Harry walked away from Connor as he always did on Saturdays and made his way to the café where he always met Mr. Snape. He was pretty nervous and tried not to show it. It was only two days ago when he received a strange letter. At first, it freaked him out to see a letter addressed to Harry Potter, which he vaguely remembered was his last name. He’d gone by Harry McKinney for so long that it took him a moment to realize that the letter was for to him.

But then, he opened it. And that certainly wasn’t what he’d been expecting to find.

Magic.

It seemed to be so real. Everything on the supply list seemed official, but he didn’t have the faintest idea where to find those items. He didn’t even know if this was real or not. Something told him though, that this was very real. After all, it explained all the interesting things he could do, like the “changing” his face around.

He was really hesitant to show it to Cathy since he didn’t want her to find out he was a freak. He’d been hiding his odd talents for a long time now and didn’t want to tell her about them. But, if this school was real, then he’d have to tell her. Before discussing it with her, he wanted a second opinion and he knew just who to ask.

Before crossing the street into the café, he made sure his appearance was the usual strawberry-blond haired, blue-eyed boy that Mr. Snape was used to seeing. As he approached, he spotted Mr. Snape already sitting at the table, sipping his tea. Harry slipped into a seat and greeted the older man.

A while after they discussed the usual potions topic, Harry breached the subject he’d been waiting to mention.

“Can I ask you something?” Harry asked hesitantly.

“You already did, but you may ask another,” Snape replied with a smirk.

Harry smiled faintly. “Well, d’you promise not to laugh?”

“I won’t.”

Harry leaned forward and whispered, “Do you believe in magic?”

Snape resisted the urge to smirk. “I do.”

“Really?” Harry asked, astonished.

“Really,” the older man replied dryly. “Why are you inquiring?”

Harry bit his lip. “I got this letter.” He slid the envelope across the table.

Severus immediately recognized the seal across the back of the envelope. He turned it over and dropped it in shock. Then he scowled and looked at the boy across from him.

“You are Harry Potter!?!” he demanded.

Harry jumped from his seat. “I- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I- need- should go-um I just gotta go now.”

Before Snape could do anything, the boy dashed off and disappeared into the crowds of people.

Severus sat back at the table and stared at the letter lying innocently in front of him. He massaged his temples briefly before opening the letter. It was definitely the standard Hogwarts letter.

But how could this boy be Harry Potter? He looked nothing like James Potter, or Lily. When the boy was first born, he’d heard that the child looked identical to Potter but with Lily’s green eyes. How could this boy with blondish-red hair and blue eyes be Lily’s child? Unless….

Could the boy be a Metamorphmagus?

That was the only explanation for it. If only the boy hadn’t reacted by dashing off, he’d be able to inquire more on how this mess started. Why didn’t the boy already know about being a wizard? Shouldn’t his relatives have told him about everything?

Severus grimaced, thinking how he’d been spending his Saturdays with James Potter’s son. Potter was probably rolling in his grave at the thought of his son spending time with Severus Snape, of all people. Severus smirked then, thinking about how Potter’s son will be so successful in potions since they’d been studying it together for quite a few months now.

Even if he hadn’t needed to buy any ingredients on these past Saturdays, he still came to teach the boy. He was pleased to learn that this boy, who certainly wasn’t a muggle as he originally though, was a wizard. All the potions information they covered would help the boy pass first year potions without a problem.

Snape glanced down at the letter, which the boy had left behind accidentally. He pocketed it and resolved to visit the boy and his family to explain further on the school. Since the letter contained his address, Snape decided would go later this evening. He left money for the tea on the table and Apparated away after ensuring no one was looking.

Harry dashed away from Mr. Snape. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything. The man probably thought he was a freak now. How many people really believe in magic anyways?

What puzzled Harry was the man’s reaction to the name Harry Potter. What caused him to get all upset over that? Maybe it had something to do with like the first time he met the man. Mr. Snape had looked at his forehead, where that scar was hidden, after he said his name was Harry.

