Sevvus, I have pain,” baby Harry complained.Snape, who was currently searching his cupboard for pixie-jell gazed at the boy. The toddler touched his temples with his fingers.

“Pain herwa. My eyes stingy.”

“Is that so? For how long have you been in pain?”

“Yeteday little pain. Today morwe but no all day.”

“Does your scar hurt as well?”

“No, I pain only herwa,” the boy whined slightly.

-)-)-)

‘Sevvus I have pain.’

It was amazing how a five-word sentence could cause him so much trouble. Snape cast his eyes towards the open door. The room was dark and if someone would stay really quiet, he would hear the rhythmic breath of a sleeping person coming from it. Snape let out a snort. Sometimes he thought that the powers of the universe hated him. If this was not true, then why all those things happened to him?

A few hours ago he had taken baby Harry to the Healer, hoping that she would give something to the boy in order to prevent him from whining. She listened to the symptoms carefully and asked baby Harry to follow her to her office. She returned minutes later with the same twisted glint of satisfaction Moody’s normal eye had when he talked about the Azkaban prison. He, of course, shuddered.

Snape looked at the door and shook his head in disgust. Then his eyes fell on the wooden wardrobe. His clothes for tomorrow hang on the wardrobe’s handle. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at them.

“I hate my life.”

Snape hated his life, indeed, since the clothes on the hanger were for muggles. When the morning would come, he had to escort the boy outside the castle and into a muggle area. The reason was simple. Baby Harry needed eye-glasses once again.

-)-)-)

He passed the comb through his hair forcing a strand of stray hair to be properly set on his head. He glowered at his image as the corner of his mouth rose slightly upwards. A pair of black jean trousers were wore by him, reminding him once again of Miss Weasley’s belief about his buttocks. He let a growl and mumbled to himself that low levels of self-centrism instructed not to pay attention to teenage women and their hormones. He passed his hand over the warm grey jumper and checked his shoes for the last time. Having assured that his clothes were in perfect condition, he turned to see the boy.

Baby Harry sat on the couch, wearing a pair of blue-jeans and a whitejumper. Snape narrowed his eyes to the state of Potter’s hair. They were messier than ever. That morning he had attempted everything in his power in order to force the boy’s hair to look, at least, messy. Yet, the neither magic nor water could help. Baby Harry’s hair stuck out from every direction of his head, reminding the Potion Master of an old overused mop. He had accepted defeat that morning and reminded himself that Potters and their hair were destined to kill him.

Baby Harry stood to his feet and approached his guardian with Bibi in his hands. The man noted to himself that the boy was getting more and more attached to the stuffed unicorn toy. He suddenly smirked as he envisioned a seventeen year old Potter taking that toy everywhere he would go.

Dumbledore welcomed a sprinting little boy, who rushed to his office to give him a kiss and a hug. The black-robed man entered seconds later, walking into the office very cautiously. He scowled as the Headmaster granted him with a look that seemed to say ‘What-no-kiss-and-a-hug-from-you’ and took his seat cursing the older wizard’s merriment to his expense.

“So Severus ready?” Dumbledore asked with a smile and the man nodded grumpily, “I took into consideration your worry about the new situation of young Harry’s eyesight. I do agree with you that Harry, and you of course, cannot be subjected to the ‘ordeal’ of traveling every two weeks to have his eyesight checked and his eye-glasses’ lenses re-adjusted so to match the problem. After all, this would draw the Muggle’s attention. Therefore I have conducted a young man that offered to help us. In fact, he was delighted to hear your name. His name is Alektor Bibblymiwibly. Does it ring a bell?”

“A queer surname certainly, but no. If I am not mistaken, which I am not, I have never heard of him,” Snape answered sincerely for it was the first time he heard such a name.

“He is an ex-Hogwarts student and the creator of a project called Ever-fitting lenses’. These lenses can adjust to the person’s eye problem. He had completed his discovery, with perfect results three years ago.”

“Yes, yes,” Snape said motioning his hand dismissively. “Where does he live and most importantly can we trust him?”

“I am assured that we can trust him. Alektor is of a quiet nature but has wrote me a letter the moment the rumors of Voldemort’s - will you stop doing that?” he asked when Snape flinched. “As I said when the rumors started he send me an owl offering his help if I would never need him. The fact that he conducted immediately when the rumors begun, and not when the return was entirely confirmed, assures my trust. I am afraid, however, that the location of his residence will slightly displease you.”

