Spring 1987

Harry awakened slowly there was sun shining on his face, something that had never happened before. Blinking, he found himself looking at a long panelled wall, the wood gleamed under the sun, filling the room with warmth. Shifting, Harry moved till he was lying on his back, not really processing what he was seeing. Surely he was still asleep and dreaming of such a wonderful place. His thoughts were interrupted when a heavy fist fell on the door.

"Harry, get up now!"

Sitting up in bed sharply, the boy realised he was not trapped in a dream but he was really there. Looking around, his mouth became slack at the sight that met his eyes. The room was not very large but compared to his cupboard it was wonderful. The bed he was sitting on was to one side of the room, against the wall he had seen upon waking, on the other side, the room expanded towards a whole wall of windows that showed a very clear sight of the forest. just in front of it was a large desk with a comfortable looking chair in front of it. On the third wall was a very large bookcase filled with numerous books. They looked like they had been used often and clearly showed he was not the first one to occupy this room. A dark leathered chair was standing next to the bookcase, with a tall lamp at its other side. Whenever he had dared to imagine a room for his own he had imagined it filled with toys and books, it certainly didn't look like this one. And yet, he knew he would come to love this room that had been given to him so unexpectedly.

Another yell of Harry, now coming from farther away, shook him out of his thoughts and finally made him move from the bed. On the floor, next to where his feet landed, a pair of soft house shoes were waiting for him. Assuming Severus wouldn't have left them there if he was not able to use them, Harry put them on and moved towards one of the three doors that occupied the fourth wall of the room. The left one opened to the hall which, he assumed, led to the rest of the house. The middle one was a bathroom, which Harry promptly used to deal with his own needs. Once he had taken a quick shower, remembering Severus was waiting for him, he turned to the third door. It was clearly a closet but it was empty. Harry frowned slightly and looked around the room. His clothes from the day before were nowhere in sight but he could not go out there in his pyjamas. Shaking his head and knowing the other Silvanimus was waiting for him, he decided he didn't have much choice in the matter. He would have to go down as he was and hope the Professor was not too angry at him. He stepped back to the first door and stepped outside. He stopped short once he set foot in the hallway. The same emptiness of the day before filled him, he was sure he would not be able to advance another step because he knew the feeling would only grow worse. But he also remembered Severus' words. That remembrance gave him strength and he tore down the hall and down the stairs, running as if demons from hell itself were running after him. He burst into the kitchen panting from the exertion and fighting to contain the tears that threatened to fall at the emptiness that filled his very soul.

Severus was hidden behind a paper when his charge entered. Breakfast was not even served but he knew they would have to delay even longer as the child ran into the kitchen. He gave Harry a moment to catch his breath before calmly speaking, not even looking from behind the paper. "I will not have you running around this house as if it was a play ground. Go back to your room and walk back here at a normal pace."

The boy nearly crumbled at those words. They had been spoken sternly and left no room for argument, and yet, he didn't know if he had the strength to do it again. To leave that room at a normal pace would be nothing short of torture, but the other man was not giving him a choice, as if not noticing what it would cost him. Turning around, Harry walked up the stairs, feeling the room growing closer. He knew he was doing the easy part. Going back up was wonderful, the warmth filling him again, welcoming him back with open arms and making him dread the fact that he would have to leave it yet again. The thought of not fulfilling the man's wishes didn't even cross his mind. He entered his room and leaned against the door. For just a few moments he leant there, drawing strength but knowing he could not delay the inevitable. With trembling hands he opened the door for the second time this morning. Closing his eyes tightly, he opened the door and stepped outside. This time he decided it might be better to close the door first instead of just running out of it. The moment the door closed, the feeling of coldness filled him again, making him moan in distress.

