It was highly abnormal for the muggles masquerading as his family to leave such a “freak” like Harry alone in their house for an entire week, but considering the money they were making and the holiday they were likely to have, the risk seemed to be worth it.

Also because following the loss of Harry's godfather Sirius Black many weeks ago, the sixteen-year-old had barely moved or said a single word since he had returned to their household for the summer. They were relying on his fact to remain true for the whole duration of their absence.

Harry knew his relatives considered him to be “not all there” but it wasn't correct. Sure, when he wasn't doing chores he would spent many hours seemingly staring off into space, but it was more than that. He was perfectly aware of what happened around him and the things whispered about his behaviour...Harry simply didn't care. Or rather, he refused to let it bother him on the grounds that he may explode with angered retaliation that would lead to accidental magic and trouble from the Ministry of Magic. It had happened before.

Spending the summer in semi-silence as he carried out as many distracting chores as possible while trying to find a way to ease away the nightmares at night, seemed to be a reasonable way to spend the many weeks before his return to Hogwarts. Harry didn't enjoy it as his heart always ached for his godfather and he missed his friends as well as the safe haven that Hogwarts was...but he dealt because it could always have been much worst.

His unintentional yet solid plans on how to spend the last week of the summer (brushing up on a few textbooks, writing letters to his friends, watching TV etc), came to a metaphorically crashing halt when there was a sudden CRACK from downstairs. It was unmistakably the sound of magic.

Harry jumped up from where he had been sitting on his bed and snatched at his wand that had previously rested on the desk beside his bed. Once upright, his entire body tensed with caution and his mind dashed through possible defensive spells in case it was a group of Death Eaters or any other potential threat.

With each slow step at a time, Harry descended down the staircase and hesitated at the bottom when he heard a light scuffling in the living room. He first wondered if he should announce himself at all or else conceal himself in case the intruder didn't even know he was there. He wasn't Gryffindor for nothing and therefore running wasn't an option.

Harry clutched at his wand and inhaled sharply an exact second before he jumped into the doorway and aimed his wand at the person standing there. Instead of a masked figure, he saw a small, shaking form in front of him.

A child.

'What are you doing here?' Harry lowered his wand but remained cautious.

The boy was huddled on the floor in front of the couch and stared at him with wide, obsidian eyes. His hair was a mess and his clothes even worst.

'I-I don't know.' The boy choked and rubbed the tears from his eyes.

Harry instantly knew this boy was no threat and pocketed his wand as he slowly approached the strange child.

'There was a fire at the orphanage I lived in.' The boy continued. He appeared to be a little braver now that Harry no longer seemed ready to attack him. 'I was trapped...' He sniffled again and the fear was evident in his gaze as he recalled what had happened.

'How did you get out?' Harry encouraged and wondered if this boy was the one who had used magic. He barely looked a day older than six; could a wizard use magic at such a young age? Harry didn't know but he supposed it would make sense if it was possible to use accidental magic at almost any age in extremely threatening situations. He wondered if he had done anything when Voldemort had showed up to kill him as a baby. Harry tried not to think about that and focused on the visitor instead.

'I was s-so scared.' The boy explained. 'I yelled but no one came to save me. I closed my eyes and then m-my tummy felt weird.' He exhaled and looked around at the too-clean house that Petunia and Harry kept in perfect condition.

'Then I was here.'

'Oh.' Harry nodded. 'So you did use magic.'

'Magic?' The boy stared at Harry with intense curiosity. 'Like...making stuff disappear? And-and hiding from bullies when they chase you?'

'Um, yeah.' Harry thought the boy had been referring to the typical “rabbit out of a hat” kind of “magic” until there was the mentioning of the bullies. Suddenly he felt an odd sense of similarity between himself and the boy. A feeling that lingered until it was replaced with an intense form of protectiveness.

'What's your name?' He asked. 'I'm Harry. Harry Potter.'

'Oh, um...Toby.' He boy slowly got to his feet. If possible, he looked even more vulnerable before; he hugged himself with his arms and his gaze darted nervously around the room.

'Where am I?'

'This is my aunt and uncle's house.' Harry explained. 'They're on a holiday now though so it's just us.'

'Why didn't you go with them?' Toby wondered.

'They don't like me very much.' Harry frowned.

'Oh.' Toby uttered a simple and short word in response but with a tone of complete understanding that made it mean so much more to Harry than it should.