Harry shook his head to clear it off all these rambling thoughts. He ducked into the loo at a bookstore and changed back to normal. He was about a half hour early today with arriving at Connor’s work. Hopefully the man wouldn’t mind.

Harry entered the office building and froze in alarm. Connor appeared to be in a meeting with another person and they both turned towards him when he entered.

“Hello,” the kind looking man greeted. “Are you lost?”

“No sir,” Harry replied. Connor didn’t look pleased that Harry had interrupted.

“Mr. Grant, meet my… adopted son… Harry. Harry, this is Mr. Grant, a client of mine,” Connor introduced tersely.

“It’s nice to meet you sir,” Harry replied respectively.

“You too, lad,” the kind man said. “Shall we finish up here?”

“Yes, but could you excuse us for one moment?” Connor asked.

“Sure, I’m in no rush,” Mr. Grant replied. He smiled kindly at Harry, who gave a tentative smile back.

Connor beckoned Harry to follow him into the back room where the files were kept. He closed the door and turned to Harry.

“What are you doing back so soon?” He demanded.

“I’m sorry I interrupted-”

Connor shoved the boy against the wall. “If this were any other client of mine, I would’ve taken my belt to you for interrupting an important meeting.” Harry winced at the threat. “Mr. Grant happens to be a family man so I expect you to go out there and sit quietly in some corner. If he talks to you at all, I expect you to be polite and answer whatever he says. Got it?”

“Yeah,” Harry replied sullenly. This wasn’t helping his day get any better. All he wanted to do was come back here and sit quietly but fate was working against him again. Connor just had to be in some meeting with a client when Harry had walked in. Thankfully, Mr. Grant liked kids so he wasn’t upset or anything about Harry’s interruption.

“What was that?” Connor asked dangerously.

“Yes sir,” the boy replied. Better not get cheeky with this man.

“Now go out there, smile on your face, and sit quietly until we are finished.”

Harry followed Connor out of the room and smiled at Mr. Grant before settling into a seat off neat the corner of the room. He sat quietly and concentrated on naming the properties of different potion ingredients. He paused his thinking when he heard Mr. Grant speaking about him.

“He’s such a quiet, well-behaved boy. I’ll bet he’s a smart one too,” the man commented.

Connor gave the man a weak smile. “Err, yeah. Well, I believe once you get those forms back to me, you’ll be all set.”

The man smiled again. “I won’t take up anymore of your time. It’s such a nice day out, I’ll bet you two are eager to get home and play some ball perhaps? Or maybe some other sport you like?”

“Yes, of course,” the brown-haired man replied before standing. “I’ll bet your own family is waiting for you. Take care and feel free to drop off those forms anytime.”

Connor and Mr. Grant shook hands before the man left. Connor glanced quickly at Harry, who looked away. The older man went back to his desk and filed some papers in the cabinet before grabbing his keys.

Harry had been staring at the wall, thinking about his day. He was really interested in the magic school, but was afraid of everyone’s response to it. Judging by Mr. Snape’s reaction, he knew everyone else would freak out as well. Perhaps it was best he didn’t say anything anyways. Then he could go on being an ordinary boy. Well, mostly ordinary since he could still do things that weren’t considered normal.

A strong grip on his upper arm pulled him from his stupor and yanked him to his feet. He looked up at Connor, who was still gripping his arm rather tightly. Harry barely resisted the urge to pull away from the man.

“Let’s go,” he stated before pulling the boy towards the door.

“I can walk by myself,” Harry muttered. He winced immediately; he hadn’t meant for that comment to leave his mouth.

“What was that?” The older man asked, tightening the grip on Harry’s arm.

“Nothing,” the boy replied quietly.

“That’s what I thought.” Connor finally let go of Harry’s arm when they reached the door.

