand over the boys in effort to shield them from the rain with her umbrella. 'What is your home number, Cody?'

Jack looked at his best friend and didn't think Harry could hear them over the rain or his crying. Gulping, Jack rummaged through his own bag until he found one of his lesser used schoolbooks. He remembered scribbling the number on it so he would always have a copy in case he had to call Harry for whatever reason while his friend had still been sick. Holding it up to his aunt, Jack watched intently as she got out her phone and began to call the number. He fidgeted with stress when it was evident there was no answer.

Stacy hung up and looked worriedly at the boys, clearly trying to decide what to do now.

'Come on.' Stacy handed the umbrella to Jack and bent over (with some difficulty in her tight business skirt, which reached her knees), to encourage Harry to stand up. 'You'll catch a cold otherwise.' She reasoned.

Harry did as he was told and stood there, his head bent towards the soaked ground as he sniffled and ignored his dripping hair. With another nudge, he picked up his schoolbag and draped it over his back. Slowly raising his gaze, Harry stared back at Jack and tried not to emotionally fall apart again. He wanted to curl up in his bed and cry, but he didn't know if he'd even get to see his bed again. Because it was his bed. Just as the house he stayed in was now his home. Severus may not be his dad, or his official guardian, or anything Harry could call him on a family tree...but he was the living representation of home to Harry.

'Thank goodness!' Stacy gasped when she spotted a dark figure approaching them and Jack's yell of triumph confirmed it was the one they were waiting on.

'Harry, I mean – Cody!' Jack yelled in his excitement, blushing at his slip but tried to pretend it hadn't happened as he shook his friend's arm.

Harry looked up quickly and saw his hero approaching. Severus had no umbrella and yet somehow he didn't look wet, as he walked towards the group with a glare directed towards the sky for a moment. Unable to speak, Harry shed his bag and took off at a run towards his hero who he feared he'd lost. Miraculously, he never slipped over, and within seconds he had taken a bold leap towards his guardian.

Severus caught him effectively, though with great alarm, and allowed the boy to cling to him. He couldn't understand a word of the child's emotional muttering so Severus ignored it while he looked over at the unfamiliar woman.

'This is my aunt.' Jack answered without being asked. He looked at her and expected his aunt to greet Severus, but instead she looked suspicious and untrusting of the man.

'You're Harry's father?' She asked cautiously and edged closer to Jack, who frowned at her with utter confusion. Shrugging, as he figured adults were just weird, Jack wandered over to retrieve Harry's bag for him where it had been left partially in the rain.

'I am his guardian.' Severus answered. 'And we shall be going now. I appreciate your decision to wait with the boy, and I apologise for my lateness.'

'You should say sorry to Harry.' Jack said suddenly, his face set with annoyance and loyalty once again. 'He was worried something happened to you. It's mean to make him scared like that! You're all he's got now, you know.'

'Jack!' Stacy hissed and watched Severus warily. 'Come on, let's go before we catch a cold.' She nodded once to Severus, before leading the reluctant and moody Jack towards her red car, which was parked nearby.

Severus rolled his eyes and looked back down at Harry. Damn the Ministry and their dawdling – if he had only waited two more seconds to cast that spell then the delay could have been avoided. It wasn't as though the muggle had actually realised what he'd barely seen.

Jack was right, loathe Severus was to admit it. And so, instead of shoving the boy away or demanding him to release his death grip on his waist, Severus picked Harry up and snatched the boy's bag from the ground. He carried both back to Spinner's End where he intended to wish away the entire day.

A little over two weeks later...

Severus Snape had vowed to never be late again.

Since the afternoon at the school in the rain, he had not been able to detach the boy from his waist (or, in some circumstances – his ankle). Dropping the child off at school became a battle and leaving the boy's bedroom at night so they could sleep was almost as bad. He tried many methods to rectify the fear in the Harry, but none had been successful.

Severus had never been so glad to have Frogabook inside the house when fourteen days or so later, Harry was distracted from clinging to Severus when the frog became agitated from the lack of attention it had been getting from its favourite human. The moment Harry uncurled his finger's from Severus' wrist, the man stepped away as quickly as he could without actually fleeing in a childish manner.

'I still love you, Frogabook.' Harry said as he sat on the ground and cuddled his frog close; a display that caused a cringe from Severus.

Wanting to lecture, whine, and shout – Severus inched away from the boy and remained as quiet as he could. He assumed if he pulled Harry's attention back to himself then the cycle would begin again: demand the boy to let go, growl at the boy for not letting go, putting up with tearful mumbles, shout at the boy to release him, more tearful nonsense, attempt to forcibly yet harmlessly yank the brat from his arm, and finally resort to a short zap from his wand.

Some days he felt his entire sanity could fit into a small jar.

How parents were able to deal with this for many years was a mystery Severus did not think he would ever truly understand.

Severus watched Harry rise from where he had been sitting on the floor and walk to the kitchen. The boy made himself a simple ham and cheese sandwich while Severus tried to work out how to distract the boy long enough for him to have a break. The boy clinging to him was mostly an inconvenience at first and he'd adapted, until everywhere Severus went – the boy either followed or was dragged there in reluctance to let go. The time Harry spent at school didn't seem to last long enough.

Severus had to do something drastic to divert the child's attention somewhere else. And he had made the arrangements he had never wanted to agree to in dread of the entire ordeal. The situation had called for it, and so Severus had called Jack's parents to work out the details of the sleepover the boys would not shut up about.

It was Saturday and Jack would be arriving in an hour. Harry didn't know, mostly because Severus did not want to put up with the boy blabbering about it until it actually happened. His peace had been shattered enough in the past two weeks.

'Why do you keep looking at the time?' The ever-so-observant seven-year-old asked. 'Are you waiting for something?'

'It is not a matter in which to concern yourself with.' Severus replied with a frown. 'I trust your homework is complete?' He changed the topic, hoping to busy the boy with something else until Jack arrived.

'Er, yeah.' Harry looked away and thought of his family tree. It had so many blank spaces that he was ashamed just by looking at it. The task wasn't exactly homework, though, so he didn't feel he was lying.

Glancing at his guardian, Harry noticed the raised eyebrow and wanted to avoid any further questions, scared he would have to reveal what made him so uncomfortable. Muttering an excuse of using the bathroom, Harry turned and hurried upstairs to his room. He shut himself inside and sank on his bed with a heavy sigh. Staring at the floor, Harry wondered if he would even get his speech done in time either. They only had a week or so until it was due. In front of all the parents. Sniffling a little under the stress of what was coming and the sad feeling he felt whenever he looked at his would-be family tree, Harry didn't ever want to leave his room again. But after some time, he heard noises downstairs and crept to the top of the stairs to overhear what was going on.

'Jack!' Harry ran down the steps when he heard his best friend's voice.

He was grinning, with his previous dread forgotten, when he saw the bags his best friend was dragging behind himself. It looked like Jack was moving in, though Harry quickly realised what was going on and looked up at Severus with a beaming smile.

'I'm gonna sleepover!' Jack declared once he realised his friend was surprised. 'And I didn't forget...' He smirked, looking over his shoulder at his light-haired father, who was carrying a box of fresh hot pizza.

Severus eyed the box with revulsion, thinking is was not the sort of food one gives to seven-year-olds for an early dinner.

'You must be Cody.' Said Jack's father, Gordon.

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. He felt a bit shy, but stepped forward and tried to be friendly anyway, even if he wasn't sure what else to say.

'Daaad!' Jack whined. 'You're blocking the door.'

Gordon stepped out of the doorway and watched his son try to pull the big bags into the house. Harry hurried over to assist him, while Severus wondered if the sandy-haired boy knew how long a single day actually was.

While the adults talked, Harry and Jack tried to get the bags upstairs to Harry's room without squishing Frogabook, or any of their toes, in the process. Once they shoved the bags into the bedroom, they rushed back downstairs so Jack could say goodbye to his father.

Harry watched the interaction and found it a bit odd that Gordon Bailey didn't seem too interested in the entire situation as though he was in a hurry. Waving to the man anyway, Harry tried to keep still. The excitement to having his first sleepover and with his best friend, was almost too much for the young boy to handle. He wanted to run around and squeal with joy, but his shyness and the sour look on Severus' face stopped him from giving in to his urge.

'Can we have the pizza now?' Jack turned to Severus. He recoiled quickly at the look he was given and his eager smile faded, remembering how scary he thought the man was.

Looking around the room, Jack wondered how anyone could live in such a place. Most of the light was artificial from either electricity or candles, and almost all the windows had thick curtains over them. Looking at Severus again, Jack began to wonder if the man was a vampire because he seemed to repel daylight and looked like he didn't sleep as much as most people did.

'I can't believe you're here!' Harry gushed. 'You're sleeping over for a whole night! This is so cool.'

'I know!' Jack grinned back, inching away from Severus as he did so. 'What are we going to do? I also got out a couple of movies for us to watch...' He looked towards the TV and wondered if they would be able to watch them.'

'Are they scary ones?' Harry's enthusiasm sank a little.

'Not really.' Jack shrugged. 'There's a detective one I think you'll really like.' He said and proceeded to tell Harry most of the plot for the film while Severus slowly realised that having two seven-year-olds running around his house eating pizza and talking non-stop was not exactly the best method to earning himself some peace.

At least Harry was distracted, so maybe Severus could sneak off to his Potions Lab for a few hours?

'Frogabook!' Jack crouched to the large frog and tried to hug him, which was hard when the frog thought he was under attack and tried to get away.

Severus watched the child and compared Jack to Cody. He narrowed his eyes and thought the boy was too Gryffindor-like for his taste and therefore Severus knew...he could not leave these two boys unsupervised for even a second.

The man began to wonder if he was even going to be able to sleep that night.

-- 

After eating their every-topping pizza and watching an animated movie, the boys had headed upstairs to share a bath. Severus cringed as he heard the yells of a “sea battle” and the splashing sound the water made as it constantly tipped onto the tiled floor. Everywhere the boys went, he was waving his wand after them to clean up mess or preserve his countless books that acted as walls, small tables, and minor obstacles.

He had instilled some firm rules and it wasn't so much that the boys were misbehaving or being entirely destructive, it more that it had Severus on edge as their energy did not seem to run out. His gaze shifted to a nearby clock and felt a little relief when it was nearing their bedtime. Just as he was beginning to regret the sleepover as he remembered why he hadn't wanted it to happen, two clean boys walked into the room dressed in their pajamas. Their hair was a bit wet and stuck in all directions, but their faces showed such joy and sleepiness that Severus didn't feel as regretful anymore. The boy he wanted to protect, and the child who had befriended him, were both so happy and all because he had said “yes” to enduring such an insane event.

'Thank you.' Harry walked to Severus and wrapped his arms around the man's middle. 'This is a lot of fun.'

'Yeah!' Jack hurried forward and hugged Severus too, from what he could with Harry in the way.

Severus stood rigid still in the awkwardness of having the young boys hugging him with such smiling and grateful faces.

'You needn't thank me.' Severus replied when they stepped back. 'However, I do believe it is for each of you to go to sleep.'

Jack pouted and looked like he wanted to retract his thanks, while Harry tried to hide a wide yawn with his hands. Working together to carry Frogabook up the stairs, the boys said goodnight to Severus and retreated to Harry's room. Climbing into the bed, they lay down and their energy quickly sapped away.

'I wish we could do this every night.' Jack whispered as their light flickered out, likely from a wave of Severus' wand.

'Yeah.' Harry smiled with his eyes closed, fidgeting a bit as Frogabook tried to sit between the boys but ended up half on each of them with the limited space.

A moment of quiet followed as the boys closed their eyes and listened to the sounds of magic in the bathroom, and then the fading footsteps. Sighing, Harry opened his eyes and frowned, looking at his sleepy friend.

'Um, Jack?'

'Yeah, Harry?' Jack mumbled and kept his eyes shut as he was starting to fall asleep.

'What happens if I can't fill in my family tree?' Harry worried. 'I don't know what to do. I can think of only three people at the most.'

'Make it up.' Jack suggested. 'I don't think they'll check. Don't you have a family album or something?' He yawned.

'No.' Harry said so quietly his now-slumbering friend likely didn't hear him. 'I don't have anything from anyone in my family. I...I don't really have a family at all.'

--

Jack and Harry slept in the following morning, and only woke when Frogabook suddenly jumped on the bed right onto Jack's stomach.

'Oof!' Jack yelped. 'Frogabook!' He growled and shoved the frog over onto Harry, who had similar reaction.

The boys whacked the frog lightly with their pillows as they sat up and rolled out of bed. Dropping onto the floor, Jack whined that he didn't want to get up while Harry tried to pull him up by his wrist. Their laughter caught the attention of Severus, who soon appeared at the door to tell them breakfast is ready. Leaving the boys to get dressed and use the bathroom, Severus retreated back downstairs and was glad the entire event would be over in a few hours.

Harry and Jack slipped into the seats at the small table and stared at the plates hovered in front of them. They looked at each other and shrugged, eating their pieces of fruit without question.

'Can anyone to magic?' Jack asked Severus, who eyed the boy who never ate a meal in silence.

'No.' Severus answered as he sat in the third seat with the Daily Prophet, which Harry instantly took interest in when he saw the moving picture of a confident-looking wizard in a silly hat.

'Why not?' Jack continued. 'You and Cody can both do magic.'

'It is an ability one must be born with.' Severus sighed and flipped a page, looking thoroughly over an apothecary advertisement.

He could just hear Jack muttering to himself as he ate, no doubt working out which question to ask next, however Severus' attention fell onto Harry as the boy had a strong fixation on the paper. Lowering the object so he could see the child better, Severus was surprised when Harry became startled from the moment and appeared to have lost his appetite.

'Cody?' Severus caught his attention, and Jack's as well.

'Oh.' Harry looked up. 'Sorry.' He blushed and glanced away, raising an apple slice to nibble on it. 'It just...looked a bit familiar.' He shrugged, but could not recall where he had seen a moving newspaper before, other than when Severus was reading one.

'What can we do until my mum comes to pick me up?' Jack wondered aloud and looked over at Harry. 'Do you have any cool toys or something?'

'Not really.' Harry shrugged with embarrassment. 'Oh!' He grinned. 'There is something I wanted to show you – come on!' Just chewed the last of his banana and jumped up to pull Jack from the table and up the stairs.

'What is it?' Jack asked as they burst into Harry's room and the dark-haired boy dragged a chair outside of it.

Standing near a blank wall in the hallway, Harry climbed onto the chair and reached up towards the ceiling. Jack watched him with confusion, until he noticed a string Harry was trying to pull. Even though it was not-quite an inch taller than Harry, Jack jumped onto the chair and tried to help him reach for it. Even with both boys trying to grasp the string way above their heads, it was just too far away.

And as they were preparing to give up, the string suddenly began to grow until it was easy to grab and pull.

A flight of stairs began to materialise and Harry led Jack up to the attic to show him the magical sand Severus had demonstrated to him the morning after rescuing him from Emile and Simon. It would work for him, even though Harry didn't realise a wand was supposed to be required.

While the boys watched the sand in amazement, Severus was downstairs talking with Jack's mother, Judy. She took the bags (which had been packed earlier and rested near the door) to the car before returning to call Jack. Severus was suspicious when he heard bumps and footsteps much higher than he thought he was supposed to.

After Judy had put a stop to her son's whining about wanting to stay longer, she thanked Severus for letting the boy stay and said goodbye. Jack and Harry hugged, and the sandy-haired boy stepped back first. His mother was already on the street waiting for him, so he knew he had a moment to act.

'Cody, I think I left something in your closet.' Jack said. 'Could you check for me?'

'Sure.' Harry nodded. 'What is it?'

'Er, Flops.' Jack blushed at the mention of his stuffed rabbit.

Jack watched Harry run back to the stairs, as he had hoped the other boy would. Looking up at Severus, who stared back with distrust, Jack inhaled nervously and spoke with intense determination.

'We have to write our family tree and then give a speech about ourself at school next week.' Jack said in a rush, though Severus was able to keep up with him. 'The mums and dads are invited to the event too.' He frowned. 'Cody's too scared to ask you to come, because you're not his dad.'

'Come on, Jack!' His mother called, but the boy ignored her.

'Cody has no mum or dad.' Jack reminded the man. 'I wanted to let you know that Cody would be really happy if you could pretend, just for the day, and...go in the place of his dad.' Jack said the last part in a lower tone.

'I couldn't find it.' Harry gasped as he hurried into view. 'Are you sure you left it in my closet?'

'Oh, I guess I got it then.' Jack shrugged and offered his friend a lazy smile. 'Bye, Cody. I'll see you at school, okay?

'Yup.' Harry nodded. 'Bye, Jack!' He waved at the doorway while Severus inched away, frowning at what Jack had told him.

He watched the dark-haired boy calling goodbye to his best friend, and didn't realise Jack was further motivated to tell him what he had because the boy had caught Harry with his family tree earlier. Jack had seen Harry finally scribble down Severus' name under a title...Father.

In about six hours, Harry would wish he hadn't gotten out of bed on the Tuesday morning a little over a week after his sleepover with Jack. He woke feeling anxious, but it was nothing compared to what he would feel much later.

It was the day of the family event at school, and he still had to add to his speech. Harry was scared of standing in front of all those people – a crowd made of the family members of his classmates, whereas none of his own would be there to offer their support and be proud of their son.

He put his socks on inside-out, and forgot to lace his shoes, which he didn't realise until after he'd tripped over them twice. Sitting on the floor of his bedroom, Harry wanted to hide under his bed until the day was over. He knew Severus would never allow it. All last night he had lied by saying school was closed for the day, and then when that didn't work Harry had even pretended to be sick.

Nothing worked.

Harry had no choice, not after Severus warned him that he would drag the boy to school in his pajamas if he had to.

Not wanting to face more humiliation than he was due, Harry dressed himself (though a bit sloppily) and used the bathroom. He dragged himself downstairs for breakfast and was hardly able to swallow more than a few mouthfuls of his porridge. Putting his bowl on the floor for Frogabook to eat the rest of it under Severus' disproving glare, Harry returned to his room to gather his schoolbag. He didn't care about being late as he took his time and tried to ignore Severus' insisting for him to hurry up.

Before the man had been so intimidating and scary, even if Harry knew Severus wanted to help and protect him; however, over the time he'd spent with the man, Harry had adapted and become a little less on edge in regards to his guardian. He never wanted to make Severus mad and still feared he couldn't stay with him for long, but Harry was certainly far more comfortable and accustomed than he had been when he'd first arrived.

The boy barely said a word on the walk to school, keeping his head bent low to watch the ground under his feet. The only time he really said anything was when they reached the gates and Harry made sure he gave Severus a big farewell. The boy was convinced he would not survive the day ahead. And for a moment, standing there at the gates as the bell rang, Harry almost shouted his pleas for Severus to be there at the family event that afternoon.

Except, it was too late; Severus had already walked some distance away, and all the chairs for the event were booked.

Making a shuffling sound with his feet as he walked, Harry made his way to his classroom with his entire mood made of dread and nervousness. He sat in his usual seat and didn't lift his gaze to the board when the lesson began. The boy had no idea what they were learning about and didn't take any notes. He had taken out his speech instead because he really needed to finish it. Harry only had a few hours to make it passable and it was heavily grating on his nerves because he couldn't seem to find the right words. It was hard for him to talk about himself because for at least three years he had thought himself to be invisible, to the point that he hardly even knew himself.

As the lunch bell rang, Harry followed the other kids outside and sat on the grass under a tree. He used a seat for his table, as well as a thick science book, and continued his work in a fretful manner.

'Wanna play basketball?' Jack offered.

'No.' Harry replied without halting his attempts to get his speech finished.

'How about tag?' Jack tried again.

'No, Jack.' Harry frowned. 'I have to get this stupid speech done.'

'Don't worry about it.' Jack rolled his eyes. 'Come play a game, Harry.' He urged.

'I don't want to.' Harry grumbled. 'Let me finish this, okay? I have to!'

'Harry-'

'Jack, go away!' Harry snapped, his stress levels already high and Jack was seen only as an interruption.

In his mind, if he did not finish the speech soon then his teacher would fail him and Harry was already scared his family tree was far too empty for him to pass the assignment. What would Severus think of him if he failed? Would he think Harry was just a worthless kid no one could love, just like Simon always told him? Shuddering at the thought, Harry gave Jack an angry glare and returned to his task.

'Fine!' Jack snapped back, annoyed that Harry would rather write the silly speech instead of play with him. 'I'll go find someone else.' He grumbled and stomped off, searching the playground for another one of their classmates who he could play with.

Harry barely even noticed, as he erased another line of words and bit his lip. If he didn't finish his speech soon, Harry was convinced it would all be over and he'd go back to being the invisible boy with people who weren't his family, not even a little.

--

By early afternoon, Jack was avoiding Harry and often shot the boy a frown of annoyance when it was clear the darker-haired boy was also ignoring him. Harry had finished his speech and now spent most of his time fussing over his family tree. No matter how hard he tried, Harry simply could not add to it without making something up. The idea of making up a family just for himself sounded fun, but was worried someone would know he was lying.

Defeated, Harry slumped back in his seat and looked around the room. Jack was furiously attacking his book with his pencil – scribbling marks on it and drawing pictures of what looked like rockets. The rest of their classmates were in groups and chatting about the coming event in excitement. Their teacher, Mrs Kline, was at the front of the room working out the order the students would give their speeches and show their family trees.

As it was nearly one, Mrs Kline led the class to the main hall where the parents and other family members were already standing around and locating their assigned seats. Harry halted by the doorway with an icy feeling spreading through his neck, as he realised he would have to stand up on the stage at the podium to give his speech.

Whimpering, Harry ducked his head again and hurried after the rest of his classmates. He considered running away and hiding in the toilets until it was over, but was too scared of the additional consequences. And Severus would hear about it, which Harry was even more fearful of.

Mrs Kline began to line the kids up in the order they would be speaking. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about being near the end of the line, towards the back. He wasn't the last but it would take a little while before it would be his turn. After a couple of minutes of sitting on the floor and waiting, Harry felt envious of Jack because he would be going fourth.

The waiting felt like it was worse than standing up there and staring at everyone, Harry thought, as he shifted on the floor and couldn't seem to get comfortable. He looked down at the paper in his hand and read-over the speech to pass the time. Underneath it was his family tree, which he was also supposed to talk about. His nerves continued to build when he heard the crowd cheering or talking. Harry didn't want his turn to ever come. He was anxious enough to have to talk in front of a huge group of adults, but also sad because he knew none of them were there for him.

'Cody Evans!' Mrs Kline called him.

Harry gasped and looked up quickly.

He got to his feet and clutched his papers with his shaking hands. Slowly walking towards the stage, Harry wondered if his feet would fall under him. Determined not to fall down, he inched closer to the curtain and gripped it, peering cautiously around it to look at the crowd. A mass of family members overwhelmed him, and if it hadn't been for the nudge from Mrs Kline, Harry did not think he would have ever had the courage to step onto the lit stage.

Walking frantically to the podium, Harry took the short steps behind it one at a time. He was able to see over the podium and put his papers in front of him. Looking towards the microphone, he hesitated and paled further.

'I...' Harry gulped and tried to speak, but couldn't. Lowering his emerald gaze towards his paper, he tried to ignore the way his insides twisted uncomfortably.

'Go on.' Mrs Kline's encouraging whispers where heard to his far left.

Harry shivered and looked at the crowd again. Many mums, dads, and siblings were staring up at him, waiting for him to begin. He spotted Jack's parents giving him a slight smile each and it spurred him to try and talk again.

'I...I'm Cody Evans.' Harry was glad there was a microphone because without it he wouldn't have heard his own voice. Gulping, he stared at his written speech and forced himself to get the entirely horrible ordeal over. 'I didn't always live here. I had a family once, at another place, back when I was a baby. My name was Harry then.' He exhaled and continued.

'I had a mum and dad back when I was Harry. I like to think they loved me lots and lots. But they died, and all I remember of them is a flash of light.' He swallowed and didn't look up in fear of losing his nerve again.

'I'm supposed to tell you about myself, but I don't really know.' Harry admitted. 'Before I came here, I never had any friends. Now I have Jack.' He didn't search for his friend, worrying Jack was angry at him and didn't want to be his friend anymore. 'He helped me see that I like pancakes, and my favourite animal is a lion. I like green or black, and one day I would really like to see China.' He lifted his chin a little, though still anxious.

'I'm a bit scared of being up high, but I think it would be really cool to fly.' He swallowed and paused, lifting his family tree to look at it. 'My family tree is really small, so I'm sorry about that.' Harry gulped again and fidgeted, still wanting to run away and hide somewhere until it ended.

'I've been adopted a few times.' Harry sighed. 'After my mum and dad died, I was adopted by a lady named Erin Summers. She was so nice and I think she loved me. I don't remember much, except her face and smile, but I know I loved her too. She was my mum, and I miss her a lot.' He sniffed at the memory. 'I don't know why, but I wasn't allowed to stay with her and my name was changed. I didn't like being Cody at first, but now I guess it's sort of okay. As long as my mum can find me again.' He lowered his gaze and paused, hoping he could keep it together a bit longer.

'I don't know who my first mum and dad were, but Erin is my mum. That's why I put her on my family tree.' Harry explained. 'And next I put my best friend, Jack, as my brother. I know we're not related at all, but I don't think family is just about that. He's my best friend and I don't ever wanna lose him. He's like a brother to me, and I think it's what makes him my brother, not the other stuff.' He glanced up again and offered Jack's parents a shy smile as they seemed happy by what he had said. Many of the other parents were also paying attention, though the sadness he saw in their faces caused Harry to look away.

'Because I think family is more than just being related, I think pets should be important too. I think anyone we love should be called our family, because family is supposed to be special and who we feel safe or happy with.' He exhaled and bit his lip, trying to ignore the attention he knew was directed solely at him. 'I don't know what to put him under, so I just changed one to fit my pet. Frogabook is my frog, and I think he should be on my family tree too because I love him and he's never known that before, just like me.'

His words got an abrupt reaction.

Suddenly, the quieting hall and backstage (where the other kids were still waiting for their turn), was filled with laughter. Many thought his words had been amusing and entertaining, but Harry did not see it as being nice. All he saw and heard was everyone laughing because of what he'd said. He shrank away from the assumption that they were all laughing at him.

Retreating back a step, staring around at the faces of everyone in the crowd, Harry felt to be on the verge of tears. He thought he was doing so well, and then they all had to be mean by laughing at him like he was doing something stupid. His eyes brimming with tears, Harry prepared to snatch his papers and run away as he had wanted to since the moment he had arrived at the school gates that morning.

And then, a split second before he planned to make his move, Harry scanned the crowd and locked his gaze on another. A darker gaze surrounded by black hair. Severus! The seven-year-old was startled and rooted to the spot as he stared at his hero, who was sitting amongst the crowd and wasn't laughing at all. His arms were crossed over his black shirt and his gaze was aimed towards the particularly loud man beside him, who was chuckling into his hand. Severus did not approve of the laughter and Harry felt a relief wash over him.

Stepping back up to the podium, Harry swallowed and waited for the noise to quiet down again. When he was ready to continue, Harry looked towards his hero and was surprised when the man stared back and offered a small smile to show his support. Harry hadn't seen the man smile like that before, though it was still not a grin of joy. It boosted his spirits considerably as Harry came to terms with the fact he had been so wrong. Someone did come to see only him, and to support him like a family member should. He didn't care how Severus knew it was happening today, but he was immeasurably glad to see him there.

'The last person on my family tree...' Harry was nervous about how Severus might react, but his insides felt like they were burning with courage at that moment and motivated him to continue in a louder, far clearer voice.

'For a long time I didn't know where to put him.' Harry said. 'When I stayed with some not-so-nice people, he saved me. He's my hero. And he looks after me even when he doesn't have to. When I was sick, he helped me get better. When I was scared, he taught me how to be brave. If I had trouble with something, he would help me. This person does everything I think family should do, and more. But I don't know what to call him, or at least I didn't until now.' Harry cleared his throat.

'His name is Severus Snape and I...I had to put him on my family tree. It would be wrong not to, because I think of him as my...as my dad.' Harry could not look up at that moment, unaware of the shocked reaction he had stirred in Severus.

'Is that your son?' A woman beside him asked.

'I...' Severus glanced at her and then looked back at the boy who had just told the entire room of parents and students that Severus Snape was his father. Or at least the boy thought that highly of him and gave him the title on his family tree. 'Yes.' He smirked a little in answer to the woman's question. 'He is my son.'

'I may not get to live with him forever,' Harry continued. 'But even if I get a dad like him for a little while, I think I'll be okay. I really don't know what else to say, because I still have a lot to learn about myself and my family tree is still really small. Sometimes you don't have to know a lot or have a lot to be happy and safe. I only have one best friend, one new mum and dad, and one frog...but I've never been happier. Thank you for listening.' Harry stumbled off the podium and hurried off the stage.

He was supposed to sit on the floor with his classmates, but instead searched for Severus amongst the families. It was time for another break before the last of the students said their speeches, so the adults were standing and moving along the isle in the middle of the two sections of chairs.

Harry stood on his tip-toes to try and find Severus, yet it wasn't his new father who he found.

'Mum?' Harry whispered.

He saw her, though for a split second, and could not believe what he had seen. It was Erin, just as he remembered her, turning to walk away from where she had been standing at the back of all the chairs. Excitement and hope filled him, until a second later Harry's entire young form was seized with pure panic. The mass of adults began to cloud his vision of where she had walked away...he might lose her again.

'MUM!' Harry yelled and ran forward.

He shoved around people and dodged others, trying to make his way through the crowd. It was like swimming against the current of a thick, murky river. He pushed and squeezed around everyone, until Harry dropped to his knees and crawled under their legs instead. Ignoring the shriek of a woman, Harry escaped the group and hurried to the door. He burst into the hallway and looked around wildly for his mother.

Erin was gone...if she'd even been there.

It was later that afternoon, and Harry was curled up under the sheets of his bed though he was still clothed in his school uniform. He had not said a word since freaking out and sobbing for the mother he thought he had reclaimed. She had gone again and Harry didn't understand any of it. Jack had found him and rushed to get Severus, who scooped him up right away and told Jack to tell their teacher he was taking his “ill” son home.

Harry had been angry to leave the school, thinking Erin was still there somewhere. He was just too emotionally exhausted to fight Severus and only regained any ounce of energy when they arrived home. Jumping over Frogabook, Harry had stormed up to his room, slammed the door, and dove under his covers to sob his heart out against his pillow.

The seven-year-old wasn't sure how long he lay there until he couldn't cry anymore. Sniffling, he sat up and wiped his eyes with his hands. Harry was so sure it was his mother who he'd seen at the school, until he began to worry and doubt. If it was Erin...why hadn't she waited so he could greet her? Why did she leave when he noticed her? Either he had been imagining things, or Erin...

'Cody?'

Harry looked up and saw Jack standing nervously in the doorway of his room. He hadn't heard any sounds from downstairs as he'd been too wrapped in his emotional state. Unable to trust his voice to sound strong enough, Harry merely waved and looked away when he remembered the disagreement he'd had with Jack earlier.

'I'm sorry about before.' Jack looked at his feet shyly. 'I just wanted to play a game with you, but you were too busy writing that speech. I didn't know it was so important to you.' He shrugged.

'No, I'm sorry.' Harry croaked a little as he slid off his bed and approached his best friend. 'I got mad at you when I shouldn't have.' He was ashamed and tried to apologise. Jack gave him a smile and the two friends seemed to have resolved their first real conflict.

'Are you okay now?' Jack wondered as he looked at Harry's sad face. 'Mum let me come by to see if you were alright. Did you really see your mum?'

'I...think so.' Harry said without answering the first question because he didn't know if he'd ever be okay again. 'It looked like her, but if it was Erin then...why did she leave?' His vision clouded with the rebuilding of tears in his eyes, which he furiously wiped away. 'Thanks for coming over.' He added.

Jack shrugged and tilted his head backwards to see behind himself when a shadow cast over the boys. It was Severus, who told Jack his mother was waiting outside. The man then left, not even looking at Harry, which made the dark-haired boy feel even more uncomfortable.

'Well, I gotta go.' Jack huffed with annoyance, thinking his mother didn't understand that he shouldn't leave until he knew Harry was going to be happy again.

'Okay.' Harry sighed. 'Thanks again, and bye Jack.' Harry nodded and followed his friend down the stairs.

He stood miserably in the doorway to wave goodbye, and then watched the car drive away. Once the dark and gloomy-looking street was empty once again, Harry shut the door and turned around.

'Why didn't you help me find my mum?' Harry frowned at Severus, who stood near a small study desk by a window. 'She was right there – and you took me away!'

'Mind your tone, boy.' Severus frowned at the child. 'If Erin had indeed been there, then why did she not approach you? I was under the assumption it is her mission in which to find you. Unless, of course, you did not truly see her at all.'

'But...you didn't even try to check.' Harry sniffled again and inched away from the disapproving frown on the man's face. 'I'm sure it was her.'

'My priority was not to chase a woman in the crowd who may not be who you perceived her to be. Did you expect me to simply leave you curled up on the floor whilst you were in such an emotional state, where you might be trodden on or worse?'

'I know it was her!' Harry snapped, too angry and hurt to realise he was shouting at his hero, the one who had done more for him than anyone else in the past few years. 'And now she's gone again.'

'Perhaps.' Severus exhaled, feeling mentally exhausted as he never liked dealing with emotional kids because it turned them bratty and annoying most of the time. And it was even worse when he had no idea how to fix the situation. And so, he sent Harry upstairs to bathe and return for dinner, which was prepared by the time the child emerged in his slightly tattered pajamas.

The meal was mostly silent, until Harry pushed his almost-empty plate away and fidgeted in his seat.

'Thank you.' He said in a low, embarrassed whisper. 'You came today and I don't think I could have given that stupid speech if you hadn't.' Harry glanced up with bright green eyes of gratitude. 'And I'm sorry I yelled at you.'

'You are forgiven.' Severus replied. 'And it was your friend, Jack, who informed me of the event. The very event you failed to mention.' He said sternly, causing Harry to look away again with shame.

'I was scared you'd say no. Or...or think my speech was stupid.' Harry admitted and squirmed in his seat again, wanting to leave the table and hide in his room.

'Your speech was certainly satisfactory.' Severus wasn't sure how to handle the situation and didn't want to seem as though he was insulting the boy, which was a hard habit to break because he was rarely nice to someone just for the sake of it. There was still one matter to deal with, such as the title in which Harry had given him, and yet Severus decided not to mention it for now. The boy needed plenty of rest to calm himself down and hopefully overcome some of the drama that had taken place.

Harry did not have similar intents, however.

'Did you like my family tree?' Harry asked in a timid tone. 'I...I didn't know where to put you on it, but you're family to me so...I thought real hard about it, and you're a lot like a dad and you're the closest I've ever really had to one.' Harry didn't think he could have done such a thing if he'd known Severus was coming, and still he was glad the man had showed up and supported him. He felt a little worse for being annoyed with Jack earlier, after his best friend had done so much for him without Harry realising it.

'When you arrived here due to a most unfortunate circumstance, I informed you that this situation will be entirely temporary.' Severus reminded the boy. 'Perhaps the fault is mine, for allowing you to remain here for such a length of time, and thus, bringing about the rather inevitable attachment. Given the situation, it would be quite improper to consider myself as your father.'

Harry said nothing as he ducked his head and tried to grip the emotions swirling inside him. He didn't like being reminded of the horrible truth that this was not his home and one day he would have to leave. He was also terrified that his speech had caused Severus to want him hone faster, because he was becoming attached.

'Unless, of course, we were to alter the situation.'

'What?' Harry looked up quickly, causing a tear to slip down his face from the jerked movement. 'What do you mean?'

'You have been to multiple homes, and yet here you are without a proper guardian or a residence in which to call your home.' Severus said carefully. 'Since you have begun to establish such here, perhaps it would be wise to make it a permanent situation? If you reside under my care, I can ensure your safety and provide you with the stable upbringing every child requires. Early this morning, I finalised the paperwork in order to adopt you as my son.'

'A-adopt me?' Harry gasped, his eyes wide with shock and shining hope. He put his fingers in his ears to clean them, making sure he had heard correctly and not imagined it. 'I...I would have a father, for real? I would be someone's son?'

'Indeed.' Severus nodded. 'There is the possibility you may, upon leaving here, find a far more suitable and wholesome family in which to call your own. It is a profound gamble in which I was not willing to take. You're a child who requires guidance and proper care. I see no reason to uproot you from the comfortable situation you are currently in, and therefore acted with your best interest in mind.'

'So...' Harry frowned as he tried to work out what was being said, but Severus spoke with so many big words and serious topics that it confused him for a moment. 'You're going to be my dad, and I'm gonna be your son?'

'Unofficially, until the court signs the papers.' Severus answered. 'And then, yes.'

'I've got a dad!' Harry leapt up from his chair and practically flew around the table to jump at Severus. He hugged the alarmed man with all his might, tears streaming down his eyes as his biggest dream had come true.

He had a family now.

A family who wanted him, who loved him enough to care about him, and it was his most favourite person in the world who gave it to him! His hero saved him from mean people, and given him a place to stay...now Severus was his new dad too! Harry didn't know what he had done to deserve it, but the seven-year-old could not remember being happier than he was at that moment.

And as he hugged, cried, and cheered all at once, Severus rubbed the boy's back and managed a smile of his own. If he hadn't made the choice to adopt the boy several weeks ago, hearing Harry's speech that day would have brought it about anyway.

It started out with Cody Evans being a boy Severus wanted to save from a life that would lead the innocent child down a dark path, as it had Severus, and in ways he had not expected or been prepared for...slowly, somehow, he formed a fondness of the seven-year-old and wanted to be there to see him grow up. Before long, Severus feared losing the child and giving him over to someone else.

Adopting Cody was the most logical solution to the situation. He'd already begun to think of the child as his son, and therefore saying goodbye to Cody would surely feel as though someone had robbed him of his own son.

--

The shock and joy Harry felt that night continued through his dreams, until the boy woke the following morning with a smile still on his face.

Jumping out of bed, Harry rushed to the bathroom and climbed up onto a small stool so he could stare into the mirror. He wanted to see what he looked like, now he was no longer invisible or unnoticed. Imagining his appearance becoming clearer and more noticeable, Harry giggled and pulled a faces at his reflection, which of course played them back to him.

'I'm a son now.' Harry told his reflection. 'That means I get to stay here forever because it's my home. I have a dad.' He frowned. 'A father? A daddy?' Harry realised he had an important decision to make with what to call his hero. And he was excited to get to school so he could tell Jack the great news.

He wanted to stand on the tallest building and shout it out to the world, that he had a dad!

Pushing his dark hair from his face, Harry wondered if he should grow it long so he'd look more like his new dad and everyone will know he's his son. His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed his forehead. He'd always had the lightning-bolt scar on his head from when his first parents had died. Sometimes Harry forgot about it because it was almost always hidden by his hair now. And with a handful of hair brushed aside, it was in clear sight – or it should be. Harry always thought scars were forever, but his had began to fade somehow. It never did that for as long as he could remember, and yet as he traced the line with his finger, Harry could almost not see it at all.

How did that happen?

'Maybe my magic did it.' Harry let his hair fall back over it. 'Cuz I'm magic, just like my dad. I have a dad. My dad-'

'-Is wondering why you are conversing with the bathroom mirror rather than getting dressed for school.' Came the stern voice behind him, which made Harry jump and spin around with a blush creeping on his cheeks.

'Sorry.' Harry smiled sheepishly and climbed down from the stool. 'Good morning, daddy.' He beamed up at the man as he hurried to give him a big hug.

Severus' eyebrow twitched at the name he thought was reserved only for toddlers. He accepted the hug and didn't comment on the title for now, not realising that his failure to prevent it at that precise moment was what would make it stick. He returned the greeting and instructed the boy to get ready for school. Watching the seven-year-old skip off to his room, Severus shook his head with amusement as he did not think someone could be so cheery over something he deemed purely practical.

The fact he was pleased to have a son of his own, and that son being a child he was proud to call so, was something Severus kept closely guarded in his own mind. If anyone questioned his motives, he would tell them with a serious expression and tone that he did it only because the situation was “necessary” and “already beneficial to Cody's well-being”, and he would put in his best effort to divert the person away from his selfish desire for a son, and to never lose the bright boy he had saved and promised he would always protect.

'I'm dressed, daddy.' Harry emerged from his room in his school uniform, which looked to be put on in a rush. 'Do I have time for breakfast, daddy?'

'Yes.' Severus narrowed his eyes when Harry hurried by him to see what he had to eat for breakfast, which turned out to be jam toast.

The sooner the boy was dropped off at school, the sooner Severus could collapse into an armchair and complain to himself about that dratted title.

'I've got a daddy now, Frogabook.' Harry gleefully told his pet, who was resting on the floor nearby and watching Harry's food with alert eyes. 'And a home. I finally got my wish!' The child began to talk about how happy he was and all the reasons why. The talking shifted from Frogabook to Severus, as the boy finished his breakfast and followed the man on the way to the school grounds. He finally had to stop blabbering once they reached the gates and Severus bid him farewell.

'I'll see you after school then, daddy!' Harry waved and turned to look for his best friend before the school bell rang.

Severus groaned and walked back to Spinner's End.

He stepped inside and glared down at the frog as though it was somehow to blame for the headache he was beginning to feel. Exhaling, as he now had several hours to brew potions, or mutter about annoying brats, Severus moved towards a nearby pile of books with the intention of refreshing his knowledge of those his son may one day need. He was well-taught in healing draughts and otherwise, however modifications sometimes needed to be made if they're to be consumed by a child, and age also was a huge factor to the dosage.

Severus never got to flip open to the index, as there was a knock at his door. Frowning, as he thought of no one who would visit him at such a time, he got out his wand and cautiously approached the door.

With a precise movement, Severus pushed the door open and gripped his wand out of sight in case it was a Muggle. He almost dropped the precious wand when he saw who stood on his doorstep, and instantly released the door as though it had tried to eat his hand.

'Hello. Are you Severus Snape?'

'Yes.' He said slowly and swallowed, regaining his composure to properly greet his guest. 'Erin Summers, I presume?'

'That's right.' Erin smiled at him, seeming relieved he recognised her. 'I couldn't properly locate this house when he was here, but now I can. Has he told you about me?'

'Briefly.' Severus answered. 'You are his mother.'

'Yes.' Erin nodded. 'And I see, that in my absence, he has gained a father. I heard his speech last night, though I couldn't stay...not with all those people. This is a private matter, and one I feel we need to discuss.' She noticed his stance and the frown on his face, clearly indicating he would rather not talk about the issue and instead tell her to leave.

'Severus, I don't want to take him away from you.' Erin insisted. 'But he is my son too. Isn't there something we can work out? I have searched all these years before I refuse to lose him. I did not want to give him up – my son was stolen from me. I promise, I just want to be a part of his life.'

'If that is your intention then you are correct, Miss Summers...' Severus stepped aside to allow her entrance. 'We have much to discuss.'

Erin was both nervous and excited, as she sat on a comfortable armchair and anticipated what was going to happen next. Severus had left only a moment ago to collect Harry from school.

The boy had no idea his mother would be waiting for him.

It had been a long day for Erin, because she'd had to learn so much and at first it was really overwhelming. She learned about the existence of magic, and insisted Severus prove it to her multiple times to ensure she wasn't seeing things. She discovered Harry was magical as well, which Erin found to be less surprising when she remembered an odd incident or two when Harry had done something that didn't seem to add up.

Like the time the three-year-old had been cuddling a toy she knew had been on a shelf on the other side of his room, and well out of the boy's reach.

Or when she'd tried her hand at gardening over the summer before Harry's third birthday and her flowers wilted terribly – until Harry had seen her sad face and touched them. Her lilies and tulips had blossomed beautifully, as little Harry clapped his hands with joy the moment she had grinned at the miraculous sight of her garden that afternoon.

Erin also wasn't surprised to hear Severus had adopted the boy recently as his son. She'd expected as much, especially after hearing Harry's speech at school and how he thought of Severus as his dad.

The subject brought Erin and Severus to the main topic at hand, which was deciding where to go from there. They were essentially strangers to each other, and yet the pair were parents to a seven-year-old boy who adored them to no end. It was decided, for the moment, that Erin would stay with them until another solution was found. They both wanted to raise Harry and be there for their son, but without being a couple it was going to be a bit more complicated than they preferred. And yet, neither Erin nor Severus minded the idea of living together with Harry, and so it was easily agreed to.

Additionally, they discussed Harry's name. Erin was quick to notice Severus referred to the boy as “Cody” and the child answered to it as well. She remembered Harry's speech and that he was aware of his former name. Both adults thought they had an answer and planned to ask Harry if he would agree to it, since it was his name which would be permanently altered.

And so, as Erin sat on the chair with an over-large frog for company, she thought about the other things she'd recently come to understand.

Her mother had played a huge part in her foiled attempts to find Harry, which Erin had guessed at anyway. She was pleased with how Severus said he'd handled it, and found it amusing how he clearly wasn't too comfortable with sharing the information with her. It had taken a few tries, but Severus had told her enough - saying Judith's memory of Harry was gone and he had taken extra steps to ensure their son's safety away from the woman. Erin had a feeling Severus could get into a lot of trouble for what he did, which was why she was glad he trusted her enough to reveal what he had done.

She knew from the first five minutes that Severus was a serious and private person.

Initially she had been a bit afraid that she would dislike him, because it would be disastrous for the situation and from a distance Severus looked like a rather unpleasant person. Erin was relieved to be proven otherwise, just enough that she was confident they could raise a child together without too much conflict.

A gasp escaped her lips when she heard a fast-talking voice nearby. Looking around, she wondered if it was some sort of spell enabling her to overhear her talkative son before he had yet to reach the door. Seconds later, the door opened and Erin rose from her seat with a wide smile on her face.

'-And Jack was really excited too, when I told him!' Harry continued, looking up at Severus as he babbled about telling his best friend about the adoption, not noticing his mother at first as he stepped into the room. 'He thought it was wicked too, and...'

'Hello.' Erin smiled and, like Severus, expected a dramatic reaction from Harry. But the boy did not move at first, mostly from shock, and then stepped away from her with a frown of distrust.

'You left. I gave my speech, then called you and...you left!' Harry accused as he gripped a handful of his father's clothes to feel safer. His eyes had tears in them as he stared at her. Harry wanted to run and hug his mother so badly, but the hurt of seeing her standing there at the school the day before and then losing her was still strongly on his mind.

'I know.' Erin said sadly. 'And I'm really sorry. I never meant for you to see me. I just wanted to see how big you've gotten. And I was so proud of you when you gave your speech. I thought you were very brave, even though I could tell you didn't want to stand in front of all those people.'

'You...you were?' Harry's anger faltered when she said how proud she was. 'I was super scared, but daddy made me feel braver.' He looked up at Severus, who was watching him with a guarded expression. Harry felt the man's hand on his back and sighed, feeling much calmer and less stressed.

'Of course I was.' Erin nodded. 'You're my son, and I will always be proud of you.'

'Mum!' Harry ran forward and hugged her with all the strength he had.

She laughed and picked him up, cuddling him close as tears streamed down both their faces. It had been nearly four years since Harry and Erin had been together. They thought of each other constantly and missed each other more as the time had passed. After the turmoil of being pulled apart once they had found comfortable happiness within their small family, and then enduring the loneliness of being without, the pair were finally reunited as mother and son. A heavy cloud of sadness and longing was lifted, replaced with a bubble of joy and relief.

Their family and hearts were whole once again, as they hugged the other close and rejoiced in finally being able to hug the other as they had been wanting to do for the past four years.

Severus, feeling awkward about witnessing the emotional reunion, moved to make some tea in the kitchen. He was correct in guessing it would be some time before the pair pulled away and sat down to discuss the new arrangement. And when the adults, child, and frog, all sat at the table together (Frogabook was technically on the floor as all his attempts to jump onto Harry's lap had failed), it was Harry who spoke first. His face formed an expression of worry and fear as his eyes darted from his two adoptive parents.

'If you're here now, mum...' Harry gulped. 'Does that mean I have to go with you now? And...and leave daddy?'

Severus cringed in realisation the boy used a more proper title for his mother whereas he was stuck with being called “daddy”. The look of contained amusement from Erin only caused Severus to blush and busy himself with returning the teacups to the kitchen where he washed them the muggle way in effort to delay returning to the table.

'No, sweetheart.' Erin placed a comforting hand on Harry's arm. 'You have a mother and a father now, and neither of us want to lose you. It would be cruel to you, and to us, if you were made to leave the other or even choose. So no, you don't have to leave your new dad.'

'But what about you?' Harry bit his lip.

'I'm staying as well.' Erin nodded. 'Your father and I have talked about it, and the best solution right now is if I live with both of you. From now on, you will have both of your parents living with you.'

'That's my biggest wish come true.' Harry's eyes filled with tears, though he was unable to move, as he felt like he was going to burst will all the happiness he felt inside himself.

The seven-year-old could only stare lovingly at his mother, and glance over at his father, as the greatest thing that could ever happen to him was comprehended. Never again would he long for a mother or father who loved him, who were there to support him, and who Harry could turn to when ever he wanted or needed to.

'It is my wish as well.' Erin was glad she had done all of her crying, as she was determined to be stronger for Harry.

Looking at Severus when he rejoined them at the table, Erin felt envious of his ability to appear calm and collected. She was convinced that inside he wasn't, because if he had decided to adopt Harry as his son, than the man's love for the sweet and adorable child in front of them had to be as strong as hers.

'I have a mum and a daddy.' Harry beamed, wanting to say it aloud. 'This is the best day of my life!'

'It is also a very important day, for many reasons.' Erin continued. 'You will need to make a choice regarding your name.' She told Harry, who was a bit distracted but trying his best to listen and focus on what was being said. 'Your father and I aren't married, therefore we each have a different surname. Traditionally, in a situation like this, the child receives his father's surname.'

'Why?' Harry wondered.

'It's just the way it is.' Erin shrugged. 'However, your father does not think it would be a good idea for you to have his surname.'

'Why not?' Harry stared at Severus, thinking maybe he didn't want Harry to be a Snape, or something as discouraging as that.

'In approximately four years, you will be attending a school of witchcraft and wizardry.' Severus explained. 'It is the same school in which I attended as a boy. Therefore, my name would be recognised and due to...certain circumstances, it may be an unfortunate occurrence if you were to also bear my name.'

'From what I understand...' Erin continued when Harry still looked confused. 'Not a lot of people like your father, and might think badly of you as well because you have his name. If you were his son, but with a different name, we thought it would be easier for you or there would be less chance of people judging you before they get to know you. Do you understand?'

'I think so.' Harry looked away, seeming sad at the thought of no one liking his dad.

He decided not to comment about it, and decided that maybe no one knew his dad was a hero and thought he was a bit scary. That was okay, because when Harry went to that magic school he'd just have to let everyone know how wonderful his daddy really was.

'Your surname will be the same as mine, as we always planned it to be.' Erin said to her son. 'And that leaves your first name...We both know your real name is Harry, but it was changed when you were taken from me. This was so I could not find you, and probably also to protect you as well.' Erin said, but did not elaborate. 'All these years, you've known your name to be Cody. You need to decide which one to keep forever.'

'I...I don't know.' Harry frowned. 'I was going to be Harry Summers - remember, mum? But, well I kinda like being Cody and everyone else calls me that. Except Jack. He knows I'm really Harry, so he calls me Cody and uses Harry as a nickname when no one else is around.' He shared, which Erin found amusing. 'What do you think?' Harry looked from his mother to his father, not sure which name to use.

'Well, I did have an idea.' Erin nodded. 'How about Cody Harry Summers?' She suggested. 'Harry would be your middle name, and when we're at home we can call you by whichever name you prefer. As you said, most people already know you as Cody and it is the name you have grown up answering to and writing on all your school assignments.'

'Cody Harry Summers.' Harry sounded it out carefully and multiple times, trying it with different tones and volumes until he was sure he liked it. 'Yeah!' He grinned. 'I like that name. I used to be Harry, but I don't think I am Harry anymore. Only a little bit. I became Cody then. Harry lost his parents and then was given a new mum. Cody was alone and then got a new dad.' He smiled at Severus with fondness. 'I think Cody Harry Summers is better because that way I get both!'

While Erin shared Harry's enthusiasm towards his new name, Severus rolled his eyes at the ridiculous logic and deemed his presence no longer required when the pair began to talk about all the things they would get to do now the three of them were a family. He headed through a nearby door to descend to his Potions Lab and switched on the light. Looking around, Severus found he wasn't in the mood to brew and merely stood in the center of the room to contemplate the alterations in the situation he was now in.

It had taken less than a week for him to gain a family.

He now had a son and...well, he supposed Erin was a friend/sister even if they were still mostly strangers. And with her fondness of Sirius Black, Severus knew he had to keep an eye on Erin until he knew where they stood in regards to trust, loyalty, and general personality differences. There was an elevated level of fondness that came with Harry not wanting to leave either of his parents, when Severus had expected to be forgotten and ignored once the boy had his mother back.

-- 

Later that night, Erin happily took her time in tucking Harry into bed.

She even sat down and read a storybook to him, which she had brought with her, and smothered him with cuddles and kisses at every chance she got. Harry only giggled and smiled at her, enjoying the feeling of being loved by his mother, which was something he had missed more than he ever realised. As Erin switched off his bedroom light and winced as the child shouted a “goodnight, daddy!”, in which he received a grunt in return, she turned and left the darkened room so her son could get his rest.

Reaching the main room, Erin felt very out of place but was determined to adapt. She was strong-willed and stubborn, so Erin knew she could do anything she had to for her son, even if was a bit weird at first. Looking over at Severus, who was seated in his usual armchair by a small fire, Erin sat on the sofa across from him and pondered on what to say.

'Severus, I need to ask you a few things.' Erin said. 'If you don't mind?'

'Go on.' Severus marked the page of his book and moved to place it on the armrest of the chair, before he looked over at the woman and awaited her response. She seemed to be taking her time, as though it was a matter of confusing importance.

'You know his was once Harry, and I wondered if you would like to know more about his history?'

'Absolutely not.' Severus frowned, surprising Erin by the ferocity of his response. 'I have a very clear assumption of who that boy might have once been - of who his father might have been.' He growled. 'I may be mistaken, and for the sake of this arrangement I wish to remain mistaken. He is Cody Summers, and that is the only person my son is now.'

'Our son.' Erin corrected instinctively. 'And alright, I understand.' She did, because something about his reaction made her realise that Severus might know who Harry Potter was.

She had done a little research in the past several weeks, and it hadn't told her very much other than the Potter family being well-known. If Severus knew more about them, Erin would loved to have heard all he knew, but if it was a matter that pained him than she was let it be out of respect. He was right, in saying that Harry was now Cody Summers and that was what mattered.

The past can be left as the past.

'We will not speak of it again, then, however I have one question about what you assume about the boy he may or may not have been.' Erin phrased carefully. 'Were his parents also magical?'

'Yes.' Severus answered. 'If he is who I have mistaken him for, than yes.'

'Does it make a difference, if a child with magic has magical parents?' Erin asked.

Severus narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously as he realised something very interesting about her question. Which brought his mind back to a topic he had also wanted to question her with.

'You automatically assume a child can be magical even if his or her parents are not?' Severus voiced. 'I was curious, also, in regards to yourself. Are you aware your mother is a witch?'

'That was something else I was going to ask you.' Erin looked away, a frown on her face at the thought of her horrid mother. 'I have no memory of it, and yet it just seems right to think she is. And to think children can be born without magical parents. It's like I have knowledge about something, but no memory of obtaining it. If my mother is a witch, why aren't I as well?

'It is highly possible you are, in fact, a witch.' Severus answered. 'When I confronted your mother in regards to her injustice towards my-our son, she foolishly informed me that since the age of ten, you were no longer a witch.' He explained to the wide-eyed Erin. 'It was her claim that your magic was erratic and poorly. I believe she intervened prior to the age in which you would be able to attend Hogwarts, and therefore learn to use your magic.'

'Why would she do that?' Erin almost shouted, rising to her feet and remain only just calm enough to not wake Harry with her screams of anger. 'I had magic, and she took it from me?' She fumed, muttering a few swears and staring into the fire with hurt.

'As a witch herself, I cannot begin to understand why she would decide such a drastic course of action against her own daughter.' Severus drawled.

He was sympathetic, though, because if something like that had happened to him, he would never had gone to Hogwarts and never been granted the slight freedom he had from the household he despised. The same house they were conversing in now, though minus the drunken monster that had been Tobias Snape.

'Unless, I mean, if my magic wasn't any good...' Erin's rage faltered as she sank into her seat again and sighed.

'It is profoundly common for magical children to be unable to control their magic until they receive their magical education at the age of eleven.' Severus explained. 'You were not given the opportunity in which to do so. However, you were born a witch and therefore it seems incomprehensible that your magic simply...disappeared. The fact you can no longer remember any occurrences of your own magic, nor the magic of your mother, suggests perhaps your memory was altered or erased.'

Erin was startled by the new information and hated her mother even more. If she never had to be near that vile woman again, Erin would live a very content life. She thought about what Severus had told her, and wondered if perhaps there was still a chance for her, except her knowledge was still quite limited. And she honestly could not remember seeing her mother use magic, though she recalled a newspaper with a moving picture and how odd things seemed to follow Judith Cain wherever she went.