Not sure what else to do, Harry crossed the room and searched for the TV remote so that he could check the news for any reports of a burning orphanage. He felt Toby's gaze follow him across the room and tried to look friendly since the boy had moved on from being confused and fearful to terribly unsure and distrusting. Once a scowl formed on the child's face, Harry was reminded of someone else he knew but couldn't quite figure out who.

It was true. The orphanage had been burned to the ground. Most of the children had gotten out and yet a few hadn't. It was a tragedy and Harry felt anger towards who or what had caused this to happen.

--

After ten minutes of watching the horrible report, he switched it off and remembered his visitor who had fallen silent from the moment Harry had moved towards the TV.

'Are you okay?' Harry knew it was a stupid question to ask and that knowledge came from experience, and yet he was at loss of what else to say to Toby as the orphaned little boy stared at the blank TV screen across the room.

'Where am I gonna to go?' Toby's face crumbled into sadness. 'No one wants me cuz I'm a freak!'

'No, you're not a freak.' Harry replied and stood over Toby who was crouched only a few feet away.

'No one likes me.' Toby added.

'I like you.' Harry tried to reassure the boy.

'Y-you do?' Toby swallowed and stared up at Harry with shock and awe. 'Really?'

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'And I know what it's like to have no family.'

'But you live with your family.' Toby was confused as he looked around the room once again as though its appearance had changed in the past ten minutes.

'My aunt and uncle don't love me.' Harry sighed as he spoke the painful truth aloud. 'They're not my real family because of that.'

'Can I stay with you?' Toby pleaded and rushed to Harry's side. 'Please? I won't be a bother, I promise!'

'What?' Harry had not expected that and quickly became quite anxious about the situation.

'We're both different cuz we can to magic and stuff.' Toby explained desperately. 'We both don't have families and...and you like me!' He sniffed as his eyes leaked tears and Harry had a terrible time trying to find a way out of giving the boy an answer.

'I can't, Toby.' Harry insisted and hated how he felt like a monster for it. 'I'm just sixteen; I don't know how to be a parent. And I am only here for a week and then...' He paused and considered his options for a moment. He had the entire house to himself for a week and then he'll be back at Hogwarts. The magical school was a castle with many places to hide a three-headed-dog so simply one small child would be no problem?

'Toby, in a week I have to go back to school.' Harry sighed. 'I'll take a bus to the train station, ride the train for hours and than attend a special feast in which is for students and staff only. I share a room with four other guys my age and I have classes...it's impossible. I can't bring you with me, everyone will know and send you away.'

'Not if we're careful.' Toby whispered. 'I'll sleep under your bed and only come out when no one is there. I like reading so if you give me some books, I can wait for you to come back. Please, I'll be good...I swear!' And no longer resisting, the boy flung himself at Harry; his small arms wrapped around Harry's middle and latched his plea into place.

'Please!' Toby sobbed. 'I'll do anything to stay with you, Harry!'

Harry was about to do what was necessary and push the boy away before he either called the police or owl'ed Dumbledore. Halfway through that painful decision, he glanced down and saw Toby's tearful eyes staring up at him. Instead of the lost little boy he'd only just met...Harry saw himself.

Saying “no” and sending the boy away was no longer an option.

'On one condition.' Harry frowned at Toby and couldn't believe he was about to do this.

'Anything!' Toby almost shouted with hope. 'Anything, I promise!'

'You have to do everything I tell you to, okay?' Harry tried to sound stern so that the boy would take him seriously. 'Unless I say you can trust someone, you have to do everything I say. You can't trust anyone else though unless I say so first, alright?'

Toby stared at him and thought about the offer before he nodded his head in agreement to those terms.

'I'm good at doing what I'm told.' Toby sighed. 'I promise, Harry. Now can I stay with you?'

'Fine.' Harry exhaled heavily. 'As long as you promise.'

'I do! I promise.' Toby grinned and hugged Harry tighter. Once his desperation faded, he quickly let go and shuffled his feet with embarrassment. Toby let loose a yawn and looked over at the window to see that it was dark outside.

'Um, are you hungry?' Harry wondered awkwardly and wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next.

'Yes.' Toby nodded as he stifled a second yawn.

Harry kept an eye on Toby as they went into the kitchen and he made them both a jam sandwich each.

'What's your school like?' Toby asked a question after every swallow. 'Do they let you use magic? It's still real, right?'

