Harry woke up on a soft bed, sunlight beaming down on his face. He snuffled into his pillow and rolled over, drawing the covers closer to his chin.

He felt comfortable, like he was laying on a cloud. It was peaceful, and Harry wanted nothing more than to go back to dream land and chase the good dream he was having.

Wait a moment.

He sat up.

This wasn't his bed. This wasn't even his room. Where was he?

He frantically tried to get out of the bed but only succeeded in tangling his legs in the covers and nearly falling out of the bed face first. He managed to untangle himself and sat up straighter. He didn't have his glasses on so the room was blurry, and he could hardly make out the shapes of the objects.

He groped around on the bedside table, searching. He finally found his glasses and put them on, and the whole room became clear.

There was a large closet directly opposite the bed and a bookcase beside the window. There was a table on either side of the bed and a dresser next to the door. A guitar rested beside the bookcase on a stand. A greyish blue rug was underneath the bed.

Large windows were to his right and the curtains were open, revealing the backyard and the small creek.The bed Harry was in was very large. Three of him could fit in it comfortably.

This must have been Snape's room. He didn't expect the man's room to be so...bright. He stretched, and a thought popped into his head. Instant mortification came over him and his face turned a bright red.   

Had Snape put him to bed? He blushed brighter. He must have looked like such a baby. Hopefully Snape had used some sort of magic to carry him, instead of picking him up.

The door opened and Snape stepped inside, still in his pajamas.

"I see you are awake," he said. Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded. "We need to leave at around ten. It is eight right now, so you need to hurry and get ready. I will lay out some clothes for you to wear. You will not be going in...that." Snape sneered at the clothes that Harry still had on.

"You remember where the bathroom is?" Harry nodded. "Good. Go and wash up." Harry hopped off the bed and went down the hall. He went to the restroom and stopped at the sink which was slightly too tall for him. Two toothbrushes, one black and the other blue, were in the holder and Harry reached for the blue one. He figured Snape's would be the black one, seeing as he seemed to own no other colors besides black and grey. He brushed his teeth, the toothpaste making his teeth feel cool and fresh, and washed his face. He had to hop a bit to reach the rag on the ring next to the mirror. He managed to reach it without any incidents and dried his face. He didn't want to use Snape's hairbrush, so he just ran his fingers through his hair, making it even more unruly than before. He smoothed down his feathers, which where sticking up every which way, matching his hair.

He walked back to Snape's room, feeling a lot better than when he woke up. He never really got a chance to wash up at the Dursley's, so he always felt greasy and icky the entire day, and when he did wash up, it was in the back yard with cold water from the hose. Snape was still digging in the closet when Harry walked in, his black wings the only thing poking out. Clothes were laid out on the bed, a red t-shirt and black cargo pants. Grey socks were rolled up beside the shirt.

Harry took the t-shirt and brought it up to his chest. The end of the shirt fell to his knees. This was going to be like a dress on him! Snape straightened, a pair of black sneakers in his hand.

"Sir, this would never fit!" Harry said, motioning towards the clothes.

"I know. Those are some of my old clothes. I will shrink them to fit you. You will be wearing those until we get you some better clothes." Harry blinked. Snape owned a red shirt?

"Put them on so I can shrink them to your size." Harry blanched. He was going to change in front of Snape?

Snape rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to look, silly boy. Just tell me when, and I will turn around." Harry nodded, feeling a bit better. Snape turned around, looking into the closet, hands in his pajama pants pockets. Harry turned around as well, facing the bedside table and quickly changed. As predicted, the shirt nearly fell off of his bony shoulders and the end fell below his knees. He had to hold the pants in place so they wouldn't fall. The socks were okay, but they were rolled up so high that they met with the shirt at his knees. He felt really silly, but turned back around, the cargo pants nearly falling despite his grip.

"Okay, sir. I'm done." Snape turned back around, and if he was amused by Harry's look, he didn't let it show. Instead, he tossed the shoes at Harry, who caught one, but fumbled with the other. This time, amusement did shine in the taller man's eyes, and Harry's cheeks grew pink. He slipped them on, which was no problem since his feet were three times smaller than Snape's.

Snape took out his wand and instantly Harry's clothes began to shrink. Even shrunk, the clothes were a bit big, but not as much to where they were falling off. An added bonus was they made Harry look around a normal size, instead of the super skinny that he was. His wings, like Snape's, magically poked out from his shirt. It was nice not having giant holes in the back of his shirt that let cold air in. He wiggled his toes in the shoes, marveling in the feeling of wearing shoes that actually fit.

Harry looked back towards Snape. "Thank you, sir!" He smiled.

"Don't thank me yet, Mr. Potter. We haven't even began shopping yet." Snape grabbed Harry's old clothes and rolled them into a ball.

"I'm going to burn these first chance I get," he mumbled to himself. He looked back at Harry.  "Leave. I'm going to change. I'll be down in a moment." Harry left Snape's room and walked to his. Spin was curled on the desk and Hedwig was asleep in her cage, her head under her wing. He moved Spin out of the way gently without waking him up and took out a sheet of paper. He scribbled with the quill for a moment, getting used to the new way of writing. He took out a new sheet and began writing his letter to Hermione.  

Dear Hermione,

This is Harry. You know, that boy you met in that clothes shop? I just wanted to ask some questions. I know I'm in that Hogwarts book that you mentioned, and no doubt that You-Know-Who's defeat was put in there as well, but why are you so afraid? He's not coming back. Those are just rumors, right? There's no reason to be afraid of rumors.
Also, I have picked up that Muggles can not se anything magical, or at least, without a magical person letting them. How did your parents (I guess those were your parents. They do look a rather lot like you) manage to get into Diagon Alley? Was there someone magical with you that I did not see? I'm just curious.

