“What the hell are you doing down here, Potter?”

Harry calmly met the other man’s furious gaze. He had expected something like this to happen from the moment he got his OWL results and had decided to go down to the dungeons before the rest of his classmates. If he was going to get into an argument with the man, he wasn’t going to do so in front of a class full of Slytherins.

“I’m here to take Advanced Potions, Professor.”

Snape’s glare became even more incensed. “Only students with an O in their potions OWL are allowed to take this class, Potter!” Harry was about to extend the letter that contained his results when the Potions Master continued with his rant. “And even in the unlikely case of you getting those results, I would never accept a Potter into my class when having a choice about it.”

Harry lowered his hand, which was still holding the letter, and regarded the other man for a minute. His refusal didn’t annoy him as much as it would have done a year ago. In fact, he had been hoping that the man would refuse to teach him. Harry blinked and noticed he was still standing in the potions’ classroom and that Snape was looking at him with a challenging glint in his eyes, no doubt waiting for his complains about the unfairness of his actions. For an instant, Harry thought about answering him back and telling him exactly what he thought about him, but noticing it was nearly time to start the class, Harry merely shrugged, turned around, and left the classroom. While making his way out, the boy was already planning what he was going to do now that he had a free period.

For his part, Snape was left looking blankly at the closed door, torn between suspicion and disappointment at the boy’s actions. He had expected Potter to throw a fit at his words, but the teen had remained calm, and if he didn’t know better, he would say that Potter had even looked pleased and relieved at his refusal to take him into the class. Shaking his head, he returned to his papers. The boy couldn’t be happy about what he had just done, after all, if he didn’t take his class, he wouldn’t be able to get into auror training, and everyone knew that that was what the boy wished more than anything.

Just before the other students started to fill his classroom, Snape decided that the Potter boy had probably gone to complain to McGonagall, or maybe even Dumbledore. In his head, the Potions Master started to make a list of things he could say to both Gryffindor teachers to keep his most hated student out of his classroom.

*~*~*

After leaving Snape’s classroom, Harry hurried towards the Gryffindor tower to drop off his things. He made sure to avoid the other students that were hurrying towards their own classrooms since he wasn’t in the mood to chat with them. Once he was safely back in his room, he put away everything and opened his trunk. There, carefully tucked away among his robes was the box that contained his passion, maybe even his future if he lived long enough to realise his dreams. With careful hands, he took out the box and opened it. Lying in there were his two sketchbooks, several paintings, and drawings and all of his painting materials.

He had learned how to paint and draw early on in his life. There was not much to do when he was locked up in his cupboard, and he had taken to entertaining himself with that. He could easily hide his drawings from his relatives, and since he used his school’s materials, he had always had plenty of paper and pencils available to him. He had never shown any of his paintings to anyone before going to Hogwarts since he knew that had the Dursleys found out, they would have tried their best to ensure that he could never draw again. Once he started to go to the Wizarding School, his classes and newfound friends had taken up all his time, not to mention trying to stay alive, and he had forgotten about his hobby. Even during the summer, his time was completely occupied by the Dursleys’ chores and his own homework.

No, it hadn’t been until that past summer that he had taken up on drawing and painting again. He looked down at the drawing on top, and he remembered what the driving force had been behind his sudden urge to draw again.

Flashback:

That year, it seemed the summer was going to be worse than ever. After the OWLs, they hadn’t been given any homework since they didn’t know which courses they would take come September. Harry also suspected that the teachers wanted to give them a break, but that thought wasn’t very cheering to the raven-haired boy. The Dursleys were terrified of the wizards that had met them at Kings Cross and hadn’t given him any chores to do, and that meant that Harry had a lot of free time to think, which, as he soon found out, was not the best way to deal with Sirius’ death.

For the first week, the Gryffindor was a mess, not knowing what to do; he just stayed in his room, looking out of the window or reading one of his older schoolbooks without interest. His thoughts were constantly straying to his dead godfather. One night, while lying on his bed, he had tried to picture Sirius’ face in his mind as he always did before going to sleep. He had nearly panicked when he couldn’t manage to remember the way that his godfather used to smile when he saw him. Throwing the sheet covering him aside, he had hurried to get his album and looked through the pictures there; none of them were right. The man standing next to his father in the picture was not his godfather, he was not the man he had come to know and love like a father. In his panic, he threw the album to a corner of the room, not caring how much noise he made, and without a second thought, he took some ink and parchment out of his trunk and started to draw the beloved face.

It was like coming home. While drawing, he was not only able to forget all his troubles but also to express the deep pain he was feeling. After a few weeks, Harry had made nearly fifty drawings of Sirius and he finally felt at peace. He knew that in order to heal the deep pain his godfather’s death had left, he had to let go of him first. He would never forget Sirius, but it was time to put his memories of him to rest. After choosing the three best drawings he had, he gathered all the others and went to the living room where he burned them, watching as they slowly became ash.

To Harry, that marked a new beginning; no one would ever manipulate him again. Not Voldemort with his mind, not Dumbledore with his veiled words, no one. Filled with new determination, he sent Hedwig out with a letter to Flourish and Blotts to order a few books on Occlumency. He needed to stop Voldemort first and Occlumency was the only way he could stop the Dark Lord from manipulating him. Then, taking out some money Hermione had sent him a few days ago, he left the house and went to the nearest Art shop. There he bought everything he thought he would need to seriously continue with his paintings and drawings. He walked out of the shop a few hours later carrying two sketchbooks, pencils, brushes, paints, and a few other tools he thought would be useful.

From then on, it was not strange to see Harry sitting in the front lawn, making sketches of people or painting landscapes he had seen at the Burrow. From time to time, he felt people looking at him, but he didn’t care. He was happy that way.

One day, when his birthday was approaching, an elderly woman not only stopped to look at the painting he was finishing, but she also came closer. When she didn’t leave, Harry sighed and looked up from his work. The woman, standing in front of him patiently waiting for him to acknowledge her presence, was tall and thin. She was older than his aunt, but he wouldn’t consider her old yet. She was dressed in an elegant dress, and although she didn’t wear jewellery, he could tell she had some money. Her hair was dark grey, and she held it back in a braid. Black eyes looked at him intently and he felt as though she could read all his secrets. Blinking, he shook his head slightly and returned his gaze to the painting.

“May I help you, ma’am?”

When she didn’t answer, he looked back up and saw that she had a small smile on her face. The smile softened her face, making it very gentle. “I live a few streets away and have seen you sitting here often. I was curious as to what you were painting.” She looked at the sheet he’d been working on. “It’s very good, young man, you must attend an excellent Art school.”

Harry looked at her mildly shocked. She thought he was good? “I don’t go to any Art school, ma’am, this is just my hobby, my way to relax and forget about my troubles.”

The woman looked him over intently. “That is even more impressive.” She drew out a card and handed it over to the surprised teen. “I’m Madam Farey, Headmistress of London’s Academy of Art; you have a lot of talent, and it would be easy for you to ace the entrance exams if you’re interested in learning.” Then, almost hesitantly, she added, “I would be very pleased if you came, it’s not every day I find someone with your kind of talent.”

Harry looked down at the card, a frown marring his face. How he wished to accept her offer, but even if he had decided to make his own decisions, he just couldn’t drop out of Hogwarts. It would cause a riot and they would have him back to the school before he was able to say anything.

Looking up sadly, he shook his head slightly. “I would love to accept, ma’am, I really would, but I go to a boarding school and I can’t simply drop out of it.”

Madam Farey nodded in understanding. “How much longer will it take until you’re finished?”

Harry looked at his painting with a faraway look. “Two more years.”

The woman smiled, trying to hide her surprised at those words, she had thought he was much younger than that. “And have you already thought about what you would like to do after that?”

Harry briefly thought about Auror training, but he quickly dismissed that thought. He had realized during his long hours of thought that being an auror not only would mean that he had to work for the Ministry but also that he would have to go against some of his beliefs. Besides, he had already seen more than enough death and suffering in his short life, why had he even thought that was what he wanted to do in the first place? Somewhere in his mind, he knew that it was because everyone expected him to do so, but he no longer cared about that, so he had no trouble shaking his head at the woman’s question. “No, ma’am, I haven’t thought about it, but I would love to keep painting. It just feels so right.”

The woman’s face brightened at his words. Yes, that was just what she had been looking for in the teen. “Wonderful! Then what about you take some classes with me during the summer, and after you graduate, you can join my academy.”

Harry was a bit overwhelmed but nodded in acceptance. This was what he wanted, and even if he hadn’t expected to be able to fulfil his dreams so easily, he was not going to complain. Now, the only thing he still had to do was get rid of Voldemort and survive it.

End Flashback.

*~*~*

Snape was sitting in his room, a teacup next to him and a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace, warming his cold rooms after a hard day of teaching. It had been three days since he had sent the Potter boy away, and no one had talked to him about it yet. If he didn’t know better, he would think that the brat hadn’t complained about the unfair treatment, but that didn’t make any sense. He knew that Potter needed to take Potions so he could enrol in Auror’s training, so he couldn’t just have given up. Snape frowned into his cup. Something was not quite right. He had seen the boy in the Great Hall and he hadn’t seemed to be upset by his refusal. There hadn’t been any glares sent his way nor angry mutters coming from the other Gryffindors. In fact, it seemed like the students didn’t know that Potter had tried to get into his class. Shaking his head, the dark-haired man stood up and left the room. Why on earth was he so worried about this? He should be happy that no one was nagging at him about the boy. Resolutely closing the door after him, he decided to take a long walk to clear his mind.

Snape was on his way back to his rooms when he saw Potter walking with Granger. They were obviously making their way to the Gryffindor tower while quietly arguing. Curious about what they were saying, the Potions Master sunk back into the shadows and quietly muttered a spell that would allow him to hear what they were saying.

“I don’t understand why you won’t talk to McGonagall! Snape has no right to keep you out of his class after you got an O in your Potions OWLs. He is just behaving like a little child with a grudge!”

Her teacher flushed at those words. A small voice in his head told him that the girl was right but he ignored it. No student was going to talk like that about him. He was about to leave his hiding place and remove points from Gryffindor, when Potter spoke, stopping him.

“Hermione, while I appreciate the fact that you’re worried about me, this is none of your business. Snape has his reasons, and while I might not agree with him, I won’t get into a fight over it.”

The Professor’s eyebrow rose at that statement. Forgetting about the points, he returned to his place in the shadows. This conversation was turning out to be more interesting than he first had expected.

Hermione obviously didn’t agree with her friend. She stopped walking and glared at him. “That’s besides the point! He’s a teacher, he shouldn’t let his emotions get in the way with his job.”

Harry sighed. “Do you really think it’s so easy to forget about your emotions?” Without allowing her to answer, he continued. “Imagine for a minute that you become a teacher in this school. In about twenty years, you will probably have a Malfoy in your class. Tell me, if there was a fight between him and a few Gryffindors, who would you think started it?”

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but then though better of it and just glared at the boy. He had made a very valid point, but she wasn’t going to give up. “Ok, I admit I would blame Malfoy’s supposed kid, but it’s not the same. We’re not talking about a fight between students and Snape taking Slytherin’s side, we’re talking about a teacher refusing to teach you his subject for no good reason.”

Snape could tell by the tone of voice that Potter was starting to get annoyed. “So what? Hermione, do you have any idea how the man would treat me if he were forced to take me into his class? Can you even begin to imagine it? My life is already difficult enough with Voldemort and his constant attempts to get into my mind. I need to stay as calm as possible to block him out, and having four hours of class with Snape each week is not going to help. I don’t want a repeat of what happened at the Department of Mysteries.”

The girl’s annoyance shifted to concern. “I thought you said you had mastered Occlumency?”

Snape frowned. The boy’s words worried him. Was Voldemort really trying to get into his mind? And if he was, for how long would Potter be able to keep him out?

Harry shook his head. “I didn’t say I had mastered it, I said that I knew enough to keep Voldemort out of my mind, and let me assure you, it’s a constant struggle to do so.”

The Granger girl looked at the boy standing at her side anxiously. “Does Dumbledore know? Why haven’t you taken up your Occlumency lessons with Snape?”

Harry glared at her. “Yes, the headmaster knows. And the reason why I won’t take lessons with Snape is none of your business.” When the girl started to argue back, Harry stopped her. “No, Hermione, drop it.”

The Gryffindor girl growled softly, amusing Snape with her anger. “You’re just as bad as Professor Snape! Why can’t you get over your hate for the man? You’re jeopardizing your safety and your future, or have you forgotten that you need to take Potions to get into auror training?”

Harry growled right back at her, and from the look in his eyes, Snape could tell he was really starting to get angry. “First of all, I don’t hate Professor Snape. I even trust him to some extent, but that does not mean I am comfortable with the idea of him getting into my mind, especially knowing how much he hates me. Occlumency lessons with him would be completely useless, just like they were last year. As for the auror training, I have no intention to get into that. In fact, the man is doing me a favour by refusing to give me those lessons. Because without them, no one is going to annoy me when I tell them that I’m not planning on being an auror.”

Snape was feeling as surprised as the Granger girl looked. The notion that Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, might not want to get into auror training like everyone knew he wanted was disconcerting. Suddenly, the girl groaned and leaned her back against the wall.

“Please, Harry, don’t be stupid. No matter what Ron says, Quidditch is not something you want to base your life on.”

Snape shuddered at the rage he saw in the boy’s eyes. For a moment, he swore he saw a red glint entering the green pools, confirming that the boy was barely keeping Voldemort out of his mind. A second later, Potter was in control again, and he was looking ahead of him. “I would have hoped that you of all people would be able to look pass the standards people seem to hold me by. I guess I was wrong.” He calmly turned to Hermione and looked down at her intently. “My future is my own, Hermione. And the fact that the whole Wizarding world thinks that the only things that I’m good at are Defence and Quidditch is not going to force me to make my decisions. I’m going to do what I want, not what the rest of the wizarding world wants.”

Hermione looked back at him intently and answered in a soft voice. “Harry, you’re barely taking any classes this year. Even Ron and Neville have more lessons than you do. Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Have you talked about it with Professor McGonagall?”

Harry shook his head and started to walk again. “Don’t worry, Hermione, everything is taken care of for when I graduate.”

The girl reluctantly started to follow him. “You’re not going to tell me what you’ve planned, are you?”

Snape watched as the pair walked past him. He didn’t like the conversation he had just overheard; could it be that Voldemort had already overtaken Potter’s mind and was just awaiting his time to strike? But no, the boy had been himself; he had seen that in the way he held himself and in the way he spoke with Granger. Maybe he should tell Dumbledore about his concerns? But then a small voice reminded him that the old man would force him to take Potter into his class. No, he would just keep an eye on the boy and talk to the Headmaster if he thought something was amiss.