'Yeah, Magic is real.' Harry nodded. 'Hogwarts is a full school of magic. It's where witches and wizards go to learn spells and potions, stuff like that.'

'Cool, really?' Toby smiled and fell silent as he imagined such a place.

Harry said nothing and at first he wondered what his friends would think of his new...what? His new friend? Responsibility? Son? He shuddered a little at the last word since he was certain that he was far too young for that kind of stuff yet.

Then he pondered on what Sirius would think. Knowing his godfather, the man would probably considerate it all to be a new adventure and would encourage the raising a young marauder in secret; surely Sirius would have been proud and love to help out? Harry's chest ached again as he thought of his deceased godfather and instantly longed for another distraction.

'You're a bit dirty.' Harry noticed the poor condition of the boy's ugly too-large clothes.

'I think I can find something for you to wear until tomorrow.' He gestured for the six-year-old to follow him out into the hallway. Toby gulped down his last piece of bread and hopped off the chair to trail behind his new guardian.

Harry located some of his old clothes from storage and ushered Toby to the bathroom. He was relieved that the boy was perfectly fine to have a bath himself and didn't require any extra assistance. Just to be sure though, Harry kept the door partially ajar in case he had to rush in and prevent a drowning.

He wondered if he should let Toby sleep in Dudley's bed but knew that meant the boy would be in a separate room if something happened. With Voldemort out there...Harry always expected something to happen. So he gathered a pile of old blankets from a cupboard and made himself a bed on the floor of his own room so that Toby could sleep on his.

'This is your bed.' Toby frowned upon the arrangement once he had returned from the bathroom. 'That's not fair.'

'It's the rules.' Harry replied with a shrug and shut the door before he switched off the light and lay down. Toby was already in the bed and didn't made another sound all night.

As the moon raised higher in the sky, Harry slowly began to comprehend what he had done. In the space of two hours, he had become the father-figure to a six-year-old boy that had shown up by accidental magic.

An orphan, just like he was.

As a result, Harry would be solely responsible for this boy in every way they were both unfamiliar with; fresh and fitting clothes, full meals three times a day, assistance with education, comfort whenever necessary, protection, rules based upon the well-being of the child, supervision, as well as...love and guidance.

The heaviness of his realizations came thundering down upon Harry, discouraging him to the brink of wanting to flee. It was then that he became more determined to make this work. They were a sort of family now and Harry was going to fulfill whatever role he had to in order to give this child what he needed.

The first thing Harry had to get used to happened the moment the sun became clear enough in the sky that following morning; he was woken by a small hand that reached out to shake his shoulder.

'What?' Harry jerked awake and instantly reached for his glasses and wand. He sighed in relief when he merely saw Toby crouching in front of him and staring at him with a curious expression. There was no danger, no attacker and no need to remain tensed for action.

'I'm hungry.' Toby said. 'But I didn't know if I was allowed to touch anything.' The younger boy sighed and lowered his head with shame.

'Oh, okay.' Harry got up and quickly changed into the first clothes he grabbed while Toby wandered outside of the room. When Harry joined him shortly after, the was lingering near the fridge in the kitchen. Deciding on something practiced and relatively simple, Harry began to make some eggs for them both.

When the Dursleys had left they made sure that there was only enough food in the house for Harry to survive one week and therefore Harry had been very careful with his consumption since he had no muggle money to spend. With Toby around, it was already proving to be a lot more difficult than it had originally seemed. Harry was actually glad that Toby hadn't dared to touch anything.

'Here.' He placed a plate on the table in front of where Toby was patiently sitting. The boy had not moved from that seat the entire time Harry cooked, and also made sure that he could keep the teenager in his sights without having to change his position. The boy was either very nervous about being around his new guardian who was still relatively a stranger or else he was just naturally curious. Perhaps it was both?

'Thanks.' Toby nodded and started eating right away. Harry sat across from him and a blanket of silence fell over them as their plates were emptied. Toby headed upstairs to use the toilet while Harry washed up and than it was time for Harry to set a few rules.

Toby was a quick learner; after only twenty minutes of listening, he could recite each of the locations for the inside and outside places he wasn't allowed to go or touch and every limitation that occurred inside the household; particularly involving the little amount of food they had and the fact that he couldn't be seen by any of the neighbors.

And with a clever structure in place, Harry and Toby spent the first three days doing basic chores together (proving to be quite a team, also), watching TV, talking about Hogwarts, and getting to know each other a little more.