Anyway, those weird questions aside, how has your summer been so far?Mine has been great. I'm no longer with my Aunt and Uncle, thank God. I'm not going to go into details about that, but something awesome has happened. I got two pets! I now have a white owl that I have named Hedwig and a black water snake named Spin. Hedwig is amazing. She's so smart. I knew owls where the symbol for wisdom, and now I see why! Spin is great too, but all he does is sleep. I guess I would too if I didn't have anything to do. I know the letter says we can only have a toad, owl or cat, but I hope Dumbledore will let me bring Spin. He'll get so bored without me!

I can't wait for Hogwarts. I actually got to see it yesterday. I'm not going to give any spoilers, but it is amazing! You are definitely going to love it. I even got to see the dungeons! They're not as scary as I expected, but then again I only got to see one part.
The grounds are huge! It took a while to walk to the castle from the gates, but I'm sure that the students wouldn't mind as much, seeing as they're going to a freaking castle of magic!

I hope your summer continues to be good and I hope to talk to you again. You seem like a nice person.

                         -Harry P.

Harry set down his quill, clenching his hand. That much writing with the quill made his hand hurt. He didn't know how he was going to last all through Hogwarts writing with that.

He took his paper to Hedwig, ready to mail, then paused. How was he going to get it to Hermione? Surely Hedwig didn't know where Hermione lived, and there was no way Harry knew. Maybe he should ask Snape.

He walked out into the hallway just as Snape was coming out of his room. "Sir!" he said, waving the paper around. Snape looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes?

  Harry smoothed out his paper. "I want to mail a letter to this girl that I met yesterday at Madam Malkins and..." Harry glared when he saw the amused expression on Snape's face.

  "A girl?" He had a tone of mischief in his voice.

"Not like that! We're just friends! And not even friends! We just met one time yesterday. Anyway, I just want to know how I can mail it. I don't know her address."

"Your owl should be able to mail it."

"How? Hedwig doesn't know where she lives."

A smirk appeared and disappeared just as quickly. "She's a magical owl. She will know where to go, no matter where the other person may be."

"That's neat!" Harry said and he ran back to his room, leaving Snape in the hallway. He whistled and Hedwig flew from her perch.

"Can you mail this for me, girl? Take it to Hermione Granger." Hedwig hooted and held out her leg. He tied the letter as best as he could to her leg and opened the door. She hopped from his shoulder onto the window sill and took flight.

He walked back to the living room. Snape was standing in front of the door, rummaging through his wallet. He had changed from his pajamas to a plain grey V-neck t-shirt and khaki cargo pants. He had a bandage wrapped around his left forearm and his black wings were tucked in tightly against his back.

Snape looked up when Harry walked down. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. Harry nodded.

"We'll be getting groceries and some new clothes. If you need or anything else, just ask."

"Okay. Sir?"

"Yes?"        

"How are we going to get there? Are we going to walk?"

Both eyebrows went up. "I certainly hope not. I have a car. We will be driving into town." Again, Snape surprised Harry. He certainly didn't think the man could drive, let alone own a car. Who knew.

As they walked to the garage, Harry played a bit with his wings. Snape grunted as he opened the heavy door. A black Mercedes convertible was parked, its hood down. Harry's jaw dropped. He didn't think Snape would drive this!

"Woah!"

 Snape seemed mildly proud. "This belonged to my father. He died a couple of years ago, so I got it along with the house," he said and got in the driver's side, which was on the opposite side of the car.

Harry gave Snape a confused look as he got in the passenger's seat on the right side. "Why is the car...?"

Snape turned the key in the ignition and it roared to life. "My father imported this car from America when he moved to England to marry my mother."

 "So you're-"

Snape rolled his eyes then casted a sidelong glance at Harry, effectively shutting him up. "Yes, I'm half-American. Don't act too shocked. I'm not going to be spurting out any 'dudes' or 'bros' anytime soon," he muttered. Harry snickered, imagining Snape with a surfer dude accent and a surfboard. Snape pushed down on the gas pedal and they zoomed out the garage. As soon as the wind hit Harry's face, a large grin spread.

He wanted nothing more than to spread his arms and wings and let the warm air flow over him, but he didn't fancy flying backwards out of the car. Instead, he let the adrenaline rush through him, his smile going even wider so much that it hurt.

So this is what it's like to fly! he thought and looked at Snape. Snape seemed to be enjoying the wind in his hair as well because a small smile was on his lips and he leaned his head back to let his long hair flow.

They passed by people walking their dogs or taking a stroll. Harry was still amazed that they couldn't see his wings. Magic was truly an amazing thing. One man with a giant Great Dane waved as they passed, and the dog barked energetically. Harry waved back, feeling truly happy for once in his life. He had felt something like this at Hogwarts, but not at this level.

They stopped in front of a large shopping center. Harry hopped out, missing the feel of the wind through his hair. He wanted to get back in and drive forever.

Snape grabbed a shopping cart and went inside, Harry right on his heels. Snape pulled out a list.

 "All right, Harry," Harry startled when Snape called him by name. "Go get the milk."

"You...you called me Harry," Harry said and gave Snape a confused look.

Snape rolled his eyes. "We are in a public place. It would seem weird if I started calling you Mr. Potter, wouldn't it?"

Harry blushed. "Oh."

 .'.

