“You have all of your things together?” Severus asked.

Potter nodded, eyes focused on his textbook, turning the pages with his left hand as he held the spoon for his cereal in the right. “It’s all together, I just have to put it into my trunk.”

“You’re certain?”

“Yes, Professor,” Potter said, attention still on the book. “Besides, if I forget anything I can just come back and get it later, it’s not as though we won’t be living in the same castle.”

Severus hummed, unsure of how he felt about that. Part of him wanted to forget that their month of living together in the same quarters had happened at all, but another was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of letting the boy go. It was almost as if he were a parent sending his child off to Hogwarts for the first time, but they were already at Hogwarts, Severus was not a parent and Potter was certainly not his child.

“There is such a thing as studying too hard, you know,” Severus said after a while. “Your mind can become too far stretched to process new information, and you’re going to want to be well-rested for your first day of class tomorrow.”

Potter bit his lip before slipping a bookmark in the text. “I know, sir, but I just want to be well-prepared. I mean, what if I’m sorted into Slytherin? They’re mostly Purebloods, aren’t they? I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

Severus snorted. “I doubt you’ll have to worry about being sorted into Slytherin. Besides, I’m fairly certain you’ll stick out a bit regardless of what house you’re placed in.”

Potter out stuck his lower lip in a pout “I could easily be sorted into Slytherin! And why would I stick out anywhere?”

Severus raised a brow and had opened his mouth to respond when the magical doorbell chimed, alerting them of the headmaster’s arrival. Albus was to take the boy to Hagrid, who would bring Potter along with him to Hogsmeade station so that he could ride in the boats along with the other first years.

“Finish your breakfast,” Severus instructed before getting up to open the door. On the other side stood Albus Dumbledore in all his glory, sporting red and gold robes in a fine display of impartiality.

“Good morning, Severus!” the old man greeted joyfully. Severus scowled.

“I do hope that you’re not attempting to sway my charge over to your side.” While Severus truly did not expect the little nuisance to end up in his own house, he was still hoping that it wouldn’t be Gryffindor.

“Why, of course not!” said Albus, sidestepping Severus into the quarters. “I simply thought that Harry’s eyes might have had enough of the green.”

“My eyes are green, Headmaster!” Potter broke in excitedly from behind, apparently completely ignoring Severus’ instructions to finish his breakfast.

“Indeed they are, dear boy! And how are you this fine morning? Excited to be sorted?”

Potter shrugged and took a couple of steps back, seemingly deciding to be shy now. “I think so, sir. Just a bit nervous.”

Albus smiled. “Ah, well, nothing to be nervous about, lad. Any one of the houses would be proud to have you, and they’re all equal at the end of the day.”

Severus couldn’t hold back his snort of amusement. Albus Dumbledore claiming Slytherin and Gryffindor to be held in equal measure… Well, it was quite laughable.

Albus turned his smile to Severus. “Something you find humorous, Severus? Do enlighten us.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “I’m sure that you can figure out the punchline all on your own, Headmaster. Mr. Potter, please do finish your breakfast before retrieving your things, Headmaster Dumbledore doesn’t have all day.”

Potter nodded before rushing off in sock-clad feet back to the table, practically chugging down his cereal before dashing off towards the guest room. “And don’t run indoors,” Severus muttered under his breath. Albus grinned.

“How have things been going, my boy? Are you and Harry getting along quite well?”

Severus led his employer over to the living room to sit, though Albus would surely invite himself to do so given much more time. “I must say that I find myself a bit surprised that this is the first time you’ve checked on the boy the whole month,” he said. “I could have used him for potions ingredients weeks ago and you’d have been none the wiser.”

Albus laughed that overly cheerful chuckle. “I do have more faith in you than that, Severus.”

Severus sighed, leaning back into the couch. “The boy is strange,” he admitted. “I’ve had to administer a calming draught for him several times for stomach pain due to anxiety, though he claims that he isn’t anxious about anything. He has some issues during the night…”

“Nightmares?” Albus asked.

The thought hadn’t even occurred to Severus. It could possibly be the cause of the issue, but somehow he doubted it. “No,” he started, ashamed to admit to himself that he felt a bit awkward and perhaps worried that he was betraying the boy’s trust somehow. But it would have to be taken note of. “He wets the bed, not every night but often enough that his future head of house will need to be informed.”

Albus raised his eyebrows, perhaps a bit surprised that his child weapon faced such childish issues, before nodding and saying, “That could possibly be you, of course.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “Doubtful.”