--

On the fourth day Harry and Toby had their first disaster. Toby had wanted to try Harry's wand and couldn't understand the rules that the Ministry had in place. It resulted in an argument and Toby had stormed off to lock himself in Dudley's bedroom for over an hour.

Afterwards the boy had felt terribly guilty and apologized as he remembered the rule of always doing as he was told. Harry had been unsure of what to do and felt fortunate that he had decided to let Toby cool off for a while. After they'd had a proper talk about the situation, Harry had forgiven Toby and things settled down once again.

Although from that moment onwards, Harry was much more aware of the younger boy's grumpiness and began to mentally compile a list of possible ways in which to avoid any outbursts again. One of those at Hogwarts and their entire scheme would be over.

--

As Harry had planned, on the second-last night before the return to Hogwarts, he spent all morning preparing Toby to leave the house. They would go to the Leaky Cauldron and stay there until it was time to board the train to Hogwarts. It seemed as though it would make things much more simple and besides, Harry had to pick up his new school things anyway.

A part of him wondered why he hadn't done that from day one since nothing was physically restraining him to the Dursley's house. Perhaps it was the ounce of hope he continued to hold onto that his friends would come to take him to the Weasleys, or maybe it was the mild solitude and lack of general existence that he had felt content with?

'This is so exciting!' Toby grinned as he followed Harry around the bedroom while his guardian packed. Harry gathered his school trunk and his wand before he nodded towards Toby and led the way downstairs.

'Yeah.' Harry replied as he stressed over how cautious he felt and the fear that clenched him over the fact that not only was it possible that someone was watching him, but what happened if they got to Toby as well? He might have a chance of defending himself and yet he had to protect Toby as well because the little boy didn't even have a wand, nor did he know how to use magic.

Harry would mull over the worst case scenarios later because he and Toby had to get moving.

It was dark outside as Harry turned to locked the house behind them. Toby went quiet and seemed naturally cautious of their surroundings. He obediently followed Harry to a small park and watched with nervousness as Harry raised his wand and at first nothing appeared to have happened. Seconds later, the triple-decker bus magically drove towards them and came to a halt.

'Whoa.' Toby gasped. He stood partially behind Harry and remained as unnoticeable as possible as they chose a bed near the back.

Toby shuffled close to Harry because his new friend was the only one he felt comfortable around. He watched the other witches and wizards sleeping and felt very ill with the constant movements of the bus, and yet for the entire journey to the Leaky Cauldron...Toby did not utter a single sound.

'Who is 'e?' Stan, the conductor of the Knight bus, asked as Harry and Toby moved to leave the moment they had reached their destination.

'No one.' Harry replied quickly. The boys were relieved to have gotten away from further suspicion as Stan shrugged and a moment later the bus drove out of sight.

Due to the time of the night, no whispers followed Harry as they would have had he and Toby arrived any earlier than 11pm. Tom, the innkeeper, gave them a room without a single comment and for that both boys were thankful.

--

Toby sat on the bed he and Harry were sharing for the two nights that they would be there and continued to move in complete silence. He wanted to ask about the brief magic he had witnessed and ask more questions about Hogwarts, but his reserved nature that had been overcome because of the events of the past few days was re-emerging.

Harry was yet to notice that the six-year-old boy slowly built up his defensive walls once again and submerged into his inability to trust and feel safe. This did not apply to Harry and it was because of that in which the bespectacled teenager failed to notice the changes in the younger boy.

They headed straight to bed with the intention of getting up early the next morning to do their shopping. Harry hadn't heard from his friends lately although he assumed that they were at the burrow and would indeed be waiting for him on the platform as they'd agreed to several months ago.

He hadn't written anything important in his letters, such as the Dursleys being away or Toby showing up, but Harry still wondered why Mrs Weasley hadn't invited him to stay with them as surely she would know about his relatives at least.

This was the first summer since before Hogwarts that Harry hadn't seen his friends at some point prior to heading back to school. He missed them terribly and also dreaded what they would think of his new situation concerning Toby. Ron was likely to be okay with it, but Hermione? Harry shuddered at the thought of the lectures his ears would endure and the pleading he'd have to perform in order to stop her from telling someone as she was certain to disagree with it.

As Harry fell asleep that night he expected to have nightmares about Sirius, the Ministry or other darker concerns. Instead, for the first night since school concluded, Harry merely dreamed of something relatively normal and non-frightening; dragons chasing snitches above the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.