Weeks flew by, but no matter how hard he tried, Snape was no closer to finding out what was going on with the Potter boy. Not having him in his class meant that he had less time to watch him since he only saw him at meals in the Great Hall.

He had hoped to catch him after curfew, knowing the boy’s fondness of breaking the rules, but it seemed that Potter was now perfectly happy to lead a calm, easy life. Digging around a bit, Severus found out that Harry’s only classes that year were Transfiguration, Charms, Defence and Care of Magical Creatures, which left the boy with more free time than most of the other students. That fact worried Snape even more, especially because no one seemed to know what the boy did during those hours in which his classmates were in class. The Potions Master was seriously considering bringing the matter up with the Headmaster, even if it was only to reassure himself that everything was alright, when he got the chance to follow the elusive brat.

He had had to bring a few students to the hospital wing after one of the cauldrons had exploded in his class. He was on his way back when he caught sight of the dark-haired Gryffindor walking down the hall with a box in his hands. Seeing his opportunity, he threw an invisibility charm over himself and silently started to follow the teen. He led him quickly and surely to one of the most unused parts of the castle. Stopping in front of a door, he noticed the teen waving his wand and felt a few charms fade away. Potter entered the room without hesitating and Snape hurried to follow him. Luckily, as careful as the teen seemed to be, he didn’t close the door after him. The Professor thought it to be strange but dismissed it as Gryffindor stupidity and looked through the opening to see what was in the room.

Looking inside, Snape barely managed to hold in a gasp of surprise. It was obvious that the boy had been spending a lot of time in there. The room was full of paintings, both finished and unfinished. Snape watched as Potter went to a large table and placed the box on it. He had a good view of the contents of the box when the teen opened it and was not surprised to see it full with paints, brushes, pencils and several other materials all needed to paint. The boy took a small book out of the box and sat down behind the desk, starting to scribble something with one of the many pencils.

Not able to contain his curiosity, Snape pushed the door further open and silently stepped inside. He stopped for a moment, but the Gryffindor didn’t seem to notice his presence. He made his way towards some of the finished paintings and looked at them closely. He was surprised to notice that they were good. It seemed the brat actually had some talent after all. Potter had managed to flawlessly draw several people from Hogwarts; he even managed to capture their essence, from Weasley’s carefree laugh to Draco’s superior sneer. The man was surprised when he saw himself reflected in a drawing of the teacher’s table.

“Do you like them?”

Snape froze for a moment and then turned around sharply. Potter was looking right at the spot he was standing on. He was sure the invisibility charm was still hiding him from view, but it seemed the brat was able to sense him. With that thought in mind, he removed the spell, considering it useless, and approached the table.

“You’ve known I was there all the time.”

The teen nodded lightly. “Indeed.”

Raising an eyebrow, the teacher sat down in one of the chairs that were facing the table. “So, why did you lead me to this room, when you’ve done your best to keep people from finding out about it?”

Harry stayed calm despite the mocking tone the man used. Snape had to admit that the fact that the boy didn’t get angry at his tone of voice made this conversation much more interesting. It helped him look past the teen’s father and focus his attention on the young man that Potter had become. The Potions Master was startled out of his thoughts when the teen spoke.

“I led you here to reassure you that I’m not trying to become a Death Eater or the next Dark Lord or whatever it is that you were thinking that caused you to start watching me so closely.”

While his face remained impassive, deep down, Snape was impressed. He didn’t think anyone had noticed he was watching the boy. Potter was proving that he was not as Gryffindor as he led people to believe. In fact, right now, he would have fit in his little fold of Slytherins, and if he was right, then the teen had some other reason for showing him this room. Settling back into his chair, Severus allowed a small smirk to cover his features.

“Very Slytherin of you, Mr. Potter. But I would like to know what other reason you had to bring me here. After all, you could care less of what I thought about you.”

Harry laughed softly, by no means offended by the man’s suspicions. “True, Professor. And while I would prefer it if you dropped your suspicions towards me, that’s not the main reason why I wanted to speak to you.” He stood up and went to stand in front of the window. “I am aware that you were very close to go to Dumbledore to talk about me. He knows that I’m not taking many classes, but since no one is complaining about it, he can do anything about it. I would prefer it to remain so, since it gives me time to work on my paintings.” He paused for a moment, and then in a hard voice, he added. “I don’t want Dumbledore meddling into this.”

Snape looked at the boy, surprise clearly written in his eyes. “I doubt Dumbledore would have a problem with your activities, Potter. They’re not dangerous, and you’re not the first student to do it.”

Harry chuckled bitterly and turned around to face the man. “You should know by now that I’m not just any student, you’ve reminded me that a lot of times during the last few years. This activity is dangerous, it is dangerous to Dumbledore’s careful laid out plans. The-Boy-Who-Lived is not supposed to have any interests besides Defence so he will be able to stop Voldemort. He allowed me to play Quidditch because it was a way for me to relax and keep me happy, but haven’t you noticed that he hasn’t lifted the ban Umbridge placed on me while he easily removed all the other regulations? No, Professor, I am very well aware of my role in this war and about Dumbledore’s true nature under all the faked kindness. The moment he suspects that his pet weapon is having some other interest, he will make sure that he is brought back into the “right path”. I have been able to fool him for now by studying Defence harder than ever before; I believe he thinks I use this time to prepare myself for the fight. And I do so, but not all the time. I’m humouring him for now because I know that we’re both needed to win this war, but the instant Voldemort dies, I’ll take my life in my own hands and no one is going to stop me.”

Severus sat there in shock while Harry returned his gaze to the window. How could he have misjudged the young man so much? He was nothing like he had expected him to be. Had Potter always been like that? A Slytherin hidden under a Gryffindor? Or had his Godfather’s death changed him that much? Snape suspected that, to some degree, it was both.

While pondering those thoughts, he watched as the teen went to one of his half finished paintings and started to work on it carefully. Snape watched for a while, the sure motions of those steady hands dancing over the painting, calming him.

Remembering that he had a class to teach before his students completely ruined his dungeon, he stood up. The teen made no move but he knew that he was watching him closely. The Professor stopped at the door, and before leaving the room he spoke softly. “I won’t tell Dumbledore about this, you have my word.”

Not giving Harry the chance to answer, his professor closed the door after him.

*~*~*

He didn't think he had ever been this exhausted. He felt his limbs trembling under the effort of staying standing up. Harry would have gladly collapsed on the ground, but the teen knew that he had to try and make his way back to Hogwarts. Slowly, placing one foot in front of the other, he made his way out of the room, hoping against hope that he wouldn't meet any Death Eaters on his escape from the gloomy castle. He didn't know what he was going to do once he was outside, but he knew he would feel safer out there than in. After nearly half an hour, he finally found a large door that he guessed led outside. He was about to lean against them to open the heavy portals when they were blasted open, nearly hitting him in the process. The dark figure that had been about to enter the castle froze when he caught sight of him. For an instant, Harry considered raising his wand to try and defend himself but the deep weariness that wanted to overcome his body and mind stopped him. If the Death Eater wanted to kill him he wasn't going to fight. He had fulfilled his duty, now it was time to rest.

"Potter?"

Harry watched blankly as the man removed his mask, showing his Potions Master's face behind it.

"Potter? Are you alright?"

The only thing running through Harry's numb mind was the thought that he was safe. Snape may hate him, but he had been at his side when it really mattered, protecting him, saving him. Closing his eyes, his knees finally buckled under his weight, and he toppled forward. The last thing he heard was a worried cry of “Harry!” before strong hands stopped his descent and pressed him against a strong chest.

Snape looked in concern at the unconscious teen lying in his arms. When Potter had disappeared from Hogwarts, everyone had gone into hysterics. They had searched everywhere but to no avail, the boy was not found. Finally, they had concluded that the teen had been kidnapped and had sent word to the Ministry.

The aurors that had been sent to help them had found a hole in the wards. The aurors thought it was too small to notice but Snape knew better. Dumbledore had always been very paranoid about protecting his students. He should have noticed the problem right away and made sure no one went through the breach. The fact that the esteemed Headmaster had once again set the teen in the path of danger made his blood boil. Hadn't Potter gone through enough? One look around the room told him that he was not the only one to think that way. McGonagall, at least, shared his opinion.

When a day later his mark started to burn, he immediately rushed out of the castle and Apparated away. The pain was getting dimmer as he ran, and when he looked down at the horrible mark, he nearly fell over in shock. It was slowly disappearing before his eyes, which only could mean... Shaking his head, he continued running to the dark castle, wand in hand, ready to curse any Death Eater that dared to cross his path. When he finally found Potter, he was shocked at his appearance. He was dirty and had some bruises. He looked like he was barely able to keep himself up, and when the teen saw him, he didn't even move to defend himself even if Snape was wearing his usual Death Eaters clothes. Then, just before the boy collapsed into his arms, he was able to see the deep peace into his dull green eyes. That was when he knew that his suspicious had been right. The Dark Lord had finally been defeated. Gathering the teen gently to his chest, Snape walked to Voldemort's throne room; after making sure that the snake like man was completely dead, he incinerated the body, starting a fire in the building. After hurrying out of the castle, the Potions Master watched as Voldemort’s castle went up in the magical flames, assuring him that this was indeed Voldemort's end.

Sighing and holding Harry close to him, Snape got ready to apparate back to Hogwarts when something brushed against his legs. Looking down, he was very surprised to see a familiar tabby cat sitting in front of him.

"Minerva? What are you doing here?"

The woman returned to her usual form and looked down at the teen resting in his arms. "I've come to warn you, I don't think it's safe for the two of you to return to Hogwarts."

Severus frowned and looked at her questioningly. "Why not?"

Minerva's eyes shone with suppressed fury as she spoke. "Dumbledore saw you rushing out of the castle. He has told the aurors that Voldemort is dead and that you've gone to join the other Death Eaters to finish Harry off.”

The words hurt more than he could imagine. He had always known that he was only a pawn in Dumbledore's plans, but he never would have thought that the Headmaster would repay all his years of service in such a way. Fighting to keep his emotion under control, he extended his arms slightly, offering the unconscious boy to Minerva. “Take him back to Hogwarts, he needs treatment.”

The woman made no move to take the teen. “Severus, I’m not going to take Harry back to the castle; do you have any idea what Dumbledore would do to him? He is the Boy-Who-Killed-Voldemort; the Headmaster is going to keep controlling his life until one of the two dies. That’s not fair to him; he has earned the right to lead his own life. Take him with you.”

Snape grimaced. “Minerva, I can’t take care of a teen on my own; I would have no idea how to do it. And where would I take him? I’m sure the aurors are already at my house, trying to find out where I am.”

Minerva nodded in acceptance and drew an envelope from her robes. “You know that my husband never trusted Dumbledore. He made a house in the middle of muggle London, it’s untraceable and the Headmaster doesn’t know about it. There you can find everything you need to get settled in, including several wands that you might be able to use without the Ministry tracking you down.”

Severus looked from the envelope to Minerva for a long time; finally, he spoke softly. “Come with us.”

The woman blinked startled. “Severus?”

“Come with us, Minerva. Dumbledore will know by now that you’ve left the castle, and it will not be hard for him to figure out that you’ve come after me.” When he saw that the woman was hesitating, he pressed the matter. “Please, Minerva, I am going to need all the help I can get, not only to stay out of Dumbledore’s hands but also to protect and help Harry.”

Sighing, the woman finally nodded in acceptance. “Very well, it will probably be best that way.”

Smiling tiredly, Severus watched as the woman removed a small paper from the envelope. He guessed that it was the portkey that would take them all to Minerva’s house. The woman reached out with the paper and he placed a hand on it, cradling Harry closer to him with his other hand. With a soft pop, both teachers disappeared with their charge.

*~*~*

The three of them reappeared in a large, bright living room. Looking around, Severus saw that it was homely decorated in blue and pale yellow colours. There was a large fireplace surrounded by several armchairs and a couch. At the other end of the room there were several large windows that showed a magnificent garden beyond them. There was a crystal table in front of the windows with four wooden chairs around it; the other two walls were filled with paintings and books.

Severus couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised. He had been expecting something more along Grimmauld Place or even something completely done in Gryffindor colours, but he was very relieved to see he had been wrong; the room couldn’t have been more different.

“So, what do you think of it, Severus?”

The man turned lightly to face the woman, and while he was not smiling, Minerva could tell he was pleased. “It’s very nice, Minerva.” He shifted Harry a bit in his arms; the boy was starting to get heavy. “Can you show me where the bedrooms are? We need to make sure Harry is alright.”

The woman smiled. “Since when is he ‘Harry’ to you?”

Snape looked down at the teen pensively. “I guess it started at the beginning of this term. He has changed a lot, Minerva. Besides, if that wasn’t enough, the fact that he killed the Dark Lord would be more than enough to me.”

The witch’s smile softened. “I understand.”

Turning around, McGonagall left the room through a concealed door near the fireplace; Severus followed swiftly after her, watching his surroundings carefully. They stepped out in a hall that led to several other rooms. Minerva ignored them, and instead, she turned to the stairs and started to climb them. The Potions Master tried not to jostle his charge too much as he followed the witch up the stairs and into a room.

Snape quickly put the boy on the bed while Minerva moved to a closet and picked out some pyjamas, which she handed over to Severus before leaving the room in search of potions, the extra wands, and anything else she felt they would need to take care of Harry.

Once Minerva left the room, Snape started to gently undress the teen. He didn’t seem to be overly hurt; Voldemort had obviously not wanted to risk anything and had tried to end it right away. There were several bruises and cuts on his arms, face, and ribcage, but that was probably the result of the boy fighting against his captors. The professor was just putting the pyjama pants on the teen when a knock on the door warned him that Minerva was back.

“Can I come in, Severus?”

The man covered Harry up with a warm blanket and told her to come in. She was carrying a box full of potions, and behind her floated a pail filled with warm water and several cloths. Severus took the potions from her hands and immediately started to look through the box, searching the necessary potions to make sure Harry would be alright. As he did that, the Gryffindor Head of House had approached the bed and was now sitting next to the unconscious teen, gently washing his face.

Harry remained unresponsive through the whole treatment, even when Severus sat him up slightly and poured potions after potion into his mouth; the boy didn’t wake up. Once both professors were finished, they gently laid Harry back into the pillows; Minerva tucked him in while Severus went over the wands that Minerva had brought up. After several tries, he finally managed to find a match and cast a spell around the room that would warn them if Harry woke up.

They silently left the boy’s room, and Minerva led him downstairs into a clean and bright kitchen. Severus sat down at the wooden table while the woman started to make some tea to calm their frazzled nerves. The Potions Master finally allowed himself to relax a bit and put his head on the table, showing how tired he really was. A cup of tea was placed in front of him and he sat back up, wrapping his fingers around the warm mug.

