“Last neighborhood, Dudley,” Petunia announced as she pulled up next to the curb. Three other boys in monster costumes were waiting at the corner, one leaning against a pole as he kicked around a rock, and he looked up and smiled at Dudley. “Your friends are already here to assist you around. Now you be careful, love, and stay with your friends. I’m going to run to the store before it closes for a few last-minute supplies, and I will be right back to pick you up in twenty minutes.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Dudley said as he slid out of the car, adjusting his Transformers costume before reaching back into the car to grab his half-filled bag of candy.

“Harry,” Petunia snapped, “out of the car. And don’t forget Dudley’s second bag of candy.”

“Yes, Aunt Petunia,” Harry said, sliding out of the car with a half-filled bag of candy himself. He didn’t have a costume, but he was lucky enough to have put on his favorite red jumper before leaving the house. The nights had become chilly, and in Dudley’s old, baggy clothes, few things kept him warm in the fall months. This jumper had shrunk in the wash, and Petunia had reluctantly given it to him, and it was practically new and fit perfectly after its run through the dryer, and Harry wore it as often as he could in the fall and winter months, enjoying the warmth it had to offer. He stood next to Dudley while Petunia spoke to her son again.

“Be safe, Dudders.”

“I will, Mum, you can go now.”

“Harry, don’t you let anything happen to my Dudley, do you hear me?”

“Yes, Aunt Petunia,” Harry said politely. “I’ll fight off anyone who tries to hurt Dudley.”

Petunia gave him a glare before rolling up the window and driving off.

“You’re such a suck up,” Dudley said.

“I was serious,” Harry insisted. “I’ll protect you, Dudley. As long as the attacker isn’t bigger than me.”

“Everyone is bigger than you.”

“Well, shucks, I guess you’re out of luck then. Better watch your own back then.”

“Why I oughtta—”

“Hey,” the kid leaning against the pole interrupted. He pushed off the pole, pushing his Dracula cape behind him as he walked over to Dudley and Harry. “We need to get moving if we want to hit all the houses. You can pummel your cousin after.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, Piers,” Dudley agreed. “Let’s go. Bring my other bag of candy, Harry.”

“Coming, Optimus.” Harry followed Dudley and his big, stupid gang of friends. That included Piers, who was dressed as Dracula, Gordon, who was dressed like Batman, and Dennis, who was dressed like He-Man. Harry thought they all looked ridiculous in their costumes, and maybe a little too old as everyone was practically towering over the other kids. Despite being ten, Harry was small for his age, at least according to the school nurse, and he pulled off the cute trick-or-treater better than Dudley and his friends did, even without a costume. Harry had a feeling Petunia knew this, and that was why he had been forced to partake in trick-or-treating once again. At each door, he used a sweet smile to earn an extra candy now and then, and when Dudley wasn’t looking, he pocketed a couple sweets.

It hardly took ten minutes to hit every house on the street at a speedwalk, and since everyone had managed to fill their bags between a few different neighborhoods, they were ready to sort and trade off their sweets.

“My neighbor has a huge pumpkin patch growing in his backyard,” Piers said, leading the way. “We could hang out there to trade, he never minds.”

Piers was not kidding when he said “huge,” the neighbor’s pumpkin patch extended from the man’s backyard to the edge of a nearby cemetery, a small fence marking the boundary line between the two properties. The five kids walked toward the back of the patch and sat on some of the largest pumpkins before digging through their collection of sweets, dumping out the candy in a large pile on the damp grass.

“Let’s see it, Harry,” Dudley demanded, holding out a hand.

Harry passed the bag of candy to Dudley, sitting down in the grass and pulling at a few blades while he watched the boys pick out their favorites and pass the unwanted sweets around. The wet grass soaked his trousers, and it made him shiver slightly in the cold night, and he hugged himself, snuggling into the wool of the jumper. Between the four kids, they managed to fill their bags back up with only their favorites, and they high fived each other for a job well done. Harry rolled his eyes and looked down the street, hoping to spot Petunia’s car so they could head home. He really wanted a taste of the treats in his pocket, but he wouldn’t dare eat them in front of Dudley and his gang.

“My bag isn’t filled all the way,” Dudley complained after he studied his bag again. He glared at Harry. “You didn’t try hard enough to win extra treats.”

“Don’t you think we’re getting a little old for this?” Harry asked. “We’re not cute five-year-olds anymore. Well, I’m not, anyway.”

“Shut up,” Dudley said, glaring at his cousin. He looked over at Piers. “This is your neighborhood. Aren’t there any other houses around here that give out candy?”

“Well, there’s Old Miner’s Road, down this street and one over, but only like two or three people actually give candy out. Besides, you’d have to walk past the Forbidden House on the Corner, and my parents don’t want me anywhere near that creepy place.”

“What’s the Forbidden House on the Corner?” Harry asked.

“You don’t know?” Piers asked, looking between Dudley and Harry as if Dudley should have informed Harry of all the neighborhood gossip. “It’s a haunted house that’s always empty. At least, it looks empty . . . until someone goes near it.”

“I heard from Malcolm,” Dennis said with a smirk, “that a cousin of his braved going up to the house on a dare. He made it up to the porch, all the way up to the door, but before he could even do anything, someone inside the house knocked on the door first! Like it was asking to come out of the house! He ran off the porch faster than he’s ever run for Phys Ed. and never went back. Won’t even look at the place.”

“That’s not true,” Harry argued.

“Is too,” Gordon argued. “That house is famous for kids disappearing. There’s like twenty missing reports in this area in the last decade alone. Unsolved with no leads. Bet they all have to do with that house in some way. No one walks past it anymore; you cross the street if you need to go around that corner.”

“The house is always dark,” Dudley added, “even during the day. There’s never lights on, but you might see shadows walking around in the windows. Sometimes, you might see glowing eyes staring back at you, and they never blink. If you have to walk by, stay as far away on the sidewalk as you can, cause even if you get too close to the gate, it might—”

“Grab ya!” Dennis said loudly in Harry’s ears from behind him, jabbing Harry in the ribs at the same time.

Harry yelped in surprise, jumping up to his feet and backing away from Dennis with a glare, but he bumped into someone, and he turned sharply to see Piers holding his Dracula cape near his face in the way the famed vampire was said to do. Piers slowly advanced on Harry as he spoke.

“It’s rumored that the one and only Dracula lives in the Forbidden House on the Corner. That’s why you never see lights on, or Dracula himself. He only comes out at night, hungry for blood. Children blood.” Harry stumbled over a pumpkin and fell to the ground, landing with a grunt on his side. He looked up at Piers as the boy circled him like a vulture. “He kidnaps kids from their beds at night and takes them to his lab where he yanks out all their fingernails, taking pleasure in their screams. Then, he adds the nails to a potion that he forces down the kids’ throats, knocking them out. That’s when he feeds from their necks, draining their bodies of every ounce of blood they have.”

“You’re lying,” Harry said, despite the small hint of doubt creeping up his back. “There’s no such thing as Dracula or vampires and no one kidnaps children to suck their blood.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Piers said. “And when he comes for you, you better scream loud and pray someone hears you.”

Suddenly, Harry was dragged by his feet across the yard, and he screamed at first until he saw Gordon and Dennis yanking on him and laughing, and then he growled loudly and kicked his feet while thrashing slightly.

“Let me go!” Harry said. “It’s not funny; you’re ruining my jumper!”

The boys dropped Harry’s legs and laughed while Harry pushed o his feet and brushed himself off, cringing at the mud he was covered in. Petunia would go mental at the sight of him, and it would be his own fault. Dudley and his friends were never to blame, of course.

“You guys aren’t funny,” Harry said as he kept trying to brush the rest of the dirt off himself. “That house is probably just an old, abandoned home that no one takes care of.”

“Oh yeah?” Piers challenged. “Want to put that to the test? Feeling brave?”

“You’re all stupid. Those are all just dumb stories meant to scare you all so you won’t trespass on the property, I bet.”

“If that’s true, then you won’t mind going to the house.”

“I wouldn’t actually,” Harry said despite feeling the opposite. He didn’t want the other boys to know that their stories did get to him a little, and he was scared to even see the place, but he wasn’t about to back down from his words.

“Ha, your cousin really is an idiot,” Piers said to Dudley. “Okay, Harry. I’ll give you my bag of candy if you knock on the door of the house and stay there for a whole minute, no matter what happens.”

Harry gulped, but bravely nodded. How could he refuse a whole bag of candy? Maybe he could eat a few pieces before Dudley ultimately stole it from him.

“I’ll do you one better,” Gordon added. “I’ll add my bag of candy if you actually enter the house.”

“And stay inside for two minutes,” Dennis said. “That’s counting sixty Mississippi’s twice.”

Dudley hesitated for a moment before sharing his friends’ grins and nodding his head at Harry.

“I’ll even share my candy with you if you can grab something from inside the house and bring it out,” Dudley said.

Harry’s knees were shaking, but only slightly, so he hoped it wasn’t noticeable to the other boys all waiting for him to agree to the challenge. It wasn’t that bad. It was just an old building, no different than any other building. Go to the front door and knock. Enter the house. Stay inside for two minutes. Grab some trinket and get out. He could do that. And then he would prove to these bullies that he was the bravest child out there, and that all their stupid stories were fake.