It was the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time and he didn't realize it was because of the small boy that cuddled up to him during the night; Toby was also trying to fend off subconscious monsters and for that night, they both succeeded.

As expected, Toby was utterly shocked and amazed by everything about Diagon Alley from the second they entered right past an hour after they'd left.

'This place is full of magic!' Toby stared around at the many stores in the cobbled street while instinctively staying close to Harry in fear of being lost in the crowd.

'Sure is.' Harry nodded as he walked towards Gringotts.

'And there are places like this everywhere?'Toby wondered. 'Non-magical people can't see them, can they?'

'They're called muggles.' Harry said. 'And no, they have no idea about all of this.'

'Cuz of the spells and stuff?' Toby guessed.

Harry nodded and entered Gringotts while remembering the first time Hagrid had taken him there.

'They're goblins.' Harry told Toby as the boy opened his mouth to ask what the creatures were that filled the spaces behind the desks at the magical bank. 'They're not very friendly so stay close.' He recalled what Hagrid told him and felt a little calmer when Toby hurried to his side and grasped his hand.

Harry spoke with the primary goblin and Toby didn't say a single word the entire time they headed to the vault and withdrew several of Harry's golden coins.

The younger boy continued to remain mute until several minutes after they'd left the bank.

'Can I get a wand too?' Toby pointed at Ollivander's.

'Sorry, no.' Harry sighed. 'You have to wait until you can go to Hogwarts, at eleven.'

Toby scowled and crossed his arms but didn't argue as he had learned his lesson the last time he'd tried. Rules were rules and to stay with Harry he had to make sure he obeyed every one of them.

Harry did his basic shopping while telling Toby a bit about each class that required the items he purchased (although this mostly occurred when they bought the textbooks).

'Ew!' Toby pulled face at the ingredients Harry needed to refill his potions kit. This was also the first time he began to leave Harry's side for even a brief moment in order to have a look around the store.

'Does all this stuff help with potions?' Toby wondered. 'Can you make any potion in the world?'

'I can't.' Harry answered and cringed at the sight of the pickled cat eyes. 'But I bet my friend Hermione could if she had any book she wanted. I bet Snape could make anything though, probably the really bad ones.'

'Snape?' Toby glanced at him with confusion.

'Professor Snape, he teaches Potions. If you call that teaching.' Harry frowned.

'He's a git.'

'Oh.' Toby nodded and returned to the set of scales he was most interested in. 'I like the idea of making potions. It's a bit like cooking and I always had fun when the lady at the orphanage let me try a few things. Mostly rice or cakes though.'

Harry was busy measuring something particularly slimy that he only heard half of what Toby had said.

When he finished and turned around to check on the boy, he was suddenly struck with a very unsettling sight. Toby had always seemed the same to him, with his dark hair and eyes as well as his generally frowning yet cautious expressions, but at that particular moment Harry realized who the boy had reminded him of. Toby stood there with his dark hair that reached around his ears, his obsidian eyes that searched the jars curiously as though he was weighing his options, and with the black shirt he wore...Harry shivered.

He looked like a younger version of Severus Snape. Toby's nose was even a little longer than average and there was a certain amount of cunning in the boy that took skill and instinct well beyond his age.

'Professor Snape is lucky.' Toby was oblivious to the shocked stare he received from Harry. 'Getting to make all those potions.'

'Erm, yeah.' Harry regained his composure and felt an inkling of dislike towards the boy that could easily be Snape's son. Then he felt guilty because Harry knew better than anyone that to be judged by who your father had been was terribly unfair. This boy may be the son of Snape, but Toby was still his own person. Maybe some of the mother's genes had rubbed off on him?

Harry couldn't believe how easily he had considered this kind, curious and nervous boy of six-years-old to be Snape's son. The nasty git of the Slytherin dungeons. He thought for a moment and let Toby look around the store that held the most interest to him and knew that it didn't change anything. Not really. So what if this boy might be Snape's son? Snape wasn't there and Harry was. Toby was his responsibility now and regardless of who his father might be, there was no turning away from what he had already decided.

'Could you teach me some stuff?' Toby asked as they left the store a few minutes later. 'Like basic spells and potions, or whatever?'

'Maybe.' Harry replied. 'At Hogwarts.' He knew that Snape's son should be educated because the man was walking knowledge. As a result, he made additional plans to teach Toby some more basic things like levitation charms and maybe even a boil-cure potion.