“Where?” Snape questioned laconically.

“Yorkshire?”

“AT YORKSHIRE?” Snape heard himself screech slightly. “Yorkshire? It is at the end of the bloody world,” he hissed.

“I always thought Hogwarts was at the end of the world. No one, except its students and stuff, knows of its existence or whereabouts,” Dumbledore said calmly as he put a Lemon Drop into his mouth.

“It’s a place full of Muggles. And how am I supposed to go there?”

“Portkey,” Dumbledore said simply and gave him a box that contained the portkey. “You can use this portkey to go to Yorkshire. You can apparate to Hogsmeade when you decide to leave. I have arranged so that the portkey will transfer you outside Alektor’s house. Do not worry of Muggles; he has placed wards.”

Snape stood up to leave, when Dumbledore added.

“I would advice you to give young Harry a haircut. His hair is beyond the boundaries of properly set.”

Minutes later the man and the toddler exited from the castle’s entrance. Snape looked at the sky with worry. It had a grey, almost black-like colour as the clouds seemed to cram together; covering every inch of it. The clouds had been filling every centimeter of the sky for the past tow days and Snape knew that a violent downpour threatened to start at any moment. He sighed, grasped the boy’s miniature hand and started walking.

-)-)-)

Snape’s feet touched the ground and he fell down as the green-eyed toddler tumbled over him. Snape was definite that this was the longest portkey trip he had ever experienced. He rubbed hid neck, a result from the tugging effect, and wondered why the Headmaster did not just tell him the exact whereabouts of that man. And then it struck him. That man, Alektor Bibblymiwibly, was of a shy and quiet nature and did not wish for anyone to know his residence.

“Sevvus,” baby Harry said delighted, tugging Snape’s left trouser, “liten. Sheep.”

Snape tilted his head. From a couple of meters away he could hear the bleats coming from a flock of sheep. Baby Harry looked at him excitedly.

“Sevvus, can we see sheep?” Harry asked, showing his curious he was to see live sheep.

“When we are done, we will go and see them, ok?”

Baby Harry nodded in excitement. Snape turned to see at the old cottage. Nothing indicated that a wizard could be living there. Just like Helena Stewart, Harry’s child-doctor, the man that was going to help them had taken an extra safety measure to keep himself, and themselves, undetected. He knocked the cottage’s door.

A man opened the door shortly afterwards. He was tall, yet not as much as to reach Snape’s extraordinary height. The roof of his head, Snape could guess, reached his own chin. He had a slightly dark complexion, a squashed little nose and thin lips. He had his long, auburn, curly hair tied in a loose ponytail, and behind a pair of rectangular-lens eye-glasses; two honey-brown eyes rest. Snape guessed that the man opposite him was a couple of years older than him, and for a strange reason the man’s irises looked awkwardly familiar. He shook his head and protruded his had forward very slowly.

“Good morning, I am professor Severus Snape. Alektor Bibblymiwibly I presume?”

To Severus Snape’s surprise the other man’s features lit up and a wide grin spread from one ear to the other. Alektor Bibblymiwibly took his protruding hand firmly with both his hands and shook it violently.

“Severus Snape, long time to see! How are you? I always knew that something good will come out of you!” the man said and chuckled heartily.

Severus Snape could only arch an eyebrow in question. That man, and his happiness, was disturbing. He felt himself pulled through the cottage’s door, while the man let out a cheerful ‘do come in, do come in’. Snape opened his mouth when the man closed the door behind him.

“Excuse me, but I do not recall having the pleasure of your acquaintance,” Snape admitted in a slightly confused manner.

Alektor Bibblymiwibly was not taken aback by that statement even a bit. He smiled at the man in front of him and Snape, for a strange reason, was reminded of Albus Dumbledore, in a very young version. Baby Harry and he were led to a sofa. To the tea-table in front of them there was warm tea; and cucumber sandwiches.

“Of course you wouldn’t remember me. The last time I saw you, your head could barely reach the middle of my hips. Who could guess a little short boy like you could get so tall?”

Snape scowled to be reminded that he was once short. In his first year at Hogwarts he had arrived to discover that he was the shortest in his entire year.