“Fine. And you will really give me all your candy?” Harry asked.

“Maybe more like ninety percent,” Piers smirked. “You’ll do it then?”

“I’m going to prove to all of you that there’s no Dracula and the house is just empty.”

“Challenge accepted,” Piers said, holding his hand out.

Harry shook Piers’ hand, then winced when Piers squeezed his hand roughly before releasing it.

“Follow me,” Piers said, and the five children headed for Old Miner’s Road. They left the bright, colorful street where kids continued laughing as they went up to decorated houses covered in fake cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and cute monster cut-outs sitting on the porches. The laughter slowly faded away as the boys turned the corner onto a vastly different street.

With no colorful lights on any houses save for two at the very end of the road, the street was ten times darker than the one they had come from. And there, across the street, stood an imposing structure, an old Edwardian house with peeling gray paint and crooked stairs on an unkempt porch that looked like it wanted to cave under the lightest pressure. The stained-glass windows were so faded it was hard to tell what the design may have been, and the night did not help discern any more unique features of the house. A rickety garden gate marked the property lines, and the gate door swung slightly despite the lack of a breeze. The lawn the gate surrounded was practically a jungle, but there was a small clearing through the center where a brick pathway led up to the porch.

“Okay, Harry,” Piers said. “Go.”

Harry took a deep breath, glancing back at the other boys then bravely stepped forward and reached a hand for the gate that creaked as it continued to rock back and forth. Harry’s hands shook as he slowly touched the door, stopping its movement and the sound it made, creating a dead silence. Harry flinched as he waited for something awful to happen, but nothing did.

He pushed the gate inward and stepped into the yard, letting the gate go when he was through, and it resumed its eerie noise. He followed the brick path, breathing heavy as his eyes scanned the yard for any monsters or glowing eyes, refusing to look at any windows in case he saw something move inside. He could do this. Obviously, no one lived here cause who in their right mind would let their home fall into such a state of disarray.

Harry made it to the porch. His nerve wavered, and he glanced back at the other boys.

Piers nodded at him in encouragement while the other three boys smiled at him, waving at him jokingly. Dudley seemed to be waiting for something to happen as he bit his lip and leaned in close, a smirk on his face.

Harry turned back and stepped onto the first step, and it creaked loudly as he pushed his weight into it.

Harry froze and waited.

Nothing but his heart speeding up happened.

Harry swallowed and pushed up to the second step, and he was greeted with another loud creak, and another, and finally, he was on the porch that seemed to shake as he walked up to the large, chipped door. It had two large knockers, but Harry was too afraid to touch those. He raised a fist to knock instead, his whole arm shaking. He could hear the boys behind him snickering while Piers scolded them to shut up.

After a second’s hesitation, Harry knocked as loudly as he dared on the door, closing his eyes as he did so. He kept them close and waited, drawing his hands in close against him, nearly panting in fear.

Still, nothing happened.

Harry let out a breath of relief and looked back.

“Go inside,” Piers said.

“Two minutes!” Dennis reminded Harry. “Sixty Mississippi’s twice!”

“And don’t forget my trophy,” Dudley said.

Harry bit his cheek as he turned back to the door. His hand shook violently as he reached out for the knob, taking his time to get a good grip on it. He prayed the door was locked, and as he turned the knob, the door clicked open. Harry sucked in a breath, but he frowned as he steeled himself for the experience. It was just an empty house. Just because it was dark didn’t mean it was any different than in the daytime. He would walk in, stand there for two minutes, nothing would happen, then he would grab the closest thing and run. Harry used his foot to nudge the door open further before stepping inside.

Unbeknownst to him, Piers quickly said, “Go, go, go!”

And the four boys took off, even Dudley without a second’s thought, and they left Harry alone to the mercy of the house.

Harry didn’t bother closing the door behind him as he would be out of the house in a quick two minutes anyway. Not that it was open much, as it only let a small amount of moonlight in. He was obviously in a large seating area, but it was too dark to make out too many details besides some furniture, a large dead fireplace, and a grand stairway off to his right. He remained as close to the door as possible as he counted, already at “fifteen Mississippi.”

His heart was drumming away to an upbeat tune while his knees shook under him, and he feared he might fall over if he stayed any longer, but he kept going.

“Eighteen Mississippi, Nineteen Mississippi, Twenty Mississippi, Twenty—”

A loud thump made him jump out of his skin and he stared in the direction it had come from but unable to see what had made the sound. He took several deep breaths before daringly calling out, “Hello?”

Pitter-patter, like small footsteps, echoed through the house before silence met his ears again. Harry hesitated, glancing back at the front door and in the direction of the stairway where the noise was coming from. Without even realizing it, his feet were slowly moving him toward the stairway, cautiously but determined to discover the source of the noise. Harry squinted in the dark room as he came close to the stairway. It was a gran structure the looped around to the upstairs floor, and he rested a hand on the rail as he started climb up the structure. He didn’t see or hear anything more, and the lack of activity gave him courage to keep going.

As he reached the top, he noticed the stairway had a cat statue on either side of the rail, each one in a sitting posture and holding their head up with pride. Harry stared curiously at one of the cats, admiring how lifelike it was.

And then it turned its head to look at him.

“Ahh!” Harry shouted and jumped back.

A breath tickled the back of his neck, and he spun around, backing away as he saw the other “statue” was crouched on the rail in a pounce pose, its head tilted as it blinked bright yellow eyes at him. The other cat was walking along the rail, following Harry’s movements like a panther stalking prey. Harry kept backing away from the cats, moving further down the upstairs hall.

The one cat still sitting on the rail at the top of the stairs jumped down and trotted after Harry, catching up to the boy quickly.

“Nice kitty,” Harry said.

The other cat jumped down from the rail and joined its friend on the ground, and they continued to walk toward Harry, who backed away, unsure of their intentions. He had never dealt with cats before, but he had seen a friend’s cat bite and scratch injuries, and he did not want to end up with any of those.

As he passed a door, he noticed a strange glow coming from behind the door, like a dim light might be illuminating the room. Harry paused as his eyes widened as his brain came up with five million reasons why a light might be on in one of the rooms, and none of them were good. Before he had a chance to plan his next action, the door to the room swung open on its own.

A figure in thick black robes like a vampire cloak appeared in the doorway, holding a smoking cauldron with oven mitts, the smoke fogging around the figure’s pale face, his dark piercing eyes narrowing in on Harry.

Harry screamed.

He turned to run down the hall but both cats arched their backs and hissed at the loud noise he had made, and Harry fell back and scrambled away from the scary animals and the figure. It was true! There was a vampire in the house with potions to shove down kids’ throats before he drank all their blood. It was all true! He had to get out of this house now!

Harry stumbled to his feet and ran down the hall back toward the stairway. Candles were suddenly flaring up, filling the hall with light as he passed them, then the stairway, and then even the living room began to fill with light as Harry ran for the front door.

Just as he reached the door, it slammed shut and locked, and Harry nearly cried at the loud click he heard as he grabbed the knob and pulled frantically.

“No, no, please, let me out!” Harry pleaded, looking back to see the dark figure moving down the stairway, the two black cats following at his heels. Harry screamed loudly. “Help! Help me!”

Harry looked around for another exit somewhere in the large house, and now that he could see, he realized his only escape was locked and the vampire man was getting close to him. Harry backed into a tight space between a sofa and a corner table, sinking down into it and hugging his knees as the dark man continued to approach him, an unreadable expression on the man’s face.

Harry’s eyes teared up as he realized he was at the mercy of this man. He had trespassed on a vampire’s territory and now he would die and disappear like all those other children had before him. He hugged his knees closer and began crying, staring up pleadingly as the man paused in front of his poor hiding place.

“Please don’t suck my blood,” Harry begged.

There was silence as the man studied him for a minute.

“Why in Merlin’s name would I suck your blood?” the man then asked.

Harry shrugged as he kept his eyes fixed on the figure. It was a trick question he was sure of it, an attempt to lure him into a false sense of security and then it would attack him for sure.

One of the black cats jumped up on the arm of the sofa, staring down at him with big eyes before pouncing down on him.

Harry screamed and closed his eyes as the animal landed on his knees.

Then, he felt the cat bump its head against his and rub as it purred loudly.

The noise was calming, almost like a tranquilizer had entered his bloodstream and eased some of the fear away. Harry slowly lifted his head, only to get a face full of hair as the cat rubbed its head all over him. Harry sniffled before reaching up a hand to pet the cat, and it pushed into his hand and purred more. Harry laughed despite himself, feeling a little better about his predicament. He looked over at the figure who was watching them impassively, the other cat weaving back and forth between his legs, purring as well. Suddenly, Harry realized that this man wasn’t a vampire, just the owner of this old house. Sure, he dressed a little funny and weird stuff happened in this house, like floating candles, but the man was human, not a vampire.

“How did you get in here?” the man asked.

“Your door was unlocked,” Harry answered honestly, wiping away his tears with a swipe of the back of his hand before he continued petting the cat.

“So, you trespass into a stranger’s house?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—well, I-I mean, Dudley and the others, they said—I was just—”

“A prank, I suppose, then?” The man snorted softly. “You certainly wouldn’t be the first. Come, I’ll escort you back to your parents. I’m sure they’re frantically looking for you while your friends are having a laugh.”