Severus watched Potter walk to the milk and dairy section, shaking his head. Honestly, that boy didn't make sense sometimes. He crossed out milk and looked at the next item on the list. Fruit.

He walked towards the fruit aisle, stopping next to the drinks along the way. He placed two twelve packs of soda, one Dr. Pepper and the other Mountain Dew, in the bottom of the buggy. It was his secret pleasure, one that not even Albus knew about. He loved the feel of the carbonated bubbles tickling his lips and the taste of the sugary drinks

He picked up fruit; apples, oranges, kiwis, strawberries, grapes, and bananas, and put them in the cart. Potter came back with a gallon of milk and tried to place it in the cart, but could barely lift it high enough to get over the rim of the cart. Severus gripped the milk by the handle and easily placed it next to the fruit, much to Potter's embarrassment.

They shopped for over two hours for groceries. They got more bread, canned goods, meats, cheeses, coffee, tea, and snacks. Plenty of food for the rest of the summer. Potter managed to plead his way into getting a pint of caramel ice cream, using his large green eyes as weapons against him, much to Severus' annoyance. They left the ice cream in the freezer, until after they were completely finished with shopping so it wouldn't melt. Finally, they finished the grocery shopping and went to buy clothes.

When they reached the clothes section, Potter suddenly faltered. He began to fiddle with his shirt and looked down at his feet.

"What is wrong, Harry?" Snape asked as nicely as he could. He was tired from shopping and wanted nothing more than to get out of there and lay down.

"You don't..." Potter mumbled, the end of his sentence too low for Severus to hear.

"Don't have to what? Buy you anything?" Potter nodded meekly. Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 "You didn't have a problem when Hagrid bought you things," Severus pointed out.

 "But that's different. I used my own money. You don't have to waste your money on me."

Severus wanted to smack his head on something. He had no problem with begging for a pint of ice cream, but when it came to stuff he actually needed, he suddenly clammed up and acted shy?

 "Mr. Potter," he began, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. He ignored the odd look from an older woman passing by. "Whether you like it or not, I am buying you clothes. You're not going to wear my clothes for the rest of the summer, and what are you going to do for school? Certainly you are not going to wear your robes all day. That will just be silly and unnecessary. You need clothes, and it will not kill me to reach into my wallet and buy you necessary items. Believe it or not, I may actually want to provide you with something."

Potter's eyebrows went up in shock, and Severus turned and pretended to examine the multi-colored shirts hanging on the rack behind him. He didn't know why he said that, and he tried to ignore the odd feeling rising in his chest. He felt a pair of skinny arms wrap around his middle and looked down to see Potter hugging him with his face buried in his chest.

"Thank you, sir," the child mumbled.

Severus cleared his throat and pushed Potter off as nicely as possible. "You're welcome," he said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

For the next three hours, Severus picked out clothes and Potter would try them on. They picked out ten t-shirts, two jackets, three long sleeved shirts, five pairs of jeans, two pairs of tennis shoes, a pair of ear muffs and gloves, and eight pairs of socks. Potter tried to protest when Severus held out a pair of boots, but a look from Severus and Potter shut up and went to the changing room.

 With all the clothes and food items in the cart, the buggy was overflowing. Potter had to hold most of the shirts and the two jackets, which resulted in a large bundle that was nearly taller than the boy. Only the tips of his spikey hair could be seen poking up above the large pile. His knees wobbled a bit, trying to keep balanced with all the clothes swaying whichever way.

Finally, Severus stopped, making Potter bump into him. The pile swayed dangerously, and it looked like it took all of Potter's willpower not to fall with it. He grabbed the pile from Potter, placing it precariously with the otheritems in the cart.

 "Sir?" Potter asked, confused. "Why did you take my stuff?"

 "You can't carry all of that. You'd fall before we'd reach the checkout," Severus said as he moved the bread from underneath the clothes. It wouldn't do to squash the bread before they even checked it out.

"I'm fine, sir." Potter tried acting tough by puffing out his chest. Severus nearly laughed.  

"You may have been fine then, but we are on the complete other side of the store. You wouldn't have made it to the deli station." At the word deli, Potter's stomach rumbled, followed quickly by his own. He pretended to ignore it, but Potter giggled a bit.

He pointed to Potter, then at the cart. "You, stay here. I will go and get something for you to carry." He pointed at the cart again for emphasis, and walked past two aisles before looking back. Potter was still there, standing beside the shopping cart. He scuffed his shoe on the tile and fiddled with his hands, looking around. He spotted Severus looking and waved. Severus did a two-finger salute back, pleased. Good. He actually obeyed, although Severus had no doubt he would.

 Confident Potter would continue to obey orders and not wander off, he walked the rest of the way to the front of the store and grabbed a small, garishly yellow shopping basket, only looking back every once in a while. He didn't need someone snatching up The-Boy-Who-Lived. The lady at the desk asked him if he needed any help, and when he said no she went back to snapping her gum, a bored, hollow-eyed look coming back on her face.

 Severus felt a tingle go over his body, meaning something had happened. Potter had moved. He knew it. He had put a monitor spell on the boy when he wasn't looking, and now, warning bells were going off in his head.There was too many people in his way, so he couldn't see his buggy clearly as he walked closer. He tried to keep calm. He was just being paranoid. Potter was probably fine. He may have just went to the next aisle.

When he got to his buggy, his suspicions were true. Potter was gone.

 He checked the next aisle. He wasn't there. He checked the next two aisles down. Still no Potter.