“I was shorter than James-I-Am-Better-Than-Everyone-Else-Potter,” he thought bitterly as he remembered that in his first and second year his height was an extra reason for taunting.

In his third year he returned back to school after a severe case of growth sprout and he discovered that he was the tallest, and skinniest, boy in all his year. Yet, there was no hope for him as a certain group was not impressed but started comparing him with a scarecrow.

“Let me give you clue. It was during your first year, in the library. I forgot my books. . .”

Snape remembered.

FLASHBACK

At the far end of the library a boy sat. The light was little and the dark-haired boy was barely visible as he was writing, engrossed in his own work. He checked his essay twice and having satisfied himself he put the parchment in his bag and returned the book to its shelf. He, then, moved to the Dark Arts section, hoping to find a book that would keep him engaged for awhile and teach him a hex that would satisfy his father, if that was ever possible.

Young Severus Snape had entered the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry knowing more hexes than any boy of his status would ever know. His father was deep into the Dark Arts and when he had ensured that his son had magical abilities he started coaching the boy in a daily basis. The boy shuddered involuntarily, but composed himself very quickly. Now that he was at Hogwarts, the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson seemed so trivial to him, the he went to the library almost every day, wishing to find something to keep him interested. His index slithered across the books’ titles. Suddenly a ’thump’ drew his attention.

A Hufflepuff student, probably in his seventh year, was scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment and had caused his open book to fell on the floor. He leaned down and picked up the book and got back to his work. Snape watched as the young man shot his head, gazed at the clocks that hang on the wall and started packing his back frantically. He stood up and hurried outside the library, not noticing that he had left a book on the desk. Snape shook his head and went near the desk. Snape noticed that the boy had forgotten his Charms N.E.W.T textbook.

“Hufflepuffs!” young Snape thought with a snort, “Always walking on pink clouds.”

He knew that he was not obliged to return the book back to his owner. He could always pretend that he was too busy to notice the young man had forgotten anything. He returned back to his reading the books’ titles. He let his finger rest on one of the books and looked at the forgotten one that lay on the desk. He let another snort, picked up the book and hurried outside the library.

Alektor Bibblymiwibly was leaning against the wall outside the Charms classroom, waiting for Professor Flitwick. He wanted to discuss his idea about charms on the lenses he was currently developing. Soon enough, Professor Flitwick was going to finish his lecture. Suddenly he felt someone poking his hand shyly. He looked down and saw a little boy, looking at him seriously. Snape cursed the fact that the boy was too tall and he so short. He guessed he looked like a three-year old near that ‘gigantic’ boy. The man stared at him curiously.

“Here, you forgot this on the library,” the raven-haired first-year said simply and showed him the book.

Alektor took the Charms book and thanked his luck. He could not imagine his embarrassment if it would have turned out that he had forgotten his book during the meeting with Flitwick. He ripped his eyes from the book’s title and turned to thank the boy. Yet, the boy had left, not waiting to be thanked.

END OF FLASHBACK

“You left before I could thank you. I did not know your name but I inquired about it before my graduation. Severus Snape, they told me. First year. Serious little bugger you were! Some of the seventh year girls found you adorable,” Alektor chuckled to Snape’s discomfort, “As that adorable as that little one over there,” he finished and eyed at baby Harry, who was holding a small cucumber sandwich and was ‘feeding’ Bibi.

“We all start as adorable,” Snape let out sarcastically, “Then we grow up, have our heart broken and develop a scalp condition. It is so sad.”

After that comment Alektor Bibblymiwibly stopped his cheerful ranting. He drunk his tea, gazing at Snape, who drunk his own scowling at his cup. When the hook-nosed man turned to gaze the man opposite him, he met in Alektor’s eye the same look the Headmaster granted him with.

Snape shook his head as baby Harry, who had cuddled near him, much to his dismay, had finished his sandwich. The boy had smeared his face with bread crumbs and butter, therefore Snape took out his handkerchief. Having cleaned the boy he stared back at Bibblymiwibly

Alektor had drawn his attention to Baby Harry, who noticed this shift of attention and stared back shyly. The boy snuggled closer to his guardian, who sat now in discomfort.

“Hello Harry, my name is Alektor,” giving his hand to the boy.

Baby Harry looked at the man’s hand and then he turned his head to his guardian. Snape eyed him with an expression that could be translated as ‘give-your-hand-to-mister-Alektor-Harry’ and then looked at the man.