The man stepped forward and offered a hand to help Harry out of his little safe spot.

“That’s enough, shoo, Boomslang,” the man said, and the cat jumped off Harry and pranced away.

Harry accepted the offered hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Boomslang immediately returned to rub against Harry’s legs. Harry smiled at the cat, the rest of his fears washing away before he looked up at the man to apologize for trespassing again when he noticed the man’s look. His face was a bit contorted, and he seemed to be staring at something on Harry, maybe his scar?

“Is something wrong?” Harry asked, reaching up to rub at his scar unconsciously.

The man took a minute to answer.

“Nothing at all. Come.”

The dark man opened his front door and directed Harry to exit, and Harry did so. He expected to be kicked off the property and left to his own devices, but instead, the dark figure followed him down the brick path and to the sidewalk on the other side of the gate. The man looked around, as if expecting people to come running to Harry, and he frowned when he saw an empty street. Harry was also surprised to see Dudley and the other boys gone. Maybe they heard his screaming and ran for help?

“Where is your family?” the man asked him.

“Err, I think we were trick-or-treating on that street. My aunt drove us here to join some of Dudley’s friends.”

The man walked Harry toward the street he had pointed to, and Harry gasped when he saw that this street was as empty and dark as the other, decoration lights turned off for the night and children at home and likely in bed. Harry looked around for Petunia’s car, thinking she might have pulled over to wait for Harry, but he did not see it anywhere.

“They left me here?” Harry questioned aloud. He glanced up at the dark figure, who was giving him another odd look. Great, Harry thought, he’s probably starting to think I’m a homeless freak.

“I can walk home,” Harry said. “It’s not that far.”

“You live in Little Whinging,” the man said suddenly.

“How do you know that?” Harry snapped at him, a small spark of fear returning to his chest.

“That’s a twenty-minute drive from here,” the man continued as if knowing where Harry lived was hardly cause for concern. “Which means it might take you an hour to walk home. In the dark. On Halloween night.”

“I’ve walked home in the dark before,” Harry tried to reason.

The man quirked a brow at him.

“It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“You make it sound like being abandoned in unfamiliar neighborhoods is a regular occurrence.”

“Well, if you know where I live, can’t you take me home?”

The man suddenly narrowed his eyes at Harry, and Harry squirmed under his gaze, wondering if he had somehow insulted the man. His eyes were intense and seemed to drill through his school, and Harry had the faintest impression that the man was reading his mind. Was that how he knew where he lived?

“It is not,” the man answered.

“How did you know what I was thinking?” Harry asked, his eyes wide.

“It’s written all over your face. I hardly need to legilimize you to know what you’re thinking. Come.”

The man nodded back toward his house, and Harry froze, his confusion at the word choice forgotten.

“I have to go home. Can’t you take me?”

“I do not have a car. Nor do I know your exact location. And as it stands, you are a child who was just abandoned by his next of kin in unfamiliar territory at a most inappropriate time. That cannot be ignored. I’m afraid I am obligated to report this.”

“No, no.” Harry shook his head. “Please don’t call the police, it’ll make everything worse. You don’t understand.”

The man was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’m afraid I understand far more than you would like me to.”

The man gently grabbed Harry’s upper arm and pulled him back toward the old Forbidden House on the Corner. He dragged Harry over to a plush armchair and pushed Harry down into it with the demand to, “Sit.”

Harry adjusted himself in the seat, then clenched the armrests as the chair rushed forward, moving closer to the fireplace that roared to life, warming the room considerably. Harry didn’t realize how cold he was until the warmth seeped into his skin, and he relaxed, looking around the living room for the first time, really taking in what he was seeing. While the outside of the house was decrepit, the inside was well lived in, with updated furniture, dusted mantles, and freshly painted walls.

Boomslang jumped into Harry’s lap, plopping himself down and purring. Harry chuckled and petted the cat, earning a rump raise and louder purring.

The man returned with a mug of something steaming, and Harry thought back to the potion in the cauldron the man had been carrying earlier.

“Here. To calm your nerves. You’re jumpier than a jack-in-the-box.”

The comment made Harry snort, and he accepted the mug and peered into it. It didn’t look like a gross potion with fingernails, and he hesitantly took a sip. He nearly choked when he realized it was hot chocolate, and there were even marshmallows in it.

“Wow,” Harry whispered, taking another sip of the drink. “This is amazing. I’ve never had hot chocolate before.”

“Never?” the man questioned.

Harry looked up at the man, then flinched when he saw the stick the man was holding above him. Was he about to get a beating? For trespassing? He would deserve it, but the man had been so nice so far, it was the last thing Harry expected. Maybe he could apologize his way out of it, play all the pathetic child moved he knew.

“I’m really sorry, sir,” Harry said, keeping an eye on the stick.

“What for?” the man asked.

“Trespassing. I didn’t mean to; I really didn’t know someone lived here. All the other boys really thought it was haunted and –”

“I know what the kids around this town think, now hush. You’re distracting me.”

Distracting him from whooping Harry, probably. Harry closed his eyes tightly and waited for the pain. But instead, all he felt was an increasing warmth as his clothes dried and all the mud disappeared. Harry stared down at his clothes, feeling them and double checking that he was not hallucinating before looking back up. The man was eyeing him with a strange look again, and Harry blushed at the scrutiny.

“Err, how did you do that?” Harry asked.

The man quirked a brow again.

“Magic,” was all he said.

“Oh.” Magic doesn’t exist, Harry thought, but after everything he had seen that night, he was starting to doubt everything he knew.

“Are those the best clothes you have?” the man asked.

“This is my favorite jumper,” Harry said, ignoring how odd the question sounded. “It fits the best out of anything else I have. I guess it’s my best.”

Boomslang rubbed his head against Harry’s hand, encouraging Harry to pet the cat again.

“Boomslang seems to have taken a liking to you,” the man said. “I’m surprised. He does not usually like strangers. Nor do I.”

Harry winced at that, wondering if the man was subtly hinting at what a huge inconvenience his presence had caused on this man’s plans for the night.

“Sorry, sir,” Harry apologized.

The other cat meowed loudly as she entered the room and rubbed against her owner.

“Now Belladonna is truly a one human only kind of cat,” the man said, smiling at the black cat weaving herself between his feet. “More my speed. You can keep the other one.”

Harry’s head snapped up to look at the man, wondering if he was serious.

“Really?” he asked. “You’re giving me your cat?”

“I find that the cat tends to choose their owner. Boomslang likes you far more than he’s ever liked me. It only seems fair that he stays with you.”

“My aunt isn’t going to let me keep a cat,” Harry said sadly as he kept petting the cat. “I really like him, but I don’t think it’ll work out. Thanks anyway. That’s very kind of you.”

“I hardly think your aunt’s opinion matters here,” the man said. “Especially considering she abandoned you without even taking five minutes to look for you. Finish your drink and settle in, kick your shoes off and relax. You’ve had a long night.”

Harry kicked his shoes off, and the man narrowed his eyes at Harry’s bare feet.

“No socks?”

“They all had holes,” Harry said, rubbing his feet self-consciously.

The man waved his stick again, and Harry resisted flinching when a pair of fuzzy socks appeared in the man’s hands. He blinked at them, watching them shrink before his eyes, then the man handed them to Harry.

“You’ll catch your death roaming this old house barefoot,” he said.

Harry took the socks and put them on, wiggling his toes in their warmth, enjoying the fuzzy, soft feel. Between the socks, the purring cat on his lap, the hot chocolate, and the fire in front of him, Harry had never felt so comfortable and relaxed in his life. He drank more of the hot chocolate, savoring the taste, afraid he may never have something so delicious again.

“We’ll have to buy you more socks,” the man said from somewhere in the house. Harry’s eyes were growing heavy, and he didn’t bother to try and locate the man. This whole situation could be a set up for Harry to fall asleep and then the man would become a vampire and suck his blood, but Harry didn’t care. He was too warm and feeling all sorts of fuzzy inside, much like the socks on his feet. This must be why Dudley enjoyed sitting by the fire drinking hot chocolate. This must be why Aunt Petunia wore furry looking socks all the time. This was bliss, and Boomslang seemed to agree.

“A new wardrobe really,” the man’s voice sounded from right above him. “You can have all the new favorite jumpers you’d like. Ones that fit even better than that one. Move, cat.”

Boomslang was pushed off Harry’s lap and a heavy but soft blanket fell over him, engulfing him in more warmth, and for a minute, he felt too hot, but then the fire died down some, and everything was just right, even when Boomslang jumped back up on his lap and kneaded the blanket before lying back down.

“What are you talking about?” Was all Harry could ask as he blinked blearily up at the strange man staring down at him.

“You look an awful lot like your father,” the man said in a dark tone seemingly out of the blue. This man had known his father. Who was this stranger? Harry felt his glasses removed from his face. He should be terrified now that everything was blurry, but the blanket wrapped snugly around him made him feel very safe, and he squinted at the man moving around him, trying to make sense of what was happening.

“But you have your mother’s eyes.”

He did? Harry never knew that. He wanted to ask so many more questions, but he was having a hard time staying awake. He had been drugged. There was no other explanation. The man had done something to him and was planning on extracting all his fingernails for a potion. He needed to fight this feeling.

“You drugged me,” Harry accused.

Surprisingly, the man chuckled.