 Was it Death Eaters? Did Potter accidentally Apparate? He willed himself to calm down, to stop his fluttering wings. He was overthinking it.

"Harry!" he called, hoping Potter was in an aisle near enough to hear. "Harry!" Where had that boy run off to? He had only turned his back for a second! Damn the Potter's reckless intuitions!

He went down every aisle, calling Potter's name. None of the other shoppers paid him notice, too busy with their own shopping to care. His wings fluttered even faster out of worry and anxiousness. He rounded a corner, knocking a shelf full of cookies down with his wings. With a subtle wave of his hand, the shelf turned upright.

He heard footsteps and turned around, bumping into someone else. Potter stood there, glasses askew, holding what looked like a bright neon green stuffed dinosaur. Severus looked down his nose at the boy and Potter gulped, stepping back.

 He resisted the urge to grab the boy and shake him for worrying him so much, but instead, he took a deep breath and with the calmest but most disappointed tone possible, he said "Just where, Mr. Potter, have you been?"

Potter fiddled with the stuffed dinosaur, trying not to look Severus in the eye. His glasses were still lopsided, so Severus fixed them with a quick spell. He asked again. "Well?"

"I saw these stuffed animals when we passed them and I just wanted to look. Honest!" He looked up, fear in his eyes. "I thought I could be at the buggy when you came back, but I got lost. I couldn't find it again." Potter was twisting the tail of the dinosaur so hard in his hands that it looked like the stuffing was about to burst from the seams.

Gently, as not to make the boy even more scared, he took the stuffed toy from Potter's hands. "Nevertheless," he said, holding the toy beside him. "You disobeyed my orders and strayed away from the cart. You could have gotten hurt, or worse, someone could have taken you. I was so sca-"

He stopped, snapping his mouth shut. He had barely known the boy for two days and already he was acting like a caring parent. This wasn't good. He tried again, starting over.

"You could have gotten hurt and how would that make you feel, being hurt over a stuffed dinosaur?" He waved the plush toy around. Potter's eyes welled with tears, and he looked scared, as if he was going to get hit.

"I'm sorry, sir!" the boy wailed. "I'm sorry! Please, I just wanted to look at it. I've never had a stuffed animal before and just-" he hiccupped, drawing in deep breaths. "Please, sir, don't punish me! I'll be good! Promise!" Other shoppers were looking at him now, glaring, as if he had slapped the boy.

 He slowly got to one knee to be at Potter's eye level and reached out a hand to his shoulder, but Potter flinched away, wings coming around to cover him. Severus quickly retreated his hand.  

"Silly boy, I'm not going to hurt you," he tried to reconcile the boy. He kept his voice low, soothing, making sure no Muggle could overhear. "Please move your wings, Harry. You're not in trouble."

 Slowly, Potter parted his wings, a tearful green eye looking through the feathers. "You promise you wont hurt me?" he mumbled.

 Severus held up his hands, palms outward. "I promise." Potter's wings fell, but the boy wouldn't look Severus in the eye. He held out the dinosaur to Potter, and the boy took it, eyes widening.

 "Show me where you found it," Severus said, still softly. Potter looked a bit dejected, but turned, making sure Severus was following, and went down the aisle, turning a corner. They passed two aisles then Potter turned to an aisle that made Severus' eyes want to bleed.

Brightly colored animals, even more than the dinosaur, lined the shelves. Toys and mats and coloring books were down one side, stuffed animals the other. Severus felt as if he was stepping into Zonko's Joke Shop as he walked down the aisle, accidentally stepping on a squeaky bear. Potter placed the dinosaur neatly beside other stuffed dinosaurs, rearranging them until he was pleased.     

 "I wanted to put it back the way I found it," Potter explained as Severus raised an eyebrow.

He took Potter gently by the shoulder and steered him out the aisle, heading towards their buggy. "Thank you for putting that up," he said. "Now, let's hope nobody tried to steal anything from our cart."

As it turned out, nobody did, for which Severus was grateful. He didn't feel like rampaging around the store again for more shirts. They paid for their items, Potter finally getting over the dinosaur, and headed for the car when both of their stomachs rumbled again. 

 "It seems we missed breakfast," Severus mused. He turned to Potter. "Where would you like to eat?"

 Potter thought for a moment. "Um, I saw this place in the store, next to the deli station. I think they were selling sandwiches."

Sandwiches wouldn't have been his first choice, but he was hungry, so who was he to complain? "All right. Sandwiches it is." He turned the cart around, pushing up the slope and tried to avoid bumps. The last thing he needed was everything to fall out.

The deli station was closer to the front than he remembered. Sure enough, just as Potter mentioned, there was a woman selling sandwiches, standing behind a table that advertised the many different meats they sold.

The woman's eyes lit up as they came closer. No doubt they were her first customers that day.

"Hello!" she said in a way too cheery mood. Her smile was so wide it made Severus' cheeks hurt for her. "What can I do for you today?"

Before Severus could open his mouth, Potter jumped in front of a pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese.

"Are you selling these?" he asked, looking for the first time like the child he was. Of course Potter would act like this over a sandwich instead of the stuffed animal.

The woman chuckled, amused by Potter's antics. "Why yes, we are. Would you and your father like to try some?"

Severus felt his eyes go wide and tried not to let the shock show. "Ma'am, I believe you're mistaken, he isn't my-"

"Come on Dad. Pick one," Potter interrupted and winked, mischief in his voice. He held out a turkey with provolone and Severus sighed, taking it, but not without giving the brat a small glare as he did so.