“Hello, I am Harwy,” the boy chirped and gave him the hand.

“Harry, a little dragon told me that your eyes are stingy lately and your head is in pain. Is that so?” Alektor asked slowly and Harry nodded in agreement. “Well, I am here to help you solve that. We will go into my office and I will examine you. Will you let me?”

Baby Harry remained silent for a moment and then turned to see the man near him.

“Wiw Sevvus come wit me?” Harry asked in uncertainty.

“Of course he can come with you.”

Harry nodded and he was let, along with Snape, in Alektor Bibblymiwibly’s office. It was a big, luminous-white room that was divided to a working area and an examining room. A showcase full of eye-glasses’ skeletons was behind a mahogany desk and on a table a queer machine rest. Baby Harry looked around, clutching Snape’s hand not daring to let it even for a moment.

“Harry, I have to examine your eyes to see what is wrong with them. Will you let me do that?”

“Wiw I pain?” baby Harry asked looking at the floor.

“No Harry it will not hurt at all,” Alektor smiled reassuringly.

He took the boy near the strange machine and helped it sit on a chair.

“You see this machine Harry? It has a case for you to rest your chin and forehead. Will you do that for me?”

Harry complied and found out that he was looking into a kind of glass. A blurry picture could be seen.

“Ok Harry, I want you to keep watching inside the glass and stay still.”

Harry obeyed. Suddenly the picture moved and he realized that only his left eye could see it. The picture suddenly became clear. It represented a tree. Then the picture became blurry again and moved to his right eye, where it became clear once again.

“That was all Harry. Did it hurt?” Alektor asked beaming at the boy, who smiled at him shyly and shook his head to say no.

“Glad to hear that.”

“What wong wit my eyes?” Harry asked seriously.

“Well Harry, you are short-sighted. This means that your eyes cannot see things that are far away clearly. This is what causes you the headaches and makes your eyes stingy. In order to stop your headaches and your eyes from stinging, you will have to wear eye-glasses,” Alektor concluded and pointed at his eye-glasses.

Harry looked at the man opposite him, as his features darkened. He turned to look at his guardian. He marched to the Potion Master, grabbed his hand and tried to pull him towards the office’s door.

“Come on Sevvus. I need no glasses. My eyes no stingy anymorw,” he said in determination as he unsuccessfully tried to make Snape stand up from the chair he was sitting.

“Harry,” Snape spoke softly, scooping the boy and making him sit on his lap, “your eyes are not well. You do need eye-glasses.”

“No, no need no glasses!” Harry cried out in the verge of tears.

“What is wrong with you lad?” Snape exclaimed feeling slightly alarmed at Harry’s outburst.

“I no want no glasses. Glasses too many money. Aunt Petunia said so. She said I contant trwoble,” Harry whispered slowly in embarrassment.

“There is nothing wrong at wearing eye-glasses,” Snape pointed indignantly, “The fact that you are going to wear a pair of those does not make you a trouble. As for the price, you must not worry. Now stop worrying and let’s look for a pair.”

Harry nodded immediately, as Alektor Bibblymiwibly presented him many pairs of eye-glasses’ skeletons. While Harry took his time examining them, Snape could help but ask some questions that had arose.

“Tell me Mr. Bibblymiwibly, why creating eye-glasses’ lenses that are going to last a life-time? This is not good for their creator. After awhile, no one will buy new lenses, because they will be performing their work effectively by resizing themselves.”

“Ah, there is always a drawback in a situation. First of all the lenses are by no mean indestructible. Like ever-fitting clothes time slowly destroys them. Take ever-fitting boots, for example. They do fit on your feet forever but the leather’s lustrous colour fades as the year pass by. Same thing with the lenses. They get full of scratches and this makes the one that wears them feel as if he or she is walking into thick haze. Also there is a limited amount of spells you can apply on enchanted items. Examine this.”

Alektor took an everlasting lens and put it on his desk. To Snape’s surprise he lifted a small wooden hammer and hit the lens with all his might. The lens broke into many small pieces that scattered from the hit’s impact. Snape could only but stare.

“Try to Reparo it,” Alektor suggested with a smile.

Snape eyed him, an eyebrow raised in question, and he slowly took the wand out of his pocket. He pointed it at the scattered pieces of glass and said ‘Reparo’. Nothing happened. He looked at the pieces of glass, then his wand and said another ‘Reparo’, that was slightly more intense. The piece remained pieces.