Albus shrugged like Potter tended to. “We’ll see. Anyway, the boy is likely just homesick.”

If Severus had been drinking something, he would have spit it out. “Homesick! Homesick for what? Those people he calls relatives were horrible and he doesn’t seem to miss them at all.”

“Sometimes we long for even the bad things, long as they are familiar,” Albus said, stroking his long white beard. “This is a whole new experience for young Harry, I’m sure that it’s been very overwhelming for him whether he expresses it vocally or not, or even if he realizes it himself. I’m sure that he shall adjust once he is with children his own age. It tends to bring about a certain comfort.”

Severus never found comfort in any of his peers besides Lily, and he never longed for home, either. But he was also never a candidate for Hufflepuff. Though when questioned by Albus which house he thought the boy would be sorted into, he told him, “Gryffindor, no doubt.”

It was then that Potter returned from the guest room, dragging his trunk behind him. Albus shrunk the item and stored it in his pocket, informing Potter that it would arrive in his dormitory once he had been sorted. Potter then started asking questions about how that was possible and how the colors and crests of the robes could change, too, and the pair departed Severus’ quarters with smiles and a wave goodbye.

Severus closed the door behind them and resolved to go over the year’s lesson plans once more.

***

He was shaking, though the movement was so subtle that Severus thought he might be the only one to notice it.

Head held low, Potter didn’t pay any mind to the children pointing and whispering about him as he stepped up to sit on the stool and had the hat placed upon his head. It went down to the bridge of his nose and took a few minutes to make a decision.

Soon enough, though, the hat bellowed, “Hufflepuff!” and while the majority of the Great Hall was in silent surprise the Hufflepuff table proceeded to lose their minds.

“We got Potter, we got Potter!” they chanted as Potter himself rushed over to the table, smiling shyly at his new housemates. He allowed himself to be clapped on the back by Cedric Diggory with little more than a jump of surprise, though he did seem a bit surprised at all the attention. Humble Hufflepuff…

If you’d told Severus a mere few weeks ago that Harry Potter would be sorted into Hufflepuff, he would have broken into a rare fit of laughter. After living with the child for a month, however, the placement wasn’t surprising in the least. He seemed to be the only professor who felt that way, as the others sat wide-eyed, though Pomona looked quite pleased herself. Albus seemed a bit disappointed, but also unsurprised. Much like Severus…

He truly hadn’t expected Potter to be sorted into Slytherin, he was simply too soft. Throwing him into the snake pit would have been a horrible idea. The child wasn’t stupid per se, but Ravenclaw could hardly even be a consideration. Gryffindor may have worked, but Hufflepuff was the best choice by far.

So when the child looked up at him, eyes questioning as if asking for approval, approval from him(!)... Severus allowed himself a single nod in his direction, and Potter beamed.

***

HERO OF THE WIZARDING WORLD SORTED INTO HUFFLEPUFF
A ploy to keep himself low profile or an insight into his true nature?

Well, Severus thought, tossing aside The Daily Prophet, if it was a ploy for less attention, it certainly wasn’t working. The press was losing it simply because an eleven-year-old child was sorted into Hufflepuff like thousands of children before him.

The child in question was sitting happily at the Hufflepuff table, looking over his schedule as he munched on bacon. He seemed to be adjusting well enough, and Severus hated the slight worry that still plagued him. What if he was still experiencing anxiety and… incidents? Would his dormmates laugh at him? Would Pomona know how to handle it?

Severus scowled. Of course Hufflepuffs wouldn’t make fun of their fellow housemate and of course Ponoma would know what to do, she was a head of house for crying out loud, Hufflepuff house at that. She could deal with it better than anyone, certainly better than him.

Still… Severus kept a close eye on him. He had made an oath to do so many years ago, after all. It wasn’t as though he were personally invested in Potter’s welfare or anything like that. Not at all.

***

His quarters felt strange now, stranger than they had when a child had invaded them. Potter hadn’t exactly been loud or rambunctious, but he had still made his presence known.

Severus stood in the doorway to the guest bedroom, taking in the odd sight of a perfectly made bed and a near-empty room. Potter hadn’t been messy, either, but the room had looked lived in just a few days before. He really had packed everything, Severus supposed. Though he had left a Muggle envelope on the floor.

He bent down to pick it up and throw it away, but when he flipped it over he noticed that it was addressed to Potter. Probably not trash, then. It had been torn open but Potter seemed like the kind to keep such things for sentimental value.