“What are we going to do now?”

Minerva was now sitting in front of him and sipping on her tea. “I’m not sure; I’m hoping that someone in the Order will do something to uncover the truth, but it will probably take some time.”

Snape snorted; personally, he thought no one was going to move a finger to help them, but he didn’t voice his thoughts. Instead, he nodded lightly and spoke softly. “That means we’re stuck in the Muggle world for the time being.”

Minerva nodded seriously. “Maybe we should move away from here; we’ll be easy to find if we remain in London.”

Severus shook his head in disagreement. “No, I don’t think anyone is going to look for us in London. Besides, here, we have a safe house, and we’re familiar with our surroundings, good reasons to stay where we are. We’ll just need to change our appearances and act as normal as possible.”

Minerva snorted. “Oh, yes, that will go over well in the Muggle world; a young teen living with a man that could probably be his father if it weren’t for the fact that he hates him and with a stern old woman that doesn’t look like either of them.”

Severus looked up at her rather annoyed. “First of all, I am willing to drop my dislike for Harry, as I said before. Most of it was for show anyway, and I’m sure we’ll be able to get along if we come to know each other better. As for the part of you not looking like us is just stupid. We’ll have to change our appearance anyway; it won’t be difficult to make sure you resemble us both. As for relationships, you can always pose as my mother; if that makes you uncomfortable, there are always de-aging potions.”

Minerva looked at him, a shocked look on her face. “Severus! Do you even realise what you’re proposing?”

The man looked seriously into his tea. “Minerva, I long ago accepted the fact that I’m not going to get married out of love, and besides, you have not had anyone in your life since you husband died all those years ago. Despite what everyone thinks, I don’t fancy the thought of being alone for the rest of my days, especially now that it’s no longer necessary.” Severus stayed silent for a moment before looking up at the stunned woman. “And then there’s Harry to consider. I agree that playing the role of his father is important, not only to keep up appearances but also because I honestly think that the boy needs some guidance and stability. But I can’t do everything for him; he will need someone else to take care of him when I can’t and to comfort him and calm him; you know I’m not good at those things. You’ve always been close to the boy, and I’m sure you could easily fill in the role of a mother.”

Minerva didn’t answer. She stared at her empty cup, letting the tense silence fill the room. Finally, she stood up. “I have to think about this, Severus. I’m going to my room; it’s the one across from Harry’s. You can take the one next to his. I’ll see you in the morning.”

The wizard simply nodded and watched as she left the kitchen, wondering if he had done the right thing. Hours later, he also made his way up to his room. He was tired, but before going to bed, he went to check up on Harry. The teen was no longer sleeping soundly; instead, he was whimpering and trashing lightly in his bed. Severus immediately walked over to him and placed a hand over the teen’s forehead, noticing the flushed face. Cursing under his breath, he summoned a cold cloth and started to cool down the teen. The boy seemed to calm down, and he continued with his ministrations, wishing he could give him a potion to relieve his fever, but knew it would react badly with the other potions he had already ingested. For hours he sat at the teen’s side, cooling him down and calming him when he started to move around.

Minerva got up at six, feeling very tired. She had not been able to sleep for most of the night, thinking about Severus’ proposal. Finally, she had come to a decision and had managed to sleep for a few hours. After getting dressed in some muggle clothes, she headed to Harry’s room to check on the teen before going downstairs to make breakfast. Minerva was very surprised to see Severus sitting in a chair next to the boy’s bed. When she approached them, the man opened his tired eyes and looked at her. Minerva frowned at his exhausted appearance. “Have you been here all night, Severus? You look like you’ve not slept.”

The man rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I haven’t. Harry was running a fever and I couldn’t give him a potion for it.”

Minerva put a hand against the teen’s cheek; it was still warmer than it should be, but at least he was resting peacefully. “Go to bed, Severus. I’ll stay here.”

The man looked reluctant to comply, but after a glare from the woman, he had no choice but to obey.

Severus woke up a few hours later, refreshed from his short sleep. After getting dressed in some clothes he found in his room, the man went to Harry’s room. Minerva was still there, reading a book on advanced transfiguration. She looked up when she heard him enter the room. “Did you sleep well, Severus?”

The man nodded and went to sit on the bed, on Harry’s other side. The teen was sweating, which was actually a good sign, and his skin was cooler than it had been a few hours before.

“He seems to be doing better.”

Minerva nodded, stood up, and stretched out. “Yes, he does. He had a nightmare about an hour ago, but it didn’t wake him up.” Looking intently at the sitting man, she motioned to the door. “Come on, Severus, we need to get something to eat, and then we’ll talk.”

Sighing, the younger man used the cloth to wipe out Harry’s sweaty face, and after cooling it down again, he replaced the cloth on the teen’s forehead. After making sure that Harry would be alright on his own, both professors left the room.

Once back in the kitchen, Severus started to cook using the food that had been stored under preservation charms. While he was arranging their food, Minerva took care of the tea. The meal was mostly eaten in silence, and it was not until they were both sipping on their tea when Minerva broke it.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said last night.” Severus nodded but remained silent, waiting for her decision on their future. “I’ll agree to play the role of your wife if you’re sure you’re willing.”

The man looked up. “I was not only suggesting a role, Minerva.”

The woman smiled lightly. “I know very well what you were thinking, but for now, it’s the only thing I’m willing to compromise; if later it becomes more...”

Severus smiled and nodded again. “In that case, I’m very sure this is for the best, Minerva. And I’m sure it’s going to work; you’re a very good friend of mine, I wouldn’t have suggested it if I thought it was not going to work.”

The woman sighed and sipped her tea. “I hope it does, Severus. I really hope it does.”

After a short silence she spoke again. “After we’ve arranged our appearances, papers, and the lot, we’ll still have to take care of our daily activities. There’s some money in the house, but it won’t last us more than a few weeks.”

Severus shrugged slightly. “That’s not much of a problem, Minerva. You don’t honestly think I didn’t make plans in case something like this happened, do you? While I’ve trusted Dumbledore to lead us in this war, I’m a Slytherin, and as such I made sure I would have ways to survive if he withdrew his protection over me.”

Minerva couldn’t help but laugh in amusement. “Of course, I should have known. And are you going to tell me what you’re going to do?”

The man smirked at her. “I’m a Potions Master, Minerva, one of the best as you know. For years I’ve been making potions for several companies under a false name. I’ve made sure it’s nearly impossible to track me down, and even the aurors would have a hard time to find the link even if they knew where to start looking for me.”

The Gryffindor teacher nodded pensively. “But what about supplies? While there’s a lab in the house, I don’t have many supplies.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t even know there was a lab. Don’t worry, I have a lab in London; I have most of my potions and ingredients there. I also often use it for the people to deliver the more dangerous items I need there. Some things I have there are just too dangerous to keep around students.”

Minerva cocked her head. “And Dumbledore doesn’t know about it?”

The wizard shrugged. “I said I had things ready; I have three labs, one of them Dumbledore knows, the second one I haven’t told him about but I suspect he knows and is just for him to think that he knows all about me. The third one is nearly impossible to trace.”

This time the woman laughed freely. “You Slytherins are some of the most amazing people I’ve had the pleasure to meet.” Severus waited until she calmed down, a smug smile playing on his lips. Once the woman had dried her tears, she returned her attention to the amused man in front of her. “If you’re busy with your potions, I guess I can find some kind of job as a teacher, but what about Harry? He can’t stay at home on his own all day, and he can’t go to a Muggle school because he doesn’t have the knowledge to go there.”

Severus looked at her a bit hesitantly, trying to decide if she should be told or if he should wait for Harry to wake up. In the end, thinking that it hardly mattered since the woman would find out soon enough, he spoke softly. “We should talk to Harry about it, because I think he had his own plans for after graduation. I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to enrol into an art school.”

The witch stared at him surprised. “Harry can draw? I never knew about that.”

Severus chuckled and nodded. “Oh, yes he can, quite well in fact.” Seeing the troubled expression in the woman’s face, he quickly reassured her. “I don’t think many people knew, Minerva. I only found out because he wanted to reassure me he wasn’t training to become the next Dark Lord.”

The woman raised an eyebrow questioningly. “The next Dark Lord, Severus? Why on earth would you think something like that?”

The wizard was about to defend himself from her disbelieving tone when he felt a tingling sensation washing over him. He quickly stood up and started to walk to the door. “Harry is waking up.”

Both professors made their way up the stairs swiftly and were already standing next to the teen’s bed when he started to twitch.

Severus moved to sit on the bed, next to the teen and put a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. “Harry?”

The boy opened his eyes slightly and fixed his blurry gaze on the dark form sitting next to him. His brain was slowly starting to wake up and remember what had happened the day before.

The teen groaned slightly and closed his eyes again, trying to figure out who was with him. He felt the hand move to brush his hair again and settle down on his skin again, now a comforting touch. “Harry? How are you feeling?”

Opening his eyes again, he saw that there was now another person standing next to his bed, probably bowing over him, but he wasn’t afraid. His still waking brain had recognised the voices, and he knew he was safe with them. If he could only match the voices with their owners he would be able to go back to sleep. He probably had been nearly half asleep again, because he barely noticed the voices trying to get his attention back. “Harry, come on, answer us, do you know who we are?”

The hand moved to his cheek, and waked him enough to feel able to answer. “Professors?”

He knew he was right, because as soon as he said the word, those people were his teachers. McGonagall smiled down at him. “Now you only need to guess which ones you’re speaking with.”

For an instant, there was a small smile on the boy’s lips but it disappeared quickly. He didn’t need to guess, he could tell the one talking down to him was his Head of House, and he had guessed that the other one was Professor Snape since he remembered that he was the one who found him. Frowning a bit, he spoke again. “Glasses.”

His voice was raspy since he hadn’t had any water since he had been captured, but the other two seemed to understand him. Severus withdrew his hand from the teen’s cheek and reached for the glasses that had been lying on the bedside table.

Harry felt Snape putting the glasses in place and looked up at him. The teen blinked, trying to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. The dark haired professor was looking at him intently, but Harry couldn’t see any of the hatred and anger that usually marred the man’s eyes when speaking to him. Starting to feel uncomfortable under the penetrating gaze, Harry looked around, noticing he didn’t recognise the place they were in. His gaze finally settled on his Head of House. It was strange to see her dressed in Muggle clothes. That, added to the fact that he wasn’t lying in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, confirmed his assumptions that there was something wrong. Harry closed his eyes tiredly; he didn’t want to think about troubles anymore. He had done what was expected from him; Voldemort was dead and he was with two people he trusted. Whatever they decided to do was fine with him, it couldn’t be worse than being at Hogwarts under Dumbledore’s direct watch. Even if he didn’t know what had happened, he could easily sense that the old man had something to do with the fact that he found himself alone with two of his teachers. Sighing, he relaxed against his pillows. It didn’t matter any more, especially not right now that he felt so tired. Later, he could ask what was going on and decide what to do.

The gentle hand was back to his face and was now carefully rubbing something cold against his aching face. McGonagall’s voice reached his tired senses again. “Harry, please, tell us how you’re feeling.”

The boy winced slightly as Snape moved his fingers over a cut. “Tired, and everything hurts.”

Severus nodded while finishing with what he was doing. “The bruises and cuts will be healed by tomorrow. You spent a lot energy killing the Dark Lord; I suspect you’ll still be tired for a while. I want you to stay in bed until we say otherwise, ok?”

Harry nodded slightly; he could promise that for now, after all, he was too tired to really move. Harry was barely aware of McGonagall leaving the room and Snape putting away the blankets to rub the potion on his arms and chest. Whatever it was that the man was putting on him was really helping. The pain was going away, and Harry felt himself falling deeply asleep. Before allowing himself to be put down to sleep by the man, he opened his eyes slightly and with a sleepy voice spoke once again. “What’s going to happen now?”

Severus looked up a bit startled; he had thought the teen was asleep. Keeping his fingers moving, he watched as Harry shut his eyes again. “Don’t worry about it, we’ll take care of everything for now, and we’ll tell you when you’re up to it.”

Harry seemed to accept his words, for he relaxed in his pillows, and in a few minutes, Snape was sure he was completely asleep. After finishing with the potion, he tucked the teen back into bed and turned to face the door which had opened to admit Minerva back in.

They both watched their charge for a while, making sure he would rest peaceful. After a while, Severus turned to Minerva with a serious look on his face.

“I’m going to see that lab of yours. If you have all the ingredients, I’ll start working on the youth potion.”

Minerva nodded slightly without taking her eyes of Harry. “You should work on the potion to change our features too; that might be even more important than the youth potion. You might also want to go out and try to find out what is going on in the Wizarding World.”

Snape nodded slightly; maybe he should really work on the other one first. Shaking his head, he smiled to Minerva even if she wasn’t looking at him. “I’ll see what I can do once I know which ingredients you have.”

Finally, the woman nodded and turned to look at him. “I’ll stay here for a while, after all, there not really much I can do.”

Severus nodded and then left the room, mentally listing all the ingredients he would need to make the potions.

Harry could tell he was alone the next time he woke up. He was still feeling very sleepy, and he really didn’t want to be awake, but his body was telling him that he needed to go to the bathroom. Sighing slightly, the teen slowly started to stand up. His tired muscles were barely obeying him, and he wondered if he would be able to stand on his own. Shaking his head, he finally managed to stand on shaky legs and very slowly made his way to the door. He was about to reach out and opened it when someone opened it from outside, sending him to the floor.

“Harry!”

The boy groaned slightly; now, not only was he feeling tired, but his head was starting to hurt too. Firm hands took him under his armpits and lifted him on his feet. “And just where do you think you’re going? I thought we had agreed that you needed to stay in bed?”

The teen looked up to the man’s angry face, feeling his face flush a bit in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, sir. But I really need to go to the bathroom.”

Snape felt his anger fade. He had been very annoyed to see Harry out of bed; the young man was really in no shape to be walking around, much less alone. “Next time, call either Minerva or me, we can’t have you hurting yourself, now can we?”

Harry nodded, a bit flushed at the man’s words. He had expected him to yell at him for disobeying him, but Snape seemed more worried than angry now, he could almost say he was a bit caring. The Potions Master led him to the bathroom, carefully allowing the teen to lean on him. Much to Harry’s relief, the other wizard agreed to wait outside for him, but warned him that if he took too long he would come in. Five minutes later, Harry was back in bed, being tucked in by Snape.

While he had been feeling very sleepy, after his short walk, he felt much more awake and wondered if Snape would answer some of his questions. Not knowing if he should ask or stay quiet, Harry looked somewhat nervously around the room. Severus seemed to sense the teen’s thoughts, and with a small sigh, he sat down on the chair that had stayed next to the teen’s bed. “Ok, you have half an hour to ask what you want before I go fetch you something to eat and you go back to sleep.”