“As you can see once the lens is broken, it cannot be reparoed. I have also tried to apply spell to protect the lenses from breaking. It does not work as well. I mention this to my clients, but there are many cases when someone gets his eye-glasses broken. That is always I suggest for them to have a second pair. The ever-lasting spell does not wear off. Another thing is that the lenses are designed only for one person’s eyes. You cannot give them to your neighbor if his pair is broken. Finally, I am the only one that can transfer the lenses to a new skeleton. And eye-glasses are an accessory. Most people want a modern and new design of eye-glasses every two years. They want to be stylish. So I sell them the glass skeleton and get something extra for adding the lenses on it.”

Severus Snape was honestly impressed. For a Hufflepuff that man had a lot of cunningness. He turned his attention to baby Harry, who shook his shoulder with all his might. The boy was wearing a pair of black, oval-round eye-glasses.

“Sevvus, I like them,” he beamed at his guardian.

“Excellent selection Harry,” Alektor beamed, “they are made of bones coming from a three-hundred year old Hippogriff. Powerful and wise selection.”

“. . . Well at least they are not totally round. Ah, but why do all Potters have to be so fond of round glasses?” Snape wondered, not paying attention to Bibblymiwibly’s ranting.

“Two pairs of glasses. Now that would be thirty-three Galleons.”

Snape not could help but whistle at the price.

“They are not as expensive as you think,” Alektor smiled, “When I was sixteen; I had such a terrible eye-problem that special lenses had to be made for my eye-glasses. They had to be thin enough to fit on the glasses’ skeleton but good enough for me to see with them. A pair of muggle glasses cost me fifteen Galleons at the time. The same pair costs twenty-five Galleons in today’s prizes. And I am giving you two pairs for thirty-three. I would say it is a very good deal, wouldn’t you? After all, if someone is careful on how he handles his lenses, he has no need for new lenses for at least twenty years. If he chooses to change his eye-glasses’ skeleton, he will pay no more than five Galleons.”

Snape nodded in agreement as Alektor turned to baby and asked him to come close. The boy complied and the man placed an odd pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose. Harry twitched his nose as a rubbing sensation spread through it. Alektor removed the strange pair of glasses from the boy’s head.

“The eye-glasses will be ready at five o’ clock in the afternoon. The nearest town is a thirty-minutes walking from here. I guess that you can spend your time there, until I have the glasses ready.”

-)-)-)

Snape exited the cottage and took a look at his surroundings. The black clouds had almost covered the sky completely and if it wasn’t for the dim sickly sun, Snape could swear that it would be dark. Baby Harry got close to him instinctively. The man saw the path that lead to the town and started walking. It was not long when Harry stopped in awe. A shepherd was walking towards the path, while his sheepdogs circled a large flock of sheep. Baby lambs were running and bleating towards their mothers, while they followed the dogs and their master stoically. The boy remained still, as if he was afraid that one move would cause the man and his flock to change their route. When the shepherd’s feet touched the path, baby Harry gazed his guardian with a look that seemed to ask for the permission to approach the animals. Snape shook his head, let out a small cough and approached the old shepherd.

“Excuse me sir,” he said catching the old man’s attention, “This little man seems to be enthused over your sheep. Would you mind if we take a closer look?”

The shepherd looked with his grey eyes from the man to the boy. The green-eyed lad stared back in expectation. He shook his shoulders to show he had no problem and Snape let the boy go near the animals. One of the sheepdogs came near his master and to Snape’s surprise one of them came near him and raised his head as if waiting to be petted. The man looked at the shepherd, who nodded and passed his hand over the dog’s head a couple of times.

“Nice dogs you have here,” Snape commented as the dog turned his head and then run towards a lamb that seemed to have found it fit to leave the flock.

“I see you have a sheepdog as well,” the shepherd joked, comparing Harry’s messy hair to his dogs’ fur.

“Don’t remind me,” Snape whispered with a faint grumble, “I always say to myself to take him for a haircut but I always keep forgetting. Adding the work factor, I never have the time.”

“You are not from here, are you?” the shepherd said as they now all walked together towards the small town’s direction.

Snape shook his head in denial and spoke no more. After minutes of silence the old shepherd spoke.