As usual, the car drive home was silent. As soon as they arrived home, Harry jumped out of the car and quickly went up to the safety of his room. Well, it wasn’t exactly safe since Connor could come in there if he wanted, but Harry always felt safe in his own room anyway.

Harry stayed up in his room until he heard the doorbell ring. He didn’t hear anyone going to the door so he stood up and started down the stairs. He was just descending when Connor opened the front door.

Standing on his porch was Mr. Snape.

Connor got up from his comfortable position on the couch and went to answer the door. When he opened the door, he was quite shocked at the odd man standing on his doorstep. He’d expected it to be some salesman but this… well, it was odd.

The man appeared to be wearing some sort of dress. It was very odd and caused Connor to do a double take. The tall, dark-haired, and pale man was standing there holding some letter in his hand.

“Can I help you with something?” Cathy asked, coming to stand next to Connor.

“My name is Severus Snape and I am here to speak with you about Mr. Potter.”

“There’s no Potter here,” Connor replied and started closing the door. “Wrong house.”

Severus stuck his boot in the door to stop it from closing. “I assure you that I have the correct address. Mr. Potter is currently standing on your stairwell.”

Both Cathy and Connor turned towards Harry, who was still standing there in shock.

“That’s my son, Harry-” Cathy began.

“Potter,” Severus finished the sentence for her. “That would be his biological father’s name.”

“Oh,” Cathy looked shocked. She’d always wondered what his last name was but when she adopted him, Harry had claimed he didn’t know. “Please come in. Perhaps we can finish this discussion over tea?”

Severus sat there observing the two people across from him. They were both undoubtedly surprised at the news they had just heard. Severus had explained that Harry was a wizard and could do magic. He also went on to explain how the boy would be attending Hogwarts this year, since his parents already paid for his tuition plus there would be extra for the supplies if the boy went to Gringotts first.

“How did you know that this was Harry?” Cathy asked.

Harry’s eyes went wide and he looked at Mr. Snape, well Professor Snape now, and tried to convey with his eyes that their meetings were supposed to be a secret. Severus understood that the boy was hiding something and decided he would choose his words carefully.

“I was in London for some potion ingredients and I recognized the boy. I could easily distinguish that he was the son of a classmate of mine. Upon closer inspection, I noted that he was the son of James Potter.”

“Did you know his parents then? Maybe even went to school with them?” Cathy wondered.

“I did. Harry’s mother was a good friend of mine,” Severus replied.

“What was her name?” Harry asked softly. The Dursleys never told him his parent’s names.

The Potion Master’s eyes almost went wide before he controlled his expression. “Lily, her name was Lily Evans-Potter. James Potter was your father.”

“How did they die?” he asked again, just as softly. The Dursleys just had to be lying when they told him his parents died in a drunken car crash.

“They were murdered by the Dark Lord,” Severus replied.

Harry bit his lip and blinked quickly to prevent the tears leaking from his eyes. He stood and excused himself to go up to his room. This was the first time he heard the truth about his family and it was a lot to take in.

Severus watched as Cathy followed Harry from the room. She was probably going to comfort the distraught boy. The Potions Master then he turned his attention to the man sitting across from him and the said man was sipping his beverage and glaring at the wizard.

“So this witchcraft stuff is real?” Connor asked snidely.

“Wizardry is the correct term,” Severus corrected. “And yes it is real.”

“Hm,” Connor grunted. “That explains the freaky things I’ve seen the boy do once or twice.”

“Such as?”

“The boy fell halfway down the stairs once and landed without a scratch on him.”

“You speak as if you have no concern over Harry’s welfare,” Snape stated with a frown.

Connor snorted. “I don’t particularly care for kids. What’s it to you?”

Severus stood suddenly. The sudden motion prompted Connor to get up as well. Severus was just as tall as the man standing before him, but Snape was much more intimidating looking. His dark eyes and foreboding manner easily scared younger children. Connor just looked unimpressed with the tall, dark man standing before him.

