When Harry woke he immediately shook his friend awake, who mumbled sleepily. Harry glanced around in the remote dark. The two of them were laying on the couch and just as he frowned, did everything come rushing back to him.

They had jumped a train, ridden it and then ended up ehre, where they had washed, dressed and eaten. He glanced around nervously, it had to be the middle of the night, and he was still really tired. So if the man had not called the police yet, then he didn’t expect the man to do so until at least the morning. And they could still run then, after a good breakfast perhaps, he hoped, leaning back down and closing his eyes, hoping to fall into calm, nighmare free sleep.

Josiah woke when he heard the mumbled conversation of the two child voices from right in front of his bedroom door, reaching over he turned on his bedroom light and sat up, straining his ears to listen in.

“He has to have them,” Pierce hissed glaring at his friend.

“Maybe they are still in the jeans, where did he put them?

“I don’t know, but we need them, did you check the bathroom really good?”

“Yes, everywhere, even the garbage can, and they aren’t there.”

Josiah got up quietly and grabbed the shoes and the boys clothes which had dried just before he had gone to bed, he refolded them quickly before placing the two blank envolopes and pieces of paper on top.

“No need to get all excited,” he said quietly as he pulled the door open slowly, handing the pile of clothes to the blackhaired kid who had startled quite hard when he had emerged from his room.

“There, that’s all yours. I must say I am surprised that you are awake already, you looked near dead yesterday, are you hungry?” He asked, hoping to keep his voice calm, not giving away any of the stress he felt. He moved towards the kitchen, not saying a word when he noticed both boys staring at the blank papers before stuffing them once more into their backpockets, and then putting on their shoes.

They had seemed very reliefed when he had given them the papers and envelopes, maybe they really were planning to contact that Snape, or their cousin? How important was it to them, if they got so riled up over loosing those? But there had beensomething about the way they looked at the letter that almost gave him the chills, it almost seemed as if they were reading…

“Eggs and sausages? Bacon too?” He asked as he turned on the fire under the stove, watching as the butter slowly melted.

“Did you find out anything, sir?” Pierce asked as the three of them sat around the table quietly, nibbling at their last strips of bacon.

“Yes, I had an acquaintance looking for him, and she found him, she will now contact him and he will reach out to us.”

“Wait, you could just tell us where and we will go find him,” Pierce exclaimed, alarm in his voice.

“I had asked for that as well, but apparently this school, that your cousin goes to, is really a school for the specially gifted and they can not be contacted easily. They contact you, not the other way around. Luckily my acquaintance was able to arrange for someone to inform this man about the situation, so he will reach out to us.”

“He will come here?”

“He might just call, or write,  I don’t know, but that was the best I could do for now.”

“but this could take hours, or days!” Harry said anger in his voice, as he put down his mug and got up.

“We don’t have that much time, where is that school?”

“I don’t know,” Josiah said, frowning at the rude little boy who was quickly reddening in anger.

“Well, thank you for your help, and the clothes and the food, but we have to continue now.”

“Wait, if you leave now, and MR. Snape calls, what do you want me to tell him, hm? That he was to late, and that the two desperate boys that were looking for him had left already? That I had no clue where to?”

“Yes, something like that. You can tell him that we are on our way to edinburough.” Harry growled. Something was off here, the man was buying time. A school that contacted you, not the other way around? He was not stupid!  If the man had called the police and was now trying to keep them calm until they arrived then he was kidding himself, he would not be returned to his uncles house!

“Okay, I won’t force you to stay, but I must insist that you come with me first and meet my friend who was able to reach that teacher. Maybe she can provide more answers to you. People here say that she can get every information for you. That she has special ways to finding people. So please, give her one more chance, I don’t think it’s a good idea for the two of you to continue on foot. And I promise you, that if she can arrange for a meeting somewhere, then I will pay for your trainticket,” Josiah said quickly walking towards the door and holding it closed with one hand even as the green eyes boy pulled against it with surprising strength.

“Harry, come on. Let’s try, there is nothing to loose. And maybe she’ll be able to tell us where to go. We could be running in the wrong direction for all we know right now.” Pierce finally said, something in his voice that made the other boy stop fighting for a few seconds.

“What if he called someone?”

“Then we run fast, we are quick runners.”

“Mrs. Clearwater?” Josiah said softly when the woman pulled the door open slightly frowning out at them, still in her nightgown.

“Yes? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“It’s almost nine, the two boys, I told you about? They would like to ask you a question, I have told them that everybody relies on you here, for finding answers, and they agreed to give you a try before they ran on.” Josiah said, hoping the woman would get the message, hoping that she would figure out that he was only stalling.

“Oh my, alright, you two, come on, come in. Forgive me, but I need to get changed first, I’ll drop them off later, yes?”

“Oh yes, sure ma’am, thank you.” Josiah said, stepping back as she ushered the two boys inside who all of a sudden didn’t seem as sure of themselfes anymore as they had when they had walked down the street, throwing a worried glance back at him, before the heavy door snapped shut smartly, leaving him standing alone in the chilly morning air.

Snape frowned at Penelope who stood by his side, travelers cloak around her shoulders glancing at him expectantly.

“Miss Clearwater, while I appreciate that you relayed your mothers message, and I have said that I would follow up, I had hoped that you realized that you couldn’t come with. Your mother did not ask for you to come home, nor did she write consent. You are expected to take part in your classes.”

“But what if it’s about me?”

“Nothing of the sort was said, as you well know. And even if it was, had your mother wanted you to come with, then she would have said so. And now I am done discussing. Please do leave my office now,” Snape said, hoping that he sounded as kind as he possibly could. There was no need to have a teary eyed hufflepuff in his office. He was not good with tears and had no desire to escort the young lady to the hospital wing.