“I hardly think hot chocolate and a warm place to sleep can be considered drugged.”

Well, the man had a point. Harry had never experienced this level of comfort before. Was this normal? Was this what it was like to be spoiled like Dudley was? He could get used to this. Maybe there would be time to ask questions tomorrow before he had to leave for his relatives. Maybe he could even visit again. That would be nice. Harry snuggled into the blanket and stared into the flames in front of him, watching them flicker and dance to Boomslang’s rhythmic purr.

“I think I can tolerate one stranger for a while, Harry,” the man whispered in his ear, and Harry could feel the man’s breath on his neck from how close he was, and it caused a shiver to run down his spine. How did this man know his name? He had not once said who he was. And what on earth was he talking about now? A hand carding through his hair startled him and he suddenly realized what the man was getting at as he whispered in his ear once more, “Make yourself at home.”

And Harry felt like he wouldn’t mind this at all. Besides, he had just been abandoned by the one family that could care less about him. He just wanted to know one thing before this comfort dragged him into slumberland.

“What’s your name sir?” Harry asked.

“Severus Snape. Now sleep, Harry.”

As if hypnotized, Harry fell asleep surrounded by a warmth he had never known.

The light filtering through the room flickered over Harry’s eyes occasionally, and he gave in and allowed his eyes to blink open. He sat up abruptly as his brain slowly brought back the events of last night, and he relaxed in the plush armchair he was lying in. The chair had been reclined back and a pillow had been placed under his head sometime during the night, and Harry stretched briefly, feeling more rested than he had ever felt after a night in his cupboard. He was sure that a chair would not be more comfortable than a mattress, but this chair was amazing, and Harry leaned back in the seat, not wanting to leave the comfort quite yet.

He took a moment to scan the living space. The house wasn’t as scary in broad daylight as it was at night. The curtains were opened just enough to light up the living room and he could see the intricate details of the fireplace, a small fire still flickering on a small log. Harry wondered how the fire had stayed alive all night, then he had the faintest impression that the fire had only stayed alive while he had been sleeping because it was dying fast. Another few seconds passed, and the fire was completely dead, smoke rising in the chimney. How strange.

Harry turned his attention to the rest of the living space, which was very clean and detail oriented, far different than the creepy haunted house the other boys had described last night. Not even a cobweb on the ceiling. Maybe if this man fixed up the outside of the house, people would be less scared of the property. The inside was homey and comfortable.

A cat meowed above his head, and Harry looked up to see Boomslang lying above his head, kneading the pillow. When their eyes met, Boomslang stood up and butted his head against Harry’s, earning a laugh and an ear rub.

“Hi, Boomslang,” Harry greeted, petting the cat down his back.

After a few more pets, Harry yawned and sat up in the seat, feeling around for the knob to sit the chair up. Once the chair was upright, Harry found his glasses on the nearby end table and put them on. He folded the blanket and draped it over the back of the chair, then propped the pillow up against one of the arms. He stood still in the center of the living room as he debated what to do next, deciding whether to search out the strange man from last night or just wait until the man appeared himself. What was his name again? Sev—Severus, that was it. What an unusual name but at least memorable.

After standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room for a minute or two, Harry decided that Severus wasn’t going to show up anytime soon. That, or the man really enjoyed sleeping in. Harry walked carefully through the house, not wanting to make a lot of noise while Severus was still sleeping. He found a plate of breakfast at the dining table full of eggs, toast and jam, and a small yogurt parfait with a cup of milk to the side. Harry touched the plate. It was still very warm, so either it was just put together or the man had used some strange trick to keep it warm for him.

There was a note next to the plate of food that read: Running errands. Eat your breakfast and do not leave the house. –S.S.

So, the strange man wasn’t home.

Had he really been left alone in a stranger’s house? There had to be some kind of law against that. And what was keeping him here anyway? Severus was a stranger, after all, and had no control over him. He could walk out the door now and take himself home.

Of course, Harry didn’t really want to go back to the Dursleys’ just yet. He had so many questions he needed answered. Like how the man knew his name or where he lived for starters. And what he meant about keeping Boomslang. As much as he would love to keep the cat, he was sure Aunt Petunia would have a conniption over it.

Speaking of Boomslang, the cat was currently pawing at the plate of food, as if trying to grab some eggs for itself, but somehow, the cat’s paw could not touch the food. Then, Boomslang tried to stick his head into the cup of milk, but his whiskers did not touch the rim of the glass. Harry found this very peculiar, so he hesitantly reached out and touched the glass of milk with no problems, then brought it to his lips. After taking a couple gulps, not realizing how thirsty he actually was, he set the glass back down and licked his lips, much to the envy of Boomslang as the cat resumed trying to get a couple licks himself.

“No, kitty,” Harry said, picking up the cat off the table and setting him on the floor. “I don’t think you’re supposed to have milk anyway.”

Finding the smell of the breakfast enticing, Harry sat down at the table and ate the food ravenously. He couldn’t remember the last time he had such a delicious, warm breakfast, and one he didn’t even have to make. That was very kind of Severus, he would have to make sure to thank the man properly when he returned from his errands.

Boomslang sat at Harry’s feet, watching with pleading eyes as Harry managed to finish every bite of his food. Harry glanced down and smiled at the cat.

“Sorry, none left to share,” Harry said. “Maybe there’s cat treats around?”

Harry picked up his dishes and carried them out to the kitchen. He set them down in the sink and reached for sponge when the sponge shot forward and began to scrub the dishes on its own, the dish soap rising and tilting to add just enough liquid to suds up the sink that filled itself with water.

Harry jerked back and watched with mouth agape as the dishes cleaned themselves and aligned themselves neatly in a drying rack. Experimentally, Harry pinched his arms a couple times. Surely, he was dreaming all of this bizarre activity. But despite the pinches, the last of the dishes landed in the drying rack and the sponge returned to its place while the sink drained of water and soap.  

“Did you see that, too?” Harry asked Boomslang as the cat rubbed against his legs.

“Meow!” Boomslang cried loudly, more concerned about the promised treats than the flying dishware.

Harry blinked at the sink a few more times before he turned away from it. This house reminded Harry a lot of all the freaky things he had done growing up. He recalled the man’s words last night about how he had dried and cleaned Harry’s clothes: magic. Harry looked down at his jumper, checking it over for any sign of mud or dirt, but there was nothing. Did that mean magic was real after all? So far, this house seemed to support the existence of magic. Could that mean that Harry had magic powers?

Harry looked down at his hands, wondering if he could attempt to make something happen just as unexplained things had happened when he was younger. He never attempted to willingly try to make freaky stuff happen as it always upset his relatives, but maybe if he really thought hard about it, he could do something magical like the house was doing.

Harry glanced around the kitchen, looking for anything that might resemble a cat treat container. His eyes landed on a small cat shaped jar on top of the fridge, and he reached a hand out for it and thought hard about bringing the jar to him, picturing it flying into his hands. He concentrated on the jar, frowning slightly as he urged it to come to him, nearly pleading with the jar in his head.

The small ceramic container jerked forward an inch or so, and Harry grinned as he realized he was magical, and he pushed harder for the container, and the jar slid forward another couple of inches, teetering on the edge of the fridge now. Boomslang danced at Harry’s feet eagerly and Harry pushed just a little more, his hands ready to catch the jar when it fell over the ledge of the fridge.

The jar was just about to topple over when the other black cat, Belladonna, jumped up on the fridge and pawed the jar, stopping it from falling. She pushed the jar back to its rightful place, then sat and looked down at Harry, her tail flicking back and forth.

Boomslang hissed up at her while Harry frowned, unsure if the cat had knowingly stopped him from getting the treats or if she was simply being a cat. They did seem awfully smart for everyday felines, but what did Harry know about cats? These were the first two he had met.

“Do you not want any treats?” Harry asked the feline who ignored his question in favor of grooming her face. Harry’s frown deepened, then he looked down at Boomslang, who had what could only be described as an annoyed look in his eyes. Harry decided it was time to explore the house and leave the cat treats alone for now.

Boomslang followed Harry as he returned to the living space, his eyes scanning every inch of the room. He walked over to the large stained-glass windows and peered through the faded staining. It was a cloudy day, and by the droplets on the window, it was expected to pour soon. What a dreary day—perfect for haunted house exploring. Not that Harry thought the house was haunted anymore, but it was fun to think that he had been kidnapped by a vampire and was being held prisoner against his will, but was still given free range of the home, kind of like that princess movie where a beast takes a young girl prisoner in his castle of enchanted objects and furniture.

Harry wasn’t sure what compelled him to do it, but he reached for the knob of the front door, wanting to glance outside the spooky house he was in.

Except the knob would not turn.

Harry hesitated, then tried again.

The door was locked.

Panic settled in quickly as he yanked against the knob, trying hard to open the door before he decided to try the windows, but the few that did have a latch to open did not budge. He scanned the rooms for another exit, and finding a back room down the hall, he discovered a door that led to the backyard, but that one did not open either.

He was trapped inside the house. He really was a prisoner.