Harry looked up, rather surprised that the man would be willing to speak with him, and he wondered if he should consider if the man was really his former professor. Shaking his head slightly at the stupid notion, he focused on the questions he had wanted to ask, after all, Snape was starting to glare at him.

“Where are we?”

The old man leaned back in his chair. “We’re at Minerva’s house.”

Harry waited for a moment to see if the man would continue, but when it was clear that Snape wasn’t going to say more unless he asked, he spoke again. “Why are we here and not at Hogwarts, has something happened?”

Harry frowned as he saw the man visibly tense, his dark eyes glittering in anger. With soft, controlled tones, Severus started to explain what had happened. “After making sure that Voldemort was dead and burning down his manor, I was about to apparate us back to Hogwarts when Minerva appeared at my side. It seems the headmaster told the aurors that you had killed Voldemort and that upon feeling it, I had gone to join the other Death Eaters to kill you.”

Harry was looking in front of him. His fists were clenched around the sheets. He wasn’t as surprised at the man’s words as he would have been a few years back. Nonetheless, he was shocked. He knew that Dumbledore was manipulative, but to cast aside in such a way a man who had been risking his own life for years only to spy for him was more than he was able to comprehend. Slowly, the shock he had been feeling turned to anger and that quickly transformed to rage.

Snape noticed the changes immediately and moved to sit on the bed, next to Harry, just when the windows started to rattle. Severus couldn’t help but be very happy that the teen’s magical reserves were still so depleted; else he could easily have done a lot of damage to their new house in his anger. For an instant, the professor sat there, unsure of what to do, but then the moment passed, and he wrapped an arm around Harry.

“Calm down, you’re only going to hurt yourself if you lose control.”

Harry snapped out of his haze, and the windows stopped rattling as suddenly as they had started. From the corner of his eyes, Snape saw Minerva standing at the door, watching them. He was very much aware of the fact that he still had an arm around the teen, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He had no reputation to keep. Not here, not around these two people that was on the way of becoming the two most important people in his life. He felt Harry start to tremble under his arm, and he pulled him closer, pressing him gently against his side.

“Dumbledore... he... he...” Harry took a deep breath, finally leaning against his teacher’s chest and closing his eyes in hurt and betrayal.

Snape gently petted the boy’s hair. “Minerva can take you to Hogwarts if you prefer to be there, Harry.”

The boy shook his head forcefully and pressed his head deeper into the man’s strong chest, arms coming up to hold the Potions Master in a death grip. “I don’t want to go back there. Please, don’t make me, I don’t care if you take me to the Dursleys or to an orphanage, I don’t want to stay there, under Dumbledore’s watch again, not after this.”

Minerva silently joined them on the bed and started to rub the boy’s back. “Calm down, Child, we won’t force you to go anywhere, you can stay here with Severus and I.”

Harry moved his head so he was watching his Head of House. “Did Dumbledore betray you too, Professor?”

The woman smiled sadly. “We’re not sure, Harry, but he knows I left to warn Severus. I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to go check what the man is up to right now.”

“What about the Order? They know you’ve been spying for our side and that you’re not a Death Eater anymore.”

Severus gently brushed the boy’s hair out of his face. “We don’t know, Harry. Even if they went against Dumbledore, it would still be their word against his.”

They all stayed silent for a long moment, both adults comforting the teen to the best of their abilities. Finally, Harry broke the silence.

“What’s going to happen now?”

Minerva and Severus shared a long look before the woman answered. “We’re going to live here as Muggles. This house is protected and has strong Notice-Me-Not Charms to repel wizards. Dumbledore doesn’t know of its existence, which gives us additional protection.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Also, as soon as Severus has finished, we’re all going to take a potion to change our appearance; it’s a stronger modification of the Polyjuice Potion which will not fade until we take the antidote. I’ll also be taking a youth potion since I’m going to be playing the role of Severus’ wife.”

Harry looked at her astonished before moving his gaze to the man who was still holding him. Was that why the older wizard had made such a change? Was that the reason why he was being so gentle and comforting? He had to know. “And I will be?”

Snape smiled down at him a bit uncomfortably. “We would both like it if you took the role of our son. But if that makes you uncomfortable, we can just tell people you’re our nephew or our ward.”

Harry looked at them both thoughtfully. “I have never had proper parents.”

Minerva chuckled gently. “And we’ve never had a child.”

Harry gave her a small smile in return. He knew he had made his decision the moment Snape had told him about his options. After all, how could he let such an opportunity to have a family pass?

“Would I have to go to a muggle school?”

Both adults shared a quick look. “Severus thought you might want to go to an Art school.”

A brilliant smile blossomed on the teen’s face as he looked up at his soon to be father. “Really? You would really allow me to go to an art school?”

Snape couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the teen’s eagerness. “Of course, my boy, if you want to.”

Suddenly, he found he couldn’t breathe as the two arms around his waist tightened and held him in a death grip. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Severus gasped. “Harry, air.”

The boy quickly let go of his waist, blushing slightly as Severus took several deep breaths. Both turned around to watch as Minerva fell back on the bed, laughing at their antics. Soon, both joined her, and after a while, they calmed down. They all settled down once again comfortably, with Harry leaning against the pillows of his bed, and one Professor at either side. He hadn’t laughed in such a long time that he had nearly forgotten how good it fell. Minerva looked at him once again serious. “ You didn’t tell us what you want us to be, Harry. I’m sorry if we’re pressing the matter, but Severus really needs to finish the potions.”

The teen looked at them both hesitantly. “I would like you to be my parents, to finally have a family. That is, if you don’t mind.”

Minerva smiled at him comfortingly. “If we minded, we wouldn’t have proposed it, my child.” They hugged for a long moment before Minerva drew back slightly. “You know that you’ll have to call us Mom and Dad if this is really what you want, don’t you?”

Harry nodded seriously. “I know, Mom.”

It sounded strange, but he was sure he could get used to it. Minerva smiled brightly and kissed his forehead before he turned to watch Snape. The man immediately saw the question in his eyes and immediately took him in his own arms. Softly, the Potions Master started to speak against his ear. “Harry, I know we’ve never got along and that I’ve never done anything to make you trust me, but I promise that things are going to change between us. I accept you as my son, and from now on, I’ll always treat you as such.”

Harry moved out of Minerva’s arms and hugged the man around the neck so he could whisper his own promise. “While I’ve not always trusted you, I know now that you always had my best interest in mind. I’ve grown to admire you and respect you, and I’m sure I’ll grow to love you, because from now on, you’ll be my father, and I place what little remains of my childhood in your hands.”

They both hugged for a few minutes before Harry opened one arm and motioned Minerva into the hug. Both adults drew back when they felt Harry go limp between them. Looking down, they saw that the teen was peacefully asleep, a small content smile on his face.

Harry woke up a few hours later with a smile still on his face. It had been some time since he had slept so peacefully and he relished in the feelings of safety and comfort that he drew from this place. A glance around the room told him that he was alone and that it seemed to be quite late. For a moment, he considered getting up to find his new parents but he put it out of his mind at once. Snape had been very clear in that aspect and he didn’t want to disobey the man. Especially not now and not over such a small thing.

He wondered if his feelings were normal, he wanted to please his former professors in a way he had never felt the need to. He had meant every word he had said to Snape about allowing the man to guide the rest of his childhood, and therefore, he would have to listen and do as he was told. He didn’t really mind. Minerva and Severus weren’t like the Dursleys and their constant demands, and they weren’t like Dumbledore and his subtle manipulations. They were just two adults that had always kept his best interests in mind and that had done what they could to protect him.

Harry’s musings were interrupted when the door opened, and Snape entered the room. The man seemed a bit surprised to see him awake, but a small, pleased smile overcame the surprise.

“Good, you’re awake.” He walked closer to the bed and placed the tray he had been carrying on the side table. “I want you to eat something; it’s already been a few days since you last had anything, you must be hungry.”

Harry nodded, noticing for the first time that he was indeed very hungry. With Snape’s help, he sat up, and the tray was placed on his lap. Quickly, the boy ate the soup and crackers Severus had brought, and then he swallowed the energy potion his father had prepared.

Snape was watching him carefully the whole time. The boy seemed to be doing much better, and even if his magic were still very weak, he would be able to get out of bed in a day or two. Once the teen was finished, Snape put the tray on the table and sat back down on the chair that had been placed next to the bed. It didn’t seem like Harry was about to go back to sleep, and even if the teen had been staying in bed until now, Snape didn’t think that having him bored would be a good idea.

A soft voice startled his musings. “Dad?”

Snape blinked and looked at the boy, who was regarding him expectantly. “Yes, Harry?”

“What has happened to my things? Are they still at Hogwarts?”

The man looked a bit sad for a moment, thinking about his own things. “I’m afraid so, Harry. I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t be able to go back, and Minerva was in a hurry to get us, so we didn’t have the time to get our things together.”

Harry sighed sadly, he had been expecting it, but he had still hoped. Suddenly a hand brushed against his cheek in a gentle, comforting, gesture, and he looked up at the wizard sitting next to him. “Hey, don’t look so sad. I know we won’t be able to replace some things, but Minerva and I will take you shopping once you’re feeling better.”

Harry looked up at him, a bit surprised at his words. “That’s not necessary, I’ll be fine.”

Snape raised an eyebrow. “You don’t honestly expect to keep walking around in Minerva’s late husband’s clothes, do you? Not to mention that you’ll need your own supplies to go to that art school of yours.”

Harry nodded a bit reluctantly. “Ok, but I’ll pay you back once I can regain access to my bank account.”

Severus looked down at him patiently. “I thought we had agreed that we would be your parents? Are you regretting it?”

Harry snapped his head up. “No!”

Snape smiled a bit. “Then why are you being difficult about this, Harry? You don’t honestly think that Weasley or Granger buy their own clothes and supplies.”

Harry shook his head; he knew that his friends didn’t pay for their own things, but this was different. He was trying to find a way to explain what he was feeling when Snape cut off his thoughts by speaking again. “Harry, there’s no way for you to convince either Minerva or me to let you pay for your things, so I suggest you drop it. After all, this is part of being a parent, and the same way we expect you to listen to us because we’re now your parents, you will have to accept what we do for you in return. It’s the way things go, you can’t expect one thing without the other.”

Harry bowed his head and sagged against his pillows. He didn’t want to fight against the man, he was tired, and just wanted to rest. Did it really matter that much? He was just not used to accepting things from others, and it was weird for him to let himself be taken care of. Sensing his sudden listless mood, Snape stood up, and with gentle hands, helped the teen to lay down in bed again before tucking him in. “Go back to sleep now, and don’t think too much about what’s going to happen. If you still have problems with us buying you things when you’re feeling better, we’ll talk about it, ok?”

Harry, feeling a bit reassured, nodded and closed his eyes. “Ok, Dad.”

“Sleep well, Harry. And remember to call us if you need anything.”

“I will, good night.”

Minerva was sitting in the kitchen when he came down. While he cleaned the tray Harry had used, the woman made some tea, and after that, they both sat down at the kitchen table, relaxing after the stressing day.

“You were up there for a long time, I was starting to get worried.”

Snape nodded, sipping at his hot cup of tea. “Harry was awake when I entered, he ate the soup, and we talked for a bit after that. He wanted to know what had happened to his things.”

Minerva frowned lightly. “We’ll have to take him shopping, he’ll need clothes and supplies.” She paused for a bit and then added. “And so will you.”

Severus looked at her faintly amused, completely ignoring her last words. “That’s what I told him, he wasn’t very happy about it.”

The witch raised an eyebrow. “Why on earth not? It’s not like he can keep walking around in those old clothes.”

Snape couldn’t help but laugh a bit at her words. “Minerva, I’m really starting to think we were made for each other. That’s just what I told him.” The woman rolled her eyes in amusement but listened as he continued in a more serious tone. “It seems that our son has some issues about people buying him things.”

Minerva frowned; teenagers usually didn’t give such things a second thought, they took things like food and clothing for granted, unless... “Do you think it has something to do with that family of his?”

Severus shrugged lightly. “It’s the most likely assumption. What do you know about them?”

The woman looked intently into her tea. “Not much, to tell the truth. They seemed very normal when I visited them before leaving Harry there. I know Lily didn’t like her sister and that the feelings were probably mutual. Maybe that dislike passed on to Harry?”

The wizard shrugged lightly. “Who knows, it wouldn’t be that difficult to imagine.” Snape grimaced lightly, thinking about how he had felt about the teen at the beginning of the year. Pushing those dark thoughts aside, he continued. “How does the boy feel about them?”

Minerva sighed, also ignoring the man’s allusion at his own mistreatment of the boy. “I’ve never heard much about it, but I believe he didn’t like them much. He always spent his holidays at Hogwarts, and I know he asked permission of Dumbledore to spent his summers at the Weasleys’.”

Snape nodded. “I’ve heard a few comments about them too, mostly from Weasley; I don’t think he likes them much. I also saw some images of them when I was teaching Harry occlumency, but I didn’t pay them much heed, since they were often overruled by other images of the Dark Lord or his Death Eaters.”

They both finished their tea in silence until Minerva spoke again. “Do you think he has any more issues besides the clothing one?”

Snape looked back at her seriously. “Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did, we’ll have to keep an eye on him.”

Minerva couldn’t help but smirk at those words. “Knowing him, he won’t like that much.”

Severus smiled a bit in amusement and placed his empty cup on the table. “No, I’m afraid he won’t, but if we’re going to be taking care of him, we’ll need to know what’s going on with him in the first place.” Without giving her the chance to reply, the Potions Master stood up. “If you excuse me, I need to get back to the potions before they’re ruined.”

Minerva nodded slightly. “Don’t stay up too late, it’s been a stressing day for the lot of us.”

The man laughed quietly while leaving the room. “I’ll try.”

The witch stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes, cleaning up the things they had used for tea. After that, she doused the lights and went up to her own room. There, she changed into her nightclothes and was about to get in bed when a shrill scream ran through the house. At once, the woman was back on her feet, wand in hand, and rushed to Harry’s bedroom, knowing that he had been the one to scream.

She found him on the floor, curled up against the bed, with the sheets and blankets tangled around his limbs. Minerva could tell that he was crying and shivering violently, even if he didn’t utter a sound. Quickly she approached the small form of her new son, and with gentle hands, the witch started to untangle the teen from the blankets and drew him into her arms. “Hush, Harry, everything is alright. No one is going to hurt you. Come on, Child, calm down a bit, try to breath deeply.”

She was still trying to calm him down when Severus rushed into the room, a worried look in his deep, black eyes.