"We'll take these, I suppose," he said, putting the appropriate amount of bills on the table. Potter grabbed his hand, waving at the lady, and dragged him to outside benches, where Potter swiftly unwrapped his sandwich and took a giant bite.

Severus was more slow unwrapping his and he actually savored his bite instead of eating three in rapid succession. He had to admit, the sandwich was rather good, a lot better than he had expected from a small stand. They usually tasted along the lines of sawdust with mayonnaise.

 As suspected, Potter finished his sandwich first and sat there swinging his legs, waiting on Severus. Severus studied the boy out of the corner of his eye as he ate. He had certainly come out of his shell in the past day, something Severus was slightly amazed by. He certainly had nothing to do with it. Merlin knows where Potter had found the reason to trust Severus so much, but Severus had to admit, if only to himself, that it felt rather good. Someone trusted him that wasn't under the influence of Dumbledore. That was a first.

Potter suddenly jumped up, looking alarmed. Severus nearly choked on his sandwich. He looked around, expecting to see men in masks come barreling towards them.

"What? What is it?" Severus quickly swallowed his sandwich and stood up, placing one of his giant wings in front of Potter. Potter shoved his wing away and turned to Severus with wide eyes. "We forgot the ice cream!"

For the second time that day in less than an hour, Severus tried to still his rapidly beating heart.

"Well then, why don't you go get it?" Severus asked coolly, trying to pretend that his near heart attack didn't happen.          

  "You'll let me get it by myself?" Potter asked, incredulous, eyes wide with disbelief. 

Severus tried to keep his face passive. "I hope that you have learned from the last experience. You're not going to be running away with it into the sunset are you?" Potter shook his head rapidly. "I thought not. Now, go get it. And come right back."

He handed Potter the appropriate amount of bills and watched as the boy ran inside the store, glee evident on his young face. He leaned his head back on the bench, rubbing his hand down his face, and groaned. Oh, it was only his second day with the boy, and already he was so tired. For the first time he actually wished for school. He would rather be teaching snot-nose brats than continue to babysit the Potter spawn. Why couldn't the school year come any faster?

 He heard the sound of a child giggling and cracked an eye open. A young boy, around four, was pulling his mother by the arm to their car, waving one of the neon dinosaurs around with his other hand. He noted it looked just like the one Potter had picked out.

"Thank you soooo much for the dino, Mamma!" he giggled, turning around and clutched it tightly to his chest.The mother smiled, making the child smile even wider, eyes shining. Severus felt guilt bubble in his chest, but quickly pushed it down.

Don't be stupid Severus. The boy will be just fine without the damn dinosaur, he thought.

But it was his birthday two days ago, and he didn't even get a present.  His conscience reared its head and Severus growled, getting odd looks from the woman and child.

 He glanced to the front of the store, calculating. The dairy section was quite a bit farther away from the door than the toy section. If he hurried, he could grab the dinosaur and be back before Potter paid for his ice cream. Then he realized what he was thinking and shook his head. Potter would be fine...

Quickly, before his inner voice could pipe up again, he got up and walked inside. He made sure to avoid the dairy section and headed over to the bright aisle that had the stuffed dinosaurs. He grabbed the bright green t-rex and speedwalked to the front counter. The man at the checkout smiled as he bagged his purchase.

"Is this for your son? I'm sure he will love it," the man said, giving Severus a knowing look. Without even bothering to correct the man, Severus quickly grabbed the bag, harrumphing a "thank you", and walked out the automatic door just as Potter came out of the dairy section, ice cream clutched in his hands. He placed the new item in the cart, making sure to cover it with other bags so Potter couldn't see the bright green that showed through the thin plastic.

Don't say that I never did anything good for you, Potter, Severus thought, sitting back down and crossing his legs.

Potter came skipping out of the store not a second later, a wide smile on his face. His copper wings fluttered with the wind, and he looked more happy than Severus had seen him so far.

And all over damn ice cream...

Potter stopped next to Severus, the damnable smile still etched on his face. He reached into his pocket and handed Severus the change.

"Thank you so much, sir! This is the best day of my life!" he exclaimed, looking like he was going to burst with happiness.

Severus gave an awkward "You're welcome," and pushed the cart to the car, where Potter insisted on holding the ice cream in his lap instead of putting it in the trunk with the other items. Potter was amazed by how all the items could seem to fit in such a small trunk, but Severus explained to him that he had put an enlarging charm in it, the same charm that wizards sometimes used on their tents when they went camping. He made sure that Potter wasn't looking when he put the dinosaur in the back, and quickly shut the lid before Potter could spot the bright green.

After five hours of standing on his feet and dealing with annoying customers in a sweaty store, Severus was about to cry with relief when he finally opened the door and sank down in the driver's seat. Honestly, it was worse than dealing with idiotic students for five hours. At least he knew what to expect. For the most part.

The ride back to his house wasn't unpleasant. At first. Potter seemed to enjoy the hood being down. He leaned his head back, letting his wild hair get more tousled with the wind blowing through it. His copper wings shone in the light, making them turn golden. For just a moment, he saw Lily, not the carbon copy of James Potter. His throat constricted, and he quickly turned back to the road.

"Sir?" Potter spoke up, breaking the silence between them. "What was my mother like?"

Severus nearly steered off the road. Did the damn boy know what he was thinking? He tried not to let his surprise show.

 "What?" he asked, hoping he had heard correctly.

Potter looked him in the eyes, looking for something. "What was my mother like, sir? You said you knew her. I mean, you two were friends weren't you? You should obviously know something about her."