“That boy will be a very talented wizard and if you continue to provoke him in any manner, you will not like the consequences.”

Connor merely rolled his eyes and glared at the man before him. “I’ll treat the boy as I wish and I doubt he’ll ever have the guts to stand up to anyone.”

Severus closed the distance between the two so quickly it was as if he Apparated. He grabbed the brown-haired man’s collar and shoved him against the wall with an enraged expression on his face.

“I am warning you muggle,” he spat. “If you even think about laying a hand on that boy, you won’t have to worry about whether or not he stands up for himself because you will have me to answer to afterwards.”

Severus released his hold on the man, and resisted the overwhelming urge to hex the muggle before him. It was very tempting, but this muggle wasn’t worth going to Azkaban over.

He briefly straightened his robes before resuming his seat. He sipped his tea and watched as the man before him resumed his seat as well.

It was only a few minutes later when Cathy and Harry returned to the room. The two could easily feel the tension in between the two men and wondered what had occurred while they were away from the room.

“So, can you show us some magic?” Cathy asked, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room.

Harry, with slightly red eyes, looked up. He had yet to see any magic that he hadn’t done accidentally on his own and was rather eager to see what all wizards and witches were capable of.

Severus nodded curtly and pulled out his wand. He transfigured his teacup into a small footstool, then into a shoe and finally into a small bird before he transfigured it back into a teacup. He then murmured another spell which caused the dishes to start washing themselves.

“Wow,” Harry replied. That was more than he had expected to learn at a magic school. At first, he thought he’d be learning to do silly things like pulling rabbits out of hats but what Professor Snape showed them just now was much more interesting.

“I have more imperative information that I must also share with you,” Severus stated after putting his wand away.

“What?” Cathy asked worriedly.

“As I mentioned previously, Mr. Potter’s parents were killed by the Dark Lord.”

“What does that have to do with Harry? The man was caught, wasn’t he?” she asked.

“Not precisely,” Severus began, “He was killed, in a sense, but there are rumors that he did not completely die. Allegedly, he remains in existence, but very weak and likely not in an actual body form.”

“Does that make him a spirit or something?” Catherine wondered. “How did he end up like that?”

“In a sense, yes. The reason he lost his corporeal form was due to Mr. Potter here,” the Potions Master replied.

“Me?” Harry squeaked. “I didn’t do anything.”

“I must start at the beginning to fully explain this. The Dark Lord was slowly rising to power when your parents graduated from Hogwarts. All those that opposed him were targeted by his followers, Death Eaters, and usually ended up dead. Your parents were firmly on the light side and he wanted to attack them.

“In order to protect your family, Potter had his best friend Sirius Black become your Secret Keeper for the Fidelius Charm. It is a complex and powerful charm that magically hides people or a building with the location known only to a designated Secret Keeper. The Secret Keeper was the only one who could tell people where they were. Sirius Black betrayed your parents.”

Harry gasped, along with Cathy. Connor remained silent for the story.

Severus continued, “The Dark Lord would not have found them unless Black revealed their location. On the night of October 31st, he entered their home and killed them. He turned his wand on you and cast the Killing Curse. It rebounded on him, killing him or at least removing him from his corporeal form. You are the only person to have ever survived the Killing Curse. In the Wizarding world, you are famous and known as the Boy-Who-Lived.”

“What caused it to rebound on him?” Harry asked. He didn’t really like the thought of being famous for something he didn’t even remember.

“You mother,” the man replied. “She protected you with her love and sacrificed herself to save you.

“Oh,” Harry replied. So now he was famous for something his mother did. She died to protect him and every time someone looked at him, they would probably see the ‘Boy-Who-Lived’ rather than remembering the parents he’d lost that night. It wasn’t even like he did anything to earn that title.

“I’m going to be in my room for a bit,” Harry said as he stood. He had some thinking to do about everything he heard today.

“So after they died, who was Harry sent to?” Cathy asked. That had been something she’d been wondering for a long time. Those bastards that hurt sweet little Harry needed to be brought up on charges.