“Are you both alright? What happened?”

Minerva couldn’t help but give him a small smile. How much he had changed in such a short time. Only days ago he would have been furious at anyone that dared to interrupt him in the middle of brewing a potion. Minerva couldn’t help but wonder how much of the man she knew was actually true and how much had been a facade to protect his cover in front of other Death Eaters. Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she answered before the man had a chance to grow more worried. “I’m fine, Severus, but I don’t know about Harry.”

They both looked down at the teen that was now clutching her pyjamas, desperately sobbing against her chest. Snape approached them and knelt down at Minerva’s side. Gently, he started to pet Harry’s damp hair. “What’s wrong, Harry? Did you have a nightmare? Are you in pain?”

The boy didn’t answer his questions and just kept crying, his head firmly pressed against Minerva’s chest. After sharing a concerned glance over the teen’s head, both teachers managed to get Harry back on the bed, with Minerva lying at his side since the teen had refused to let go of her. Severus left the room quickly and came back a few minutes later with a vial in his hand.

Minerva looked up at him. “Dreamless sleep?”

Snape shook his head. “Just a calming potion, he can’t drink a dreamless one so soon after the energy potion.”

Minerva nodded in understanding and turned to the boy still sobbing in her arms. “Harry, Sweetie, can you drink this for us?”

The teen finally moved his head away from the woman’s chest and gazed up at the blurry form that could only be his newly acquired father. Minerva moved him to a sitting position, supporting him with an arm around his back, and Severus helped him drink the potion he had brought up. They all stayed still for some time, waiting for the potion to kick in and for the teen to stop crying. Even with the potion’s help, it took them nearly ten minutes to calm Harry down. One his sobs had stopped, he laid limply in Minerva’s arms, leaning against her shoulder, one of his hands clutching Severus’.

The older man gently dried the child’s tears with a warm cloth he had just conjured. “Harry, what happened?”

The boy shivered slightly. “Nightmare.”

The adults shared a look, and Minerva cautiously pressed the boy a bit. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Harry shook his head vigorously and stayed silent. Severus sighed softly, seeing they wouldn’t get an answer out of the teen. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep now?”

The teen tightened his grip on the man’s hand and mumbled something under his breath. Not having heard what he had said, Minerva kindly asked him to repeat it. For a moment, it seemed like Harry was going to remain silent, but then he thought twice about it and spoke in a slightly louder voice.

“I don’t want to be alone.”

Harry waited with closed eyes for his new parents to tell him he was being ridiculous and that nothing was going to happen. Instead of that, strong arms suddenly picked him up from his place at Minerva’s side. Harry’s eyes flew open, and he saw that he was being held up against Snape’s chest. Looking towards the bed, he saw his former head of house take out her wand and point it to the bed. Not a second later, the bed became larger, and Harry couldn’t help but sag in relieve against Severus; it seemed he wasn’t going to be left alone to deal with his nightmares.

Minerva was the first to get into the newly enlarged and freshly made bed. Then, like a small child, Harry was gently placed next to her. Immediately, soft, warm arms went around him, securing him in a kind embrace. Harry was about to nod off when he heard the door open. His eyes flew open once again, and his gaze moved to the retreating form of his new father.

“Dad?”

The man stopped and turned around slightly. “Yes?”

Harry frowned a bit, trying to keep his tired thoughts together. “Aren’t you staying?”

The man shared a long look with the woman lying in bed. She nodded lightly at him, silently telling him she didn’t have a problem with it. Severus nodded in returned and spoke softly to the teen that seemed just too sleepy to get their unspoken conversation. “Go to sleep, Harry. I still have several potions brewing; I’ll come back as soon as they’re done.”

The teen yawned sleepily and feeling reassured; he closed his eyes again, drifting off even before the door closed after Severus.

Harry woke up again when he felt someone move on the large bed. Opening his eyes, he saw that the other man had indeed joined them at some point and that he was now snuggled against his broad chest. Turning his head a bit, still unwilling to move from his comfortable position, and saw that Minerva was sitting up in bed, getting dressed in her bathrobe before standing up. When she turned around and saw sleepy green eyes looking up at her, the witch couldn’t help but smile fondly down towards her son. Minerva bent over and softly placed a kiss on the teen’s brow.

“It’s still early, Harry, go back to sleep. Breakfast will be ready when you wake up again.”

The teen smiled up at her and watched as she left the room before closing his eyes again. He had wanted to simply enjoy the warmth and comfort coming from his father, but in a few minutes, he was once again deeply asleep.

Snape woke him up nearly an hour later, and he was allowed to get up as long as Severus was with him in case something happened. The Potions Master turned to watch out of the window while Harry got dressed in some clothes Minerva had gotten him from her husband’s closet. Once he was dressed, they went to the kitchen together. There, as promised, breakfast was nearly ready and Minerva was making some tea while the bacon sizzled in the pan. The older man immediately forced Harry to sit down in one of the comfortable chairs and then went to help his fellow professor.

Breakfast passed peacefully, and after that, Harry was settled in the living room while Minerva tidied the kitchen and Severus went to retrieve the potions he had brewed the day before.

Minerva looked at the man and teen sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace before joining them. She knew they were nervous, she wasn’t feeling very confidant right now either. After all, it was a huge decision to be taking, but she didn’t regret her decision.

The tense silence between them lasted until Severus finally snapped. “You both realise that you don’t have to do this, right? We can think of something else to do to hide from Albus.”

Minerva couldn’t help but smile softly at the man. Despite his words, she could see he was just as nervous as them and was anxiously awaiting their answer.

Without saying a word, she extended a hand and picked up the vial holding a pale, yellow looking potion. She knew it had to be the de-aging potion since it was the only vial of it, and the other three contained similar substances. After making sure she was right by glancing at her fellow professor, she quickly uncorked the potion and gulped it down.

Closing her eyes, she felt a shiver run through her body. While there was no pain, she felt her skin softening and stretching, her muscles grew firmer and her tingled pleasantly. Once all sensation faded, she opened her eyes and looked up. Severus was smiling softly, while Harry was positively gapping at her.

Smiling mischievously, she winked at the teen. “Well?”

Severus shook his head slightly, obviously amused at her antics. “You look even more beautiful than I remember from my time at Hogwarts, Minerva.”

The woman rolled her eyes and lightly swatted his leg, noticing her hands had lost all the wrinkles they had gotten through the years. “Then it’s a pity that we’ll have to mask it, isn’t it?”

The man laughed lightly and nodded towards the three remaining potions. Harry, coming out of his daze, looked curiously at them. “Dad?”

The older wizards looked down at the teen sitting at his side. “Yes, Harry?”

“Why is that vial darker then the other ones?” pointing to the vial in the middle. “Shouldn’t they all be the same?”

Severus shook his head seriously. “No, Child, Minerva and I will go first taking these two potions; they will change us to a person we’re imagining at the moment, changing our features at will. It’s a bit like transfiguration, but the potion will make sure the change stays in place without draining our magical powers. After we’re done, we will both put a drop of blood in the other potion, and you will take it. This potion is often used in magical adoption as it allows for the children to adopt the characteristics of both his or her new parents.”

Minerva smiled lightly. “If I remember correctly from what I learned while in school, it will pass any paternity tests, muggle as well as magical, right?”

Snape smirked lightly. “Indeed. Shall we get on with this? Unless either of you don’t want to?” While the question had been general, he was looking at Harry as he spoke. The teen lightly shook his head; he didn’t doubt that this was for the best.

Minerva, having seen Harry’s small movement, nodded lightly and picked up her vial. Snape mimicked her movements, and then they both closed their eyes. Harry could tell they were concentrating on the changes they wanted to make in their bodies, but he couldn’t help but start feeling uneasy at the long silence. Finally, almost at the same time, both adults drank the potion without a sign of doubt. Harry couldn’t help but watch in awe as Minerva’s youthful face changed. Her features were not as sharp now, her nose became smaller and her lips filled up a bit. Her hair changed and became completely black, nearly reaching her lower back. It was even more amazing to watch as her body changed. Even sitting down, Harry could tell that she was now a bit shorter, her fingers were longer, and her skin changed to a nice tanned colour. Once she opened her eyes, the teen could see they were now a soft brown colour.

The woman smiled gently down at him when she noticed he was staring intently at her. “Well, Harry, what do you think?”

The boy blushed, a bit embarrassed at the question. “You’re very beautiful, ma’am.”

The woman laughed softly, her brown eyes shinning with mirth. “Thank you, Child. And remember it’s Mum now.”

Harry nodded in agreement, and they both turned to look at the man still sitting at the teen’s side. The first thing Minerva noticed was that he was as tall as he had been, meaning that he would literally tower over her. On the positive side, he no longer looked like a walking corpse, as he had filled out and his body looked much more athletic. His skin, while still fairly pale, had a healthier colour. His face hadn’t changed much, his features were still sharp, but his nose was much smaller and the shape of his eyes had changed lightly, making them bigger and more noticeable. His hair was now cut short and had lightened to a soft brown, almost blond, colour. Feeling the eyes resting on him, he looked up from his hands, which had stayed the same, and looked at Minerva in amusement, considering her changed form. Harry looked at the laughing, dark blue eyes of the older man, they were so different from the dark lifeless pools that had belonged to his new father’s face for so long; it was almost as if with the potion, the last remains of the old Snape had vanished, leaving a new man behind.

Once the two teachers had studied each other, Severus picked up the remaining potion, and with the knife he had placed on the table, he nicked his finger, quickly allowing two drops of his blood to fall into the potion before healing the cut. After cleaning the knife, he passed it on to Minerva, who repeated his actions. Once her blood was added into the vial, Severus gently shook it, and the three watched as the potion became transparent enough to see through it.

Harry accepted the vial from his father’s hands, and after looking at both adults, he drank the potion. It was a strange feeling, not unlike the one he had experienced with the poly-juice potion, but without the pain. He felt cold and warm at the same time, while sensing his face and body change. When the feeling passed and he was sure there wasn’t going to be more, he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Minerva smiling down at him, watching him with a proud glint in her eyes. At first he didn’t notice many changes, he could tell he was still small even through he had filled out a bit. Looking down at his hands, he saw that his fingers were longer, and their colour was a bit more tanned.

He was startled out of his thoughts, when his father muttered a word under his breath, and a mirror appeared in front of them. Harry looked at his new self intently. While the general shape of his face had not changed much, you could see it was now a perfect blend of the two people sitting by him. His hair was dark brown, falling down to his shoulders in soft waves; he had Severus’ blue eyes, they just seemed a few shades lighter. His features were mostly like Minerva’s, except for his lips and the shape of his ears, which he had gotten from Severus.

Harry smiled lightly as he felt his former potions teacher wrap an arm around his shoulders and saw Minerva sit on the arm of the couch, just next to him. A sense of belonging ran through him; still looking in the mirror, he saw something he never had hoped he would have. A family, his family. With a content sigh, he leaned against Severus’ side and gripped Minerva’s hand. The woman tore her gaze from the mirror and smiled down at him.

“Well, what do you think?”

The boy returned her smile. “It’s perfect.”

Snape nodded in agreement. “Yes, it is. Now we just need to find some new names for us. After all, Minerva and Severus aren’t very common names, and we can’t really keep calling you Harry.”

The teen shrugged unconcernedly. “Not my problem.”

When both adults glanced at him, he grinned. “You’re my parents, it’s your job to worry about my name.”

Minerva couldn’t hold in a laugh at the youth’s logic and Snape ruffled his hair playfully. “Just for that remark we should name you Maurus or some other stuck-up name like that.”

Both adults laughed again at Harry’s alarmed face. Minerva shook her head reassuringly. “Relax, my boy, there’s no way I could call you that and keep a straight face.”

Severus grinned mischievously, but nonetheless grinned in agreement. Looking over at his watch, he noticed it had been several hours since they had started the whole proceeding. With slightly narrowed eyes, he looked down at the teen still leaning against him; he seemed to be fine, but Severus wasn’t taking his chances with the child’s health. “I think it’s time for you to get back to your bed, young man.”

Harry pouted while looking up at the tall man sitting at his side. “We haven’t had lunch yet!”

Severus merely raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re still exhausted and the changes brought by the potion are more tiring than you may realise right now. So, no arguments, up to bed with you.”

Harry sighed, but stood up obediently, his decision about letting Severus guide him overruling his rebellious thoughts about how he knew better about how he felt than the other man. The older wizard led him up the stairs and into his room, where Harry let himself be tucked in bed by his new father after removing his shoes. At the teen’s request, Severus stayed there for a bit, comfortably perched on the bed. Just as he had expected, the teen drifted off to sleep a few minutes later.

Once Severus had made it back to the living room, he and Minerva didn’t waste time and quickly started their discussion on names. After nearly two hours, they finally managed to agree. Their own names had been easily enough to choose, since they each could pick their own, and finally had settled with Jasmine for Minerva and Richard for Severus.

The problem had come when they tried to agree on a name for their son. Every time Minerva suggested a name, Severus deemed it either too Gryffindor or too casual. On the other hand, Severus’ ideas tended to be too formal or typical pure-blooded, which Minerva absolutely refused.

Finally, after nearly starting a shouting match and only holding back because of the child sleeping on the room above, they settled on Daniel, with Minerva firmly stating that she was going to call her son Danny. Severus simply shrugged at her words, as long as she didn’t force him to call the boy anything else but Daniel, she could call him whatever she wanted.

A few days after taking the appearance changing potions, Daniel woke up in what was now his bed and as usual went down to the kitchen in his pyjamas. He enjoyed having breakfast without having to get ready first since it was something he had never been allowed to do as a child. Of course, he knew that his new parents only allowed him to do so because he was still recuperating from his ordeal with the Dark Lord, but he was decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Harry frowned when he walked into the kitchen and only saw his mother sitting there, absentmindedly reading a book. His father had made it a point of eating with them in the mornings since it was not unusual for him to miss lunch and even dinner when he was engrossed in his lab.

Even if he didn’t show it, Harry missed him on those occasions in which they didn’t see the tall man the whole day. He had come so far as to stand in front of the lab’s closed door just to listen to the quite sounds coming from inside the room, reassuring himself that the man was still there. Every time, he convinced himself that he was being stupid and left before gathering enough courage to knock on the door and disturb the man.

Returning his attention to the matter at hand, he approached the table.

“Mom?”

Jasmine jumped out of her seat, wand in hand. Her reaction made Harry take a tentative step back, unsure of what had the woman so on edge. The witch blinked and quickly lowered the offending wand.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dani. You scared me, I didn’t hear you come down.”

The teen nodded and after reassuring himself that he wasn’t about to be cursed by his mother, he joined her at the table.