“I know you big-city comers have all those fancy hair-dressing studios and things like that but if you really want to give him a haircut while you are in town you can go to Alice’s. She and her husband have the hairdressing and barber shop of the place. Not something fancy but they do a pretty good job. So in case you want to give it a try, it is opposite the park. Easy to spot. One park, one barber shop.”

-)-)-)

Boy and guardian arrived at the small town twenty minutes after noon. Having forty minutes until lunch time, Snape walked in the town looking for the park and the barber-shop. He found it quickly and pushed the barber-shop’s glass door open. A small bell dinged and a nice-looking woman emerged from behind a counter. She smiled at the couple of them and gave her hand to Snape, who shook it gently, giving her one of his nods.

“Hello, I am Alice. How may I assist you?” she asked cheerfully.

“Hello. I think this young man over here is in desperate need for a haircut. His hair is by itself is too difficult to handle and now that they are long it makes it extra difficult. Can you do something about it?” Snape asked politely.

“Of course sir. And who this young man might be?” she said turning her attention to Harry, who clutched Bibi protectively.

“I am Harwy,” he said softly.

“Nice to meet you Harry. Why don’t you follow Jenny?” she asked showing a teenager with vivid orange hair, “She will wash your hair and then I will cut it a little. You will look so handsome!”

Harry turned to look at Snape and motioned for him to lower his head, as if wanting to ask something. Snape kneeled to the floor and Harry pressed his lips against his guardian’s right ear.

“Sevvus, wherwa will meet you?” he whispered.

“Meet me?” Snape hissed in Harry’s ear, cursing himself on how ridiculous he must have looked at that moment.

“Yes, Unkel Verwnon leaves me at barwberw shop and me waks back home. You no leave?”

Snape was dumbfounded. That man, Durlsey, had let a three-year old go home on foot. He let a three-year old cross a road full of traffic, full of careless muggles with cars. The Headmaster was lucky that the boy ever managed to live long enough to enter Hogwarts.

“I will stay here,” he announced coldly and sat on the nearest armchair. The boy followed Jenny.

“Oh are we angry?” an irritating voice marked.

“I am not angry,” he pointed sternly. “No, I am angry but not of the reason you believe me to be. I do not care about the boy. It is not the reason I am angry. I am angry at that great prune, Dursley, for letting a three-year old boy wonder in the street all alone. If it is one thing I detest is irresponsibility. I don’t like the boy . . . yes I am sure I do not . . . but I am responsible for him.”

“I never asked why you are angry,” the little voice commented with a hint of triumph.

“Oh Shut Up!”

“And how can we assist you sir?” Alice asked with a pleasant smile, bringing him back to reality. “A shave and a trim can be quite refreshing you know.”

“I am not sure,” Snape said with a voice of uncertainty.

“Well it will be awfully boring to stay sited for the remaining thirty minutes,” she smiled and before Snape could think it more, he found himself following Alice to the wash-basins.

Three minutes later, he found himself sitting in a barber’s chair with baby Harry sitting on the one near his. Alice had taken her position behind the boy and he was combing his hair with the same calculus look he used when he was measuring potion ingredients. A man came behind him and to Snape’s guess it must have been Alice’s husband.

“Trim sir?” he asked and received Snape’s nod.

The man started combing Snape’s hair with the same calculating look. Suddenly he muttered to himself.

“Excellent colour . . . thick hairs . . . healthy root . . .”

“And very prone to greasiness,” Snape murmured sarcastically, commenting on his hair nature.

The man chuckled, while he continued combing and cutting.

“Surely you are doing something about it.”

“Constant baths. But let’s just say that I work in an environment that helps it become oily very easily. I work over fire.”

“Makes Potions!” Harry exclaimed happily, making all three of them turn to him in surprise.

Snape tilted his head and pressed his index under his nose, covering his lips, as if he was in thinking. Yet baby Harry knew otherwise. This was Snape’s way to say ‘secret’. He stopped speaking and started talking to Bibi.

“Potion eh?” the man over Snape said raising an eyebrow.

“That was what his mother used to call them,” Snape said thinking quickly and looked down with a sad look.

Alice looked at him and gasped an ‘oh’ of apology, believing that the man’s wife had died. She looked at the little boy in sympathy and then at his father, who granted her with a sad, yet full of courage, smile.

“So you’re a cook?” the man over him asked.