“Mr. Potter was sent to his Petunia Evans and her family. Petunia was Lily’s sister and since Lily gave her life to protect her son’s, Harry needed his mother’s blood to continue protecting him. Therefore he was sent to live with her.”

“Some protection,” Cathy exclaimed angrily.

“I had been meaning to ask, but how did Mr. Potter end up in your care?” Severus asked.

“Those-those foul people!” She exclaimed angrily. “His own relatives treated him like dirt! He told me how he was worked like a slave all day long and received hardly any food. They punished him excessively for the littlest things.

“When he was only seven-years-old those bastards left him in some alley in London. Nothing but the clothes on his back, which were in terrible condition as well because they belonged to an extremely large boy, possibly his cousin then. He was so skinny and small when I first met him. You see, he had lived on the streets for about a week, until he was picked up by child services and placed in an orphanage.

“That was where I first met him. Such a quiet, small and timid boy he was. I fell for him immediately and adopted him right away. It took me a while to help him get over the abuse he suffered from his relatives. I had the help from my parents, as well. Speaking of them, will I be able to share the news of him being magical?”

Severus was furious with hearing about how Harry was treated by his relatives. He wanted to hex them badly, but once again, he would likely end up in Azkaban for such a thing. Then again, it might be worth it if he got to hex them and Connor…

“Yes, I believe you can share this with them,” Severus replied after a moment. “However, they, along with yourselves, are not permitted to tell other muggles about the Wizarding world.”

“Muggles?” Connor asked.

Severus resisted the urge to sneer at the man. “Muggles are non-magic people. Squibs are people born to a wizard and witch who have no or limited magic.”

Harry finally reentered the room and sat back down at the table. There was so much he learned today and it was a lot to take in all at once. Just as he sat down, Connor got up.

“This- all of this is ridiculous,” he said before leaving the room.

“I’m sorry,” Catherine apologized. “This has been a shock for us. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go speak to him.”

Severus nodded and she left, not before placing a kiss on Harry’s head. He smiled up at her but began to bite his lip when he looked back at Professor Snape.

“Are you a Metamorphmagus?” the man asked suddenly.

“A what? Sir,” the boy added.

“Can you change your appearance at will?”

“Oh,” Harry replied dumbly. He concentrated on making his face similar to the man’s across from him and nearly laughed at the professor’s expression.

Severus got his answer when he watched the boy change. He did a double take as he stared at a younger looking version of himself sitting across the table.

“You may change back to yourself now,” Severus suggested and the boy did so. “Why did you disguise yourself when we met in London?”

“Well,” Harry bit his lip. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I wanted to make myself look like Cathy’s biological child-”

“Hence, the matching hair and eye colors,” Severus finished.

Harry nodded and continued, “And while I was in London, I decided to use that- err face- but then I ran into you. And you knew what I looked like so I continued using that face.”

“I see,” the Potions Professor replied. “After your encounter with the Dark Lord, you were left with a lightning bolt scar.”

Harry nodded and willed it to appear.

“Why have you concealed that?” the man asked.

“When I was first picked up from the streets, a doctor was checking over my arm. Um, it had been dislocated I think, so I had to take off my shirt.” He bit his lip again. “I-I have some scars on my back and I didn’t want them to see it so I wished for them to hide. All of my scars went away, including the one on my forehead. I got used to hiding them and forgot about them really.”

Severus nodded and watched as the boy concealed the scar once again. “What were you doing in London by yourself in the first place?”

Harry looked down. “Please don’t tell my mum,” Harry whispered quietly. “Connor and I –um- don’t really get along well. Back when I first met you, I had to go with him on Saturdays to work since no one else was available to watch me. He needed to get work done and I was, err, bugging him, so he told me I could check out the bookstores nearby.”

“Why don’t you tell her that you two ‘don’t get along’?” he asked.

