To Snape’s simultaneous surprise and relief, the rest of the term proceeded with no additional crises, attacks, or deaths. Even the traditional end of year student pranks were somewhat muted, probably because the usually indefatigable students were equally wrung out from all excitement of the past year. As a result, Harry’s first year came to an uncharacteristically peaceful close, though it was not until the Hogwarts Express had departed that Snape – and most of the other faculty – finally relaxed.

A few tendrils of doubt had assailed Harry when the rest were packing up their belongings, and he had been worried that, despite everything, he might yet end up back with the Dursleys. But watching the rest of the student body depart on the train while he stood at Snape's side had finally convinced him that his trust was not misplaced.

Harry had waved off his friends cheerfully, feeling rather privileged to be able to stay on at the castle. Most of the other faculty were departing for a brief rest - or rest cure, as Poppy was heard to mutter more than once - while Snape had admitted, with a grimace, that he and Harry would be visiting Black and Lupin in Switzerland.

Harry had done well enough in his classes that he not only avoided a scolding from his da, but even earned an outing to Fortescue’s, a treat that made him hug himself in delight. He was happy to have some one-on-one time with his father after the Potion Master had been so preoccupied with exams and grades for the past few weeks. Snape also explained that Harry would spend a few weeks with the Weasleys towards the end of the summer before rejoining him at Hogwarts. All told, Harry could not have imagined a better summer for himself.

Snape, on the other hand, was more than a little grumpy at what lay ahead. Instead of a nice, peaceful, child-free season spent brewing, he had to sort out all the administrative details for next year with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick, make sure the mutt and werewolf were well-prepared for their new roles at Hogwarts, tutor the brat in Defense and Potions, and ensure that their deranged house elf didn’t get up to any additional mischief.

Still, he had to admit that traveling to Switzerland was a rather appealing prospect once he had arranged to see Brunhilde again…

Sirius and Remus were, as expected, delighted to see Harry, and the boy was nearly smothered by their hugs. “You made it through your first year!” Remus said proudly. “And Severus tells us your grades were excellent!”

“I believe I said they were adequate,” Snape corrected sharply. It would never do to let the brat get a swelled head.

Remus winked at Harry. “Right. And we all know that adequate by your standards is excellent by anyone else’s.”

Harry laughed even as Snape scowled. “It was easy with all the extra help an’ tutoring that Da arranged for me,” he explained. “In most of the lessons, I got way ahead of the classroom stuff, and even Potions wasn’t so hard with Da letting us all help him prepare the ingredients most nights.”

Sirius grinned at Snape. “Sounds like you’ve got yourself a whole army of willing slaves, Snape!”

The Potion Master did his best to look nonchalant. “Some professors are able to make their topic sufficiently interesting so as to attract students’ attention outside of class.”

“We’ll have to remember that and do our best to emulate you,” Remus put in, exchanging a mischievous glance with Sirius.

“What d’you mean, Moony?” Harry asked curiously.

The two Marauders glanced at Snape, who shrugged irritably. He couldn’t really hope to keep it from the brat any longer. “Your godfathers,” he announced, “will be teaching at Hogwarts next year.”

Harry’s jaw dropped. “Really?” he gasped in delight. “WICKED!”

“Hmf.” Snape huffed as the other men grinned at Harry’s obvious happiness.

“Yep! So you’ll have to call me ‘Professor’!” Sirius teased Harry, ignoring the look of pain that crossed Snape’s countenance at the thought.

“And ‘sir’,” Harry teased him right back. “But you’ll have to get used to it and stop turning around to see who I’m talking to!” Then he paused as a thought struck him. “But what classes are you teaching?”

“The Headmaster and Professor McGonagall will be on leave,” Snape cut in. “The Headmaster will be taking some time to recuperate after the excitement of this year – he is not a young man anymore – and Professor McGonagall will be looking after him while she pursues some research of her own.”

Harry frowned. “Professor Dumbledore is okay, isn’t he?” he asked worriedly.

“He is fine, Potter. Just a little tired,” Snape reassured him briskly. “But with their departure, we needed some temporary faculty to replace them for the term or two they’ll be gone.”

“I’ll be teaching DADA and serving as Gryffindor’s Acting Head of House,” Remus told Harry. “So no sneaking out after curfew, Mr Potter!” he growled with mock severity.

Harry giggled in delight. “That’s brilliant! An’ what about you, Padfoot? What’re you gonna teach?”

“Transfiguration!” Sirius exclaimed, grinning. “If we don’t have the two of you fully fledged – and unregistered – animagi by the end of the year, I’ll eat my boots!”

“You probably gnaw on them already, mutt,” Snape grumbled under his breath.

“Ooooooh, this is gonna be great!” Harry was beside himself with excitement.

“Yes, think of all the extra tutoring I can schedule for you, not to mention the fact that now there will be three of us at school to keep you out of mischief,” Snape told him silkily.

That effectively punctured Harry’s enthusiasm, as he belatedly realized that Remus at least would likely be a lot less indulgent as a professor than as a godfather. “You’re not gonna give out detentions, are you?” he asked uneasily.

“Would you prefer we just turned you over to your da for punishment?” Remus asked, amused.