'Is there any way to fix it?' Erin asked. 'Or rather, bring my magic back? What about my memories? It was a little over fifteen years ago that I supposedly lost my magic. Could I have simply forgotten?'

'It is incredibly unlikely you would forget such an event.' Severus reasoned. 'There are spells and potions that may prove useful in retrieving your magic, and perhaps even memories. I would have to do some research into the matter, and yet I do not know the extent of the alterations, or the methods used.'

'Can't you just look through my head and find out?' Erin muttered, mostly because she wished it was that simple. Catching a thoughtful expression on his face, she frowned and wondered upon her sarcastic comment. 'Could you do that?'

'It would be very unpleasant.' Severus cautioned. 'Potentially painful, in the form of a headache, and may offer few or no results...however, yes, I am trained in the art of Legilimancy. I could search your mind for signs of alterations or tampering, though a far less enduring option may be preferable.'

'Can you do it now?' Erin asked seriously. 'Yes, I know it's risky. This is my mind, and my magic...I need to know. Do what you must.'

Severus hesitated for a brief moment, then whipped out his wand and pointed it towards her. He waited for any sign of Erin changing her mind or gaining reluctance, but she didn't even fight him as he breathed the incantation and was soon flitting through her memories. Most of it was a blur, as Severus tried to be as quick yet as effective as he could. He only paused when an image of little Harry came to his mind, showing a bright smile with few teeth while waving his hands happily. He had missed those years of his new son's life, and as he saw one of Harry in a bathtub spilling water everywhere...Severus could not spare any regret for missing those bratty years of jam-covered-hands and tantrums.

Pulling from Erin's mind, Severus sank back into his seat to think about what he had discovered. Erin gasped as she fell onto her hands and knees, tears streaming down her face as she forced herself to remain quiet because she did not want to wake the sleeping seven-year-old upstairs. Sweating, and fighting a headache, Erin looked up at Severus and waited for a reply.

'Well?' Erin croaked through her throbbing skull.

'I am familiar with the spell used to contain your magic, though I have never heard of its use being this extensively.' Severus said in a low voice. 'It can be reversed. It may take up to two years, but your magic shall return. You will be able to get a wand and begin learning to use your magic, just as our son will in several years.'

'Oh, that's good!' Erin smiled and crawled back into her chair, exhaling in effort to calm herself. She blinked when a vial of light blue potion was hovered in front of her. Looking once at Severus, she grasped the object and sniffed it before she drank the contents. Her headache quickly began to fade.

'Thank you.' Erin said, though she was referring to more than just the potion. 'And what about my memories?'

'It is doubtful you will ever regain all of your memories relating to magic usage in your past.' Severus said. 'However, with the aid of a potion, I believe some of them may return over time.'

'You seem to know a lot about potions.' Erin commented. 'Is that common, or...?'

'I achieved a Potions Mastry upon graduation.' Severus smirked. 'I assure you, such dedication and skill in the fine art of Potion-Making is not at all common.'

'Oh. I guess I'm lucky then.' Erin said. 'How soon can we start getting my magic back?'

'Next month.' Severus answered, confident he could brew what she needed by then.

'Cody!'

Harry grumbled and rolled over when someone called his name. He wanted to pull the sheets over his head and ignore the voice, until he remembered the previous day and who was trying to wake him.

'Mum?' Harry's eyes opened and he sat up quickly. Looking towards the door, he saw Erin standing there and smiling at him as he grinned back.

'Good morning, sleepyhead.' Erin smiled at the boy. 'Breakfast is ready. Hurry up, or you'll be late.' She urged.

'Okay, mum!' Harry jumped out of bed and dressed into his school uniform before rushing to the bathroom. When he headed down the stairs, Harry said good morning to both of his parents and sat in front of a bowl of porridge.

'I think Frogabook likes you.' Harry giggled as he watched his large frog follow Erin to the kitchen and back. 'He doesn't like daddy much.'

'I wonder why?' Erin said sarcastically when Severus glared down at the creature as though it had caused him extreme loss or torment. 'Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about, Severus.' She remembered and sat between the two at the table. 'I know this is your home, and Harry's too, but it's...' She looked around and tried to find the right words without being too rude. 'Well, gloomy. And rather small. I don't know how the pair of you are able to move freely, and with all the darkness...honestly, it's a bit of a bat cave.'

'It will suffice.' Severus frowned at her.

'Daaad.' Harry whined in a way he'd heard Jack use before to his own father. 'This place is a bit scary. I kicked my toe on those books like five times yesterday.'

'Perhaps you should be more observant towards where you are walking.' Severus replied.

'Severus.' Erin sighed and gave him a stern look.

Harry joined her protest by pouting and with the pair of them, Severus felt rather pressured into reconsidering his previous insisting that it was fine. He was not fond of the place either, but Severus was very comfortable and familiar with the residence at Spinner's End.

'You won't have to sell it.' Erin tried to negotiate. 'But don't you think it would be better if we all lived in a more open house? A place with a backyard for Harry to run around in? I'm sure we can find something close enough to the school, so we wouldn't be moving very far.'

'Yeah, daddy.' Harry nodded. 'I'd love to be able to run around! And stare at the clouds, or climb a tree.' He smiled at the daydream of doing those things at home.

'I have a backyard.' Severus argued.

'The door barely opens.' Erin countered. 'And a backyard should not include a forest of bushes with thorns and...whatever else I saw growing out there. Which, no, I did not dare touch.'

'Pleeease daadd?' Harry pleaded. 'Please, please, pleeease can we get our own house?'

'I may consider it.' Severus grunted.

'Yay!' Harry grinned. 'Thanks, daddy.'

'Come on, Cody.' Erin said, practising the new name her son now went by. 'I hope you don't mind if I drop you off at school today?'

'That's okay. Daddy can pick me up.' Harry nodded as he rose from the table and walked around to give his dad a hug before he snatched his schoolbag and said farewell to his frog. Following his mother outside, they talked about the best ways to make Severus agree to a new house for their family, and how much bigger they thought Frogabook was going to get.

As they reached the gates, Jack was already there as he kicked a small stone with impatience.

'Hey, Jack!' Harry waved. 'Look!' He grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him to the gates. 'Mum, this is my bestest friend in the whole world – Jack!'

'Whoa, you're Cody's mum?' Jack's eyes were wide as he stared at her. 'I mean, hello.' He blushed.

'Hello, Jack.' Erin smiled. 'It's a pleasure to meet you. Harry has told me much about you, so it's nice to finally meet you. I do not think I could wish for a better friend for my son.'

Blushing at the praise and his sudden shyness, Jack wasn't sure what to say, so he just stared at the ground until Erin had left.

'She's great, right?' Harry asked Jack as they walked towards a nearby seat. 'Just wait til I tell you all about what happened yesterday!'

-- 

By the weekend, the Summers-Snape family had moved into their new home.

It was a spacious house with large windows and a healthy, wide backyard. Even Severus had a hard time finding something to complain about their new residence. Harry loved his new room and had a lot of fun putting away his clothes and toys in it. He sat on his wooden bed and smiled, thinking of how happy he was with his new house and the relief of leaving the evil-looking Spinner's End behind. He would miss it from time to time, Harry was sure, because it was his first home, really. The new house was even better.

It would take an extra ten minutes to get to school, but Harry was excited because Jack's street was only a block away so Harry would be passing by Jack's house every morning so the two boys could walk to school together alongside Severus. It had been decided that his dad would walk him and Jack to school, and Erin would pick the boys up. Jack's parents seemed really pleased with the idea, more so than either of Harry's parents had been expecting. Harry and Jack, however, thought this was a huge bonus to the moving situation.

'Cody!' Erin called him.

'Coming!' Harry jumped off his bed and hurried down the hall. He descended the stairs and entered the large living room with a smile still on his face. Looking towards the doorway, he waved at Jack and led the boy around the back of the house where the highly fenced backyard was.

'You can come visit all the time now.' Harry grinned. 'This is so perfect! I have everything I could ever wish for!'

'Yeah.' Jack smiled back and stood some distance away from Harry as they planned to toss Harry's new ball back and forth. 'We can have more sleepovers, and now we get to walk to school together. It's awesome!'

'I know.' Harry caught the ball and watched Frogabook hopping near some bushes. He laughed at the frog's enthusiasm, because it was clear Harry wasn't the only one who loved their new backyard.

There was one thing he could possibly think of that wasn't so great.

Harry played with Jack and didn't mention it, since his best friend looked as happy as he felt. With his mum and dad working to bring his mum's magic back, the reality of Harry's own magic was often on the boy's mind. Looking over at Jack, he felt a little confused about it because from what he'd heard, Harry would be going to a special school for witches and wizards when he turned eleven. Still, it was a long time before he had to worry about that, so Harry shook it from his mind and passed the ball back to Jack.

And didn't think of it again until later that night when Harry was preparing to go to bed.

He was sitting on his bed and looking out the window, still adapting to his new surroundings and how he no longer had to live across from the dark house where all his nightmares had been real. He never had to see Emile or Simon again, but constantly seeing their previous house across from his had weighed on Harry's sense of security more than he had noticed. He felt so free and happy in his new home, which he shared with a family he had always dreamed of.

'Goodnight, Sweetheart.' Erin said as she kissed Harry on the forehead when she came into the room to tuck him into bed.

'Goodnight, mum.' Harry smiled. 'Tell daddy I said goodnight too, okay?'

'I will.' Erin nodded. 'Do you like our new home?'

'I love it.' Harry nodded. 'It's the best ever!'

'I'm glad.' Erin brushed some dark hair from his face, pausing as she looked at his forehead and realised the scar he had once had there was entirely gone. She didn't comment, as Harry's eyes had begun to close. Not bothering with a story, Erin kissed him again and switched off the light.

'Sweet dreams, my darling.' Erin whispered before she turned and left the room.

As she crossed the hall and headed to the bathroom for a shower, Severus walked to Harry's darkened room and stood in the doorway, since the boy liked to leave his door open now. He could only just make out the bed where his son slept and a smile crossed Severus' face as he too was happy with their new home and family.

'Sleep well, my son.' Severus said as he turned and headed for his room.

As the nearby bedroom door shut, and the water from the shower was heard, the seven-year-old boy who had once thought himself to be invisible, lay in his bed with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. He was filled with a wonderful happiness brought on by his loving family and their warm home, a joy and comfort which would follow him through his sleep that night and many more nights to come.

It took another week for the family to adjust to their new home.

Afterwards, it almost seemed like they had lived there for years. On Friday afternoon, as Erin was walking Harry and Jack home, the group discussed what they were going to do over the weekend because Jack would be staying over for the entire duration.

'We should all do some stuff together.' Harry suggested and looked at Jack to see if he agreed.

'Okay.' Jack nodded.

'Like what?' Erin wondered. 'I was thinking of making use of our big kitchen and baking some cakes. Maybe you boys would like to help me?'

'Yes!' Harry and Jack said in unison.

'It's settled then.' Erin smiled as she pushed open their small gate and let the boys walk ahead of her across the short distance to the front door. 'We'll have to do some shopping tomorrow morning, which I know Harry has been looking forward to.'

'What's so special about it?' Jack asked Harry.

'Well, I was thinking that with my family being whole and all, um...that we needed to do something a family does. You know, like to celebrate and make it real?' He shrugged. 'Mum said families go shopping together a lot, so we picked that. Daddy's coming too.'

'Oh.' Jack fidgeted. 'I'm not family, though...I mean, I don't want to wreck anything by being in the way.'

'You are family!' Harry insisted. 'You're my pretend brother, remember? You have to come. I'm not going if you don't.' He pouted, making his best friend smile and feel better about tagging along.

'What else can we do this weekend?' Jack wondered as he followed Harry up to his room.

There was a spare room across from Harry's, but both boys thought it would be a lot more fun if they shared Harry's room during the sleepover. Erin suspected this was because the boys wanted to stay up and talk when they should be sleeping, and though neither boy admitted it, she was correct.

'Mum wants to try gardening again.' Harry remembered. 'She wants us to help plant some new flowers in her garden. I've never done it before, and I think it would be cool to watch something grow. We also have to teach Frogabook to use a lead, otherwise dad thinks this chapter of our lives is going to be called “Frogabook's Great Escape”, cause he's loving the backyard too much. We get to put a new collar on him and everything. I reckon we can teach him, if we work together. I don't think Frogabook will like it much, though.' Harry laughed. 'Let's play a game! For this weekend, let's pretend we're twins!' Harry grinned at his idea.

'Yeah!' Jack cheered. 'That'll be lots of fun, and I won't feel bad about joining in on all the family stuff because if we're twins, then they're my family too.' He nodded.

'Exactly!' Harry agreed.

'Where's your dad?' Jack suddenly realised he hadn't seen the man when they got home.

'Oh, he's downstairs in the basement.' Harry rolled his eyes. 'Mum said he's got some special room down there where he's going to make potions. I haven't seen it yet. Daddy said not to go down there because it's a mess right now. He's still setting up stuff like cauldrons and whatever.'

'Wicked.' Jack said. 'I'd like to see it! Do you think he'll let us watch him make a potion? That would be so cool. I thought stuff like that only happened in movies.'

'Er...maybe.' Harry shrugged. 'Daddy was really serious about it, so I think we should wait until it's ready or he might get mad.'

'Okay.' Jack said with disappointment. 'Wanna go outside and play with the ball?'

'Sure.' Harry nodded and led the way back outside the house, since the only reason they'd gone straight to Harry's bedroom was to drop off their bags.

The two boys rushed past Erin and accidentally let Frogabook out of the house in the process.

Erin was basically sworn to secrecy that it was Severus who had picked and examined the house before they'd purchased it, and those fences were not as high and strong as they were just because the man liked his privacy. Frogabook hopped around the house after the boys and headed back to his favourite bush, a little displeased at his limited freedom, but was much happier than he had been at the previous place when he'd been cooped up inside all day.

With all his extra hopping, Harry was finding it easier to carry his usually-heavy frog around the house. Erin also insisted on a feeding rule with the frog to ensure it didn't overeat. Coupled with the new collar it would be wearing, the frog who had once been a seven-year-old boy's schoolbook, didn't realise how much less freedom he actually had. Which was the opposite of Harry, who had never had such a freeing routine in his entire life. He could go outside whenever he wanted to run around, climb a tree (and really high up too, if his parents weren't watching), throw around a ball, or play with his pet frog.

This meant Jack could also visit a lot more too. And though their first sleepover had been a lot of fun, the two boys were determined to make this second one the best sleepover they'd ever had, especially because Jack was staying over until they had to attend school on Monday.

--

Around mid-morning the following day, Erin and Severus were waiting outside while Harry tried to find some clean socks, and Jack searched for his favourite jacket. Erin didn't mind waiting, whereas Severus mentally listed the spells he'd put in place inside the living room to confine the over-large frog to the area - in effort to prevent mass damage or an injured creature while they were away. He cared nothing for the “beast”, but a squashed frog would (rather unfortunately, he believed), make Harry and Jack very upset.

'Got it!' Jack announced as he hurried outside, pulling on his red jacket as he joined them.

Harry was right behind him with a pair of mismatched blue/black socks inside his badly laced shoes, which he bent over to fix when Erin gave him a stern look. Severus, however, looked as though he wanted spell the boy's socks to match.

The shopping center wasn't very far and the group had decided to walk. Erin actually wanted to drive her car, but Severus insisted that walking was preferable, and the boys agreed. Within minutes, they arrived and Erin grabbed a shopping trolley, which she asked Severus to push and he declined. With the boys taking over the task, Erin consulted the shopping list she had made for their trip.

'I notice now, that the clothes you wore before weren't very...' Erin looked at Severus and tried to remember what it was called.

'Muggle.' Jack provided, who had spent a lot of the last week learning the “magical” words Harry had been taught.

'I suppose it would look strange if you walked around in a robe.' Erin said, thinking his attire which consisted of a black long-sleeved shirt and dark pants wasn't much different, really.

'I think daddy's allergic to colour.' Harry joked, which earned himself a glare from Severus.

'Yeah.' Jack cheekily agreed and Erin tried not to laugh.

Snatching the shopping list from Erin, Severus marched ahead into the food section of the store they had planned to shop in, and began gathering their items – he was clearly motivated to end the public event he had been conned into attending, as quickly as he could.

'He's so cheerful.' Erin rolled his eyes. 'Don't stray far, boys.' She added as they looked around.

'Can we help?' Harry asked. 'I used to do the shopping before I went to stay with daddy. Jack helped me once too.'

'Yeah.' Jack nodded. 'Can we, please?'

'I don't see why not.' Erin went to snatch the list back from Severus, but was unable to take it from his instantly firm grip.

Glaring at his smirk, Erin held out her hand and waited for him to pass it to her. She tore it at two sections and gave one each to the boys. They had about five items each to find and bring back.

'Don't get lost and stay close so we can see you.' Erin cautioned. 'We'll be over by the frozen food section.'

'Okay, mum.' Harry nodded as calmly as he could while he rocked eagerly on his heels.

'Yes, Miss Summers.' Jack said in a tone Severus thought was far too innocent to be honest.

And the moment they were given permission, the boys turned and hurried into the depths of the store.

'Oops, Sorry!' Harry blushed when he ran into the back of a bulgy man with no hair. The man glared down at him and Jack pulled Harry away, who had frozen to the spot at the sight and his own embarrassment.

'Did you see his face?' Jack laughed. 'He was like some sort of walrus!'

'That's not nice!' Harry tried to scold, but he ended up laughing along with his friend. As they headed for the cereal section, the boys quickly forgot their lists and instead raced each other along the isle. Finding a spare shopping trolley, Jack encouraged Harry to get in and the dark-haired boy did so very reluctantly.

'Look out!' Harry yelled as Jack steered him wildly through another idle, running fast as he pushed the trolley containing his friend.

Screeching in delight, Jack tried to pull back – his efforts failed as the trolley and boys soon collided with a shelf of cereal, sending boxes flying onto the floor. Harry sat there, gripping the sides of the trolley for dear life, as he squeezed his eyes shut on impact. Jack had skidded to a halt on the slippery floor and ended up sitting under the rain of boxes they'd shaken from the shelf ahead.

After a short moment of silence, the two seven-year-olds looked at each other and laughed.

'That was fun!' Jack declared. 'My turn!'

Harry gasped when he saw Severus and Erin nearby and jumped out of the trolley. He grabbed Jack's shirt and dragged him to a different isle. They had only just escaped being spotted with their trolley against a shelf, surrounded by boxes of cereal.

'Whew, that was close!' Jack exhaled. 'So, what now?'

'Look!' Harry pointed to a section of the store quite some distance away. It was the clothing department where piles of materials and racks of every colour were seen. 'That looks like fun.'

'Let's go!' Jack decided.

'Oh, wait...' Harry glanced back towards where his parents were. 'They said not to go too far.'

'It'll only be for a second.' Jack urged. 'Come on, it'll be fun and then we'll go get the stuff from our list. They won't even notice we went there.'

'Okay.' Harry sighed and hurried after his friend.

-- 

Twenty minutes later and Erin was still looking around for the boys.

She and Severus had finished most of their shopping and the area was far too quiet. She'd called their names, but the two children hadn't answered. Severus looked furious, and even more so when he couldn't even cast a simple locating charm in the midst of the Muggle shoppers.

'Where are they?' Erin began to stress. 'They weren't supposed to stray from our sight!'

'They are seven-year-old children.' Severus dead-panned to conceal his own worry. 'This was your brilliant idea, if I recall.'

'You should have stopped me!' Erin growled, her tone rising in her fear of the boys being well out of her sight and protection. She had already lost Harry once, and an icy fear seized her as they searched another isle of the store.

The boys were nowhere to be seen.

Severus wisely decided to remain quiet and increased his strides to look around the area. He felt useless without his wand and it had been a while since they'd seen the children. They'd kept an eye on them, but not every second.

'Where are they?' Erin was becoming quite frantic. 'You!' She snapped at a nearby cashier. 'Have you seen two boys about the same age? They're around this high.' She held up her hand to measure Harry's height, though Jack was barely an inch taller. 'One has blonde hair and the other dark.'

'Sorry, ma'am.' The man answered. 'I haven't seen them.'

Severus rolled his eyes as Erin began to argue with anyone nearby and her volume was steadily rising. Leaving her side, Severus wandered around to get a better view and decided the children were not in the food section. He walked further into the store, far beyond where the brats were supposed to stay close to, and halted when he heard the sound of childish giggling.

With a snarl, Severus reached forward and snatched two collars from inside the clothes rack and yanked out the pair of startled seven-year-olds.

'Oops.' Jack winced while Harry paled.

'Indeed.' Severus said in a dangerously low voice.

Before he could lecture or the boys could apologise, Erin came running over and scolded Severus for not telling her he'd found them. Ignoring the woman, and going to retrieve their shopping trolling, Severus left the boys at her mercy. He was surprised how effective she was at making them regretful of their actions, as she stressed how worried she had been and hugged them tearfully tight. The boys got upset and started apologising over and over until it lost all meaning to Severus.

Fifteen minutes later, and the family quietly left the shopping center with everything on their list. Severus had led them to an alley nearby to cast featherlight charms on all the bags to make them easier to carry. He decided to make the boy's bags just a bit heavier than he planned, as a little added punishment.

Once they arrived home, the boys were sent to Harry's room where they had to stay until lunch. By then Erin had forgiven them and Severus vanished into the basement to work on his Potions lab some more.

'Eat your sandwiches and then we'll bake some cakes, okay?' Erin told the children with a smile, brushing a hand over both their heads in added relief that they were okay. She knew Harry loved the affection from his mother, which he had missed out on for so many years, yet Erin pondered on the similar reaction from Jack.

'Don't you think three nights in a row is a bit long to stay at once for your second sleepover?' Erin asked Jack as the boys ate their lunch. 'Won't you miss your parents, even a little?'

'Not really.' Jack shrugged. 'I like it better here and it's more fun. I don't see mum or dad much anyway.'

'Shhh.' Harry said. 'We're pretending we're twins, remember?'

'Right.' Jack nodded and chewed the last of his sandwich. 'Done!'

'Me too!' Harry added.

'Alright, let's work out what we need first.' Erin nodded and took their plates to the sink.

She hoped, when she could get her magic back, Severus would teach her how to wash the dishes with magic, because she was used to the task and yet could never do it when it was now only done by magic.

'Can we make chocolate chip cupcakes?' Harry requested. 'With strawberry frosting?'

'Yeah, can we?' Jack added.

'We sure can.' Erin nodded and gave each boy a task to do.

As Harry waited to mix the bowl, Jack carefully measured the ingredients as the recipe said, which was what Severus noticed when he returned to the main section of the house for his own lunch. He paused at the kitchen doorway and watched the sandy-haired boy for a moment. The measurements of flour, and then milk, were so precise it caused the man to think of an entirely different skill Jack could be learning. Severus shoved those thoughts away and soon retreated back to his Potions lab, glad to escape the kitchen he predicted would soon be covered with flour.

He would rather brave potential potion fumes than a cloud of white former-wheat.

Once the cupcakes were cooking in the oven, Harry and Jack laughed at each other's appearance, which was covered in flour and bits of the uncooked mixture. Erin rolled her eyes and sent the pair upstairs to bathe. The pair had really enjoyed the task and helping out, as neither had really participated in baking before. Jack had the most fun adding the ingredients and trying to convince Harry to let him mix it as well - whereas Harry was happy just to listen to his mum talk, and then lick the spoons when they had finished using them.

-- 

When they came back downstairs, Harry was busy talking about how great it was to cook something with his mum because it was such a family thing to do, and they missed hearing Erin ask Severus to help clean the kitchen up with his magic. Because of that, the boys thought Severus was still downstairs in the basement, when they decided to go down and have a look, they honestly thought the man would be there.

'He won't mind.' Jack insisted as he opened the door to the basement and led the way down the steps.

Harry followed after him and soon the pair were looking around at the darkened, creepy-looking laboratory, which looked exactly like one. There were a few wooden benches and lots of bookcase-like shelves, all which contained jars of plants or slimy things the boys did not want to put a name to.

'Look, a real cauldron!' Jack hissed and hurried over to it, forgetting they were supposed to ask Severus how to brew a potion.

Unlike Jack, Harry did notice his father wasn't there and wanted to get out of the scary place as soon as he could.

'C'mon, Jack...let's go!' Harry shuddered and backed away.

'In a minute.' Jack said when he put his head into the large cauldron and laughed as his voice echoed a little inside it.

'Jack.' Harry gulped and looked up at a jar of deep-red eyeballs on a higher shelf.

He jumped when flies from a jar nearby suddenly started flying around inside their containment - a jolt which caused him to move back too quickly. Losing his footing, Harry didn't have time to realise what was behind him until the jars were knocked over and smashed against the floor.

Jack whacked his head inside the cauldron at the sound and spun around in shock, staring wide-eyed at the bubbling liquid beside the gooey-looking plants. He glanced worriedly at Harry and the dark-haired boy looked close to tears.

'What now?' Harry trembled. 'Daddy's gonna kill me.'

'No, he won't.' Jack frowned. 'We'll hide it.' He whispered quickly and bent to help Harry pick up the plants.

Each pulled a face of disgust as they shoved them underneath a bench and then used a nearby broom to sweep the broken glass under it as well. Placing a box of books onto the spot to cover anywhere the liquid had removed dust, the boys turned and fled from the room. Running all the way up the stairs, they were gasping for breath by the time Harry and Jack took refuge inside Harry's bedroom, each diving into the bed to hide within the sheets.

'Do you think he'll find out?' Harry whispered.

'Nah.' Jack replied uncertainly.

Frogabook hopped from a nearby corner and jumped onto the bed with the boys, which startled them into thinking they'd been caught. The result was a united pair of screams and the two boys ripping off the sheet. A frightened frog falling off the bed was all they saw before Erin burst into the room to see what was going on.

'Sorry, it's nothing!' Harry said quickly.

'Not nothing.' Jack uttered in shock.

He had noticed his hands, which were rather rapidly turning a yellowish colour. Harry's yelp confirmed a similar occurrence was altering his hands as well. They were frantic and Erin looked just as concerned. Slowly, she realised what was going on and directed both children downstairs. Jack and Harry, had they not been so worried about their now-swelling hands, would have been terrified as Erin went to get Severus from the basement. 

And only when he was informed of the situation, did the boys realise they had plenty to be frightened of.

Within minutes, they were both reduced to tears as Severus countered their skin reactions with a stinging potion. He barely said a word, and once they were otherwise healed, it quickly changed to the point that his lecturing caused their ears to ache.

'No, please don't send me home!' Jack pleaded. 'We just wanted to see the lab, promise! We thought you were still there!'

'Please, please!' Harry dove at his father's ankles and wrapped his arms tightly around them, begging with all his strength not to have his friend sent home early because of what happened. 'We'll clean it up! We don't go in there again unless you say we can, I promise!'

'Severus.' Erin said firmly when the man looked ready to start shouting and hand out a hundred punishments.

Instead he used his wand to zap Harry off his legs (which didn't hurt at all, and was aimed only to startle the boy into releasing his grip), and whirled around to return to the basement. Severus would remain there until was in a more merciful mood to deal with the pair.

'He hates me!' Harry wailed and sprawled out on the floor in misery.

'Your father isn't capable of hating you.' Erin sighed. 'Come on, the cakes are nearly ready.' She used the distraction of their baking to lead the boys into the kitchen where they sat in sulking silence.

-- 

The aftermath of the incident in the basement had not worn off by late afternoon, when Severus emerged and the boys were seated in the living room so he could lecture them once again. This time it was much more serious, and the boys were nearly reduced to streaming tears once again.

'Your actions were foolish and reckless!' Severus growled. 'I did not ward the room against unwanted intrusion because I believed each of you to have enough common sense to understand the dangers within. You were both incredibly lucky you touched the ingredients you did – other alternatives could have led to long-term poisoning or even instant death!' He said.

Erin finished the last batch of the cakes and listened to what was going on, while the boys sniffled in pure remorse towards their actions.

'Should either of you enter that room again without permission or supervision, you will each find yourselves far more regretful than you are now.' Severus warned. 'Do you understand?'

'Yes, sir.' The boys mumbled.

'I think they are properly punished now, Severus.' Erin interrupted as he went to say something else, and placed a pink-frosted cupcake in front of him.

Severus glared once more at the children for good measure, and ignored the cupcake as he left the room once again. Erin looked down at the two boys and felt a bit sympathetic as they hadn't been properly warned of the dangers (which she hadn't been extensively aware of either), but they would hopefully never forget this moment and would use it to prevent something like this from happening again.

'I hope you both learned an important lesson today.' Erin said sternly. 'Now go up to your room and I will call you down when it's time for dinner.'

Harry and Jack nodded as they turned and headed for the stairs.

Just out of Erin's earshot, Jack muttered that the most important lesson he'd learned was to always carry rubber gloves with him or at least be better at hiding stuff. Harry, however, after making his parents angry at him, was barely able to say a word until during dinner.

It took many reassurances to convince the boy his parents didn't hate him, and in the end it was Erin hanging something on his wall that decreased his fears. It was the family tree he'd had to draw for school - showing himself, Erin, Severus, Jack, and Frogabook. It sat importantly inside a dark wooden frame and hung on Harry's wall for everyone to see if they were ever to enter his room.

The boys went to bed content that night and each dreamed of being attacked by jars of gooey substances or being eaten by an angry cauldron. One thing was for certain after the eventful day they'd had: neither Harry nor Jack had any intention to ever set foot inside the basement again.

Sunday afternoon arrived much faster than the boys preferred.

While Severus was once again locked inside the basement, the rest of those staying inside the house were outside in the fading afternoon sun. Jack had his heels dug into the ground as he tried to pull the suddenly strong frog who had a shiny, smooth blue collar around his neck, which was what attached him to Jack as the sandy-haired boy pulled on the lead. Harry stood nearby and laughed, while Erin called over for her son to go into the kitchen and retrieve the flowers seats she had left on the counter.

'Okay!' Harry nodded and hurried inside the house.

He pulled open the front door and walked into the kitchen. The boy grabbed the seed packet, but paused, as he slowly peered into the hallway between the kitchen and the living room, where he saw the door to the basement. Checking over his shoulder in case his mother was watching, Harry crept towards the door and stared at it for a moment. Exhaling, he reached for the handle and grasped it to see if his father really had locked it as he had threatened to.

With a jolt of stinging pain, Harry jerked his hand away and glared at the doorknob. 

His father had done more than just lock it, the almost-eight-year-old was thoroughly displeased to notice.

With a huff, Harry turned and marched back outside to rejoin his mother. Leaving Jack to stubbornly try to make the frog obey the simple command of walking on the lead, Harry handed his mother the seats and knelt beside her to watch what she was doing with fascination.

'How long will they take to grow?' Harry wondered. 'I bet they'll be really pretty.'

He was proud of the garden because he had spent some of the morning digging it up and helped Jack pull out those pesky weeds. The soil was damp and fresh-looking, which smelled healthy and moistened.

'That depends on a number of factors.' Erin answered as she handed the packet back to Harry and indicated where and when he should drop in a seed.

'Like what?' Harry asked, realising he had a lot of curiosity and fondness for growing plants already and they had only just started their garden today.

'The weather, for one.' Erin smiled at her son. 'And the ground itself can impact the outcome. Some flowers grow faster than others, and some grow better at certain times of the year.'

'Guess they don't like the cold or heat much either, huh?' Harry chuckled.

'Guess not.' Erin brushed some hair from Harry's face and made a mental note to get his hair cut soon because it was getting rather long. 'That's it, Cody.' She praised his work. 'You're an excellent gardener already!'

'Thanks, mum.' Harry blushed and ignored Jack's complaints in the background. 'I really like gardening. Will you let me help more, and maybe teach me about the different flowers and plants as well as why they take longer and all that? I'd really like to know.'

'Of course, sweetheart.' Erin nodded. 'My knowledge is limited to the regular kind, though. I'm sure you can ask your father for more details of the magical ones.'

'Oh, yeah! Do you think we'll be able to grow magical ones here?' Harry was enthusiastic by the idea.

'Well, we can only try.' Erin chuckled. 'How about we talk to your father about it later?'

'Okay.' Harry agreed and glanced over at Jack. 'Need help?' He teased.

'No.' Jack grumbled as he lay with stomach pressed to the grass several feet away from the frog, who stood as firm as a greenish rock. Jack was waving a piece of lettuce to try and temp the creature to move while being on the lead, yet with no result other than to further annoy the youngster.

'Face it, Jack.' Harry rolled his eyes. 'He's not going to move.'

'He'll move.' Jack said as his eyes were slits of irritation towards the frog. 'One way or another.'

'No throwing Frogabook.' Harry scolded and joined his frog, sitting on the ground with him to pull the animal onto his lap and hug it. He watched and waited until Jack exhaled, then with a fast action the other boy had almost missed, Harry snatched the lettuce and fed it to his pleased frog.

'Hey!' Jack exclaimed.

'My frog is not going to move for a piece of lettuce.' Harry rolled his eyes again. 'You have to tempt him with something he's not supposed to have. He's got lettuce in his food bowl and he can catch as many bugs as he likes out here.'

'So, what do we give him?' Jack pouted.

'Cheese.' Harry lifted some from his pocket once he had put Frogabook back down and stood a short distance away. Jack joined him, or as far as he could go without releasing the lead. 'He's not supposed to have it, but he hasn't had any this week so it should be okay.' He shrugged.

As Jack gave the lead a tug and Harry crouched to let Frogabook see and smell the cheese but not reach it...the miracle finally happened. One shameful and hesitant hop at a time, the frog made its way to the waiting and cheering boys all for that delicious-looking slice of cheese.

'And so – I win!' The boy announced.

'You cheated.' Jack grumbled.

'You tried the wrong food, but mine worked. Either we both cheated or I simply outsmarted you.' Harry winked. 'Anyway, now we've done that...' He turned to his mother. 'Mum, do you mind if Jack and I go for a walk?

'Where to?' Erin asked, looking worried at the idea of them leaving the yard and neither of the boys had ever made such a request before.

'I wanted to visit the park Jack and I first played in.' Harry answered while Jack looked thoughtfully at him. 'There's something I wanted to show him. It's between where he lives and where we used to live. I promise we won't be long, please?'

Erin debated and really did not like the idea at all, but she knew the area and Mrs Connelly was working on her garden just near that place so she'd have a good view of the boys. Erin was glad she had befriended the older lady on the walks from school now, and not just for all the excellent gardening tips the woman seemed to burst with.

'Five minutes.' Erin exhaled. 'Be quick.'

'Thanks!' Harry grinned and grabbed Jack's wrist. 'C'mon, there's something you've got to see.'

Jack bent down to release Frogabook from the lead and hurried after his best friend, wondering what was going on and what Harry wanted to show him that was so important. It took a little while to find and reach the park, and the boys were delayed by Mrs Connelly waving to them and asking how they were.

As the pair climbed through a hole in the fence with much difficulty than they would have the first time they had done it, Harry could not help feeling a bit anxious. He looked towards Spinner's End and felt a shudder at the memory of Simon.

'It's over here.' Harry said and climbed up his favourite tree.

Waiting for Jack to join him, he shifted along the branch they sat on, which was strong enough to hold them both, and pointed to the section where he had cleared some moss so many months ago. The scarred scrapings were still there to read, showing the words “Sev and Lily. Friends forever”, though the “forever” was still crossed out with fresher markings than the original. Harry saw his small print further below, which he had carved himself moments after discovering what he had pointed out to Jack.

He saw his own “Harry was here”, but decided not to share it with Jack.

'Who were Sev and Lily?' Jack wondered.

'I have no idea.' Harry shrugged. 'I think maybe my daddy was Sev, but I didn't want to ask him. I mean, if it's true then it might be sad for him because I don't think they're friends anymore. I don't know a Lily, anyway.' He sighed. 'I thought, maybe the poor tree could handle one more carve?'

'What do you mean?' Jack wondered, but caught on when he noticed the pocket knife Harry had in his hand, which Jack had given him after the dark-haired boy gave him a replacement gift for the chessboard that had once been ruined by the rain when they'd had to run from some bullies.

'Promise we'll always be friends, okay?' Harry asked Jack.

'Uhm, but...' Jack looked away, feeling sad and doubtful. 'We don't talk about it, but you're gonna go away one day. You're going to go to magic school, and I'm not.'

'I loved my mum, even when she wasn't here. She was still my mum even if we weren't together.' Harry said. 'You'll always be my best friend, Jack, no matter where we are. Promise?'

'Okay.' Jack nodded and cheered up a little. 'No matter what, we'll always be best friends forever.'

'No, not forever.' Harry smiled as he traced Lily's name with his finger, wondering why the carving felt so important to him. 'Forever doesn't last. We'll be friends for all time.'

'Er, okay.' Jack shrugged and began carving his name, leaving the rest for Harry.

Once they were done, the boys thought they'd stayed long enough and hurried back to the fence. After Jack slid back through the wire, Harry turned to look around the park once more and sighed heavily. He didn't know why he wanted to add his mark to the tree, but in a way he knew it would be something either he or Jack could look back on any time they wanted. Maybe it would offer comfort to the one left behind.

Time would go on, and never seemed to run out, Harry believed...it changed and brought new things, but some bonds could withstand the strain of time and distance.

He had once been a lonely boy who felt he wasn't loved and had been cursed to always be miserable and without true happiness in his life. With time and courage, he had overcome those darker moments in his life when Severus Snape saved him. Harry had a best friend, a lovely home with his family, and the best parents he thought any kid could ever ask for.

It was more than that, he now realised as Harry stood by the hole in the fence and stared at the tree one last time. He had gained an entirely new life, and all he had ahead of him now instead of fears and ignorance was an entire future waiting to happen.

Many adventures were heading his way, and some would lead him down dark paths where he would fight against the injustice and strive to be the son Erin and Severus could always be proud of.

'Are you coming, Cody?'

'Yeah.' Harry whispered as a smile graced his features.

In a few years he would be going to Hogwarts where a whole new chapter of his life will begin.

And for the first time in his life...Harry did not think of the future with dread and fear, but rather confidence and excitement to become a part of it all. Great things lay ahead, as well as unfathomably challenges, but as long as Cody Harry Summers had his family to support and love him, the boy believed he would be fine.

As Jack and Harry walked back to the house, the emerald-eyed boy was still smiling because he felt braver and happier than he had in a long time. He had everything he wanted, really, and the change in his name was even more perfect to him. It was as though he had been reborn.

Harry wasn't invisible anymore, and he was ready to show the world what he could do.

Jack and Cody. Best friends for all time.

Three years later...

'I've got it!' Harry called out as he ran down the stairs and raced towards the front door when someone knocked.

The boy clearly expected whoever was on the other side, and therefore Severus did not look up from the book he was reading in the living room. He guessed his sneaky son had stolen the cordless phone again because it was the only way the brat could know who was at the door. And therefore, Severus knew exactly who to expect so he quickly retreated outside where Erin was weeding the garden.

'Hey, Jack!' Harry pulled open the front door and greeted his best friend, who was over an inch taller than he was, and stepped aside to let the other boy in.

'Should we get started?' Jack asked as he shifted the weight of the schoolbooks he was holding, and followed Harry upstairs to the bedroom. 'Mr Garrick didn't give as much time on this project, which I think is so unfair!' He whined along the way.

'Don't worry - if we get stuck we'll just ask dad.' Harry winked and pushed open the door to his mostly messy room. 'C'mon, we can just sit on the floor.' He suggested and grabbed the cordless phone to bury it inside a desk drawer, making a mental note to return it to the kitchen later. If it weren't for him, Harry was convinced the phone would never get used and as a result, he never worried about someone noticing it was missing.

'Move over.' He nudged his frog, who hopped over to sit inside the blue dog bed positioned in the corner where the creature slept. 'Ready to get started, Jack? I did a bit of research in some of dad's books, with permission for once, and I think we've got everything we need. Did you bring the other stuff?'

'Yeah.' Jack exhaled. 'Do you know how not-fun it is to carry them all the way over here?' He rolled his eyes and sat on the floor with Harry. 'Mum wasn't too happy about me borrowing them, but I harassed her enough until she gave in just to make me go away.' He smirked, to which Harry grunted at because that never worked with his parents.

Three years had passed since the two best friends had carved their names into the tree near Spinner's End, in declaration of their withstanding friendship.

Due to a potion-related aging incident when Harry had been nine, the boy's birth-date had been changed by about a month. When it first happened, Harry hadn't been too happy with it, but ended up being happy to be a bit over a month older than he had been. Previously, Jack had been older than Harry (though not by much), and so the sandy-haired boy was not pleased with having his friend now being the older one.

The adults didn't see what the big issue was, but to the boys it was a big deal for that order of age to be shifted.

As the boys sat on the wooden floor of Harry's bedroom - which looked about the same as it did three years ago with the polished wood furniture, large windows with white blinds, shelves of photographs of his family, various sporting equipment he rarely used, figurines of animals and cartoon characters, and a stuffed toy bulldog that rested against the pillows on his bed – to work on their partnered school science assignment, Harry's gaze drifted to a nearby calendar, which was pinned above his desk.

In a few weeks, it would be the twenty-fourth of June and Harry was going to be eleven-years-old!

Apart from the obvious aging of the boys, not a lot had changed over the last three years. Jack and Harry were now both ten-going-on-eleven and had been told they were above-average students in their class, something Erin and Severus constantly praised them for, or acknowledged in high regard.

The lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead never returned, and Erin had won the battle of convincing Harry that a hair cut was a good thing. She'd made the arrangements and decided how short it was going to be trimmed, which was more than Harry would have chosen for himself. He had no support from Severus at all in the matter, as the man would much rather Erin ensure Harry's hair was short and “proper”, rather than for her to drag Severus into it as well. The boy's hair was rather short now, though he could still run his fingers through it if he wanted to. He had not been too keen on the length at first, but with little choice in the matter, Harry once against adapted to a strange situation.

Even with his scar being gone and his hair now cut shorter, Harry did look somewhat different in appearance in other ways as well. Apart from a few odd things transfigured or given to him by Severus when he'd been seven, Harry never really had many clothes that he liked. They'd been average at best and mostly second-hand. Now, with a loving mother and father to care for him and provide what any child needed, Harry's wardrobe had had a huge upgrade. His drawers and closet were filled with new clothes and almost all of them were to his liking.

Jack was under strict promise not to ever mention the horrible brown sweater from last Christmas, which was given to him by a distant aunt from his mother's side - one they'd thankfully never met.

With the ability to decide what sort of clothes he wanted to wear, Harry had developed a rather off choice with the way he went about it. Most of the time he dressed himself, the boy would end up wearing something black with an item that was of a much brighter colour. While he and Jack exchanged notes for their project, Harry was dressed in a pair of jeans with a bright yellow shirt, which he had pulled a black jumper over. Jack also wore jeans, but with a navy blue shirt and dark red hoodie.

Something that hadn't changed, but rather had increased, was the shared gardening Harry did with his mother. The pair now had an entire vegetable patch in the backyard, which was an addition to their formally-frog-eaten flower bed. A small fenced area in the corner (which was also carefully anti-frog warded), was a section only cared for by Harry under Severus' stern supervision. It grew three basic, non-harmful ingredients in which the man used in his potions. Harry loved helping with it because he thought his dad really needed them, whereas Severus was glad the ingredients took a while to grow because he didn't use them quite as much as Harry believed.

Severus had finalised his Potions Lab in the basement, which still refused to permit entry to anyone other than himself. It was at the aide of his potions and coaching that Erin's magic had returned. She'd obtained her own wand a little over a year ago, though she was still being taught how to use it. She was making good progress with most of the spells she really wanted, such as the cleaning charms and insect-zapping hexes. Erin was very pleased to have her magic and still found it to be rather exciting, even while she was still learning the ways of the magical world, which the entire family would soon become a bigger part of.

'Are you nervous?' Jack asked as he watched Harry draw a diagram on a large piece of paper.

'About what?' Harry glanced at him for a second.

'The letter.' Jack sighed.

'Oh.' Harry busied himself with his task again. 'I try not to think about it. But yeah, I guess I am.'

The letter.

It was a subject rarely mentioned in the company of Jack, which meant it was hardly spoken of at all when the other boy frequented the house almost as much as its residences did. Harry knew, with his birthday drawing near, that he would soon receive a correspondence from Hogwarts. His father had made sure Harry (or rather, Cody Summers), had his name enrolled for the school of witchcraft and wizardry.

And what Harry's dad said was rarely wrong.

'I don't know what I'm going to do when you're gone.' Jack didn't sound as miserable about the fact as he had in the past.

He'd had three years to accept that his best friend was going to leave for large portions of the year to attend a special magical school. Severus and Erin would be going too, as Severus had requested a job there (which they were still waiting to hear back from the Headmaster or Headmistress in regards to), and Erin would be going along as well. She hoped to find a job there, but otherwise was simply going as well because that's where her family would be. It was a common arrangement, Severus had said, and so Harry hid from Jack how relieved he was to have his parents at school with him.

Everyone knew it was going to happen, but no one liked the idea of leaving Jack behind after all the years they'd spent with the boy. Even Frogabook was going, as Harry's pet, and would be residing in the boy's dormitory with him.

'You'll be okay.' Harry sighed. 'And I'll write to you lots. Can we not talk about it, please?' He grumbled. 'I want to get this done.'

Though the boys paid close attention to their studies under Severus' encouraging, it wasn't the science project Harry was really concerned with at that moment. He never liked to talk about the inevitable arrival of his letter from Hogwarts because he always felt so guilty about leaving Jack behind. When they'd been eight, the boys had come up with long lists of ways to try and sneak Jack into the school. Their hopes and plans were dashed when Severus sat them down and explained how impossible it would be for a Muggle to even see Hogwarts, let alone be snuck inside.

It was the first time Harry had stormed out of the room, slammed his door while yelling things at his father, and then avoided the man without talking to him for almost an entire day. Erin had been relieved when Severus simply left the boy alone for a while and waited for Harry to come back to him with apologies.

And Harry did.

By nightfall he'd gone running to his father with tears and apologies, venting how he really wanted Jack to go with him and how horrible it was that he had to leave him behind.

The boys had struggled hard to accept what they could not change, and as they entered the month of Harry's eleventh birthday, it weighed heavy on their minds. Regardless of what Harry believed, Jack was convinced he had the worse arrangement because Harry was essentially moving away to a magic school, leaving Jack behind to continue going to school without Harry.

There would be no more sleepovers except during the summer, and no more playing in the backyard unless it was Christmas, and Jack would have to find something else to occupy all the extra time he would receive. And Jack thought he would need all the that time try and connected with his parents, which was something he had given up on around the time when Harry and his family moved to their new house three years ago.

Since Michael, Jack's older brother, had walked out on the family, his parents had never really coped.

Jack thought they had, early on, but as time went by it was clear they only thought of the son they lost and not the one they still had. No one had seen or heard from Michael since the night he'd left, other than to receive a short letter each Christmas basically telling them he was still alive. They knew he was still in England somewhere, but no one knew where as the letter was always sent from a different location. Jack's parents liked to think their older son was travelling around with some nice University friends, whereas Jack wondered if his older brother had gone bad and was actually on the run from the police.

No one knew, and they were talking about even less.

The Bailey household had become a very quiet and tense place for Jack, so it was no surprise he spent more time at Harry's house than he ever thought he'd want to in the past. He was worried about how things could be once Harry got the letter, and he didn't dare mention it to his best friend. Jack may not show it, but he knew what Harry was thinking. Hhe saw the guilt in the emerald eyes whenever they talked about Hogwarts, and the sadness the other boy felt was clear each time he wanted to spend as much time with Jack as he could, despite still trying to enjoy the fact he finally had parents of his own.

With the Twenty-fourth being only a short time away, Harry and Jack had never spent so much time in the other's company. It was a true testament to their friendship, because at times it had been too much and they'd fought more often, but in the last year it became clear to them that they should be glad to have each other, because their time was running out.

'Jack?' Harry broke the silence. 'I have an idea. Since my birthday is the Twenty-fourth and it's such an important age...' He looked away as he once again thought of leaving his friend now he was turning eleven. '...Yours is on the tenth of July, so mum thought it would be nice if we combined our parties. I mean, you said your parents were busy that day anyway. I can spend my birthday with my parents, and then on your birthday we can have our parties on the same day. Mum wants to take us to an amusement park!' He grinned.

'That would be really cool!' Jack gasped. 'Are you sure it's okay?

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'Mum and dad will take us out for the whole day, and I know it's your birthday, but if we have our party together then it's more like we're also celebrating our friendship.' He tried to smile through his sadness. 'I think it would be a nice thing to remember, you know?'

'Yeah.' Jack looked down at their project and swallowed, trying to be happy even as his heart sank at the pending separation. 'I like it. Let's do that. Neither of us were going to invite anyone from school for a backyard party anyway, so this is going to be heaps more fun than what we had planned with just the cake and presents!'

The boys returned to their school assignment, their minds filled with the approaching joined party rather than the soon-to-be undeniable arrival of the letter from Hogwarts, and the hours passed by until it was nearly sunset. They cleaned up the mess from their work and Harry stored their assignment on his desk, before heading to say goodbye to Jack.

'Would you like to stay for dinner?' Erin asked as the boys came down the stairs and turned towards the kitchen where the hallway was between the living room and kitchen. She stood near a corner and watched Severus preparing the meal.

'No thanks.' Jack sighed. 'I should get home.' He shrugged and waved goodbye.

Harry was called to the kitchen by Severus, and Jack paused by the front door to listen to Erin complaining that she wasn't allowed to cook dinners just because she burned the roast during their first Christmas. Jack bit his lip, which was a habit he'd picked up from Harry, and turned to leave the house.

He'd almost slammed the door on his way out, and barely paid much attention to the traffic as he hurried home. Tears slid down his face as he bent over to gasp for air in front of his own house. Sniffing and wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Jack stepped inside and looked around the darkened parlour.

'I'm home!' Jack announced. He walked into the sitting room where his mother was reading over some papers and his father sat to watch the news.

'Did you get your assignment done?' Gordon asked.

'Yeah.' Jack nodded. 'Cody and I are going to combine our birthday parties on my birthday, so we can celebrate together. His parents are going to take us out for the day.' He shared.

'That's nice.' Gordon commented as he looked back at the news. 'Make sure to use your manners when you thank them.'

'I will.' Jack nodded and glanced at his mother. 'What's for dinner?'

'Yours is in the fridge.' Judy replied. 'You'll have to reheat it. I do wish Cody's parents had at least asked us first if it was okay to take you for the day.'

'It's fine.' Gordon said. 'They knew we were busy that day, anyway.'

Jack didn't listen to the rest of the conversation as he went to find his dinner, his stomach now growling in hunger. Reheating the roast lamb, potatoes and vegetables, Jack stared at his plate with fond memories of the dinner's he'd spent at Harry's house. It was always happier than any dinner he'd spent at home. Sometimes Jack caught himself wondering who his real family was, and which home was the one he called his own.

Only eating some of his food, Jack stored it back in the fridge and ran upstairs to his room. He shut the door and pressed his back against it as his young form shook with sobs. Diving onto his bed, Jack pressed his face into his soft blue pillow and cried.

Harry and Jack were horrified to realise that time seemed to go much faster when it was running out.

They'd tipped an hourglass upside-down to test their theory and were convinced the sand fell much faster in the last minute. Before long (or so it felt), it was the twenty-fourth of June and Harry was waking in his bed on the fine Saturday morning. When Jack wasn't around to remind him why he should feel guilty, Harry was excited to be turning eleven and soon going to a magical school where his dad had once learned magic.

He jumped out of bed to pull on a black pair of pants and a lime green shirt.

'I'm eleven today, Frogabook!' Harry grinned as he crouched down to hug his startled frog, who had been rudely awoken in the process. Offering the boy a croak, the frog tried to regain some sleep while Harry ran out of his room.

Hurrying down the stairs, Harry saw his father sitting at the table with the magical newspaper. He didn't wait to greet the man, and merely threw his arms around his father with a smile still on his face.

'Happy Birthday, son.' Severus said, having expected the yearly tradition of being “strangled” by the boy on the brat's birthday, as a way of saying “good morning, dad. I'm a year older today.”

'Is mum up yet?' Harry asked as he made himself some toast for breakfast. He didn't receive an answer, and instead looked at a sun-shaped wall clock nearby and saw it was just after seven in the morning. 'Guess not.' He frowned. 'Should I wake her?'

Severus considered himself to be an intelligent man, and therefore he knew it would be foolish to tell the boy he could wake his mother at such a time. Erin had a habit of blaming everything on Severus if such events occurred. Severus was most displeased to realise that unless Harry put himself in any actual danger, the boy could otherwise do no wrong in his mother's eyes.

Severus, however, was not granted such leniency.

Smirking as the boy hurried back towards the stairs with the intention of waking Erin from her peaceful slumber, Severus turned a page of the Daily Prophet and mused about how far they'd come. He and Erin had been worried at first about how they could raise a son together in the same house without being a couple. After a year of living together with Harry, the pair realised there was nothing to be concerned with. They worked well together as a team and bickered the other half of the time, but overall they'd become good friends so there was no lasting conflict.

At least, not with Harry in the room.

-- 

Once Erin had been dragged from her rest and consumed two mugs of coffee, she bathed Harry in praise and hugs to celebrate his Birthday. The boy sat at the table with them and talked about how much he loved them and all the things he was glad he had now, but didn't have before. He then joined his mother outside to do some gardening while Severus went to finish some of his potions.

It was the silence outdoors that made Erin look to her son with worry, because he had a far-away gaze on his face and seemed distracted as he still held the weed he'd pulled out many minutes ago.

'Harry?'

He looked at her and smiled.

He was Cody to the world, but sometimes his mother would call him by his “middle name” when they were alone while gardening. He liked it, even if he no longer thought of himself as either Harry or Cody, and instead knew he was both.

'Mum?' Harry sighed and dropped the weed into the shared bucket. 'I have to ask you something. I've been thinking about it for a while, and...well, I would really like to know.'

'What is it?' Erin asked, her mind sorting through the some of the worse questions a parent ever dreaded their child to ask them.

'It's about...my other parents.' Harry looked at the grass as he picked at it with his fingers.

He heard his mother exhale, yet did not glance back up at her.

'I know dad doesn't want to admit I was once Harry, and he explained it to me last year, sort of. I get that, it's just...you know. I mean, you knew a bit about them, didn't you?' He finally raised his eyes to meet hers.

'Yes.' Erin nodded. 'I don't know a lot, but if you have any questions then I will try to answer them. As long as your father doesn't overhear, then you can always come to me with those sort of questions, Harry.'

'Thanks, mum.' He said in relief. 'I was actually wondering...how did they die?'

The careful and curiosity-ridden moment suddenly became a very tense one, as though the sunlight had been snuffed out of the backyard and overcast it with stormy clouds. Erin turned back to the weed she was trying to yank from her flower bed and released it. Sighing, she turned to her son's determined face and realised perhaps it was time to tell him.

Maybe now he was old enough?

'I knew only a few details when I adopted you.' Erin shared as Harry sat on his knees and inched closer with intense attention. 'With time, I was able to find out a bit more. I mean it when I said I don't know a lot, but perhaps it is time for you to know a bit of your own history as well.'

'I really want to know.' Harry added. 'Please?'

'Alright.' Erin nodded and thought how to phrase it. 'Their names were Lily and James Potter.' She began. 'They lived in a place called Godric's Hollow, which was where you lived with them at the time of your birth and until...what happened.'

'How did they die?' Harry focused only on that.

'They were killed by a very evil wizard.' Erin frowned. 'I am not sure of his name or why he sought out your parents, but he arrived at your home and they did not survive.'

'How did I live?' Harry's eyes were wide as he absorbed those details, and felt a little less enthusiastic of joining the magical world if someone as evil as that lived in it. 'What happened to him?'

'I don't know.' Erin shook her head. 'I only know Harry Potter became famous that night because he lived. Somehow, you survived. The evil wizard then disappeared and I couldn't find any conclusive information about how, but it seems he is gone forever. Harry Potter is known as the “Boy Who Lived”. Except, it's mentioned that the boy also disappeared.'

'I-I disappeared?' Harry gulped. 'What do you mean? I'm famous?'

'No, Harry Potter is famous.' Erin placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Cody Summers is right here where he belongs with his family, who love him very much. I believe, with the adoptions and moving from place to place the Muggle way, that the magical world simply lost track of you. Your name was also changed, remember?'

'So...Harry Potter is gone?' The boy stared back at the grass, not sure what to think of the information he had not been expecting.

He tried to imagine what sort of life he'd have as a famous orphan who had somehow stopped an evil wizard when he was just a baby, but it sounded too crazy and strange for him to believe. Erin was right...it was someone else's life, but not his.

'Yes.' Erin nodded. 'As far as anyone knows, Harry Potter is missing and no one has seen him since 1982 when you were just a year old.'

'Can they ever find out?' Harry began to worry. 'What if they realise I'm Harry Potter?'

'Shhh.' Erin soothed his hair and pulled him closer for a hug. 'Don't be afraid, sweetheart. No one will ever know, unless you tell them. You're not even the same age as Harry anymore. Your name is Cody Summers, legally and honestly. You have a loving mother and father who think you mean the world to them, and this is our home. I don't want you to let your old life haunt you, because it's in the past now. You are not Harry Potter.'

As the two embraced and a silence fell over them, a dark figure moved away from the door and returned to the house.