He was sure he would not be able to walk farther away. He needed to stay near that door, he knew he would die if he stepped farther away from it. Shaking his head, he tried to fight against those feelings and against the tears that started to fall from his eyes. Severus had told him about the dangers, he knew he had to fight against the feeling, but it was so hard. Sobbing softly, Harry finally took his hand away from the door and started the long trek towards the kitchen. It took him ages to reach the stairs that led down. He was trembling by the time he was there, coldness filling him from top to toe and yet knowing he would have to continue. The other man was waiting for him and if the Dursley had taught him something it was that you didn't leave your guardian waiting for you. He nearly fell down the stairs, blinded by tears as he was, but his dead grip on the rail prevented the fall. The moment he stepped into the kitchen for the second time that morning, he collapsed, his strength and resolve gone as he gave in to the grieve filling him. And then strong arms enveloped him, returning some of the warmth that he had lost in the long way from his room to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The trembling and sobbing wouldn't stop. But the arms holding him just rocked him slightly, tucking him closely to a firm chest.

"Shh, it's all right."

Harry didn't know how long he remained in Severus' arms, soaking the man's warmth as if he was the sun itself. It might have been hours when Harry finally took his head away from Severus' shoulder and timidly looked up at the man's eyes, expecting to see disapproval at his own weakness reflected in them. But that was not what he saw. He was not sure what the other man was feeling, but it was not displeasure, he had seen that in all kind of forms from the Dursley.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Severus didn't let him go and instead went to sit in the chair he had been occupying before and tucked him in his lap. Harry didn't complain. He knew he was too old for this but he still was trembling from the loss of the forest's influence and being close to the other man made it better. Severus finally spoke, all sternness from before gone from his voice.

"You did very well, child. I didn't really think you would be able to make it."

Harry looked up in confusion. "I don't understand."

Snape chuckled and gently drew the sweaty hair away from the boy's forehead. "It does you no good to try and run from the feelings the forest's magic invokes in you, you need to fight them from the beginning, establishing that you are the dominant party there. Running from your room to escape those feelings are not helping you in the least, so you are expected to come down here walking even though you may end up crying in my arms for half an hour after that."

Harry blinked. "It was a test?"

The Professor raised an eyebrow. "If you wish to consider it so, then yes, although you are strictly forbidden to run within this house no matter where you go." Placing Harry on a nearby chair with an easy movement, Severus stood up. "And I believe you have earned a good breakfast now."

Harry jumped up when the Professor started to move around the kitchen. "I can make breakfast, there's no need for you to do that, sir."

Severus turned around, a small frown in his dark eyes. Harry shifted slightly from his place next to the chair as the dark gaze ran over him. The older man finally shook his head slightly and turned around. "Sit back down, child."

"But..."

The older man didn't even turn around and his voice sounded a bit sterner as he stopped his words short. "Don't argue."

Harry clamped his lips shut and retook his place at the table. Now that he was no longer feeling so wretched from his two trips through hell he was starting to feel confused again. This man was a mystery to him. He was just as stern or even sterner than his Uncle had been, he expected to be obeyed in the same way and seemed to be ready for punishing him at the slightest sign of disobedience, he had made that clear a few times already. And yet he was his Uncle's total opposite in other matters. He had comforted him three times already, he had explained things no one had told him before and he was very clear in what he expected him to do. Uncle Vernon always told him he was doing something wrong when it was already too late to correct it. The professor, on the other hand, was telling him what he wanted from him and if he did something the man didn't like he told him so. He didn't doubt that if he was caught running around the house again the punishment would be severe, but he had not been punished for doing it this morning, when he still didn't know it was against the man's rules. Harry shivered slightly. Or maybe he had been punished. Having to go back certainly had been bad enough.

"Are you still cold?"

Harry looked up startled and saw that the older man was looking down at him with two steaming plates filled with eggs and bacon in his hands. "Just a bit, sir."

Severus nodded and put his plate in front of him, turning around to fetch two glasses and a can of milk. "That's to be expected, you'll feel cold for a while after leaving your room. It is perfectly normal to do so, I suggest that from now on you take a robe with you when you come down for breakfast."

Harry flushed slightly, suddenly remembering he was still dressed in his pyjamas. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't have any clothes here and didn't find anything better to get dressed in."