 Severus had to gulp to keep from grimacing. Of course Potter would ask about his mother first thing. He had said he would answer questions, but he didn't expect this right off the bat! He supposed it was better than asking about the Dark Lord first, though.

"Your mother..." He trailed off, searching for the right words. How would someone go about talking about Lily Evans? Perfect? Smart? Caring?

 "Your mother was one of the best people I ever knew. She was understanding, and she cared for everyone, no matter who they were." Obviously, if she cared for you...

"She had a big heart, and stopped at nothing to make someone feel better. If someone was sick, she would stay by them until they got well again, even if it meant she got sick as well." He smiled, recalling a fond memory when he was ten, right before he got his Hogwarts letter. He was bedridden with sickness, and Lily practically lived with them the entire time until he got well, much to his father's annoyance. A week after he got better, she was sick with the same illness. He had felt bad, but he got to spend even more time with her than he usually would, and that made up for any illness he could have had.

"You have her eyes, you know." Potter gave him a wide eyed look, making Lily's green eyes shine. Severus looked away.

"You act a lot like her as well. Just from these two day alone, you have proved that..." He stopped, not wanting to say the last part out loud. 'That you're not just like your father.'

"You have proved that you are Lily's son," he tried instead, and his heart clenched. Potter seemed to mull the answer over.

"I've never heard Mum be described like that before," he said, going quiet. "Aunt Petunia and Aunt Marge called her and dad drunkards that got killed in a car crash."

Severus slammed on the brakes, making them both go flying forwards. If it wasn't for their seatbelts, they both would have sailed through the windshield.

"She said WHAT?" Severus yelled. He was vaguely aware of car horns honking behind them, but paid no attention to them. Damn Petunia! He was very tempted to go back to her house and...         

And, well, lets just say, he would be finding a very comfy cell in the local police department.

Potter looked shocked, as if not expecting Severus to have such an outburst. "I-I know its not true! Th-they were killed by You-Know-Who! I know that now! Don't get mad! Please..."

It took all of Severus' willpower to calm down. He was still breathing a bit heavily, and his hands were shaking when he clutched the wheel, but at least he didn't feel the need to murder anymore.

"Your Aunt Petunia was wrong," he ground out, his knuckles going white he was gripping the wheel so hard.

"Lily wasn't a drunk. She never even drank! She hated alcohol. She was the kindest, purest, sweetest person in the world, and your aunt is a black hearted bitch who..." He stopped, not trusting himself to go any further. Potter didn't seemed bothered by his outburst this time. If anything, he seemed to agree with Severus about his aunt.

 "Um, that's enough about my mum. Thank you for telling me about her. Can we uh...drive now?" Potter clutched his ice cream a bit tighter, looking behind him at the line of cars that were angrily waiting.

 Slowly, Severus pushed the gas pedal. He could hear the people behind them shout, finally happy that they were moving.

"Oh shut up, the lot of ya!" he called out behind him. One man flipped him off. If it wasn't for Potter being in the seat beside him, he would have gladly returned the gesture.  

They drove in silence for a whole minute, which Severus was still steaming, until Potter piped up. "Did you know my dad?" Severus tightened his grip on the wheel, trying not to growl at the thought of James Potter.

"No," he nearly spat. "I didn't know him well." That was a flat out lie, but as much as he wanted revenge on James Potter, he didn't want Potter to have a warped view of his father. Especially when he practically-okay, most definitely-gushed about his mother. "You're going to have to ask someone when you go to school. The teachers knew him well enough and I'm sure they would be more than happy to tell you some stories about him."

 Potter smiled. "Thank you, sir!"

They reached his house, and after parking the car in the garage, they brought bag after bag into the living room. Severus wasted no time in flicking his wand, making each bag unload itself and put the items in their respected place. The bags of Potter's clothes and his stuffed animal floated up the stairs and Severus could hear the squeak of the door as it opened to accommodate the items inside.

 He was just about to declare himself done and go to his room to take a nap when Potter opened his mouth again.

Oh dear Merlin what now? he thought as he reluctantly sat on the couch, supporting his head with his hand that was leaned against the arm.

"Why did You-Know-Who kill my parents?"

Severus blinked. Well then. He knew the boy was curious, but asking about your own parent's deaths so young was...well. He thought for a moment, trying to come up with something he could tell the boy. He couldn't tell the boy about the Prophecy. He was way too young and innocent for that.

Severus licked his lips. "It...was a time of war. Your parents were the main advocates for the Light side, and the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who, thought them dangerous. He thought they would be the one to thwart his plans Their friend at the time, Sirius Black, gave them away to the Dark Lord. They didn't know that their friend had given them away. He was their Secret Keeper you see, someone that is supposed to keep their whereabouts a secret. When the Dark Lord found out where you and your parents lived, he attacked. He tried to kill you, but for some reason, you survived and the Dark Lord was killed."

He looked at Potter's scar. "No one before had lived when the Dark Lord attacked, so naturally, when word got out that you not only had survived, but managed to defeat the most evil wizard at the same time, you became famous overnight. Your name was written everywhere, and still today you are revered as the Boy-Who-Lived, the child who single-handedly killed You-Know-Who at just a year old."

 There. He told the truth, mostly. It was close enough, he supposed. He left out the important bits, like how it was him who had told the Dark Lord the prophesy in the first place that made the Potters targets, but young Potter didn't need to know that right then.

"Then why are people still afraid of him? He's dead isn't he?" Potter asked, sitting down on the floor next to the couch and crossed his legs. Severus thought this was peculiar, since there was a chair not two feet away from the boy.