Snape felt a jab of annoyance. He hated it when others thought Potions were equivalent to cooking. When someone cooked he could improvise or forget to add something. When you dealt with Potion a single mistake, no matter how trivial it may seemed, could cause pain and even death. He had often asked muggle-born students, who idiotically compared Potions to cooking, if they would like to try a messed up Potion.

“Let’s just say it is something more important than mere cooking,” he finally grumbled. “By the way, you seemed to have settled a nice shop here,” he spoke at last, stirring the conversation to another topic.

Thirty minutes later, Severus Snape had enjoyed a wonderful shave and a haircut. Seeing himself in the mirror, he saw that his hair were almost the same length. Only a person with very good observation skills would notice the difference. Yet, his hair seemed healthier for a reason he could not define. Baby Harry’s hair, though messed, seemed much better. He stood up, helped the boy to his feet and turned to Alice, who had retreated to the counter.

“Seven pounds sir,” the woman said with a smile.

Snape took the muggle money from his pocket, hoping that he would not make a mistake.

“Stupid Muggle Money,” he thought gritting his teeth as he tried to find one paper bill with a five and another two with a one. He caused his features to look slightly dismissive as he searched. When he finally found them, he paid the woman and exited the shop.

“Poor man,” Alice said as she saw the pair of two crossing the street, “Poor little one. Losing his mother at such a tender age. Mark me Anthony,” she told her husband and pointed at the Snape, who had helped Harry cross the street, had put him down and gave him his toy, “that man must have the patience of a saint to look after a child by himself.”

“Saint or not, he seemed a bit of distracted to me. Took him time to count the money. Silent man isn’t he?” Anthony commented sweeping the floor.

“Of course he would be distracted, love!” Alice exclaimed hotly, “He has lost his wife, his love. And probably recently. I would say in a car-crush. Have you seen the boy’s scar? Where do you think he must have got it?”

Anthony shook his head and continued sweeping.

-)-)-)

Time was passing slowly. Too slowly, in fact, for Snape’s liking. He had bought two sandwiches from the park’s canteen and munched the one, while he gave the other to the boy. Savouring it to the last bite, he let himself lie on his back and looked at the packed-with-black-clouds sky. The toddler lied near him, clutching Bibi with his left hand, and soon enough he was snoozing peacefully. Yet, the Potion Master had no option of sleeping, so he lay motionless; enjoying the grass’ coolness. He wished he could do something productive. He had not brought a book for he feared that the title might draw attention to his face. He huffed and hummed unconsciously, tapping his foot on the ground. He, suddenly, felt his eyelids drop and he mentally ordered himself to stay awake. He stared at the skies as he brought to his memory all the ingredients he needed for Potions. He then remembered that he was in need for Trout’s Tears.

Severus Snape let out a sigh. He had to conduct the Veela in the Irish area of Glen-car. The Veela were not regarded entirely as a magical creature but mostly as equal to the wizards. Those female creatures used their seducing abilities to ensure their position in the wizard community. Beautiful but vengeful they were respected by most of the political leaders. There was no surprise the Bulgarians had used the Veela as their mascots in the Quidditch World Cup two years ago. Their dancing and provocative manner had given the team of Bulgaria many chances to form a strategy under the Irish’s noses. For a moment, he wondered what made the Veela agree to become Bulgaria’s mascots for those female entities were not lured by money. He imagined what kind of beautiful artefacts the Veela possessed now.

Severus Snape let out a sigh of satisfaction. Fortunately the Veela had never refused what he had offered them as a trade for the Trout’s Tears, the thing only a Veela could collect. Snape would create body-lotions made of cinnamon, honey and cream, oils extracted from jasmine and frog-spawn for their hair and herbal jells that would revive the face’s skin just for them. It may was Snape’s perspective but it seemed that the Veela anticipated his order as well for they always complied to his wishes the moment he promised them all those things. They would send him an acceptance letter immediately and days later he would meet one of them for an exchange. Trout’s Tears for his creations.

-)-)-)

Snape arrived outside the gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at six o’ clock in the afternoon. As both he and Harry, who was now wearing a pair of ever-lasting-lenses glasses , crossed the path that lead them from the gates to the Grounds and to castle; the man could not help but observe the environment.