Severus stared at the floor and thought about the last few words he had heard Erin say. She'd said something about the boy's past, and to not let it haunt him, which Severus thought was wise. She'd also said the child was not Harry Potter. He didn't like the idea of the topic at all, but a relief flooded him when he'd overheard those words. The name “Harry” wasn't incredibly rare, after all, and Severus hoped he had interpreted the words correctly and therefore assumed his worse fears had not been confirmed. His son was not Harry Potter, and the boy had never been.

Severus was convinced, and was put at ease to overhearing that small snippet.

As Harry's night was filled with presents, cake, and cheers of celebration, Jack sat in his bedroom and kicked at his closet until his father came upstairs to tell him to stop it. Growling, Jack wished he could sneak downstairs and at least call Harry to wish him a Happy Birthday, but his mother was using it as she had been for hours and his parents insisted he stay home today.

He was sure Harry didn't miss him at all, on such an important family day.

With that thought, Jack slumped onto his bed and hung his head with misery. He always thought Harry would have received his letter by now, and with the other boy turning eleven Jack was becoming more anxious by the day. He kept thinking it would arrive any day now, at any moment, and when it happened his whole life was going to fall apart.

'Jack?'

There was a knock at his door.

Jack looked up hopefully, but it was just his mother. He was surprised to see her, as she almost never came into his room at all unless to scold him for sleeping in or lecture that his room was too messy.

'Yeah?' Jack frowned as she crossed the room and sat beside him, looking serious and yet determined. He knew whatever she had to tell him was not going to be good news to him, but was something she thought was important and necessary.

'I understand Cody is going to some sort of boarding school in September?' Judy asked.

'Yes.' Jack glared at the mention of it.

He was also careful, because his parents were never told much about the magical world, only that Harry was talented in a way they were not really informed of. They probably assumed it was simply artistically or intellectually.

'The timing is right.' Judy nodded while Jack looked at her in bewilderment. 'There's something we have to tell you. I was just on the phone with Michael.'

'What?' Jack gasped, his brown eyes widening in shock as they hadn't heard from Michael properly for over three years. 'Wh-what did he say?'

'He's moving to America to live with his girlfriend.' Judy frowned at the idea while Jack tried to comprehend it.

The boy had once been very fond of his older brother. He'd followed Michael around the house for years and always looked up to him. Until the night Michael decided he was leaving and Jack forced himself to believe the only brother he had was Harry.

And now Harry could be leaving as well.

'He called just now, not to let us know, but...' Judy hesitated. 'Well, he misses us.' She smiled, as though this was the most wonderful moment for her despite the harsher words she'd spoken to her eldest son on the night he'd walked out.

'Then he shouldn't have left.' Jack growled and crossed his arms.

'Jack, don't talk like that.'

'But it's true!' Jack insisted, but his mother didn't seem to hear him.

He had noticed a lot of changes in the last year in regards to himself and his brother. His parents, who had never really come into terms with Michael leaving suddenly, had become very focused on their grief for a while. Jack never wanted to admit it, but he had been shoved the sidelines, it seemed.

As he sat beside his mother, Jack realised he could not deny it any longer.

His parents had begun to talk about Michael more and more the past year. It was as though all their thoughts went to Michael and only the most necessary ones to Jack. And now the sandy-haired ten-year-old wondered if his parents really did love Michael more than him. Was he not good enough? Despite Michael being the one to leave, was he still somehow better than Jack in the eyes of their parents?

'Jack,' Judy sighed. 'We will wait until the end of July at the latest, but...'

'What?' Jack was fearful now. He was afraid of something else going wrong in his life, of someone else leaving him behind, and of becoming what Harry once was: an invisible boy. 'Mum, what are you trying to tell me?' Jack fretted and worried.

'Michael wants us to be a family again, and for us to meet his girlfriend.' Judy answered. 'So we're all going to move to America to be closer to him. You'll have time to say goodbye to Cody. He's going away to boarding school anyway, and his parents are moving to live closer to him anyway, so I don't think it's too big a deal.' She said.

Jack went into shock, thinking she had just delivered the last possible thing he felt could go wrong in his life. With Harry leaving, the last thing he'd had left was the chance to see Cody, Severus, and Erin, over the summer holidays, Christmas, and Easter. And now, his last thread of rope to keep him afloat...had snapped, with the words his mother spoke next.

'We're leaving at the end of July.'

--

It took three days for Jack to emerge from his room.

The first thing he did was run out of the house and bang on the door to Harry's. Erin had answered it and Jack didn't waste any time flinging himself into her arms. Sobs overcame him and Erin, though in shock, pulled him into the house and tried to comfort him. Harry came running down the stairs and Severus emerged from the living room to see what was going on.

Jack told them he was moving to America at the end of July, and then his emotions overcame him. Harry was soon joining him, crying as well, as the two best friends hugged in a huddle on the floor. Erin felt sad for them, while Severus was at loss of what to do.

It took a while for the boys to calm down, and by then Jack had decided he would stay for dinner.

When the two boys fell asleep on the living room floor after talking themselves hoarse, Erin called Jack's parents and they agreed to let their son stay the night. It was the summer, so there was no school the next day, and she thought the boys really need to be together at that moment. She looked over at Severus, who was watching Harry nearby, and wondered if he felt sad at the idea of losing Jack as well. The boy had been visiting their house almost every day after school, and more so recently, so he had almost become a part of the family in that way.

'I wish there is something we could do.' Erin whispered to Severus as she moved to join him.

'It is a most unfortunate circumstance.' Severus agreed. 'But they must adjust. There is nothing we can do. Cody will learn to overcome the separation. He will be attending Hogwarts in September and Jack will remain a memory.'

Erin frowned as she watched Severus walk away, doubting her own instincts that told her Severus was hurt by their son's pain as well. She wanted to believe he would miss Jack also, and had not simply given in to the inevitable.

Erin got little sleep that night, unaware that Severus got none.

She woke to find the man in the kitchen with a book he seemed to be researching. Not wanting to bother him, Erin walked to the room where the boys were still asleep. It was almost nine in the morning, so she nudged them away and fed them breakfast. When Jack reluctantly headed home, Harry rested his chin on the table and wanted to cry again, but felt he had used up all of his tears the night before.

'This isn't fair.' Harry complained. 'He's my best friend in the whole world and I'll never get to see him again! What am I supposed to do now?'

'You will make the most of the time in which remains.' Severus answered as he continued to take notes from his book. 'In September you will go to Hogwarts and make new friends. Jack shall do the same at his new school. It is not the end of the world.'

'He's my best friend!' Harry rose from his seat and glared at his father, who paused in his writing but did not look up.

Erin stood nearby and decided the boys needed to sort this out on their own; her intervention was not going to fix this.

'How would you feel?' Harry was lost to his anger now and didn't care what he was saying as his tone continued to rise in his emotional state and the shock of being told he'd probably never see Jack again. 'I don't want new friends at Hogwarts! I don't even want to go to that stupid school anymore! Jack was my first ever friend. Dad, I don't want to lose him!' It hurts too much.' His eyes welled up with tears again, but he fought against them to get his point across.

'You will survive.' Severus said in a quiet voice.

'How?' Harry growled. 'In July he'll be gone! Why are you being so mean? You don't know how much this hurts!' And with that, he sat back down and resolved to his tears.

Harry's head snapped back up when Severus' palms hit the surface of the table and the man stood over him.

'Perhaps when you are older you may seek out Jack and be reunited.' Severus said in a voice so low voice so quiet the others had to strain to hear him. 'Each of your lives shall continue until then. Be grateful for your health, and take advantage of the opportunity you have been given to exchange farewell.' He looked at Harry, his eyes pained and firm. 'There are other alternatives. Such as owl post to continue a correspondence, and magical transportation will allow us to visit Jack whenever we please. It is an unfortunate situation, but you will survive it.'

'How do you know?' Harry asked, his lower lip trembling as he watched his father and thought maybe he did know what he was feeling.

'I survived, and so shall you.' Severus answered.

'Did you get to say goodbye?' Harry asked while Erin looked sad, watching Severus instead of their son as she came to realise what Harry did not.

'No.' Severus narrowed his eyes. 'The alternative to the situation you face is far worse than you can imagine. Never again assume I do not know the pain involved with the loss of someone so dear.'

'I'm sorry.' Harry rushed to hug his father. 'I didn't know. You never told me.'

'You needn't have known.' Severus looked down at his son and wrapped his arms around the boy, hugging him close as his own way of offering comfort where his words had not.

Erin pretended she wasn't there until Severus sent the boy upstairs to shower and change for the day. She took a step towards Severus, but he turned quickly and retreated to his Potions Lab. Erin watched him leave and wondered the full story. It was clear to her now that Severus carried a dark burden inside himself, one he didn't want to share in fear of it spreading to another. S

he realised he probably understood Harry's pain more than the child himself could comprehend.

Harry was a bit shaken by what he learned, but tried not to focus on it too much. He wasn't sure what he thought of it, but felt a bit better with what his dad had shared with him. Sighing, he looked towards his open window and watched the breeze blow his curtain gently. It was calming and allowed Harry to focus on more everyday things such as getting dressed after a shower rather than the pending separation from Jack.

Looking for his comb, Harry paused as he noticed something sitting on his dresser positioned under the window. He stepped closer and his eyes went wide as a gasp escaped his lips, but wasn't heard. Harry trembled at the sight in front of him, without knowing how to react as his whole world seemed to alter once again.

His Hogwarts letter had arrived.

Harry didn't know how long he stood in his bedroom, staring at the important unopened envelope sitting on his dresser.

Fearing the breeze from his window would blow it away, Harry lunged forward to slam it shut and pulled a dangling cord to close the blinds. Swallowing, Harry reached with shaking hands for the delivery he had been anticipating for three years. Walking backwards, Harry sank onto the edge of his bed with the envelope in his hands.

He read the C. Summers on the front, followed by his address, and gulped.

Carefully he turned it over and saw the wax Hogwarts crest. He was afraid to open it. In fact, after so long of waiting for its arrival, Harry wanted to burn it until there was nothing left. The owl-delivered item was, in his view, what would cause his separation from Jack. The unopened letter of presumed acceptance to Hogwarts was what Harry felt was going to tear him apart from his best friend forever.

Growling, Harry stood abruptly and shoved the envelope harshly into the depth of his top drawer, crumpling it amongst the clothes. He slammed the drawer shut and gave it a glare for good measure. As long as he never opened it, Harry didn't have to go anywhere and Jack wasn't going to leave.

The eleven-year-old refused to think otherwise, as he turned and marched angrily out of his bedroom.

--

The days passed by and Harry wished he could stop himself from checking his drawer every morning and night to make sure it was still there. He had almost been caught twice by his mother, but Harry was determined to keep it a secret. He believed, as long as it was buried in his drawer amongst his clean socks, no one could make him or Jack leave. The longer he told himself that, the less he began to believe it.

As the tenth of July came around, Harry was dressed and ready to go to the Amusement Park with his parents and Jack. He gave his best friend as much birthday cheer as he could and the boys had a wonderful day trying out the rides and food. Severus had gone with them under the insistance of Erin, and looked thoroughly annoyed the entire duration - especially when the boys frequently ran off in excitement.

When the family got home after dropping Jack back at his house, Harry headed straight upstairs to shower and collapsed onto his bed from exhaustion. He'd had a marvellous day and enjoyed it a lot, yet his mind had drifted back to his letter even then. He quickly jumped up and checked if it was still there, before leaning back to exhale with relief.

Laying flat on his back on his bed, Harry stared upwards and wondered about his letter. His anger had faded somewhat and even with his determination not to lose Jack was higher after spending such a great day with him on his friend's birthday, Harry could not help thinking about what his father had said some time ago. Severus lost a friend too, and implied there was no way it could be fixed. Harry supposed he could try to find Jack again one day, but he would hate for it to come to that. He wanted Jack with him now and for all time, so they could share their experiences and be there when the other had a need for his best friend.

Rolling onto his side, Harry stared at his dresser again and frowned.

What about Hogwarts?

Harry felt like a horrible person for even thinking it, and yet the truth could not be ignored. He was a wizard. Harry was magical like his former parents and his new ones as well. As far as he knew, Jack hadn't ever done anything magical at all. He was a...Muggle. Feeling doubt and sadness fill him, Harry wondered if maybe it was better if he did leave. He couldn't imagine how he'd feel if Jack was a wizard and he wasn't. Would Jack always look at Harry and see what he couldn't have? Was Harry actually helping by leaving his non-magical friend behind?

He didn't know what to do, and his first thought was to ask his father.

'Ready for bed?' Erin appeared at the doorway.

'I...' Harry hesitated. 'Yes.' He sighed and looked away.

He couldn't say anything now, because he would have to admit he'd hidden the letter from them. And with it tucked safely out of sight, Harry was sure there was no harm in leaving it there a while longer.

--

And so he did.

For another week, Harry ignored his letter the best he could even if it was always on his mind. It had been a demonstration of admirable stubbornness and determination, until mid-July, when he could stand it no longer.

'What's with you?' Jack frowned one afternoon as the boys say in Harry's bedroom and tried to play a game of chess, except the dark-haired boy was constantly distracted and kept forgetting what he was doing. 'You've been acting really odd lately.'

'Sorry.' Harry mumbled. 'I-I have to tell you something.'

He decided that if there was anyone in the whole world he could tell his secret to, it would be Jack. At the same time Harry was most fearful of Jack's reaction to the news, because it was their worse fear becoming a reality. He had to say something, as he could not hide it any longer, or else Harry felt he was going to explode.

'What is it?'

Harry didn't answer at first. Harry walked to his dresser and lifted out the envelope. It was a bit crushed, but smoothed easily enough as he pressed it flat with his hand.

'It's my letter.' Harry said quietly and held it towards his friend.

'Oh.' Jack's simple reply and reaction held a lot of emotions at once; sadness, dread, fear, curiosity, and surprise. 'You haven't opened it.' He stated as he looked at the untouched crest sealing the envelope closed.

'No.' Harry sat down on the floor with Jack. 'I've had it for a little while, but I can't open it. It-it's what's going to make us never see each other again.'

Jack didn't reply. He stared at the letter and his eyes filled with tears. Putting on a brave smile, he brushed them away and held the letter out to Harry.

'Open it.' Jack told the other boy. 'It's for you, Harry. You're a wizard and I'm not. My parents are still going to go to America for Michael. I know what you're thinking, but don't. Open it...you have to.'

'I don't want to.' Harry was startled by the sudden encouragement to open his horrible letter. 'I don't want to go to Hogwarts anymore!'

'You have to.' Jack looked away. 'Don't miss out because of me. Open it!'

Harry looked down at his envelope and contemplated what his best friend was telling him. Jack was really good at knowing what he was thinking, and his words made sense whereas his mind had ignored the truth of the matter. Jack was right, because if Harry opened the letter or left it, nothing was going to change for Jack. If Harry left and went to Hogwarts, Jack would already have gone to America.

Exhaling, Harry placed his finger beneath the fold and broke the seal. He lifted out the letter and gulped as he began to unfold it. Jack inched closer with curiosity and read over Harry's shoulder to see what the letter said.

Dear Mr Summers,

 

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on the 1st of September. We await your owl by no later than the 31st of July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

'I've been accepted.' Harry landed roughly on his bed as the letter slipped from his fingers.

The shock filled his form as the reality of the situation sank in. Hogwarts was always a name, a reference, and a future...now it was a real place. A school where he would learn to wash dishes with a wave of his wand like his mum did, and brew potions to turn someone blue like his dad did, and a place where Harry would be with his own kind.

The magical world awaited him, and his guilt was finally crushed by his swelling excitement.

Jack sat there in silence.

He looked towards the fallen letter and quickly turned away. He mumbled an excuse to Harry when he noticed the sun was beginning to set, and hurried from the house. He rushed passed Erin and Severus without a word. They would be worried, no doubt, and head upstairs to find Harry sitting stunned on his bed with his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

What Jack didn't know was that Harry had re-hid the letter before the other boy even left the hallway outside his bedroom. He'd overturned the chessboard and set a scowl on his face. When his parents arrived at his doorway, Harry was half-honest in his words when he told them Jack had to get home and didn't want to play anymore.

Afterwards they had dinner, and Harry was even more distracted than he had been before.

The letter remained on his mind the following day.

Harry didn't know why he hadn't told his parents yet, but he was still letting the shock sink in. Until he accepted the truth, Harry did not want to share it with anyone else. He wasn't surprised when Jack didn't come over that afternoon as they'd planned. Harry knew he should feel bad about it, but he'd been feeling guilty for so long and nothing ever changed either way. He was going to Hogwarts and Jack was not – that was the reality of the situation; Harry told himself over and over whenever he caught himself doubting.

Jack didn't visit the next day either.

Harry, thinking he was missing out on spending some of his last days with Jack, decided to be the first one to interfere. He stole the cordless phone from the kitchen as he was so used to doing, and hid in the small closet near the basement door to make his call. There was no answer at first, until Jack's dad's voice was heard on the other end of the line.

'Hello?'

'Oh, hello Mr Bailey.' Harry said shyly. 'Is Jack there? I really wanted to talk to him.'

'Excuse me?' Gordon sounded confused. 'Did he just leave?'

'No, I haven't seen him all day.' Now Harry was confused. 'Can I talk to him, please?'

'He's not here.' The slow formation of panic was evident in the man's voice. 'Cody, I need to speak with your father right now.'

Harry was annoyed by the interruption, but did as he was told. He left the closet and knocked on the basement door. A moment later, his father appeared and glared down at him; no doubt he hated interruptions as well.

Harry was busy staring fearfully behind his dad at the downward steps of the basement, which he considered the pit of doom after that single incident years ago, so he was unable to speak. Alternatively, he offered the phone to his dad, who accepted it and grunted to let the other person know he was there.

A strange moment soon became one of tense fear. After the phone had been hung up, Harry overheard his parents talking about Jack's dad seeing the boy leave the house early in the morning.

It was now mid-afternoon and no one had seen him.

'He's...missing?' Harry yelped.

'Calm down.' Erin urged him, while her face showed her stubbornness not to have a breakdown herself. 'We will find him. Can you think of any place he might go?'

'Uh...' Harry thought hard about the question because he knew he was the best person to answer it. His mind had been so focused on his letter lately that he had trouble thinking of anything else, so no place really stood out in his mind. 'Not really. I mean, we don't go anywhere other than to school!'

'Severus?' Erin looked at him.

'Remain here with Cody.' Severus took charge of the situation. 'I shall speak with his father and discover any additional locations Jack might have gone to. If we do not find him in either of those locations, I shall use a Locator Charm.'

'Daddy.' Harry trembled and took a step towards his father, terrified of what was going on and if Jack was alright.

'We will find him.' Severus promised and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. As he looked down at the boy, a flicker of something unusual was expressed in the child's emerald eyes. 'Unless there is something you wish to tell us?'

'If you know something that might help, you must tell us.' Erin added.

'I...' Harry looked away and ignored his tears. 'He might have run away because...because of me. We don't want to be separated!' He tried to keep his voice from breaking, thinking it was all his fault. He couldn't and turned to hug his mother while Severus left the house.

The man was convinced there was something else his son could have said, perhaps something helpful, and yet Severus did not pressure the boy. He had no doubt that if it was truly useful than his son would have told him. And the man did not expect Jack to have run away for any reason other than the upcoming moving and upheaval of his familiar life.

Severus saw Gordon nearby and the two men barely said a word as they worked out where to begin looking. Harry was right, though, as the two boys didn't usually stray from their neighbourhood except to go to school. Any other place was only visited under the heavy supervision of their parents. It quickly became a very complicated situation as the two men tried to locate the eleven-year-old boy, but without any idea as to where he could have gone.

Nevertheless, Severus and Gordon searched the area nearby where they lived for just over half an hour. Gordon spoke to a few other residences who often saw Jack walking to and from school, but no one knew anything and none had seen the child all day either. Not even Mrs Connelly, who had spent most of the day tending to her freshly grown roses.

When Judy arrived home from her job at the hospital, Gordon filled her in on the situation and she agreed to stay at their house in case Jack returned. Severus realised a second too late that he had just missed an opportunity. He wanted to use magic right away and not involve the Muggles in the search, even if they were the missing boy's parents. He'd thought they might know more about Jack's whereabouts, but once that was proven incorrect, magic was the first effective method that came to mind.

It was difficult to get away from Gordon, regardless of how subtle and quiet Severus behaved. Until finally he lied by saying he was going to check on Cody, and the moment Gordon became distracted, Severus slipped away and headed in an entirely different direction.

As he raised his wand to use his magic, Severus halted in half-cast actions when a thought occurred to him, causing him to lower his wand.

He turned towards a street he had not considered searching as it was a bit in the distance, and decided he would try looking in one last place before he risked using a bit of magic in such a Muggle surrounding. He had no idea if anyone was peering though their curtains, and a visit from the Ministry of Magic was a headache Severus would much rather avoid.

Walking down a long, familiar street as he soon took a right turn, Severus spotted his destination nearby. He'd only thought of it at all upon sight because three years ago Erin had informed him the two boys had gone to that place near Spinner's End. Severus had lost count how many times he'd witnessed those brats playing in the shabby park when Harry had been staying with that vile man, Simon.

His instincts proved to be correct, as they usually were, when Severus spotted the form of a child sitting in a tree.

It was a very specific tree up a slight slope of a hill, and the sight sent shivers through his spine. Severus strode towards it and looked upwards at Jack, surprised to see the boy seated only a foot above his head. Severus remembered thinking how high up that branch was, when he had been younger. He and Lily had climbed it weekly over the summer between their Hogwarts years, and before.

Jack noticed Severus and instantly hugged the tree in fright, even though the man had not yet spoken a single word to him. The boy's cheeks were covered with dried tear trails mixed with dirt, and he seemed to believe he would be forced down from the tree if he released his tight grip on it.

A silence continued as the gentle breeze moved strands of their hair, until Jack could no longer keep it inside.

'I'm not going anywhere!' Jack declared to Severus, who narrowed his eyes in great ditaste to the tone he was being addressed with. 'I won't go to America. You can't make me.'

'That is a very bold claim, Jack.' Severus said in a falsely calm tone. 'Perhaps we ought to test it?'

'No!' Jack panicked. 'Please, don't! Please.' He started to cry again, all while keeping a vice grip on the tree trunk. 'I didn't-I didn't want to run away, I swear. It's all I could think of to do. I can't let my parents take me away.' He sniffled.

'So you decided to reside in this tree?' Severus raised an eyebrow at the boy's logic. 'Running from what frightens you is what enables those fears to chase you. Precisely how long did you believe this would work?'

'Long enough.' Jack sniffed again and rubbed his nose on his sleeve without unlatching his grip on the tree.

The boy stared down at him, as Severus looked back with a displeased expression. And then, just as he had with Harry less than an hour earlier, Severus spotted something rather odd in the boy's brown eyes. It told him that not all was as it appeared.

Harry implied there had been some sort of disagreement between the two boys, which had likely spurred on the chose course of action that led them to this moment, except now Severus wasn't so sure.

He remembered the brief conversation with Jack's parents, and what they had thought about the situation. Judy voiced her opinion that Jack was simply trying to be difficult, which Severus didn’t even need to consider to know it wasn't true. Gordon believed Jack wasn't willing to give America chance only because Harry wasn't going to be there as well. Severus never imagined he would now so easily disagree with that as well.

'Jack.' Severus said patiently. 'Did it ever cross your mind that the course of action you have chosen would worry Cody? Was it your wish to hurt my son further by running away?'

'No!' Jack growled angrily. 'I never meant to hurt him. But I...' He looked away with shame. 'I had to do this. I know he'll forgive me, because I'll explain to him how I had a really good reason for doing this.'

'Tell me.' Severus said sternly as he tried to keep his patience in check, but it was slipping and he would much rather be brewing a potion in his basement laboratory than arguing with a child in a tree.

'Only if you promise to make sure my parents can't take me with them to America.' Jack said firmly. 'Or I will stay here for as long as I have to! I know Cody got his letter, so I know I have to do this no matter what.'

'I trust you are aware that with a simple flick of my wand, you will shortly find yourself on the ground and experiencing an undeniable amount of remorse?' Severus drawled in an almost bored tone.

Even as he spoke, his actively analysing mind was alerted to the new piece of information regarding his son, which Severus would ponder on later once he had successfully extracted the other brat from his semi-comfortable spot on that blasted branch.

'Fine.' Jack grumbled

He knew he had no choice other than to do as he was told. With a sigh of reluctance, he reached into a pocket of his dark blue hoodie in search of whatever it was he felt was reasoning enough for fleeing his own home to sit himself in a tree for however long he had hoped to do so.

While the boy rummaged in his pocket, Severus's dark gaze fixated on an old scribbling carved onto the trunk near the child. It was the same section of the tree where he and Lily had written on it with sharp sticks. He saw the words there, and his crossed out alteration of it – the painful reminder that “forever” was a word reserved only for fantasies and foolish idealists.

Severus noticed the much newer marking from Jack and Cody, which would have amused him if he'd had just a moment longer to observe it. He focused on the sandy-haired child as Jack lowered an item towards him. It was the last thing Severus ever expected to see in the hand of Jack, and for a moment he could only stare in utter disbelief.

'I got a letter from Hogwarts too.' Jack pointed out the obvious. 'Is that a good enough reason?'

A darkness had filled the sky high above the Muggle streets by the time Severus tugged Jack back to the boy's home.

The disgruntled child was quiet, and once inside he'd run straight upstairs to his bedroom. He ignored his mother calling him as Jack slammed the door soundly shut. Gordon, shaking his head at the display while still looking relieved, turned towards Severus and prepared to ask questions regarding the outcome of their search, and also offer the man his gratitude. Gordon did not speak, however, when he noticed how annoyed Severus looked – not with Jack, but rather the two adults standing in front of him.

'There is a matter of importance in which we must discuss.' Severus told Gordon. 'It cannot wait until tomorrow, not if we wish to prevent a repeating of today's drama.'

'Alright.' Gordon nodded. 'Come in.' He stepped aside from where he had been standing in the doorway, and Severus entered the house.

The residences sat on a sofa while their serious guest occupied a nearby armchair. Severus was certain he'd heard the unmistakable creak of a door opening upstairs, and then a light pressure on the steps possibly made by a sneaky little boy, but chose to ignore the sounds as he had far more urgent things to give his full attention to.

'Why did our son run away?' Judy did not waste any time and was soon pestering Severus with questions.

She and Gordon had only seen the man a handful of times over the years, and yet she knew if anyone could get answers, it was Severus. 'Where did he go?'

'I located the boy at an aged park near Spinner's End.' Severus answered first. 'The reasoning behind his foolish actions where quite unexpected, and yet befitting to a child who believes he is unable to confide in his parents when they are most required.'

'What are you implying?' Judy took offence to his words.

'I imply nothing more than the plain truth.' Severus stated. 'I am sure you're each aware that my son Cody will be commencing his first year at a specialised boarding school in Scotland this early September? It is not an ordinary school, and only those select few with exceptional talents are accepted to be in attendance.'

'Yes, we know.' Gordon frowned. 'What has that got to do with our son running away? I know he's not happy about the move, but why now?'

'It is the belief of your son that neither of his parents would delay their dramatic change of residence long enough for him to join my son in attending boarding school.' Severus continued when prompted. 'Were you not informed that Jack has been accepted into the same school as Cody?'

'What?' Judy gasped. 'But we never enrolled him anywhere new! What sort of school is it?'

'I intend to answer each of your questions, as you no doubt have quite a number of them, however, first I must ask one of my own.' Severus said with an ounce of dread.

He did not want to sit there with two Muggles and detail the information about Hogwarts; he'd much rather be inside his own home where he could confront his son about the letter Harry had received without letting anyone other than Jack know about it.

'Is there, perhaps, any member of your intimidate family who odd incidences have occurred around?' Severus questioned. 'I am yet to discern any indication that your son is not the first “talented” individual in his family for quite some time. Until now. Jack was mailed his acceptance letter, rather than yourselves receiving an unexpected visit from a member of the school's faculty.'

Judy and Gordon looked at each other and weren't sure what exactly Severus was asking them. They wondered if the man had somehow been terribly misinformed somewhere along the line in regards to the situation and the odd school he wouldn't tell them the name of. Or maybe Jack had fed the man a bunch of crazy lies in effort to remain behind in England?

The two Muggles would have thought that was more likely, except they had never known Severus Snape to be an easy man to fool.

While they questioned his sanity and information, Severus observed their exchanged expression and knew there had to be someone even a little bit magical in the family, because as far as he could tell, Jack was a muggleborn wizard. In his impatience, Severus decided to leave the question unanswered for the time being, and proceeded to explain to Jack parents precisely what sort of place Hogwarts was. He then explained how Jack was scared that if he moved to America with them in July, then he couldn't go to Hogwarts in September because he would have no way of getting there.

The more Severus talked, the more he had to prove his words. It took no less than eight demonstrations of dramatic magic for Gordon to believe him, whereas Judy accepted it without evidence almost instantly, as she recalled several incidences with Jack over the years.

As he continued to speak, Severus saw other truths in what Jack had told him, about how he'd be cast to the sidelines since the moment his older bother had left the household. And so, the man decided to do something he felt was somewhat rash and yet a decision both his son and Erin would be proud of him for.

Severus only prayed it was not a choice he would later regret.

'We cannot delay our travelling plans.' Judy insisted. 'Michael needs us. We're leaving for America on the last day of July; those plans are not changeable.'

'And what about Jack's needs? Are they not as relevant?' Severus said in a low voice that accompanied his glare. He was disgusted that their rebellious adult son had taken the higher position of priority in the minds of Judy and Gordon, over the tender needs of their youngest son.

And Jack was still very much a child.

'If you are unwilling to alter your plans for the sake of your youngest son's education, perhaps Jack may reside with my family until September?' Severus offered and caught the sound of a muffled gasp from the direction of the stairs. 'Erin and I will drop Jack and Cody off at the train station together. Furthermore, we will be able to keep an eye on both of the boys as we shall be residing within the school a short period after the start of term.'

There was a long moment of pause after Severus had made his suggestion.

Gordon and Judy looked at each other and saw the answer in the other's eyes, though neither of them wanted to be the one who voiced it aloud. Eventually, Gordon sighed and turned to stare at Severus, slowly nodding his head in agreement to the offered solution.

'Very well.' Severus rose from his seat. 'You may have Jack move his belongings to our spare bedroom at your earliest convenience.' He prepared to leave, but was hindered by the sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs. Severus, used to the action from his son, reacted in time to brace himself for the child jumped at him and hugging his middle tightly.

'Thank you.' Jack gasped and stared up at him with happy, though tearful, brown eyes.

Severus said nothing as he waited for Jack to release him and moved to return to his own house where Erin and Harry were no doubt still worrying about what had happened, and if Jack had even been found yet.

-- 

As he stepped through the door of his own house, Severus grunted when his son plunged his face against his father and sniffled.

Erin rose from a chair nearby with an expression if mixed concern and relief.

'Jack was returned home safely.' Severus told them and seized his son by the shoulders, though not harshly. 'And you, young man, have quite some explaining to do!'

'What did I do?' Harry yelped in shock, having expected a hug not an accusation of some sort.

'You know exactly well what you did.' Severus growled. 'Or rather, what you neglected to mention. I wish to see it. Now!'

'Severus?' Erin frowned as Harry spun around and fled the room.

She didn't like being kept out of the loop of things, so she waited for their son to return. And when he did, the boy clutched a letter in his hand that looked like it had been stomped on a few times as though it was food for the floorboards.

Severus held out his hand and snatched the letter when it was placed on his palm. It was opened, he discovered with further annoyance, and reached inside to check the letter. He had expected it, and yet the emotions that came with seeing his son's acceptance letter to Hogwarts was rather startling.

Erin marched forward and reached the take the letter from him, grumbling when she tugged it but his firm grip did not allow her to steal the item. She exhaled with irritation and waited for Severus to pass it to her while he confronted their thoroughly guilty-looking son.

'I'm sorry!' Harry blurted out quicker than Severus could raise his eyebrow. 'I wanted to tell you, really I did! I thought if I hid it, then it would go away. I-I was scared.' He felt ashamed and awful inside.

He hadn't expected his dad to look the way he did. Harry had guessed his parents would be angry he hadn't told them about his letter, but his dad looked disappointed and his mother seemed really sad. He didn't understand why, and neither was explaining away his confusion.

'Oh, Cody.' Erin sighed and sank into a nearby kitchen chair. 'We wanted to share this with you. We've waited for so long, and your father was worried when it didn't arrive. We considered contacting Hogwarts soon if you did not receive your letter. And now, you've had it all this time?'

'I'm really sorry.' Harry's voice was very quiet as he tried not to feel too upset, but it was hard to do when his mother used the voice that always made him feel like he'd let her down somehow.

It was the worse feeling in the world.

Anxious, he looked up at his dad and hurriedly turned away again. He expected a lecture, a bit of shouting even, or just plain annoyance. Harry stifled a sob when his father turned and stormed out of the room.

Erin was at his side and comforting Harry, but the boy barely even noticed. All he knew was he had done something wrong and his dad had left. He'd gone upstairs and a door soundly closed. Harry could not remember it happening before, but he just knew somehow his selfish little secret had upset his father in a way anger could not erase.

'I'll go talk to him.' Erin exhaled and rolled her eyes, still holding the letter in her hand.

'No.' Harry boldly decided. 'I will.' He gulped and wished he had kept his mouth shut.

It was too late and he had said it, so the boy squared his shoulders and made his way for the stairs. Counting each step the way he used to count how far away a thunderstorm was, Harry's mind swam with things he should say and what the limit was for apologising to his father.

He raised his hand and knocked on the study door, remembering the first time his dad had lifted him up and sat him on the desk inside. He'd told him about the plants they were going to grow in the garden and what magical properties they had. His fond childhood memory was squashed as Harry pushed open the door and peered into the room.

'Daddy?'

Severus sat in the chair, which was positioned so his back was entirely to the door and he looked straight ahead outside the window, though it reflected onto the dark nightfall outside. He did not move to indicate he knew Harry had entered his office without his spoken permission.

'I'm really, really sorry.' Harry said again.

'You are forgiven.'

'Did I make you mad?' Harry took a careful step closer. 'Or are you disappointed?'

There was no response, so he hung his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

'I wish I'd told you. I wanted to. I didn't know what to do, and I wanted to ask you, but...I was stupid.' He frowned at himself. 'I'm a bad son.'

It was his final words that caused a quick reaction. Severus spun around in his chair and jerked upright onto his feet. Before Harry could properly risk looking upwards at his fast approaching father, he'd felt the cuff to the back of his head and exclaimed accordingly.

'When a son receives his Hogwarts letter for the first time, it is a moment of celebration and accomplishment.' Severus said firmly. 'For years we awaited the arrival of yours, knowing it would come because there is not even an ounce of doubt you are a wizard. Whilst hiding the letter from us, you robbed this family of that moment we intended to share. Your behaviour in the past few weeks has differed, even amidst the unfortunate situation regarding Jack, and perhaps I should have pressed the matter further. I did not, and that is a regret I am forced to bear. If I had sought you out in your moment of need, would you have informed me of the letter?'

Harry, despite his increased shame and hurt, tried to answer the question honestly. Rubbing the back of his head, he looked at his father and nodded guiltily. He felt, if his dad had come into his room rather than his mother and asked if there was something they needed to talk about, Harry would have told his dad everything.

'Let this be a lesson we shall never forget.' Severus nodded and gestured to a nearby chair. 'Sit. There is something I have to tell you regarding Jack.'

Harry wanted to know if Jack was in trouble or something had happened, but he stood staring at his father with a trembling lip. The man hugged him less and less as he got older, thinking Harry was outgrowing the urge to cuddle him constantly. And with Erin to provide as much motherly affection as the boy needed, Harry wondered if his father forgot how needed he was as well.

'Daddy?' Harry asked nervously. 'Is going to Hogwarts a good thing? Will I still get to see you much?'

'You will not regret attending Hogwarts, son.' Severus answered. 'Your mother and I will always be there when you need us, regardless of where you may be.'

He pulled his son into a hug, feeling the boy cling to him as though it was what he had wanted to do for many days.

And once they'd parted, Severus began to explain to the boy about Jack receiving a letter as well, but Severus didn't get the chance to speak any further. Harry exploded with emotions and suddenly gained boundless energy in his over-excitement to the idea of Jack going to Hogwarts with him.

As Severus waited patiently for the boy to calm long enough to hear the rest of the details, Severus thought about how small Cody had once been. And in process of thinking of the journey they'd travelled together from strangers to family, Severus tried to comprehend that his little boy was now at the age to attend Hogwarts.

And Jack would be going with him.

He and Lily were best friends before going to Hogwarts as well, and he had never shared with anyone the adventures they had gotten into whilst there. It was nothing to rival the Marauder's reckless pranks, but the two unlikely friends had a lot of fun in their earlier years.

Now it would be Jack and Harry's turn. Severus was glad he would be there to prevent most of the chaos that was sure to follow when those two boys adapted to the castle of magic and mystery. They'd gone through a lot to become family, Harry and Severus had, and now after all those years, it was time to take the ultimate step: Hogwarts.

Jack sat on his bed as he stared at the worn letter on his lap.

He'd read it at least fifteen times since Severus had made the offer to his parents for Jack to stay until he could start school while his parents left for America. The sandy-haired boy had mixed feelings about that aspect because it was the morning of July 31st, which had once been Harry's birthday but wasn't anymore.

'Jack, are you finished?' Judy called up the stairs.

'Yeah, mum!' Jack answered, his eyes still on his letter, re-reading the part that said he was accepted to Hogwarts.

He wasn't going to see his parents for a really long time. And yet, Jack wasn't sure why he was so okay with it. He hadn't worried about missing them or had the urge to run and hug them goodbye. He loved them, really he did, and yet all Jack could think about was Hogwarts, about staying with Harry's family for a month, and the fact his parents were not going to delay seeing Michael again for a few weeks so Jack could go to Hogwarts.

He tried not to think about it, but Jack was slowly starting to realise how much it hurt him.

And amidst it all, Severus had stood up for him. Harry's dad had helped Jack a little bit like he'd helped Harry so long ago...and for the first time, Jack finally understood why Harry always called him a “hero.”

'Jack, it's time to go!' Gordon called.

Gordon had just finished loading up their car with the last of the belongings. The rest were being transported to America where Michael awaited them in his big house with his girlfriend, and entirely different lifestyle to the one he'd left behind.

Jack sighed and rose from his bed, shoving his letter into the pocket of his jeans as he turned to grab two bags sitting on his bed. His dad walked into the room and took the rest of the luggage without looking at Jack, his mind preoccupied with all the careful arrangements they'd made to get to the airport on time.

Jack headed for his door and paused, turning to look at the bedroom that had been his for almost ten years. It was sad to say goodbye to it, so he took a moment to look over each detail before he could delay no longer. He shut the door behind himself and dragged his bags down the stairs. Glancing at the spot Severus had been the last time Jack saw him, which was some time ago now, because his parents and himself had been far too busy preparing for the move.

Glad he only had to take his bags as far as Harry's house, Jack exhaled and dumped them just inside the yard. He looked up and saw Harry's excited face through one of the windows before the dark-haired boy soon vanished and opened the front door.

'You're here!' Harry grinned, having spent the last few hours waiting even if they hadn't know which day Jack would be moving in temporarily. It was the day of the move, so Harry had been confident his best friend was going to show up at some point that day.

'Yeah.' Jack nodded and turned around.

His father had placed the last of the bags beside him, and his mother dropped off the once-shiny green bike he never used. He looked from one to the other and felt sad to be saying goodbye. Jack heard footsteps behind him and assumed either (or both) Erin or Severus had come outside as well. He watched his parents until they came over in turn and gave him a big hug. Jack smiled, and expected words of encouragement, or advice that could help or motivate him.

They said nothing.

Judy waved and turned to leave, muttering her schedule to herself in fear of forgetting it and wondering aloud if they should buy Michael a house-warming gift. Jack turned desperately to his father, wanting something – anything – to remember their last interaction by. It could be a year before he ever saw them again, yet Gordon only nodded once and followed his wife.

Jack stood there, feeling numb all over, as he stared at his retreating parents.

They got into their car and moments later, had driven away out of sight. He heard Harry talking quickly behind him to Erin, who was discreetly using her magic to levitate the bags into the house with intense concentration. Jack was left standing there, until he flinched at a sudden contact on his shoulder. Looking behind himself by leaning his head back, Jack saw Severus watching where the car had gone. Acting on impulse, Jack turned around and hugged Severus. Loneliness and abandonment feelings he had not been prepared for flooded his form as he sobbed against the man's middle. Severus didn't move other than to place a hand on the boy's back.

'Jack, where...' Harry had returned and halted at the sight in front of him.

He frowned and fidgeted, trying not to feel jealous, and instead wished he had been the one to help his friend. Jack looked so sad and lost.

'Jack?' Harry said in a quieter tone when he moved away from Severus and the man headed back into the house. 'Are you going to be okay?'

'Yeah.' Jack sniffled. 'I'll be fine. I just...I thought they'd...never mind. Will all of my stuff fit in your room?' He asked and followed Harry into the house.

'Oh, Jack you won't be sleeping in Harry's room.' Erin said as she reached the bottom of the staircase. 'I've put your things in the spare room. There's much more space in there and you'll get your own bed rather than having to share with Harry.'

'What?' Harry startled. 'No, he can sleep in my room. Right, Jack?'

Jack, being a bit shocked and emotional from the departure of his parents, only shrugged as his sleeping arrangements was of little concern to him at that moment.

'Harry, there's not enough room.' Erin tried to reason with her suddenly unhappy son. 'Jack will be here for an entire month. A little distance will be good, and he deserves his privacy. I do not want to have to send you both to opposite ends of the house if you two get into a scuffle that is bound to happen with all the constant, unwavering company.'

'No.' Harry frowned. 'Jack is sleeping in my room, mum!'

'Do not take that tone with your mother, young man!' Severus joined the group. 'Jack will sleep in the spare room, which has already been agreed upon.'

Harry stomped his foot and prepared to whine, something only Severus seemed to flawlessly predict every time. He fixed the boy with a very stern glare, and was not pleased to receive a defiant pout in response.

'Don't.' Severus warned when Harry opened his mouth to protest loudly against what he believed was completely unjustified.

If Jack didn't sleep in his room, Harry would have to go straight to bed and sleep, not sit up talking to Jack for hours at night or hide under his sheets with him in the morning to avoid getting up. He thought his parents were so unfair sometimes.

Erin looked from Severus to Harry and decided to intervene because the child was looking very adamant and she knew there would never be an incident like this one in which Severus would ever surrender or lose to a child. Harry might be prepared to argue his case, but the boy was without a doubt going to lose.

'Cody.' Erin said and tapped his shoulder to distract him. 'Would you like to help me finish watering the garden? The plants need to be ready for picking before we're to leave the house for a long period of time.'

Harry grumbled and glared at his father, before his shoulders sagged with defeat and he released a long exhale. Nodding to his mother, Harry sulked after her to go outside and work on the garden. Jack wasn't sure what to do, so he headed upstairs to unpack his stuff in the spare room.

Severus, not looking pleased even if he had technically won the little dispute, said something incoherent under his breath and headed for the basement.

--

The following morning was the first day of August.

The boys had an entire month before they were due to start Hogwarts, and to show this they laid on their stomachs in the living room to make a handmade calendar, so they could cross off the days until September 1st. It had been Harry's idea, but the “work” of drawing and colouring was shared amongst the boys, who spent nearly all morning on it. Their lines were mostly straight because they'd used a ruler Jack had brought with him that had been buried in his schoolbag, which he had been using as a luggage bag. They'd used the brightest blue, green, and purple crayons they could find and Harry had been extra careful when he'd used a black marker to draw the numbers.

They boys showed it to the adults at lunch with smiles of pride and accomplishment.

Erin had praised the boys and both boys beamed happily when she pinned the Calendar to the fridge. They could not be more delighted with their artful Calendar and the appreciated reaction they'd received, until Severus waved his wand and spelled it to automatically cross off a day at midnight every night.

Though Jack had been hurt and confused by his parents' departure, he cheered up as the days slowly passed by. He spent a lot of the time getting used to his “month-long sleepover” as Erin had called it, and the rest playing outside with a ball he'd gotten from Harry for his birthday.

Near the end of the first week, Harry paced in the backyard to wait for his parents to come outside. They were talking in the kitchen about something neither he nor Jack had been too interested in. Something about trunks and quills. Jack was nearby once again attempting to train Frogabook to move more than two inches while being attached to a lead - this time without being tempted by food. It meant Harry would have his parents entirely to himself that morning, though the dark-haired boy didn't quite realise why he felt so protective of the pending moment.

He loved having Jack stay with them for an entire month and had not yet realised why he felt agitated whenever Jack received attention from Erin or Severus.

Harry was looking forward to the time with his parents, not just for that, but because it involved the gardens. They had to pick everything or else the plants, herbs, and vegetables would die in their absence. Erin and Harry would first pick the vegetables and re-pot plants they wanted to take with them to continue growing and caring for them. That would take most of the morning, and afterwards Severus would take Harry over to their ingredient garden in the corner of the yard. He was going to teach Harry about the most effective and careful ways to extract the ingredients from the garden, and how to properly store them for use in potions or to be safely transported.

'Jack has never used one before.' Erin was saying as she left the house, looking at Severus with obvious disagreement to what he was saying. 'I think we should at least give him a bit of practise, and some pointers.' She was talking about writing with quills, as she and Harry had learned the skill over two years ago under Severus' patient teaching.

Erin was fairly certain that, since Jack only recently discovered he was magical too, he had never learned to write with a quill. It was a necessary skill for doing school work at Hogwarts, so Erin tried to make sure the sandy-haired boy didn't go to school and lack something others had just because they'd been raised around magic. She could relate to his new experience, as she had gone through it herself, whereas Harry had been raised into the basics for over three years – Severus had made sure of it.

'I can teach Jack. I remember how you taught us.' Erin added when Severus seemed stubbornly reluctant, preferring to focus on Harry because he was worried his son wouldn't be prepared. He wanted to make sure his son had as equal a chance as his classmates, if not more, to do well at Hogwarts.

'Very well.' Severus agreed. 'There may be insufficient time in which to educate him, but perhaps it will be an adequate foundation for Jack to build on.'

'Exactly.' Erin nodded, though she frowned with determination when Severus said there wasn't enough time.

Harry, who was sitting on the grass by the vegetable garden, had been close enough to overhear what they said. He glanced at his best friend, who was oblivious to it all as he glared at the ever-so-motionless Frogabook. Harry didn't know why what he'd heard annoyed him, but he didn't feel too happy about it.

'Well, are we all set?' Erin smiled as she joined Harry on the grass. 'Should we start with picking the tomatoes first so they don't get squashed while we work?'

Harry wasn't listening.

He watched Severus carefully to make sure his dad didn't go over to Jack. He felt possessive of his parent's attention, which had never bothered him until Jack was there all the time, and getting advice, comfort, or general assistance as well.

Sometimes Harry worried Jack was getting more than he was. Years ago, Harry had been seemingly invisible for so long that the idea of having a family for himself was a highly valued and longed-for dream. And then it happened. He was so happy, and comfortable that he felt he could share Severus and Erin with the world and still be okay, because he experienced a portion of what it meant to be loved and cared for.

And then, over the years, he had adapted and learned. Harry had a mother and father of his own, just like everyone else. It provided him with a stable and loving environment where he had someone to turn to when he needed them, or talk to when he was feeling confused, and most importantly to keep him safe and remind him he was love. Harry did not want to share. He did not want to get a shared portion of his parents.

He had come to terms with the fact that they were his parents, and only his - not Jacks, and not anyone's. Seeing Jack being treated like the brother they always pretended he was, now impacted Harry in a way it never had before.

And he did not like it - no, Harry did not like it at all.

'Cody?' Erin caught his attention.

'Sorry.' Harry exhaled when Severus returned to the house.

He focused on his mother again and their task at hand, convinced he didn't have to keep an eye on where his father was as long as Jack was only occupied with Frogabook.

Strange, he could not care less if his adored frog spent time with Jack as much as they wanted. Frogabook would always be his, yet Harry still worried about losing his parents to someone else. He'd never had a pet before, but he'd had a lot of adult guardians who had either died or left him.

'I don't want the tomatoes to get squished.' Harry told his mother, who watched him with a thoughtful expression. 'Can we pick those first?'

'Of course.' Erin nodded, not commenting that she had asked him about it only a moment ago.

As Harry leaned forward to start picking tomatoes, which were all bright red, Erin looked towards Jack and smiled. She did not think it was something to worry about, but Erin now realised what sort of distraction had stirred Harry's moods lately.

'Mum?' Harry reversed the situation; pulling her from her thoughts this time.

Erin chuckled and brushed some dirt from his cheek with her thumb. She assisted him in picking tomatoes, and then beans. A silence followed, other than the occasional complaint from Jack on the other side of the yard, nothing was said for several moments. Erin waited until Harry seemed more attentive to his gardening, before she spoke and took advantage of their moment together.

'Are you looking forward to going to Hogwarts?' Erin asked.

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'I mean, it is a bit scary because dad said it's really big. I really want to learn magic, though. And Jack will be there so it's going to be a lot of fun!'

'It will be, yes.' Erin nodded. She actually had no idea, as Severus hadn't told her much about the school either. 'I'm sure you and Jack will make many more friends, and I want you to promise you'll introduce them to us, okay?'

Harry hesitated and kept his gaze away from Erin, as he thought about what she'd said. 'Okay, I promise.' He offered her a smile and quickly moved to pick some carrots.

'It's a big change.' Erin sighed.

She thought of how grown-up her boy seemed in her eyes now he was old enough to go to Hogwarts with teenagers and much bigger challenges that she couldn't always be there to help him overcome. Her little boy would need to learn a lot of new skills and values without her holding his hand along the way. Erin would always be there for her son when he needed her, without fail, but Harry wasn't the only one learning to adjust to a new situation and age.

'I don't want to muck it up.' Harry admitted. 'Dad made some classes sound really hard! And I don't know anyone else in my class, like I know those at our old school.'

'Don't worry, sweetheart.' Erin brushed some hair from his face with her fingers. 'You'll do just fine. I'm sure your new classmates will be a bit nervous and unsure as well. Once you get the hang of things, I know you'll make us proud because you already do, every day, just by being exactly who you are. If things get too tough, then your father and I will be there for you whenever you need us. Don't ever forget that, okay?'

'Okay.' Harry exhaled. 'Thanks, mum.'

As the topics shifted to more regular things like packing enough socks and remembering to use his manners when speaking to professors, the garden was slowly emptied of its vegetables while the nearby buckets filled with them and pots nearby were new homes to the rest of the flowers.

The morning hours went by until Erin and Harry had finished their shared job. There was still a little over an hour before lunch, so Erin headed inside the clean up and work out what to prepare for them. Harry peered over his shoulder and saw Frogabook sprawled out on his back under the sun near his favourite bush. The lead was dumped in a corner a distance away, where Jack had clearly gotten annoyed with the frog's stubbornness not to move, and given up. Jack himself was kicking his ball around near the fence facing the road and seemed content to have his own company, which he'd been doing a lot since he'd arrived.

Harry looked around for his father and wondered what was taking him so long.

His dad was probably in the basement, and might not know Harry was ready to work on their special little garden. Harry got up and headed into the house, not thinking he should probably wash his hands and face first as he was a bit dirty from his gardening already.

Reaching the door to the basement, Harry shuddered and wanted to ask Erin to knock instead, since she could go inside the basement even if she never went further than the bottom of the steps. Erin's lack of knowledge, regarding potions and the ingredients, made her less comfortable to venture inside there in wariness of the dangers they may pose.

Exhaling, Harry raised his fist to knock.

He shrieked and stumbled backwards in shock when the door was quickly pulled open and Severus glared down at him. Harry thought his father was super good at knowing when he was needed. This was something the boy had first thought when he was seven-years-old and probably would never grow out of. Severus, however, had been on his way to check the progress in the garden and was suspicious to see his son standing there with a hand near the doorknob.

'I...finished garden.' Harry gulped in hurried explanation when he saw the look he was given.

It was no secret that since the horrible and painful incident three years ago, Harry and Jack would not enter the basement even if it was their only shelter from a nuclear explosion.

Severus calmed and nodded, waving his hand to direct the boy away from the doorway and towards the garden in their backyard. He shut the basement door behind himself and tapped it with his wand. He passed the kitchen and saw Erin making sandwiches, so lunch would be prepared when they were done. Fatherhood had taught Severus how hungry children were after certain activities, and their whining about such hunger always annoyed him.

He turned his attention back to Harry, as he trailed after his son and stepped outside.

'There's only four.' Harry remembered as he walked to their corner garden and smiled proudly at the ingredients they had grown.

He crouched on the grass and held his hand up to grab the gloves offered to him by Severus without having to look to see if they were there. Harry always had those gloves shoved in his face whenever he got near the corner garden, regardless of if he actually intended to touch the magical plants at all.

Severus watched the boy with interest and did not immediately give him an instruction. Harry had learned fast not to handle ingredients in any way without Severus being there, and since he was only eleven, Severus expected Harry to want to start right away. However, the boy just sat there and stared at the ingredients with a curious smile. Severus crouched beside him, as it was easier to keep a close eye on the boy's work that way, and wasn't sure what to think of the obvious delight the child took in having grown those ingredients himself, with a little help.

'The leaves of that one are extra big.' Harry commented as he pointed to one of the plants. 'That means they're really healthy, right?' He looked to his father for confirmation.

'Yes.' Severus answered, surprised the boy had remembered that. He'd said it over two years ago, and this was the first time they'd grown that specific ingredient since. 'The bulbs only require gloves to be extracted. They're very strong; therefore you may use the force necessary to retrieve them.' He explained. 'They are to be placed into a jar.'

'Okay.' Harry nodded and did was he was told, putting the jar near his knee as he set to work on the bulbs of the leafy plant.

Severus watched with a smile, which Harry was too busy to notice.

When Erin worked on the garden with Harry, she might ask Jack to help if the other boy was there. But the ingredient garden in the corner had always been special. No one had said it, but everyone knew: it was Severus and Harry's garden only. The father and son had spent so much time, in private, tending to their garden and it was the only constant activity they shared together all the time. Some ingredients took weeks to grow, and other many months.

A year ago Harry and Severus had to get up at midnight on the night of a full moon to pick one of their ingredients, and both had done so without any fuss at all.

'I'm done with this one, dad.' Harry told him, even though Severus was right there and paying flawless attention to the task.

'Very good.' Severus approved as he reached the screw on the lid on the jar.

He then told Harry how to carefully cut off the thorns of the next plant, followed by shaking a pod of another and aim the vial carefully so the power-like sap fell into it. The last plant involved only picking the orange-tinted leaves as the dark red ones were too old or dry to be useful, and the leaves had to be carefully placed into a large jar of clear water. And Harry eagerly did them all to Severus' satisfaction.

'Dad?' Harry asked quietly as he snipped the last thorn and watched it drop into the small, clear glass container. 'What happens if I don't make any friends at Hogwarts?' He worried, thinking about how his mother was so sure he'd make them, and he'd promised to introduce them to his parents when he did.

'You are very likeable, Cody.' Severus answered. 'I am certain you will find at least a few of your classmates who may be interested in your friendship, and vice versa.'

'But what if they're not?' Harry stressed. 'What if none of them like me at all? What if I'm really bad at Transfiguration, or Charms, or worse – Potions!'

'Calm yourself, this is not a matter you should allow put yourself at unease.' Severus sighed. 'You will still have Jack. You will make friends, Cody, even if it takes time. Be patient. You are incorrect in assuming everything will happen at once.'

'You always know what I'm thinking.' Harry smiled at his father as he held a leaf in his hand, which he was about to drop into its designated container. 'But what about my classes?'

'Should you fall behind in any of your classes, or experience a great difficulty in learning the set material, then I shall of course assist you.' Severus said. 'It will be my job, after all.'

'Will you still have time for me?' Harry looked away. 'With all the other kids you'll be tutoring?'

'You are my son; I will always find the time for you whenever you require.' Severus reassured. 'The situation would be no different if I were a professor and teaching a class you were not attending.' He said and continued to observe his son's actions. 'Not that one; the orange is far too dark.'

Harry left the indicated leaf along and picked the last one he could see that was good enough to be an ingredient. Exhaling, he leaned back to sit on the grass and looked at his father with a fond expression.

'I'm glad you're the one who saved me.' Harry said barely above a whisper, though Severus heard every word. 'I think you're the best dad I could ever have!'

Severus could only smile in return.

The preparations for Hogwarts continued into the second week of August.

On Wednesday, the boys were woken at six in the morning to dedicate a large portion of their day to preparing the house to be left for a long period of time. This meant cleaning it up entirely and putting everything away. If it weren't for the fact they never removed any furniture or belongings from the household, one might think they were moving out. And when they were finally finished, the place had never looked so bare since they'd purchased it three years ago.

While Erin remained optimistic, Severus strongly doubted the house would stay that way for the coming two months (with a pair of eleven-year-olds running around), and believed they would be doing it all again just before the end of the month. The only aspect they hadn't done that day was the food. Since they still needed to eat for the coming few weeks, removing the remaining food from the fridge and cupboards would be one of their last tasks before the final day of August arrived.

'Stay, Frogabook!' Harry commanded just after breakfast on Saturday morning. 'Dad, he won't stop!' The dark-haired boy whined.

Jack jumped for the frog, missed, and nearly got a mouthful of grass, which led to a series of muttered words the adults might not approve of if they'd actually overheard them.

'Stand aside.' Severus frowned and raised his wand.