Harry sighed heavily as realized there was no way Hermione couldn't know about this. Perhaps with a pupil to bestow her intellect and bossiness upon she would warm up to the idea of the boy secretly living in the Gryffindor tower?

Maybe.

--

The trip to Diagon Alley was a success. No one had whispered much about Harry and because he was the boy-who-lived, no one even noticed the younger boy trailing along beside him.

He purchased all of his school things, three books for Toby to read, as well as some muggle clothes (bought at a second-hand store outside of the Leaky Cauldron, of course), and a robe or two after the boy's pleading for magical clothes; typical to any possible son of Snape, Toby adored the black robes the most as it made him feel like a real wizard.

'I'm gonna learn lots of magic.' Toby mumbled as he lay in the bed to sleep that night. 'When I get a wand, I might not even need it cuz I'll be so good.' He yawned. 'No one will pick on me...' His words trailed off as he began to fall asleep, no doubt tired from his eventful venture into the magical world for the first time.

'Goodnight, Toby.' Harry whispered and moved to sit at a desk across the room. He lit a candle and poised his quill above the surface of a fresh piece of parchment.

He knew it was unavoidable in most aspects as he simply had to use this advantage available to him. But he had to do it right and very carefully or else it would all collapse in front of him.

Sighing again, Harry began to write nervously and flipped through a book he'd bought on disguising handwriting. The recipient wouldn't expect Harry Potter to use Slytherin green ink and to write with excellent handwriting as though he'd been born to use a quill. There were no ink blotches and his English was proper, he hoped.

Once Harry had finished writing, he handed the folded parchment to Hedwig and went to bed. As he lay under the covers and began to slip into a slumber, Harry tried not to feel nervous about the return to Hogwarts or the long day ahead of him tomorrow.

He still had to find the time in which to work out all of the important plans for their secret mission.

--

Far away, Hedwig delivered the urgent letter to the desk it was meant for. She was not seen nor heard as she came and went, as per her instructions.

An hour later a tired and frustrated Severus Snape left his personal laboratory and found that letter sitting on his desk where it had awaited his return.

After several cautious spells were cast and deemed the object harmless, he lifted the letter from his desk and unfolded it. He instantly knew that it had been written by a student, possibly a Slytherin.

Severus narrowed his eyes as something didn't seem quite right but nevertheless he couldn't see any reason for a student to go to such trouble as to mess with a letter that wasn't even a full page long.

Lowering his eyes to the page, Severus began to read:

Professor Snape,

I do apologize for contacting you during your summer, however there is something I wish to ask you. As a student in your Potions class at Hogwarts, I have always found your material to be of great interest. I may not get the best grades, however I do try my best. You set the standards at perfection and while it is understandable, it often posses a great challenge for a muggle-raised pupil.

Anyway, the matter I wish to discuss is that my younger brother can't come to Hogwarts yet but he has become very interested in Potions. I was wondering if I sent you several questions he asks, might you be able to answer them? I understand you're probably too busy to bother with the silly questions of a six-year-old, however he reminds me a great deal of yourself. He is eager to study the subject and I do not believe that I have enough knowledge in which to provide answers. We are orphans, sir, and there is no one else we know to turn to for this.

Wouldn't it be impressive if he came to Hogwarts and was equipped to become as good as yourself? Everyone would know he was your student as it would be undeniable once they see him in action.

Please sir, we would be eternally grateful.

-S.J.E

Severus stared at the page for a long time. He could not recall a student by such a name although the “J” was likely to be a middle name. There were a number of orphans however, because of the First Wizarding War, and yet they would have to be in their later years.

He frowned upon the concept of an older student not being able to answer the simple Potions questions thought up by a six-year-old, and yet the offer was still mildly tempting.

Severus noted the green ink and was certain there was a strong possibility that the letter was from one of his snakes. And yet “muggle-raised” was not a phrase one would associate with any of them. Or at least they would not offer this information so easily if they had indeed been sorted into the house commonly known for their obsession with blood purity.

Curiosity was something Severus resented and yet could not contain. All he had to go by was the request bestowed upon him and a mental pile of assumptions about a possible-Slytherin student who took his class and yet only gained an “average” marking range.

The S.J.E merely added to the infuriating lack of identification.

Reaching for a quill and spare piece of parchment, Severus began to write a reply with only one sole goal in mind:

He had to know who this student was!