"The Dark Lord was a very powerful wizard. He had many followers that would do anything to bring him back, so there is a very good possibility that he could come back at any given moment." Severus tried not to grimace when he relayed that little bit of information.

"There are rumors that the Dark Lord hadn't truly died that night, and is searching for a way to come back. Even Muggleborns are warned of the danger when a teacher goes to explain to them about their heritage, although not many for fear that they wouldn't come to Hogwarts."

Potter seemed thoughtful. "Okay, sir. Thank you. It's just, ever since I came to the Wizarding World, nobody seemed to answer my questions. Hagrid kept switching the questions and Hermione gave me some answers, but she talked so fast I could barely understand her. And plus, she was confusing."

 "Well, I am glad I could provide you some answers. Now, I am tired and in a desperate need of a nap. I would advise you go upstairs and either do the same or keep yourself occupied until dinner." Severus stretched out on the couch, much like he had the day before, making his wings fold over the arm. Potter got up, dusting his pants, and tromped up the stairs. When he heard the click of the door closing, he closed his eyes.

.'.     

Harry mulled over the answers in his head as he walked up the stairs to his room. So that explained why Hermione had been scared when he asked about Voldemort. A teacher must had told her about him, and the information had probably scared her to death. It was a wonder she was still going to Hogwarts.

When he opened his room, he nearly tripped when Spin spun himself around Harry's leg.

'Where were you?' the black snake hissed, tightening his hold on Harry's leg.

"I went ssshopping with Sssnape.' he hissed back, grabbing Spin from his leg and wrapping him around his wrist. 'I needed now clothesss.'

'But sssurely clothesss ssshopping ssshouldn't take that long!'

Harry sat on the bed and began to rummage around in the bags. 'We alssso got groccceriessss.'

Spin gave him a glare that Snape would have been proud of. 'I thought you had left forever!'

Harry gave a hissing laugh. 'And why would I do that? I wouldn't leave my friend.'

Spin seemed to blink, if snakes could blink. The he turned his head and slithered to the desk lamp. 'Whatever.'

Harry laughed, then stopped short when he saw what was in the bag. He pulled out the stuffed dinosaur, turning it in his hand with wonder. When had Snape managed to get this? There was a small card in the bottom of the bag and Harry pulled it out.

Harry, it began in loopy handwriting.

This is for you. Happy late Birthday.

-S. Snape.

It was short. Harry turned it over to see if there was anything else. Nothing.

A warm fuzzy feeling filled his chest. Snape had given him a present! And he called him Harry on the card! Perhaps he could persuade Snape to continue calling him Harry instead of Potter. He quite liked it. It made him feel...loved. Although he could hardly expect to be loved by Snape, he could always hope. He did call him Dad in the store, but he was just kidding. Maybe...no. He shook his head. He didn't need to go down that road. For now, he was content with getting a present!

He placed the card on the table and as gently as possible, placed his new T-rex buddy on his pillow. He smiled. This really was the best day ever!

.'.     

A tall figure, dressed in uncharacteristic dark robes, stood on the lawn of Number Four Privet Drive, his long silver hair billowing in the wind.

After the report he had received of this house, he had to see for himself. To see if these people were truly as evil as they were reported to be. Hopefully not, but he trusted his advisor, and knew the man would not lie on something so important.

 Silently, he walked across the lawn to the front door, barely bending the grass blades as he stepped. He knocked on the door, then clasped his hands behind his back. He put on his famous Grandfatherly twinkle. This visit would be over quickly.

No sooner had he clasped his hands, the door opened, revealing a large walrus of a man.          

"Yes? Who are you?" The man-Vernon Dursley, if Albus had to guess-said, squinting his eyes at his attire.

"Hello, Mr. Dursley. My name is Albus Dumbledore and I-"

"You!" the man yelled, his face going an impressive shade of purple. "How dare you come here! After dropping that brat on our doorstep, leaving only a letter, making us pay and feed the freak, you think you can just waltz in here like you own this place? Well, let me tell you, your kind is not allowed here. I already had one come, and I am letting no more! You lot cause nothing but trouble!"

Well, that certainly answered some questions Albus had. He tried a different approach.

"Mr. Dursley, I am just here on some Hogwarts business then I assure you, I will leave you and your family alone. Now, would you mind letting me in? You wouldn't want to cause a spectacle for your neighbors, would you?" he said, and began to fiddle with his wand. 

Mr. Dursley narrowed his eyes at the ivory wand, grumbling something inappropriate, but stepped aside. Albus smiled, wiping his boots on the welcome mat before stepping around the large man. The house was practically spotless when he walked in. Antiques that lined the shelves sparkled with such shine that it nearly blinded the old wizard. Many pictures depicting a small, squat blonde boy hung in the wall. There was no pictures of young Harry to be seen.

Quite curious....

"What a lovely house you have here, Mr. Dursley," Albus commented as he went into the living room. With a wave of his wand, a large, squishy purple chair materialized before him, and he happily sank into its soft cushion. Mr. Dursley seemed irritated by this, but he didn't say anything.

"Do you mind if I have some tea? Two sugars with a wedge of lemon, please."  Mr. Dursley glared, but went to the kitchen, most likely out of fear than hospitality.

As soon as Dursley left, Albus dropped his nice Grandfatherly look. His eyes became a calculating, piercing blue. He stretched his senses, his wings vibrating with the effort. There were two other people in the house's vicinity, most likely Petunia and the boy that was on the wall. They didn't seem to know that there was another person in their house. He stretched them out further, looking for what he called a Memory Ribbon.