Yet, while Harry did not like being locked inside the house, he was not entirely alarmed by it. He had a feeling deep down that he should be freaking out and probably calling the police right now, not that he saw a phone anywhere anyway, but after a few deep breaths, he was not too frightened. After all, Severus had said he was running errands, so he probably planned on being back soon and would free Harry from this imprisonment. The man had been very kind to him so far, giving him a warm place to sleep and a warm breakfast and even a cat, Harry convinced himself that he was in no danger. And maybe the doors were all locked because Harry was alone. Yeah, that could explain it. It was for Harry’s own protection, though why they were locked from the inside was still a mystery, but everything would be fine, he was sure.

Maybe he should distract himself by looking around some more.

Harry climbed up the staircase once more, his hand gliding against the smooth wood of the railing. Boomslang and Belladonna followed him up, eager to see what the new houseguest was up to. Harry recalled the middle room being where Severus had exited from with a cauldron last night, and he wanted to get a good look at what was behind the door where the man made his potions.

Harry slowly pushed the door open and peeked inside.

There were two long tables side by side with three bubbling cauldrons on each one, small blue fires under each cauldron that hovered just slightly above the flames. Each cauldron was a different color, and even the smoke had a tint of hue to it as it wafted through the air. Behind the table were shelves and shelves of strange herbs, plants, stones, and even what Harry could only assume were body parts of various creatures (hopefully nonhuman), all stored in vials, glass jars, or small bags. In one corner of the room appeared to be a utility sink with an attached cupboard. A door on the cupboard was ajar, and Harry could see more cauldrons were stored underneath. Across from the utility sink was another door that was slightly ajar, but Harry couldn’t see what was inside the closet from where he stood.

His curiosity trumped his fear of being caught somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, and he pushed the door open further and stepped into the room, inching closer to the cauldrons. He pushed up on his tippy toes and peered into one of the boiling potions, watching in awe as reds, blues, and purples swirled within the potion, blending in unique patterns that entranced Harry, and he felt he could watch the potion all day as it bubbled away.

Glass breaking was always an awful sound to hear, and Harry jumped at the noise, turning in the direction it came from.

Boomslang was sitting on the shelves along the wall where all the potion ingredients were, and one of the glass containers was shattered on the ground below, and what looked like small eyeballs were rolling all over the floor.

Harry gasped.

“No!” he shouted, running over to the shelves. “Bad cat! Get down.”

Boomslang walked along the shelf, weaving between jars and bottles of more gross looking objects, and Harry’s heart was thundering in his chest as he followed Boomslang and pleaded with the cat to get off the shelf. He could only imagine what Severus’s reaction would be to finding his things broken. Boomslang paused at the end of the shelf and sat down next to a small jar that had some strange intestine-like substance floating in liquid.

Harry reached for the cat, but the shelf was just out of his reach.

Boomslang tapped the jar with a paw.

“No!” Harry scolded, pointing a finger at Boomslang.

Boomslang stared down at Harry, then tapped the jar again, nudging it closer to the edge.

“Don’t you do it,” Harry threatened in a low tone.

Another nudge toward the edge.

“Stop it! Bad cat! I’m warning you, Boomslang.”

Boomslang set his paw down and tilted his head at Harry, leaving the jar haphazardly on the edge of the shelf. Harry reached up to push it back to a safer position, but his fingertips could not reach the jar.

Another meow caught his ear, and he turned to see Belladonna on one of the long tables, sniffing the middle cauldron.

Afraid she might drink whatever crazy concoction was boiling, Harry ran toward the table, planning to shoo the cat off it, but before he could touch the cat, Belladonna arched her back, flattened her ears, and hissed at Harry.

Harry stopped dead in his tracts, now wary of the cat as she growled at him.

“Please, get down,” Harry begged the cat, who merely flicked her tail at him.

Glass smashed to the ground behind him, and Harry turned to see that the jar was now shattered on the ground.

“Boomslang!” Harry cried in exasperation.

Boomslang looked mighty pleased with himself as he jumped up to a higher shelf and began examining the next jar he would like to drop. Harry looked around for something he could use to try and knock Boomslang off the shelf, but he did not see anything long enough in the room. Where on earth did Severus keep his cleaning supplies? A broom would be really helpful right now.

As Harry scanned the room, he turned in time to see Belladonna put her two front paws against the rim of a cauldron, and it leaned against her weight. Harry was sure Severus was using some kind of magic power to keep the cauldrons hovering above the fires, but whatever he had done, the magic did not like the added weight of a cat.

“No, don’t do that,” Harry said, bravely shooing his hands at the cat.

Belladonna hissed again and pushed off the cauldron to run away from Harry, but in doing so, she managed to tip the cauldron over completely, knocking it off the flame and spilling its contents everywhere. Harry jumped away just in time to avoid getting any of the mess on him, but he stared down dismayed as the potion turned a black color and fizzled away at the wood on the table like a toxic chemical, leaving a hole in the center of the table.

Meanwhile, Boomslang found a new jar to his liking, a small one with a sparkly, powdery substance inside, and he was batting it along the shelf playfully. On the other side of the room, Belladona had pushed open the ajar cupboard and was crawling between the clean cauldrons, knocking a couple out of the cupboard as she tried to squeeze herself between them.

“Boomslang, leave it alone,” Harry said desperately as he ran forward to catch the small jar before it could hit the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to catch it, but winced when he heard another jar fall from the shelf. He wasn’t sure what to do to get the cats to listen to him, but unfortunately, he did not have a chance to come up with any ideas.

“Get out!” Severus’s gruff voice demanded as the dark-cloaked man stormed into the room, a finger pointing out the door. “Both of you, out!”

Harry froze in his spot, unsure at first who Severus was talking to, but the two cats were quick to respond as they tucked tails and scurried out of the room, black blurs against the hard floor that disappeared into the house. Harry didn’t move, even as Severus turned dark eyes on him, and it took Harry a moment to realize his knees were shaking slightly. The cats had made a disaster of the room, and it was all his fault. The man was going to yank off all his fingernails and use them in a potion for sure now.

Severus slowly stepped over to Harry, who leaned back into the shelves behind him.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Harry quickly apologized. “I was just looking around and, and—.”

“The cats are not allowed in this room,” Severus interrupted as he paused directly in front of Harry. He took the small container Harry was still holding and placed it on a higher shelf. He then pinned Harry with a small glare. “You are not allowed in this room . . . not without my presence.”

Harry nodded in understanding, then, at Severus’s narrowed eyes, said, “Yes, sir.”

Severus pinned Harry with a look a moment longer before he stepped back, pulling a stick out of his sleeve again. Harry watched him warily, still unsure if the stick could be used for whippings before he pushed off the shelves and followed Severus. The man certainly wore weird clothes, Harry thought as he studied the black robes.

“I’m sorry about what the cats did,” Harry said. “I can help you clean.”

“Don’t be, they’ve certainly done worse,” Severus muttered as he waved the stick around. Harry’s eyes widened as the broken glass and spilled ingredients vanished and the table seemed to regrow and fill in the hole the spilled potion had left. The empty cauldron flew over to the sink and began cleaning itself, sponges and soap attacking it vigorously. Well, clearly Severus didn’t need any assistance with cleaning up. That also explained the lack of cleaning supplies.

“That’s amazing,” Harry said. “Sir, what is that?”

Harry pointed at the stick the man was holding, and Severus quirked a brow at Harry.

“Your family really has told you nothing?” he questioned, and Harry frowned in response. Severus sighed before he said, “This is my wand. It allows me to direct my magic with ease, as you will soon learn when you get yours.”

“I get a wand? When?”

“When you are eleven,” Severus said before he motioned for Harry to leave the lab.

“That’s next summer,” Harry said, excitement filling him. “I’ll be able to control my magic powers better then?”

“Magic powers,” Severus muttered, quirking a brow at Harry. “What has your family told you about who and what you are?”

“Nothing, sir. Just that my parents died in a car crash and that I’m a bit of a fr—” Harry cut himself off quickly, remembering that he was discovering that there were other people like him, and he was not sure they would take kindly to being called “freaks,” no matter how used to the word Harry had become.

“I see,” Severus said, and Harry wondered if Severus knew what word Harry had nearly said. Severus led the way downstairs, and Harry remembered the locked doors and he glared accusingly at Severus.

“You locked all the doors and windows,” Harry said.

“Indeed,” was Severus’s only answer as the man continued toward the kitchen, ignoring Harry’s look completely.

“Well . . . why?” Harry asked.

“So a certain little miscreant didn’t enact on the idea of walking home to his relatives.”

“Oh,” Harry said. “I wouldn’t have, you know.”

“Is that why you tested every door and window you could find?”

“How do you know—I didn’t test anything, I was just . . .”

“Eloquent,” Severus remarked dryly as he summoned ingredients for tea, starting a kettle on the stove. Harry watched as utensils flew around the kitchen, cream and sugar hopped out of the fridge and onto a tray which landed neatly on the dining table. Harry was mesmerized by all the magic around him, finding each action the man did fascinating, until Severus looked down and flicked a wrist at Harry.

Harry jumped back as he felt a strange sensation wash over him, and when he blinked, his clothes had been replaced by a light green jumper that fit snugly and black trousers that weren’t falling down his hips. He glanced over his shoulder to see his previous clothes were neatly folded on the kitchen counter.

“How did you?” Harry asked, looking down at himself and back at his old clothes.

“Same answer as before,” Severus said, “magic. Take those old clothes upstairs to the first room on the right and put them in the wardrobe. Or if you’d prefer, put them in the fireplace.”