“What’s wrong?” Looking around once more, he added: “Where’s dad?”

With a swish of her wand, Jasmine warmed the teen’s breakfast and served herself a fresh cup of tea.

“Your father has gone out. He said he needed to look into a few things. He’s going to try and find out what’s going on the wizarding world and how his labs are doing.”

Dani looked worried at that. None of them had ventured out of the house for fear that their disguises wouldn’t be enough to conceal themselves from Dumbledore’s eyes. And while he knew that they couldn’t stay copped inside forever he would have been better if they had all gone together.

Finding that he was no longer hungry, he pushed his breakfast around for a bit before giving up altogether and pushing the plate away. Minerva looked down at the nearly untouched meal and briefly considered forcing the young teen to eat, but in the end she desisted, knowing it would be nearly impossible at this point to make the teen eat something. After all, she hadn’t been able to force anything down either.

For hours they sat in the kitchen in silence, anxiously waiting for Richard’s return. When lunch time came, Minerva made a few light sandwiches and this time she insisted in Harry eating at least two. As the teen reluctantly complied, she also ate her part, trying to ignore the nervous feeling that made it difficult to swallow every time. Once they were finished, Jasmine tried to get Harry to go to his room to rest for a while, but the boy wouldn’t hear about it. The woman couldn’t really argue with him, knowing it would be unlikely for him to get any sleep until Severus returned.

It was barely an hour later when they finally heard the door open. Knowing the wards were strong enough to only allow those who resided in the house in unless invited, both stood up at once and went to greet the man. Harry, who had been sitting closest to the door, rushed out of the kitchen and to the front door, with Minerva walking a bit more sedately behind him.

Richard had barely had the time to lock the door behind him when he heard the sound of running feet approaching him. He turned around just in time to catch the teen, who had flung himself into his arms and was now holding him tightly around his neck, forcing him to bend down so the boy could stand on his feet.

Looking up from the dark head resting against his shoulder, he saw his supposed wife standing a few feet away looking at him with a relieved smile on her face. Severus couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at having worried them so much. He had wanted to be home by lunchtime, but things had taken longer than he had expected.

Returning his gaze towards the child, he passed his strong arms around the slim waist and without trouble he lifted the boy up into his arms and carried him to where Jasmine was standing. The woman’s expression had changed and she was now looking at him sternly, but still, her eyes were glittering in relieve at seeing him back safely.

“Where on earth were you? We were starting to think something had happened to you!”

The man looked at her with a slightly apologetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Min, it took longer than I thought it would. We really need to find some way to communicate.”

Her expression softened at once when she heard the nickname he had started to use barely a week ago. While he still refused to call Harry Dani, and kept using his full name, Minerva suspected it had more to do with his pride than because he really wanted to. After all he called her Min and he didn’t seem to have a problem with her calling him Rick. Well, maybe he had said a few times not to call him that, but other than that he hadn’t complained, well, not much. She forced her thoughts back at the matter at hand. “Have you had lunch yet?”

Severus shook his head. “No, I didn’t have the time, I didn’t want to stay away for longer than really necessary.”

The woman nodded and left the hall to go to the kitchen and make some more sandwiches. When she had left them alone, Richard looked back down to the teen who was still hugging him rather tightly.

“Daniel?”

The boy looked up at him while he was placed back on the ground. “Yes, dad?”

Snape looked him over attentively. Seeing the tired glint in those anxious, bright eyes, he gently reached out and petted the teen’s hair. “I’m sorry a worried you, child, but now I’m back and you look like you could use some sleep right now. Why don’t you go to your room? I’m sure you’ve not had your nap yet today.”

Harry frowned, muttering something about being too old to have naps, but he knew that his parents wouldn’t concede about that. Until he was completely recovered he was expected to rest for a few hours every day after lunch. Not that he usually minded much, finding himself quite tired, but today, even after all those stressful hours, he didn’t want to go to sleep. “I want to know what happened and what you did.”

The man sighed and gently stroked the boy’s head until the frown had disappeared. “I will tell you what you want to know when you’ve rested for a bit.”

The teen started to pout at those words, forcing Severus to keep back a laugh. After all, who would have told him about three weeks ago that he would be standing with a pouting Harry Potter and not have the urge to insult the teen for it. Ignoring the man’s obvious amusement, Dani continued with the argument. “You won’t tell me everything.”

Amusement leaving the dark blue eyes, Richard sighed and bent down slightly so his gaze met the boy’s obstinate eyes. “Firstly, if there’s something I don’t want you to know I won’t tell you either way. No matter if I tell you what I did now or later. Secondly, I know it’s hard for you to trust us after everything that has happened with Dumbledore, but I want you to know that when we keep information from you it’s not to hurt you or deceive you, but just because we both want you to have as much of a childhood as possible now that Voldemort is death and there are many things a teen doesn’t have to deal with. Those are the things we’ll keep quite about, do you think you can live with that?”

Harry bowed his head, trying to deal with what the man had said. In a way he understood what the Potions Master meant, on the other hand, he had spent too much time playing that game with Dumbledore. But Dumbledore had showed himself to be extremely manipulative and had only used him to get rid of Voldemort. Richard and Jasmine seemed to have his wellbeing in mind so he really should allow them to decide what was better. As the man had said it came all down to trust.

Looking once again up in the man’s eyes he remembered the promise he had made himself and his parents to allow them to help him. Then, sighing, he nodded in acceptance. He was rewarded by one of his father’s gentle smiles and then he walked up to his room.

Once he heard the door click shut, Richard turned around and went to the kitchen where his wife was just putting a plate with some food on the table. After they both sat down and Richard had something to eat, Jasmine started to talk.

“Where have you been?”

At once she regretted her harsh words but she had been worried about her friend. For his part, Severus didn’t seem bothered by the tone of voice she had used and calmly started to explain.

“First I went to Diagon Alley.” At her sharp intake of breath and disapproving expression, he placed a calming hand on hers. “I had to be sure that our disguises would hold against wizards, it was the best way to test it.”

The witch didn’t seem very happy with his explanation. “It was also the most dangerous one.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Actually, going to Hogwarts would have been worse.” Not giving her a chance to answer back, he continued with his explanation. “Anyway, no one seemed to recognise me, so I bought several papers and left. There was no sense in staying there longer than necessary and I couldn’t risk speaking to anyone. After that, I went to check on my labs. As expected, the first one has already been emptied, probably by the aurors looking for clues about my location. There were a few wards placed around the place in case I went there, but everything else was gone.”

Minerva looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I hope you didn’t trigger any of those wards.”

The wizard rolled his eyes at her. “I’m not a senseless Gryffindor, Min, of course I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even get really close to the building.” Seeing she was about to raise to his bait, he quickly continued with his report. “The second lab was being watched by a bunch of aurors, they were not really discreet when you know what to look for. I think there were also a few order members, but I didn’t stay around to check. My third lab was luckily untouched, and as far as I can tell no one with magic has been around it.”

Jasmine raised an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure about that?” Seeing his pleased smirk, the woman groaned and put a hand on her forehead. “Ok, out with it, what did you do?”

Richard’s expression shifted from amusement to innocence. “Well, first I spent about an hour checking if someone had tampered with my wards, there are a few that record if anyone with magic walks close by, but nothing came up. I would have gone in then, but I wouldn’t put it past Dumbledore to have non-wizards watching the place so I enlisted the help of a muggle.” At Minerva’s incredulous look, he shrugged lightly. “I paid him a few pounds so he would walk around the building where the lab is for a while. Of course, I didn’t tell him that I had placed a glamour on him making him look like me.”

Minerva gapped at him in shock. “Severus! How could you have done something like that? What if there had been someone watching the lap? Hell, what if the man had seen his own reflection in a window?”

The man raised his hands and chuckled lightly. “Relax, Min. I made sure the glamour would disappear as soon as someone touched the guy for more than ten seconds or something magical, like a portkey, approached him. anyway, knowing the dunderheads the Ministry uses, they would probably have thought they were seeing things and dismissed it as such. So, when I finally decided to go inside, everything was as it should. I packed a few supplies to bring them here and I briefly went over the papers to see what had been going on. That’s actually why I took so long, I wanted to make sure nothing else needed to be done before coming back.”

Minerva nodded, knowing it would be of no use to chastise the man about everything he had done. Sighing, she reached out and took one of the papers that Richard had put on the table. To her surprise and worry, there wasn’t really much information. The aurors had tried to work their way through the burned remains of Voldemort’s castle to try and find bodies, but so far they had had no luck. The wizarding world at large had been celebrating Voldemort’s death, not bothering to wait for official confirmation. Another thing that hadn’t waited either had been Harry’s funeral. It had been celebrated at Hogwarts three days ago, and hundreds of wizards from around the world had been invited to it. Jasmine looked at the article in distaste and was even surer than she had been that they had done the right thing by taking Harry away from all that.

Other than that, there were several articles, talking about the captures of the remaining Death Eaters, the aurors managed to get most of the unimportant ones or just the supporters. The inner circle who hadn’t died that day, seemed mostly untouched. While looking through a list of the remaining Death Eaters, something caught her attention. Looking up, she saw that Richard was staring at her intently.

“Your name isn’t here. Why not?”

The man leaned back and shrugged lightly. “I have no idea. All I can think of so far is that it’s a ploy of the old fool to make me feel safe and therefore careless.”

That drew a laugh out of his companion. “You? Careless? Please, Richard, you’re even more paranoid that Mad-eye.”

Severus smirked and picked up another paper, intent on reading it slower this time around and try to find the details hidden between the lines.

They both read in a comfortable silence for almost an hour. Finally, Severus looked up from his paper, and noticed it was getting a bit late. They still had not heard movement from the rooms upstairs, so Severus stood up. “I better go up and wake Daniel, else he’ll have trouble sleeping tonight.”

His supposed wife glanced up at him before returning her attention to the paper. “Go ahead, but you’ll be the one dealing with your cranky son for the rest of the evening.”

Severus raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re talking about him as if he was a five year old.”

Sighing, Jasmine put the paper aside and looked up at him seriously. “Sometimes I have the feeling I’m dealing with a five year old. It’s like he’s trying to do all those things he wasn’t allowed to do as a child. Just yesterday I went to his room to call him down of dinner, he had transfigured something into one of those electric trains muggle children like to play with and was just watching as it moved.”

By the time Jasmine was done with her explanation, there was a frown on her face. Severus sighed and looked pensive to the door that led to the hall. “I know what you mean. And it’s not only that. Did you see the way he greeted me? I can tell he longs to be touched in kindness and I have no problems in giving him what he needs, but the way he greeted me reminded me of how Draco used to greet me a few years ago.”

The Gryffindor teacher nodded in agreement and they both stayed silent for a long time, wondering what they should do to help their son. Finally deciding they would have to wait and see what happened, Severus shook his head to snap out of his pensive mood. “I better go wake him, and don’t worry, I’ll take him if he’s cranky.”

Both adults shared an amused glance and Richard left the room. He walked up the stairs and went into Harry’s room. The boy was still sleeping, he looked so peaceful that Severus was tempted to allow him to continue this way. Good sense finally won over and the tall man went to sit next to the boy and gently shook one of his frail shoulders.

“Daniel, come on, it’s time to wake up.”

The boy’s eyes flew open at once and he sat up sharply. Severus remained silent while the boy got his bearings back. It happened every time someone woke Dani up and Richard had learned that the best thing for the teen was for him to stay silent but close, so that Harry could feel he was there but he didn’t pose a threat to him. finally, the dark blue gaze settled on him and he allowed his features to soften as a smile appeared on the boy’s face.

“Is there something wrong, dad?”

The man shook his head, standing up at the same time. “No, child, it’s just time for you to get up, else you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Nodding in acceptance, the teen stretched a bit, trying to clear his mind of the remaining sleepiness. He was about to stand up when the door bell rang downstairs.

Both men tensed at the unexpected sound, freezing in their places until the bell rang again. The second sound brought Severus out of his stupor and at once his wand was in his hand. Harry quickly got out of bed and took his own wand from under his pillow. Before he had the chance to open the door, a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“I want you to stay up here until Jasmine or I come and get you.”

The teen started to look angry at that. “But, dad...”

With a forceful pull, he was twirled around and his eyes were captured by his father’s intent gaze. “Daniel, your magic has not recovered completely yet, it could fail you when you most need it and you know it. I’m not about to allow you to put yourself in danger when it’s not necessary and specially not when you’re in not a good enough condition to face it. Is that clear?”

The boy was scowling at him as they heard Minerva walking to the frontdoor. “But...”

Severus didn’t let him finish and tightened his grip on his son’s shoulders. “I asked if I’d made myself clear.”

Bowing his head, the teen nodded, his shoulders throbbing as the man let go of him. without another word, the Potions Master left the room, closing and warding the door behind him. he could now hear Minerva talking to someone downstairs and he quickly went to join her.

When she heard him walk down the stairs, the Gryffindor teacher looked up at him and smiled slightly.

“Ah, there you are, Richard.”

The man returned her smile, reassured by the way she was acting that they weren’t in immediate danger. Shoving his wand up his sleeve, he walked closer and wrapped a long arm around her shoulders. Then, he turned around and came face to face with their visitor. She was a fairly old lady, dressed in a pale blue dress that looked expensive. Her expressive grey eyes were looking at them with a mix of curiosity and welcoming that served to put Severus further at ease with her. Minerva nodded towards their guest.

“This is Madam Farey, Rick, she has come to welcome us to the neighbourhood.”

The man nodded, relaxing further, and extended a hand which the woman shook.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madam Farey, please come in.”

they led the woman to the living room and while Minerva talked to her, Severus discretely used his skills to read her mind. Once he was sure that she was safe to be around, he stood up and after excusing himself, he went to make tea for them all. While the tea was brewing, he went up to get his son. He regretted being so forceful earlier, but fear had gotten the best of him and the urge to protect the teen had made him react more harshly than needed. As soon as he opened the door to the boy’s room, his eyes fell on the small form sitting in a chair, looking out of the window.

While he was sure that Harry had heard him, the teen didn’t make a move to acknowledge his presence. Sighing, and knowing he didn’t have much time until he was expected back in the living room, Severus went to sit on the bed and immediately started to talk, not liking the uncomfortable silence that surrounded them.

“While I want to appologise for being so harsh before, I still want you to understand that we must be careful around people. Until we’re sure that the wards are strong enough to protect us from other wizards, I want you to come up here every time someone is at the door.”

For a few instants, the boy remained silent, his rigid stance revealing that he was probably frowning and not happy with that idea. Finally, his shoulders relaxed and he slumped a bit, before turning to look at his father. Severus was startled to see that the child’s eyes were red and puffy, as if he had been crying.

“Ok, I’ll come up here, but please, don’t lock me in again.”