The boys shot to either side of him quickly to get out of the path of the wand. With a transparent flash of pale light, Frogabook was suddenly hovering an inch off the ground, though still trying to get away. Severus blinked with surprise and looked towards his right where Erin stood with her wand aimed at the creature.

'What?' Erin smirked at him. 'I know how to catch a frog with a hover jinx. You taught me it yourself.'

'Hm.' Severus grunted and directed a spell at Frogabook, who was convinced his flight was supposed to give him super-powers in his attempt to flee certain doom. Severus, however, was not aiming his magic at the frog, but rather the shiny blue collar around its neck. It had been Harry's idea, and the boy reminded his parents of the task constantly until Severus could tolerate the nagging no longer.

'Did it work?' Harry rushed to his frog, who have been harmlessly dropped onto the ground. He tapped the collar as though it would react with sparks to let him know the spells were in place.

Severus, trying not to feel offended by the question, nodded. 'The locator and protective charms can't be broken without extreme effort.' Severus said. 'I also ensured the collar cannot be removed by anyone outside our family.'

'Wicked.' Harry grinned. 'Thanks, dad.'

'Well, that's that settled.' Erin sighed. 'Come on, you lot.' She waved the boys back inside the house. 'Frogabook will be fine on his own. Severus has placed enough spells on this yard to prevent a dragon from escaping.' She rolled her eyes, to which Severus glared at and prevented himself from gloating that a dragon could indeed not escape his selective and powerful casting.

'We've got a lot to do,' She reminded them. 'Starting with actually getting wherever it is we're supposed to go.'

'It's the Leaky Cauldron, mum.' Harry remembered as he led the way into the house. 'Dad said we're going through the fireplace.' He didn't look too confident about what he'd been told regarding such, and while he had faith in his dad's apparent inability to ever be wrong, Erin did not.

'I don't understand why we can't simply drive there.' Erin grumbled as she stared at the fireplace in the living room. 'Surely it's not that far? I do have a car, you know.'

'A fact you're constantly reminding us of.' Severus said bitterly.

'I don't see why we have to choose the most uncomfortable and disorientating ways to do things!' Erin hissed back at him. 'Honestly, what do you have against my car? In three whole years, you have not once set foot in it!'

Severus did not answer.

Instead, he lifted a dark bag from his pocket and held it out to Erin with a grim expression. She glared at it, before placing her hand inside with a cringe as though she expected him to have it filled with live scorpions, rather than the greenish floo powder it contained. She whispered the instructions over and over from their lesson the previous day, which had been done without the floo powder, and taken all afternoon until Severus was convinced everyone had a very slim chance of ending up at the wrong place.

He would rather have used side-along apparation in avoidance to stressing over the fact that he was the only person in the group who had travelled by floo before. Erin did not like his description of apparating and therefore forbid the use of it.

Harry and Jack stood back as Erin soon disappeared in the green flames. Despite the trust he put on his father, Harry could not help whimpering as his mother vanished. He looked at Jack, whose eyes were wide, and shuddered at the thought of their turn. Severus directed Jack to the fireplace next, and the boy only just managed to speak clearly.

'Dad-'

'Go.' Severus said, entirely expectant of his son's reluctance. 'I will follow. You know what to do. There is little to fear, Cody.'

Harry gulped and took a handful of the powder from the offered bag and shakily walked into the fireplace. He looked to his father, who nodded in encouragement, and whispered the location to himself several times to try and calm his nerves.

'The Leaky Cauldron!' Harry declared and threw down the powder.

He braced himself like his father had taught him and tried not to be sick. A few seconds later, he shot out of another fireplace in a darkened pub and was greeted with Jack's soot-smudged smiling face.

'You did it!' Jack applauded while Erin stood behind him with a very relieved smile.

'I guess I did.' Harry exhaled with relieve and moved so his father could come through.

They waited, but the man never did. After several minutes of anxious anticipation, Severus stepped inside the pub through the main door and rejoined them.

'You apparated, didn't you.' Erin glared at him.

'I detest using the floo network.' Severus told her. 'Despite the efforts we endured to permit our house to be connected to it. Yes, I apparated.'

Erin prepared to say something to him, but noticed the expression on his face as his gaze trailed around the room almost as though he was being extra cautious. Deciding he might know something they didn't, she ushered the boys out of the pub and allowed Severus to lead them to the brick wall. He tapped it with his wand in a specific way, and soon the three alongside him gasped and stared at the sight of the appearing magical Diagon Alley.

'Whoa.' Harry grinned at it all in amazement.

'Is this real?' Jack added.

'I assure you, it is very real. Now move along, we haven't got all day.' Severus nudged both boys forward.

Erin was stunned for a moment, and was only able to shake off her shock when she noticed Harry moving out of her reach and hurried to keep up with the group.

'I trust each of you remembered to bring your shopping lists with you?' Severus asked the boys, who were too distracted by all the stores and magical people.

'What? Oh, yeah.' Harry got his out of his pocket while Jack looked dazed and unaware of the conversation as he tried to take everything in at once.

'Where should we go first?' Erin wondered how anyone knew where to go in such a crowded place.

They had stores all around them filled with things she scarcely believed existed. In a few minutes she had seen broomsticks in a store window, cauldrons sitting outside a shop, owls flying overhead, and a strange cart with food she could not even try to guess the names of. It was incredible, and took everyone apart from Severus at least several minutes to adjust and refocus on the reason why they were there.

'We shall shop in the order of the lists.' Severus decided, as it would be easier for the children to keep track of their purchases and limit a scattered shopping schedule.

'Our uniform is listed first.' Harry commented while Jack searched his pockets for his list and seemed to be having trouble finding it.

'Than we shall visit Madam Malkin's.' Severus indicated to the mentioned store, which the group headed for at once.

Harry and Erin entered first, but Jack paused at the door and was frantically trying to find his list. Severus rolled his eyes and swished his wand, summoning the list from the boy's jeans pocket and handed it to the blushing boy.

'Sorry.' Jack ducked his head and hurried after the others.

Madam Malkin had Harry stand on the stool first and slipped a robe over his head before she began pinning it in several places. Erin browsed the items on the racks with high interest while Severus stood nearby and looked thoroughly bored already.

'There we go.' Madam Malkin nodded to Harry. 'Almost done.' She added to Jack, who tried hard not to fidget.

'Are you going to buy one?' Harry asked his mother, who was eyeing a deep gold robe and black cloak.

'I think I will.' Erin smiled and touched the material gently. 'If I'm going to be staying in a magical school, I should probably look the part, don't you think?'

They didn't spend a lot of time on robes and cloaks, but Severus was very picky when it came to the rest of the uniform. They had purchased the three plain black work robes, a pointed hat, and the black winter cloak with silver fastenings.

The last thing listed were the protective gloves, which were to be dragon hide or similar. Jack had picked his in accordance to the list, with Erin's assistance, whereas Harry and Severus remained at the counter negotiating prices for quite some time. Jack looked down at his purchase and hoped he had gotten the right one, because he'd chosen it so quickly. Harry was even trying his on.

'Don't worry.' Erin smiled at him when she saw his doubt. 'Severus is just being picky.'

'Cody's doing it too.' Jack pointed out.

'Yes, well...' She frowned at the other pair. 'He's been around Severus too long. Don't fret, your gloves are fine and they fit nicely within your price range. I offered to pay for your supplies, but Severus insisted your parents did.'

As the group left the store, Severus had to keep an eye on Harry to make sure he didn't open the packaging the gloves had been placed within, as the boy clearly wanted to walk around wearing his shiny new dragon hide gloves.

Because the textbooks were listed next on their shopping lists, the family and Jack headed for Flourish and Blotts. Since they could see the boys anywhere they needed to go within the store, which was otherwise mostly filled with families, Erin and Severus allowed the pair to wander around and collect their books themselves.

Erin found a section on household charms and instantly picked out a few she wanted, whereas Severus kept eyeing the Potions area while attempting to avoid the temptation. His gaze watched the two boys carefully, and he quickly inched back into the shadows from towers of books when a crowd of a red-haired family walked towards the Transfiguration section. He didn't need to overheard anything or get a closer look to know they were the Weasley Clan.

'I'll get it, mum!' Their youngest child called out and headed towards where Harry was reaching on his tip-toes to get the History of Magic textbook written by Bathilda Bagshot.

'Hello.' Harry greeted her.

'Hi.' The girl blushed shyly. 'Can you reach it?' She asked and looked at the book. 'I need it too. Are you new at Hogwarts as well?'

'This is my first year.' Harry nodded. 'I'm Cody, by the way.' He said, still trying to grab the book and wondered who put it so high up.

'I'm Ginny.' She smiled. 'I'm a first year as well. We'll be in the same class then.'

Harry thought she was nice enough, and realised his dad was right about his ability to make friends. Finally, his fingers curled around the spine of his needed book and he pulled it down.

'Here.' He offered it to Ginny. 'You can have it. I'll just ask my dad to get me another.'

'Are you sure?' Ginny checked. 'Thanks.' She added when he nodded in agreement. 'I'll see you at school then, bye!' She waved and hurried back to her mother.

Harry watched her and hoped all of his classmates were that friendly.

He turned to look for his father, but the man was already extracting his needed book from the shelf. He handed it to his son with a very strange expression on his face. The way he looked at the red-haired girl almost seemed sad, though Harry didn't have the time to think about it.

'I've got mine.' Jack rejoined them with Erin at his side, each loaded with books.

'I still need the Magical Theory book.' Harry looked over his list. 'Oh, and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection.'

Severus looked around and quickly spotted them. He retrieved them and directed everyone to the counter. The boys purchased their eight textbooks, which was almost the same amount of books Erin had also selected, and followed Severus to a different store where he said they could get better quality and prices for quills. The boys got their parchment, ink, and quills much faster than their previous items so far, though the increased haste had more to do with the next item on their list.

'A wand.' Harry grinned. 'I'm really looking forward to this one!'

'Me too.' Jack added.

'Well let's not wait any longer.' Erin smiled. 'Come on, it's just over there.' She pointed towards the store, and the group headed in its direction. 'Severus?' She asked when he halted rather suddenly and looked towards a darker section of the Alley.

Had he just seen...?

'Dad?' Harry added.

'It's nothing.' Severus answered and urged them forward.

They still had many more things to buy, and the previously bored man was now on high alert. If he had witness who he thought he had, then things could go very badly if they did not keep an eye on the boys. Severus wasn't sure if he was over-reacting, but something sinister was going on. He could feel it.

The noise of the crowd outside was drained by the closing of the door, as the group headed inside Ollivander's wand shop, and it seemed to put Severus quite at ease. Harry and Jack were too excited about getting their own wands to notice his actions, but Erin did. With the way Severus paused a moment ago, she expected him to glance out the window constantly with the same alarmed yet composed stance he expressed minutes earlier. She assumed wrong, however, as Severus seemed more interested in which wand his son would get than whatever or whoever he had seen outside that caused him to worry.

It made Erin nervous, because she only now realised that in all the time she'd been using her reclaimed magic, she knew very few duelling techniques. Her fear resided in her own certainty that if something happened, then she would not be of great use. Thinking of the safety and happiness of the two enthusiastic boys in front of her, Erin vowed to ask Severus later if he could help her expand her magical training even further.

'Did you get your wand here too, Miss Summers?' Jack asked Erin as he had a quick look around, and Harry tried to keep still in his excitement.

The sandy-haired boy wanted to know because he'd noticed her shared shock when they saw Diagon Alley for the first time today. And as far as Jack knew, this was the only place they could buy a wand from, and Erin did own one.

'Yes.' Erin answered and caught his expression. 'Although, I did not see the alley itself. I stopped by the wandmaker's home during one of his day's off. It was most fortunate Severus had made the arrangement, because I do not think I was ready for all of this at the time.' She looked towards the window, taking a moment to watch the magical folk who'd surrounded them outside on the street and in the stores - with the exception this shop, which was so quiet and still.

The boys eagerly hurried to the counter, not taking notice of the dust or privacy within what Erin had expected to be a very popular place. She supposed witches and wizards kept their wands for a long time, and therefore mostly children at the age of eleven really had such a frequent use for the shop. Unlike quills and robes, which would need replacing much more regularly.

Harry rung the bell on the counter and waited for the storekeeper, though nothing happened at first. Severus, who was already looking towards the left end of shelves, was the only one who didn't react in shock when Ollivander slid into view from the specified direction.

'Ah!' Ollivander looked from one child to the other. 'Come to buy your first wands, have you?'

'Yes, sir.' Jack nodded. 'I want a really good one, please.'

'I assure you, all Ollivander's wands can perform with excellence if matched to the right witch or wizard.' Ollivander winked.

He asked which was their wand arm, and enchanted measuring tapes began to measure each boy at once. Harry held up his right hand instantly, while Jack had to work out what Ollivander meant, as he was not familiar with all of the magical terms yet. Guessing Ollivander meant his writing hand, Jack offered his right arm as well.

'Ah, yes.' Ollivander nodded, though the boys weren't sure at what.

He lifted his gaze and seemed surprised, though not displeased, to see Severus a short distance away, giving each child a piercing look from where he stood.

'Yours?' Ollivander asked curiously.

'Only one.' Severus answered and indicated to Harry.

'Of course.' Ollivander decided to start with Jack first. 'Step over here, that's it.' He spoke in a quiet voice and went around the counter to pick out a rectangle box.

He lifted a wand from it and handed it to Jack, who had no idea what he was supposed to do.

'Yew. Eleven inches, with dragon heartstring core. Supple.' Ollivander said. 'Well? Give it a wave.'

Jack smiled at the idea of waving a magic wand, and flourished it dramatically in his over-eagerness, which caused it to hiss steam into his face, turning it a pinkish shade.

'Ah, apparently not.' Ollivander snatched it back and went to get another. 'Ebony, much like Severus over there. Ten inches, with unicorn hair core. Slightly springy.' He watched Jack carefully, and lunged forward to retrieve it before the boy had properly grasped it.

'You've got an ebony wand, dad?' Harry turned towards his father. 'Can I see it?'

'You have already seen my wand on multiple occasions.' Severus answered, suddenly feeling protective of his precious wand when Harry looked far too eager. He was not going to hand his wand to an eleven-year-old boy who could barely stand still at the moment, and firmly instructed the boy to pay attention to what was going on.

'Hawthorn at eleven inches. Contains a phoenix feather-no, no!' Ollivander seemed to find Jack to be a tricky customer, and the sandy-haired boy was feeling very discouraged. He worried there might be something wrong with him and that's why it was so hard to find him the right wand.

'Not to worry.' Ollivander said as Jack's expression showed the concern, as it was in times of worry that Jack's emotions could be very transparent. 'We'll find it. Ah, Elm. Twelve inches with unicorn hair. It's quite flexible. Perhaps...?' He handed the wand to Jack, who accepted it with caution and gave it a wave.

Harry had to duck when an empty box shot out of nowhere and dangerously flew barely an inch over his head.

'No, no! Certainly not that one.' Ollivander muttered as he disappeared amongst the long and high shelves.

He was gone for nearly a full minute before he returned, dusting off a box as he approached the counter again.

'Perhaps, this.' Ollivander tried again and handed Jack yet another wand. 'Holly. Ten and a half inches, with dragon heartstring core. Pliant.' He said. 'Give it a try.'

Jack, not expecting much, was startled when the tip of his wand glowed and a warmth spread through his fingers. He smiled at the sensation of magic and decided he liked this wand quite a lot.

He hoped Ollivander would agree.

'Ah, yes.' Ollivander nodded. 'That's the one.' He seemed relieved for a brief moment, and then looked at Harry rather quickly, as though the dark-haired boy had called his name.

'And now it's your turn.' Said the wandmaker. 'Let's see, shall we?' Ollivander reached under the counter for a box while Severus strode forward and took the wand from Jack, who had been about to wave it again.

'Absolutely not.' Severus told him drawn-out, non-negotiable tone. He placed the holly wand back inside its box and fixed Jack with a stern glare. 'This may be your destined wand, however, we do not need you setting something on fire. You will require more than the capability of just waving and swishing to use a wand.'

'Oak. Twelve inches with unicorn hair. Flexible.' Ollivander told Harry, as he offered him a wand, and Jack pouted in the background.

The dark-haired boy stared at the wand for a moment and then reached towards it. The wand felt warm in his hand, but cold as well. It didn't seem possible, but Harry wasn't surprised when Ollivander watched him wave it and nothing happened. Taking it back, Ollivander headed amongst the dusty shelves and returned with three more boxes.

'Blackthorn, ten and three-quarter inches.' Ollivander told him.

Severus moved a little closer (gripping the box containing Jack's wand tightly), and Erin sat on a stool beside the window to watch the scene with an interested smile.

'Unicorn hair core.'The wandmaker continued. 'Very pliable.'

'Ah!' Harry yelped when his movement of the wand caused a vase nearby to burst, sending shards everywhere, though luckily not close enough to do anyone damage. 'Sorry.' He blushed to Ollivander, while shoving the wand back onto the counter.

'Not to worry.' Ollivander barely blinked. He waved his own wand and the vase fixed itself, which caused a gasp of amazement from the two onlooking boys. 'That was not your wand at all, no...' He dusted off a box and looked upwards at the shelf above as though contemplating getting another.

Offering Harry the one he had, Ollivander's words caught Severus' attention rather quickly.

'Willow. Eleven inches with a rather nice phoenix tail feather.' Ollivander's voice took on a stranger tone as he watched Harry wave his wand. The room glowed with warming, golden light from an undetermined source. 'It's reasonably swishy.' Ollivander added with an edge to his tone. Despite finding the right wand for Harry, he frowned at the display from such a wand and the boy it had chosen.

'That's very curious.' Said the wandmaker.

'Sorry, but what's so curious about my wand?' Harry wondered.

Ollivander looked at Severus and saw the extensively guarded expression on the black-haired wizard, and knew Severus had noticed as well. 'I remember every wand I ever sold. And I find yours to be very curious, considering your eyes. And your father.'

'What do you mean?' Harry frowned with increased confusion.

'Your eyes. They remind me of someone. A witch who had a willow wand that was also swishy, though hers was also very good for charmswork, whereas yours is rather undecided on its greatest strength. The girl, however, well...your father knew her.' Ollivander said in a soft voice filled with intrigue. 'What is your name, I wonder?'

'Cody.' Harry answered. 'Cody Summers. What was her name?'

'That is enough!' Severus found his composure, barely. 'We best be on our way. Ollivander, what is the total cost of these two wands?'

Ollivander answered and sold the pair of wands to them.

He watched Erin usher the children towards the door and was glad Severus remained behind for a moment. Severus had always been incredibly intuitive about such things, and even though Ollivander had seen him pass through his store from time to time over the last couple of years (though rarely in regards to matters concerning wands), Ollivander could not erase the image of the nervous eleven-year-old boy he had met all those years ago. The child who Ollivander saw more potential in than the boy himself could scarcely imagine, and as though to prove his instinctive estimation, that same child also obtained his finest ebony wand.

'Severus.' The aged wizard said carefully. 'You have seen it in the boy, I presume? Is he hers?'

'No.' Severus answered in defiance. 'Harry Potter is missing. Lily had no other children. Cody is my son.'

'Very well.' Ollivander nodded. 'I shall accept that answer. I find the wand choosing the wizard does not always care why, but I think in this case it is quite clear your son is destined for something beyond more than anticipated. She was, after all, a very talented witch. Her son or not - Cody is a very special boy if that wand has chosen him.'

'I am aware of my son's own potential. You needn't remind me.' Severus glanced once at Ollivander and left the store.

--

With the boys now in ownership of their very first wands, the group headed for the next item on the shopping list.

It took a moment to make the children focus, because they whined about wanting to carry their wands with them like real wizards did, but Severus would not allow it. He kept the boxes gripped under his arm and that's where they would remain for the time being.

'How many different cauldrons are there?' Jack asked Severus while reading over the requirement of a pewter standard size 2 cauldron, and walked towards the store they would be buying it from.

'Numerous.' Severus answered, his gaze sweeping over the area with practised concentration, once again on edge after leaving the private confines of the wand store. 'There are far too many in which to list.'

'Wow.' Jack admired not what Severus had said, but rather the many ingredients he saw through the Apothecary window. He pressed his hands to the glass, while Harry glanced at it once and sighed, looking back at the box of his wand in his father's fierce possession.

As the group bought a pair of shiny new pewter cauldrons, Jack rambled about all the potions he wanted to make once he got to Hogwarts. Severus, feeling he was going to get a headache trying to keep up with how fast the child was talking, decided not to tell Jack how impossible it would be for a first year to even attempt to brew what he was saying.

Erin seemed a bit dazed as they examined the phials, with Harry standing a short distance away. Jack frowned at his shopping list, as it said they could get glass or crystal and he wasn't sure which one to pick. Severus indicated to the crystal ones, and turned to look at his son. Harry seemed abnormally distracted by something outside the store window. Severus left the pair and walked to where his son was. Placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, the boy hardly moved at all and only sighed.

'Cody?'

'Her name was Lily, wasn't it?' Harry asked without looking up at the man, which was something Severus felt thankful for. 'I saw it on the tree, the one near Spinner's End. Lily and Sev; friends forever. What happened to her, dad?'

They were quiet for a moment.

The pair stared out the window of the darkened store and watched the passing crowd obliviously going about their businesses outside. Severus was glad his son didn't look his way, because of the bright, familiar green eyes he would have to endure at that moment, while thinking of her.

'She died.' Severus finally said. 'Much like your parents. The Dark Lord's reign caused the loss of many lives, and damaged even more.'

'You miss her, don't you?' Harry did turn around his time, though his father looked to the distance and avoided his gaze. 'She was your best friend, right? And it didn't last forever.' He didn't need to hear his father say it, as Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his dad. Severus entirely returned the gesture, unaware of Erin cleverly keeping Jack distracted to allow the father and son a moment of private peace.

'I'm sorry my wand makes you miss her.' Harry pressed his cheek to the soft material of Severus' robes. He briefly wondered if his dad's Lily was the same Lily as his birth mother had been, but didn't want to assume it just because of the small similarities. Lily might be a popular witch name, for all he knew 'But I'll use it well. I'll treasure my wand in her memory, and I promise I'll do my very best to look after it.'

'It is your wand, Cody.' Severus sighed. 'Despite the familiarities, the wand is entirely your own. You needn't have a noble reason for ensuring the required care and maintenance of your wand. Lily is gone. The past shall remain as such.'

'She's not gone, dad.' Harry told him as he let go and smiled up at his father, who did meet his eyes this time. 'Mum said that as long as we love someone, even when they're not around, then they're never really gone. I just wish I could have met her.'

'As do I.' Severus felt uncomfortable with the topic and nudged his son back into the depths of the store, directing the boy to the crystal phials.

They then joined Jack and Erin over at the scales, where she was trying to explain why he couldn't have the silver or gold ones, when the shopping list stated brass.

'Jack.' Harry said. 'I like the brass ones. And they must be good if Hogwarts wants us to use those ones. Besides, the other ones look like they cost a whole lot.' He said, diffusing the situation easily as Jack soon agreed with Harry and grabbed the brass ones.

'We just have to get a telescope now.' Harry said in a low tone, looking over his list yet again, his mind was still occupied with sadder and more serious thoughts.

Erin brushed some hair from his face in sympathy, and looked at Severus. She didn't say anything, and hadn't overheard what they'd been talking about, but Erin wished she could do something for him as well.

'Come along.' Severus seemed to sense her intentions, and quickly turned to lead the way to the counter so they could purchase some of the last of their items.

After the phials, the final requirement on the shopping list was a telescope, which was what they had to buy next.

This proved to be far more difficult than expected.

Jack quickly found one he liked, but Harry was very picky. Much like the dragon hide gloves, he and Severus examined their options and wanted to be satisfied with the selection they would make.

Erin, in effort to keep Jack content, as the boy was becoming increasingly bored, she took him outside the store so they at least had something to look at while they waited. Jack sat on a seat and watched some of the passer-bys with interest. He loved the magical shopping district and wished they could stay longer, even if his feet were getting a bit tired and he wanted to go back to Harry's house to try and make spells with his wand.

He straightened when something touched his leg so softly he'd barely felt it.

Wary of the unknown, Jack bent down and saw a black and white cat sitting near his ankles. It wasn't a kitten, but only just, and certainly hadn't reached adulthood yet. Its eyes were a dark gold, which had fixated on Jack's brown eyes.

'Hello.' Jack smiled and reached for the cat, and only just brushed his fingers against its fur before it jumped back. 'It's okay, I won't hurt you.' He tried to soothe it, but the cat did not appear convinced.

Jack realised it was a bit skinny, and its fur was rather messy. Looking around, Jack had a feeling this cat didn't have an owner. He wanted to point it out to Erin, but when he looked back under his seat, the creature was gone.

'Finally.' Erin breathed when Severus and Harry left the store. 'Is that everything Hogwarts has specified?'

'Almost.' Jack stood quickly. 'The letter says we can bring an owl, cat, or toad.' He reminded them. 'Cody's taking Frogabook. Can I have a pet too?'

'What would you like?' Erin asked. Severus looked like he strongly wanted to protest, as he considered Frogabook to be quite a menace as it was.

'Well, I don't know if Frogabook would like a toad friend.' Jack thought about his important decision on the way to the stores where he might find his new pet.

'And Frogabook might eat him.' Harry said honestly, which startled Erin and Jack as they considered the statement.

'Er, right.' Jack shuddered. 'I don't want my pet to be Frogabook's lunch. I know!' He pointed upwards at some of the animals in cages and in the windows. 'I'll get an owl. I love owls, and Mr Snape said they deliver post and everything.'

'Yes, they're very useful.' Erin nodded. 'Alright, how about we go inside and have a look at the owls? I'm sure we can find one you like.'

Severus stood outside to wait while Erin took the boys inside so Jack could pick an owl he wanted. He gaze narrowed when it became quite clear he had not imagined the person earlier, as the tall wizard walked in the direction of Knockturn Alley. He hadn't noticed Severus, and it was perhaps a very good thing, as the small group left the shop a few minutes later.

Jack did not have an owl with him.

'Is there a problem?' Severus asked.

'Yeah.' Jack said miserably. 'I didn't like any of them. And a crow bit me.' He frowned at his reddened finger.

Sighing, as he wasn't sure what to do now, Jack didn't realise the other three engaging in a conversation about lunch. He gasped, though it was drowned out by the crowd around them, when he saw the cat again.

'Hey.' Jack smiled at it, as the furry creature wandered across from him some several feet away. His mood dropped very quickly when the cat meowed and its tail drooped along with its ears. It looked so sad and abandoned that Jack could not stand the sight and knew he had to do something.

'Jack!' Erin exclaimed as he suddenly took off at a run.

They didn't know about the cat, and all the group saw was Jack run into a crowd of witches and wizards busy with their shopping. Severus snatched Harry's arm, as the boy looked ready to chase after his friend, and followed Erin in search of Jack.

The sandy-haired boy seemed to have vanished into thin air, despite such being impossible – even magically.

'Do. Not. Release. Him.' Severus said very firmly to Erin as he passed Harry's squirming wrist the Erin. She did not need telling and instead of holding the wrist of her son, she wrapped her arms all the way around his middle from behind.

'Mum!' Harry whined and tried to break free in fear for his friend, but his mother proved she was a lot stronger than she looked.

Severus had his wand out, and cast a locator charm to track down the runaway boy. He was very concerned when his wand indicated Jack had run into Knockturn Alley. Jack wasn't his son, yet fear clenched at Severus all the same.

'Ah, Snape!' Someone called to him in a manner of greeting when Severus he rushed passed, moving around Borgin and Burke's as he went.

He didn't even look to see who it had been to call his name. His only goal was to find Jack before all sorts of horrors happened to the eleven-year-old muggle-raised child. It took Severus several minutes to find the boy, and he couldn't even be mad as relief washed over him the moment he spotted Jack. The child was in a darkened corner and was bent over to pick up what looked like a cat. Severus reached him in a second and grasped him by his ear.

His relief washed out, and was replaced by his barely contained, silent fury.

'Ah!' Jack cried out in surprise and slight pain in his ear. He held the cat close and winced profoundly when he was unceremoniously dragged from Knockturn Alley.

Erin released Harry when she spotted them and rushed to Jack's side. She hugged him and cuffed the back of his head, which was something Severus had raised his hand to do. He was pleased she had picked up a few of his habits, though he was not pleased to see Jack looked rather unaffected by his venture into Knockturn Alley. Yes, he was glad the boy was safe and unharmed, however Jack should have been terrified and vowing to never, ever go back inside the dark alley again.

The boy looked like he'd just gone on a rather enlightening adventure, and it made Severus fear he could easily predict the house Jack would most unfortunately belong to.

--

'Why aren't we allowed a broomstick?' Harry asked an hour later.

The group had left the main portions of Diagon Alley and were alternating between less-ventured magical stores, and slightly more popular muggle-inspired ones across from them.

It was their last stop, where the group did a bit of last-minute shopping, in accordance to Erin's own handwritten list. The event consisted of buying the boys a brand new pair of shoes each, for everyday wear (not the black, laced uniform ones required for school, which they had already purchased), and a new pair of black and maroon striped pajamas for them. And for some reason no one wanted to ask about – a lot of soap.

Erin had so far collected at least six varieties of soap, and three different shampoo/conditioner potions.

While Harry was starting to think this part of the day was becoming rather dull, Jack could not be happier despite being scared of the glares constantly aimed his way by Severus. The cause for the sandy-haired boy's retrained enjoyment was the carry cage he gripped and dragged with him, which contained his newly adopted pet.

The black and white cat had feasted on most of the boy's lunch (which they slipped through the bars during the meal, thinking the adults hadn't noticed), and was looking rather pleased to be in its shiny new cage. After being chased and grabbed by an eleven-year-old, the cat seemed to think its situation had improved tremendously.

'Muuum!' Harry whined as they stood by shelves of products. She was rubbing his face with a sample of purplish soap and Harry did not like it one little bit. 'Gerroff!' He complained. 'Dad, help!'

Severus did not move the slightest in attempt to save his son from what he deemed as Erin's “excessive mothering”.

He hadn't liked the way she'd looked at him while browsing the shampoos earlier, and therefore Severus had no desire whatsoever to rescue Harry from her soap-laden clutches. Deciding Jack can start being punished early for his reckless stunt of running off to Knockturn Alley just for an underfed, formerly-abandoned cat, Severus strategically pushed the boy towards Erin, who instantly asked Jack if he liked the fruity fragrance of the conditioner she was sniffing.

'I don't need all of this stuff.' Harry insisted.

Jack looked like he wanted to agree, but did not risk saying anything as he glanced over his shoulder at the scowling Severus.

'Personal hygiene is very important, Cody.' Erin told her son a moment later when they left the store. Even so, she was still trying some of the soap on him despite his best efforts to evade her. 'Being clean is not just about washing your hands and face.' She lectured as another store caught her fancy and she led them inside.

As she perused the rows of potions that promised to make hair shine and skin become smooth, the boys huddled closer and began whispering to each other.

'Maybe we could hide under the counter?' Harry suggested in hurried undertones. 'Or behind dad?'

The boys hushed about their options of escape, even if neither of them had the nerve to actually flee, while Severus twitched as he easily overheard their plans. He hoped they realised he would not be the most effective defence, and if either child made a move to use him as a shield, they would be sorely sorry.

'Ah ha!' Erin exclaimed, making all three of them jump.

The two boys groaned at the sight of yet another sample they had to endure. As she asked Jack what he thought of the scent, which was apparently a task she had trusted to him, Harry spotted a speckled blue bottle on the shelf.

'That one looks nice.' He commented without realising.

'Oh?' Erin turned at once.

This was the first suggestion either of the boys had made and she was determined to evaluate it in every way. Harry almost wished he hadn't said anything, though Jack seemed rather grateful.

'This is very useful.' Erin commented. 'It says it can be used as a soap and shampoo.' She spoke aloud. 'It'll be more convenient, because you two need to wash everything properly.'

'Mum!' Harry choked from embarrassment, his face turning red while Jack stared intensely at the floor. Even the cat seemed uncomfortable, and it didn't know what was going on or the apparent torture its new owner was enduring.

'Cody, this is a very important matter.' Erin scolded her son. 'Being clean is a necessity. And you better be washing your hair and otherwise regularly, believe me, I'll know if you don't.'

'How?' Harry stared and shuddered.

'Mother's sense.' Was the only explanation she gave them. It seemed to worry the boys even more, to the point they could say nothing else until after they'd finally left the shop.

'Oh, I have bought you both extra sets of knickers as well.' She added, ignoring the sympathetic looks the boys shamefully got from people in the street.

'Muum!' Harry felt like he wanted to cry just from the humiliation. He was not looking forward to sorting through all her purchases later. 'I don't need that much! My hair's fine.'

'Cody Summers, it most certainly will not be if you don't maintain it!' Erin frowned at her son's lack of realisation towards how filthy one child can get in a single day. 'Dirt, potion fumes, and who knows what else? None of that is good for your hair. Just look at your father.'

Harry would have been amused by the quiet strangled sound Severus made, as the man flinched and resolved to a crimson blush, except Erin's words had finally left an impact on the boy.

He stared at the ground in silence as they walked the way back to the Leaky Cauldron where they were going to floo home at last. He didn't think about his hair getting dirty, or his fear of walking the halls of Hogwarts while smelling like flowers and strawberries, but rather he didn't like the comment his mother had made about his dad's hair.

It made Harry think of the time three years ago when he'd had to pick his name. Cody Harry Summers was what had been decided, but he'd secretly wanted to be called a “Snape” just like his dad. It was the first time Harry had truly realised that his father wasn't very liked in the magical world. Later on, Severus had hinted at a little more.

And Harry still held his determination to get everyone at Hogwarts to see just how wonderful his dad really was, if they just gave him a chance. Looking sideways at Severus' hair, though Harry saw nothing wrong with it, he did not want Erin's words to be true.

He felt rather unsettled when she said such a comment he deemed to be harsh and uncalled for, so Harry had a lot to think about as he barely managed to floo to the right fireplace. Severus, of course, apparated once again, much to the annoyance of Erin, who thought if they were to be covered in soot than he should be as well. Muttering reputedly about the existence of her perfectly working car, Erin sat down to sort through the items she had bought.

Severus instantly looked towards the basement door like a mouse preparing to scurry into hiding, and was startled as a package was placed into his hands by a smiling Erin. With extreme caution, he peeled back the brown paper. In his shock towards the contents, Severus did not have the courage to tell Erin that her kind and carefully selected hygiene choices for him were, in fact, something from any dignified man's nightmare.

As the final week of August grew ever closer, and the calendar on the fridge magically crossed out the days remaining until September arrived, the entire household was very busy almost every day.

When Harry wasn't constantly asking his dad why first years weren't allowed broomsticks, and Jack wasn't chasing his new cat around the house (which Frogabook had taken to hiding from), the group were putting all their energy and time towards preparing for the boy's first term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

And that meant Harry and Jack were often seen each night sitting quietly, though reluctantly, in the living room where they read through the first chapter of their textbooks. It was, of course, upon Severus' firm instruction that they at least read through the very first chapter of every single one of their set course books before getting on the train. The boys cared about their studies, but would much rather be begging for their wands and running around in the backyard than sitting and studying for their classes before school had even started.

Jack tried many times to trick Severus into thinking he'd already read most of it, or to avoid reading all of it at all, and none of them had worked. Harry was the smarter one, deciding to quietly get it over with. Surely the beginning chapter of each of the books would run out of pages soon?

Several days before the arrival of the final week at home in the muggle world, something happened that no one had been prepared for.

Harry's jealousy of any significant attention Jack received from either Erin or Severus had been growing. He tried to ignore it, but his emerald gaze followed his best friend when he felt threatened by the fear Jack was getting more from his parents than Harry felt he should be. He tried to be reasonable, really he did, but Harry could not help feeling hurt by it and worrying that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't being paranoid.

He sat on the floor of the living room with Frogabook, who was sleeping on his open History of Magic textbook (something Harry considered very helpful), and watched across the hall to the kitchen. He could see Jack seated in a chair at the table, his head bent over a piece of parchment in frustration. Erin stood behind him, giving Jack advice and praise in her efforts to teach the boy to write with a quill.

Harry thought he was being stupid, because he knew Jack needed to learn and Harry himself had many years ago with his dad's careful teaching. His mum had been taught then as well. And yet there Jack sat, with Erin, in the same chair Harry had sat in, as she educated him with smiles and encouragement.

'That's it, you're getting the hang of it!' Erin cheered sometime later as Severus emerged from the basement. Hovering jars, vials, and containers followed him. He placed a leather doctor-like bag on the ground and hovered the contents into it. Harry remembered asking his dad about that bag a year ago; it was used to store potion-related items of sensitive value without them becoming damaged or disturbed. And there was unlimited space. Harry had wanted one for himself, but Severus did not think he needed one just yet.

'What are those?' Jack asked eagerly as he left the seat and approached the bag. 'Were those potions?'

'No.' Severus answered. He reached in and lifted out a container that caused Harry to squirm with an uncomfortable feeling.

The dark-haired boy watched with building insecurity and frustration as Severus pointed to the orange-tinted leaves of the ingredient Harry himself had picked from their special garden outside. He told Jack how to recognise their use, and potions they can be used in, just as he had told Harry all those years ago.

'Jack, would you like to help with dinner?' Erin asked as she emerged from the kitchen.

And that was about as much as Harry could handle.

Jack had always been good at cooking and so he nodded his head at the request with a smile. Harry helped with dinner from time to time, but he always offered and was never asked. Jack had received something Harry hadn't, and no reasoning was getting through to the offended boy. He ducked his head, hot tears burning his eyes, as his fists clenched and he tried to tell himself why he was being silly, and how bad it would be if he did anything about it.

But Harry didn't care.

He got more angry, and further hurt, as he listened to Jack and Erin laughing, and to his father placing more things into the bag containing precious items Harry had gathered under his careful guidance.

And finally, like a bottle being filled with a fizzy liquid – his emotions burst.

'I KNEW IT!' Harry jumped up, his cheeks trailed with tears as his eyes glared angrily and painfully at his parents.

The three of them were shocked by his sudden yell, so much that Severus only had sharp reflexes to stop himself from dropping a vial of blue liquid into his bag of ingredients.

'Cody, what-?' Erin gasped as she clutched her chest as though he had nearly given her a heart-attack.

Jack's eyes were wide and frantic, while Severus just looked plain annoyed and regretful of leaving the safety of his basement.

'You-you like Jack more than me.' Harry's lip trembled, but his anger spurred him onwards. 'You're going to...' He sniffled at the fear that had seized him, a terror he had not realised had been haunting him until now. 'Jack's a better son, isn't he? You love him more. I bet you're going to get rid of me and keep him instead!' Harry's knees felt weak as he cried more than yelled now.

'That's why you asked him to stay?' Harry turned his hurt gaze to his father, who avoided looking in his direction and appeared to ignore the boy entirely. This did not help matters at all. 'Or-or why you hug him so much, but not me?' Harry accused Erin, who looked sad and as though she wanted to hug him right then and never let go.

'You love him more!' Harry shouted again and aimed a kick at the nearest thing he could reach with his foot.

It turned out to be his History of Magic textbook, which Frogabook had hurriedly vacated the moment Harry had started yelling. His tantrum-fuelled kicking had caused the book to fly at a nearby wall, spilling pages as it slumped onto the floor like a shot bat.

'Cody, that is quite enough!' Erin scolded.

In reaction to the outburst, Jack took an instinctive step towards Severus who he always saw as someone strong and protective. Harry noticed, and in a rush of desperation, lunged towards his father. Severus had straightened and looked skyward with irritation as Harry clamped his grip around his dad's arm.

'You can't have my dad!' Harry told Jack, who he blamed for the entire ordeal. 'He's my daddy!'

'I don't want your dad!' Jack shouted back, feeling annoyed by the accusations and guilty as though he had done something wrong, but he didn't know what.

'What's wrong with my dad?' Harry faltered a little.

'Nothing, I just...' Jack shook his head. 'This is stupid! What's your problem?'

'You!' Harry released Severus and the man reached for him, but missed.

He slammed into Jack with just enough force to knock the other boy over. The two eleven-year-olds scuffled until a loud sound startled them. With the distraction, Erin and Severus each reached for a child and pulled him away.

Harry saw Erin holding onto Jack, and hurt flooded him again.

'Enough.' Severus said in a dangerously low tone.

He snatched the scruff of Harry's neck and dragged him from the room. He shoved the boy lightly into the child's bedroom and the door was soundly shut. Guarding it, Severus looked down at his sniffling son and waited for Harry to calm down a little.

Harry, his shoulders hunched and his mind confused, sank to the ground and pressed his forehead to the floor as he cried. Nearly an entire month he had gone without exploding like he just had. It wasn't something he did, to just react like that instead of enduring and then later venting in his own space. He'd gotten upset and Harry really wished he had just stormed outside and kicked a ball around until he'd calmed down, or gone to his room himself and buried his face in the pillows.

And now his dad was mad with him, which only made Harry feel even worse.

There wasn't much time left until Harry had to start Hogwarts, and the boy felt he wasn't ready, that he would never be ready. On top of that, the jealousy towards Jack had reached the point where Harry had to vent his frustrations, and he had gone about it all wrong.

He knew that now, but it was too late to take it back.

For those few minutes he was allowed to cry against his bedroom floor, trying to cope with frustrations and confusions he didn't understand, Harry almost wished he was the invisible boy again.

As Harry sniffled against the wooden floor of his room, with his father standing nearby and blocking his exit to the bedroom, a lot of thoughts rushed through his already clouded mind. Having a family was a lot harder than Harry had ever thought it would be. Especially when his fear of losing his parents haunted him, always made him worry, and caused Harry to react in ways he probably blew out of proportion.

And that's exactly what had happened.

Several minutes ago he had yelled and kicked at things, having an all-out tantrum unlike any he'd had before since he'd moved to Spinner's End and then their new home. Sure, he'd yelled before and once threw a tomato at his dad, (who had effectively dodged it then made him clean it off the wall), but never to this extent. And he felt bad about it now he was beginning to calm down a little, though his emotions swirled through him like a mix of sour milk and oranges in a blender.

Harry released a jagged breath as he tried to stop himself from crying, but it was futile.

'Cease this outburst at once.' Severus' sharp tone caused Harry to look up, his thoughts momentarily blurred.

'I will not stand for this childish display! Your selfishness is unacceptable, Cody. Have you forgotten that Jack's parents all but abandoned him on our doorstep, rather than wait a few weeks to bid him farewell?' He lectured. 'Did it escape your careful notice that Jack is not as educated in regards to the ways and phrases of the magical world, and therefore requires additional teaching, in which you have already progressed beyond? Did you expect us to ignore him and bathe you in attention for the entire duration?'

'No!' Harry felt horrible now, more so than before, with each word his father spoke. He was right, of course; Harry had been selfish when he should have been more sympathetic to Jack, and not reacted so badly over something he knew was a bit uncalled for.

And even so, Harry could not help it.

'I...I didn't want you to love him more than me.' Harry admitted, ducking his head again as he wanted to curl up somewhere and cry until he couldn't any more.

A shadow overcast Harry as Severus crouched in front of him. His chin was raised by the soft hand of his father, who spelled away the tear trails on his cheeks, and brushed some hair from Harry's face with his thumb.

'Daddy.' Harry leapt towards Severus and sobbed against him, hoping his tears were representative of his pain and would be washed away in his father's returned embrace.

As they sat uncomfortably on the floor of Harry's room, Severus thought about how he'd had a similar fear in his own childhood. Minus the tantrum, of course. Or at least he hadn't thrown a fit in a place where he had witnesses.

In the beginning of his fifth year, Severus began to really worry Lily would like someone else more than him; namely the Marauders. He was scared that if she saw how good James was at Transfiguration, or how entertained Sirius's friends were, or the way Remus was a walking reference of the most useful books in the library, then she would leave him. Severus would be forgotten and lose the only true friend he'd ever had. It had been the moment when he'd reacted with the most terrible word in a situation of extreme insecurity and embarrassment, that Severus realised he loved her.

And by then, it was too late.

Maybe his own fears had been as exaggerated and unfounded as Harry's were now. Severus didn't know, nor did he want to. Unlike Harry, he couldn't take back his words, his actions, and his blindness to the truth of the situation.

'Cody.' Severus urged the boy towards the bed where they sat side by side, with Harry wiping his eyes with his sleeve even if they were already dry.

'You are my son. The existence of life itself does not compare to how much I love you, and how proud of you I am. Your atrocious behaviour is not a result of anything your mother and I have done, not in the manner in which you fear. Jack is your best friend and a fellow wizard. He is an extension of this family, in his own way, and it is essential for you to understand that no one - Jack or otherwise – will ever replace you in the eyes of myself and your mother.'

'You really mean that?' Harry asked in a timid voice, staring wide-eyed at his father with awe and surprise.

The blender of emotions stopped and a wash of relief was refreshing, slowly erasing the badness before it.

'Have I ever deliberately stated a fact in which proved to be false?' Severus frowned. 'With the exception of anything regarding your mother's cooking or ideals.' He added when Harry opened his mouth to reply.

'No.' The boy sighed and felt very foolish for what he had done. 'I'm sorry.'

Harry was about to tell Severus just how sorry he was, when the bedroom door slowly opened to reveal Erin. She quietly stepped into the room and Harry felt his stomach drop like a bag of rocks. Her face was sad and worried, which he knew was his fault because he'd shouted and kicked his book.

Unable to look at her own ushered tears, Harry stared at his lap instead.

'Severus?' Erin looked to him and hoped she wasn't interrupting.

She had been alarmed by Harry's sudden tantrum, and Erin worried about her son who looked so hurt and confused as he sat on his bed staring downwards. She'd seen the looks he'd given Jack occasionally, but never had Erin imagined it would amount to this. She wasn't sure if it was just jealously or something else. It worried her most that she may have missed something, that Harry might have needed her and she hadn't realised when it mattered.

Erin was determined to understand what happened, and why her son had reacted the way he did.

'Cody?' Severus nudged the boy. 'Perhaps you ought to tell your mother precisely what you told me?'

Harry didn't look up, and only shook his head adamantly.

It had been hard enough telling his dad, and now all his anger was gone, Harry did not think he could say his fears aloud again. He heard his dad tell his mum instead, about how he was scared they would love Jack more than him, and his fear of losing them, though Harry could not remember saying quite so much.

How was it his dad always knew what he was thinking and feeling?

'Oh, sweetheart.' Erin gasped and placed a hand over her mouth in surprise.

Hearing how hurt he was, and the reasons for it broke her heart. She fought through pure stubbornness not to cry, and instead tried to appear strong for her son. As she crouched in front of him, placing her hands on his knees, Harry inched back and avoided her gaze.

Severus, thinking the mother and child needed a moment, moved to leave the bed and venture back downstairs. He barely managed to stand upright when his actions were dramatically hindered.

'NO!' Harry shrieked and lunged at his father's arm.

He held on tight and pressed his face to the sleeve, his eyes wide with emotion as he did not want to be separated from is hero, and the true representation of stability. He inhaled short, ragged breaths until Severus slowly sat back down. Harry realised his hero was the only person in his entire life who hadn't left him. Sure, he'd almost been late to pick him up from school one day three years ago, but other than that, he'd always been there when Harry needed him most.

His mother, though against her will, had left him as well. She came back, and he was so happy she had, but the hurt remained deep down. He remembered needing her and being taken someplace else, somewhere much nastier and where he though he'd become invisible because no one seemed to want him around, and ignored him when they could. They ignored a lot of things about him, really. Severus never went away, he never ignored him when he was hurting or feeling lonely, and he was always there to help Harry.

'Daddy, please don't go.' Harry snuggled close to his father's side. And he knew his father wouldn't, because he never did.

Turning to his mother, he braved her sad face and tried to tell her he was sorry, but the words were lost in his throat.

'My sweet boy.' Erin whispered and brushed some hair from his face, which caused calmness within him and he leaned slightly towards the affection. 'It pains me that you're hurting. I do wish you had told me sooner, then we could have avoided all of this. Yelling and kicking things is not the best way to deal with your emotions. You need to tell us when you're hurting, not just when it becomes too much.'

'I'm s-sorry.' Harry sniffled and buried his face against his father's arm, which caused the man to twitch.

'Shhh.' Erin sat beside Harry so he was seated between both his parents, and pulled her son to her for a hug.

He didn't want to be even an inch away from Severus, and only allowed the embrace from his mother because the man had shoved him towards her. Harry, still gripping a handful of his father's sleeve, closed his eyes as he cuddled his mother. She hummed to him and rocked slightly like she used to when he'd had a nightmare years ago. Though he was now eleven, it was exactly the soothing action he needed to calm down and release all his fears.

He didn't even hear the yelp from his father when Erin pulled him closer, so Harry's arm was no longer stretched as far as it would go in effort not to let go of him.

The boy sat there with his mum to his right and dad to the left. He felt at peace, listening to his mother's humming and feeling secured by the grip he had on his father's sleeve. Erin was talking and Harry tried to listen, but tuned out when it was a lot of similar things Severus had already told him. She mentioned Jack's situation, and how Harry could never be replaced.

'I would not have spent three years searching for you, and missing you each and every day, if I did not love you as much as I do.' Erin said, and Harry's eyes partially opened when he caught those words. 'Do you remember a couple of months ago when Jack had gone home and you thought, just maybe, that his parents didn't love him as much as your father and I love you?'

'Yes.' Harry said in a guilty tone.

He did remember that day very clearly.

He had talked to his parents, and told them what he thought and how he'd felt. It was what he should have done today, rather than the scene he had caused. It also made him think, because amongst his jealously and then guilt, the thought had strayed back to his mind a few times. Harry kept seeing Jack's parents getting into the car and leaving, and then Jack hugging Severus in his hurt.

Harry remembered Jack seeming so aloof about his parents leaving, and so casual about it all, and then he'd basically fallen apart when it actually happened. It made him sad, and Harry realised he wasn't jealous anymore. He knew what it was like, and he had done just what some had to him in the past.

'I expect you to apologise to Jack, when you're ready. Your actions hurt him as well. You said some unkind things that were not his fault.' Erin said, but she didn't need to because Harry was already trying to work out how he was going to tell his best friend he was really sorry for what happened.

'And I hope you understand how so very loved you are, sweetheart. Your father and I wouldn't give you up for the whole world.' Erin kissed his head and brushed some hair from his face.

Harry smiled and closed his eyes again, knowing his father had moved to sit even closer. It was, to him, what love itself felt like, to be encircled by his mum and dad as they reminded him how much he meant to them.

'I love you too, mum.' Harry whispered, his eyes closing again. 'And daddy.' He managed to say before his emotional exhaustion and relaxation lulled him into a serene sleep.

--

Harry missed dinner that night, as he slept in his bed under the sheets and dreamed of sitting in a flying cauldron, passing stars and baked cakes along the way. He saw a castle in the distance, which he tried to reach, but with an unexpected flash of green light, Harry awoke.

Sitting upright, Harry looked around and remembered why it was dark and the reason he was in his bed.

Yawning, he saw it was almost midnight, as judged by the blue dimly glowing clock on his wall, which was shaped like a star. He forgot the dream immediately, and wondered what had woken him. He guessed his parents were asleep, and yet there was light entering into his room.

'Harry?' A hurried whisper reached him.

He looked towards the ajar door and saw Jack standing there in his new pajamas (which Harry was wearing also, despite having no memory of changing into them), with a lit candle in his hand.

'Jack?' Harry rubbed his eyes. 'What are you doing?'

'I came to see if you were awake.' Jack walked into the room and blew out the candle - it was getting hot to hold and the window streamed enough moonlight for them to see. 'Are you okay now?'

'Yeah.' Harry ducked his head in shame. 'I'm really, really, really sorry!'

'It's okay.' Jack sounded relieved. 'I mean, it wasn't nice, but...your mum explained it a bit. I'm sorry you got upset because of me.'

'No, it's not your fault.' Harry insisted. 'I was stupid. I thought they'd like you more than me.'

'Nah.' Jack shook his head. 'They could never do that. You're their son, not me.' He sounded sad and Harry didn't know what to say.

He felt bad about what happened, and he sad for Jack as well. Harry wished the entire day hadn't happened. They sat there awkwardly, and deep in thought, for several minutes until the boys knew they were okay. Jack and Harry were friends again and their situation was resolved, even if they both wished they could say something helpful.

Harry, in an act of impulse, hugged his best friend tightly and Jack returned the gesture.

They laughed quietly about how silly they thought they'd both been, and everything seemed to be back to normal. Both boys jumped and turned quickly when the overhead light flicked on and a sleepy-looking Severus stood in the doorway, clothed in his own pajamas.

'Bed.' He grunted to Jack, who snatched his candle and hurried from the room. 'Sleep.' He added to Cody.

Harry opened his mouth to complain, but sighed and lay back down. 'Night, dad.' He said.

'Sleep well, Harry.' Severus yawned as the light was switched back off and the man returned to his room.

Harry lay there for a while longer before he could get back to sleep, thinking about how things were better again, and that the last time his father had ever called him “Harry” was when he'd been sick from the poison three years ago.

--

After the drama and apologies, the household remained quieter for the next day, until everything gradually went back to how it had been before, minus Harry's jealousy.

They had eight days left until August was over, and September could begin. And on that morning, when the sky was only just starting to lighten and the sun rise, Harry was jerked from his sleep by his father.

'Dad, what the hell?' Harry groaned and tried to pull his sheets over his head, but suspected his father's magic was to blame for his inability to do so.

'Get up.' Severus told him. 'And be quiet. It would be unwise to wake your mother at such an hour.'

'It's stupid to wake anyone at such an hour!' Harry whined, though in a lower tone. 'What's going on?'

'Up. Get dressed and you shall see. I expect to see you in the kitchen in five minutes.' Severus instructed and left the room.

Harry, muttering to himself about fathers who inhaled too many potion fumes, got up and dragged himself towards the bathroom.

Yawning, he dressed in a pair of jeans and a yellow long-sleeved shirt. Ignoring his hair, he made his way downstairs and yawned again into the back of his hand. Reaching the kitchen, Harry saw his father's precious potion storage bag hovering beside the kitchen counter, and a large range of potion vials and jars of ingredients sitting on the table.

He was feeling much more awake already.

'What are you doing?' Harry wondered.

'We are going to be sorting the remainder of my collection.' Severus told him. 'It is a shared duty I trust only to you.'

Smiling, Harry sat on his knees at the table and looked over the items in front of him. He glanced at his father and knew his dad had all the knowledge, patience, and time he needed to do the job on his own, therefore had no actual need for Harry's help. It was a nice gesture anyway, and Harry felt proud to be trusted with it. He saw this as a great chance to spend some personal time with his dad, which Harry felt he really needed after all the things going on in his life lately.

'So, how do we sort them?' Harry asked, and was eager to learn.

Unlike Jack, Harry had no strong interest in Potions itself, but rather the way his father always had time for it. He loved learning about the ingredients and plants, however, and hearing his dad speak in his deep voice about all the useful things they could do.

Really, as long as Harry wasn't in trouble, he felt he could listen to his dad all day.

'It is essential that we first determine which ingredients should be retained, and which used before we depart from this house, so they do not do to waste.' Severus explained.

He stood across from the boy, with the table between them, and kept his gaze on the objects of Potioneering importance.

'Then it will be necessary to select the potions for available use, in which shall be obtained from a cupboard in our long-term residence within the school. Those remaining ought to be cautiously stored for emergencies or...otherwise.' Severus said the last word carefully.

And the pair set to work a minute later.

Harry had a lot of fun with his task, picking the ingredients he thought they would need later, and smiled at the praise he received when his guesses were correct or his explanations for his decisions were silently applauded by his dad. Harry forgot what time is was as they worked, until there were only three vials of strange liquid left, each a different colour, and Harry wasn't sure what they contained as Severus decided not to tell him many details.

By then the sun had risen and snoring was heard from the living room.

Jack had been woken at one point and came downstairs thinking it was time for breakfast. When he saw what was on the table instead, he grumbled and retreated to the living room (upon realising what time is was), deeming his borrowed room too far away in his state of sleepiness, and on the couch he remained. The sandy-haired boy hadn't moved since, as the father and son finished their task with a blue-smoky potion being placed into the bag, and Erin obliviously slept undisturbed upstairs.

'Go and wake your mother.' Severus told Harry as he placed a plate of scrambled eggs on the table. 'Jack!'

'I'm awake!' Jack jerked upright on the sofa and nearly slid off it in shock. Yawning loudly, he scratched his head and made his way into the kitchen for the breakfast he had hoped for many hours ago.

'Why do I have to wake her?' Harry whined to his father. 'You know mum hates getting up early.'

'Precisely.' Severus narrowed his eyes. 'Should I be the one to interrupt her sleep, the experience will be most displeasing. You, however, as her son, presents her with a welcome sight in the morning.'

'So basically, she'll throw her pillow at your face and shout about how annoying you are...' Harry smirked as he remembered past incidences. Actually, a pillow in the face was considered lucky. 'But if I wake mum, she'll just hug me and probably get up?'

'I think I'd rather be you, Cody.' Jack commented.

'Fine.' Harry exhaled loudly and went to wake his mother, as Severus gave him a stern expression and pointed a spoon towards the stairs.

Severus grabbed a bowl and scooped some scrambled eggs into it, knowing Erin would want to eat right away as long as she had her coffee as well. He made sure to place the bowl closer to Jack, giving Erin the impression the boy had served the food rather than himself.