Snape sat down next to him. "I was not chastising you, on weekends you can come down in your pyjamas if you wish to. As for your lack of clothes, we're going to take care of that this evening, after we've talked some more." The man nodded towards the plate. "Eat up now, I'm sure you're hungry."

They ate in silence, Harry was not very hungry as he had already eaten the night before and he was certainly not used to eat another meal so soon after that. If Severus noticed his lack of appetite he didn't mention the fact, only glancing briefly at the half full plate when Harry put his fork down.

After the older Silvanimus had put everything away, they returned to the same sitting room they had been in the day before.

"I'm sure you have many questions, go ahead and ask them."

Harry hesitated for a few moments. If he had learned something at his relatives it was the questions were not allowed, but the taller man was obviously waiting for him to talk, so he didn't really have a choice in the matter. "You said I was in your care now, right? Does that mean I get to stay here? And for how long?"

Severus raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that that was the child's first question. "As soon as a protector has gone through his or her first awakening guardianship is immediately transferred to their mentor, as I am your mentor you will stay with me until you come of age."

Harry frowned. "Why are you my mentor, I mean, who told you you had to be?"

The older man smiled slightly. "No one told me I had to be your mentor. No one forced me into this if that is what you're asking. It is simply in our nature and in our culture to teach the young ones. You have noticed yourself that the first years of being a protector are very hard, every youngling needs someone to help them control the magics that fight within them, else they would most probably die. To be able to help a youngling, his mentor needs to be a close match to his apprentice, being it by power level, character, views and every other aspect you might come up. To choose a wrong mentor for a youngling may easily result in the death of both."

Harry looked up slightly fearfully. "Does it happen often? If it's that important who decides who the mentor is going to be?"

"It does not happen very often, and a mentor can easily tell when his match with the apprentice is not good enough. As for choosing, our ancestors put quite a few charms on our species that help with that. Each time a youngling is born, the wards that are over our entire race activate and scan everyone to find the best match. Once the mentor is found, the magic lets him know that a youngling is on his way and that in nine or ten years he will have an apprentice."

The child blinked. "So, when I was born you knew you would get an apprentice?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, I didn't really know who you were, but the bond between us started to form as soon as you took your first breath. It is quite strange for a mentor to meet their future aprentice before the child is ready to start his training, it really does not happen that often and I was quite surprised when I sensed you so close by when Lily brought you to me. It's a remarkable experience that may also explain your early awakening."

Harry frowned in thought. "You keep saying something about a first awakening. What is that? And are there more?"

The older man summoned a tea tray and served himself a hot cup of tea, nodding to Harry and indicating he was allowed to do the same. "The first awakening is when a child first comes aware of the special tie that unites him to a special point of magic. In our case that is the earth magic. It also tells the mentor that the time has come for him to take the apprentice in. During the next few months the mentor looks for his apprentice, and the apprentice will find himself looking for his mentor even though it is not a conscious effort. Once they finally meet, the mentor will talk with the child's family about what will happen next."

Harry's frown increased. "You haven't talked to the Dursley."

Severus sipped his cup, aware of the wariness his charge was feeling. "That is one of the many things we have to do today."

Harry shivered in fear, he had held the hope he would never have to see his Uncle again but he really should have known better. "What if they say I can't stay here?"

The older man was watching his young charge carefully, from the moment he had seen him he had known that there was something not quite right with the boy's family, there were many signs pointing towards it, but he had decided not to press for answers. He decided to leave the matter for a little while longer, he would prefer to see what happened before he decided what he had to do. "Then it would rest upon me to make the decision whether your family is right or not. It does not often come to that, but if the child's parents are completely against it, the mentor may sever the bond."

Harry was trembling and he knew his face was white. He knew he should not have given into hope, he knew things were not going to work out for him, they never did. The Dursley were not going to allow him to go anywhere and Severus would cut the bond just now that he had discovered it.