“Because,” Harry looked around to make sure his mum was still upstairs. “He is her husband-”

“And you are her son.”

“And she loves him-” Harry continued.

“And she loves you,” Severus finished.

Harry scowled. “I know that. But she married him and I have to try and get along with him.” Technically, he had long ago given up trying but Mr. S- actually Professor Snape now, didn’t need to know that.

Severus could tell that they boy was being stubborn. He sighed and decided to deal with that another day. Sooner or later, he’d find out the truth about the relationship between Connor and the boy. If that man was hurting the boy, like he suspected but didn’t have proof, then he would hex the muggle.

“Now that I have verified that you are a Metamorphmagus, I would highly suggest you keep this talent to yourself. With your fame,” he sneered slightly, “it would be helpful to have this talent hidden. I’m sure it will be useful later. The less that know about it, the better.”

Harry nodded. It made perfect sense so he would have to be sure to keep it a secret.

Cathy came back downstairs and informed them that she had just got off the phone with her parents. They’d be coming by Sunday evening for dinner to discuss Harry and the new school he’d be going to.

Severus also mentioned that Harry would need to take a trip to Diagon Alley for supplies. Since Cathy was off on Monday, Severus agreed to come back to their home and escort them to the alley. The Professor had briefly mentioned the alley in his earlier explanations and Harry was excited to go.

Severus finished up all explanations before he finally left for the evening. They’d see him early Monday morning for Harry and Cathy’s first trip to the magical world.

Sunday afternoon, both Nick and Ellie came over. Cathy explained to them all they had learned the previous day and they were just as shocked as she was with the news.

Nicholas excused himself after they finished talking and went up to Harry’s room. The boy was currently sitting on his bed, reading quietly.

“Hi Harry,” Nick greeted as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Harry looked up apprehensively. He knew his mum had just told them the news so he was worried how they’d react.

“Hi Grandpa,” the boy replied.

“I just heard that you have some special talents,” Nick began.

“You don’t think I’m a… freak?”

“No!” the older man insisted. “I think it makes you a very special boy. Cathy thinks so too.”

“Really?” Cathy did seem very excited and open to the whole concept of magic last night.

“Yes, you Grandmum thinks it’s wonderful as well. Now listen here,” he began sternly, slipping into his firm military tone. “I do not want to hear you referring to yourself as a freak ever again.”

“Yes sir,” Harry replied. He smiled and leaned forward to give his grandpa a hug.

“So does your mum know about that face changing talent?” the older man asked.

“No,” the boy replied. “Mr. –I mean Professor Snape told me that I should keep it a secret. He says the less that know about that, the better. He also said that since I’m, um, famous,” Harry grimaced, “that it would be extremely useful for me. Like, I could get away from the crowds or avoid them all together or something.”

“Intelligent man,” Nicholas praised. “That is good thinking since this talent will prove to be useful. You would be an excellent officer, since you could easily change your looks for every undercover mission.”

Harry smiled. His grandpa was always thinking about things in regards to his time in the American military.

“There is a name for it, and I think it’s Meta-morph-magus,” Harry said, pronouncing it slowly. “Or at least it is something like that.”

“Interesting word,” Nicholas commented. “From what Cathy was telling us, there are quite a lot of terms that we’ll be hearing.”

“Like what?” Harry wondered.

“Well, she mentioned the words muggle and squib. Do you know what they are?”

Harry shook his head.

“I don’t either. She mentioned them briefly in passing but I don’t believe she explained properly. What do you say we find out?”

Harry nodded and followed his grandpa out, smiling all the way. He was glad that his mum, grandpa and grandmum all were pleased with him being a wizard. As for Connor, maybe the man would finally leave him alone, if he was scared of Harry’s new status as a wizard. Harry dismissed Connor from his mind and focused on thinking about his family. They were proud of him and didn’t care that he was a wizard. That’s all that mattered. And tomorrow, they were going to Diagon Alley which should be quite an adventure.