Albus Dumbledore had the very rare ability to see into the past. Unlike Seekers, there were few who, instead of prophesying the future, can tell a person's past by connecting that person to an item or place. If they find Memory Ribbons, usually little streaks of light blue-white aura, they can dive into it and see what happened around that certain place. It was much like using Legimency or a Pensieve, but more freelance.

His senses stretched over the entire house. There was Mr. Dursley in the kitchen, making his tea. Petunia was moving outside, hedge clippers in hand, and the boy in his room, playing on some Muggle electronic device. Streaks of dark red filled his vision, meaning that there definitely was evil in the house. Red surrounded Vernon Dursley, while Petunia was more orange. The boy had a purple aura, cruel, but not hideously so. He still had a conscience of what was right and wrong.

There was no blue aura to be seen. This was bad. Blue mean there was purity and Light. Without it, the balance of Dark and Light would be disrupted. Most likely, young Harry was their only source of blue aura. With him gone, there was no telling how much more cruel the Dursleys could get. He searched the entire house, hoping to find a Memory Ribbon.

Come out where ever you are...Aha!

There! Right next to the cupboard under the stairs. He remembered Severus telling him how he thought young Harry had been locked away in the cupboard when he misbehaved. Before he could tap into the light aura, Vernon Dursley came back, thrusting his tea in his face, nearly sending the liquid sloshing over. His Grandfatherly look came back full force.

"Why thank you so much, Mr. Dursley," Albus said, smiling as he took the cup. Mr. Dursley just grunted in response. He sipped his tea for a bit, slurping on purpose. He might as well make it fun. And the shades of purple that Dursley could make were quite amusing. He was sure he hadn't seen at least three of the shades.

He let his eyes travel around the room as he drank. The stairs were fairly close to the living room. There was a rather large crack in the wall next to the stairs. Albus had to suppress his laugh. Severus really should learn to keep his temper.

"So," Dursley drawled, interrupting Albus' thoughts. "Why are you here? And don't give me that school business bullshit. I can tell when people are lying."

"Well, I wasn't really lying. It is on school business. A future student used to live here-"

"Don't. Utter. Another. Word." Dursley growled. Albus calmly set his cup back down on its saucer.

"We already had one come here because of that brat! We don't need another!"

"I assure you, Mr. Dursley, that this time there will be no," he let his gaze travel to the large crack, "incidents, if you keep your cool and let me talk." Albus' eyes shone with amusement, and Dursley flushed a bright red.  

"Now, I need to ask you some questions regarding Harry's stay here for the last ten years."

"Like hell I'll let you interrogate me you devil-spawn freak," Dursley shouted, standing up so quickly from the couch that the table in front nearly topple over. Albus' eyes glittered dangerously.

 "I would keep my temper if I were you, Mr. Dursley," Albus warned, his voice low and sharp as ice.

"Or what? You'll wave your little tree stick?" the bigger man taunted.

Albus said nothing, but swished his "tree stick", and Dursley fell back down on the couch, stuck. Tape flew from the next room and a strip dislocated itself and covered his mouth.

"Yes. Yes I will." Albus smiled, but it was nothing like the smiles he gave his students. This smile was downright evil, and Dursley's eyes widened in fear. There was a reason Voldemort feared him.

He didn't really want to resort to restraint, but if Dursley wouldn't hear him out, it was the only solution. He closed his eyes, trying to find the Memory Ribbon from before. He would get more answers from the ribbon than from Dursley.

It was right where he last saw it, floating next to the staircase. He tapped into its energy, and instantly images appeared. It was like watching a Muggle television. Scenes of Harry being forcefully shoved, hit and threatened flashed before his eyes. The boy from the pictures continuously tromped down the stairs, making dust and spiders fall on the poor boy beneath. Harry sweeping, dusting, and cleaning each individual stair. Promises of no food for weeks. Belts, frying pans, metal rods, anything the Dursley's could get their hands on being thrown at Harry. Harry starving, Harry crying, Harry broken and hurt...

He quickly opened his eyes, effectively severing the connection with the Memory Ribbon. He leveled a cool glare in Dursley's direction that would have made Voldemort himself take a few steps back. Dursley gulped. Albus could feel his magic lashing out, crackling over his body. Even though he knew Dursley couldn't see, his large blue wings were spread out, making him look downright terrifying. Electricity crackled over them, and his teacup shattered. Windows were rattling, and it took all of his willpower not to let his magic go. He knew Dursley would not survive if he did. As tempting as it was, he would not lose control. He did not need to do it again. Not after the last parent he had interrogated...         

He stood over Dursley, murder clear in his eyes, but it was a threat he would not play out. Dursley whimpered.

"Let this be a warning, Dursley," Albus growled. He held out his arm and the telephone flew into his outstretched hand. He dialed for the police. As much as he wanted to make Dursley nothing more than a grease spot on the rug, he knew calling the police was a better option. He wouldn't get the satisfaction of finishing him off, but at least Dursley could think of what he did as he rotted in a cell. Petunia would no doubt go to trial as well, and the boy to an orphanage or to a next of kin that could take him in.

After calling the police, he waved his wand again, making Dursley flinch. The spells undid themselves, but Dursley stayed right where he was, frozen in fear. With one last glare, he walked out, hearing police sirens. He gave his report, glamored as an elderly man down the street. He may have used a few spells to help him get his way, and as the Dursley's were carted off in the cars, he had to smile.

The Dursley's should have never, ever, messed with Albus Dumbledore.