The older man had narrowed his eyes, he had not intended to terrify his charge. Sometimes he really should think a bit more carefully about what he said, but he was absolutely against lying to any of his apprentices. In his thoughts, if he demanded absolute honesty from them then they were entitled to receive the same from him. Standing up, he moved to the couch hi charge was sitting on. He didn't touch the curled up boy, sensing that it would do more harm than good at that moment.

"Calm down, child, there is no need to be so scared."

There was something in the man's voice that soothed him, Harry found that the raising panic subsided and that he was able to breath more normally now that the man had spoken. "How do you do that?"

Severus smiled slightly. "The Silvanimus have many special abilities, usually we excel in a few of them only. This one is one of the ones I excel in. Care to take a guess to what it does?"

Harry frowned all thoughts about the Dursley forgotten for now. "It's as if, when you talk there's something telling me I'm safe, that nothing is going to happen, and that everything will be all right if I just do as you say."

The older man nodded solemnly. "That's what another Silvanimus would sense, yes. Other people would not react so strongly to my voice. I am able to embed some of my magic in my voice. Animals are specially sensitive to this and it becomes very useful when I come across injured animals or to predators. As a Silvanimus, one of our main duties is to veil for the safety of the forests and every being that lives within them, injured animals are often dangerous to approach but without help they may die. So, I use my voice magic to calm the animal down so that it will let me help him."

Harry looked up curiously. "And what about me?"

The tall man chuckled slightly. "Apprentices are naturally inclined to do as their mentor says, specially for the first year, the voice magic only enhances you natural tendency to listen to me."

The child frowned slightly. "Will it always be like that?"

Severus snorted. "Unfortunately for me, no. With a bit of practice you'll learn soon enough to override my voice magic if you wish to. I don't use my ability lightly and the moment you fight the pull of my voice I will retreat unless there exists a real danger and I absolutely need you to obey me on something you don't wish to. But there is no need to dwell on such things, they will come up on their own soon enough." Not moving from his seat next to his apprentice, the older man settled down more comfortably. "So, do you have any other questions?"

Harry nodded slightly. "Have you had many other apprentices?"

The older man raised an eyebrow. "Three before you."

"And can you have two at the same time?"

Severus shook his head forcefully. "Not a chance, it's already difficult enough to manage one, believe me, I would not be able to manage more than one at a time."

Harry smiled slightly. The man looked like he would flee at the mere thought of having more than one child in his care. "Will I ever meet any of your other apprentices?"

"Who knows. It's not probable that you'll ever meet Marcus. He was my first apprentice and he left England a very long time ago. I barely hear from him any more. You may meet Brian, he still comes to talk to me from time to time but he never stays still in one place so he could appear here tomorrow or three years from now, one never knows with that boy. And Alice..." A sad look entered the Silvanimus' dark eyes. "We can go visit her some day if you want to meet her, but she is not longer really there. Evil wizards tried to kill her and her husband. They drove her insane and broke her mind. I had to sever her connection to the forest or she would have died... maybe I shouldn't have."

Harry bit his lip, he had not meant to drag up bad memories. "I'm sorry."

Severus blinked and looked down at the small boy sitting next to him. "Don't worry, it's hardly your fault, you couldn't have known. Anyway, what else do you want to know?"

Harry shrugged slightly, having a lot of questions but not really able to put them into words at the moment. "Nothing right now, sir."

The older man nodded and stood up. "Very well then, we have many things to do, so get ready to go out."

Before the other man had the chance to leave, Harry jumped up. "Professor! What am I supposed to wear?"

Severus motioned upstairs with a wave of his hand. "I'm going to find something for you, there's a bathroom at the end of the hall, I'll leave your clothes there while you take your shower. No need to go up to your room, we have too many things to do right now for you to have to fight the forest again today."

The child nodded relieved as he watched the other man disappear up the stairs. The simple thought of having to go back up had filled him with dread and he was happy the man had found another solution. Things were going to get interesting from now on, he could feel it. And he hoped deep down that everything would go all right.