Frowning, the man stood up and went to stand in front of the teen. Tea be damned, he had obviously upset his son much more than he had thought, and he was going to make it better now, rather than waiting till their guest had left. At least, if he was able to find out what he had done to upset the boy this much.

Bending down slightly, he gently brushed his fingers over Harry’s eyes, making him close them.

“You’ve been crying, I’m sorry.”

Harry shook his head, opening his eyes again but not looking up at the man. “It’s ok, it’s not really your fault, you didn’t know.”

Frowning the man knelt down in front of him and forced the teen to look him in the eye. “What didn’t I know?”

Seeing the questioning look in his father’s eyes, Harry gave in and tried to explain himself. “It’s just that the Dursley always locked me in in my cupboard and later in my room as punishment. I hated it, the feeling of helplessness, not knowing when I would be allowed out again. I know you’re not like them, but you were so angry...”

To the boy’s surprise, the man stood up and lifted him out of his chair, gathering him in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, child. I didn’t mean to bring back old memories, and I wasn’t angry. I was just really worried about you getting hurt. I’m afraid my nerves are a bit on edge right now.”

Harry, with his head burried in the man’s shoulder, nodded in understanding. And while it amazed him that his former professor could be so protective, it still made him feel good. Pulling himself out of the man’s arms, he smiled up at him, reassuring his father that he was alright now.

“So, who was at the door?”

Severus blinked once and then cursed softly, suddenly remembering that his wife was still waiting for tea.

“Get dressed and clean yourself a bit, there’s a woman down there that has come to welcome us to the neighbourhood or some such nonsense. Jasmine is entertaining them and I was supposed to bring them tea, I better go down there before your mother gets angry at me.”

Without waiting for an answer, Snape left the room, leaving a chuckling Harry behind. He quickly finished his preparations in the kitchen and joined the two woman in the living room.

“I’m sorry I took so long, I went to check on Daniel.”

Minerva smiled at him reassuringly, she had guessed that that was probably the case. Anyway, she had been having a good time, talking to the muggle. Madam Farey, or rather Linda as she insisted on being called, was a carefree and talkative woman, which had made the situation much easier than she had expected it would be.

“Is he coming down?”

Severus served that tea and sat down next to his wife. “Yes, he’ll be down in a bit.” Seeing the woman’s curious look, he explained. “Daniel is our son.”

Linda blinked. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you had a boy.”

While she said that, her eyes moved around the room and for the first time, Jasmine noticed how impersonal the room looked. Severus seemed to understand it too and quickly came up with an explanation.

“It’s not your fault, you had no way of knowing. We lost all our things in a fire a few days ago and we haven’t had time to replace most of it yet.”

The woman turned to look at them in compassion. “How horrible. If there’s anything we can do to help you...”

Before the couple was forced to answer, the door opened and Daniel walked in, looking at the three adults hessitantly. Jasmine smiled at him and patted the free place at her side.

“Come join us, Dani.” As the boy approached, she nodded towards the woman, who was now smiling up at the boy. “Dani, this is Linda Farey, she has been kind enough to come and welcome us here.”

At the name, Harry looked up and looked her over more closely. “Farey? Are you perhaps related to Jessy Farey?”

Linda looked at him, a bit surprised. “Yes, of course, she’s my sister in law. Do you know Jessy?”

Harry couldn’t hold back a slightly wistful expression. “Well, not really, but I’ve heard about her, she’s the headmistress of the London school of art.”

Linda smiled. “I’m surprised you’d know such a thing, not many young men are interested in art nowadays.”

Dani shrugged. “I like to paint, I would love to get enrolled in there, but it’s very hard to get in.”

The older woman nodded in agreement. “Indeed it is, but if you want, I could show Jessy some of your work or arrange a meeting with her. She would be able to tell you if you have a chance to get it.”

Harry smiled sadly. He had been listening to the conversation before going in, so he knew what he was supposed to say. His father looked like he was about to answer, but he quickly did so himself, it would lend more credibility to their story. “I’m afraid that all was lost in the fire and we haven’t had the chance to buy new supplies. I have been sketching a bit, but it’s not good enough to show anyone.”

Both, Severus and Minerva tried not to look surprised at those words. Neither had known that Harry had been drawing again. Dani and the woman spoke for a while longer before the conversation moved to more general topics and the boy fell silent. About an hour later, the woman excused herself, saying that her husband would be home soon, and after extending an invitation for dinner, she left the family on their own.

With a deep sigh, the three of them relaxed. While not unpleasant, none of them had thought they would need to come up with so many lies and excuses while dealing with curious muggles.

After the silence had lasted for a while, Richard turned to look at his son, who was now sprawled out on the couch the woman had vacated.

“The London school of Art? I’m guessing that’s a good school?”

Harry didn’t open his eyes. “The best around here.” Then, very softly he added: “She invited me to go there, she was sure I would pass the tests to get in. I was supposed to start after finishing Hogwarts.”

Jasmine exchanged a quick glance with her fellow professor before moving to kneel next to the couch Harry was lying in.

“Who did tell you that?”

“Madam Farey. I met her this summer, she was very kind. She gave me a few lessons and said she would make sure I got in when I finished school.” Harry turned around and curled up slightly. “She wanted me to join at once, I could have started that same summer, but I had to refuse. I needed to get back to Hogwarts.”

Hearing how upset her son seemed, Minerva quickly gathered him in her arms and rocked him lightly. They all stayed in silence, not wanting to break the peace that had fallen over them. Finally, seeing his son was no longer clinging to Minerva, Richard stood up and stretched.

“How about we get something to eat and call it an early night? It has been a long day for all of us.”

Daniel was lying on his bed; he had dimmed the lights in his room because his head felt like it was about to split open and his eyes had started to hurt from the bright light. His chest felt constricted, and he wished that he could breathe without his chest hurting. He also wished there was someone at his side right now, but as usual, his adoptive parents were busy.

The beginning of their arrangement had been wonderful. He had finally felt like he belonged to a family, as if they cared for him as if he was their son. He could still remember their calm support when he went to take his entrance exam for the London School of Art.

Flashback.

Daniel had been trying to sleep for hours now. Jasmine, his new mother, had told him to go to bed early so that he was rested for the next day. After all, he needed to be at his best to take such an important exam. Dani hadn't really argued, but he had the feeling he wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon. And he had been right. It had been nearly three hours since he had gone to bed, his mother had even come up to whish him goodnight, something she didn't do very often. And yet, the nerves were getting the best of him. He so wished to be admitted at the prestigious school. Never before had he had to take an entrance exam for anything, and he wondered how the other students could stand the tension. He was so deep into his musings that he didn't hear the door of his room open and his father walk silently into the bedroom. He was startled when he felt the bed dip in as his father sat next to him.

“I thought you would be sleeping already, Daniel.”

Harry leaned into the hand that started to pet his hair. “I can't sleep.”

Richard chuckled slightly. “Nervous?”

Dani nodded and smiled slightly. “More like terrified. What if I mess this up?”

The older man shook his head slightly. “You won't.” He raised his hand when his son opened his mouth to argue. “And even, if for some reason, you didn't get accepted, it would still not be the end of the world. I'm sure there are quite a few other schools that would be happy to have you.”

Harry relaxed into his pillow. Of course, his father was right, even if he wasn't accepted at the London School of Art, there were plenty of other schools that would offer a good education. And yet, the thought of failure didn't sit well with him. What would his parents say if he messed up? Never before had he been worried about parental approval. The only thing the Dursleys ever cared about was whether he did better than Dudley in school, and after starting Hogwarts, they didn't even want to know what he was doing. So, now he found himself in a situation that he didn't know how to deal with. He also felt silly at asking his father if he would be punished if he failed the exam. He still remembered from his old school how some of the children were grounded if they failed too many exams. Severus and Minerva, both being teachers, didn't seem like they would let such a thing go by without comment.

While his father's words had managed to calm him down a bit, these new thoughts made him tense once again. Severus, who had been sitting silently at his side, shook his head.

“You're thinking too much, Daniel, what are you worrying about now?”

The boy nervously peeled at his blanket. “Will you and Mum be very disappointed if I don't get in?”

Severus remained silent, looking down at the boy intently. Even though the room was darkened, he could still discern the anxious expression on the boy's face. Taking one of the small, nervous hands into his larger one, he squeezed it gently, hoping he would be able to reassure his child.

“Jasmine and I always expect you to do your best, Daniel, but we're both aware that this particular exam is going to be difficult. Linda made sure to tell us just how few students managed to get in each year, so that we would know that you not getting in doesn't mean you don't have talent. Personally, I think you can get in, but I'm not an art expert so I could be wrong. If you don't get in, Jasmine and I will only be disappointed in you if you give up, OK?”

Harry moved closer to his adoptive father. “So, if I fail the exam, I just have to try at another school?”

Snape hummed slightly. “Indeed. If you fail, we'll just get a list of schools from Linda and you'll try out at one of them.”

Dani smiled in the darkness. Knowing that his parents were going to help him took a great deal of pressure from him. Severus seemed to sense his relief and he gently brushed a hand over his cheek.

“Try to sleep now, child, I'll stay until you're asleep.”

Harry closed his eyes, a peaceful smile over his lips. “Thanks, Dad.”

End flashback.

Dani smiled slightly while he remembered that sweet memory. After he had taken his exam, his parents had taken him out to have dinner to celebrate, even though they didn’t know the results yet. A shiver shook his thin frame and he wrapped the blanked tighter around him. Everything had been going so well, and yet, it didn’t last long. Minerva had soon found a job as a teacher in a nearby school. It was a small school and the people who worked there formed a close-knit group that had accepted the woman with open arms. Jasmine, who had always led a quiet and secluded life at Hogwarts, had grasped her second chance at youth with both hands and had started to spend more and more time with her new friends. Severus, on the other hand, hadn’t changed much, he continued to get lost in his world of potions and often Harry didn’t see him in days.

More and more often, every time Harry wished to speak with either of his new parents, he found himself pushed aside. ‘Not now, Dani, they’re waiting for me’ or ‘Later Daniel, I have a potion I must tend to right now’ had become the most frequent cries when he needed his parents. In the end, he stopped going to them. They had once again proven to him that adults where just unreliable and that he would have to take care of himself alone.

A sharp cough made his whole body shudder, stopping the river of thoughts that had been running through his head for what seemed like hours. Closing his eyes in pain, he turned to his side and tried to get comfortable. He just needed to sleep. Everything would be better then.

After a night filled with coughs and cold shivers, Daniel listened as his watch went off. His parents hadn’t returned home that night, so Dani hadn’t been able to ask for something to help with his illness. Not that he thought he would have asked had they come, but maybe one of them would have heard him and cared enough to give him something. Since that hadn’t happened, he had barely been able to sleep that night and now he didn’t feel up to going to school. He knew he shouldn’t miss classes, they were expensive enough, and yet he really couldn’t bring up the energy to get up. Finally, his watch stopped ringing and silence reined through the house. Harry dozed from time to time, trying to get enough energy to get up and get something to eat. He hadn’t eaten anything since the day before yesterday and he really should get something down, even though he wasn’t hungry at all.

At noon he finally managed to fall in a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion, buried deep in his blankets, so he missed Minerva’s arrival.

Jasmine hurried up the stairs to her son’s room. The school had called asking why Daniel hadn’t gone to school that day. She hadn’t been at home the night before, spending the whole night with a group of her friends, so she had no idea why her son had not gone. At first she had been angry at the teenager for not going, thinking he was just skipping lessons. She had decided to deal with him after her lessons. And yet, there was something wrong with the picture. She knew Dani loved those lessons; he always talked about how much fun it was and how much he learned there. She ignored the little voice in her head that asked just how long ago it had been since she had listened to what he had to say.

Suddenly feeling a bit uneasy, she had decided to check on the boy during her lunch hour. If it was just a show of teenager rebellion, she would leave it for the evening, but if it were something else… Seeing the closed door, she silently opened it, not sure what she would find.

The room was filled with darkness, and that was the first sign that something was really wrong. Dani still had trouble sleeping and couldn’t sleep beyond six or seven o’clock each morning. Silently, she entered the room and walked over to where she knew the bed was. In the dim light, she managed to make out the slight form of her adoptive son wrapped tightly in blankets. Frowning, she reached out to his shoulder, and sharply drew back at the heat that met her hand. Cursing softly, she reached towards the boy’s forehead. As she had expected, it was hot to her touch. Frowning, she waved her hand towards the drawn curtains and opened them. The light that filled the room drew a weak whimper from the feverish boy, who turned and tried to bury his head in his pillow.

Jasmine sat down on the bed, trying not to jostle the teenager as her weight settled on the bed. Gently, she tried to turn the boy away from the pillow, softly calling his name. The gentle voice finally managed to awake the young man enough so he could turn over and look up groggily to his adoptive mother.

“Mum?”

The soft, longing voice went straight to her heart and caused the slight guilt she had been feeling at the back of her mind to come forth with full force. “Yes, Dani, it’s me.” She remained silent for a long moment, just carding her hand through the boy’s damp hair and trying to think what she should do next. First thing was to make sure her son was as comfortable as possible, and the next thing would be to get Richard here as soon as possible.

Daniel watched from his bed as his mother rose and drew her wand. She waved it once around the room, erasing the feeling of illness of the room. Next she drew the curtains open, allowing light to come into the room. The boy quickly closed his eyes with a soft whimper as the sharp, midday, light shone through the room. Quickly looking down to him, Minerva waved her wand once again to dim the light so that it would not hurt her son’s eyes. Next she turned to him and muttered a charm over the prone teenager.

Her frown deepened, the fever was very high and her son seemed to be in the full throes of the flu. She quickly charmed the blankets so that they would keep the boy at a right temperature.

“Dani.”

The soft voice caused the dozing boy to open his eyes once again, relieved that the light had been turned down somewhat. He gently turned his pounding head on the pillow so he could stare at her.

“How long have you been feeling ill?”

The teenager frowned slightly, trying to remember when he had first started to feel bad. When he finally decided on a date, he opened his mouth to answer, but a sharp cough rocked his whole body, causing him to moan slightly in pain. Minerva was at his side in an instant, helping him to sit up and rubbing his back comfortingly. After the worst of the coughing fit passed, she encouraged the boy to lean against her shoulder with a gentle touch and summoned a glass of water. Harry drank almost desperately from the glass. In the last few hours he hadn’t felt up to getting up and getting water.

Minerva watched worriedly as the boy drank up the whole glass in barely a few seconds. Once the glass was drained, Dani passed his tongue over his still dry lips.

“More?”

Silently Jasmine complied, but this time she held the glass and forced the boy to drink the water much slower. Once done, she set the glass aside, ignoring the longing look the teenager sent to it. Gently, she petted his hair and waited until his attention was once again focused on her. She didn’t want to be insistent, but she really needed to know.