Erin was convinced he would one day try to poison her with something dreadful-tasting that would make her lose her voice for a day. Severus had to admit, there were times when he had been sorely tempted. He made the mistake of saying it aloud, and she hadn't trusted him with her food since.

--

An hour before lunch, Harry went to the basement door clutching a book in his arms.

He exhaled and raised a hand to knock. He wasn't sure why his father was in the basement at all, since he was given the impression it was now empty. If he asked his mother, Erin would likely say the man was hiding in his “bat cave”. Unlike Jack, Harry wouldn't think of a superhero named Batman, but rather comment he'd never seen any bats in the basement when he had been down there that one time.

'Yes?' Severus asked as he opened the door and looked down at his son.

'I, uhm...' Harry blushed. 'I was wondering if you could fix this, please?'

He held up his History of Magic textbook, which had not been touched since he'd kicked it on the night of his tantrum.

'I finished reading the first five chapters of it, like you told me to.' He added. 'But some of the pages have fallen out and...' He trailed off, holding it up for his father to see.

'Very well.' Severus sighed and waved his wand.

'Wow.' Harry smiled in amusement as the book fixed itself and looked brand new again. 'Oh, dad?' He fidgeted. 'There's something else I wanted to ask you as well.'

'Go on.' Severus looked to be dreading the question, because Harry seemed far too determined and yet embarrassed.

'I-Can I wash your hair?' Harry asked quickly. 'Mum said it's never clean, but I think it's fine. I mean, what if someone else thinks that it looks bad and they don't like you? Or-or I don't know, but please?'

'You...' Severus paused to be sure he'd heard correctly. 'You wish to wash my hair to ensure others will like me?' He frowned at the mere idea. 'I am fully capable of washing my own hair, Cody. I do not require assistance!'

'I know!' Harry said hastily. 'I think you're great. And I like your hair. But I don't want someone else to not like you because of anything. You told me I couldn't be Cody Snape because at Hogwarts not a lot of people like you.' He remembered.

Severus though the boy was rambling nonsense and if anyone didn't like him it wasn't going to be because of his hair, which he did wash on a regular basis! He was about to tell his son how silly the idea was, and that it doesn't matter what anyone thought of him because it wasn't their job to be who someone else wanted them to be. He stopped, however, at the look of utter desperation on his son's face. The boy honestly believed that in washing his father's hair for him it would make him more likeable. Or rather, Severus soon realised, give Erin no reason to complain about his hair.

The boy was scared anyone, even his own mother, would not like his dad for even the smallest of reasons.

'Please, daddy?' Harry did something he had never done before at any moment in his life.

He had heard about it, and once seen Jack use it on a teacher to get out of trouble, but he had never had a reason big enough to try it for himself. He had practised all morning. Harry stuck out his lower lip and bit it lightly, his eyes aimed at his father with an expression of sad pleading. It was the puppy-dog eyes, something Jack had once told him was a special kind of magic only few could master.

Harry didn't realise it, but he was a natural, and Severus had trouble preserving his composure at the sight of it.

As ridiculous as the request was, Severus found himself agreeing to what could only be an act of shredding his dignity to allow an eleven-year-old wash his hair with one of those dreaded products Erin had purchased. And he was right.

Harry led him upstairs to the bathroom (after putting his book back in his room), and watched as Severus conjured a wooden stool for himself to sit on. It was decided they would use the exact method Severus had once done for Harry when the boy had been eight and too sick to shower, but his hair had to be washed. He'd sat on a seat and wrapped a towel around his shoulders, which Severus specially spelled to serve as a protection from any water or soap. As long as he wore it, Harry had never gotten one drop of water on himself, other than his head which was being washed by his mother.

'Is this it?' Harry asked, lifting a large white towel from an underneath cupboard. It had a golden leaf embroiled in one corner, which was how he had identified it.

'It is hardly necessary to use the exact same towel.' Severus sighed. 'Very well.' He added and cast the enchantments upon it, adding a few extra ones for the safety of his pride, such as an anti-bubble spell, in case one of the products frothed with pink bubbles, which was something he did not think belonged anywhere near his vicinity.

'Ready, dad?' Harry asked with a chuckle of amusement.

He stood on a stool behind his dad and could see the man's thoroughly loathing expression in the mirror above the sink. He had picked the shampoos and conditioners that were the most “normal”, because Harry didn't think it was nice to make someone's hair do strange things or smell like flowers.

Severus was eternally grateful for his son's sympathetic common sense.

--

'Jack?' Erin halted the boy as he was about to climb over the sofa.

She looked a little concerned, as she hadn't seen Harry for hours and she'd been working in the kitchen to try a new cake recipe.

'Have you seen Cody?'

'I heard him laughing upstairs.' Jack shrugged. 'Have you seen Earnest anywhere?'

'Check under your bed.' Erin suggested, thinking of the newly-named cat Jack owned. 'He seems to like it under there.'

'I already looked there.' Jack sighed. 'I'm gonna check outside.' He said and hurried to where Frogabook was sunbathing, since they had placed a cat-flap on the back door. Severus had added more spells to the backyard, making sure Earnest could not leave the yard even if he wanted to.

'Hm, where is that boy?' Erin frowned. She turned towards a sound on the stairs and saw Harry descending them with a smile on his face. 'There you are!'

'Hi, mum.' Harry struggled not to laugh. 'Is it time for lunch yet?'

'Almost.' Erin said and looked over the boy's shoulder to Severus, who was looking very irritated as he followed the boy. 'What were you two doing?' She asked, becoming rather suspicious with what Harry had convinced his father to help him with next.

'Nothing.' Harry shrugged with a cheeky smile. 'Where's Jack? I saw Earnest sneak into my cupboard a minute ago.'

'He's outside.' Erin pointed to the back door. 'Does anyone else smell apricots?' She frowned and sniffed the air.

Erin was confused when Harry burst into giggles and fled from the room, whereas Severus growled and marched off to the basement. When he emerged half an hour later for lunch, the fruity scent of his hair was gone, though Erin noticed it was wavier than usual and asked if he had washed it.

Severus denied everything.

'Three days left.' Harry said to Jack, as they looked at their hand-made calendar that was still pinned to the fridge. 'Two, really, as of midnight tonight.' He sighed and looked at his best friend. 'It's so soon.'

'I know.' Jack nodded and stared at the two blank spaces of their remaining days. 'In two days we're going to Hogwarts. I still can't believe it.'

'Boys.' Erin said. 'Dinner.'

The two eleven-year-olds walked to the table and sat down, quiet for a moment as they thought about September.

Despite spending an entire month preparing, they did not feel anywhere near ready for the drastic change in their lives. They'd been counting down all month, and still the last few days felt to have snuck up on them. Neither of the boys touched much of their pasta, until Erin urged them to eat.

'Dad?' Harry looked to his father, who was seated across from him. 'What's a Ravenclaw?' He asked. 'I heard someone say it when we were in Diagon Alley.'

'It is one of the four Hogwarts houses.' Severus answered. 'Upon arrival, all first year students are sorted into a house, which is dictated by an old hat.'

'Does it pick randomly?' Jack wondered. 'Can Cody and I be in the same house?'

'No.' Severus said. 'You are placed into the house you belong in, as determined by your personality and aspirations.'

'What are the houses?' Harry felt even more nervous now. 'What's the difference? Were you in a house at Hogwarts? Which one?' His questions rolled off his tongue before he could stop them.

Severus placed his fork beside his almost-empty plate and rested his elbows on the surface of the table. His hands against his chin, Severus thought about what he had been asked. It was easy to give them the basics and send them off with certain judgements and ideals about those of each house, but Severus could not do that. He knew Jack was likely to end up in Gryffindor and sharing his thoughts about the house he despised was not going to be very beneficial to either child.

As for his son, well, Severus didn't have the slightest idea which house the boy may end up in.

'Ravenclaw house is known to be wise and of considerable intellect, though at times, eccentric.' Severus began. 'Ravenclaws are often very observant and may notice what so many may not. Hufflepuff house is for those of strong spirit. They work hard and are very loyal, which enables them to push themselves further if need be. They are exceptionally fair and just. Gryffindor house...' He paused and had to think for a moment, trying really hard not to say what he deemed to be the dreadful truth.

'Gryffindors are honoured for their courage and nobility. They will not allow fear to hinder them in any task or situation, even if it often leads to recklessness. And their rivals are said to be Slytherin.' He could not deny that honestly, since the boys would hear of the disagreements between the two houses anyway.

'Slytherin, my former house, prides itself on ambition. They will not let go of their dreams until they have achieved them. Their reputation in comparison to the other houses is often categorised as being self-serving and ill-intending, though I can personally assure you that neither of the four houses is any worse than the other, nor better.' He wasn't entirely honest in his words, as Severus thought Gryffindor was an atrociously annoying house, but the boys didn't need to hear that.

And when a silence occurred, it only lasted a short moment before the boys loaded Severus with more questions. Erin then joined in with some of her own.

The meal lasted longer than it ever had, and soon it was time for the boys to go to bed. Once the two young wizards were in their own beds and fast asleep, the adults returned to the living room and Erin cast Severus a thoughtful expression.

'Severus?' Erin asked quietly. 'Sirius was in Gryffindor, wasn't he?'

'Yes.' Severus glared.

'And you were in Slytherin.' Erin sighed. 'I've always been under the assumption that neither of you got along. Was is because of the rift between the two houses, as you said, or was it something more?'

'It is a matter I do not wish to discuss.' Severus turned to look at her. 'You hold Sirius Black at high regard. Anything I say, however true it may be, will tarnish your fondness for him.' He said and turned to sit at the table.

He summoned a pile of parchment and began writing out plans and signing forms.

Erin stood in the hallway where he had left her and stared to the distance. She had been afraid of such an answer, and decided she did not want to know why Severus didn't like Sirius. She wasn't ready for the truth. And so, she walked to the living room and sat down with a sigh.

Erin hadn't told anyone, though she knew Severus likely suspected, but she was as nervous as the boys about going to Hogwarts.

---

Many miles away, another mother was preparing for her child's venture to Hogwarts as well.

She sat in an armchair by a fireplace, swirling the amber liquid in her glass, as she looked towards a window across the room.

'Are you certain?' The woman glanced to her husband, who stood nearby reading a long scroll of parchment.

'It was him.' He nodded. 'I have no doubt. He was distracted when I called to him, but it was Severus Snape.'

'In Knockturn Alley?'

'Is that so hard to believe?' He looked to his wife with a frown. 'The man used to be Death Eater; everyone knows that. And no one stops being a Death Eater.'

'You should know.' She answered in a bitter tone, her gaze drifting to his left forearm, though it was covered by his dark maroon sleeve. 'What about our son? You saw Severus Snape in Knockturn Alley, where he had retrieved a boy of Hogwarts age. He is hardly the man to babysit. Do you think he has a child of his own?'

'It is possible.' The husband nodded. 'If it's true, then I will tell him. Our boy cannot go to Hogwarts without knowing.'

'Are you sure he's ready?' She worried and sipped the last of her drink. 'Surely we should wait? Until we know the truth?'

'No.' The man shook his head. 'He must be prepared. If a classmate of his is in association with Severus Snape, then there is no other choice. He has to know. I will tell him first thing tomorrow morning.'

'And the girl?' She glanced firmly at her husband with a look of caution.

'She won't be missed.' He said quickly. 'I assure you, it will be fine. Everything is in place. Our plan will work.'

'Alright.' She leaned back in her seat and sighed with dread, thinking about her sleeping child upstairs, who was unaware of his parent's serious discussion. 'Tell him.'

Everyone slept in the next day, even Severus.

As they sat down for a late breakfast of cereal and toast, Earnest the cat tried to play a game of chase with Frogabook underneath the table, but the over-large frog ignored him.

'You'll each need to get to work on your name tags.' Erin reminded the boys. 'It says so in your letter that it is recommended, and therefore I think you should get it out of the way.'

'But we still have to pack!' Jack whined.

'You haven't packed yet?' Erin's eyes widened as though this was a huge bump in their schedule.

'We did!' Harry insisted. 'But then dad kept making us read books, and we had to write apology letters a lot. Then I wanted to wear something in my trunk. I'm sorry, mum.' He fidgeted. 'We kept unpacking again.'

'Well, you will each be packing it all up tonight.' Erin said firmly. 'No exceptions. And I will be checking! Now off you two go. You've got to name tag almost every item you're taking with you other than your wand.'

'Even our cauldrons?' Jack gasped.

'Yes, young man.' Erin said. 'Even that. We wouldn't want anything to get mixed up now, would we?'

'How are we supposed to write our name on our cauldrons?' Harry asked.

'Ask your father.' Erin waved her hand dismissively.

'She says that every time she doesn't know something.' Jack whispered to Harry as they went upstairs towards their rooms. 'And your dad seems to know everything!'

'Yeah.' Harry rolled his eyes. 'A bit too much, if you ask me.'

Deciding to talk while they labelled their belongings, Jack dragged his trunk into Harry's room so they could sit on the floor together. His trunk had things poking out of it and everything within looked to have been thrown inside and left there. Harry's wasn't much neater.

'This is going to take all day!' Jack complained. 'If only we'd had a better look in the book shop. We could have tried to make things name themselves, or learn some wicked self-packing spell.'

'Dad would catch us before we even tried.' Harry huffed. 'If I didn't know better, I'd say he's always watching us and waiting for something to happen.'

'I'd say you're right.' Jack nodded and reached for his Charms textbook.

Instead of writing his name on it, however, he began flipping through the pages in search of a spell to speed along the process. Finding none after a short time, and being too confused to read it all when it made little sense to him, Jack dropped it back on the pile of things inside his trunk.

And it almost did take them all day.

Or rather, all morning.

Jack and Harry spent more time talking about what they thought Hogwarts would be like and which house they might get sorted into, than they did writing their names on books, robes, and shampoo bottles. When Erin brought in a plate of grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches, they were almost finished and had begun shoving everything back into their trunks.

'I do hope you plan on packing soon.' She said, placing the plate on the closed lid of Harry's wooden toybox, which sat at the end of his bed.

'Huh?' Jack looked at her and then his trunk. 'We are packing.'

At first Erin seemed to think they were joking, except both boys had kept a straight face and she realised how little eleven-year-old boys knew about properly packing for attending boarding school.

'How do you expect to find anything?' Erin sighed, looking from one messy trunk to the next. 'And all of your clothes are going to get wrinkled. Fold them up and place them in a pile. Sort your books and writing materials as well, and then everything else goes into another pile.' She instructed.

'Don't you know a spell that can do that?' Jack grumbled.

'Jack Bailey!' Erin scolded. 'You cannot rely on magic to do everything for you. If you just whipped out your wand for every little task, what will you do if you are suddenly left without? No, you will use your own two hands. Come on, this should have been done weeks ago.'

And so the boys started sorting their clothes, books, quills and ink, toiletries, and every other item they intended to take with them. Once they were finished, Erin returned to the room and assessed their work. Content with the arrangements, she began packing their trunks for them. Folding the clothes more properly, she placed them on one side and then added the other items. Not everything fit in their trunk, but the boy's eyes were wide in shock as they watched her work.

'That's got to be some sort of magic!' Jack gasped. 'None of that stuff fit before!'

'There's just more room when it's organised and your clothes are folded.' Erin said. 'Throwing everything into your trunk is no way to pack.'

'Wow.' Harry appreciated when he easily shut his trunk (rather than sit on it to close it as he had done before), and then opened it again to see how neat everything looked. It didn't seem like the same trunk to him, and looking over at Jack he knew his best friend felt the same way about his own.

'Alright.' Erin stood and retrieved the empty plate. 'Now don't get anything out unless you really need it. I will be checking them again before we leave for the station, so make sure you both keep them the way they are now.'

She was pleased to notice that neither boy looked like they would be touching anything inside their trunks until they got to Hogwarts. If it kept up, Erin wouldn't have to worry about them losing things in amongst a mass of sweaters and quills.

'Can we go play outside now?' Harry asked. 'Please?'

'Of course.' Erin smiled. 'I'll call you when dinner is ready.'

'Thanks!' Harry grinned and jumped up.

He and Jack hurried from the room and headed straight for the back door, with Earnest and Frogabook following closely behind them.

Erin remained in Harry's bedroom for a moment longer. She looked to the wall where she had hung Harry's family tree three years ago, after the boys had gone into the basement and Harry feared his father hated him for it. It was a sign of reassurance to Harry, and to Erin, but now it made her sad.

They had a comfortable little family and she did not want anything to change.

She liked picking the boys up from school nearby and hearing about their day as they walked home. She enjoyed tucking her son into bed each night and giving him a cuddle by the fire on warm mornings before breakfast. Erin liked to watch her son doing the gardening he was so proud of, or run around the backyard with his bright smile. She even loved sitting down each night to share dinner with Harry, watching as he picked at his peas and yawned into his hand when he got tired.

At Hogwarts, Erin did not think any of those things would continue. It was a boarding school for magic. A place where Harry would have his own dormitory far from her reach, where he would get himself up in the morning and share his meals with his house-mates. Harry would be putting himself to bed, and wandering the school grounds with the new friends she knew he would make. He would be busy with his school work and classes, and most of his free time she was certain her son would want to spend with his friends and classmates.

Harry would have less time for her, and Erin felt glad he was becoming independent and would have so many more opportunities open to him, but she would miss her little boy. Sure, she would still see him from time to time, though he was no longer going to be her small son anymore.

Harry was growing up and would be facing new challenges, and Erin knew she had to accept that. It was going to be hard, and deep down she wondered if she could do it. But her determination had never let her down before, so Erin would adapt as any mother had to when their child progressed to a new stage in their life.

She had seen the looks Severus had given Harry that morning over breakfast and knew he was probably thinking similar things, and somehow Erin wondered if it was going to be harder for him than it would be for her. She wasn't sure why, yet Erin felt confident she was ready to watch her son mature, whereas Severus had always thought of the child as his special little boy. She had no confirmation of this, as Severus was a very private person, and even so, Erin had a strong feeling she was right.

--

In mid-morning on the very last day of August, a witch apparated inside an alley within Spinner's End. She walked discreetly towards the house on the end and knocked loudly on the door.

Moments passed, and no one answered.

'It appears to be true.' She said. 'Severus no longer lives here. Unless he's out?'

Somehow she did not think so.

Lifting a piece of parchment from her pocket, the witch looked it over and decided to pay a visit to the address she had been given. It wasn't too far away, so she walked a few blocks to the house and looked it over with an analytical stare.

'Surely this is a mistake?' The woman could not believe that Severus Snape would live in such a neighbourhood, and so in the open.

Frowning, as she checked the address once more, the witch sighed and decided there was only one way to be sure. She opened the iron gate and crossed the short patch of grass to reach the front door. Knocking loudly, she took one step back to wait for someone to answer it.

And Minerva McGonagall was utterly stunned with what happened next.

'I'll get it!' A boy's voice called out, but it was a woman who answered the door.

Minerva took in her appearance while her mind convinced her she had indeed been given the wrong home address of Severus Snape. The woman had blonde hair reaching her shoulders, which was a bit untamed, and her eyes showed this kind lady could be very stubborn and determined when needed. She was dressed in casual muggle attire, yet with a light cloak over her shoulders, which only confused Minerva further.

'Yes?' Erin asked, wondering who the woman was.

'Are you a witch?' Jack emerged at her side, looking at the pointed hat on Minerva's head and her overall not-so-muggle appearance.

'Jack!' Erin admonished.

'Sorry.' He blushed without looking very sorry at all.

'Yes, I am.' Minerva answered. 'Is this the residence of Severus Snape?'

'It is.' Erin nodded.

'But...?' Minerva felt she was going to go into shock, or having a heart attack.

This could not be where he lived!

'Severus!' Erin called over her shoulder. 'Jack, go and find your cat. How on Earth are you going to take him to Hogwarts if you can't even keep him in one room without losing him?'

Jack made a sound of annoyance and walked away, just as Harry joined the pair with Frogabook in his arms.

'Mum.' Harry said, glancing at their company shyly before he spoke. 'Dad said he'll be here in a minute. He's trying to find one of his flasks. Hello.' He added politely to Minerva.

'Hello.' She returned. 'I must say, that is an exceptionally large frog.' She readjusted her glasses at the sight.

'Thanks.' Harry took it as a compliment. 'I Transfigured him myself. I didn't mean to, of course. He used to be a book.'

'Cody.' Erin placed a hand on his shoulder. 'It might not be wise to tell a complete stranger this. No offence.' She added to the woman. 'How do you know Severus?'

'None taken.' McGonagall said, still rather dazed. 'Your son must be very talented, to perform such an accurate transfiguration at his age. I myself am the Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts.'

'Oh, wow!' Harry gasped. 'You teach Transfiguration?' He grinned. 'Mum, a Hogwarts teacher is on OUR doorstep!'

'Yes, I happened to notice that myself, Cody.' Erin sighed. 'Will you tell your father he has company? I swear, he's going to end up with a few broken flasks if he doesn't leave those potions alone for five minutes! Oh, never mind. I'll tell him myself.' She said and left Harry at the doorstep, considering he was safe with a Hogwarts Professor who looked exactly that.

'I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow.' Harry said to Minerva. 'Um, would you like to come in?' He tried to be polite.

'If I may.' Minerva nodded and entered the house, looking around with interest.

She followed the boy to the living room, where Jack was seated upside-down on the sofa and tried to read his Potions textbook from where it sat on the floor.

'Jack, Jack!' Harry said with excitement. 'She's a Hogwarts Professor. She teaches Transfiguration. What's your name?' He asked her.

'Minerva McGonagall.' She answered, feeling rather uncomfortable and didn't know if she should stand in the middle of the living room or pick an armchair.

Her mind was buzzing with her disbelief. She had not expected to find Severus Snape living in such a house, let alone with a wife and two sons! She was tempted to choose a seat, if only to ensure she did not pass out from the one scenario she had never expected to be faced with when she decided to personally stop by to pay Severus a visit.

'Really?' Jack flipped himself upright when Harry told him who their guest was. 'It's nice to meet you, Ma'am. Your name is on our letters too, so you're the Headmistress as well! Wow, someone from Hogwarts is in this house? Wait, why?'

'I am here to see Severus Snape.' Minerva repeated.

'And so you shall.' Severus spoke as he entered the room, casting a glare in the direction of Erin, who appeared to be ignoring him. 'And what brings you here, Minerva?'

'Your renewed employment.' Minerva told him.

'Come on, boys.' Erin ushered the children from the room against their complaints. 'This is not something you need to be eavesdropping on.'

Severus and Minerva sat across each other near the fireplace and spoke about the upcoming school term. Hogwarts had never had an employed tutor before, therefore a few new guidelines had been in place for Severus take on the position, all in which he needed to be informed of.

'Strange.' Minerva said after a moment of silence, having finished the tea offered to her by Erin. 'I have checked the list twice, as I do each year, yet I do not recall seeing anyone with the surname “Snape”, listed. What are your boys names?'

'Only one of them is mine.' Severus corrected. 'Cody Summers, as he goes by, after his mother. He is the one with the dark hair.'

'And green eyes.' Minerva said softly. 'I trust you have heard the news? Harry Potter is still missing.'

'I am aware.' Severus frowned. 'It is none of my concern.'

'Oh, Severus.' Minerva said sadly. 'But who is the other child?'

'Jack Bailey. He lives nearby and is a friend of my son's. He shall be attending Hogwarts as well.'

'And your wife, she will be joining you at Hogwarts?'

Severus was glad he had not accepted any of Erin's tea, for he would have dropped the hot liquid on his lap at that moment.

'I would never wed such a woman.' He said, turning to frown at Erin who was cutting slices of cake in the kitchen.

Despite Minerva's expression of utter confusion, he said nothing else. She took the hint and understood as it wasn't really any of her business, and hastily changed the subject.

They talked for over an hour, until there was nothing left to discuss.

Minerva rose from the seat and said goodbye to everyone in turn. As suddenly and quickly as she had arrived, the Headmistress soon departed. After an hour of everyone returning to the tasks they had been doing before her arrival, it was as though she hadn't been there at all.

'Time for bed, Cody.' Erin said later that night. 'We have to be at the station early, so you need to get your rest.'

'Okay.' Harry sighed and climbed into bed. 'I'm really nervous, mum.'

'I know, sweetheart.' Erin smoothed his sheets and leaned to give his forehead a kiss. 'It's a big change. I would be surprised if you weren't nervous. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun once you get used it.'

'I hope so.' Harry sighed. 'Goodnight, mum.'

'Sweet dreams.' Erin brushed some hair from his face and walked to the doorway.

She turned off the light and left the door ajar. Soon the hallway outside his room was dark as well, and Harry leaned against his pillow as he tried to stop thinking about the huge day tomorrow. Waiting a few more minutes, he pulled a piece of blue material from under his pillow and threw back his covers.

Trying not to wake Frogabook (who was once again sleeping in his dog bed in the corner), or anyone else in the house, Harry crouched in front of his trunk and used the moonlight to find the section he planned to hide his blanket.

Inhaling the scent of honey that lingered even after three years, Harry shoved it into his trunk and never intended to tell a soul of its existence. He remembered when he'd first gotten it. Simon had locked him outside the house because Harry said he didn't like the way it smelled like tobacco and beer.

That night had been so cold and scary, but Severus had given him something to eat and the blanket to keep him warm. It continued to be a source of comfort for Harry, and over the years he had done everything he could to protect it. He could never throw it away, and the blanket was always close by.

And he could not bear to go to Hogwarts without it.

With the blue blanket, which had once been mended after its rip at the hands of an enraged Simon, safety tucked away in his trunk, Harry returned to bed. For years he had waited and prepared, and tomorrow it was finally going to happen. And Jack was going too. Hogwarts. He's heard the name so many times over the years, and the nearer this night approached, the more meaning and reality was added to the title of the magical school.

Harry couldn't sleep.

He rolled over, fidgeted, and squeezed his eyes shut, but nothing worked.

An hour passed by and Harry barely noticed. He thought it was just nervousness and excitement, but Harry realised after such a length of time of restlessness, that it was much more. He was scared. No, Harry was completely terrified.

And, unable to handle it, he tossed back his covers for a second time and felt his way out of the room.

It was strange how he had lived in the house for three years and yet hadn't seen his parent's rooms more than a couple of times. Erin left hers open, but he had no use for it. And his dad alternated between having it closed, or locked with numerous charms and hexes. Hoping tonight was not one of those guarded moments, Harry gripped the doorknob of his father's room and kept his hands there, silently counting to ten seconds. He wasn't sure why, but his dad thought it was dangerous to just shove him awake like Harry often did to his mother.

So, in the case Harry might need his father during the night, he had to hold the doorknob until he heard a clicking sound. Severus had some sort of wards to wake him and Harry could only enter the room once the man was awake. Erin thought it was ridiculous and extreme, and as usual, Severus didn't heed her complains about what he did any notice.

Hearing the clicking, Harry gasped and shoved the door open.

A dim light was coming from beside the bed where Severus had lit a candle. The man sat upright with his hair a bit tangled-looking, and his expression showed how soon he had been woken.

'What is it, Cody?' Severus grumbled.

'Sorry.' Harry stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

He bit his lip and hesitated, then ran to the bed and jumped onto it. 'I couldn't sleep.' He told his dad, who only seemed to use one half of the bed despite its large size. Harry reckoned everyone in the house that night could fit on the bed, but knew it would never happen if his father had any say about it.

'You are nervous about tomorrow?' Severus guessed.

'Yes.' Harry sat on the bed beside his dad. 'I...dad, I'm really scared.' He admitted and inched closer, longing for the security his father always provided. 'What if I'm not in Slytherin like you were? Or what if I'm not any good at magic? What if Jack finds better friends than me and I don't find any?'

'Your mother told you it is of no importance which house you are sorted into, because the hat will only ever place you were you belong.' Severus said and paused to yawn. 'Worrying yourself over something that may or may not happen is only going to cost you sleep. You are an exceptional young man, and I have full confidence in your ability to not only excel in your classes, but make numerous friends as well. You are allowing your anxiety to cloud your mind. You need to discipline your mind, so you can face each new situation with confidence and determination, rather than fear of what may not even come to pass.'

'I don't know how to do that.' Harry said. 'I can't stop thinking of all the bad things that could happen tomorrow.'

'Perhaps you ought to be thinking of the good ones instead?' Severus suggested. 'Your mind is like a muscle. You need to give it a purpose for it to be put to any use. Our arms do not move on their own; we dictate their capability and intention. Your brain is very similar.'

'Oh.' Harry said as he slid under the covers and yawned. 'I think I get it now.' He said sleepily, his head resting on a spare pillow his father never seemed to use. 'I just...focus my brain, and...' His voice faded as his eyes began to close.

Severus glared at the boy with irritation and wanted to snap at him to return to his own bed. But, truth be told, he did not mind too terribly and his own tiredness was far more important than sharing his bed with his son for the final night at home.

Except, now he was the one unable to sleep. Severus blew out the candle and lay back down, staring into the blackness as he remembered earlier that night.

Because they had removed the last of the food from their house that afternoon, Erin had decided they would all go out to a restaurant for dinner rather than ordering food for the one night and still having to wash up. It had been a short and simple event, with a bit of general chatter and a nice enough meal. Severus thought about it because he realised how differently everything was going to change.

Erin remained optimistic that she would see Harry many times throughout the year and spend as much time as she could with the boy, but she had not seen Hogwarts yet. Severus knew the appeal of the magical school, especially to children. Even those from loving families they were extremely close to had chosen numerous times to remain at the school over the holidays if they had a good enough reason.

The fact he and Erin would be residing at Hogwarts as well was the only comfort he could now find in the situation.

Severus had been spending as much time with his son in the last few days as he could. More time than he had in at least a year, perhaps. Cody was special to him, and not just in a way every child should be to their parents, but because Severus had saved him. He had seen the wrong in the child's life and vowed to be there when he was needed. Literally, he had saved the boy's life in more ways than one. Cody became family, and Severus did not regret the decision he made to bring the boy into his home, and then adopt him as his son.

To his unsettling surprise, as Severus lay awake beside his sleeping eleven-year-old child, he realised a large amount of things he was so used to and had somehow taken for granted. He often complained when Harry had become clingy and followed him around the house, but now the boy was going to Hogwarts and all of it would stop.

A lot was being left behind tomorrow - not just a house and familiar surroundings, but an entire set of routines and habits that would be drastically changed in a single day.

--

Severus awoke the following morning to realise he had fallen asleep later than he'd planned, but still soon enough to get a decent amount of rest.

Glancing at the time, he woke his son and sent the boy to his room to dress.

Severus changed into his usual attire and hoped the people at Hogsmeade who he and Erin will be staying with for the first week would allow him the chance to brew something, because his nerves were going to be as high as Harry's when it came time for the sorting.

And Severus would not be there to witness it.

The family were in a rush of preparations that they barely had time to eat their breakfast, which were sandwiches prepared the day before. By eight-thirty, the two boys were dragging their animal's cages towards Erin's car while the adults lugged the trunks. Erin was pleased with how easily the trunks both fit into the back of her car, and the cages had enough room in the back-seat with the boys without them being squished.

Severus said nothing, as he discreetly concealed his wand and moved to stare at the passenger door.

'Get in!' Erin told him from the driver's seat.

The boys were already chatting in the back about how they would be riding a train, which was something they had not done in a very long time.

Severus had barely agreed to travel with them. He had wanted to apparate and meet them at the train station, but Erin would not allow it. She threatened to tell the Hogwarts staff about certain things he was appalled she even knew about, and it worked better than any charm.

The drive to the station was quiet in the front, but loud in the back as the boys talked away their nerves and allowed their excitement to shine through. When they arrived at King's Cross Station, however, they fell silent again.

The boys pushed their trolleys with the trunk and pet cages pass platforms and through crowds of muggles. Erin looked nervous as well, as they all wondered how a magical train could be at the station somewhere. Severus led the way with long, purposeful strides until they arrived at the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

The boys grasped the concept of passing through easily enough, but Erin was convinced it was a trick.

'Just run at the wall?' Erin glared. 'Are you mad? That thing is as solid as anything! I am not going to be running at any walls in public. There has got to be another way onto the platform.'

'Woman, you are trying my patience!' Severus growled. 'How much longer are we going to dawdle? It is already nearly ten-thirty.'

'Severus, don't take that tone with me!' She hissed while the boys stood anxiously behind them. 'You just told me I have to run into a brick wall to get onto a magical platform where a train is somehow concealed there. How is that possible?'

'Magic, Erin.' Severus said bitterly. 'Cody.' He turned to his son. 'We haven't got all day. You may go first.'

Harry gulped and trusted his dad with his life, but not his dignity.

What if his mum was right and the wall was exactly that? He didn't want to look scared in front of his dad, and he hated it when they argued like that because he could never tell if it was just them being stubborn or something else.

'Okay.' He said and inhaled a long breath.

Steering his trolley until he was facing the tall wall of bricks, Harry looked at his father for encouragement and then gave his trolley a push. He made it one step before he was interrupted by a woman's voice.

'Packed with Muggles, of course.' She said and came to a stop near them with a group of red-haired children of various ages in tow. It was Molly Weasley, and she was rather shocked to see Severus standing there with a wary blonde woman and two boys.

'Severus Snape, is that you?' She gasped.

'I certainly hope so.' Severus muttered.

'Oh, my goodness!' Molly said. 'It's been so long. You have a lovely family.' She smiled at the boys.

Jack felt a bit uncomfortable and looked away, while Harry blushed and offered her a shy smile. His shyness vanished quickly when he saw someone familiar.

'Oh, hi Ginny.' He said.

'Hello, Cody.' Ginny said quietly and waved. 'I met him when we were buying my books.' She explained to her mother.

'That's nice, dear.' Molly said and glanced at the time. 'Well, we best be off. After you.'

'Actually,' Severus said and glanced at Erin. 'Go ahead. I insist.'

'Well, okay...' Molly seemed unsure, but decided to take his suggestion.

She sent her children through and then went with Ginny, all in the space of several minutes. Erin's eyes were wide with shock to the entire display.

'Cody, go ahead.' Erin exhaled. 'I'll be right behind you.'

'Okay.' Harry nodded and felt confident now he had seen the Weasley's pass through the barrier, though he wondered what the twins had been whispering about when they'd seen his dad.

He gripped his trolley again and pushed it forward as he increases his speed and, despite knowing he would pass though, flinched when he would otherwise have made contact with the wall.

The sight of the train was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, and it was a truly stunning sight.

Harry wandered a little to get a better view, and as he stepped away from his trolley for just a moment, a boy had been walking towards him and the two bumped into each other,

'Watch it!' Snapped the boy, who looked to be Harry's age. He had dark hair like Harry, but his eyes were deep brown and glared at him with obvious annoyance.

'Sorry.' Harry said politely.

'So you should be.' The boy frowned. 'Walking into people like that. Can't you see where you're going?'

'You walked into me too.' Harry replied, getting annoyed by the rude boy. 'Why didn't you stop?'

'Why should I?'

'Logan.' Said a tall witch with darker hair than his. 'Play nicely.'

'He bumped into me, mother.' The boy, Logan, told her.

'There is no need to be rude about it.' She gave Harry a judging look and glanced once at Severus, who soon joined his son's side, with Erin and Jack catching up. 'Come on.' She said to Logan. 'Let's go find your father.'

With her and the rude boy gone, Harry and Jack were able to focus more on the marvellous scarlet train in front of them, which issued a little steam and had “Hogwarts Express” written on it.

'Whoa.' Jack stared.

'Yeah.' Harry breathed.

They didn't have long to stare, however, as Severus was soon lifting their luggage onto the train, and Erin pulled the boys aside to remind them of all the things the boys wished she wouldn't say in public.

'And don't forget to wash your hair regularly with those new shampoos.' Erin was saying. 'I don't know what sort of supplies Hogwarts give, such as soap or towels, so I packed you both a few extra just in case.'

Harry didn't even complain, and nodded his head sadly as he knew in mere minutes he was going to be separated from his parents. He wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind, other than his desire to plead with them to get on the train with him.

'Cody.' Erin said as she placed her hands on his shoulders. 'There is something important I want to tell you, before you go.' She said. 'Your father as well, but I will speak for him.' She glanced at Severus and knew he did not want to be saying such advice where others may overhear him.

Erin didn't understand why, but she was under the impression it had very little to do with his pride, for once.

'Your father wants to you be yourself.' Erin told him. 'Don't do anything if you think it's not who you are. What I mean is, don't think you have to do things to impress someone else or if it goes against what you think is right.' She glanced sideways at Severus and then whispered to their son.

'No matter what you might hear about Harry Potter, never forget who you are. You're Cody Summers, no one else. Do you understand me? Be true to yourself and you'll be just fine. People need to like you for who you are, not for someone you're trying to be.'

'Okay.' Harry said, thinking it wasn't too hard to be himself, though the comment about Harry Potter had an impact on him.

He had been worried about that.

'What if I'm not in the house you want me to be in?' Harry worried. 'Dad was in Slytherin...'

'Where you're sorted does not matter to us.' Erin said firmly, while Severus withheld a grunt of disagreement. Any house was fine for him too, so long as it wasn't Gryffindor, otherwise he would have to take a few days to get his head around it.

But Erin's words were still, in a way, true.

'Remember, everyone has a story.' Erin added and brushed some hair from his face with her hand. 'Sometimes you might meet someone who is rude or distant, but they may have a very good reason for it. I'm not saying they all will, but never is anything just as it appears, and that means people too. Never forget what it was like for you.'

She'd never said it aloud, but Harry knew she meant when he had thought himself to be invisible. When he had been ignored and disliked, and sometimes it made him react or behave in ways to protect himself or distance himself from others. He thought back to the boy he'd bumped into a moment ago, and wondered if he had a story or was just an annoying git.

A whistle was heard to let everyone on the platform know there were five minutes remaining, and the sound startled Erin.

She tried to be calm, but soon flung her arms around Harry and held him close. A whole week may not seem as long to most, while other children had to wait until the holidays to be reunited with their family, yet it would be the longest Harry and Erin had been apart since they'd lost each other so many years ago. Harry clung to her and tried to pretend she wasn't crying.

When they parted, and Erin gave Jack a hug as well, Harry hurried to his father to hug him tightly.

'I'm going to miss you so much, dad.' Harry sniffled.

He had been away from his mother before, though he was still sad and worried by it, but never had he been away from his father for any length of time exceeding twelve hours. He was terrified and never wanted to let go, as tears streamed down his cheeks and he hugged for all he could, trying to ignore the fact his train would be leaving in two minutes.

'You will be fine, Cody.' Severus said, wrapping his arms around his son as well, cuddling him close in a rare show of unguarded affection. He wished he could say it was only for Harry's benefit. 'It is only for one week. Behave yourself and do remember to write.'

'I will try.' Harry sniffled and looked up when the train whistled again. 'I don't want to go!'

'You must.' Severus released his son and nudged him towards the train. 'We will be seeing you again soon enough.'

'Come on.' Jack helped, grabbing Harry's wrist to pull him towards the train, which was preparing to leave the station any minute.

'I love you mum, and dad.' Harry gulped and struggled to force himself onto the train. He hurried into an empty compartment and hung out the window. 'Bye!' He waved while Jack did so as well through the glass.

'Bye, sweetheart!' Erin waved, her eyes filled with tears as she tried to smile in encouragement.

'We love you, Harry.' Severus said as he waved as well, making sure to reserve the special name for the moment the train whistled again so no one else would hear it.

Harry sank onto his seat as the train whistled one last time and the doors began to close.

He sat there, feeling like a nervous wreck of sadness and fears, as he waved his heart out to his parents. Jack waved as well, but was more interested in the departing train. With a lurch of motion, the train moved forward and Harry continued to wave until his parents were gone from his sight.

He wanted to curl up on the seat and cry, but he couldn't. Not when others were walking passed the compartment door and might see him, not with Jack seated across from him looking just as nervous, and most certainly not when they were finally on their way to Hogwarts.

'It's really happening.' Jack seemed to only be coming into terms with it now. 'After all this time we thought you'd be leaving and going to Hogwarts without me, now we're both going!' He grinned.

'I know.' Harry felt his excitement begin to rise. 'This is great! We're going to learn magic, and live in a school together for seven years. Mum and dad will be there in a week too, so I guess it's not so bad.' He decided and looked out at the passing buildings and then landscapes outside his window.

At long last, Cody Harry Summers was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And he knew, even now as the train left London, that it was going to be one heck of an adventure!

The floor beneath his feet rumbled and the luggage on the overhead racks rattled, as Harry sat silently staring through the window to his left, watching the blurred scenery flash by. Tress and sky were distinguishable only by their green or blue colours, and were otherwise as fleeting as his own thoughts.

When he and Jack had waved farewell to Harry's parents and the platform zoomed out of view, another boy had entered their compartment without their noticing, until they'd finally sat down and succumbed to quietness. Harry and Jack didn't say much of anything to each other for the first half an hour of the trip, preferring to sit in relative silence. The third boy in their compartment did the same and hadn't once looked their way. Or, if he had, neither of the pair had noticed.

Jack, getting rather bored, turned to the third boy seated beside Harry with a magazine on his lap, and decided to attempt a conversation.

'Are you starting at Hogwarts this year too?' Jack asked, thinking the boy with blonde hair nearly reaching his shoulders, and blue eyes that stared only at his open magazine, looked to be about their age.

Harry, distracted from his window-staring, glanced to his right at their additional company as well.

'That's right.' The blonde boy told them and still didn't look at them as he flipped a page and sighed. 'The name's Casey.' He added.

'I'm Jack.' The sandy-haired boy answered. 'And this is my best friend, Cody.'

'Hello.' Harry said politely.

The boy nodded and said nothing more.

With so few topics to discuss with him, Jack leaned back against his seat to once again fell quiet. It didn't last, however, as the compartment door slid open to reveal two others. Harry and Jack looked at them instantly, whereas Casey did not seem interested in anything other than the detailed pages of his magazine.

'Do you mind if we join you?' The girl asked.

She looked shy and a bit nervous, but eager to be friendly. She had very wavy golden brown hair and olive eyes. Some of her hair was held out of her face by an ordinary metal clip, which Harry thought looked rather plain and possibly muggle.

'Not at all.' Harry offered the pair a smile in return.

'Thanks!' The girl exhaled with extreme relief as she moved to sit between Harry and Casey, who inched away from her until he was almost able to touch the door.

With her settled on the seat, Harry looked to the boy she had with her. Harry was a bit confused at first, because while the boy had blonde hair like Casey (though shorter, as it reached his ears, and a tone or so darker), he barely looked their age at all. If Harry didn't know better, he'd have asked if he got on the train by mistake because he was only just tall enough to be eight, rather than eleven.

'We had a compartment.' The boy said, even sounding a bit younger, as he moved to sit across from the girl, and therefore right beside Jack. 'But some older guys kicked us out.' He frowned. 'We've been walking around for hours!'

'Don't exaggerated, Oscar.' The girl rolled her eyes. 'It was only about twenty minutes.'

'It felt like hours.' The smaller boy, whose name was evidentially Oscar, muttered.

Jack found this amusing, whereas Harry had turned to the girl with curiosity. How was she so shy-looking and yet cheerfully friendly? Maybe she wasn't worried about what house she was going to be sorted into or missing her parents too much to bear, and instead was just a bit anxious to arrive at their destination.

'Oh, sorry.' She caught Harry looking at her and blushed. 'I'm Haylee.' She told them. 'I can't wait to get to Hogwarts! Isn't this exciting? I didn't even know such a place existed, did you?'

And of all things, this was what Casey decided to react to, as his icy blue gaze slowly rose to give her a wary expression. He said nothing, but his magazine was left forgotten on his lap as he tuned into the conversation.

'I didn't at first.' Jack answered Haylee. 'My parents are muggles, but Cody's are magical, and we've been friends for years. I'm Jack, by the way.'

'That's cool.' Haylee said brightly. 'It's a relief to know I wasn't the only one! Gosh, my parents were so surprised! They're muggles too. You're Cody, I presume?' She looked at Harry. 'It must be great growing up around magic.'

'Yeah.' He nodded. 'It was. Though we lived in a muggle area so we had to be careful.'

'I'm Casey.' The blue-eyed boy suddenly spoke. 'And I can't believe I'm sharing a compartment with two...' He paused and sighed, looking annoyed as though the word he had wanted to use was hard to pronounce. 'Two muggleborns.' He finished.

'Why?' Jack asked. 'Is it rare to have magic when we're from muggle families?'

Casey didn't answer.

Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and returned to his magazine, though with less interest than before.

'I don't think it's too rare.' Oscar said. 'I'm not entirely sure, because you're the first muggleborns I've ever met. Not that I get out much.' He shrugged. 'My parents are magical, so I'm a bit like Cody. Except I've lived in the magical world all my life. I saw a muggle once, though, and he looked really weird.' He chuckled.

'I thought the same about wizards.' Jack joined in. 'With the robes and stuff, but I guess I got used to it quick since Cody's dad wears a robe around the house all the time.'

'What's your dad do, Cody?' Oscar wondered curiously, seeming to be most social when he was asking questions or comparing situations. 'My dad works at the ministry. Nothing fancy, but he likes it that way because then he has more time for mum and me.'

'My dad doesn't really work.' Harry confessed and looked away. 'He's a Potions Master, though. He sells them and ingredients sometimes.'

He wasn't really sure where the money came from, actually, as neither of his parents seemed to work and yet they never lacked any amount of money they needed. Erin's car was not some cheap second-hand old model either; she'd had it for many years (and he begged her to take out his old baby car-seat, which she finally did by the time he turned nine), and still it appeared quite new-looking and shiny. Not that she ever got to use it much, thanks to Severus.

'My dad's a mechanic, and mum's a doctor.' Jack added, rather than wait to see if someone would ask him.

'A...what?' Oscar frowned.

'That's nice.' Haylee commented, who understood immediately. 'Um...' She tried to think of how to explain them to Oscar, who new nothing about muggles, but was at loss.

'A doctor is like a healer, only for muggles.' Harry explained. 'A mechanic fixes cars when they don't work properly. Do you know what a car is?'

'Yes!' Oscar seemed very pleased with himself. 'I saw a picture of one once. They're the weird things on wheels with seats inside, right? How do they even move?' He shook his head with bewilderment. 'Anyway, that sounds interesting. I didn't know muggles had healers too. How do they cure anything without magic?' The freckled boy asked Jack, not realising until it was too late that he might have been happier not knowing about things such as needles, stitches, and surgical operations.

After Jack had finished explaining, Casey seemed to have turned paler than Oscar, who had lost use of his voice for several minutes - sitting there with his dark brown eyes wide as he stared in horror.

--

Time began to pass by with the group of five first years talking about random topics; mostly comparing their lives and retelling how they'd gotten their acceptance letters. Jack turned out to have the most interesting story, as it involved his parents moving to another country and him running away. He left out the embarrassing stuff, though, like being found by Severus and basically being dragged back home.

'I think it's great you're going to Hogwarts already with a best friend.' Haylee commented. 'You're both really lucky.'

'Yeah.' Jack smiled. 'I was so worried we'd never see each other again, and then I turned out to be a wizard too! It was the best thing ever.'

The compartment door opened again, this time by magic, and a lady with a trolley loaded with sweets turned her attention to them.

'Anything off the trolley, dears?' She asked.

Everyone jumped up from their seats at once - all except Casey, who shrank against his seat and lifted his magazine to partially conceal his face. Haylee and Oscar took the longest to pick what they wanted, mostly because Haylee was in awe of all the magical sweets whereas Oscar could not decide what he wanted.

'It's so not fair.' Jack muttered to Harry as he carried some chocolate frogs and droobles best blowing gum back to his seat. 'Your dad only gave us enough money for, well, barely anything!'

'Yeah.' Harry sighed, glad to have been able to afford the every flavour beans, a cauldron cake, and some sugar quills. 'He said we'd have a huge feast waiting for us, and we shouldn't fill up on sweets.' He rolled his eyes.

'Oooh, a feast?' Haylee overheard. 'That sounds great!' She grinned, sitting back down with some chocolate frogs and a lump of coconut ice.

Oscar dumped a pile of random sweets onto the space of seat beside him and once again seemed at loss of which to choose first. Harry was the only one who noticed Casey eyeing the pile with clear envy and longing. Harry looked at his preciously small pile and wondered if he should offer something, except Casey didn't look like the sort who hadn't been given any money.

Maybe he just didn't want to spoil his appetite?

'Are these real frogs?' Haylee asked hesitantly. 'I don't like the idea of eating one of those. I wish I'd gotten some of the beans instead.' She looked at Harry's box, which he had just eaten a bean from.

'Ew, no you don't!' Harry pulled a face. 'Yuck. Dirt.'

'I never eat those.' Oscar said to Harry through chews. 'I have never gotten a flavour I like. Not once! It's always gross stuff. I must have had a hundred beans when I was six and none of them were good.'

'How many flavours are there?' Haylee looked to be reconsidering her hasty rejection of the chocolate frog.

'Millions, maybe.' Oscar shrugged. 'I don't think anyone knows.'

'And they're not real frogs.' Jack added to Haylee, glad to know something magical from his experience with Harry. 'It's some sort of magic spell or something.' He shrugged.

'Casey, didn't you get anything?' Oscar noticed what Harry had a moment ago. 'I've got extra, if you want some.'

'No.' Casey said a bit rudely. 'I'm fine.'

'Hey, there's no need to be mean.' Haylee frowned and Jack rolled his eyes in equal dislike to the unkind reaction.

Harry glanced at Oscar and saw the thoughtful expression he aimed at Casey without any annoyance at all.

It was strange, how his mother's words returned to him during that moment, about how everyone had a story and sometimes it was not always easy to see it. As Harry sat there and risked eating another bean, while the others conversed about what sort of food they might get to eat at the feast, Harry wondered more on his mother's advice.

He found himself feeling curious and further interested in those he shared his compartment with, other than Jack, who he already knew very well. Haylee seemed nervous and new like they did, but she was so friendly and open. Oscar looked unsure and watched more than talked, unless he asked questions or wanted to share something he considered to be interesting. And then there was Casey. He had distanced himself from the rest of them from the very start, and yet was clearly listening to every word since Haylee had said she was from a muggle family.

Of all of them, Harry was most curious about Casey's story, if only because he was the hardest to figure out from mere glance and interaction alone.

'What about you, Cody?' Haylee pulled him from his thoughts.

'What?' Harry asked, looking to her with confusion. 'What about me?'

'Which class are you most looking forward to?'

'None.' Harry told her. 'I don't know enough about them. I mean, I know what they're about, but I'd rather attend some of them before I decide if I like them.'

'I want to change my previous answer. I agree with Cody.' Oscar said quickly. 'I might not be very good at Charms, anyway. I want to try them all first, before I pick.'

Harry hadn't been truthful with his answer, actually.

He was really excited for Herbology, but hadn't told anyone in case he ended up being really bad at the class and then got laughed at. He knew Jack was looking forward to Potions, which he soon told the others, and Harry was once again left to his thoughts. He, much like the ever-silent Casey, paid attention to what was being said even if his gaze was focused elsewhere.

Harry's reflection in the window became clearer when the sky began to darken outside. Most of the candy had been consumed, except for the few unopened packets sticking out of the pockets of Oscar's baggy pants, and the chatter had died down.

Casey was no longer reading his magazine and lounged on the seat with his foot swinging lightly over the floor in boredom. Oscar was showing Jack his Quidditch book, which had moving pictures Jack constantly gasped at and pointed to. Haylee had a sketchpad on her lap and was attempting to draw what looked like a deer, but was constantly grumbling when a bump of the train going over the tracks or turning a corner interrupted her work.

Harry was happy to stare out the window, but with the darkness becoming thicker and the landscape more what his father had described, he was feeling very nervous.

His thoughts were an anxious mix of worry in regards to his sorting and if he'd be any good at his classes, or if he and Jack would be in separate houses, and the eagerness he felt to finally reach the school and learn magic. He was no longer concerned about making friends, because even though he hadn't seen Ginny Weasley since they'd boarded the train, Harry was surrounded by at least two new faces he hoped to be friends with. Maybe even Casey, if the boy wasn't busy trying not to be friendly or involved in their conversations.

'What house do you think you'll be in?'

Everyone in the compartment paused and looked over at Casey, surprised as he was the one who had spoken. Haylee was the first to recover, while Oscar seemed to be doubting his own hearing.

'I heard a little bit about those.' She said. 'From the boys who kicked Oscar and I out of our previous compartment. They were talking about Ravenclaw a lot and I thought it sounded really cool. I don't know if I'm smart enough, though.'

'I like Gryffindor.' Oscar said. 'My mum was in Gryffindor. Dad was a Hufflepuff, though.'

'I think any are fine.' Jack remembered what Severus had told them about the houses, and looking over at Harry he knew the dark-haired boy was thinking of the same.

'My dad was in Slytherin.' Harry told them. 'I think I'd like to go there, but like Jack said, I think they're all good.'

'What about you, Casey?' Haylee asked him, since he had been the one to start the subject. Until she had spoken, he'd been watching Harry with a serious expression, which was concealed when he looked away.

Casey shrugged and considered his answer, which seemed to be something he struggled with, as though he really did not know what he thought of any of the four Hogwarts houses. Whatever answer he was going to give was drowned out by a voice overhead telling them they would be arriving at Hogsmeade Station soon and they should change into their school robes if they haven't already.

'I guess we better change.' Oscar sighed and rose from his seat.

He quickly bent to retrieve a fallen packet of leftover candy and stepped aside to let Haylee pass him, who was heading for the door.

'I'll be back in a moment.' She told them and disappeared into the crowded corridor outside their compartment.

The boys changed quickly and Harry's stomach felt to be changing as well, though in a much more unpleasant way. They were nearly there and he couldn't decide if he wanted to cheer or cry.

-- 

When Haylee returned ten minutes later, dressed in her Hogwarts uniform, she was quieter and looked paler than she'd been when she had left.

Harry could tell her own nerves had finally caught up with her as well. Casey and Jack were the ones who looked the least worried about their arrival, whereas Oscar was surprisingly rather wide-eyed and almost fearful. Harry wondered how he looked, but did not dare to take a peek at his reflection to see.

Because they were more focused on their pending arrival than ever before, and the announcement had been made about Hogsmeade Station being close (plus they were all dressed and ready to leave the train), Harry expected the train to slow and stop within minutes and he'd have to force himself to move.

It didn't, however, and the floor continued to rumble while the luggage overhead still rattled in the racks.

He exhaled, though not in relief, and realised they still had a little time before they would have to move. Maybe then he would find the courage to do so? Perhaps his legs would feel less like badly-set jelly, and his hands would have stopped shaking? He doubted it.

Another five minutes passed.

Casey flipped through his magazine again and Haylee returned to her drawing. Jack and Oscar compared chocolate frog cards and debated over which to trade, while Harry sat rigid in his seat with nervousness. And there was only one thing that could possibly make him feel even more on edge, and it was Oscar who brought it about.

'Hey, you've heard of Harry Potter, right?' The freckled boy asked as he looked at Jack and then Haylee. 'He's really famous.'

'A little bit.' Haylee replied without looking up from her sketch. 'Mostly from brief mentions on the train when we were walking around. I heard he went missing and he was supposed to start Hogwarts this year, but no one has seen him since he was a baby. What's he famous for?'

'What's he-?' Oscar gasped. 'He's Harry Potter! He stopped You-Know-Who when he was just a baby.'

'Who?' Jack frowned, though he looked to Harry with a serious expression.

The dark-haired boy gripped his seat and adamantly stared back towards the window, wishing the topic would stop. He would rather the train reached the station than to have to listen to anyone talk about famous Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter.

'You-Know-Who!' Oscar hissed with alarm.

'No, I don't know who!' Jack frowned back.

'He was the dark wizard who killed...' Harry halted and exhaled. 'Harry Potter's parents.'

'Yeah, that's him.' Oscar nodded.

'Shut up!' Casey suddenly snapped, startling Haylee the most. 'Can't you talk about something less depressing than him? He's gone, so leave it alone.' He was on his feet and glaring at Oscar as though the smaller boy had insulted him somehow.

Harry wanted to agree or change the topic, but found himself lost for words.

And as Oscar tried to work out if he should discuss something else or tell Casey to sod off, the darkened landscape outside the window became more refined. The floor was easier to stand on, and the luggage fell silent in its racks. The train was slowing down, and at any moment they would be arriving at the station.

'This is it.' Harry whispered to himself, looking at the floor with a fearful squirm in his seat.

The others were putting away their belongings and distractions in preparation to leave the compartment, while Jack stared at the buildings (from what he could see, with the darkness), though the window. Harry could not move. The floor was still and a hiss of steam was heard somewhere above.

Noise and movement filled the corridor outside their compartment and still Harry felt stuck.

'C'mon.' Jack urged. 'We have to get off the train.'

He grabbed a handful of Harry's black robes and pulled him to his feet. Once standing, Harry looked up and gulped, now able to move along after the others and mingle with the crowd. He wasn't worried about losing Jack or the others, because his mind was only focused on what he deemed to be a far more threatening doom which awaited him on the platform.

Stepping down, Harry inhaled the chilly night air and still felt relief when Jack joined his side, and Ginny at the other.

'Hello.' She told him. 'Are you nervous?'

'A little.' Harry lied.

'Me too.' Ginny sighed and looked ahead. 'Whoa!'

With Jack gasping as well, Harry's head shot up as he looked further along the platform to see what had caught their attention. It wasn't hard to notice the tall man with a thick beard, who was holding a lit lamp and calling the first years with his booming voice.