Harry hesitated, a frown on his face as he thought about what the man had said, then he carefully picked up his clothes and took them upstairs. He followed what Severus had said, walking down to the very end of the hall, past the lab door, and to where there were three more doors. He remembered which door to go to, but he couldn’t help glancing at the other rooms. One door turned out to be a small closet, and to his surprise, it did contain a few cleaning supplies. The room next to the one he had been told to go to was a full bathroom, but unlike the rest of the house, the bathroom was very outdated.

Finally, Harry opened the door to discover a bedroom. It was a moderate-sized one, with a full bed in blue sheets. There was a small desk table with a chair off to the side of the bed, a wardrobe across from the bed, and a tall mirror on the wall next to the wardrobe. Harry walked up to the wardrobe and opened a random middle drawer, then froze.

Inside the drawer, were several folded trousers, all about his size.

Harry opened another drawer to find more jumpers and plain tees, and then another drawer revealed undergarments and thick, fuzzy socks. Harry frowned, studying the items, then glancing around the room for more information to fill in the dots, but there were no picture frames anywhere. Surely Severus had a son or a nephew that stayed over now and then? Where else would all these things have come from? Was he just borrowing some drawer space for now? That must be it.

Harry pushed aside a few of the nice trousers and set his clothes in the empty space he created. There. That felt less intrusive in case any relatives of Severus’s stopped by.

Harry turned around to look over the room again. It was very plain and simple, as if it had remained empty for a long time. Boomslang trotted into the room a few seconds later, his tail up and loud purrs emitting from his small body as he jumped up on the bed and rolled around on the soft blankets. Harry snorted and stroked the cat.

“I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble,” Harry said. “But you would have deserved it, you know.”

Boomslang only purred with a nonguilty look on his face.

Harry smiled at the cat then stepped out of the room. Now that he knew what the other rooms were, that left the very first room from the staircase, which could only be Severus’s room. Even though he could deduce what room must be left, he still couldn’t resist the urge to peek inside, and he glanced over the rail to see if Severus was around before he approached the closed room, Boomslang at his heel. He slowly reached for the handle, telling himself he would just take a quick peek inside then head back downstairs.

Just as he turned the knob, an unseen force yanked him away from the door, then he was flying down the stairway before he was deposited in front of Severus at the end of the staircase. Severus gave him a stern look.

“That room is also off limits,” Severus said. “I’m sure we’d both like to avoid a repeat of the lab, wouldn’t we?”

“Yes, sir. Sorry.” Harry wasn’t sure how to feel about being so easily maneuvered through the house. For a moment, he imagined what it must be like to live with magical people, and how amazing and frightening it would be at the same time.

Boomslang trotted down the stairs after Harry, only to be batted a few times by Belladonna, who was sitting next to her owner with a disapproving look of her own.

Severus studied Harry a moment longer, and Harry grew uncomfortable with the intense stare, but before he could ask what the man was thinking about, Severus turned away, and Harry took a minute to follow after him.

“Sir?” Harry asked, remembering something that he had been wanting to ask since last night.

“What is it?” Severus responded as he gestured for Harry to sit at the table while he poured a couple cups of tea.

“Did you know my parents?”

Severus set a cup of tea in front of Harry, along with the milk kettle and sugar bowl, then he sat at the head of the table with a plain cup of black tea, taking a long sip while watching Harry. Unsure if Severus was waiting for Harry to prepare his tea before answering, Harry set to work adding a couple spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of milk before taking a small sip of the tea, smacking his lips at the taste. He had never actually had tea before, and he felt he may have sweetened it too much or perhaps the milk was a bad choice, and he should have drank it plain as Severus was doing.

“Never had tea before, have you?” Severus asked.

Harry shook his head, but sipped the tea again, despite his obvious dislike. He didn’t want to seem rude by wasting the tea after Severus had gone through the trouble of making it for him. Suddenly, the tea in his cup evaporated away and refilled itself halfway with fresh black tea. Severus picked up the milk kettle and filled the rest of the cup with milk, then added a half spoonful of sugar before sitting back in his seat.

Stirring briefly, Harry picked up the cup and sipped the tea, already wincing as he prepared for the taste. Instead, he was met with a creamier, slightly sweet version of the tea he had previously butchered. While it wasn’t his new favorite thing, it was tolerable, and he could drink the tea without grimacing at the taste.

“That’s better, sir, thank you,” Harry said softly.

“Figures,” Severus muttered. “Your mother liked her tea that way.”

“She did?”

“We were very close friends. I was about your age when I met her, right before we went to school.”

“Was she nice? What did she look like?”

“Lily was the kindest person I knew, with a very forgiving and tolerant heart. She was very beautiful, had long red hair, and your eyes.”

With that in mind, Harry pictured what his mother, Lily, could have looked like. What a beautiful name for his mother. He was glad to know that he had something from his mother, even if it was just her eyes.

“What about my dad. Were you friends with him too?”

“Absolutely not,” Severus’s eyes darkened. “Your father was nothing but a spoilt, arrogant, and cruel bully.”

“Oh,” Harry said, his eyes drifting down as he stared into the light-colored tea in his cup. Well, at least that fit with everything else Aunt Petunia had said about his parents.

Severus was quiet for a moment, narrowing his eyes at Harry as if expecting an argument, but then the man sighed heavily and looked away for a moment. When he looked back at Harry, he said, “That’s not to say that James Potter did not . . . mature and grow into a more decent person. After all, he did marry Lily, the kindest woman I knew.”

“Right,” Harry agreed, trying hard to push his disappointment down. Surely his father couldn’t have been all awful if he managed to marry such a kind and beautiful person. And Severus said that James had to mature so maybe he was a better man than a teen? Harry recalled how Severus said he looked just like his father, and while it had been nice to know in the moment, now, he didn’t know if he wanted to look like someone who had been a bully. Wait . . .

“Did he bully you, sir?” Harry blurted out. When Severus’s eyes darkened even more, Harry regretted asking and he shook his head and looked down at his tea. “Never mind, sir, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.”

Severus was silent for a moment, and Harry was nearly shaking in his seat as he waited for Severus to say something, hopefully accepting his apology, and moving off the subject. How could he be so stupid and insensitive to ask a question like that? After all the nice things the man had done for him so far and he just had to open his big mouth.

“He did,” Severus finally admitted. “But we should let bygones be bygones, shouldn’t we?”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed. Whatever that means. Whatever kept the man happy, please let the bygones be bygones.

Harry sipped his tea for a moment, allowing silence to hang in the air before another question begged to be asked.

“You said you went to school with . . . my mum. What school did you go to?”

“Hogwarts.”

“What kind of school is that?”

“You don’t know about Hogwarts?”

Harry shook his head, then waited patiently as Severus studied him again with narrowed eyes.

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a boarding school where young witches and wizards go to learn about their magic and how to control it starting at the age of eleven. Any magical resident of Great Britain or Ireland is automatically accepted and receive an acceptance letter on their eleventh birthday.”

“Wow.” Harry smiled. “So, I’ll go to Hogwarts.”

“If you want to. That’ll be your choice.” Severus hesitated, then added, “Of course, boarding schools are very expensive.”

“Really? Oh.” Harry felt his hope deflate in his chest. There went his chance at going to an amazing magical school. The Dursleys would never pay for him to go to a place like that and how on earth could he afford to go? It wasn’t like he could get a job somewhere to pay it off. Maybe, if he asked the headmaster really nicely, he might be able to work out a deal. Did magical schools have headmasters? There had to be someone in charge for him to talk to. Maybe he was better off sticking to normal people’s school.

“That’s not a problem, is it?” Severus asked.

“Well, it’s not like I have any money or anything and Aunt Petunia would never pay for me to go to a fre—I mean, a school like that. It was a nice thought though.”

“Hmm.” Severus drummed his fingers on the table next to his teacup. “I could teach you. Only if you would like, of course.”

“You would really?” Harry’s eyes lit up at the thought of being taught how to control his magic. “Is that allowed?”

“Of course, it’s allowed. Homeschooling is one of many options for young wizards learning their magic. You would still need to sit for the exams in your sixth and seventh year of schooling, which would be arranged with the Education Department, but otherwise, there is no reason I couldn’t homeschool you.”

“That would be amazing, sir. But, how would I repay you?”

“Hmm, excellent question.” Severus sat back in his seat and rubbed his chin as if it was a difficult thing to consider before just as quickly, he said, “I know, you could assist me with my research.”

“Research?”

“You know, assist me in my lab with new formulas, trial new potions, study various potion ingredients around the world, and of course, travel with me to conventions to discuss new discoveries.”

“That sounds like the best job ever! If I do that, you’ll teach me everything I need to know?”

“I’ll have you more prepared for the wizarding world than the wizarding world will be ready for.”

Harry had no clue what that was supposed to mean, but Harry didn’t care in the slightest. A free education and a new job as practically Severus’s apprentice? What more could a young boy ask for? This was turning into the best day of his life. Thank goodness, Aunt Petunia had left him to find this amazing new life. Wait, would he be allowed to stay here, or would he have to go home and come back on schedule?

“Sir, should I . . . tell Aunt Petunia about this or . . .”

“As I’ve said before, your aunt’s opinion hardly matters here. She abandoned you, and so far, is still not looking for you, nor has she reported you missing.”