Severus looked around once more to make sure nothing else had been left behind before turning out the lights and shutting the door behind him. He set the letter on top of a stack of his work papers to give to Potter in class the next day.

***

Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, a class that was certainly much preferable to that of Gryffindors and Slytherins, yet still nothing to be gleeful about. Especially with the first year class, the most dunderhead of dunderheads.

Severus made his usual intimidation speech to get their attention, assigned a detention or two, and made a point to not look Potter in the eye.

Even then, the boy decided to come up to his desk after class to chat.

Was this really the last class of the day for both him and Potter? It couldn’t be, surely at least Severus had somewhere else to be…

“Hi, Professor Snape! Are you having a good day? Your class was really interesting, I don’t know why everyone keeps saying it’s the worst because I thought it was really neat and your presentation was so funny though I think you scared a couple of kids but that’s okay I’m sure you didn’t mean-”

“Mr. Potter,” Severus cut him off, sighing. “I hope you realize that I have no qualms about assigning detention for insufferable chattering now that we are officially in the school year.”

Potter giggled (uck) in response. “You wouldn’t!”

“Did I not do exactly that not once, but twice during your class time?”

Potter frowned. “Oh, yeah, I guess. Still, it’s different, ‘cause we’re-”

Ohhh, no. This was going way too far. There should be no we between Potter and himself and he did not need to know what kind of relationship the child assumed they had.

“Mr. Potter, you have homework, do you not? Best get to it, you wouldn’t want to get behind. I’m sure that the Purebloods are already halfway done with theirs.”

Potter gaped. “Oh, you’re right, I- of course. Thanks for reminding me, Professor Snape! I’ll see you later!” he ran from the room, stumbling a bit on the stones but managing to catch the doorframe and steady himself.

Severus planted his face on his desk. This was too much. Potter was strange and made everything feel strange. Severus hadn’t even yelled at the child once in the month since they’d met, what on earth was up with that? Was this Albus’ plan from the very start? Plant a first year Hufflepuff in his home to test and see if he had a heart? He had held no qualms about making Hufflepuffs cry before so why should it be any different now?

He had known that Potter would be the exception to every rule, but he hadn’t considered that that could include his own personal rules…

***

Potter returned not even an hour later.

Severus had been peacefully splashing red ink onto Gryffindor essays when there was a knock on his office door. “Come in,” he said, anticipating having to deal with Slytherin drama as he could not imagine that students from any other house would be paying him a visit, but while he’d been working he had somehow managed to forget about the whole Potter problem.

Had he not just sent the boy off to do his homework? Why had he returned and Merlin, why was he crying again?

“Professor Snape,” Potter greeted, lower lip trembling.

“What’s wrong?” Severus sighed, getting straight to the point.

Potter sat down in front of Severus’ desk, dumping his bag on the floor and wrapping his arms around his torso. “I- I was wondering why everyone was acting so strange around me. Like, one kid asked to see my scar, and I really didn’t know how he even knew about it as it’s covered under my fringe and I just got it in a car accident when I was a baby.”

Severus was vaguely aware of his lips parting. Crap. He had known the child knew nothing of his magical heritage and yet it had never even occurred to him that he didn’t know about-

“I asked Susan Bones about it, ‘cause she’s really nice and all and she said that I got this scar from someone trying to kill me. She- she said that my parents didn’t die in a car accident.”

Oh, why hadn’t Albus explained this to the child? How could Severus possibly even...

“Is it true?” the boy asked him, eyes shining ever so brightly with tears. “Were- were they murdered? B-because of me?”

Severus couldn’t prevent the gasp that escaped his lips. “Merlin, child, no. Well yes, they were murdered, but not because of you. Did Miss Bones say this to you?”

Potter shook his head. “No, but it… she said that the mad man was after me for some reason. So if not for me, they’d still be alive…”

His conclusion wasn’t even entirely untrue, Severus thought regrettably. If Lily had never had the child, then there wouldn’t have been a prophecy about Lily’s child and she would still be alive. But the boy didn’t need to believe this. Lily had loved her son, and Severus… Severus did not hate him.

“Harry,” Severus started softly, standing up from his chair and using the boy’s given name for the very first time, though if this were to be one of the rare occasions where he was completely honest with himself, he could not manage to look at the boy and find his hatred for Potter or see anything other than simply Lily’s child. Whom she had named to be covered with hair for some unknown reason.

He crouched down in front of where Harry sat, looking into those green, green eyes. “Your mother loved you… as did your father. They both loved you so very much and would have done anything to keep you safe.”