'He's huge!' Jack said in a hurried whisper, as he and his new classmates warily followed the large man.

'This way to the boats.' Hagrid said. 'Come on!' He called and led the way towards the water edge.

Harry was at the side of the group, and noticed all the other students from second years through the seventh were heading in a different direction. He had little time to ponder as the other first years began selecting boats. He felt a little sad seeing Ginny get into one with Haylee and Oscar, as well as a dark-skinned boy who looked to be in a bad mood.

'How about this one?' Jack pointed to the wooden boat on the farthest right.

A boy was already there and with the relative success they'd had on the train with the others, Jack instantly tried to be friendly.

'Do you mind if we join you?'

'Yes, I do.' The boy answered and looked them over with a frown. He had brown hair and eyes that weren't quite hazel, yet not entire light olive either.

Harry had made a move to enter the boat when Jack had asked out of politeness, and the boy aimed a shove towards Harry that nearly sent him reeling backwards.

'Hey!' Jack growled. 'What was that for?'

'What's goin' on over 'ere?' Hagrid asked. 'Come on, we 'aven't got all day. Get in you two.'

Harry and Jack glared at the boy and reluctantly got into the boat with him. They were soon joined by Casey, and a girl with round glasses and orange hair that looked nothing like Ginny's.

'Forward!' Hagrid boomed and with a jerk, the boats began to cross the lake.

Harry thought it was creepy how black the water was and was glad he soon found something else to focus on. Ahead loomed a huge castle with well-lit windows and stretching shadows. There were no words, as his nervousness was plunged deeper than the water at the marvellous sight before him.

'Wow.' Jack gasped from his side and Harry could only nod his head in agreement.

They had never seen anything so wonderful, and for many years to come, that first sight would always remain fondly in their mind whenever they would look at the castle, remembering this moment in which they rode on the boats and caught their first glimpse of Hogwarts.

'That's where we'll be staying?' Jack asked no one. 'It's a castle! It's so huge and amazing.'

'Yeah.' Harry swallowed and gripped the edge of the boat as it continued towards the towering castle.

Soon they ran out of water and Hagrid was instructing them to leave their boats. Harry's nerves returned with a vengeance.

Hagrid knocked loudly on a door and Harry tuned out anything afterwards, until they were moving once again. He was more towards the back and wondered if he should get closer, to at least try and prepare himself for what was coming.

'Welcome to Hogwarts.' Said a familiar voice. 'In just a few moments, I shall lead you through these doors and you will be able to join your schoolmates for an excellent feast.' McGonagall told them, looking over at the first years all until she spotted Harry and Jack amongst them.

Impossibly, her stern gaze seemed to give Harry a small boost of reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

'Before you can take your seats, each of you must be sorted into your houses.' The Headmistress continued. 'They are: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.' She explained. 'Your placement into your house is not to be taken lightly. Your house-mates will be like family, and together your triumphs can earn your points for your house, which go towards winning the House Cup at the end of the year. Be careful, as any rule-breaking and you could lose points.' She said very firmly. 'Please wait here, as I will return momentarily.' McGonagall walked away and a low chatter spread through the group of first years.

Seizing the moment, Harry grabbed Jack's wrist and led him through the crowd so they could be more towards the front.

'Shoving people seems to be your thing, doesn't it?' Said an obnoxious voice.

Harry turned at once to glare at the dark-haired, brown-eyed boy he had accidentally bumped into on the train station. He had hoped to never see him again.

'And being a git seems to be yours.' Harry retorted.

'What was that?' Logan growled while several giggled at the exchange. 'Do you think you're better than me, do you?'

'At least he can think.' Jack added as a clear insult to the other boy. 'What's your problem?'

'I thought it was obvious.' Logan glared. 'Maybe I don't like being shoved around by the likes of him.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Jack defended Harry.

'If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you.' Logan sneered. 'What's it to you, anyway?'

'He happens to be my best friend.' Jack said through barred teeth. 'You say one word against him, and you have to deal with me!'

'Oh, I'm so scared.' Logan rolled his eyes. 'What are you going to do, really? Are you hoping to whine loud enough so the Professor will come and save you?'

'Jack!' Harry grabbed his friend's elbow. 'Don't. He's not worth it.'

Reluctantly, Jack listened to Harry and turned away from Logan, who was content to be ignored for now as he chuckled with others nearby.

Harry peered over his shoulder to see if he could spot someone he knew. Ginny was a bit far away, though she stood out with her flaming red hair and second-hand robes. Haylee was still with her, though Oscar had moved several feet away and was whispering with another boy. Casey was nowhere in sight, though Harry knew he had to be there somewhere.

He felt a nudge on his arm and turned back around as McGonagall walked towards them with a scroll in her hands.

Harry wanted to swim in the lake, argue with Logan some more, talk about Harry Potter on the train, anything to avoid what he knew the list in the Professor's hand meant. His father had implied enough, so Harry knew she had the all-important list with all of their names in alphabetical order. She would soon be leading them into the Great Hall for the first time, where a patched old hat would be waiting on a stool for them. McGonagall was going to call them one at a time to be sorted. And Harry wished he could turn and run back to the boats until it was all over.

Harry was speechless.

Professor McGonagall led the group of nervously excited first years towards the huge doors of the Great Hall, which opened just before she would have reached them. Seconds later, Harry got his first look at the Great Hall. He stared at the floating candles overhead, and thought the enchanted ceiling was amazing – Harry knew it was enchanted, because his dad had said something about it once, though at the moment he could not remember what.

Harry lowered his gaze and felt a bit self conscious with all the other students staring at them from the two long tables on either side of him. He spotted the colours they wore and realised Gryffindor was to his right with Hufflepuff towards the far wall. On his left was Ravenclaw, with Slytherin near that wall. It was a good distraction for the time it took to walk to the front of the Great Hall, where the staff table sat on a slight platform. The professors faced the students, and Harry didn't recognised any of them. Other than Hagrid, who had led them across the lake, whereas McGonagall stood to his left with the all-important scroll clutched in her hands.

Harry looked away from her to the wooden stool in the center where the patched, aged, brown hat sat waiting for those it would be sorting.

The moment his emerald gaze fell on the object of unmentionable importance, Harry couldn't tear his eyes from it. It didn't look like much, but Harry feared it, not because he thought any harm would come to him, but he didn't know what house he was going to end up in and the choice wasn't his to make. The hat would be placed on his head and it will dictate which house was his own.

He couldn't focus on the night sky above, the floating candles, the sudden silence of the older years, the curious expression of his professors, or even his own classmates - nothing else mattered. All that did matter to Harry was the hat and it's job to place him in whichever house he belonged to.

He just wished he already knew which one it would be.

The entire hall remained mute, with the exception of the occasional whisper or shift of movement, until a split appeared on the hat in the form of a mouth, and it began to sing:

'When the greatest witches and wizards of the age,

Founded our fine magical school,

There where those inside who gathered to wage,

Their plots and schemes against the ideals,

Of those divided yet united within our walls,

Determined as they once were,

None were able to bring such intended up-haul,

Not all their intentions were good,

Nor did many of them last,

Though the founders were not worried,

Until their own separation came to pass.

It was the former students of this school,

Who saved it from its untimely end,

And now the past is said to be history,

When everything reached its amend,

Though I fear all is not well,

When there are many of us who are still appalled,

By the ways we teach and split,

Those who choose to study in our halls.

My job has always been clear yet rarely precise,

To sort those new and bright,

And pay tribute to the founders,

Who built this school until they took their flight,

I do not think my task is the best,

Nor should it happen each and every year,

To split friend from friend,

And bring our enemies near.

But sort you each I shall do,

For I've been at it a thousand years,

The founders once told us to stay strong and united,

Even when it was them who left us in tears,

So now their legacy lives on,

Through the houses you each belong,

This school is what we make it,

But each founder should be remembered,

For they left behind more than I can admit.

Gryffindor was the bravest,

And had the nerve to take a stand,

Godric's honour was what guided him,

And through it his conscious could withstand.

Though a loyal and patient achiever,

Hufflepuff's strength came from the heart,

Helga worked hard for what she had,

And under her guidance Hogwarts never fell apart.

Ravenclaw was by far the cleverest,

Though her creativity and wisdom were as divine,

Rowena was mysterious yet constantly intrigued,

And with her personality did brilliance truly shine.

Though known for valuing those of purer blood,

Cunning Slytherin was the most ambitious of the lot,

Salazar's far-reaching power and means were always highly noted,

Whereas his motives and intentions frequently forgot.

Every year I place each pupil into one of the four houses,

But heed my caution for there are those who still recall,

What each house truly means for the legacy left behind,

And how if we are to succeed then unity matters more,

A thousand years have passed and still mistakes are being repeated,

Let us not be the like founders who had failed Hogwarts once before.

I've had my say and the song is sung,

If you won't listen then you ought not be heard,

Let us not allow the founders' honesty to be undone,

This year I will be furthermore careful so pay close attention,

Because the moment has arrived and the sorting has begun.'

Whispers carried through the hall once the hat finished.

Harry thought it was the strangest song he'd ever heard, and his dad warned him he'd have to endure it. But it didn't sound like to sort of song his father had told him to expect. And listening to the mutterings in the hall, Harry could detect some worry and confusion amongst the older students and a few of the staff.

Even McGonagall looked rather surprised, as she unrolled her parchment list containing the name of every first year who stood before her. She lifted the sorting hat up from its stool with one hand, while holding the opened scroll (which trailed onto the floor), with the other.

'Quiet down!' She said firmly to the rest of the hall, which quickly decreased the volume and distraction.

With the hat's words about paying closer attention to the sorting, it seemed everyone from second year through to seventh were doing exactly that. Harry's nerves caused him to shiver and his palms were a bit sweaty. After the song had given warnings and said things he didn't understand, Harry only felt worse about the entire ordeal.

Harry wanted to tell McGonagall he was feeling sick and needed to lie down, if it weren't for the fact it would be too embarrassing. The thought of everyone laughing at him made Harry stand firmly where he was, the best he could. At least he had Ginny at his right and Jack on the left, so there was a little reassurance there, as McGonagall cleared her throat and began to call names from the roll.

'Argent, Oscar!'

Harry felt sympathetic for his smallest classmate; the blonde-haired, and freckled boy he'd sat with on the train. Oscar looked like he wanted to sulk about being called up first, but inhaled a deep breath and marched up to the stool. He sat down, his head and neck completely vanishing under the hat for only a few seconds, before the hat formed a mouth-like fold once again and declared Oscar's fate to the entire hall.

'RAVENCLAW!'

As McGonagall lifted the hat again, Oscar slid off the stool with a bit of difficulty and looked around with relief, though his eyes were wide with surprise. Giving his classmates a brief look, Oscar turned and hurried to the table towards Harry's left.

'Bailey, Jack!'

'Oh, no.' Jack groaned from beside Harry. 'Why do I have to be second?'

He looked scared, so Harry reached over and gave his arm a short pat. Jack looked at him, as though realising for the first time that he wasn't alone, and his entire mood changed. He stood taller and strode forward with determination.

Jack sat on the stool, with Harry watching him in dread, and let the hat fall over his face.

'Ah, interesting.' Said the hat, which Jack tried not to be startled by. 'You have plenty of bravery, I see. Quite a keen mind, and exceptional loyalty. Where to put you, hmmm...'

'Not Gryffindor.' Jack whispered as quietly as he could. 'I can't go to Gryffindor.'

'Really?' The hat sounded amused. 'I see it all here, yes, you would make a bold and true Gryffindor. Are you sure?'

'Cody's my best friend, and I can't let him be alone. He needs me.' Jack explained hurriedly. 'If I go to Gryffindor, it'll be harder for him because I think...I think he might be in Slytherin. His dad is in Slytherin and Cody's a lot like him.'

'Heritage does not always determine where one ends up.' The hat advised. 'I can see your boldness and courage. You will not stand for what is wrong, just like Godric Gryffindor before you. Yes, you will be right at home in Gryffindor house.'

'No, you're wrong! I don't care about that.' Jack insisted. 'I don't want to be in Gryffindor. Put me somewhere else – anywhere else!'

'If you're certain.' The hat sighed, though his voice sounded very pleased despite the fact he had an eleven-year-old arguing with him. 'Better be...'

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and felt very anxious.

He waited a few seconds longer for the hat to shout the result, wondering and fearing that his pleas would be ignored.

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

Exhaling with undeniable relief, Jack took off the hat and handed it to a mildly surprised McGonagall (who had just reached to take the hat herself when he'd done so), and hopped off the stool. He gave Harry a thumbs up and smile of encouragement, before he turned and headed for the Hufflepuff table on the far left of the waiting group of first years.

Harry had waved back and didn't know what he thought of Jack's sorting. He decided it was fitting and he was glad Jack seemed to be happy with here he was. Except, Harry didn't have any idea where he himself might end up, so his thoughts quickly returned to the situation at hand as he observed the continued sorting ceremony.

'Burke, Casey!'

Harry watched another boy from his compartment step up to the stool. The quiet and somewhat annoying Casey looked rather unsettled now, and his confidence had shed entirely. He sat slowly on the stool and moved some blonde hair from his face as the hat began to slide over his head.

'SLYTHERIN!' The hat declared ten seconds later.

Harry looked down and thought about what his parents had said regarding how it didn't matter which house he went to. He hoped he'd like the one he was placed in, he thought, as Colin Creevey was sorted into Gryffindor. The applause from the house to his right shook Harry from his thoughts once again, wishing he could be left in peace to think and worry until it was his turn to face the magical hat.

'Downey, Conner!'

Harry felt a nudge at his elbow when a boy a bit taller than he was passed by.

Seeing him sit down, Harry frowned as he recognised the brown-haired boy as the one who had shoved him earlier, when and Jack asked if they could share the boat. Harry furiously reminded himself of his mother's words about everyone having a story and not to judge them too hastily, because Harry really did not want to dislike someone from simple rudeness alone.

And he succeeded in erasing a lot his forming dislike when he saw how terrified Conner was just to sit on the stool. All the first years were pale and nervous (some more than others), but Conner's face gave the impression he thought he was about to face certain death for whichever house he was going to. Maybe his previous bad mood wasn't all his fault? Harry didn't realise until now how on edge the other boy was, and felt his annoyance towards Conner fade rather rapidly.

It was interesting when, much like Jack, Conner remained concealed under the hat for a longer length of time than most of the others who were called up for their sorting.

'RAVENCLAW!' The hat finally declared.

Conner didn't move until McGonagall lifted the hat from his head and gave him a stern look.

Harry wondered if the boy was in shock at first, until Conner slowly stepped down and went to join Oscar (who was clapping enthusiastically) at the Ravenclaw table.

Jessica Grove, a girl with wild black hair, was sorted into Ravenclaw afterwards and took the seat across from Conner, who was looking much less agitated. Harry noticed how some sortings like Jack and Conner took a while, whereas others like Jessica and Oscar only took several seconds.

'Hendrix, Ian!'

The next boy was taller than Harry, and likely an inch above Conner as well. He had neat side-combed brown hair, and stared at Harry with dark grey eyes as he passed. His expression was hard to read, though looked rather serious and calculating. Harry hadn't even noticed he'd been standing a little in front of the boy until Ian moved around him and began to make his way to the stool.

Ian sat down, and the hat was lowered towards the boy, but it shouted the house before it even properly touched his head.

'SLYTHERIN!'

Harry thought Ian's sorting was the quickest yet, until a girl called Luna Lovegood stepped up next and the same thing happened to her.

'RAVENCLAW!'

As he stood there, unable to feel his own feet in the nervousness he felt to be drowning in, Harry tried to guess why the sorting hat placed some of his classmates into houses faster than others. Were they somehow different, or showed stronger signs of a certain house than the others? What if he sat there for so long and the hat didn't know where to put him, what would happen?

What if he had to leave because he didn't belong anywhere?

Harry didn't feel smart, brave, or ambitious. He was loyal, though, and a hope swelled inside him at the idea of joining Jack at the Hufflepuff table.

'Makarney, Logan!'

Harry, despite all his attempts to listen to his mother's last words to him on the platform regarding giving everyone a chance, could not help glaring at Logan when the rude boy's name was called. Logan even looked towards him and sneered, before he confidently stepped towards the stool and seated himself. His sorting was average; not shorter nor longer than the rest, and Harry spent every second praying he never ended up in whichever house Logan went to.

'SLYTHERIN!'

Suppressing a groan, Harry turned away from the scene as Logan headed for the cheering house. He glanced to his right at Ginny instead. She looked nervous like all of them, but was coping really well. Harry remembered she wasn't the first in her family (in terms of siblings), to attend Hogwarts, so maybe she already had an idea where was going to be sorted? He glanced around and saw the mass of red-hair populating the Gryffindor table.

Had every one of the Weasleys ended up in Gryffindor, or did it just look that way because of a majority?

'Miles, Haylee!'

Harry quickly looked back to the stool in time to see the only girl who had joined with them in the train compartment sit down. He was glad he knew some of his classmates already, and felt he would have enjoyed the sorting if he wasn't one of the names on McGonagall's all-important list.

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

'I hope we're in the same house.' He heard Ginny whisper to him. 'I only know you and Jack. And my brothers, of course.'

'Me too.' Harry was surprised he was able to talk at all. 'I want to be with Jack, but...'

'Maybe we'll all be in Hufflepuff?' Ginny offered him a smile, which Harry returned, even if it never reached their eyes.

They were being hopeful and trying to remain calm, even if it was clear they had no idea where they would end up. Harry had been wrong about her composure, he realised, as Ginny was looking more unsure than ever when they watched a boy with curly brown hair, and hazel eyes, called Lionel Peddler, become a Slytherin. He felt a tiny bit of envy towards Jack, who had Haylee sitting with him and therefore got to share his house with someone he knew. Even Oscar seemed to be doing well, as he and Conner looked to be getting along already even if neither of them were talking as they too continued to watch the sorting.

Harry hoped he would be as lucky when his turn came to join a house.

-- 

The list was getting shorter.

Harry wished it would hurry up, and yet he hoped his turn never came. His nerve-riddled mind brought forth one of his memories when he'd been seven and had to give the family tree speech in front of all those families. He'd been scared and didn't think he could do it. Right when he'd been about to give up, he'd seen his dad in the crowd supporting him.

He wished he hadn't thought of that at such a time like this, because his father wasn't going to be in the crowd this time. Nor would his mother be there just out of view until the last second. Jack was already sorted and his parents were someplace else, so Harry was acutely aware of being on his own for perhaps the first time since he'd been saved by his hero over three years ago.

A brief cough from Ginny reminded him he wasn't entirely alone, and if it weren't for her, Harry might not have been able to remain upright and calm enough to think clearly and watch what was going on.

Ray Phaxer became a Hufflepuff, and so did Gavin Porter.

Harry felt Ginny's hand grip his wrist in encouragement, and he was stricken to understand why. They had reached “R” and everyone knew what letter came next. Harry wouldn't have escaped it, even if his surname had been “Snape” rather than “Summers”.

He was doomed either way.

'Rawlen, Paige!'

This was it, Harry thought. He was going to be next, he was certain of it, or at least very soon.

He hoped the girl, Paige, with black hair, and eyes that looked not quite blue yet not entirely grey either, would be sitting on the stool for quite a length of time. His hopes were dashed, however, when the hat didn't even make it halfway onto her head before it's voice was heard again.

'SLYTHERIN!'

'Summers, Cody!'

Harry froze in horror.

Professor McGoangall had called his name. He looked anxiously towards her and saw the hat was gripped in her hand, waiting for him to sit under it.

Harry shivered and didn't want to move, though he knew it would be inevitable.

'I can do this.' Harry told himself firmly and took a step forward, feeling Ginny release his wrist at the motion. He wished she hadn't.

'Good luck.' Ginny told him.

Harry felt he would need it.

With more strength and motivation than he thought he could muster at that moment, he walked forward and passed McGonagall as he headed for the stool. Turning, and cringing at the hundreds of eyes that were on him from all around the Great Hall, Harry sat down. He was slightly relieved when the darkness from the inside of the hat clouded the watchful eyes of his schoolmates.

As he waited, Harry gripped the sides of the stool with his hands and sat very still.

'I did not think I would get to sort you. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.' The hat said in a quiet voice. 'Hmmm, right then. I know just where to put you...'

'SLYTHERIN!'

Harry, who had been too shocked by the possibility that the hat knew he had once been Harry Potter, despite his new name and family, almost missed the sudden announcement of his house. He was startled when the hat shouted it to everyone, and the ordeal was over far quicker than he had expected.

'Never forget who you are.' The hat managed to whisper before McGonagall removed it from Harry's head.

The boy wondered if it had been referring to Harry or Cody, but he had no time to ponder. Slipping down from the stool, Harry chanced a glance towards Jack in fear of his friend's sadness or rejection because they weren't in the same house. He was relieved to see his friend smiling and waving to him.

And with nothing left to stop him and no reason to remain where he was, Harry walked to the Slytherin table, where his new house-mates were cheering and clapping for him.

He managed a small smile because he was in the same house his dad had been in, and everyone at the table looked like they really were welcoming him rather than just clapping because that's what happened when a person was sorted. His treatment was no different to all the others, but it made Harry feel a bit better and his nerves began to lessen.

He ignored Logan entirely and sat beside Casey, across from a girl whose name he had already forgotten. She wasn't looking at him anyway, so Harry didn't worry about it, since there would be plenty of time later to get to know his classmates who were also in Slytherin. He hadn't looked at Logan, but the other boy was also ignoring him as though they'd had a mutual agreement regarding how to behave if then ended up in the same house.

'Hey.' Casey said in a far more easy-going tone than he had ever used on the train.

'Hi.' Harry replied, feeling a bit unsure, and turned around to watch the last of the sorting, his gaze resting only on Ginny. He wished he could stand with her, as she had for him, and give her confidence as well. Ginny looked more anxious than ever and appeared to be avoiding looking anywhere other than at the hat.

Harry didn't know why, considering the friends he had made on the train and the fact he had Jack, but he always sought Ginny in the crowd since he'd met her in Diagon Alley. There was just something about her he was drawn to, like he knew they could be really good friends and she was someone he could always count on. Harry had no idea if this was true, but his dad had once said sometimes their instincts could pick up on things their minds were a bit slow to catch.

His dad then told him how ignoring your instincts is like eating one of Erin's omelettes without first checking for broken eggshells. So as Harry sat on the wooden seat at the Slytherin table, he watched Ginny intently and decided he was going to be her friend even if he hardly knew her yet.

'Tessen, Laura!'

A girl with short, silky-looking dark hair hurried to the stool and impatiently pulled the hat over her eyes.

Harry watched as she was declared a Gryffindor, and then a girl named Eden Thorne, who had wavy copper hair, and blue eyes, was soon moving to sit beside him at the Slytherin table. Harry dutifully clapped for her, even if his gaze continuously rested on the red-haired girl still waiting for her turn to be sorted.

There was only one person left standing, and Harry felt deeply sympathetic for Ginny. She stood there all alone, waiting for McGonagall to call her name, though it hardly seemed necessary as it was the final one on the list.

'Weasley, Ginny!'

Harry saw her red-haired brothers cheering for her. He was glad they did, because Ginny seemed a little less frightened when she took notice of their obvious support of her before they even knew which house she was going to be placed in. The twins even whistled and said some hard-to-understand chant that met the disapproval of McGonagall. Ron, who was only a year older than the current first years, remained quiet with worry and anticipation. His prefect brother Percy was the same.

Harry wondered if it was just the difference between the Weasleys, or if perhaps Ron and Percy knew something the others did not, and therefore were much less confident about where their only sister would be placed.

And Ginny had perhaps the longest sorting of the entire lot.

Either that, or it felt to be the longest because she was the last one, and Harry really hoped she would end up in his house. He knew it was selfish, but Jack had already gone to Hufflepuff. Oscar and Haylee were in different houses as well. The only person he had was silent and mysterious Casey. Harry really did not want Casey to be his only possible ally in a dormitory shared with Logan, who was trying to quietly befriend the other two boys, Lionel and Ian.

Had Harry torn his gaze from Ginny for just a second, he would have seen Ian roll his eyes at Logan and begin to ignore him as well, whereas Lionel looked rather unsure and didn't seem to want to risk talking.

'GRYFFINDOR!' The hat shouted after what felt like five minutes.

McGonagall gave the girl a smile when she lifted the hat so Ginny could hop down from the wooden stool. She soon carried the stool with the hat away, because the sorting was concluded now that all the first years had a house to call their own. Ginny hesitated at the Gryffindor table and looked over at Harry, who tried to appear supportive despite feeling terribly disappointed.

She sat down to join her cheering brothers, and Harry wondered what was going to happen next.

-- 

He didn't have long to wait, as the Great Hall quietened when Headmaster Dumbledore rose from his seat and walked to the front to greet them all with a warm welcome, as though their attentive faces was the greatest sight for him to see.

'Welcome!' Dumbledore said in a loud and clear voice. 'Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I'm sure you're all eager to start our excellent feast, so bear with me as I have a few announcements to make.'

Harry looked around to see if this was a normal thing to happen each year, and the barely-attentive expressions on the older Slytherin's faces indicated it was. Feeling calmer than he had since waking that morning, Harry turned back to Dumbledore and sighed.

The worse of it was over, he felt, and settled in his seat to listen to what the Hogwarts Headmaster had to tell them.

'Firstly, there are a few important changes to the staff this year.' Dumbledore said. 'Let us give a warm welcome to Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, who has agreed to fill the post as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.'

As Professor Lockhart stood and smiled cheerily at the students, Harry wasn't the only one to notice the loudest and most enthusiastic applause came from the majority of the female population. Even some of the female staff members were heartily clapping for Lockhart. Harry clapped casually, wondering if all new staff members were greeted with such eagerness, because if so then his parents would get a good cheer too, he reckoned.

'In one week's time, there will be two other staff members joining us.' Dumbledore continued, which made Harry immediately sit higher in his chair.

Logan looked suspiciously at him and then stared intently at the Headmaster.

'Hogwarts has two new posts available this year, which were filled for a very special circumstance, rather than a dire need.' Dumbledore said. 'Next week a Miss Erin Summers will be joining us as our assistant Caretaker, to give our Head Caretaker, Argus Filch, some extra support - it is quite a big job for just one person.'

Harry gasped at this, because his mother said she would be looking for a way to help out since she would be living for free at the castle, but he had no idea she'd already have an actual job! He smiled and shifted in his seat, knowing his dad's announcement would be next.

'Additionally, Hogwarts will have its very first exceptionally employed tutor.' Dumbledore said. 'He is fully certified and optional assistance to those who would like the extra study, and mandatory for anyone falling behind. Severus Snape is a former Hogwarts student himself, so rest assured that he will be very up-to-date on all matters necessary.'

'Snape?' Someone's voice was heard over the mass of students.

A few other murmurs followed, which had Harry shrinking towards his seat in effort to hide. No one was looking at him, other than a suspiciously curious Logan, but he felt like they were. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but Harry could see his father was right about not many people at Hogwarts liking him.

'Settle down!' Dumbledore said loudly, which worked rather effectively. 'Another announcement I wish to make is in regards to the way classes take place. For many years, houses have been paired for their lessons, such as Gryffindor might have Potions with Slytherin one day and then Herbology with Hufflepuff another. This is a long-standing tradition, however, after careful consideration, this will be no more.' He told them.

'Though each grade will still be split into two separate classes for their lessons, each part will contain students from all four houses rather than just two.'

More comments ensued, which Harry had tuned out of. He didn't care about the class mingling as it hardly effected him (he hadn't gone to any of his classes yet), and his mind returned to the subject of his parents and their jobs at Hogwarts.

It was only when a huge array of delicious food appeared on the table in front of him did Harry return to the moment and allow himself to be distracted from his thoughts. He stared at the food and reached for his fork. Looking to the others around him, Harry noticed a lot of the Slytherins weren't very surprised or reactive to the food appearing other than looking hungry. Casey was one of the few of all the first years even who had his eyes wide and jaw agape.

Curious, Harry looked at the other tables behind him (hoping to see Jack or Ginny as well), and though he couldn't see anyone he recognised in the flurry of activity, he saw that most of the other first years and some younger years were delighted by the sudden magical appearance of their dinner.

Harry returned to his own plate, serving himself a bit of everything he could reach, apart from the peas. It wasn't that he didn't like his vegetables, it was more the fact that peas made him think of all the meals he shared with Jack in the past month and over the years. They always ended up flicking them at each other or tried to sneak them to Frogabook because the frog seemed obsessed with the little round vegetable and always snatched a pea with his tongue like he caught bugs.

He felt a bit ashamed to be missing his best friend already, even if Jack was just across the hall.

Harry reminded himself that it could have been much worse, if Jack had moved away with his parents and never gotten a Hogwarts letter as well. Feeling a bit better, Harry ate his chicken and thought about how more enjoyable the meal already was. It wasn't that the food was great, but rather his dad wasn't there making sure he ate a lot of vegetables and used good table manners, and his mum didn't keep sneaking more food onto his plate while he was distracted with conversation.

He loved his parents and enjoyed sharing any time he could with them, but Harry always liked the idea of a silent meal. Casey seemed to as well, because they were the only two first years who didn't say anything unless directly addressed with a question they wanted to answer. Most of the dinner chatter with his classmates involved Logan, two girls nearby, a pale second-year boy with slicked back blonde hair, and a momentarily shy Lionel. Ian had left his seat when the meal started, so Harry wasn't sure where at the table his new room-mate was.

Not that he really cared, as he ate his dinner and hoped no one would talk to him.

'Oi, Summers!' Logan spoke to him, which Harry tried to ignore. 'That new caretaker assistant, she has the same last name as you. Is she a relative?'

Nearby talking halted at those words as several more Slytherins turned to look over at Harry with interest. He blushed and looked down at his plate for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention before he tried to brave an answer.

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'She's my mother.'

Whispers carried along the table and suddenly more people were turning to listen in. Logan, looking pleased to have generated such an interesting conversation, decided at add his own opinions about the matter.

'Is she that desperate for money?' Logan snorted.

Only a few joined in, but other than a girl with black hair, none of the first years seemed to think it was a very funny thing to say.

Neither did Harry, who had to hold back an angry glare.

'No.' Harry said adamantly with a frown on his face. 'My father, Severus Snape, will be the first official tutor at Hogwarts. Because my mother is going to be living here as well, she decided to help out to keep herself busy.' He had little idea if any of what he said was true, but he was too annoyed by Logan's words and the dislike shown towards his dad from the other houses to not defend his parents with anything he could.

'Your dad is Severus Snape?' A sixth year boy gasped. 'No bloody way! Prove it.'

'Yeah, as if.' Said a girl from fourth year. 'And why is he tutoring, anyway? Why not something more important?'

Harry hesitated with the chatter that followed, and clenched his fists over his lap once he had dropped his hands, not feeling as hungry as he once did. He ducked his head for a moment and tried to ignore what they were saying, but he couldn't. Harry refused to let anyone talk badly about his parents, and he did not want anyone not liking his dad for anything.

Not caring what was lie and what was truth, Harry once again defended them, even raising his voice to be heard.

'If you don't believe me, then you can ask him yourself when he gets here.' Harry had a theory that they wouldn't want to do that, and their pale faces proved him right. 'He's a tutor because all the Professor positions are taken. Besides, tutoring is important, I reckon. I mean, he only has to teach those who want to learn from him, and he told me he never really fancied being a professor anyway. Imagine how great we could all become with his help!'

Harry could tell he hadn't convinced many of his words, but at least they stopped saying things about his parents and returned to their conversations.

Logan gave him a glare, probably for bringing the topic to a halt, and turned to talk with Lionel again. Harry finished his dinner and turned around in his seat to watch the other houses. He did not feel like facing his housemates at the moment, and only answered questions if Casey was the one to ask them.

--

Dinner soon ended and dessert appeared, which Harry took great interest in and yet ate very little of.

When Dumbledore stood again and the plates were sparkling clean once more, Harry turned towards the headmaster and listened to the cautions about magic in the corridors, staying out of the forbidden forest, and a reminder that the Head of Houses will be stopping by the common rooms just before breakfast for a brief introductive meeting with the first years.

After he bid them good night, Harry rose with the rest of his Slytherin classmates to follow a dark-skinned prefect out of the Great Hall.

He lead them to the dungeons, which Harry thought were really cold and a bit spooky-looking. He glanced at Casey and changed his mind about not preferring his company as much as he'd thought before, because the blonde-haired boy seemed to react to things in similar ways Harry did.

As the prefect explained some tips on finding the Slytherin common room, he said the password to the wall and led them inside. Harry was glad it was a bit warmer inside the Slytherin common room and could not believe how big it was. Some of the older students were already there, lounging on sofas by the fireplace or whispering in small grounds around the corners.

'As you can see, this is the Slytherin Common Room.' Said the prefect. 'The girls dormitories are on the left, over there.' He pointed across the room. 'The boys are on the right. All of your belongings are already waiting for you inside. Remember that here in Slytherin we do not turn on each other in any situation. If there's someone in Slytherin you don't like, then avoid them. Regardless, you must at least be civil to every person in your dorm. We don't want to have to call Professor Slughorn because you've given someone a black eye or shredded their pillow.'

As he spoke, Harry and Logan turned to stare at each other.

They were both thinking of ways to avoid each other or else evade getting caught if they ended up in a scuffle. Harry didn't know who Professor Slughorn was or why he would be called if something seemingly minor like that happened, but Harry did not want to be the one who was put in that sort of situation.

The prefect walked away and Harry joined Casey in going to find their dormitory. As they were about to step inside, Logan shoved between them and strode passed. Harry and Casey glared at him and went to choose a bed each on the right side of the room. Harry had the one closest to the wall and door, while Casey was beside him. It went around the room with the door at the start and the bathroom at the end: Harry, Casey, Lionel, Logan, and Ian.

'Frogabook!' Harry grinned, his mood lifting dramatically, as he saw his frog sitting impatiently in his cage. He checked the dormitory door was shut and opened the cage, letting his frog enjoy its freedom.

'That is one big frog.' Casey commented while Logan and Lionel stared at it. 'Where did you get it?'

'Er, it's hard to explain.' Harry said and picked his frog up, carrying Frogabook to the bed.

He was glad no one commented on the name either, though Logan was sniggering into the back of his hand. He wondered if anyone else had pets, and saw both Ian and Logan had an owl, which fluttered to rest on the top of their bedposts. Lionel had a fluffy white cat, which instantly curled up on his pillow despite its owner's protests.

The five boys barely said another word to each other as they took turns in the shower and headed to bed.

Harry lay in his pajamas, staring upwards at his green curtains (which he had closed for privacy), and tried not to cry. He was glad the sorting was over and felt proud to be in his father's house, but he missed them. He missed Jack, and he missed his parents.

His mum wasn't there to tuck him in and whisper nice things to him.

His dad wasn't just down the hall if he woke from a nightmare or wanted reassurance that he was safe.

Harry rolled onto his side, and snuggled his previous;y sleeping frog close. A single tear trickled onto his pillow as the emerald-eyed Slytherin tried to fall asleep. And moments before he fell into a deep slumber about cars, trains, and boats, something he had recently heard drifted through his mind:

Never forget who you are.

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Harry was used to having his mother or father come into his room in the morning to wake him, and he'd left his alarm clock at home. So, on the bright and early Monday morning (though down in the dungeons none of the sunlight streamed through), Harry overslept. He was woken by Frogabook licking his face, and quickly jerked upright to check the time.

He had less than an hour before his first class.

'Damn!' Harry hissed, as he threw open the curtains and snatched up pieces of clothing.

He hurried to the bathroom, and emerged a few minutes later in his uniform. Even in his rush, he had paused to smile at his appearance in the mirror and still felt proud to be in Slytherin - just like his dad had been.

Hopping, as he tried to put a sock on and do up his tie at once, Harry paused in the middle of the room and looked around. Ian's bed was vacant and neatly made, Lionel's curly hair could be seen from under the covers, and Casey was in the process of rolling over. Logan, however, was sitting on the floor by his trunk where he searched for something within it.

'Casey! Lionel!' Harry called to them. 'We're gonna to be late!'

'For what?' Lionel's groan carried through the room, while Casey was startled awake.

'Class, you idiot.' Logan said. 'I woke up when someone knocked on our door a minute ago. They said our Head of House is running late.'

'I forgot about that!' Casey winced, as he pulled off his pajama shirt to exchanged it for his white uniform shirt.

'Me too.' Harry admitted quietly. 'Lionel!' He added again when he heard snores from the other bed.

'Go away!' Lionel complained and pulled the sheets over his head.

'Fine.' Harry grumbled and busied himself with getting ready for the day.

He didn't know if he would have time to come back for any of the books he would need for his first classes, so he piled in as many textbooks as he could carry. Other than his Potions one, since his father told him there was almost always a lesson for the end of the week in first year. He hoped they hadn't changed the classes around too much, as Harry would hate to show up for his dad's best subject without his necessary textbook.

Dressed in a way his mother would only barely approve of, Harry hurried out of the room with his school bag draped over his shoulder. Casey and Logan were right behind him, and Ian was seen sitting in an armchair nearby to wait for their Head of House.

'You could have woken us!' Logan scolded Ian, who only shrugged and looked away.

'Ah, there you all are!' Said a beaming wizard as he walked into the common room.

The Slytherin first years were all gathered there looking tired and a bit anxious, watching the wizard as he made his way towards them.

'I am Professor Horace Slughorn.' He introduced himself.

Harry now understood why this particular professor would be called if there was fighting within Slytherin, just like the prefect said last night. This was the Head of Slytherin house? Harry looked around and noticed he wasn't the only one who was rather surprised and had been expecting something else from the professor.

'Congratulations on being sorted into Slytherin.' Slughorn told them.

He gave some general advice, then told them a bit more about their house's united front and what others thought of their dark reputation. This was the first time Harry heard that Slytherin house was often said to produce more or all of the darkest witches and wizards out there. He shuddered at the idea and hoped Slughorn was right when he said it was not entirely true because other houses have had their fair share of villains as well.

-- 

When the Head of House was done talking, Harry and Casey hurried to the Great Hall in hope of grabbing a bit of breakfast before their first class. A prefect spotted the pair and gave them their timetables. Not bothering to look at his at first, Harry snatched some fruit and toast from the Slytherin table in a rush.

Once he had chewed his breakfast and sipped all of his pumpkin juice, he realised he had ten minutes to find his first class. Casey discovered the same about his own lesson and quickly left the hall. Looking down at his timetable, Harry's heart sank. It was Herbology. His first lesson was outside in the greenhouses and he knew no matter how fast he ran, Harry wasn't going to make it in time. He didn't know what to do, and looked around warily for some sort of solution to his doomed predicament.

Spotting Professor McGonagall, Harry ran over to her.

'Oh, my goodness!' McGonagall gasped, being startled when Harry suddenly ran to her and nearly bumped into her. 'Do watch where you are going, Mr Summers.'

'Sorry, Professor.' Harry gasped. 'I overslept and Professor Slughorn was a bit late with his meeting. I have Herbology now, but I won't make it. I really don't want to get into trouble, can you maybe write me a note or something?' He thought it was a long shot, but he had no other choice.

He'd heard of teachers writing notes for students who were or might be late, from his former school. He only hoped he would be more successful than Jack, who was usually given a detention rather than a note. Any other moment and he would have just started running outside to try his best even if he probably wouldn't make it, but Harry was too scared of his parents hearing he was late on his very first day.

And to the class he was most looking forward to.

'Then perhaps you should ask your parents for a functional alarm clock, Mr Summers.' McGonagall said in a disproving tone. 'However, as Professor Slughorn was late...' She sighed and wrote a note for him, handing it to a grinning and relieved Harry.

'Do not let this happen again, Mr Summers.' McGonagall said firmly.

'Yes, Professor.' Harry nodded. 'Thank you so much!' He held the note close as though it was written on fine gold.

Without another word, he turned to hurry out of the Great Hall. Even if he had his note to keep him out of trouble for being late, Harry did not want to miss more of his first Herbology lesson than he had to.

-- 

On the way to the greenhouses, Harry wondered who he would be sharing the class with and what interesting things he was going to learn. He loved gardening, though more so when it was with his parents. Harry was very keen on the subject and hoped it would be like he imagined it, but of course it would be more fun if he at least had someone he knew there.

As he reached the assigned greenhouse, he hoped Jack would be inside and he could work with him. He hadn't seen his Hufflepuff best friend since just before they were sorted, and he wondered how Jack was doing or if he missed him too. Stepping inside, however, Harry could tell Jack wouldn't be sharing this lesson with him. Neither was Casey, who had run off for another class just before Harry had approached McGonagall.

'You're late, Mr Summers.' Professor Sprout said with a disappointed sigh.

He blushed and wasn't sure what to say with all of his classmates staring at him, some chuckling. He offered her the note and looked around for a place at the table.

'Oh, I see.' Sprout sounded a bit relieved when she read his note. 'Very well, pick a spot and I'll update you on what you missed.'

She actually told him first what their task was for the lesson, while Harry looked around shyly for an empty space. His gaze fell on Ginny and her red hair, though she looked a bit hesitant. Next to her was Conner, the Ravenclaw boy who had shoved Harry when he'd been trying to get into the boat. Harry, though he hadn't spoken to Conner since, had forgiven the incident once he saw how scared the boy had been during the sorting.

'Cody.' Ginny finally decided to wave him over. 'You can join us.' She said.

Whispers spread through the greenhouse at once. Harry didn't see what the big deal was, until he gladly stood between Ginny and Conner, and made a rather displeasing discovery. Ginny and Conner were not the only ones in this class who he recognised.

'Hey, what are you doing, Summers?' Logan frowned from where he stood across from him. 'She's a Gryffindor!' He said, unaware his voice had carried to Sprout nearby.

Though the professor listened intently, she did not show she had heard their little exchange until a smile spread over her lips at Harry's reply.

'So?' Harry shrugged. 'She's also my friend.' He glanced at his right to Ginny, who looked surprised at first, but smiled with relief.

Maybe she had hesitated because Ginny thought he would pay attention to the whole “Slytherins don't like Gryffindor and vice versa” thing?

'But she's also a Weasley.' Logan continued, convinced as he was that Harry was somehow doing something very wrong and frowned upon.

Harry took quick notice that they were the only Slytherin boys in the class, though there were three girls at the far end of the table gossiping to themselves about something.

'Everyone knows the Weasleys are blood-traitors.'

Harry had heard of this phrase before, when his dad explained it to him after Harry overheard someone saying it in Diagon Alley. He'd said it was a name given to those who had pure blood, but did not hate muggles or think anyone who didn't have pure blood were lesser witches or wizards. Harry had agreed with his mother when she said it was a nasty name to call someone.

'There's nothing wrong with giving everyone a chance.' Harry retaliated and tried to keep his tone low. 'Ginny is my friend, unlike you. I don't care about her blood status or what house she is in. And what's so great about all that, anyway? You're a pureblood Slytherin and yet you're such a git.'

While Conner gasped and Ginny snorted, Logan flushed pink and grabbed a handful of dirt he clearly intended to throw at Harry.

'I do hope that is going into the pot, Mr Makarney.' Came Sprout's warning tone.

'Of course, Professor.' Logan frowned and threw the dirt back into its pot. He returned his attention to his task and bluntly ignored those across from him.

'You didn't have to do that.' Ginny whispered to Harry.

'I didn't mean to.' Harry confessed. 'It's just, you are my friend and I couldn't stand hearing him talk about you like that. I really don't care about what your family thinks of muggles, and I don't care you're in Gryffindor.' He looked away.

'Then me neither.' Ginny decided firmly. 'My brothers warned me about Slytherins, but I don't think every person in any of the houses are all the same. You're nothing like him.' She glared at Logan. 'Friends?' She held out her dirt-covered hand.

Harry looked at it and tried not to laugh.

'Sure.' He nodded and clasped her hand to shake it. 'Friends.' He nodded.

Harry could now say he had made a friend at Hogwarts. He liked several of his classmates, such as Oscar and Haylee from the train, but Ginny was the first one he had officially befriended.

'Are you really the son of Snape?' Someone nearby hissed to him when Sprout diverted her attention again.

The Professor was still keeping her ears focused and was glad her back was turned to hide her surprise.

'Why don't you have his name, then?'

Harry looked at Logan, who was suddenly very interested in a leaf he was staring at. Narrowing his eyes (a habit he had picked up from his dad when he was suspicious and not happy about it), Harry wondered just how much Logan had blabbed to everyone. He was very glad he hadn't said much over dinner.

'You don't have to answer.' Ginny reminded him and gave the asker a glare. 'How it is any of your nosy business?'

'I'm just asking!' The boy growled back.

'He is my dad.' Harry said. 'But Ginny's right; it's none of your business.'

He looked down and set to work, feeling pleased to have Ginny as his friend and therefore back-up as well. He glanced once at Conner, who was frowning at his own plant, and wanted to say something, but Harry couldn't.

With a sigh, he spent the rest of the Herbology lesson listening to Professor Sprout and realising the subject was more interesting than he'd thought it would be. It was only his first ever class at Hogwarts, and already Harry felt confident it was his favourite.

-- 

When the lesson was over, Harry went to follow Ginny out of the greenhouse when Professor Sprout called him back.

'I'll wait outside.' Ginny nodded and left the greenhouse.

Sprout watched the last student leave before she turned to the Slytherin boy, who looked a bit nervous as though he expected to be in trouble.

'It was a very honourable thing you did, Cody.' Sprout smiled at him. 'For years I have seen Slytherins and Gryffindors part ways only because of the patch they wear on their robes. It always made me sad, and everyone was too set in their ways.' She added.

'Because the only other time I remember seeing something like I did today, with yourself and Miss Weasley, was when your father and another girl with red hair who was in Gryffindor also remained friends despite their houses. I never had them together in my class, but I saw it from time to time.' She said.

'Her name was Lily, wasn't it?' Harry asked quietly. 'They didn't stay friends forever.'

'Yes, it was Lily.' Sprout was surprised the boy knew so much. 'And what matters is that for nearly five years they did try. Maybe things changed, as people often do, but they were friends regardless of their houses. I think your father would be very proud of you today.'

'You think so?' Harry looked at her with a hopeful smile. 'Thank you, Professor. And I really enjoyed your lesson. I do a lot of gardening with mum and dad, so I'm used to the dirt.' He remembered Conner complaining about it, whereas Harry and Ginny hardly noticed how dirty it was. 'Dad even let me grow ingredients with him.' He added with pride and importance.

'Then you've had excellent practise.' Sprout smiled back. 'I look forward to future lessons then. And seeing your father again. It's been so long.' She commented and looked away.

After a moment of quiet passed over them, they bid farewell and Harry hurried outside to where Ginny was standing alone to wait for him.

'What was that about?' Ginny wondered. 'Were you in trouble for something?'

'Nah.' Harry shook his head and led the way back to the castle, where they headed for a nearby courtyard. They had free time until their next lesson and intended to compare their timetables to see which other classes they might share.

'She gave me five points, though.' Harry said with glee. 'For being such a loyal friend, I think. She didn't really say, but she talked about how my dad had a Gryffindor friend too.'

'He did?' Ginny stared. 'Are they still friends?'

'No.' Harry didn't want to worry if he and Ginny would last. 'She died.' He said, making it sound like that was the reason his dad and Lily were no longer friends. 'I never even got to meet her.'

'Oh.' Ginny looked away, as they sat under a shady oak tree in the courtyard. 'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay.' Harry sighed and got out his timetable. Ginny did the same, and the two friends leaned over it to work out which ones they had in common.

'That's not fair.' Ginny frowned, as she sat back on the grass. 'We have Herbology together every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Nothing on Thursday, and then all we'd got is double Potions Friday morning!' She complained.

'Yeah.' Harry sighed. 'But we have free time after every Herbology lesson. Maybe we can see each other then? Like we are now. And we'll be in the same class at least once almost every school day.'

'You're very optimistic.' Ginny chuckled. 'And yeah, I suppose you're right. Too bad we have to put up with Makarney three times a week, though.'

'I don't get what his problem is.' Harry growled. 'Is it really because I bumped into him on the train station?'

'Too bad you didn't bump him in front of the train.' Ginny muttered. 'I mean, no, I doubt it's that. Some people are just rotten that way. My brother Ron said he has to put up with the same thing from a Slytherin in his class, Draco Malfoy.'

'Malfoy?' Harry frowned and tried to work out when he'd heard his dad talk about that family. Maybe his dad had gone to school with one of them?

What was the name of his dad's godson again?

'So your parents are coming next week?' Ginny changed the topic. 'Why not now?'

'I don't really know.' Harry tried to remember. 'I think dad has to pass some sort of exams or whatever for each class, to prove he can tutor those subjects or something like that. Mum said the Ministry aren't too happy to have dad coming here. I don't know why, though.' He shrugged. 'What are your family like?'

And so as the two friends from rival houses lay back on the grass under the tree, Harry heard all about the Weasleys.

He then told Ginny about how his mum wasn't too good at cooking anything other than cakes, and that his dad loved to brew potions all the time. He didn't talk about anything before he was eight, as Harry wasn't too comfortable sharing it for some reason, though he did add a bit of background to his and Jack's friendship.

As an hour and a half passed by, Ginny knew more about Harry than anyone else his age, apart from Jack. They'd just officially become friends that day, but Harry had a strong feeling he could trust her.

Unfortunately, though, Harry and Ginny did not share their next lesson, so the pair had to part.

Waving goodbye, Harry sighed and headed for his next class. It was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, which he was also looking forward to. He knew this Professor, since she had visited their house several days ago, and she'd been rather impressed when she heard he'd transfigured his book into a frog. McGonagall made Transfiguration sound quite hard, so Harry was hoping he would do okay if she'd praised him so much for his bout of accidental magic.

Arriving at the classroom with a lot of difficulty, Harry hurried inside and was glad he wasn't late.

By about a minute.

He looked around and saw someone waving enthusiastically to him near the right side of the room, second from the front. It wasn't Jack, as Harry had hoped. It was Oscar, the Ravenclaw he had shared the train compartment with even though the blonde, freckled boy had spent more time talking to Jack than Harry.

Glad he had someone he knew in the class, Harry sat at Oscar's left and glanced diagonally in front of him to where Ian sat with a Slytherin girl Harry didn't know the name of. She had Black hair, and he couldn't see her face. Ian didn't look as though he was friends with her, and Harry wondered what was with Ian. He was always so quiet and didn't seem to give others much attention, and yet his hair was always neatly combed, his shirt tucked in, and had excellent posture.

'I'm so glad you're here.' Oscar said with relief, looking a bit up at Harry as he was quite shorter than the rest of the first years. 'I was hoping I'd have a class with Conner, at least, since he seems nice, but so far you're the first one I know.'

He did seem rather glad, and a bit nervous by the silent form of Ian.

'Conner was in Herbology with me.' Harry told him, looking towards the tabby cat sitting on the teacher's desk and wondered where Professor McGonagall was. 'I haven't seen Haylee or Jack all day either.'

'Oh.' Oscar looked disappointed. 'Well, at least we have each other in Transfiguration then.' He exhaled. 'I wish I had time to compare my timetable with Conner this morning, but Professor Flitwick was late for the first-year meeting thing.'

'So was professor Slughorn.' Harry frowned, wondering what that was about.

As it reached the time for the class to begin, Harry and all the others gasped with shock and awe when the tabby cat jumped forward and transfigured into Professor McGonagall. Even Ian was startled and wide-eyed. Oscar had nearly fallen off his seat in shock, and he wasn't the only one.

Harry did his best in Transfiguration, though not quite as keenly as Herbology, and discovered there was a lot more to turning something into something else than he'd realised. And it was not at all looking to be as almost-easy as he had expected.

He still liked Professor McGonagall, though, even if she was rather strict. She'd even given him a house point when he'd put his hand up to answer a question and turned out to be correct. Harry decided not to let anyone know he had taken a completely random guess based on something his dad had once said about not being able to conjure food.

Oscar was usually quiet unless he had something to say or ask, as Harry had already guessed about him from the train ride, but the Ravenclaw seemed rather nervous about Transfiguration so he didn't say much until the bell rang. As they got up from their seats, the pair paused to watch Ian stride passed as though he was in a hurry to get somewhere. Shrugging, Harry and Oscar headed for the door and stood outside in the corridor.

Deciding he was going to go look for Conner at lunch, Oscar headed for the Great Hall and Harry, who was hungry, followed. 

Entering the hall, the two boys separated for their own houses and Harry was pleased to not see Logan anywhere at the Slytherin table. Sitting in the same spot he had the night before, which was closer to the staff table, with his back facing the rest of the hall, Harry was soon joined by Casey.

'Hey.' The blonde boy greeted him with a sigh and sat down. 'Did you have Herbology with Logan?'

'Yeah.' Harry frowned at the memory, forgetting to return the greeting.

'I thought so.' Casey nodded. 'He doesn't seem to like you much, and he came to class complaining about you.'

'I'm not surprised.' Harry said darkly and returned to his meal, not wanting to talk about the git.

Casey got the message and fell silent as well. Harry wanted to compare timetables, as all the first years seemed to be doing to see if they were sharing any lessons with friends from their house or others, but didn't. He still wasn't sure about Casey because he'd been so odd on the train and now they're in the same house the other boy was a lot more friendly. Perhaps it reminded Harry of Logan's dislike of Gryffindor house, and therefore Harry wasn't sure if Casey would be like this if they'd been in different houses.

Comparing timetables was a friendly thing to do, and Harry didn't want to give the other boy the wrong idea.

'I better go.' Harry told Casey out of politeness when he had twenty minutes before his last lesson of the day. 'I have to find the History of Magic classroom.' He sighed.

Harry almost thought Casey was going to give him some directions or say he shared the class with him, but the other boy only shrugged and returned to his meal.

--

With five minutes to go, Harry hurried along the corridor and was relieved to see the assigned classroom. With a heartfelt leap of delight, he spotted Jack standing outside with his History of Magic textbook clutched to his chest. Harry wished he'd stopped by the Slytherin common room and dumped the rest of his books on his bed, because his bag was heavy, but had forgotten.

'Jack!' Harry grinned. 'Finally. We have this lesson together. That's good, since we have it three times a week.'

'Yeah.' Jack didn't sound enthusiastic, as he peered into the classroom again and stepped back, suppressing a shudder.

'What is it?' Harry looked inside, from what he could see, and only noticed some of his classmates chatting as they waited for the lesson to start.

'Can you see him?' Jack gasped with shock.

'Who?' Harry looked again, noticing Conner seated with two empty seats to his right. 'Conner?'

'No!' Jack frowned. 'The professor. He's a ghost!'

'Don't be silly.' Harry rolled his eyes. 'Ghosts can't teach classes. It's a muggle thing, from the movies.'

'No, there's ghosts.' Jack said in a panicky voice. 'I sort-of saw two of them this morning. I heard one of my prefects wondering where the house ghosts were because none showed up during the feast. Ghosts are REAL, Cody!'

'Maybe they're friendly?' Harry winced.

At eight-years-old, he and Jack rented a scary movie involving ghosts who attacked people and had both been frightened of ghosts ever since. The idea of their school being filled with them and one even teaching their class was a very frightening concept to the eleven-year-old boys.

'Didn't your dad say anything about them?' Jack whispered.

'No.' Harry shook his head. 'I think he forgot.'

'Or he did this on purpose.' Jack frowned. 'He told us we have to overcome our fears, remember?'

'Yeah, but dad wouldn't do that if he knew we were scared...' Harry thought for a minute and sighed. 'Well, not intentionally anyway.'

'What can we do?' Jack asked. He fidgeted with his Hufflepuff tie nervously, as though he was worried it would be used to strangle him.

'We have three of these lessons a week for the whole year.' Harry reasoned. 'We're going to have to go in there.'

'I was afraid you'd say that.' Jack said bitterly. 'Fine. I don't really want to be late.'

'We'll sit with Conner, okay?' Harry pointed, as they stood in the doorway and he tried not to look anywhere else. 'He's got two spare seats. He's the Ravenclaw with brown hair.'

'The one who pushed you by the boats?' Jack glared at the Ravenclaw. 'Are you sure?'

'Come on!' Harry rolled his eyes and dragged Jack's sleeve towards the seats.

Too fearful of the ghost he had just spotted floating at the front of the room, Harry didn't even ask Conner if they could join him. With Conner beside him and Jack to his right, Harry tried to feel brave as he got out his book.

'Hey.' Conner said politely, looking a bit unsure when he saw Jack as well. 'Look, I'm sorry about pushing you yesterday.' He looked away. 'I was just a bit nervous about the sorting. I took it out on you.'

'It's okay.' Harry smiled. 'I've already forgiven you. I was nervous too.'

'Yeah, but...' Conner looked like he wanted to share something important, but the starting of the lesson stopped him. He ducked his head and busied himself with listening to the ghostly professor.

'I don't forgive him yet.' Jack said quietly to Harry. 'We were all nervous, but you didn't see me shoving anyone.'

'Shhh!' Harry hissed, his face paling when the ghost started to talk.

Both boys were alert for half of the lesson, until slowly they realised the only danger they could suffer from the ghostly teacher was falling asleep and drooling on their open books. While Jack struggled to stay awake, Harry managed to write down some dates and names, while wondering how Conner was able to pay enough attention to write three times the amount Harry had. It wasn't until Conner noticed how minimal Harry's note-taking was that his attentiveness faded a little.

When the lesson was over, Jack and Harry had two hours before dinner to do what they wanted. Waving goodbye to Conner, Harry let Jack drag him outside for some fresh air. Harry passed several of his other classmates along the way, though no one he strongly recognised, and overheard them talking about writing home.