“Really? Still?” Harry wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Sure, he knew that the Dursleys never really considered him family, but to think that Aunt Petunia did not even seem concerned about the safety of her nephew disheartened Harry. Would she ever bother to look for him? If this had been an emergency, wouldn’t this be considered too late?

“I cannot pretend to understand how it feels to be abandoned by your only family,” Severus said. “I do know how it feels to be unwanted, and I can promise you this, Harry, if you choose to stay, you will never be unwanted here.”

Harry’s lower lip trembled as his eyes watered, and he nodded his head in response. That touched a little too close to home, but Harry could see it in the man’s eyes, something he was very familiar with: the fear of rejection, fear of loneliness, fear of being unloved forever. And while Severus may never admit it outwardly, it was that look in Severus’s eyes that convinced Harry that the man’s words were honest and true, and he nodded his head again.

“I’d like to stay here then, please, sir.”

“I figured you’d say yes,” Severus said, a smile pulling at his lips.

It turned out, the errands Severus had been running were all for Harry, buying him a new wardrobe of clothes, new bed sheets for the old guest room, and even books to begin his schooling. Harry loved everything and wished he knew how to thank Severus properly. The rest of the day was spent exploring the house and getting to know Severus more, especially his field of work that resulted in him traveling away often, leaving the house empty, dark, and spooky. It explained the lack of care in the front and back yards, along with the aging exterior. His constant absence meant the house was often open to trespassers, and Severus used the old, spooky look of the house, along with some well-placed charms, to keep trespassers away.

“What about Boomslang and Belladonna?” Harry had asked.

“They come with me,” Severus answered. “Where I go, they go. Belladonna is a loyal familiar, never leaves my side. Boomslang, on the other hand . . . well, he’s a good fit for you.”

Harry laughed at that as he played with Boomslang later that evening, leading a string around the living room for the cat to chase when the doorbell rang loudly through the house, startling Harry. He hadn’t even seen a doorbell outside and was surprised the house had one.

Then, through the curtains, he saw who was standing on the other side of the door.

Aunt Petunia.

She was wearing a warm grey jacket, and her arms were crossed over her chest as she waited for someone to answer the door, her lips thinned and her eyes squinting at the front door. Harry took a few steps back, then froze when Severus brushed past him, sparing him a look before opening the door.  

“Good evening, Petunia,” Severus greeted coldly.

“I should have known it was you who lived in this wasteland,” Petunia said. “Where is he?”

“My, look at the time,” Severus said, glancing at his watch, “nearly twenty-four hours from the time you left him abandoned in an unknown neighborhood, on Halloween nonetheless.”

“We didn’t abandon him,” Petunia argued. “He took off. Serves him right spending the night in a creepy, rundown place like this. I’m sure he’s more than ready to go home, now.”

“Oh, I’m sure that will fly by well with the police.”

“You wouldn’t dare call the police.” Petunia glared at Severus. “Over what? It wasn’t like I didn’t know where he was.”

“Ah, but you had no clue who lived here. What a way to put his life up to chance, Petunia. Truly, I thought you had more human decency than that.”

“What do you want Snape?” Petunia demanded. “Where is Harry?”

“Oh, he’s right here.” Severus leaned against the doorframe and motioned to Harry still standing frozen in the middle of the living room. Petunia’s glare deepened and Harry swallowed dryly, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Severus had promised Harry that he would never have to go back to the Dursleys, but could the man really stop the Dursleys from taking him back? They were his legal guardians and Severus was still a stranger he had only known for a day. Not that that bothered Harry. He was more than willing to stay with the stranger than go back to the Dursleys.

“Boy,” Petunia called to him. She motioned him to come to her. “Get over here.”

Harry swallowed again, glanced at Severus, then back at Petunia. He shook his head and took a step back.

“Pity,” Severus tsked with a smirk, “it seems Harry doesn’t wish to go home just yet.”

“Boy, I don’t have time for your games,” Petunia snapped, taking a step forward.

Severus quickly put an arm up on the other frame and glared at Petunia, stopping her dead in her tracks.

“I did not give you permission to enter my property,” Severus said.

“My nephew is in your house,” Petunia growled. “Don’t make me call the police on you, Snape.”

“Go ahead. And I’ll tell them the whole story of how I found this little boy sobbing in my living room, terrified because his only living family abandoned him in an unknown town, far from home, on one of the scariest nights of the year. Whose story do you think they will believe? What do you think Harry will tell them, hmm?”

Petunia’s glares hardened and she met Severus’s hard look for a long moment. She huffed and brushed some hair out of her face and stared off in the distance.

“Dumbledore placed Harry in my care for his protection, you know,” Petunia said. “He’s not safe here.”

Harry frowned at that. This was the first he was hearing about a “Dumbledore,” and even Severus seemed to recognize the name.

“Dumbledore has certainly made grave errors in the past,” Severus said.

“You can’t keep him, Snape; he’s not some lost stray you can just start feeding and housing. What would the wizarding world think if they found out you took their hero?” Petunia said “hero” with a lot of bite in her voice.

Harry was surprised at how much Petunia knew of the magical world, and he felt a sense of betrayal crush against his heart. So Petunia had been lying to him his whole life. She knew why he was so freaky and different, and she never told him the truth. He felt more confident in his decision to stay with Severus now, at least the man had been honest with him about everything so far, even about his father. He felt his trust in Severus grow in that moment as he felt his eyes tear up watching Petunia.

Severus only smirked at Petunia’s question.

“I can’t wait to find out,” Severus answered.

Petunia huffed and shook her head.

“I don’t know what your agenda is, Snape, but fine. Keep him. At least he’s not placing my family in danger anymore.” Petunia looked over Severus’s shoulder and directly at Harry. “Good riddance, boy.”  

Harry felt a few tears escape his eyes, but he refused to let Petunia see her words affect him, so he stood his ground anyway. Boomslang purred as he rubbed against Harry’s leg soothingly, standing up on two to rub his head against Harry’s hand.

Severus stepped forward, forcing Petunia to back up a step and she nearly stumbled down the first step of the rickety porch. She caught herself and continued to glare at Severus.

“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” Petunia said.

“I’ll send you the necessary paperwork to sign away your guardianship rights to me,” Severus said plainly.

“Fine. It better not be with an owl.”

Harry thought that was the strangest thing he had ever heard his aunt say, but Severus appeared amused by that, and smirked.

“How else should I send it?” Severus questioned. “Good night and good riddance, Petunia.”

With that, Severus slammed his door shut, leaving an aghast Petunia hovering outside before she stormed away, leaving in her car.

Severus paused as he saw Harry, tears still leaking down his face, his small fists clenched at his side as he tried not to sob, his face red from the effort. Severus sighed, stepping closer to Harry. He reached out a hand, hesitated, then placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“It is okay to feel sad,” Severus said. “You did not deserve to hear those words.”

Harry closed his eyes, more tears escaping.

Severus tightened his grip on Harry’s shoulder, and Harry could sense Severus’s unease with his emotions, yet Harry couldn’t stop himself from rushing forward and hugging the stranger who did more for him than the Dursleys ever did. Severus tensed at first, then brought an arm around Harry, patting his back in an untimely rhythm.

Harry would take it. He squeezed Severus tightly, wanting to show how much he appreciated the man for everything he had done in the last twenty-four hours. After a moment, Harry relaxed and released Severus, rubbing his eyes and looking up at the man.

“You know,” Severus began quickly changing the subject, “I have to meet with a fellow researcher tomorrow in Italy. It would be a three day stay as I have to hunt down and harvest a particular plant for a new potion project, but there will be time for exploring as well. Besides, I hear Tuscany is stunning this time of year.”

“And Boomslang will go, too?” Harry asked in a quiet voice.

“Of course. As will Belladonna. But you better keep a close eye on Boomslang. He’s known for trouble.”

“I will, I promise,” Harry said with a small smile as he wiped away the last of his tears.

August 1st, 1991

Harry gathered put together all the tea items on the tray and carried it out to the living room, where Albus Dumbledore was seated on the sofa, admiring the room. He set the tea tray on the coffee table in the room, setting a cup closer to Albus and pouring the elder wizard a cup of tea.

“Thank you, Harry,” Albus said as he reached forward and fixed the tea how he liked it. Harry poured himself a cup as well, filling his halfway before adding in milk, then a half scoop of sugar before stirring it patiently while he waited for Albus to finish fixing his.

Belladonna hopped up on the sofa and froze, arching her back and growling at Albus.

“Belladonna, no,” Harry scolded, standing up and snatching the hissing cat up before tossing her down on the floor. She scurried out of the room. “Sorry, sir, she’s a one human only kind of cat. She still only tolerates me most of the time.”

“No trouble at all, Harry,” Albus said, smiling at the child. “So, tell me, when did you come to live here with Severus?”

“Aunt Petunia didn’t tell you anything?” Harry asked, narrowing his eyes at the headmaster as he sat down and picked up his cup of tea again. “She abandoned me here last Halloween.”

“She neglected to inform me of that,” Albus commented softly as he sipped his cup. “She said that you had willingly left her abode because you felt you deserved better than what her modest upbringing could offer.”

“That’s a load of bull,” Harry snapped, then covered his mouth, his eyes widening as he glanced around the house. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. Don’t tell Severus.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Albus winked at Harry. “So, Harry, what brings me down here is your Hogwarts acceptance letter. You signed that you were continuing your education elsewhere?”