“Whatever!” Penny cried out before turning around, ripping the door open and slamming it close again right behind her. Snape sighed, fourteen year olds were so emotional, especially girls. Why was he teaching again? He was more than thankful that it was only a few more days until school was finally out, a few more days until he could go back to his normal everyday life. A few more days until he had to start worrying about how to go about this entire Voldemort-Potter problem that he knew would start up as soon as Potter would come to school. He had already spoken to the Headmaster and threatened with quitting  if he would hire either Quirrel of Lockheart!

He straightened his cloak and eyed the little role of parchment in his hand once more, before sighing. Since when did he make housecalls?

The three of them had just sat down with a mug of tea when Pierce suddenly pulled the Hogwarts letter from his back pocket.

“Can you find out what kind of a joke this is?” He asked, handing her first the envelope and then the letter. Harry held his breath when he watched the woman taking the letter, a look of recognition and amusement on her face.

“I know what this is, and young men, this is by no means a joke,” she said smiling.

“This means, that you were accepted into the school, into Hogwarts.”

“Really?” Harry asked, breath getting stuck in his throat.

“Yes, Mr. Potter,” she said eying him warmly eyes flicking to his fringe shortly.

“How do you know my name?” Harry asked, eyes wide open, even as a hand went up to scratch at his forehead at her stare.

“That is a rather long story,” a different voice cut in, making all three of them jump, making both boys stand rigid, ready to run.

“Professor Snape, what a pleasure, please have a seat.” Severus stood a few seconds, eyes taking in the blackhaired boy, a boy he hadn’t seen in nearly two months, last time he had seen him was when he had died, at the hands of Voldemort, being slayed by nagini, when he had given the boy his last memories.

“Thank you Mrs. Clearwater, please boys have a seat,” he said giving the two boys a clear look, slightly confused as to who the other boy was. He had honestly never seem him before! And never heard of him before.  He had certainly never joined Hogwarts!

“I am Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts, now I was told that the two of you were looking for me?” He asked, eyeing first Potter and then the blond.

“Uh, yes, we, well my cousin goes to your school.”

“Who is your cousin?”

“Terrance Rodgers, sir.”

For a brief moment Snape thought, for a simple second, he hoped that this would be simple, that perhaps the boy had  instead joined Merlin Academy, Pounters, or Beauxbottons, even Durmstrang, that was, until the name rang a bell and a memory came flooding back to him. Eight years ago, shortly before Potters first year and just before the summer break he had a student in his year who had to be excused early because of a homicide in the family. The boy Terrance had lost was his young cousin, a boy he had been very attached to, who had been beaten to death by his own stepfather after the boy had accidentally silenced the man magically.

He nearly felt sick as he regarded the blonde boy, knowing more of the boys future than he dared to know, knowing more of the circumstances he grew up in than he somehow cared to know. But now, with Potter and him obviously being friends, this changed something, this made the boy almost equally as important.

“So you are Pierce Rodgers?” He asked softly brain working at high speed to regain the memory of that terrible incident.

“Yes, how do you know?”

“I know many things, but that is not important now. What is important right now though is wether you are willing to tell me why you ran from your families to find your cousin through me, or not.”

“We just need to find him, he’ll know what to do.”

“Your cousin is in school, in a very important year, he is right now having his final exams, I can not allow you to cause him any stress. And even if I would take you to him, it would not change the fact that you are two ten year old boys away from home, with two families who are possibly frantic with searching for you,” lying had always come naturally to him, growing up being beaten by his father for wrong answers, had taught him quick to read emotions, to figure out what the other wanted to hear and say exactly that, or in this case, the exact opposite.

“Well, when are his final exams over?” Harry asked, pursing his lips somewhat.

“That is of no relevance at this moment. Now, you can either decide to tell me what you want of him, or I will turn around and walk back out through those doors, and if I do, young men, then I can promise you that I will not be coming back.”

Harry glanced at Pierce who had a panicked look in his eyes, only intensifying when Snape reached for his cloak again.

“He knows what to do, he always knows. And he promised he would take care of me, he promised.” Pierce said forcefully and with that Snape understood, no wonder the boy had nearly killed himself with guilt so many years ago. The boy had been a straight O student, saving every single penny, making plans for a future for two, and he had never bothered to ask?

“He is seventeen and in his finals right now, now you can either tell me as much as I need to know, or I will call child services this minute and have you picked up, I am a busy man, and I do not usually play games.”

Harry got up immediately and it did not surprise him, Harry apparently didn’t know what exactly they were planning here anyway, but he was ready to live in the streets before going back to his family, and he would not let Pierce go back no matter what. Well, he would also not let Harry go back, there was no way. He had seen way to much in the boys memories while unsuccessfully trying to teach him Occlumency. He was just surprised that things had changed now. When he had been sent back in time, he had expected for things to work out the same way, for things to just move around the same way.

Little did he know, that with everything he did differently this time around, everything would change. Eight years ago he had gotten into a fight with Terrance Rodgers for a very poor choice of words in his office and threatened him with a serious of detentions as well as revoking his lab sessions, valuable lab sessions as the boy brewed potions which he then sold to different apothecaries and thus earning a little money. That fight had caused for the boy to write to his cousin, telling his cousin that things were not good for him at the moment, but that he missed him and that he would do whatever he could to take of him, to get him out of that hell.

This letter had evoked a series of letters, the stepfather becoming wary of the change in his stepsons behavior keeping an eye out for the letters in the mail and then in the beginning of june finally intercepting one and reading his nephiews letter addressed to Pierce, stating that he would save him, and not forget about him, that the boy was a strong boy, that he didn’t deserve the beatings and shouldn’t ever believe it. This letter angered the man so much that he went to teach his son a lesson of loyaltie.