Everything had got still. The breeze seized its gentle coolness and the trees, even the Whomping Willow, stood imperially still like soldiers ready for inspection. Not a single sound could be heard; for neither animals, nor birds, not insects seemed to be around. As Snape marched towards the castle, he felt a shiver running down his spine. Nature was ready for an outburst.

He saw that the castle’s wooden entrance was close and he thought that he was lucky enough to arrive at school without getting wet. Yet, he had not managed to finish his thought for it was as if a bucket full of water was thrown at him. Rain had started so abruptly and strong. It got stronger and stronger by the second and Snape let out a ‘Shit’ that was not heard as the drops hit him like hexes. He grabbed baby Harry into his arms and ran towards the castle. The rain became frenzy casing him feel as if he was whipped.

He closed the doors behind him and stood still, trying to catch his breath as water dripped from his long coal-black locks of hair and clothes forming a puddle of water. Snape turned and looked at baby Harry, who was in the same state.

“I better take the boy to the chambers before we both end up with a cold. Not that I care, mind you. I just do not want to get sick when O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts are approaching.”

-)-)-)

The man shot out of his sleep as a strong booming sound echoed inside Hogwarts. He rubbed his right eye with his palm and let his head rest on the pillow. Another rumble shook Hogwarts’ walls and everything got still. A faint ‘tip-tap’ of footsteps was heard in the dark and the figure of a small boy appeared on the door.

“Sevvus can me sleep wit you? Scarwy!”

Snape let out a groggy grumble and tried to sit up, but he changed his mind because in his state of sleepiness he could not do even that. Therefore he grasped the bed’s covers, tossed them aside and invited the boy into his bed. The boy climbed in quickly and snuggled near Snape. In another occasion Snape would have tried to push the boy aside, but he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep before he could even think about it.

He woke up approximately two hours later with the sense that something was not right. Suddenly he realised that the bed sheet were wet. Snape was now fully awake with the realisation that the boy had wetted the bed. He grasped the wand and let out a soft ‘Lumos’, as he got outside the bed. The light from the wand and the wet feeling woke up Harry, who looked at the state of mess he had done to his guardian’s bed.

FLASHBACK

“You. . . Worthless. . . Pile . . . Of Trouble! Another One Of Your Accidents!” Petunia Dursley spat out menacingly, hitting Harry on the head in the process.

Baby Harry stared at the floor in embarrassment, mumbling a sorry in the process.

“LOOK AT THAT MESS! You think a sorry is worthy for that? You are going to change the bed sheet and wash them with your hands! You hear me?”

Harry nodded in embarrassment, while he heard his cousin skipping outside the room, chanting in all his might ‘Hawwy wets ‘is bed! Hawwy wets ‘is bed!”

END OF FLASHBACK

Baby Harry gazed his guardian with abhorrence. The man was staring at the spot where ‘the accident’ had happened.

“Me sorwy Sevvus. I prwomise me cleans it,” Harry exclaimed frantically, getting out of the bed as quickly as he could.

He waited for an outburst but the man simply grasped the blankets and started undoing the bed.

“Harry, please help me undo the bed,” he said simply and Harry hurried to comply.

When the bed had no bed-sheet, Snape asked for a house-elf to prepare the bed and took the boy into the bathroom. Harry watched as the man filled the bathtub with water and started shivering. Would he punish him like aunt Petunia did when he would wet his bed? Would he force him to bathe on freezing cold water or would he be harsher like uncle Vernon, who forced him to endure steaming hot baths?

Snape undressed the boy and helped him into the bath. To Harry’s surprise the water’s temperature was normal. A loud rumble was heard and Harry shuddered but did not speak. He did not want to cause another reason for punishment. When Snape had bathed the boy, he made him wore clean pyjamas and led him to the bed. Harry froze.

“Sevvus, you no punish me? I wet bed. This verwy bad,” he asked, refusing to be led on the bed.

“Do you remember when I told you that some mistakes can be fixed?” Snape asked while he carried the boy on the bed and tucked him in, “Well lad, this was fixable and it happens to all children your age. There is no need to be punished for that. Now go to sleep. I will come as soon as I get cleaned.”

Harry gazed at the man and flung himself forward, grasping the man by the neck and into a bear-hug. Snape froze as the boy gave him a peck on the cheek and put his head on the pillow.

Snape remained still for a couple of seconds and then shot up and harried to the bathroom as quickly as he could.