“Yes, sir. Severus is tutoring me and I’m assisting him with his research in between. It’s really fascinating and I don’t want to give that up to go to a boarding school for most of the year. Besides, I’m learning a lot with Severus. I’ve already almost completed magical theory in all my subjects that I would have learned in Year One based on the reading material requirements you’ve got listed.”

“That is very good, Harry,” Albus praised. “But Hogwarts offers more than an education. It is a life experience that should not be missed out on, and there are so many friends you could make, friendships that would last a lifetime.”

“I understand, sir,” Harry said. “I read about the school in Hogwarts, A History. I would love to visit sometime, and Severus said there are lots of opportunities that might bring us up there sometime, even in our research as the Forbidden Forest has a lot of rare and valuable potions ingredients. I’m sure I’ll get my experience then, but nothing beats traveling the world with Severus. And I’m making friends all over the world. I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not going to Hogwarts.”

“I respect your decision, Harry. May I just ask: Severus hasn’t coerced you in any way to turn down your Hogwarts admission?”

“Of course not. He’s been nothing but honest with me. He told me that I could learn just as much under a tutor, and he’s giving me a free education and a place to live and experiences I’ll never forget.”

“Free education? Harry, you do realize your parents have a vault set aside for you with enough money to pay your way through school without making a dent in your inheritance?”

“I know,” Harry said with a soft smile. “Severus took me to Gringotts this summer when we went to get my wand. He gave me my key so I can start paying for my own “souvenir trinkets” as he calls them. I try to collect something from every place we visit. Look here.”

Harry jumped to his feet and pointed at several objects on the mantle above the fireplace.

“This snow globe I got from Paris; it has the Eiffle Tower in it. And this Murano glass I got from Venice, isn’t it pretty? Oh, and this is a figurine of Astruc Sacanera, a wizard from the fourteenth century who invented a long-lost potion that cured rabies! This is one of the potions Severus is still working on trying to recreate along with all the other fascinating things we do. He also created the missing Pedra Escurçonera, a black stone capable of healing all sickness. Severus wants to find the stone because he thinks it’s shavings could be used in so many healing potions, enhancing their capabilities.”  

“You are definitely learning a lot with Severus,” Albus said, admiring all of Harry’s trinkets.

“He’s a great teacher,” Harry said, then he lunged forward and caught the snow globe before it could hit the ground. “Boomslang! Get down!”

Harry put the snow globe back and picked up the black cat trying to knock down another souvenir. Harry returned to sitting across from Albus with Boomslang purring and making biscuits in Harry’s lap. Harry muttered, “I’ll have to tell Severus the sticking charms wore off again,” as he stroked the cat.

“I offered a teaching position to Severus several years ago,” Albus said. “I told him he would have made an excellent teacher. He turned me down though.”

“Yeah, he told me about that. He said he had other plans for his life than teaching a bunch of imbecilic kids. Besides, he also said you failed him.”

Albus’s eyes were saddened at those words, but Harry did not regret saying them. He wanted the headmaster to know this.

“He went to you for help, but you always failed to protect him. And then you failed to protect someone he loved, and that is when he lost all faith in you.”

“I’m afraid you do not know the whole story, my boy . . .” Albus began.

“No, I know it. Severus told me everything. He didn’t want me to find out from anyone else. But I still chose to stay with him, and I’m choosing again to stay with him. You failed me, too, you know.”

“How so, Harry?”

“You were made my magical guardian, but you left me with the Dursleys and didn’t check on me once! They weren’t nice to me. They locked me in a cupboard whenever they didn’t want to deal with me, which was also my bedroom, and they lied to me about what a freak I was. They didn’t want me, and the blood wards fell after Aunt Petunia signed me away to Severus. She was more than happy to be rid of me. She never wanted me.”

“Severus really has told you everything, hasn’t he? He seems to confide a lot in you.”

“I’m all he has now. You know, I think he was really lonely before I showed up in his house. It was just him and these two wackos.” Harry held up Boomslang pointedly. “He’s . . . he’s become like a father to me. I can’t leave him now.”

“Oh, Harry.” Albus sighed heavily. “I never meant for you to feel betrayed by me. I was doing what I thought was best for you, however, I see now that I was wrong to leave you alone in the care of your relatives for so long. You are right. I should have followed up and made sure you were loved in their care. I am happy that you have found someone who can give you the appropriate care and protection you will need. Severus is a formidable wizard and I’m sure he will turn you into quite a successful wizard as well. I see you’re already on your way there.”

“I’m happy here. I’m not leaving.”

“And there’s nothing I can say to convince you to attend Hogwarts?”

“No, sir.”

“I respect your decision. I wish you the best, Harry, and I hope we meet again someday. Perhaps you’ll even find time to visit Hogwarts soon.”

“Maybe, sir. Thank you for stopping by.”

“Give Severus my best for me, won’t you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Harry waited for Albus to disappear from the floo, and then he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders briefly as the wards reenacted around the property, closing off the floo connection and preventing apparition to the building without a certain password. Harry smiled and ran for the front door, Boomslang following at his heel. Harry opened the door and stepped onto the porch, which was no longer rickety as Severus finally got around to fixing it after a postal man fell through one of the boards. The yard had also been cleaned up, and there was no more jungle surrounding the front of the house.

Harry walked down the porch over to where Severus was trimming up a large tree, standing on a ladder secured with stabilizing charms. It looked horrifying to Harry, but he was sure the neighbors were more freaked out.

“He’s gone, Severus,” Harry called up to the man.  

“About time,” Severus said as he stepped down the ladder before allowing it to fold itself up and store itself neatly next to the porch. “So, was I correct? What did he talk about?”

“He wanted me to attend Hogwarts and to really consider it before I made up my mind.”

“And you said?”

“No, obviously. He said to give you his best.”

“I don’t want them. Well, at least his visit is out of the way. We need to finish packing up for Heidelberg, we have a long week there and I will not miss a single speaker, nor my own presentation.”

“Oh, can I help with the demonstration?”

“As always.”

A loud hoot sounded above them, and a snowy owl flew down from the sky and circled their heads before offering a letter to Harry.

“Hi, Hedwig,” Harry greeted as he accepted the letter from his owl and opened it. “It’s from Julio in Peru! He found a new ingredient to use in our experimental potion for curing muki goblin bites. I can’t wait to read what observations he’s made.”

“You kids are always up to something,” Severus said, reaching for the letter, but Harry yanked it out of his reach. “You should let me read that sometime.”

“You just want to take all the credit for our research.”

“Perks of you being my apprentice,” Severus said. “Come, bring your cat and your owl and finish packing.”

“Aren’t you going to fix the gate?”

“Why? It only swings a little bit.”

“You just like it because it scares kids.”

“And gullible adults. Get inside before I steal your pen pal’s research right out of your hands.”

Harry ran ahead of Severus, leading Boomslang and Hedwig into the house where Belladonna had claimed her spot on the sofa once more, purring happily.

“What are we pretending to be this time?” Harry asked as he set his research on the table. “Master and apprentice? Or father and son?”

“I was thinking father and son,” Severus said, summoning a roll of parchment from his study. “But it wouldn’t be pretend.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

Severus unrolled the parchment on the table and revealed an adoption form.

“The Adoption Agency finally realized the sensitivity of adopting someone like you,” Severus explained, “and they have agreed to magical signatures on this parchment to legalize our adoption without all the fancy schmancy court shenanigans.”

Severus summoned a quill from his desk and signed his name on the parchment, then offered it to Harry, who only stared at him.

“Well?” Severus pushed, moving the quill closer to Harry.

“You want to adopt me?” Harry asked.

“You’ve been living here for a better part of the year pretending to be my son everywhere we go, we might as well make it official.”

“But . . . do you really want me as your son?”

Severus sighed.

“Your low self-worth really bothers me sometimes, Harry. Of course, I want you as my son. You know if I do not intend to do something, I will not do it.”

“Like meeting with Albus today?” Harry asked with a cheeky smile.

“Yes,” Severus smirked back. “Like meeting with Albus today. But you, I most certainly want you to sign this parchment and say that I am legally your parent. If that is what you want.”

Harry quickly took the quill and signed his name as best as he could. He had been practicing with the quill since he had come to live with Severus, and he was quite proud of how well his signature looked on the paper. Severus rested his hand on Harry’s shoulder, only for Harry to turn and squeeze him in a tight hug, which Severus returned fiercely.

“Shall Hedwig deliver the news?” Severus asked once Harry released him.

Harry nodded, and he rolled up the parchment and handed it to Hedwig.

“Here girl, take this to the Adoption Agency at the Ministry of Magic. Then meet us at Heidelberg.”

Hedwig cooed gently before taking flight and flying through a window that opened for her.

Harry watched her fly away until she disappeared into the clouds. He turned back to Severus, who was summoning their bags for their trip.

“You did pack everything this time, correct, Harry?” Severus questioned. “We won’t have to make any unnecessary shopping trips for pajamas or undergarments?”

“No, Dad,” Harry said, smiling as he said the name. And this time, Severus truly was his father. “I’m so glad I chose to stay with you. I wouldn’t give this up for anything.”

“Neither would I,” Severus agreed.