Halting as they reached the doors, Harry remembered promising his parents he would write to them. He felt he had a lot to say, but didn't want to bore them, so Harry decided to wait a few more days.

Tuesday went by almost exactly as Monday, since Harry had all the same classes with all the same classmates. They even picked the same seats and areas at the tables. Wednesday they had Herbology again in the morning, which he happily spent with Ginny. Logan was still ignoring him and Conner had gone quiet once more.

Afterwards, he and Ginny told stories about getting their letters and their wands, as they lay together under the oak tree during their free period before Harry had Charms.

He finally saw Haylee again, as she warmly waved him over to the seat on her left. Casey was in the lesson too, as he took the last seat to Harry's own left. Flitwick was an amusing small wizard and Haylee was often asking him questions, though not all of them applied to the subject matter of the class. She wasn't being too rude, though, so Flitwick didn't seem to mind the occasional question. Casey, however, didn't appear to be too interested in the professor at all and preferred to just take notes and listen like the rest of their classmates.

With another History of Magic lesson shared with Conner and Jack, Harry was feeling he had finally started to learn his way to his classes and was adapting to Hogwarts well. During his free time before dinner, he and Jack were lounging by the lake and talked about random things that happened during some of their lessons. Harry told him how much he wasn't looking forward to his midnight Astronomy class later that night, which he found out he shared with Casey.

'Don't you like him?' Jack asked. 'I mean, he wasn't very nice on the train...'

'Exactly.' Harry said, and told his friend what he thought of Casey's sudden friendliness that he was starting to think was rather forced. 'It's like he has to be my friend because he knows me from the train and we're both in Slytherin. I don't think he really wants to, though.'

'Hm, sounds fishy.' Jack agreed. 'I'd stay away from him, at least until I knew his motives.' He shrugged. 'And if you think you know him a bit better, then maybe make an attempt? I mean, he could just be shy. He didn't talk much on the train.' He reasoned.

'Yeah, but Ian's really quiet too and believe me, he's not shy.' Harry frowned. 'I don't know, I just wish dad was here to tell me what to do.'

'Do you miss them?' Jack wondered.

'Yes.' Harry sighed and looked down at the grass they were sitting on. 'Not so much at first, because I had so much to think about and get used to. But now, yes. I really miss them!' He sniffed and felt embarrassed for getting upset, but Jack was his best friend and understood without judging him for his tears.

'Don't you miss yours?'

'No.' Jack frowned. 'But I was never really close to them, like you are with yours. I mean, after what they did...'

'Yeah.' Harry remembered Jack's parents just leaving their son without a proper goodbye or any parting words. He felt sad for his friend, and tried to change the topic, but his mind remained with the absence of his parents.

Were they missing him too?

'Maybe you should write them a letter?' Jack suggested. 'We can deliver it at the Owlery, before we go to dinner.'

'Yeah, okay.' Harry decided and got out a piece of parchment, using his History of Magic book to lean on.

Jack played with a fallen owl feather he'd found nearby to keep himself occupied and patiently waited for his friend to write the letter, adding a word or two for Harry to include. When Harry was finished, there wasn't much time left to head to the Owlery so the boys went there right away. Jack patiently listened to Harry talk about the things he missed and how he was really hoping they'd come to the school earlier.

Jack didn't think of his own parents, but mostly because Harry's talking was a good distraction.

--

As Harry lay awake on his bed an hour before midnight, dreading the class he was due to attend when he'd much rather be sleeping, he thought of his parents again. Most of the time he had his meals, went to classes, and was too tired to do much else. It was Wednesday night and Harry knew he still had Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions classes left. The first was with Jack, and the second with Ginny. He was looking forward to them, yet this was the first day/night he didn't particularly care what class was next.

He really missed his mum and dad.

Harry rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face to his pillow, not wanting to wake Lionel with his sniffles. Logan had his curtains drawn closed, and Casey was reading a book on his bed. No one gave Harry any notice, though Harry wouldn't have realised if they had.

It was really hard.

At first he was so busy trying to find his classrooms and keep track of everything, but it had begun to wear off as he'd adapted and become more familiar with it all. Now Harry was terribly sad, longing for his dad's advice and mum's reassurance. He wanted to cuddle them both for hours while listening to them say how much they loved him and how proud they were of how well he was doing in his first week at Hogwarts.

'Are you alright?' Casey looked over at him.

'I'm fine.' Harry mumbled from his pillow. 'Leave me alone.'

'You're upset.' Casey slid to the end of his own bed and stared at Harry's back.

There was an abrupt sound, which startled Lionel awake, as Logan's curtains were torn open.

'What's all the noise?' Logan looked around and saw Harry, who was too embarrassed to turn around. 'Stop being such a crybaby. What is it?'

'I'm not being a crybaby!' Harry growled and turned to stare at Logan, surprising the other boys to the glare on his face, which was dry.

'Then what?' Logan rolled his eyes.

'I miss my parents, okay?' Harry told him. 'Don't you?'

'No.' Logan rolled his eyes, though he didn't look entirely truthful. 'You?' He asked Casey.

'A little.' Casey shrugged and glanced away from Logan. 'There's nothing wrong with it, Logan.'

Harry relaxed a little bit when Casey defended him against Logan, who was someone the blonde boy usually tried to avoid talking to in worry if being called names like Harry sometimes was.

'Whatever.' Logan rolled his eyes. 'It's only been three days.'

'I've never been away from them before.' Harry said, trying to sound braver and not like a crybaby as Logan had said. 'I nearly lost mum a long time ago, and dad saved me from some bad stuff. My best friend is in another house, so is my only other friend, and I'm stuck sharing a room with you, who is always being mean for no reason!' He told Logan, his voice raising slightly.

'I have plenty of reason!' Logan argued back. 'I was trying to sleep when your snivelling woke me up. You're friends with a Gryffindor blood-traitor who makes us all look bad. And you're such a goody-goody, like all the time.'

'You're a git.' Harry told him angrily. 'I-' He said nothing else when he was surprised by Casey's voice interrupting.

'Cody's right, Logan.' Casey said a little nervously. 'You are a git. I'm not bothered by those things. Not all of us are pureblood ego-princes who think everyone should bow down to them, like you.' He rolled his eyes. 'Give Cody a break, would you? He misses his parents, so what? You got a detention first day, and he earned Slytherin points. Get over yourself, no one is perfect.'

A stunned silence followed, which was only broken by Lionel's snores.

And twenty awkwardly quiet minutes later, Harry prepared to go to Astronomy with Casey and Logan. As they walked to the door, Harry turned back to where Lionel was still sleeping, and noticed Ian's bed was neat and empty. His fifth dorm-mate was starting to worry him a little, even if he would soon realise Ian had Astronomy with them.

Either way, from that night onwards, Harry stopped being suspicious of Casey, and Logan had been declared his enemy.

'Finally!' Erin exclaimed, as she accepted the letter from the owl very early the next morning.

Severus looked over the book he had been reading in a large armchair and spotted the folded parchment with their son's handwriting on it.

The two parents walked to a desk, as Erin unfolded the parchment, and read the letter together. When they were finished, Severus growled in annoyance and marched out of the room. Erin remained behind to re-read the letter and try to work out what had Severus so irritated when it sounded as though Harry was doing rather well.

Dad and mum,

 

I've been really busy with my classes and trying not to get lost all the time. That's why I didn't write sooner, and I wanted to have something interesting to say. I don't know what I'm supposed to write, so I'll just tell you what's been going on.

I sat with a girl and two boys on the train. Haylee is in Hufflepuff, Oscar is in Ravenclaw, and Casey is in Slytherin. They're quite nice, though I don't really trust Casey because he's a bit hard to figure out. I've made a friend! You were right, mum, it's not too hard. Her name is Ginny Weasley and she's in Gryffindor. I met her in Diagon Alley, remember? Anyway, this git from Slytherin named Logan was giving her a hard time, but Professor Sprout said I would have made dad proud when I defended her.

Jack is in a different house, but we're both really happy with the sorting even if I thought I was going to be sick until it was my turn. Jack says hello, by the way. The Professors are okay, like McGonagall and Sprout, but Professor Binns is a GHOST! It was really scary. I'm glad I have History of Magic with Jack, seriously.

I've got Astronomy tonight, at MIDNIGHT! And I still have to have Defense Against the Dark Arts tomorrow, and then Potions on Friday. Dad was right, it's still a double on Fridays. Jack's really looking forward to it, but so far I like Herbology and Transfiguration the most. History of Magic is really boring, and Charms is okay though Professor Flitwick is kinda funny. You're right about Hogwarts, because it's a lot of fun and I'm really glad you made me come even with how many times I said I didn't want to.

I don't know what to do about Casey. He acts like he tries to be my friend, but that he doesn't really want to. I don't know what to do. I just don't trust him, and he wasn't really nice on the train when he actually said something. He didn't seem to like that Jack and Haylee are muggleborns, either. Logan is worse because hates Ginny and says all sorts of awful things.

I have dinner soon so I'm not sure what else to write. Except that I'm really, really missing you both soooo much! Please, can you come to Hogwarts soon? I don't want to wait until next week. It hurts to be without you when I need dad's advice, and mum I miss you tucking me in at night. I even have to rely on someone else's alarm cloak to not miss breakfast.

Frogabook is okay, though he sleeps under my bed all the time to hide. He's well-fed still and I'm going to take him outside for a run on the weekend.

If I miss you too much, can I come home?

Lots of love,

Your son Cody Harry S

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Harry had never been under the impression that any one of the Hogwarts houses was more popular than the rest. At breakfast on Thursday, he began to understand why he kept hearing constant whispers about Ravenclaw. The house in particular was almost mute during the meal - if anyone talked, it was mostly just the first years.

Some of the sixth and seventh years even looked rather distraught.

'What's going on? Harry asked as he sat beside Casey and across from a black-haired first year girl, Paige.

'Haven't you heard?' Paige whispered. 'Just wait. When the mail arrives, you'll see.' She seemed fearful to speak of it.

Perplexed, Harry looked at Casey and received a confused shrug in response.

They ate their breakfast quietly, and kept turning to glance at the Ravenclaw table. He saw several others doing the same, though mostly from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Most of the Slytherins preferred to keep to themselves. Harry was not the only one who was baffled. The professors at the staff table wore serious expressions and spoke in lower tones than usual, which caused Harry to worry.

When the owls finally swooped into the Great Hall, there was a mass of activity as people snatched at their Daily Prophet newspapers. Harry had one land in front of him, relieved his dad had subscribed him to it. He'd only wanted to read it like his dad did, but now Harry was glad to be kept updated on things going on in the Wizarding world.

The front page unsettled him instantly.

'What?' Harry gasped. 'Who's Mercy Tallwater?'

'Shhh!' One of the fifth years along the table hissed. 'Have a heart, you brat.' She frowned.

Harry had no idea what she was talking about. Having finished his breakfast, he got up and walked from the hall. Casey followed him. They were joined by Jack and Haylee, who had seen Harry leave the Slytherin table holding the paper they didn't get a copy of.

'Mercy Tallwater is a much-loved former Ravenclaw student who graduated from Hogwarts last term.' Harry read. 'It's reported that she was rarely heard from since then, despite her previous reputation of fast correspondence and exceptional responsibility.' He halted at a few words and glanced at the group.

They wore worried expressions, like he did, before Harry continued.

'It has been officially declared earlier this morning that she is missing.' Harry said, interrupted by Haylee's gasp.

'Missing?' Jack gulped. 'How?'

'It doesn't say.' Harry said.

He thought the article was really brief and short, considering the important information it was reporting.

'No wonder they're so quiet.' Casey looked over at the Ravenclaw table. 'She does seem to have been popular.'

'Mercy Tallwater...' Haylee whispered the name. 'Wait! She was head girl last year.' She nodded.

'Hey, yeah!' Jack nodded and saw the surprised looks on the other's faces. 'Oh, Haylee and I were playing chess Tuesday night and one of the prefects was asking the seventh years if they'd heard from her. No one had. We didn't think much of it, until now. Wow, so I wonder what happened? Did she run away or do you think...?'

He seemed afraid to say it.

'Someone took her?' Casey added bluntly. 'It's possible. If she was that reliable, I doubt she'd just run away.'

'Unless she had a really good reason to.' Harry added in a quiet tone.

The bell rang to signal the start of their lessons for the day. The topic was dropped, and he folded the newspaper to shove it into his bag. The group stepped out of the path of those leaving the Great Hall, and soon parted ways. Harry and Jack headed to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom for their first lesson.

'You've got to be kidding me!' Jack groaned when they got to the room and saw Logan waiting nearby.

'Just ignore him.' Harry advised.

They took their seats near the back of the room, on the opposite end of Logan. The other boy noticed them, but with the safe distance between them he instead ignored the pair entirely. Jack and Harry were very relieved.

When Professor Lockhart made his dramatic entrance, and smiled about how lucky they were to have him as their professor, the boys instantly realised the man was a bit of a joke. Lockhart commented about having the book list requests denied, which many of the male students were glad about, and therefore he decided they would spend their first lesson listening to him read exerts from one of his books. While most of the girls didn't seem to mind, the rest of the class soon thought the lesson was almost as boring as a History of Magic class with droning ghost Professor Binns.

-- 

'What a load of rubbish!' Jack complained, as he and Harry left the class a two hours later. 'And our homework is a quiz on what he'd just read to us? How is any of that going to help us?' He whined.

'I know.' Harry said grumpily. 'And it's a double lesson. It's torture! I've got Charms now, though. Meet you outside after lunch?'

'Yeah, alright.' Jack sighed and they parted ways.

Harry clutched his Charms textbook to his chest, as he walked down the corridors, and headed for his next class. Exhaling, he walked inside and took his usual seat between Casey and Haylee.

'What's with you?' Casey asked. 'You look like you've spent an hour staring at a wall.'

'Feels like it.' Harry grunted. 'Defence Against the Dark Arts is stupid. Professor Lockhart had us listen to him read his book – for two hours!'

'That sucks, mate.' Casey shook his head with sympathy. 'We had the same too.'

'I thought it was rather interesting.' Haylee said. 'I don't see why everyone is complaining about it.'

'You're a girl.' Harry said, which Casey nodded his head to in understanding.

Haylee didn't want to know what they were implying, and lowered gaze to flip a page of the book she was reading.

'What are you doing?' Harry wondered, glancing towards where Professor Flitwick was writing notes on the board. There were still a few minutes until the lesson was actually due to start, which Harry was proud to notice because it meant he had shown up early.

'I'm just checking something about...' Haylee paused and looked around, seeing a Ravenclaw girl nearby whispering to another. 'About the girl in the paper.'

She too had realised that saying Mercy Tallwater's name caused rather scolding and upset reactions amongst certain students.

'Are you still on about that?' Casey rolled his eyes. 'Come on, we don't even know her. People have gone missing before.'

'Well excuse me for caring.' Haylee frowned at him.

Harry to lean back, so he wasn't caught in the middle, since they were seated on either side of him.

'I just don't understand what happened and why everyone says she was so popular.'

'What do you mean?' Harry looked at her while Casey made a noise of defeat beside him.

'It just doesn't add up that everyone is talking about how popular, and well-liked, she was by her whole house and a lot of her classmates.' She shared. 'I asked the Fat Friar. He said she was actually a bit shy and kept to herself most of the time.'

'Who's the Fat Friar?' Harry wondered.

'The Hufflepuff ghost.' Haylee was surprised he hadn't heard of him. 'Don't you talk to your ghost?'

'No.' Said Casey and Harry at once.

'Oh.' Haylee shrugged. 'Oscar gave me that look too. Maybe it's just a Hufflepuff thing?' She glanced back to the book.

'Why do you even care so much?' Casey scoffed. 'It's not like you knew her, or can do anything about it.'

'I wasn't going to look into it.' Haylee cast him a glare. 'But everyone is talking about her. Besides, I'm not the only one. A second-year Gryffindor girl and her red-haired friend were leaving the library talking about it too. She said how strange it was for the Daily Prophet to say she's missing, but give no other details.'

'It was a bit weird.' Harry agreed. 'Except Casey's right, there's nothing we can do about it.'

'Yeah, I suppose.' Haylee sighed and snapped the book closed.

As their Charms lesson began, Harry's mind stopped focusing about Mercy Tallwater and wondering what might have happened to her. He even made it through lunch without thinking about what Haylee had said, until he was sitting outside with Jack and pondered on the topic of their house ghosts.

'Have you seen one?' Harry asked Jack, after he'd shared what Haylee told him during Charms. 'Apparently we were supposed to see them during the feast.'

'I'm glad we didn't.' Jack shuddered. 'But no, I haven't seen any other than Professor Binns. Aren't they supposed to be everywhere?'

'Yeah.' Harry frowned. 'Your house ghost sounds friendly enough. Maybe mine is too? I wonder if I'll get to see him.'

'Are you mad?' Jack gasped. 'They're ghosts! Scary animated dead people, remember? I still feel nervous about Professor Binns, and you want to go find another one?'

'Aren't you a bit curious?' Harry asked. 'They're scary, I know. But we'll have to get used to them sooner or later, if we're going to spend seven years here.'

'Yeah.' Jack sighed. 'I was worried about that. I guess it would be kind of cool to see more ghosts, as long as we don't get too close. Where could we look for one?'

'Anywhere.' Said a voice from nearby.

They turned around quickly, and relaxed when they saw Ginny standing there with an intrigued smile on her face.

'I asked my brothers and they said the ghosts are seen later in the day or at night. Percy, he's a prefect, said they're just helping Dumbledore with something and will be floating around everywhere again in a week or two.'

'Great.' Jack muttered sarcastically. 'What are they helping Dumbledore with?'

'I don't know.' Ginny shrugged, sitting down to join them. 'I've only seen Nearly Headless Nick.'

'Nearly Headless...?' Jack stared, while Harry turned a bit pale.

'He's the Gryffindor ghost. Fred told me about some of the others, though. The Slytherin one is the Bloody Baron - they said he's covered in blood. The Ravenclaw one is hardly ever seen, but everyone calls her the Grey Lady.'

'I don't want to meet your ghost anymore, Cody.' Jack shuddered.

'They're just ghosts, right?' Harry asked Ginny nervously. 'They can't hurt us?'

'I don't think so, no.' Ginny said. 'Well, except for Peeves. He's a poltergeist. Why are you so scared of them, anyway?'

'I'm not scared!' Jack said adamantly in a not-at-all-brave voice. 'I just, uh, don't want to make them angry.'

'Sure.' Ginny rolled her eyes and looked at Harry for an explanation.

'It's a muggle thing.' He told her, unable to think of another way to explain movies to a witch or wizard who hadn't grown up in the Muggle world. 'We're trying to overcome it.'

'And what better way to do that than to find one?' Ginny smirked. 'C'mon, we've got two hours before dinner.'

'What?' Jack stared. 'Are you serious?'

It became very clear that Ginny was serious with her suggestion.

Harry and Jack looked at each other and decided they should face their fear properly before Hogwarts had ghosts everywhere in a week, like she'd told them. With their silent agreement, the two boys stood and followed Ginny back to the castle. She led them to the Grand Staircase, then the fourth floor as a place to start looking.

'Do you really think we'll find one?' Harry whispered even if they were the only ones in the corridors - not including the nosy people in the portraits on the walls around them.

'Maybe.' Ginny shrugged.

'So we could just walk around for ages and not find anything?' Jack groaned. 'That sounds boring. If our houses have a ghost, can't we call them or something? Or do they have a favourite place?'

'I don't know.' Ginny thought about it. 'We could ask one of my brothers.'

'How many brothers do you have?' Jack wondered, as they re-directed to head towards the library.

'Four at Hogwarts.' Ginny answered with a shrug. 'Six in total.'

'Wow.' Jack, who only had one older brother, found that to be rather surprising.

Harry already knew this about Ginny, so he didn't say anything. He remained quiet and listened to Jack asking Ginny a few questions, though he wasn't really paying attention. He could not help wondering if weird things were just happening at the same time, or if the rare sightings of the ghosts had anything to do with the missing former head girl.

The trio entered the library, and Ginny looked around for one of her brothers. Jack and Harry took in the sight of the room, as this was the first time they had been to the library. It was much bigger than they could have imagined.

'I won't ask Ron.' Ginny decided.

She spoke to them in a low voice, looking towards a table where Ron was flipping through pages of a big book and looked really bored. Beside him was a fast-talking girl with bushy hair. Harry was reminded of what Haylee had said and wondered if they were the same two Gryffindors she'd overheard.

'I'll ask George.' Ginny nodded and approached another section of the library where one of the twins was taking notes from a book. She seemed a bit surprised to see him there, though quickly guessed his research was not school-related.

'Hey, Ginny.' George said without looking up. 'I think someone cursed the library. Ron's over there reading, I'm here, and Percy's somewhere by the boring section. School stuff, I think. And now you're here too. That's four Weasleys, which is probably the most this library has ever seen at once.' He joked.

'I didn't know you or Ron even knew what a library was.' Ginny teased. 'And I'm not here for a book. We were looking for you.' She said.

'It's a place with more books than anyone would ever want to read, right?' George smirked and looked up, his gaze instantly going to Harry. 'Who's the Slytherin?' He frowned a little.

'He's my friend.' Ginny said firmly, while Harry fidgeted uncomfortably. 'This is Cody and Jack. We were talking about the ghosts and how no one's really seen them lately. We thought it would be interesting to find one.'

'And not because we're scared of them or anything.' Jack added nervously, looking up at the fourth year Gryffindor.

'Right.' George seemed amused by Jack's words. 'And so you thought I'd be the best one to help you?'

He was surprised, but shrugged and tried to think of where they might find a ghost.

'I'm not sure. I've never seen so few ghosts at Hogwarts, ever. Except Nearly Headless Nick, who hangs around our common room sometimes. Have you tried the Fat Friar? I heard he's more sociable than most these days.' George spoke mostly to Jack with his last question, since Jack was a Hufflepuff.

'A girl from my house tried that.' Jack answered. 'Isn't there any place we could all see one?'

'You know something's going on when finding a ghost at Hogwarts becomes a challenge.' George shook his head. 'Well, I suppose you could check the sixth floor. There's a corridor with a witch's portrait. I don't know her name, but she always wears a silly feather hat.' He rolled his eyes. 'Fred and I came across a ghost there on more than one occasion in the last few days, when we were innocently strolling along the sixth floor with no ill-intentions what-so-ever.' He smiled and looked away, which they all chuckled at.

'What were they doing?' Harry asked curiously.

'Floating. Gossiping.' George shrugged. 'What do ghosts really do, anyway?

'Thanks!' Ginny grinned, and urged the boys out of the library.

'Sure. Just watch out for...' George sighed as they vanished from view. 'Peeves.' He finished with a shrug and returned to his book, keeping a stern eye out for Madam Pince or worse, Percy.

--

After taking a few wrong turns and nearly walking into the same suit of armour twice, the three first years hurried into the sixth floor corridor George had mentioned.

'That is one silly hat.' Jack agreed.

He stared at the portrait of a witch with a huge bunch of feathers attached to her hat. She heard him and looked rather offended, to which he only shrugged at.

'I don't see any ghosts.' Harry exhaled with disappointment.

When George said he had seen some ghosts more than once in the corridor, Harry had expected to find a group of them floating around when they'd arrived. All that faced them were a few portraits and a long, empty corridor with tall maroon tapestries.

Even with all the emptiness, the area seemed a little too quiet.

'Well, this was a waste of time.' Jack exhaled loudly.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other nervously, receiving confirmation that the other had felt it too. Jack fell quiet as he began to feel it as well. The air became colder and a brief gush of wind came from a nearby wall.

'Agh!' Jack cried out when, all of the sudden, something hit him on the head. Looking down, they saw a book lying open on the floor.

A cackle was heard and a man appeared floating above them.

'Oh look, ickle firsties!' Exclaimed Peeves with delight, his arms filled with books.

He sent one towards Harry, who knocked into Ginny when he tried to avoid it. He was not so lucky the next time, as a heavy book landed on his toe.

'Ouch!' Harry hopped. 'I thought ghosts couldn't hurt us!'

'That's...' Ginny gasped. 'Peeves!'

'RUN!' Jack yelled, as more books flew at their heads.

The ducked and ran as fast as they could, turning sharply around a corner and crying out when they each collided with a suit of armour. It came cluttering down about them. Somehow, the pieces had only hit Jack's knee and landed on Harry's already-sore foot.

The three first years sat there, out of breath and in shock, as they listened to Peeves laughing in the distance.

'We go to find a ghost, and we get Peeves?' Jack finally broke the tense silence. 'That's bloody typical.'

'What's going on over here?' Came a new voice, one who sounded angry and looking for someone to blame for all the noise.

'Filch!' The trio gasped at once and were still unable to move. Doing so would make a lot of noise and the caretaker was yet to actually discover them.

Maybe if they stayed quiet and still, Filch might not find them?

Harry should have realised their mistake when he felt a breeze in his ear again.

SPLAT!

A bottle of red ink hit a nearby wall, leaving behind a big red smear at the contact.

SPLAT! SPLAT!

More ink bottles hit walls around them. The three friends knew Filch would find them for sure. Once again evading the cackling Peeves, they shoved aside pieces of armour and helped each other up. Harry led the way, as they took off at a run towards another direction. Heading down stairs and around corners, none of them knew where they were going to end up, but did not care as long as they got away from Peeves and Filch.

Each leaning against a stone wall, the three eleven-year-olds gasped for air and felt they could not go any further. Ginny had some ink in her hair and Harry was trying to use his robes to wipe some off his wrist, with no luck.

'We just had to go find a ghost.' Jack muttered to himself. 'What's the worst that could happen with an idea like that?'

'At least we found one.' Harry rolled his eyes.

'The worst one!'

'Quiet!' Ginny hissed. 'I think I hear someone coming!'

They each stared transfixed towards the corner, fearful of Filch rounding it and of them being in a lot of trouble. Instead, however, a Ravenclaw boy from their class emerged and halted at the sight of them.

'What?' Conner asked. He looked around worriedly for whatever had them so on edge.

'Did you see Filch?' Harry asked quickly.

'No.' Conner frowned. 'Should I have?'

Not another word was spoken, as Mr Norris came into view and meowed at them with a smug expression on her furry face. Her owner was right behind her, glaring at the group with a very displeased expression.

'Got you!' Filch said with sadistic eagerness. 'Think you could escape, eh? Not this time. I saw the mess you made on the walls, and the floor. I'll have you all in big trouble for this.' He smirked. 'Come on!'

Filch directed them towards some stairs, intending to take them to a Professor's office.

'What?' Conner yelped. 'I didn't do anything!'

'Try telling that to the Professor.' Filch clearly did not believe him.

Harry looked at Conner's stricken face and felt bad for the other boy, as he dragged his feet after Filch and wondered what sort of horrible fate awaited them. Harry could tell right away Filch was not going to believe anything they said. He decided not to mention Peeves until they were faced with a Professor.

'He really didn't do anything.' Harry did try to add some credibility to Conner's words, which the Ravenclaw looked very relieved for. 'He just found us before you did.'

'Rubbish.' Filch said.

No one was feeling too brave when they saw who would be dealing with their punishment for something that wasn't even their fault. Harry, Ginny, and Jack all tried to explain to Professor McGonagall at once about how Peeves had thrown books and ink bottles at them.

She didn't seem very impressed by their sincerity or the tale itself.

'And what were you all doing wandering around the sixth floor half an hour before dinner?' McGonagall asked in a stern tone.

'Uhm, well...' Harry blushed. 'We were sort of...looking for a ghost, Professor.' He ducked his head.

McGonagall didn't know what to think of that. Instead, she had the four first years follow her and asked Filch to show her the mess they'd made.

'I suppose Peeves somehow made the suit of armour collapse as well?' She inquired, looking firmly at their guilty expressions.

'Er, no.' Jack muttered. 'That was us.'

'I see.' McGonagall sighed. 'And since you have no evidence that Peeves was the cause behind this, I'm afraid I have no choice. You will each receive a detention.'

'What?' Ginny gasped.

'That's so not fair!' Jack added.

'I didn't do anything!' Conner joined in.

Harry was very quiet.

He ducked his head and looked down at his feet. The boy felt guilty and annoyed, but also fearful. It was only Thursday, during his first week at Hogwarts, and he had received a detention. It didn't matter that they hadn't really done anything wrong because McGonagall was right – they weren't able to prove otherwise. He felt ashamed, and worried what his parents will think when they heard. He didn't hear when their detention would be or if any house points were taken, as Harry turned to trail behind the others to depart the corridor.

The group soon arrived at the Great Hall where dinner had just started. Without a word to each other about what happened, they each headed for their own house tables. Harry sat down with a miserable sigh. He didn't even greet Casey, who wondered why he looked so glum.

Harry, as much as he missed his parents, was not looking forward to their reactions when they discovered he had been at Hogwarts barely a week and already landed himself in detention.

The first years previously heard about their upcoming flying lesson, which would take place on the second Thursday of the month, however a rather exciting notice was hung in their common rooms on Friday morning. Madam Hooch, for an unspecified reason, was holding the flying lesson that afternoon instead. Regardless of how eager most of the other first years were, Harry had trouble picking if he was more interested in learning to fly or attending his first Potions class that morning.

The enthusiasm faded when Harry, who had not heard from his parents at all after he'd sent them a letter, was feeling a bit non-committal towards both events. It was spurred by his realisation that what separated Potions lesson and flying lessons was another enduring Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

The prospects of spending Potions with Ginny and Casey, then learning to fly a broomstick, were not enough to make him think Friday was going to be a good day. He was a bit nervous when so many of his classmates seemed to have at least been on a broom before. Harry also hoped he wasn't going to be terrible at his dad's best subject. Those worries and thoughts were all Harry could focus on, as he made his way to the dungeons for his first Potions class.

He easily knew the way because it was just around the corner from the Slytherin Common Room.

Harry entered the darkened classroom and went to sit near the middle right beside Ginny, with Casey at his left. And he, rather unknowingly, had already caught the attention of Professor Slughorn.

He watched, with an inquisitive gaze, as the dark-haired boy walked with hunched shoulders and clutched his textbook to his chest. Harry sat down with a sigh, then struck up a conversation with the red-haired Gryffindor girl, and the professor could clearly see their established friendship. Slughorn remained preoccupied with observing the Slytherin boy with jet black hair, and smiled.

He'd heard some of the whispers and gossips that had spread through the school regarding that particular first year. And he'd heard enough to know the child was the son of Severus Snape. Slughorn was very pleased to have Harry in his class ,and was eager to see if he'd inherited Snape's talent for Potion-making. He saw a lot of Snape in the boy, who went by the name of “Cody Summers” for a reason unknown to Slughorn.

The child soon, much like Severus was known to, seemed to realise he was being watched by an instinctual prickling on the back of his neck. Slughorn had to quickly busy himself with papers when he looked away from the startling green eyes.

As Slughorn told the class a bit about Potions and the exact art it was, he could not help returning his interest to the curious boy who was busy taking notes. The professor wasn't sure what the child thought was so note-worthy, but Slughorn didn't comment. Cody was clearly a keen student, and he hoped to encourage that.

But those eyes...

'You may begin.' Slughorn announced once the instructions were on the board, along with the page number for those wishing to use the aide of their books as well.

He kept a stern eye on the class, but his attention mostly focused on the Snape boy. It had been a while since he'd mentally referred to anyone as that. Slughorn had not expected to ever think it again after the death of Lily.

And yet the boy had her eyes.

To many others, they would see the similar shade and general resemblance, but Slughorn knew better. The number of times he had see her eyes in seven years of teaching - he could not mistake them anywhere. The almond shape, emerald shine, and the expressions she formed with them. He was shocked because as far as Slughorn had heard, her precious baby boy had been missing for the last ten years. No one seemed to realise he was right here, in his Potions classroom, under the guise of being Snape's son.

At first Slughorn wondered if Lily had an affair, as the child seemed to be the son of Severus and Lily, but he hastily shook those thoughts from his mind.

The boy was clearly her son, to Slughorn, not just because of his eyes. It was the way Harry protectively kept his book away from the edge of the table in fear of it falling off, and yet showed no regard for the spillage from the cauldron or slimy ingredients nearby. He drummed his fingers lightly on the wooden surface of the table while he waited, and gripped the knife in the same way she used to - a little close to the blade and at a slightly tilted angle. Those were only a few of the things Slughorn noticed.

To the Head of Slytherin, those small habits made all the difference.

'You're showing excellent progress, Mr Summers.' Slughorn praised the boy when he passed by the cauldron. 'Two points to Slytherin.'

'Thank you, Sir.' Harry blushed and returned to his slicing.

He felt relieved, because if he concentrated on his careful actions any more he felt his brain was going to ache. He was so worried he'd mess his potion up, and make his dad disappointed, that Harry didn't notice he was being carefully watched by his Professor.

Harry didn't realise his secret had been discovered.

As Slughorn paced the room with a smile on his face, the professor had no intention to say anything about the delightful piece of information he was privy to. After what happened all those years ago, if Lily's son was alive and in the care of Severus Snape and a new mother...Slughorn thought the boy should be left in peace.

--

Harry bid farewell to Ginny after Potions class, and dreaded going to his next lesson. It was Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lockhart. He was glad Jack was there, even if Logan was as well, although it was still barely enough to keep him from wanting to skip the lesson. It was so boring and pointless - Lockhart simply read them scenes from his books about things he'd accomplished. And the more he heard, the less convinced Harry was of the truth behind the tales. He could not picture someone like Lockhart being capable of any such brave and inspiring feats.

'We should be learning how to do that stuff, not hearing about it.' Jack grumbled beside Harry, who busied himself with doodling pictures of a snitch floating above a bubbling cauldron on his book.

The only time Harry looked up was when a Hufflepuff boy was called to the front to re-enact a scene for Lockhart and did rather poorly at it. With a sigh, Harry looked back down and shook his head with disbelief. After the week he'd had, Harry could not have imagined on Monday that he'd rather sit through a History of Magic lesson than something like Defence Against the Dark Arts.

When the class finally ended with the ring of the bell, Harry and Jack packed away their books and hurried from the room before Lockhart had the chance to say anything. They headed for the Great Hall and agreed to meet up for their spare time afterwards. Sitting at the Slytherin table with relief, Harry noticed Ian sitting across from him with a moody expression on his face.

'Hey.' Harry said, trying to be a bit friendly.

He felt awkward not greeting the other boy when they were seated so close. Ian nodded in response, and a minute later had risen from his seat to wander out of the hall.

Filling up on ham rolls, and fruit salad, Harry soon made his way outside to join Jack in a nearby courtyard. They lazed on the grass and stared up at the cloudy sky, allowing the time to pass in relaxation, but little chatter. It was quite peaceful, until they were joined by Ginny. She spent the last twenty minutes of free time complaining about her brothers. Apparently Ron was being annoying by asking her to play chess all the time, and Percy kept making countless comments about who she spent her time with.

It was then time for the group to head to their first flying lesson, which was only a five-minute walk from where they had been. Ginny wasn't as enthusiastic, since she'd ridden a broom many times before and even played games with her brothers over the summer.

However, Jack and Harry were rather excited and equally nervous.

Harry picked one side of the rows of first years badly assembled by house, and was glad when Jack stood to his right while Ginny was on the left. He looked around and caught sight of Haylee a little down the opposite row. She stood beside Oscar, and Conner was across from his fellow Ravenclaw. Harry didn't see any of his room-mates so far, but figured they were further down the line or hadn't arrived yet.

Madam Hooch strode towards them and bid the first years a good afternoon. They returned the greeting, and attentively watched her as she began to explain how they were going to fly the broomstick beside each of them. Harry looked down at his and noticed a few twigs sticking out in odd angles. He thought it was very different to the shiny new ones he'd seen in the store window at Diagon Alley.

'Hold your hand over the broom, and say “up”. Go on.' Hooch instructed.

'Up!' Harry said, alongside all the other first years. 'Whoa!' He gasped as the broom flew upwards to his waiting palm without hesitation.

Ginny and Jack's had done the same - so had Conner's and a giddy Hufflepuff girl with wide-brim glasses. They were the only ones Harry could see who had their brooms already, while the rest of the students kept trying and some were having no success at all.

Finally, after a short while, everyone had a broomstick in their hands.

Hooch taught them how to mount them, and corrected a few of those who were doing it wrong. Harry followed her instructions, as she said to grip them tightly so they didn't fall off the end. Jack took those words very seriously - his hands paled a little from the tight grip in fear of falling in mid-air.

'When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground hard.' Hooch continued and raised the whistle towards her lips. 'Hold your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then touch back down. 3...2...1.'

She blew the whistle and several brooms either shot into the air or barely made it an inch off the ground. Harry kicked at the grass and felt an amazing feeling of freedom fill him inside as he rose into the air and the wind breezed around him. He didn't think to look at how anyone else was doing - Harry was flying! He smiled widely and continued to rise with natural motions.

Looking down, he saw Hooch was distracted with a Ravenclaw girl who was going a little too fast and straying from the group. Taking a chance, as he didn't want to land yet, Harry found it easy to direct his broomstick higher so he could overlook the grounds.

It was simply stunning.

Harry stared over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, caught the sight of the Quidditch Pitch in the distance, admired the tall and wide castle nearby, spotted older students wandering around the grounds in groups of three or four, caught a glimpse of the Weasley twins running from an angry-looking Gryffindor girl, and...

'What is that?' Harry frowned, looking back towards the forest.

He saw a parting some distance away. It was as though a clearing in the trees was shaped like a nearly perfect circle, which he didn't think was possible. The trees around it had odd shades of blueish leaves instead of green. Some even looked to be wilting as though they'd absorbed too much sunlight. Harry wasn't sure why it struck him as strange, or the fact he'd noticed it at all, but as someone who spent most of his life caring for plants and learning about them - he got a shiver at the sight of it.

'Mr Summers!' He heard Hooch call to him.

Frowning, Harry lowered and landed alongside the rest of his classmates.

Flying had been a wonderful experience and he was sad it was over so soon. Twenty minutes later, he was leading the way across the grounds with Ginny and Jack hurrying to keep up with him. They yelled at him to slow down and tried to figure out where he was taking them, but Harry had not said a word. He wanted to go to the forest and investigate, but knew it wasn't a good idea because it was probably forbidden for a reason.

No, his focus was on the Quidditch Pitch.

He'd overheard the Weasley twins mention something about the school brooms, and how they hid some behind an old tapestry in one of the changing rooms when the others had been replaced by newer models. He wasn't sure which one, but was determined to check them all. Jack and Harry finally found the tapestry of a meadow and checked behind it. Sure enough, there were five broomsticks stashed there. They looked rather worse for wear, but Harry didn't care.

'Oh.' Ginny realised what they were doing when Harry handed her a broomstick.

'Are you sure about this?' Jack asked, despite the eagerness in the way he'd accepted one as well.

'Why not?' Harry shrugged. 'We know how to fly now, and the only rule is that we're not allowed to own a broomstick. No one said we couldn't ride one.'

'Yeah, that's true.' Jack nodded, while Ginny shrugged and mounted her broom.

The three first years, without thinking that someone might be able to see them, rose into the air and flew around the Quidditch pitch with grins on their faces.

The freedom and delight of flying never faded. They flew and dove through the skies above the pitch for at least an hour. As it started getting dark, Ginny landed and waited for the boys to join her. Harry and Jack decided on a race before they returned to the ground, which resulted in Harry winning by a bare inch. The wind had whipped fast at their faces as they'd flown, which was why they hadn't heard Ginny frantically calling for to him to stop.

A moment later, they found out why.

'Mr Summers! Mr Bailey!' Came the angered and shocked voice of Madam Hooch. 'I expect each of you to land this instant!'

'Uh oh.' Jack gulped.

'Where did you get these brooms?' Hooch asked accusingly.

'We found them in the stands.' Harry lied quickly.

Jack and Ginny nodded, as though this wasn't new to them. They were surprised and impressed with how fast and convincingly Harry had come up with the lie. They thought he was trying to stay out of trouble, which was partially true, but really Harry was worried the twins would be the ones who were blamed if he told the truth.

Madam Hooch clearly didn't believe him.

She didn't say anything else as she took the broomstick from Ginny and told her to return to the castle. Harry and Jack were told to follow her. The colour drained from their faces when they discovered who she was taking them to see.

'We're going to be expelled!' Jack whimpered, as they watched Hooch say the password to the gargoyles and a spiral staircase appeared. 'She's taking us to Dumbledore!'

Harry couldn't speak.

His insides felt like sludge, and his hands shook with nerves. Hooch had caught them in the act - he tried to think of a way to get out of trouble for what had happened, but nothing came to mind. They'd sneaked off to fly around on brooms when they weren't supposed to, without supervision, and they'd been caught.

It was all over.

He'd barely lasted a single week at Hogwarts, and now he had to leave. Harry didn't think he would ever be able to face his parents again, and considered running away to live in the Leaky Cauldron with the gold he had in his vault. Would they snap his wand? Was he even allowed to use his gold after being expelled and making his parents so terribly disappointed in him? Were his parents going to regret ever adopting him as their son?

What happened to wizards who got expelled in their first week of school?

He stood near the doorway while Madam Hooch addressed Dumbledore. Both boys were shocked to hear her talking about how well they had flown, and how she thought it would be a waste of talent to not have them try out for their house Quidditch teams. Harry wanted to know what they were saying, but couldn't hear over Jack's whispers of excitement and relief.

'I will speak with you regarding this matter at a later date.' Dumbledore finally said.

Madam Hooch fell quiet, which caused Jack to as well. Harry didn't think it sounded too promising, but Madam Hooch seemed to think it was very good news.

'Come along, boys.' Hooch said. 'Dinner is about to start. We need to get these broomsticks back to the pitch. Strange, I thought we'd donated these already.'

'I wish to have a word with Mr Summers first, if you don't mind?' Dumbledore interrupted.

'Bye.' Jack said to Harry. The sandy-haired by looked very confused about what happened, while he was being ushered from the office by Madam Hooch.

Harry nodded and turned back to the headmaster.

He wondered why he'd been asked to stay when Jack hadn't. Had he done something else wrong? Why would the headmaster be interested in talking to him? His dad warned him Dumbledore sometimes had strange motives that might seem nice at first, but usually had something to do with big plans, and other stuff Harry wished he'd paid more attention to now.

'Have a seat, Mr Summers.' Dumbledore gestured to a chair across from him. 'I believe there is a matter in which we need to discuss. Not to worry, there's just a few questions I would like to ask you.'

Harry never expected to be standing in the headmaster's office on Friday afternoon, after being seemingly singled out to have a conversation with the wizard.

Dumbledore was an important person, Harry knew. Not just to the school, but the Wizarding community as a whole – he even had his own chocolate frog card! It was his first time to meet Dumbledore in person, which was as incredible as it was intimidating to the eleven-year-old boy. Harry felt rather nervous to be facing the headmaster in that moment, but tried to calm himself as he tentatively took a step further into the room.

'Are you enjoying Hogwarts, Mr Summers?' Dumbledore asked with a smile, watching the boy with twinkling blue eyes.

He was rather interested in Harry's own eyes and partially concealed forehead. It made Harry further uncomfortable, but only because he really didn't know what to expect, or what was so interesting about himself that the headmaster wanted to talk to him about if he was enjoying school or not.

'Yes, sir.' Harry nodded anxiously.

He glanced at the nearby chair when it was offered to him, and quickly moved to sit in it so he didn't seem rude. It also prevented him from fidgeting and squirming in his worry about not knowing how he was supposed to behave in front of the great Albus Dumbledore.

'I like it a lot.' Harry made an effort not to appear as awkward as he felt, which only worsened when he remembered what had led him to find himself in the headmaster's office.

'I'm sorry I flew on the broom without permission, Sir. I just really like flying.'

'I think we can excuse this one-time incident, as long as you ensure it doesn't happen again.' Dumbledore said without an air of concern or sternness. 'Madam Hooch was quite impressed with your skills on the broom, and that is saying something.'

'Thanks.' Harry blushed. 'And yes, Sir. It won't happen again.'

'Then no harm done.' Dumbledore nodded. 'By now you're probably wondering why we're having this conversation, Mr Summers? I have to say, I have heard some rather interesting rumours spreading through the school this week. I find the school gossip to be quite surprising at times, though sometimes they are based on a rather unexpected truth. Is it true that your father is Severus Snape?'

'Yes, Sir.' Harry wriggled a little in his seat. 'He's a really good person!' He insisted, thinking Dumbledore might be one of those who people didn't like his dad very much.

The boy found his bravery as he gripped the edge of the desk and fixed Dumbledore with a firm stare to make sure the great wizard knew he was serious.

'He loves me a whole lot, and he always keeps me safe'

'As any father should.' Dumbledore smiled, hiding a chuckle at the child's loyal defensiveness. 'And I believe your mother is Erin Summers, am I correct?'

'Yes, Sir.' Harry repeated, trying his best to be polite. Though he was starting to feel very unsettled by the questions. 'Why do you want to know about my parents?'

'Curiosity is both a gift and a curse.' Dumbledore sighed. 'I have known your father for many years, and yet your arrival at Hogwarts is the first I have heard of his son. You do not share his surname? I found that to be quite interesting.'

'Dad's a very private person.' Harry justified. 'He didn't want me to be a Snape by name because not a lot of people like him. Do you like my dad?'

'I most certainly do.' Dumbledore nodded, trying to withhold a considerable portion of his amusement towards the boy's unnecessary protectiveness. 'I am surprised I missed the announcement of your birth, as such a momentous occasion surely ought to have been celebrated? I wonder, when is your birthday?' He continued, looking at Harry's green eyes again.

'The twenty-fourth of June.' Harry answered, frowning slightly. 'Sir, I still don't understand. Why do you want to know?'

'Curiosity.' Dumbledore said again. 'Only curiosity. You remind me of a boy I have been searching for for a very long time. You have, perhaps, heard of Harry Potter?'

'Yes.' Harry quickly looked away.

He realised what the questions were about now, and was scared the headmaster might discover the truth. Neither of his parents had coached him on how to avoid those sort of questioning, but his father had dropped careful hints on how to end discussions about his past if Harry didn't want to talk about it.

'I know who Harry Potter is, since he is famous and everything.' Harry shrugged.

He averted his gaze again, and straightened his posture to look more confident yet aloof. He had spent a long time watching his dad when he was younger, and the boy had therefore learned some useful techniques from him. Harry could never lie to his parents, but it helped for moments like this.

'It's a really sad story and all, but I don't see what it's got to do with me even if I remind you a bit of him.' Harry said to Dumbledore. 'I think my dad would be able to help you better. He knows a whole lot about everything! If you wait a few days, I reckon he'd be able to help you. I can't; I'm just a kid, and I don't know much magic at all.'

'Your father has many skills indeed.' Dumbledore said, rather cryptically. 'Though you should never underestimate your own ability, Mr Summers.'

'Yes, Sir. I won't.' Harry nodded. 'I'm getting a bit hungry, and I think dinner just started. May I go now?'

'Of course.' Dumbledore chortled quietly. 'I should be heading to the Great Hall myself. I hear the house-elves made a rather exceptional roast tonight.'

'Thanks.' Harry exhaled with relief, and rose from his seat. He didn't notice that Dumbledore hadn't moved until Harry had walked to the door, and paused to look back at the headmaster with a contemplative expression.

'Do you think you'll ever find him?' Harry wondered. 'Harry Potter, I mean.'

'Perhaps.' Dumbledore answered in a soft, thoughtful tone. 'Or perhaps he is closer than I originally believed.'

Early Saturday morning, the residences of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were met with a chilly downpour of rain. While Harry and his friends faced an entire day of free time playing chess and doing small amounts of homework, Severus and Erin stood in the living room of the house they'd been staying in.

A kind, aged witch had lent them a room each to sleep in during the week, which she had been more than willing to do as she knew Severus from when he'd been younger. They had intended to stay with a couple Severus had met during his days of studying for his Potions Mastery, but they were swamped with preparations for a baby shower and consequently didn't have the room.

The aged witch spent most of the time outdoors, tending to her garden or visiting friends. It demonstrated her trust in Severus and Eric, with how easily she left them alone inside her home for hours at a time.

Severus had lived with Erin for years now and she was always a room-mate that helped raise his son. Then there were times he was reminded that the woman was also his friend. Erin kept asking him how the woman knew Severus, but he did not want to resurface the story of how he's scraped his knee in second year while running from James and Sirius. Erin was a strong-willed and stubbornly persistent woman at times, yet she realised the discomfort in his dismissal of her questions, and stopped bothering him for answers.

At the moment the house was quiet.

The curtains were drawn to hide the fact it was raining, even as the pair listened to the water hitting the roof above and ground outside. Neither spoke; Severus paced, and Erin stood near a wall contemplating to herself. They were waiting for Minerva to stop by, as she'd promised to lend them a pensieve.

Tomorrow they would be going to Hogwarts, and in preparation for that they'd decided to spend the day in tribute to their son. Erin was going to show Severus some of her memories involving Harry when he'd been quite small. In exchange, he intended to allow her to view several of the incidences when Harry had been seven - before she'd returned to become a strong part of Harry's life again.

'I wonder why he hasn't answered our letter.' Erin broke the silence. 'We sent it by owl early Thursday morning.'

'It has only been three days.' Severus reasoned. 'The boy is probably preoccupied.' He frowned.

Erin rolled her eyes at his grumpiness, as she knew what had him so riled up about Cody's letter to them. It seemed the boy was doing well, and was pleased with his sorting, though Harry had neglected to tell them which house he had actually been placed in. Erin thought it was cute, as her son likely didn't even realise it. Severus, however, was not at all amused. Erin didn't realise it wasn't the only part of Harry's letter that kept replaying on his mind, and Severus made no efforts to inform of her such. Above all, not knowing which house his beloved son was in caused Severus to become considerably more irritable than usual.

Not that he would admit it, of course.

There was a knock at the door. Erin went to answer it and greeted Minerva with a smile. The older witch entered the room, hovering the pensieve alongside her. She placed it in the center of the living room and glanced at Severus, wondering what his foul mood was about this time.

'Thank you, Minerva.' Erin smiled. 'I know it's a lot of trouble to go to, but we really appreciate it.'

'Oh, it was hardly any trouble at all.' Minerva dismissed. 'I shall return to collect it later this afternoon, if that is to your convenience?'

'Absolutely.' Erin nodded. 'We'll be finished with it by then, I'm sure.'

'Very well.' Minerva nodded. 'I'll leave you to it.'

'Wait.' Severus said suddenly, as she almost made it to the door. 'My son has neglected to inform me of the results of his sorting. Perhaps you could enlighten us?'

'You don't know which house the boys were placed in?' Minerva was quite amused when she saw Erin roll her eyes, while Severus looked especially sour as though she had offended him by making a mockery of his lack of information.

'It was quite surprising.' Minerva glanced away, trying to hide her pleasure. 'Both Cody and Jack were sorted into my house almost right away. They are indeed quite the pair of Gryffindors. I even had to give them, and two of their friends, a detention for knocking over a suit of armour and riling up Filch.'

Severus, for thirty seconds, seemed to have gone into shock.

His face paled and his eyes stared to the distance, before he looked sharply at Minerva and realised she was only teasing him. For a moment, he'd thought his worst nightmare involving the boy's at Hogwarts had happened. Glaring at the Gryffindor Head of House, he did not trust himself to say anything while Minerva cheerfully bid them farewell and left.

'Severus?'

'The nerve of the woman!' He growled.

'Severus!' Erin caught his attention. 'I do not feel too comfortable with this memory-sharing thing, so can we please get it over with? Besides, we told Cody it doesn't matter to us which house he was sorted to. Why is it bothering you so much?'

Severus chose not to answer.

He hated not knowing, but he didn't want to let her realise it was a potential weakness of his. Exhaling a not-so-calming breath, he stepped forward and reminded her how the pensive worked.

-- 

For the first few hours, things inside the living room with the pensieve were tense and serious. Severus showed Erin various incidences where he had witnessed a few of the terrible moments in Harry's life when the boy had been seven. It had been at her request, as Erin really wanted to know what her son had been through so she could have a greater understanding of it.

She emerged angry and tearful after seeing her son's terrified face, as his nose bled and he begged Severus to save him, while Simon raged in the background. It was the worse one for her to see, but none of the others were at all easy for Erin to endure. When she'd witnessed Harry being stranded outside in the cold, with Severus basically leaving him there even if he had somewhat helped, Erin could not handle it.

She had to leave the room to cool down, and didn't return for over an hour.

Erin was still pale and emotional as the pair took a silent break for lunch. Severus watched her carefully, worried she was either going to break down, or break something. She was too still and quiet, and for a while he was afraid to say anything.

Finally, she lifted her head and exhaled a long breath of air. Severus thought she almost looked calm, except her eyes held more sternness than he had ever seen on her usually optimistic and teasing face.

'Thank you.' Erin said in a low voice. 'For showing me these, as horrible as they were, and for being there for him. I should have been there. I should have never let that happen.' Her voice broke, but she was too stubborn to cry.

Severus wasn't sure what to say.

He wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault, and the blame rested with her vile mother and the monster that was Simon Gale, but he could tell she already knew those facts. For years they had been raising Harry together, and on countless occasions they'd bickered about one thing or another. It was usually harmless disagreements that only annoyed them and they overcame it easily enough, even if the pair were still unfamiliar friends at best. In the last year or so, an unexplainable sense of understanding had passed through them regarding their son. As they discussed how to finish sharing the memories, and have a tribute to how far their boy had come, the adults realised something quite substantial.

They weren't only family to Harry, but to each other as well.

The pair had lived together for nearly four years, and yet there had never been any romantic attraction between them. If anything, they a relationship similar to a brother and sister. There was that specific sort of sibling love they shared, and their arguing was only a part of it as they wanted what was best for their adopted child. The boy who had suffered so much before he brought his new parents together, to form a close family who now could not imagine ever being without each other.

The rain continued to fall outside, and Erin and Severus decided to share some of the moments they were more fond of - from when Erin had only been Harry's mother when he was smaller, to Severus protecting and caring for Harry until Erin returned, and finishing with some treasured moments with their son up until now.

With a clever bit of magic, Severus sorted the memories they had placed into the pensieve so they could view them in the desired order. It was almost like prying into someone's head through legilimency, only it was simply interchanging memories the pair wanted to show the other or recall with love for their child.

Sharing a final glance, the two adults lowered their faces towards the surface and remained quiet as they each viewed the memories within...

--

Harry was two-years-old. His wild hair was a mess, and his bright green eyes looked wondrously around the flowerly backyard of his home. Erin was seen in the distance seated on a chair where she read a magazine, though she kept a watchful eye on her small boy.

Harry giggled when a butterfly touched his nose then flew away. He wanted to chase it, but flopped down on the fresh green grass instead. He sat there, watching the birds flying and chirping nearby or the flowers blowing gently in the wind. He looked to his mother and rose onto his feet, making his way towards a section of the yard where the butterfly had gone.

Crouching, the little boy grabbed a flower stem and pulled as hard as he could. Tugging it free, he wandered over to Erin with the flow clutched carefully in his chubby hands. He offered her a slightly toothless smile, as he raised the purple flower towards her.

'Oh, Harry!' Erin gasped. 'It's beautiful. Thank you.'

'Love you, Mummy.' He told her.

The little boy was so proud and happy that his mother liked the flower he had given her.

--

Harry was three, and sat on a blue picnic blanket spread over a patch of grass in a large, stunning meadow. Erin sat across from him, placing food on paper plates, and smiled at her son. He grinned back, and reached for a triangle-cut slice of ham sandwich.

'This is nice.' Harry said. His interest kept interchanging between the area around them and his mother.

'It really is.' Erin agreed. 'I thought we should just enjoy the outdoors for a while. It's such a lovely day, I wouldn't want to waste it.'

Harry chewed his food and played with a coloured wooden train, which he had brought with him to occupy himself. He drove it over the blanket and made noises for it while Erin chuckled with amusement.

'No!' Harry suddenly yelled with anguish and violently tossed his train aside. He bent down and carefully picked up a beetle with his hands. 'Mummy, I hurt bug.' He showed her the evidentially run-over beetle, his eyes filling with fears of sadness and guilt.

'Oh.' Erin wasn't sure what to do. It was just a beetle to her, but Harry was devastated. 'I'm sure it understands you didn't meant to.'

'Sorry, bug.' Harry stared at it, tears leaking down his cheeks.

With a sudden motion, the bug twitched then flew away without any signs of being crushed by a toy train. Erin gasped, while Harry cheered happily. He returned to his meal to eat his fill, then wandered around the grass and under trees in search of more bugs to befriend.

--

Four-year-old Harry did his best to pick up his toys and put them into his treasure-chest inspired toybox, but he kept stopping to play with them. He frowned every time Erin reminded him he was supposed to be cleaning his room, not adding to the mess.

Harry was dressed in blue pajamas with rockets printed on them - it was dark outside and he should be getting ready for bed. Erin leaned against the door-frame, watching her son with a smile. Harry wasn't happy about having to pick up his toys, but he did it anyway until he was finally finished. It hadn't been much to put away, but the four-year-old believed it was quite a considerable amount for him to tidy up.

'Come on, time for bed.' Erin said.

'I don't wanna go to bed.' Harry pouted. 'I wanna play with my toys.'

'It's time for sleep now.' Erin told him. 'You can play with your toys tomorrow.'

'But I wanna play now!' Harry stopped his foot.