“Can you tell me now, Dani?”

The boy sighed. “A week, but it wasn’t too bad.”

Minerva frowned, a whole week and she hadn’t noticed. She tried to recall how many times she had seen him this past week, but the only instance she could remember was when they had had supper on Monday evening, and she had to admit she had spent the whole supper talking to Anne through her cell phone.

“When did it get bad?”

Dani shifted a bit. “Yesterday at school. The evening teacher didn’t come and we were allowed to go home, else I don’t think I would have made it through class.”

Jasmine frowned. “You should have told one of your teachers, they would have called either Richard or me.”

Harry closed his eyes reluctantly. “Didn’t want to bother you.”

Minerva lowered her eyes, a pained expression flitted through her face but Harry didn’t see. He was once again dozing tiredly. Silently she moved from under the boy and settled him back into bed. The movement drew a weak whimper from the boy and the blue eyes opened to splits.

“Please, don’t leave.”

Tears filled Jasmine’s eyes at the weak, childlike voice. Gently, she carded a hand through his hair and bent over to kiss his feverish forehead. “I’ll be right back, I promise. I need to call your father, the school, and a doctor so that he can look you over. It’ll only take about ten minutes.”

Dani looked up at her, and unsure expression on his face. “Promise?”

A strangled yes came from the witch’s mouth before she tucked to boy in tightly and left the room. Dani closed his eyes and relaxed against the pillows. His mother was here now. He hoped she would really take care of him now. Anyway, there was nothing he could do if she didn’t.

Jasmine practically ran down the stairs and over to the phone. She quickly dialed the school’s phone number and quietly explained that her son was ill and she would need to take a few days off. The headmaster wasn’t very happy about it, but Jasmine didn’t care, her son needed her. A small voice at the back of her mind informed her that Daniel had also needed her during the last few weeks and that she hadn’t been there for him, but she tried to ignore it, knowing she would have to deal with her guilt later on. The next one she phoned was Richard. She had forced him to always have a cell phone with him. Not that she ever called him, but she wanted to know that she could reach him at any given moment. To say that Severus hadn’t been happy about it was an understatement, but he had finally had given in, under heavy protest. She only hoped that the irascible man kept the phone loaded. Three rings went off before her supposed husband’s voice came through the phone.

“What is it? I’m in the middle of a very important…”

She quickly cut through his preferred speech. “I need you to get home.”

His tone of voice was a bit softer. “What’s wrong?”

She swallowed loudly as she looked up the stairs. “Dani. I was called from his school today, he didn’t go. When I got here I found him bundled up in bed with a high fever and a horrible cough.”

After a minute of silence, Severus sighed softly. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Don’t do anything till I’m there.”

Minerva frowned slightly. “I wanted to call a doctor.”

Her husband shook his head, even though she couldn’t see it. “That’s not necessary, I have some medical training. I think I’ll be able to take care of him.”

Jasmine sighed. “Alright, but be here quickly.”

With a sharp ‘I will’, Jasmine heard Richard hang the phone up and after doing the same, she quickly walked up the stairs.

Daniel was staring intently to the door and seemed to relax slightly when she walked in. She returned to her spot on his bed and sat back down.

“Your father will be here in ten minutes.”

Dani didn’t answer, not sure about how he should feel now. He didn’t feel well, his head was pounding and he was confused. Why was his mother suddenly so worried? Sure, he was ill, but that hardly seemed like a very important reason to stop doing things. He was sure his mother had some kind of meeting this evening but it didn’t look like she meant to go. Maybe once his father was there she would leave. Not that he needed a minder. He just needed a bit of medicine and rest and he would be fine again, there was no need to fuss.

The strained silence was broken by the sound of the front door. Jasmine gently kissed her son before she stood up and went to greet her supposed husband. Severus met her halfway up the stairs, a worried frown in his dark blue eyes.

“How is he doing?”

Jasmine shrugged slightly. “His fever is still high and he seems to be in pain. Probably a headache; he has been dozing on and off since I arrived but he seemed to be quite lucid when I talked to him.”

Richard nodded and walked past her.

“Rick.”

The man turned around slightly and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. “We’ll need to talk later.”

The eyebrow rose a bit more. “What about?”

Jasmine looked away. “About the situation we’re living in right now. It’s not working.”

Richard looked slightly alarmed at that, he had thought everything was working perfectly fine. “What makes you think so?”

Jasmine looked up at him seriously. “When was the last time you really talked with Dani?”

The man opened his mouth to answer but found he couldn’t remember. He recalled a few times in which Daniel had tried to ask him something, but he didn’t have the time. At the time he had told himself that the boy could talk to Jasmine much more easily that to him, but a sharp look at the woman’s face showed he had not been the only one ignoring the boy.

“I can’t remember.”

Jasmine nodded in agreement. “Me neither.” She looked up to the closed door of her son’s room. “He has been feeling ill for a week and didn’t say anything. He told me it got really bad yesterday. I get the feeling he hasn’t eaten since then and he barely had anything to drink if his thirst was anything to go by.”

Severus cursed under his breath and quickly walked up the remainder stairs. He agreed that he and Jasmine would have to have a serious talk later, but he needed to check on the boy first.

Daniel had his eyes closed when he entered the dim room. Walking over to the bed, he bent his long frame to place a cool hand on the boy’s feverish forehead. The teenager’s eyes snapped open when he felt the cold touch.

“Shhh, it’s alright, it’s just me.”

Daniel blinked before his burning eyes focused on his father.

“Dad.”

The older man nodded and waved his wand over him.

“Yes. How are you feeling, Dani?”

The boy blinked startled, his father never called him that. “I’m fine. It’s just a bit of a fever.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “I somehow doubt you’re feeling well at all. Lay still for a bit and let me check you over.”

Dani didn’t even have a chance to answer before Severus had started to mutter charms over him. The boy closed his eyes as he felt his father’s magic cover him. It had been quite a while since he had been exposed to magic and it felt a bit like coming home. The warmth from his father’s spells enveloped him and soothed him into a deep, peaceful sleep. When Severus finished with the string of spells, he saw that the teenager was sleeping peacefully. Trying not to wake him up, he opened his black bag and selected a few potions. He mixed a few of them in a glass and then turned to the sleeping wizard. Gently he raised the boy’s head slightly, getting an annoyed whimper from the sleeping teen.

“Shhh, it’s alright, I just need you to drink this, it will help you feel better and then you can sleep all you want.”

Richard didn’t know how much his son heard, but the boy calmed and allowed him to feed him the mixed potions. Once Dani had swallowed the potion down, he vaguely felt himself being settled back into his pillows and tightly tucked in under the wonderfully cool blankets. He was just slipping under a deeper sleep when a wash of magic covered him once again.

Once Richard finished casting the monitoring charm over the boy, he gathered his things in his bag and silently left the room, leaving the door open so that they could hear teenager from downstairs. He made his way down to the kitchen where he found Minerva talking to the phone. He quietly started some tea while his supposed wife spoke to the person on the other side of the phone.

“I’m sorry, Alan, but I really can’t make it tonight.” A short pause was followed by. “No, I don’t know if I’ll be available tomorrow either. Actually, I don’t think I’ll be able to come around for a few days. I don’t want to leave my son alone.” Minerva rolled her eyes in annoyance at whatever the other man was saying. “Look, Alan, I know you reserved those tickets months ago but it really cannot be helped.” Annoyance started to turn into anger. “I’m not about to leave Dani alone even though he’s sleeping! What if he wakes up?” She clenched her fist on the table and Richard had enough. Before she could reply once again, he took the phone out of her hands, just in time to hear the last words of the man’s sentence.

“…. That idiot husband of yours.”

In a deadly voice, Severus replied to the insult. “I suggest you watch who you call an idiot, but of course it would be too much to ask for someone with such a small brain like you to grasp the concept of the word no. Jasmine is not going to make it tonight, nor anytime soon either. At least I hope she would not lower herself to accompany such a brainless idiot like you.”

Leaving the other man sputtering on the other side he hung up and returned the phone to the stunned woman.

“Really, Min, whatever possessed you to get involved with such a moron?”

Jasmine sputtered before gathering her composure back. “I’m not involved with him!”

Richard gazed down at her. “No?”

The witch looked him straight in the eye. “No. Not with him and not with anyone.”

The man nodded and returned to the tea. “Why not?”

Jasmine chocked in shock. “What do you mean, why not? You…”

The wizard finally turned around with two cups of steaming tea. “What about it? It’s not like we are involved. We barely even pretend to be.”

Minerva shot him an odd look. “I thought you wanted to try.”

Richard raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I wanted, but it’s obvious that neither you nor I were as prepared to try it out as we thought. We barely see each other, Min.”

“That’s not my fault!”

Rick nodded slightly. “It’s not only your fault. I’m not saying it is. It’s both our faults.” He shot a glance towards the stairs and sighed. “If it was only about us, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Minerva looked down at her untouched cup and pressed her lips together. “How is Dani doing?”

Richard took a sip of his own tea. “He’ll be fine, it will take a bit, but he’s going to be ok.” At her questioning look, he elaborated. “He has an ear infection. That was what caused the high fever. There aren’t potions to treat the infection immediately. It’s too close to the brain to risk using the common potions against infection, that’s why it will take a bit for the less stronger potions to take effect.”

Jasmine finally sipped from her cup of tea. “But he’ll be fine?”

Richard nodded. “Physically, yes.”

Minerva winced at those words, knowing that she had messed up quite badly. Seeing the dark look in her companion’s eyes she knew he felt that way too. “We have failed him.”

Sighing, the man nodded again. “Like so may others before us.”

They remained in a strained silence, each wondering how they were going to solve the situation they were in. It wouldn’t be easy, Harry had probably lost his faith in them and it would be hard to regain it from the young boy. Severus tiredly brushed his hair aside. “Any ideas on what we should do now to try and repair the damage?”

Jasmine raised her head. “I don’t know, why are you asking me?”

Richard snorted. “Come on, Min, you may have regained your youth, but you were head of your house for more than fifty years. You surely have more experience than I do in something like this. You were quite close to some of your students.”

Minerva shrugged slightly. “It’s not quite the same.” Before Richard could reply she continued. “I would suggest we talk to him.”

Richard blinked. “Yes, well, I doubt that will help much. We promised him we would take care of him, and we’ve been doing anything but that.”

Jasmine shot him an annoyed look. “I know, I know, that’s not everything. After that we’ll have to prove it until he believes us. It’s going to take quite some time.”

Rick nodded with a sigh. “I assumed as much. We’ll have to reach an agreement between the two of us before this is going to work.”

The woman nodded with a pained look on her face. “I was thinking on resigning.”

Richard looked up sharply. “That’s unnecessary. Dani is at school when you are teaching, it would be useless for you to be cooped inside here unless you wish to. And I doubt you would want to sit around here all day doing nothing.”

Jasmine nodded slightly, and yet, she knew she would have to stop seeing her friends. Seemingly to read her mind, Richard spoke once again. “There’s also no need to stop seeing your friends. I would only ask you to limit a bit your time with them. I would suggest we work out some kind of schedule so that Dani is never alone.”

The woman snorted. “That’s not going to go over well, Rick. Dani is anything but stupid, he will notice at once and he’s going to hate it. He told me he hadn’t wanted to tell us he was feeling ill because he didn’t want to bother us.”

Richard snorted. “Not that he had much chance to tell us even if he had felt inclined to do so.”

Minerva nodded, conceding his point. “I think that what we should try is to really act more like a family.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “How so? It hasn’t been working very well so far.”

Jasmine looked at him a bit startled. “You can’t really tell me you feel we’ve been trying.”

Richard looked a bit unsure. “No, and yet I don’t have a clue as to how to remedy this situation. My family was not exactly an example I would wish to follow.”

Minerva nodded a bit sadly, but knowing that he wouldn’t want to talk about it, she pressed on. “I think we need to establish a few rules. For example, we should try to always have dinner together, a bit like a family moment. And no working or going out on weekends unless it is together. There are many places we could take Dani that would be enjoyable to us too.”

They talked late into the evening about the things they had to change. They realized they had been acting more like teachers around the boy and not really like parents should, excluding both the boy and each other from their private lives.

At dinner time, Severus went up the stairs while Minerva cooked a light dinner for them all. The Potions Master found his son still sleeping soundly even though his flushed face showed that the fever was once again back. Gently moving to the bed he placed a cool hand on the teenager’s forehead and softly called him.

“Dani. Come on, son, wake up for a bit.”

Groggy blue eyes opened at the same time that an annoyed whimper announced the boy’s displeasure at being waken from such a deep sleep. Severus chuckled lightly.

“Shhh, I know you’re tired and want to go back to sleep, but I need you to eat something and after that you need to take your potions again.” He petted the damp hair. “You’re burning up.”

Severus drew back a bit and summoned a glass of cool water. Helping the boy sit up he gave it to him and while Harry drank down the contents, Richard moved the pillows so that the boy could lean comfortably against them.

“Could I have some more water?”

The boy’s voice was scratchy and Severus winced slightly at the pain it must cause him to speak. “Not right now, your mother is making some dinner, you need to eat a bit and then you can have more water.”

Dani frowned, eyes still glassy from fever. “I’m not hungry.”

Richard nodded. “I imagine you’re not, but I would like you to try and eat a bit. The potions will work better on a full stomach. Besides, when was the last time you ate something?”

There was not even reproach in the man’s voice. He was very well aware that it was his and Jasmine’s fault that the boy had been unable to eat.

“The day before yesterday. I wasn’t hungry yesterday, I just wanted to sleep.”

Severus sighed. “You should have told someone that you were feeling so bad.” When the boy opened his mouth to reply, the older man waved his hand slightly. “We’ll talk about that when you’re feeling better. There’s actually much we need to talk about. But now is not the time.”

The former head of Slytherin stood up to go see how far along his wife was when a soft voice reached him.

“Please, I’m sorry, don’t leave me alone.”

Startled, the man turned around sharply and hurried back over to the bed. The boy’s feverish eyes were looking up at him pleadingly and with a pang, he started to understand just how much damage his and his wife’s thoughtlessness had caused. He silently embraced the boy and gently pressed his warm head against his chest.

“Neither Jasmine nor I intend to leave you alone. I just wanted to go to the kitchen and see how dinner is coming along.”

Harry nodded in understanding, but slim arms came around his waist and clutched tightly at him. They remained in that position for a long time until Minerva entered the room with a mug filled with soup.

With soft, gentle murmurs, the two adults fed the boy his dinner, gave him potions and tucked him back in bed. At Harry’s timid request, Jasmine sat with him until he fell asleep.