“So they did die because of me,” Harry whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. Severus brushed them away with the pad of his thumb, shaking his head.

“No, child, no. They- they died for you. They made the choice to sacrifice themselves so that you could live because they loved you. It is something that any parent would have done for their child. Do not blame yourself for that.”

Harry’s breath hitched as he fell forwards a bit to rest his head on Severus’ shoulder, leaving tears and snot and all those horrible and disgusting things on his robes. Severus found that he didn’t mind so much, as he hesitantly began to rub circles on the child’s back.

He was not good with children. He did not like children. Yet here was the child he had practically orphaned himself and he couldn’t… he wouldn’t allow him to suffer alone any longer. Maybe he didn’t have a right to offer Lily’s child comfort, but Lily herself wasn’t here to do it anymore and no one else seemed to be standing in line for the task.

“It’s alright,” Severus soothed quietly. “It’s alright.”

***

Severus sent the boy off to dinner and started to put his things together before leaving for the Great Hall himself. It was only then that he remembered the letter he was supposed to give to Harry as it fell out onto the floor once more. He sighed, resigning himself to yet another daunting conversation with the boy as he bent down to pick it up. The letter had slipped out of the envelope and he caught a few words as he made to put it back in.

Could an eleven-year-old’s privacy really be invaded? It wasn’t as though Severus had done it on purpose… even as he unfolded the paper and read more of it.

My Dearest Harry, it started,

I wasn’t all that surprised but still very disappointed to hear that your relatives sent you away to that criminal school. It’s maddening to me that those schools even exist for children, especially children as sweet and kind as you.

I am hoping that I can do something to remedy the situation. Maybe I could talk to the people in charge? It’s not as though you’ve committed crimes or anything so surely they can’t keep you there against your will just because of your guardians. Let me know. Perhaps you can visit me during the Christmas holidays and we can work something out. Your relatives wouldn’t even have to know you were in Surrey, it can just be you and me at my place. I’ll certainly be missing my little model until then.

I love you so, so very much,
Gary

Severus frowned. He faintly remembered reading the name Gary on an envelope before but this certainly didn’t sound like the preadolescent Muggle friend he had imagined. Who was this person and why was he writing a letter like this to an eleven-year-old boy?

He read over the letter again. And again. Yes, this man had really invited the child to stay with him during the holidays without his relatives’ permission. And little model? This was… disturbing.

To say the very least.

Severus was in the process of tucking the letter back into the envelope and reflecting on its contents when he was startled out of his musings by the voice of the boy himself.

“Professor Snape, I forgot my bag, I’m sor-” Harry stopped mid-sentence, staring at Severus open-mouthed. He seemed to take a moment to process the scene before growing angry.

“That’s mine,” the boy snapped, and Severus was momentarily stunned by the sheer venom in his voice. He had never heard him speak in such a tone before. He was a Hufflepuff, after all.

Severus looked away and finished putting the letter back into the envelope, pondering his next words. He wasn’t sure how easy it would be to get information out of the upset child.

“I apologize, Harry,” he said after a moment, even almost meaning it. “I had found this in your room in my quarters and meant to give it to you after class today, but I’d forgotten… it slipped out just now.” Severus handed the letter back to the boy, having memorized its contents.

Harry took it very slowly. “It’s alright, I guess,” he said, still watching Severus with suspicious eyes. “It- it’s just a letter from my friend.”

“Oh?” Severus inquired softly. Best to tread lightly. “Is this the Muggle friend you told me about?”

“Mhmm,” Harry hummed as he went over to the chair in front of Severus’ desk to pick up his bag and slip the letter inside. “He’s my neighbor. He’s nice.”

Yes, your friendly neighborhood pedophile, thought Severus. If the man had touched the boy, if he had so much as thought about it...

“Ah, I see,” Severus said, brushing invisible lint off of his robes in an attempt to lighten the mood. “It is good to have friends in your neighborhood. Does he often send you letters?”

Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and nodded adamantly, apparently quickly recovering from his previous vexation. “Yeah, he writes to me all the time! I usually went to his house after school and all, so we’re pretty close.”

Severus made a point to keep a calm facade on the outside while he was slightly panicking on the inside. This was- what else could it possibly be? It certainly wasn’t normal. This, this...

“This smells fishy,” Severus muttered out loud.

“Fishy?” Harry questioned, wrinkling his nose as if sniffing the air. “It doesn’t smell fishy to me.”

Oh, sweet Merlin, the first years could still be so sweet and precious and Severus was going to kill the son of a bitch who had stolen the innocence from this one.