'Harry.' Erin warned. 'You have to go to bed now. Come on, I'll read you a story.'

She picked up her squirming boy and placed him on his dark blue, golden star-printed covers. He wriggled under the covers, not to get ready for bed, but to hide from his mother.

'Harry.' Erin sighed. 'That's enough. It's time for bed.'

'No!' Came the muffled response.

'Alright.' Erin decided. 'But only good boys who go to bed when their mummys tell them to get a story. If you don't want to be that boy, then I'll just have to tuck you in and leave the room.' She said.

'No, Mummy!' Harry quickly emerged from under the blankets. 'Don't go. I want a story!'

'Okay.' Erin smiled with success. 'Which one would you like to hear?'

'That one.' Harry pointed to a book about dragons, while settling in his bed to hear a story. He snuggled against her side, and his eyes were already beginning to close with sleepiness.

--

The small, vibrantly happy boy changed into a seven-year-old with a quieter nature and dull clothes. 

He was in the dark house at Spinner's End, glancing at the time when he saw Severus walking towards the kitchen. 

'Can I help with dinner?' Harry asked shyly from where he stood by an armchair. 'Please?'

'Very well.' Severus allowed.

He watched the boy drag a stool towards the kitchen counter and step onto it. Harry hesitantly smiled, as he really wanted to help and spend time with his hero. He didn't realise Severus barely gave him much to do, as the boy dedicated himself to slicing carrots with a butter knife, washing potatoes in the warm water at the sink, and setting the oven timer to place it on the table.

'That was fun.' Harry said. 'Can I help more often?'

--

Seven-year-old Harry followed Severus around the house, looking rather fearful of being separated from him. He wasn't as clingy, but whenever Severus moved to another room or another part of a room, Harry hurried after him.

Severus was annoyed by the child's actions, yet decided to ignore him the best he could and barely noticed the extent of what the child was doing. Harry had gone to his room to grab a dark coat, which was rather long and nearly reached his ankles.

Severus didn't realise at the time that Harry was trying to look like him.

When Severus got a book from a shelf to read, Harry did the same with one of the few selections he was allowed to touch. Unlike Severus, the boy made no attempt to read the material. He sat nearby and flipped a page of his book whenever Severus did. Harry even tried to sit the same way his hero did, and mimicked any facial expression he saw. S

everus never paid much notice at the time, but Harry was doing rather well at copying him.

--

'Can I light the candles?' Jack asked. He stared eagerly at the chocolate frosted cake sitting in the middle of the table, which Harry faced with a bright smile on his eight-year-old face.

'I was going to light them magically.' Erin replied. 'But I think we can find a lighter around here somewhere.' She headed to the kitchen to check the drawers.

'I'm eight today.' Harry reminded himself gleefully, sitting straighter in his seat. 'Thanks for coming over.' He added to Jack. 'And I loved the presents.' He made sure to thank everyone, as it was his first ever real birthday celebration.

'You're my best friend, of course I was going to be here.' Jack said , reaching to accept the silver lighter from Erin.

'Admit it, you just came for the cake.' Harry joked.

'Oh, absolutely.' Jack winked as he played along.

The sandy-haired boy carefully lit each of the eight blue and gold striped candles, while Erin switched off the lights, and Severus moved to sit across the table from his son. The three of them sang Happy Birthday for Harry, who beamed at them all and prepared to take a huge breath. Blowing all the candles out at once, Harry kept his eyes closed as he made his wish. No one asked him what it was, and nor did he tell.

Even so, while Erin began to cut the cake and Jack hurried to turn to lights back on, Harry looked to Severus.

The two shared a discreetly knowing look.

-

'It's not working.' Eight-year-old Harry complained. He gave the string a tug, and moodily dragged the kite across the grass.

They were at a large muggle park, with long stretches of grass and a few trees to provide plenty of shade. Severus was seated at a wooden picnic table with a book, looking rather bored, while Erin arranged plates of food on the table in front of him.

'Did you try running with it?' Erin looked over at her son. 'Maybe there's not enough wind?'

'I ran around and nothing happened.' Harry sulked, dropping onto the space beside his dad. 'The kite is useless. There's a lot of wind over there, so why won't it work?'

'Perhaps it is because the kite rests on the ground. It requires additional lift to take flight.' Severus said, soundly closing his book.

He abandoned the reading material on the table, and gestured for Harry to follow him as he walked towards the sloped hill nearby. Severus retrieved the rejected kite and held it up, instructing Harry to try again.

'Okay!' The boy agreed and took off at a run.

Severus released the kite at the last second and watched as it rose into the air, higher and higher. He smirked when Harry cheered and grinned at the accomplishment. After a few minutes, his interest in the flying object faded and Severus returned to the table.

'He's growing up so fast.' Erin uttered quietly. She looked over at Harry, then returned to her task of preparing the food for their picnic lunch. 'He's already grow over an inch taller in the last few months.'

'Indeed.' Severus answered without glancing up from his book, which he'd brought in attempt to discourage her from involving him in conversation.

'Thank you for coming with us today.' Erin said. 'It means a lot to him. And I know you're allergic to family outings.'

'I am hardly-' Severus looked sharply in her direction, seeing the sarcastic expression on her face, which caused a frown of dislike to form on his face. 'Hm.' He grunted and lowered his gaze back to his open book.

Erin sat across from him and sighed, just staring at the table without really looking at the plates and containers of food. She sat in silence for a moment, until she realised how quiet the surrounding area had become.

'Cody?' She glanced up, worrying. 'Where did he go?'

Severus turned to look over his shoulder in the direction of where the child had been playing. He saw the hill was empty, and the kite had vanished from the sky. Rather than feel on edge, like Erin was, Severus scanned the nearby area and indicated to a tall oak tree.

The rainbow-coloured kite was seen suck in one the branches, and the eight-year-old was ascending to reach it.

'Cody!' Erin jumped up and hurried towards the tree. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm trying to get my kite!' Harry called down from where he had already climbed halfway up the tree. 'It's stuck. Don't worry, I'll be okay!'

'Oh, I do worry.' Erin stressed. 'Come back down. Your father can get it.'

'No, I can do it!' Harry insisted. 'Just a bit further...'

The boy was almost at the top of the very large tree. He stretched his arm towards the kite, while Erin watched nervously from the ground. Harry's fingers were still quite a distance from the lodged object, but he kept inching closer to the edge in attempt to grasp the hanging piece of string.

'Come back down this instance!' Severus demanded, joining Erin's side as he stared anxiously upwards at their son. He moved his arm in an odd way, indicating he was using the wand he had concealed inside his sleeve.

'Got it!' Harry called out victoriously.

He was entirely unaware Severus had not only assisted in him being able to reclaim the kite, but also prevented the determined child from falling from the branch he had been recklessly sitting on.

-

It was a frosty winter night, as the family of three sat on a sofa by a warm, flickering fire.

Severus sat with his arm draped over the back of the sofa, glancing at his nine-year-old son seated to his left. Erin sat beside Harry, barely on the seat at all, as she laughed at the story the boy had finished telling them. Towards his feet sat Frogabook, who was happily slumbering in the warmth he had become accustomed to over the years.

'This is nice.' Harry sighed. He leaned back, being only just too short to touch his father's arm by a few inches, and smiled at his mother.

'It is.' Erin nodded in agreement and snuggled close to her son. She leaned back too, and Severus quickly withdrew his arm.

He didn't comment, though he was clearly quite relaxed as well.

'There's no better way to spend a cold night than to cuddle up by the fire with the ones we love.' Erin whispered, closing her eyes for a moment as she savoured the moment.

'Yeah.' Harry closed his eyes as well, though it had more to do with the late hour and his emerging sleepiness. 'I wish we could stay like this forever.'

-

'Cody.' Severus warned.

'Dad.' Harry whined back. 'What's the big deal?'

'It is irritating.' Severus objected. 'Take off the coat, you look ridiculous.'

'So?' Nine-year-old Harry rolled his eyes. 'It's a lot like a robe. I think it looks cool.'

'I do too.' Erin giggled from the kitchen, where she was busy baking chocolate-chip cookies. 'Severus, chill. He just wants to be like his dad.'

Severus held back several comments he wanted to make, and headed to the living room. He sat down and sorted through some papers, while Harry walked up and down the hallway, trying to stand taller and look important.

'Maybe I should grow my hair long too.' Harry said. Severus struggled to ignore him.

'Don't even think about it.' Erin frowned, pointing a chocolate-coated spoon in his direction 'Your hair is long enough as it is.' She looked at his dark strands, which were already starting to pass his ears.

Harry wasn't listening. He was preoccupied with sorting through the cupboards for something that resembled a potion vial, so he could fill it with juice and see how it looked in his hand, still attempting to mimic his father.

'Of, for goodness sake!' Erin flustered when Harry moved around her a third time and nearly knocked a jug of milk onto the floor. 'Do watch where you're going.'

'Sorry.' Harry said quickly, without even looking in her direction. 'Can I have another quill lesson today? I want to write a neatly as Dad does.' His expression creased at those words. 'I mean, do you think it would be prudent for myself to be furthermore educated in the ways of writing with a quill?' He tried to sound formal without finding his words funny.

'Cody.' Erin sighed. 'You are your father's son, even without trying to copy everything he does.'

'Really?' Harry smiled. 'How can you tell? Oh, but I'm adopted.' He looked downcast, dropping his arms to his side with a sigh.

'It doesn't matter.' Erin brushed some hair from his face.

Meanwhile, Severus pretended he couldn't hear them from the living room. '

I promise, anyone passing you two on the street could easily see you're father and son. You do look like him, in your own way.' Erin continued. 'I think you're both very similar.'

'Thanks, Mum.' Harry blushed and moved to sit in a seat to watch her bake the cookies. 'Can I help?'

'Sure.' Erin nodded. 'Hand me the milk, would you?'

'Here.' Harry offered the jug to her. 'I think I'm a lot like you too, Mum.'

'So do I.' Erin smiled. 'You're our son, Cody. That's what matters, not how you came to us.'

--

The final memory showed ten-year-old Harry standing in a shadowy corridor at his school.

He was dressed in black pair of pants and long-sleeved shirt. He held a beanie on his hand, which was decorated with bright orange paper for a fake mane. His face was painted with black whiskers, and a blackened nose. Despite his decorative appearance, the boy stared crestfallen at the floor with dread.

'There you are!' Erin gasped as she spotted him.

Severus was right behind her, looking irritated as always, yet worried about why his son had seemingly vanished.

'Sorry.' Harry mumbled. 'But I don't think I can do it.'

'Why not?' Erin crouched in front of him 'You have the leading role, Cody. Your entire class is counting on you. Your father and I have full confidence in your ability to do this.'

'I'm not a very good lion.' Harry confessed. 'Lions are brave and loud, but I just want to hide. I wish Jack could be the lion, but he really wanted to be an elephant. He'd be a much better lion than me.'

'Cody.' Erin sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. 'There are many different types of bravery. I think you're courageous.'

'What's the difference?' Harry tentatively looked at her.

'Being courageous means you do something brave even when you're scared.' Erin told him. 'Mr Westen saw you would make a great lion, and that's why he picked you for the role. You were nervous about it, but you decided to do your best. You have practised so hard - you make a wonderfully loud and brave lion.'

'But what if I don't?' Harry worried. 'What if I get on stage and forget everything? What if they all laugh at me?' He sniffled miserably, fidgeting on his feet.

'No one will laugh at you.' Erin assured him. 'You're not the only one who's nervous, but you've worked too hard not to get up there and show everyone what a great lion you can be.'

'Your mother and I shall be proud of you either way.' Severus added. 'The only thing holding you back in this moment, is yourself. Your own doubt and fears are clouding your confidence, son.'

Harry looked at both his parents and sighed, fiddling with his fake mane and remained unsure about what they told him. He was quiet for a moment, until the boy finally looked up and pulled the beanie over his head with increasing determination.

'Okay.' Harry decided. 'I'm really scared I'll mess it up, but I can't let my class down. They can't put on the show without me. I'll do it.'

'And that, Cody, is courage.' Severus told him.

'We'll be watching and supporting you the whole time.' Erin added. 'So get out there and roar like the mighty lion king you are!' She said enthusiastically.

Harry grinned and hurried back into the room, leaving his parents behind in the corridor he had previously sought refuge in. They felt proud of their son, who hadn't been in a play before where he had to stand in front of a huge crowd of audience.

At ten-years-old, he'd come a long way and every day made his parents proud of him...

--

Erin and Severus emerged from the pensieve.

Erin was smiling, though somehow looked a little sad as well. Severus avoided her gaze and went to sit in a nearby armchair. They'd been viewing memories for a while, and the rain had since stopped. The two adults remain quiet as they thought upon what they had seen.

After a while, Severus wanted to say how surprised he was by the earlier memories. Not the sweet toddler Harry, but of Erin.

She looked so different back then. Not just younger, but more alive and joyous. Her hair had been wavy gold strands, and her eyes bright with life. Her cheeks were sun-kissed and smeared with freckles, showing how much time she spent enjoying the outdoors. She'd looked like someone who laughed often and was always warm, but now she appeared very differently.

It wasn't age that showed, but the grief of losing her son for years and the drawn-out stress of trying to find him - with the fear of never seeing her precious little boy again overtaking her every thought. Severus had never thought about it before, because he'd never realised how strong the two comparisons were between Erin then and Erin now. He felt sad she had lost a lot of the light in herself, and vowed to appreciate her unique view on things and the way she was always trying to brighten the world around her.

Even if she did so in ways that annoyed him or interrupted his peace.

Erin, however, was more concerned with something she could not believe she hadn't realised before. She doubted Severus had either, as neither of them had ever mentioned it before. Looking over at his contemplative expression, she wondered if he noticed it now too. She wouldn't have put such focus on it if they hadn't compiled memories of each year of Harry's life they were present for.

'I adopted him when he was barely two-years-old.' Erin whispered.

She walked to sit across from Severus, who watched her intently.

'I never thought about it before, but there is a gap in time.' She frowned. 'I lost him when he was four, and you found him when it was seven. That's three years of his life unaccounted for.'

'He had been adopted by another family.' Severus said. 'I was later informed of their death, which was what led Cody to reside in Spinner's End. I was under the impression those three years had not been particularly enjoyable.'

'No.' Erin agreed with his words, which increased her worry. 'He never talks about it. Not once. Should we have pried? Should we ask him about it? The fact we do not know what experiences he faced in that three year period...'

'Perhaps.' Severus was quiet for a moment. 'Or perhaps we ought to trust in the boy. He may come to us when he is ready, if the matters truly require a discussion. It may be unwise to reopen old wounds if they are not festering. Cody may simply wish to forget his past involving those three years.'

'Yeah.' Erin sighed, though she remained doubtful. 'Maybe.'

She rose from the seat and paced near the window, avoiding looking towards the pensieve.

'He's growing up. Our little boy isn't a little kid anymore.' She said. 'Does it really matter, which house he's in?' Erin looked towards Severus, who narrowed his eyes at the subject.

'It is of high importance, though neither house is necessarily an insult.' Severus still despised Gryffindor, but after remembering the time when Harry had to play a lion for his school play, Severus was more at ease with the possibility. If his son was noble and courageous, then Harry being in Gryffindor wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Besides, Severus still assumed Jack was placed there, as the boy had a lot of strong traits associated with the house of lions.

-- 

The pair said nothing else on the topic for the rest of the day. In fact, for many hours, they hardly spoke at all. Each was focused on their own thoughts and contemplations, as they continued to remember various situations with their child.

They went to bed early that night, each looking forward to seeing their son the following day. Severus was focused primarily on finding out which house the boy was in, while Erin wondered what life at Hogwarts was going to be like.

Those thoughts stayed with them when they woke the following day, and packed up their belongings, before thanking the kind elderly witch for letting them stay with her.

With well-cast featherlight charms to ease the carrying of their luggage, the pair made their way through Hogsmeade and approached the gates of Hogwarts. When McGonagall stopped by to inform them of many business matters and to retrieve the pensive the night before, she informed them they had been officially declared as staff members.

Therefore, they had little trouble entering the school grounds.

Severus strode purposefully forward, recalling the exact path to the castle without an ounce of thought, while Erin looked around nervously in search of her son. She took in the appearance of every hark-haired boy she saw, but none of them were him. When she caught sight of the expansive castle, Erin momentarily forgot about her child as she gasped at the stunning view towering over her.

They were greeted in the Entrance Hall by McGonagall and Filch.

An hour later, and the pair were looking around their new quarters on the first floor. It had a grand living room with tall windows, showing the castle grounds and the Quidditch Pitch in the distance. As they stood in the doorway, there was a fireplace to their left surrounded by comfortable-looking leather armchairs and a wide sofa. To the right was a polished dining table with a chair at either end and two on each side. The floor was wooden and pristine, while the walls were lightly pattered with veins of medium green tones, and accompanied by various shelves or bookcases.

Erin was in awe to it all, while Severus thought it was rather unnecessarily extravagant. He checked the two doors on the left, to see one led to a decent-seized Potions laboratory, and the other a large bathroom with marble and shining surfaces. There were three doors on the opposite wall, which Erin saw led to her room (with its own study), the other to Severus' room (which also had a study), and the final was a smaller room for Harry.

'Wow.' Erin was in disbelief. She had not been expecting such a wonderful place to live.

Severus chose not to comment, and immediately proceeded began to unpack in his room. Erin explored their quarters a bit further, then mirrored his actions in her own room.

-- 

By the time they were finished, the bell had rung for lunch.

Deciding they would make their first official entrance at the school by attending lunch in the Great Hall, the pair left their quarters, which was concealed behind a portrait of an empty meadow with wild flowers moving gently to an assumed breeze. They both paused at the image for a moment, thinking on their shared memories, and wondered who had chosen that particular scenery for them.

'I hope I don't get too lost.' Erin worried, fiddling with the clasp of her deep violet cloak. She wore a warm gold robe ,and black witch shoes, which she had carefully selected to be her usual attire at Hogwarts. She glanced once at Severus, and rolled her eye at his customary almost-all-black attire.

Severus said nothing, his eyes alert in search of their son and observing the other students at the castle.

They passed by the Weasley twins, just as they turned a corner and prepared to enter the Great Hall. They stepped inside the grand candlelit room, and whispers spread through the hall immediately. Erin walked towards the staff table with blushing cheeks, a bit embarrassed by all the attention. She was eager to sit down as quickly as possible, and chose a seat beside an empty one and Professor Sprout, who gave her a very warm welcome.

Severus had lingered by the doorway, ignoring the wildfire of whispers and stares all around him.

His dark gaze searched the tables for his son. He started with Gryffindor, thinking he would at least spot Jack. He was surprised to notice the sandy-haired boy standing on a seat at the Hufflepuff table, waving broadly to Severus. His son wasn't there, so Severus continued with his observatory search. In all the scenarioes he had imaged in preparation for his return to Hogwarts, Severus had not thought such humiliation was about to befall to him, until a voice called out in the crowd.

'Dad!'

Surely enough, his dark-haired and grinning son came running towards him. The eleven-year-old had moved too fast for Severus to make out his house colours, and the boy was soon pressed against his father for a tight hug.

'You're here.' Harry sounded tearful. 'You're finally here.'

Severus made a sound of annoyance and grasped the boy's shoulders, inching his son away so he could face the child. Harry's bright green eyes shone up at him, which effortlessly matched the green and silver tie he wore.

'Slytherin?' Severus barely spoke.

'Yeah.' Harry nodded proudly. 'The hat said he knew where to put me right away. He didn't even have to think about it.' He shared. 'I'm in Slytherin just like you!'

Severus was stunned, which was only overcome by his intense pride. Not only had his son been placed into his former house, but the hat had done so rather quickly.

Harry was in Slytherin.

'Return to your seat.' Severus said, now acutely aware of the collective attention aimed their way. 'We shall regroup afterwards.'

'Okay.' Harry smiled, and turned to hurry back to the Slytherin table.

Severus watched him for a moment longer, trying to ignore his own embarrassment towards having his son run over to hug him in the middle of the Great Hall. His reputation was in tatters before he had even begun tutoring. It was going to be difficult to get the students in line after his son's public display of affection for his dad, though Severus couldn't even be mad at the child for it.

The boy who had been sorted into Slytherin.

Severus walked the rest of the distance to the staff table. He sat between McGonagall and Erin, giving them both a loathsome glare for their laughter. His attention was rarely on his meal, as Severus kept glancing towards his son, who was chatting happily with two other boys his age. If he had noticed anything else, Severus might have found it strange that Erin seemed rather disturbed by something unseen.

Very few others took much notice, as she hid it rather well, but her confusion would have been obvious if their gazes had lingered. A few memories came to mind that didn't relate to her son or anything she could make much sense of. If Erin had decided to voice these concerns to Severus, maybe they'd have realised some of her own memories were starting to resurface. But he didn't glance her way once during the meal, and Erin remained quiet.

His mind was occupied only with their son.

There had been countless times over the years when Severus had been proud of his boy, but nothing could ever compare to that moment, when he found out his brave and loving child was coping well with Hogwarts, and had been sorted into Slytherin house...

Just like his father.

After an adaptive first week at Hogwarts, Harry thought the second week was even stranger.

He had gotten used to the common paths he walked to his classes and meals, the way outside to the grounds or the courtyard, and the directions to the Slytherin common room.

He felt proud to have accomplished such familiarity in his first week, but what made the second one so strange to him was the fact he now often passed his parents in the corridors. When they'd first arrived, Harry hadn't been able to sit still during lunch and kept looking over at them with a relieved smile. When he'd finally gotten to join them to look around their quarters, Harry barely paid it all much notice. He had hugged them for as long as possible, not wanting to leave them again, while taking the chance to tell them all about his first week.

Another thing he had to get used to was the way older students frequently sought him out in search of a confirmation that he was indeed the son of Severus Snape.

Even weirder, during that second week, was that the whispers about the disappearing former-Ravenclaw head girl, Mercy Tallwater, had not died down. There was no fresh news regarding her whereabouts, or what had happened to her, and yet the older students were still overheard discussing her in hushed tones in random corners of the castle during meals or free time.

After serving his detention with Professor McGonagall (alongside Ginny, Jack, and Conner), Harry even heard Ravenclaws talking about the missing girl, when previously they had seemed too shocked and distraught to do so. But Harry and his friends had more things to worry about than a former Ravenclaw they hadn't even met. During his free time between Herbology and Transfiguration, on the third Tuesday morning of September, Harry was busy telling Jack and Ginny about a disappearance of his own.

'I sent them a letter on Wednesday, which Jack can vouch for because he saw me write it.' Harry said as he sat with the pair under the shady tree in the courtyard. 'Mum said she was worried when I didn't answer them. Apparently they'd sent me a letter Thursday morning, but I never got any mail from them at all.'

'Do you think the owl got lost?' Jack wondered.

'Not likely.' Ginny scoffed. 'It's only from Hogsmeade to here. Owls are rarely lost when they have to travel halfway around the world.'

'Aren't they supposed to deliver it straight to the person?' Jack frowned.

'Yeah.' Ginny nodded. 'Well, either that or where the person lives.' She turned to Harry with a serious expression. 'I doubt you'd have missed it sitting on your bed or something, so maybe...'

'Maybe someone took it?' Harry narrowed his eyes as he finished her sentence. He had considered it before, but didn't wanted to believe it might be possible. 

'Would anyone in your dorm have taken it?' Ginny asked.

'Yeah.' Harry growled.

One person from his dormitory immediately came to mind.

'Logan Makarney. It had to have been him. That git!'

He didn't think Casey would have done it, not after he'd stood up for Harry about missing his parents when Logan had called Harry a crybaby. He doubted Lionel would have taken his letter because the curly-haired boy just didn't seem like the type, as he was often nervous and not very co-ordinated. The only other person who might be to blame was Ian, who was more a mystery to Harry than anything he was learning about in his classes. The neat and quiet boy unnerved him at times, though Harry couldn't see any reason for Ian to have taken his letter, whereas Logan hated him since day one.

'What are you going to do?' Jack wondered. 'Should we tell a Professor? Should we tell your dad?' He smirked at the idea of Logan facing up against Severus Snape.

'No.' Harry shook his head. 'I can't tell Dad. Logan will know I did and that will only make things worse. I don't want to be known as the one who goes tattling to his parents just because they work here.' He sighed. 'I'm going to have to deal with it myself. I'll confront him in the common room tonight. The prefects hate it when Slytherins do something spiteful to other Slytherins, so maybe they'll overhear and make him give it back if he refuses.'

'Good idea.' Ginny nodded. 'Too bad we can't be there to see it.'

'Yeah, being in different houses sucks sometimes.' Jack pouted.

He grumbled further when the bell rang and they had to separate once again. Agreeing to meet up after their last lesson, the three friends parted ways. Harry headed to his Transfiguration lesson, where he shared a table with Oscar while Ian sat diagonally to their right.

'I heard something really weird.' Oscar instantly spoke to Harry in a rush, looking as though he had been waiting all day to tell someone. 'You know how we're supposed to be seeing more ghosts now, but there's still hardly any around?'

'Yeah.' Harry nodded, having noticed it as well.

'Well, I heard they linger around the third floor corridor just after curfew.' Oscar whispered really quietly, wary of the watchful tabby cat seated on the professor's desk.

'Really?' Harry was surprised to hear this. 'What are they doing?'

'I don't know.' Oscar shrugged. 'A prefect was talking about it and said they'd been told to stay away from there. I wish I knew why! Do you think it might have something to do with the missing girl?'

'I dunno. How can it?' Harry shrugged as well. 'I mean, the whole ghost thing might not be related to it at all. Percy did say they were doing something for Dumbledore.'

He shuddered at the memory of the conversation he'd had with the headmaster several days ago.

'I guess so.' Oscar sighed and his enthusiasm deflated a little.

The lesson begun, but Harry had trouble focusing on turning his match into a needle. Despite what he'd told Oscar, he was beginning to think more was going on at Hogwarts than it appeared. It was his first year at Hogwarts, so Harry had little experience regarding how the ghosts usually acted during the school term, but what he'd heard from older years was clue enough that things were not as they usually were.

What task could the headmaster have for the ghosts that had been taking this long, and couldn't have been done during the summer before school term?

Harry recently learned (ironically, from Dumbledore himself) about the house-elves who cooked their meals and washed their clothes. Harry thought the headmaster would be better off asking the house-elves to check something for him rather than the ghosts. Unless there were places ghosts could go that elves couldn't?

He considered asking dad when he had free time because Harry knew if anyone had answers it would be Severus Snape.

-- 

The questions and curiosities rested with him well into his next lesson, which was History of Magic.

Jack fell asleep five minutes into the class, and Conner kept to himself as he discreetly read a book under his desk. Harry had plenty of time to think about the strange occurrences around Hogwarts with the ghosts and missing girl. By the time the bell rang for the end of the lesson, Harry really wanted to know what was going on at night on the third floor.

Why were the ghosts going there, of all places? And why had the prefects been told to stay away?

'You're rather quiet.' Ginny commented when she met up with Harry and Jack in a corridor near the History of Magic classroom.

'I've been thinking about something Oscar said.' Harry answered, and told them about the ghosts heading to the third floor corridor after curfew.

He was relieved to notice that Ginny and Jack looked really curious and concerned as well.

'I wish I could ask Dad about it.' Harry frowned. 'I reckon he knows. He seems to know everything. But, well, I doubt he'll tell me.'

'Yeah.' Jack agreed with a disappointed sigh. 'I really wish we could find out, though.'

'You said the prefects aren't allowed there, right?' Ginny whispered. 'So other than ghosts and portraits, the corridor will be empty.'

'Theoretically.' Harry nodded. 'Why? Do you think we should actually sneak and have a look? We could get in so much trouble!'

He stared at his friends - seeing the mischievous expression on her face, and the eagerness on Jack's.

'I think we should do it.' Jack decided. 'I'll go insane not knowing!'

'Fine.' Harry grumbled. 'But this is why I was put into Slytherin and not you two.' He muttered, knowing his house had a bit of a reputation for self preservation and cunning.

His curiosity had won over any such concerns - Harry just had to find out what was going on in worry it could be something bad, or have something to do with the missing girl.

Harry and Ginny wanted to finish their Potions homework that was due on Friday, so the trio didn't sneak out Tuesday night.

Harry wished they all took Astronomy class together, as it would be a great excuse to be out of their dorms after curfew, with the lesson taking place at midnight. However, after his lesson, he realised it was a good thing they hadn't gone with that plan.

Harry barely made it back to his dormitory before he'd passed out from exhaustion.

Thursday night was the night they were going through with their sneaky plan. Jack and Harry endured a double lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts, where Lockhart continued to read portions from his books. Harry and Jack easily occupied their time by whispering about their plan. They also alternated with glaring at Logan for lengths of time, still holding him responsible for the missing letter.

Harry hadn't had time to confront the other Slytherin boy yet, but it was the least of his priorities with everything else that was going on.

In Charms, with Casey and Haylee, Harry was further distracted from the tasks at hand. He almost set his feather on fire twice instead of levitating it. He was becoming rather anxious about the plan in fear of his parents finding out what he was up to. He'd received quite an earful from his father regarding his detention in the first week, even if his parents had eventually believed Peeves was mostly to blame for the mess.

He could only imagine what they'd say about him sneaking around the castle at night.

Just after lunch every Thursday afternoon, Harry had the chance to visit his father in the Great Hall where he tutored any student who needed or wanted additional assistance. With his rule-breaking act in mind, Harry decided not to stop by that Thursday. His dad was far too clever at knowing when Harry was going to do something he shouldn't.

Instead, the Slytherin boy met with Jack and Ginny outside under their favourite oak tree. They discussed how they were all going to sneak out, and where to meet up, since each of them were coming different common rooms.

'Mine is the hardest.' Ginny complained. 'I'm all the way up on the seventh floor!'

Harry agreed it would be riskier and more difficult for her to sneak around, whereas he and Jack were in the dungeons and basement respectfully. The plan was to sneak out just before curfew and meet up around the corner from the third floor corridor. Harry wasn't pleased to realise he was the only one of the trio who looked concerned about their plan, if only because the worst the others could get in regards to their parents was a letter home.

Both Harry's mum and dad were somewhere in the castle, and he'd be passing right by their quarters to sneak to the third floor.

-- 

By the time he had finished his dinner and retreated to the Slytherin common room, Harry felt queasy with nerves and lacked confidence towards the outcome of their risky plan.

But he wasn't going to back out of it, not after he'd promised Jack and Ginny he would be there.

Just before nine o'clock, Harry carefully left the common room and was dismayed to see how darker the dungeons looked at night. He wandered cautiously through the corridors, until he met up with Jack on the first floor. The two boys were wide-eyed and pale as they crept around the first floor and hurried to the second via the grand staircase. That was where they found Ginny, who looked immeasurably relieved to see them, as though she'd been worried they would change their minds and ditch her to the mercy of Filch.

Not daring to speak, Ginny led the way forward. She used gestures to direct them into broom closets whenever she thought she heard something, which could easily have been a professor, Filch, or Mrs Norris. The trio of first years hoped not to meet any of those options that night.

They fearfully continued along the corridors until they reached the corner of their destination.

'Have a look.' Jack nudged Harry. 'Are they here yet?'

Harry gulped and peered around the stone corner. Apart from the moonlight streaming through the windows, he didn't see anyone at all.

Not a single ghost.

'Nothing.' He told them quietly. 'Maybe we're early?'

'Or maybe Oscar was wrong?' Jack realised the awful possibly the others hadn't considered until then. They were going on mere word of mouth, so the information was only as accurate as Oscar had provided.

'He seemed really sure.' Harry said, though he felt it wasn't convincing enough. 'Let's wait a little longer.'

And so they waited.

The three first years jumped at every sound, and checked the corridor several times a minute. None of them wore a watch, but at least twenty minutes passed by before Harry checked the corridor again to witness something amiss.

'Look!' He gasped.

They huddled close together and inched back into the corridor.

The trio tried to use a suit of armour for concealment, while being exceptionally careful in memory of the last time they were near one. They watched the scene with bated breath. At least five ghosts they had never seen before floated along the corridor. The transparent figures halted beside a tall, aged tapestry with twisting vines looped with snakes. None of the ghosts spoke, but they seemed to be waiting for something to happen, just as the discreet first years were.

For a long time, the ghosts simply hovered around and nothing happened.

Jack began to fidget in boredom and discomfort, while Ginny glared at him each time. Harry remained still and watchful, too anxious to bother with what his friends were doing. He prayed they wouldn't be discovered. The ghosts appeared to not notice them, but if anyone were to turn into the corner they had come from, then the group would be relatively in plain sight.

'Who's that?' Harry hissed to the other pair.

His friends quickly looked around the corner at a ghost who had floated through a wall and approached those waiting. Evidentially, they had been waiting for this ghost, dressed in an old-fashioned suit with a bow tie around his neck and a top hat on his head. His expression was stern and dignified, as he gestured the other ghosts towards the tapestry.

'How should I know?' Jack replied. He barely knew what his own house ghost looked like.

'He doesn't sound like anyone I've heard of.' Ginny added, ignoring Jack. 'Where are they going?' She wondered.

The ghosts drifted through the tapestry, and the corridor was otherwise vacant once again.

The three first years nervously remained still for several more minutes, but the ghosts were gone. The corridor became eerily quiet when only their breathing was heard. Jack, taking the first step out from around the armour, approached the tapestry with determination fixed in his features.

The other two hurried after him.

'It looks normal enough.' Jack whispered, pressing his palm against the tapestry. 'Hang on.' He frowned.

There was a bump underneath around the middle.

The sandy-haired Hufflepuff found a split in the tapestry, much like a curtain, and pulled it back to reveal a framed portrait.

'That's exactly where the ghosts went through.' Harry realised. 'What's wrong with it?' He asked.

The portrait, resting inside the dark golden frame with lily flowers engraved in each corner, didn't look like a portrait at all. It was a blank canvas, though it looked to have faded to black rather than simply having nothing in it. As the other two looked it over from every angle, Harry rubbed his robe sleeve over it to remove thick dust from the metal nameplate at the bottom.

'R.T?' Harry read aloud with a confused frown. 'What does that mean?'

'It might be the name of whoever was in this picture.' Ginny shrugged. 'It's strange that it's still here, if it's too old to use or there's something wrong with it.'

'Maybe they forgot about it?' Jack said.

'The ghosts were really interested in it, unless they didn't realise it was here.' Harry didn't think so - it was a rather specific place for them to pass through. 'Perhaps this does more than just show a magical picture? Maybe it's like a portal or something?'

'It could be anything.' Jack sighed. 'We could guess here all night.'

There was a sound nearby and the three first years froze.

Acutely aware of the late time, and the fact they were not supposed to be there, they decided it was time to leave. Covering the portrait with the tapestry curtain once again, the group headed the way they came and narrowly missed knocking into the suit of armour.

Ginny left them on the grand staircase, as she had several floors to reach to get to her common room. Jack and Harry ran back to the first floor, trying to be as quiet as possible, and looked warily towards the large portrait of the meadow.

'C'mon.' Harry urged Jack forward.

They crept along the corridor, fearful of Severus or Erin catching them. They made it, and headed for their separate common room in the basement or dungeons.

Harry hurriedly whispered the password to the wall and entered the Slytherin common room with a gush of relief.

It was short-lived, when he saw he was not alone.

'Where were you?' Ian asked, rising from a nearby armchair. 'Sneaking out after curfew, really?'

'I...' Harry had no excuse to give his dorm-mate, so he tried to sound tough instead. 'It's not really any of your business.'

'What if I make it my business?' Ian narrowed his eyes. 'What if I think Professor Slughorn should hear about this? It would be for your own good, of course.' He smirked.

'You're one to talk.' Harry retaliated. He felt fearful that Ian might do either of those things. 'You disappear all the time too. You didn't come back with us after Astronomy class last night. I bet Slughorn would be interested in that too, don't you think?'

'Fair enough.' Ian shrugged with amusement, which only confused Harry further. 'You know how to stand your ground. Good. Well, good night.' He nodded and headed for their shared dormitory.

Harry watched the taller boy walk away and wondered what Ian's intentions had really been.

He could never understand that boy, but didn't want to be on edge when he would rather go to bed and get some rest. He waited a moment, and then returned to the dormitory as well. Ian was nowhere in sight, though the drapes around his bed were closed. Logan was buried under his covers, and Casey muttered something incoherent in his sleep. Lionel's snoring was the only consistent sound in the room.

Harry quickly showered and climbed under his blankets, exhaling with the relief that he hadn't been caught that night. As he closed his eyes, he wondered who “R.T” was and why the ghosts were so interested in the wall. And who was the ghost with the top hat?

Questions swam through his mind, but did not hinder his attempts to sleep, and Harry was soon dreaming of flying a broomstick over a lush meadow.

Despite his late-night ventures, Harry woke rather early on Friday morning.

Recalling the events of the night before, his gaze drifted to Ian's bed. The other boy was still sleeping, though the drapes had been pulled open sometime during the night. He rarely saw Ian in his bed because the other boy often got up early and always had the drapes drawn closed.

For someone who was always neat and proper in appearance, his bed was a complete tangle of blankets, and Ian's hair stuck in every direction. Harry wondered if he simply slept like Jack did, or if Ian recently had a nightmare. Harry always woke with his blankets twisted and everywhere when he had a nightmare.

His thoughts leaving Ian, Harry used the bathroom and dressed into his uniform. He bent in front of his trunk to sort out the things he would need for the day. He only had Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, so his bag was quite light as he draped it over his shoulder. Looking back at his sleeping room-mates, Harry turned and left the dormitory.

He passed a pair of sixth year girls in the common room, but neither group paid attention to the other.

Entering the chilly dungeon corridor outside the common room, Harry made his way to the library. He'd only been there a few times before, and each incident he had only stayed for a couple of minutes, but Harry didn't have much difficulty finding his way there on his own without asking for directions. The corridors were a bit strange to him, as they were so empty at such an early hour. He passed a seventh year or prefect every once and again, but no one else.

Stepping inside the grand room, he looked around at the shelves of books and wondered where to begin.

Normally he'd have stopped by to see his dad on the first floor, who would certainly be awake whereas his mother wouldn't, but Harry had other things on his mind. When he'd waited for them to join him at Hogwarts, Harry had wanted to visit them every day. Now they were there, and he could see them any time he wanted, the boy was much less worried about it.

Walking towards a section on histories of the famous and infamous, Harry wondered if it was a waste of time to try and search for any clues about whose portrait hung behind the tapestry on the third floor.

He had no idea where to begin.

'Hello, Cody.'

'Oh.' Harry turned towards the Ravenclaw classmate with surprise. 'Hi, Conner.'

'What are you looking for?' Conner seemed rather shy.

Harry almost had to strain to hear him, and he wasn't convinced it was just because of the enforce quiet of the library. Conner looked uncertain and kept staring at his feet, though it wasn't entirely uncharacteristic of the Ravenclaw boy.

'Nothing, really.' Harry sighed. 'I was just looking for something interesting to read.'

He wasn't sure what compelled him to tell the other boy, but he did.

'I found a portrait and wanted to know whose it was, but it only had “R.T” written on it. Any ideas?'

'That's weird.' Conner commented and looked at the rows of books around them. 'Well, it could only be a name. If you found it in Hogwarts then there must be some sort of link to the school.' He thought aloud, eager to help.

'Yeah.' Harry frowned and looked away, thinking his search was hopeless and he'd only barely begun.

'Did you try asking the person?' Conner asked politely.

He tried really hard not to sound as though he thought Harry was of lesser intelligence for not just asking the portrait for his or her name. Despite his best efforts, it reflected on his face.

'It was blank.' Harry frowned. 'That's why it's so hard. There's nothing in it. It's black. Have you ever heard of a portrait like that?'

'No.' Conner was worried by the information. 'I haven't.'

He turned back to the shelves and reached up on his tip-toes to extracted a thick book from the shelves.

'Let's try here.' He suggested and walked to a table, nearly dropping the book on it due to the weight.

The two first years bent over the aged pages of the book. They remained silent for several pages, reading the names in search of anything to match with “R.T.” They were shortly interrupted by a shadow casting over their table, which caused them both to look up.

'Mum?' Harry was shocked to see his mother awake at such an early hour. It was almost never seen, unless she was woken by Harry himself. 'What are you doing here?'

'Filch has me mopping the corridor outside.' Erin answered with a roll of her eyes. 'I just finished when I saw you heading here. I thought I would stop by; We haven't seen much of you lately.'

'Sorry.' Harry blushed. 'I was going to visit, but I was busy.'

'It's quite alright.' Erin smiled at him. 'Oh, and who is your friend?' She beamed at the Ravenclaw seated beside Harry.

She considered if the Ravenclaw was one of the friends her son had promised to introduce her to.

'Oh, he's...' Harry was about to tell his mother that Conner wasn't really his friend. They were just working together, even if he had no real idea why Conner had decided to join him and share his research task so early in the morning.

He stopped talking and considered his intended words.

Sure, Harry hadn't declared himself a friend of Conner, who was now looking downcast as though he was ashamed to be sitting with Harry. The gave the impression of already knowing exactly what Harry had been about to say. The truth was, he and Conner always sat together in their History of Magic classes, and stood side-by-side every Herbology lesson. Sometimes they even shared notes and joked about something they'd heard in class.

Unlike Ginny and Jack, Harry didn't spend his spare time with Conner, or call him his friend, but he supposed they were on friendly terms. He'd seen Conner sit with Oscar during meals, though Harry did not think Conner really had any friends at all. He felt bad for the other boy, who had once shoved him when they'd been preparing to ride the boats across the lake. Harry kept seeing Conner's scared face during the sorting ceremony, and realised how alone the boy looked in between classes.

Harry didn't have the heart to carelessly dismiss the friendship.

'This is Conner.' Harry told his mother. 'We don't know each other very well yet, but we work together in classes and stuff.'

'It's nice to meet you, Conner.' Erin tried to be polite.

'Thanks.' Conner told her. Be blushed at her words and nodded respectfully, then watched Harry a surprised expression.

'I better get back to work.' Erin sighed. She secretly realised her son might think she was intruding upon bonding time with his new friend or an important pre-breakfast research project. 'Be sure to check in with your father soon. He noticed you didn't come by the tutoring session yesterday.' Erin added, with a roll of her eyes.

“Noticed” was a rather loose term for a man who had ranted about it for an hour. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had been missing the company of their son.

'It was nice meeting you, Conner.' She added. 'I better go, or Mrs Norris will tattle on me.' Erin muttered and walked out of the library.

'That was your mother?'

'Yeah.' Harry felt a bit embarrassed.

To hide it, he looked back at the book and gasped, his finger pointing to a name. One name stood out, which they'd have noticed sooner if the pair hadn't been interrupted. Harry was convinced it was the unknown name listed under the portrait.

'Rosalene Tallwater?' Conner uttered barely above a whisper. 'She's the great-aunt of...'

He didn't say the name, but they were both thinking it.

One mystery had been solved, but led to an even bigger one. Why was a concealed, blackened portrait, which was of high interest to the ghosts, be the very portrait of the great-aunt of the missing Ravenclaw girl, Mercy Tallwater?

Was there a connection between the portrait and the disappearance of the former head girl?

'Where did you find the portrait?' Conner asked.

'Um...' Harry, having discovered the important new information about the cryptic name on the portrait, was rather hesitant to give any additional details. 'It doesn't matter.'

'I want to see it.' Conner insisted. 'Please, Cody? It's so fascinating! Why won't you tell me? Don't you trust me?' His eagerness faltered rather quickly.

'I shouldn't have seen it.' Harry admitted. 'I wasn't really supposed to be there.'

'Oh.' Conner thought for a moment. 'I won't tell. Will you show me? Or tell me how to get there?'

'We only stand a chance of not getting caught if we go after curfew, and even that is really risky.' Harry frowned. 'It's not worth it.'

'You did.' Conner pointed out. 'If you can do it, why can't I? I'll be really quiet, I promise.'

'Fine.' Harry exhaled. 

He didn't really want to, but Conner was too determined to see it. Harry wanted to see the portrait again, now he knew whose it was.

'We'll sneak out tonight.' He decided in a very quiet voice, hoping they wouldn't be overheard by the librarian. 'Two of my friends might come with me. Are you sure about this?'

'I'm sure.' Conner nodded. 'Where should we meet?'

'On the third floor, just inside.' Harry stood and returned the book to its place on the shelf. He had all the information Harry felt he needed for now. 'Just after curfew, okay? If you're late, we can't wait for you.'

'I'll be there.' Conner agreed with a stern expression. 'Just promise you'll show up.'

'I promise.' Harry told him, and they shook on it.

Their moment of tense planning was broken by the bell, announcing the start of breakfast. Without another word to each other, the two boys left the library and headed to the Great Hall, where they parted for their separate house tables.

'Where were you?' Casey asked as Harry sat down.

Logan looked over at them from nearby, thinking he was being rather discreet with his prying.

Harry to cast Logan a glare.

'The library.' Harry answered Casey. 'Just a bit of research.' He shrugged off the questioning. Having satisfied his curiosity for now, Harry felt rather hungry as he served himself some scrambled eggs.

Casey knew to drop the subject and returned to his own meal.

He asked a casual question or two during the course of breakfast, but Harry was distracted by what he'd recently learned. He barely gave Casey a committed response to any of his attempts at conversation. Time seemed to go faster than usual to Harry.

The bell soon rang again, and the two Slytherin boys returned to the dungeons for their double Potions class.

Harry was beside Casey, as always in Potions, and turned to his right to give Ginny a warm greeting. He wanted to tell her about his plans with Conner, but knew it was far too risky when they were surrounded by their classmates, with Professor Slughorn nearby, and Casey listening in.

'I need to tell you something after class, okay?' Harry told her quickly as they set up their work bench.

'Sure.' Ginny nodded. She saw his expression and knew it was probably something important.

It was the most of a conversation they could manage, as Slughorn began the lesson and the first years set to work on their potion. Harry struggled to force his distracting thoughts from his mind in fear of botching his potion. After fifteen minutes, he managed to focus on the task at hand when he became nervously aware of Slughorn observing his progress rather intently.

--

With successful potions brewed, and a pile of homework given, the lesson was finally over.

Harry packed up quickly and urged Ginny outside, waving off Casey as he went. The other Slytherin boy looked annoyed by the dismissal, but Harry barely noticed. He wanted to tell Ginny what he had found out that morning. He retold what happened in the library and what he'd discovered with Conner's help, then their plans to sneak out that night, on the walk to their next class. The pair paused in a corridor splitting in two directions. Ginny had enough time to tell him she was going to join him that night, as agreed, before she turned and hurried off to her next lesson.

Harry, with utmost dread, headed for his Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

'I hate this stupid class.' Was the greeting he received from Jack, who had been waiting outside for him.

'Hey.' Harry said and could not disagree.

Lockhart made what should be an interesting class into the most boring reading session ever.

'I've got to tell you something.' He whispered to his best friend, who was instantly alert to what he was saying. 'We're sneaking out again tonight.'

Harry informed Jack of everything he'd said to Ginny moments ago.

She'd had taken the news with surprise and seriousness, whereas Jack looked eager to sneak out again and contemplative about the meaning of the portrait owner. Harry had to remind him it was a secret, as they headed into their class and sat down. The pair tried to get comfortable in their seats in preparation for the inevitable boredom that came with Lockhart reading scenes from one of his books once again. At least they still had Logan nearby enough to glare at to pass the time.

For the entire duration, Jack and Harry's minds thought only of the portrait hidden on the third floor, and what connection it might have to the missing girl.

--

After lunch, Jack and Harry lazed in the sun by the lake to discuss the portrait some more. They were running out of theories and soon got bored of the topic.

They talked about Quidditch instead.

Time passed by, as the two best friends did some homework and talked some more, until it was finally time for dinner. They went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up just before curfew – exactly like the night before. Harry looked towards the Gryffindor table to see Ginny talking animatedly with one of the twins, and at the Ravenclaw table where Oscar was talking to Conner, who looked anxious and wasn't eating much.

'Do you want to play a game of chess later?' Casey asked Harry, as the dark-haired boy sat down and served himself some roast lamb.

'No, sorry.' Harry replied, reaching for his goblet of pumpkin juice. 'I've got plans. Maybe another time?'

'Yeah. Sure.' Casey looked back to his plate with a dejected frown.

Harry glanced towards the staff table.

He couldn't see his mother there, but his dad was plainly in sight where he talked to McGonagall. Harry didn't realise how much he missed his parent's company until he saw them, like his mother that morning in the library, or his dad now during dinner. The man paused and looked over at him, seeming stern and suspicious, causing Harry to quickly avert his gaze. He ate his meal in silence and was glad Casey didn't talk to him again. Harry was too distracted with sneaking out a second night in a row, and this time bringing along Conner - who he hardly knew and wasn't sure he could trust.

He had no choice, however, when dinner finished and Harry left the Great Hall without having dessert. He retreated to his dormitory and sat on his bed with Frogabook. He read over his homework essay for Charms, which he had received the day before, and wished curfew would hurry up.

When his dormitory filled with the other boys, Harry retreated to the common room, passing Ian along the way. He didn't like the pointed look he received from the taller boy, but tried his best to ignore it. He told himself Ian was just trying to get to him. Harry sat on the most comfortable chair, nearest the door, for at least another hour. When it was almost nine, Harry carefully left the common room and soon stood outside in the chilly dungeon corridor.

Maybe he was just nervous, but it seemed darker than the night before.

Harry soon made his way to the basement. He met with Jack, who looked more at ease than Harry felt, and they wandered to the first floor. Cautious as always, they passed the meadow portrait of Harry's parent's quarters - once they reached the end of the corridor, the pair hurried away.

Reaching the third floor, the two boys were a bit concerned when neither Ginny nor Conner were waiting for them.

'Maybe Conner chickened out?' Jack whispered. 'I don't see why he has to come with us, anyway.'

'Where's Ginny?' Harry wondered, ignoring his best friend's obvious dislike of the Ravenclaw boy. When one harmed or wasn't nice to his friend, Jack had a tendency to hold strong to his grudges.

'I'm here.' Ginny's voice reached them from behind, startling the boys as she joined the shadowed corner they stood in. She looked a bit stunned, but relieved. 'I had to dodge Mrs Norris. Where's Conner?'

'Chickened out.' Jack shrugged.

'I did not.' Conner stepped into view, from where he had descended some stairs nearby.

'Good, you came.' Ginny said with relief. She didn't want to stand around longer than she had to. 'Sorry we got you into trouble last week with Filch. You just had really bad timing.'

'It's okay.' Conner nodded. 'We're even now.'

'How?' Ginny frowned.

'Who cares!' Jack hissed. 'C'mon, do you wanna get caught?'

'Jack's right, let's go.' Harry nodded, mostly to spare a blushing Conner.

He assumed the Ravenclaw was referring to the boat incident. He had already forgiven Conner for it, and didn't see what the big deal was. Maybe Conner didn't like to be rude and hadn't forgiven himself?

'It's down here.' Harry led the way back into the corridor they were in the night before when they'd searched for ghosts.

This time, however, they were glad the corridor was empty when they arrived. The group were about to approach the tapestry when an unmistakable sound was heard nearby.

'Quick!' Ginny urged them back behind the suit of armour.

Though four first years could hardly use it as protection, it was the best they had at the moment. There was no time to change direction. They huddled together, fearful of Filch rounding the corner behind them and spotting the group.

Minutes passed and the area remained void of additional company.

'Maybe we should go?' Conner gulped.

'It's right over here.' Harry insisted. 'We'll be quick.'

He anxiously left the “hiding place”, and walked to the tapestry. He pulled it back and almost expected the portrait to be different. It wasn't. The portrait was as black as ever, adorned by a golden frame, and bearing the only label of “R.T”.

'There it is.' Harry whispered to Conner, who moved closer as well and traced his hand over the nameplate.

'Do you really think it stands for Rosalene Tallwater?' Ginny wondered.

'Has to.' Conner answered. 'It's too big a coincidence.'

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'And it has to be here for a reason. Why hide it? Why is it so black?'

Even if his friends had known the answer to his questions, Harry didn't have time to hear them. With a gasp, he released the tapestry, and jumped back. The material retreated into place, passing through the head that had startled the group.

The curious face of the ghost watched them with greedy eyes, before its transparent lips broke into a wide smile.

'Peeves!' Jack yelped.

'Run!' Harry encouraged.

'Ickle firsties out after curfew?' Peeves cackled.

He fully emerged through the wall, watching them turn to run in the opposite direction they'd come from.

'Shut up, Peeves!' Jack hissed angrily over his shoulder.

'Oh, that's not nice.' Peeves smirk grew even wider.

He inhaled a deep breath, the released it to bellow at the top of his lungs.

'STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS IN THE CORRIDORS!'

Harry was certain Peeves had shouted loud enough to wake the entire castle.

Suddenly, with the appearance of a single ghostly figure instead of an entire group, their rule-breaking event had taken a far more dangerous turn than the night before. Peeves was still yelling, and they could hear movement from the floors above and below. Filch would show up any minute, and the first years were all too far from any of their common rooms.

They ran and ran, without knowing where they were going.

Even if they passed an unlocked broom closet, the group couldn't stop or think rationally enough to notice. Conner whimpered, Ginny clutched her wand uselessly, and Jack cussed under his breath, while Harry felt his legs were going to collapse. He wasn't used to running, especially not from something it was crucial to his survival to flee from. The past three years of his life had been happy and peaceful - he'd had no reason to think he needed to prepare himself for such certain doom at Hogwarts. Harry wished he'd been chased by a neighbour's dog more often over the years, so he'd get the practise, or had hidden from his parents when he was in trouble rather than reluctantly face them with honesty and remorse.

And it wasn't until they came to an abrupt halt in an unknown part of the castle, too tired to keep running, that Harry realised it wasn't Filch or Peeves he was most scared of confronting. He parents would have heard the yell of the poltergeist. His mother would be so disappointed in him, and his dad...Harry shuddered at the thought.

'What are we going to do now?' Conner panicked.

Jack was bent over to try and catch his breath. Ginny still had her wand out and was looking around for something to help them, though evidentially found nothing.

'We're doomed!' Harry whined, pressing his back against the cold stone wall to prevent slipping onto the floor in exhaustion and dread.

Any minute now Filch was going to catch them.

Or Mrs Norris.

Or Peeves.

Or Erin.

Or Severus.

They couldn't run any further, and there was no place to hide. The four first years were going to be in so much trouble - and Harry was terrified.

'Oh no!' Jack wailed when they heard footsteps a nearby. 'It has to be Filch!'

'Shhh!' Ginny hissed at him.

Her efforts were useless.

It wouldn't be hard to catch them; they were standing around in a corridor out of breath, unable to move or hide. When they were each overcome with helplessness, and all hope seemed lost, Harry felt something strange happening to his hands. Looking down, he saw a silvery mist form into a piece of long material. Despite their situation, all four first years stared transfixed at the object.

It looked like an old cloak.

Confused, and completely out of options, Harry threw it over himself. The others gasped and their eyes widened with shock.

'What?' Harry worried and glanced down at himself. Or rather, where he should have been and yet was not.

His body was invisible!

'Whoa!' Conner admired. 'That's-But it can't be. They're so rare!'

'So? Come on!' Ginny said urgently.

The nearby footsteps grew louder.

Ginny felt around for the cloak and ducked under it, vanishing from sight. She and Harry then helped the other two do the same. They inched closer to the wall, falling silent as no one dared to move while they waited. Somehow, the four of them managed to fit underneath the invisibility cloak, and not a moment too soon.

Filch burst into the corridor, with a lit lamp clutched in his hand, and Mrs Norris by his side. He looked left and right, but the cloak hid the culprits from him. He came closer, almost near enough to tread on Jack's foot. The first years held their breath and stared. The head caretaker seemed to take hours to make his way through the corridor, convinced as he was that someone was there.

While Harry nervously wondered if Mrs Norris could smell them or if Peeves (being a ghost) would be able to see them despite the cloak, Filch rounded a corner and was gone.

'We made it.' Conner uttered in disbelief. 'Where did this cloak come from?'

'Who cares?' Jack exhaled. 'It saved us!'

'We better go.' Ginny said anxiously. 'Who knows how many people Peeves woke.'

'It's not safe for us to split up.' Harry reminded them. 'I'll take each of you back to your common rooms under the cloak.'

'Are you sure, Cody?' Jack asked. 'That's a long way.'

'It's my fault we're all here tonight.' Harry said with a guilty shrug.

It had been his idea to invite Jack and Ginny when he agreed to show Conner the portrait. The other three, from what he could see, were very thankful he was going to take them safely to their common rooms. It proved to be harder than they realised, as the group couldn't move very fast under the cloak. They headed to the Ravenclaw tower first, where Conner insisted they didn't have to climb the many steps with him. The others were very grateful, as they watched the Ravenclaw vanish from sight up the stairs.

Next was the Gryffindor common room, which Ginny stopped them from going all the way, just as Conner had. She thanked Harry, and took a moving staircase to the floor above. Jack and Harry, being the only two left, hurried down floor levels towards the basement. Without a word, they parted, and Harry retreated to the Slytherin common room.

Once inside, he was glad it was entirely empty, as he pulled off the cloak and stared at it. He had no idea why it had appeared in his hands, but without the cloak he and his friends would be in a ton of trouble right now.

Feeling something in his pocket, Harry lifted a note from it and lowered his eyes to read the untidy scrawl written in deep blue ink.

This cloak is rightfully yours and will know when to present itself to you. Use it well.

May you have as many adventures as I did, and more. 

James Potter