Harry shook his head vigorously. “But you’re not gonna use that special quill, right? Just regular lines or essays or stuff?”

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. Here it came.

“What special quill, Harry?” Sirius asked blankly.

The resultant explosion left no doubt in anyone’s mind that Blood Quills would not be used, and only after examining Harry’s hand repeatedly, to ensure that there were in fact no lasting scars, did Sirius grudgingly permit that Harry did not have to be sequestered in Switzerland and privately tutored. “What kind of fucking psychos is Dumbledore letting in that place?” he demanded of Snape irately. “How could he allow someone to use a bloody torture implement like that?”

Snape rolled his eyes. “He has employed disgraced giants, former Death Eaters, and squibs, not to mention someone possessed by the Dark Lord himself. By comparison, Umbridge was nearly normal.”

Sirius huffed. “Good thing that bitch disappeared or I’d show her a few things that crazy Cousin Bella used to do to the house elves.”

Remus eyed Snape narrowly. “Are you sure she won’t be making a reappearance?”

“Completely,” Snape said, with a meaningful look. He didn’t want to give too much away, particularly not in front of the wide eyed boy who was sitting on the couch, listening avidly as Sirius fumed and swore.

“Perhaps it’s just as well that Albus is relinquishing control, at least for now,” Remus commented, shaking his head.

The rest of the visit was much less exciting and, for Harry, less educational, as Remus kept a closer watch than ever over Sirius’ language, cautioning that the ex-Auror needed to get used to censoring himself in preparation for his new role as a teacher. Still, Harry was pleased that Sirius' single outburst had provided him with at least a half dozen new phrases that he could teach the other boys once school resumed.

Snape spent several afternoons floo’ing over to visit Brunhilde in Basel. (Urusla and Sirius had, as predicted, long since parted company.) To Harry’s delight, on more a few of these occasions, he accompanied Snape and they were also joined by Brunhilde’s godson Jonah and his younger brother Seth.

Harry was accustomed to being the youngest and smallest, so it was nice to be the “big kid” for a change, looked up to by nine year old Jonah and seven year old Seth, and he took his role seriously, much to Brunhilde and Snape’s quiet amusement.

“Are you sure you can do it?” he asked for the sixth time one afternoon in the flying park. Brunhilde and Snape were off talking on a nearby bench while the boys practiced with their brooms and a toy snitch. Harry had already demonstrated some of the moves that he used during the school Quidditch season, and naturally Jonah and Seth were wild to try them too.

“Yes, Harry! I know I can!” Seth promised, eyes shining.

Harry looked at him doubtfully. “I don’t know… It’s awfully easy to fall off,” he warned.

“Oh, come on, Harry. He said he can do it,” Jonah supported his brother, to Seth’s incredulous joy. Usually Jonah ignored him, in the time-honored way of big brothers everywhere, and it thrilled him to hear his brother’s vote of confidence, and in front of The Boy Who Lived, no less.

“I swear I can do it!” Seth was more determined than ever to show both older boys he could perform the Feint.

“Okay…” Harry handed over his broom, since Seth’s was still safety-spelled to stay close to the ground.

Seth did an excellent job of following Harry’s instructions, but the speed of the racing broom coupled with Seth’s light weight resulted in a centripedal force that was too much for the seven year old. Seth only realized he was in trouble a few seconds before he lost his grip, and all his frantic efforts to slow the broom were for naught. He came off with a piercing cry of fear.

Two bolts of energy shot out and caught him in mid-air, then lowered him gently to the ground. Seth sagged to his knees in relief, fighting back tears. The last thing he wanted now was to disgrace himself any further. Harry and Jonah rushed up to him, panicked, while Snape and Brunhilde, their wands still out, were only a step behind.

“Are you all right?”

“Did you get hurt?”

“What happened?”

Much to Seth’s dismay, Brunhilde swept him into a close cuddle, while a furious Snape interrogated the older boys.

“Harry James Potter! What were you thinking?” Snape scolded angrily, once he had elicited the whole story. “Giving a racing broom to a seven year old?”

Harry squirmed in an agony of embarrassment and shame. It was bad enough getting ticked off in public, but it was even worse knowing that he deserved it. Seth could have been killed!

“It wasn’t his fault,” Jonah protested. “Seth said he could do it!” He sent an angry glance to where his brother was still being examined by Brunhilde. The seven year old cringed, even more embarrassed than Harry.

“I did!” Seth spoke up. “It wasn’t Harry’s fault.”

“Foolish little boys make all sorts of wild claims,” Snape said coldly, sweeping all three with a dark glower. “I expected you to have enough sense to understand that,” he told Harry sternly.

“ ‘M sorry,” Harry gulped. He was too. He thought his heart had stopped when Seth came off the broom.

“No harm done – except to my nerves,” Brunhilde said cheerfully, approaching with Seth in tow. “But I think we’re done with flying for the day.”

“Indeed!” Snape snapped, shrinking the three brooms and putting them in his pocket.

“Sorry,” Seth mumbled, staring at the ground so that he wouldn’t have to see his brother’s annoyed expression.

Harry put an arm around his shoulder. “It’s okay. I should’ve known better,” he admitted.

Jonah huffed in exasperation and looked away, but Seth felt a little better. At least Harry didn’t hate him.

“What can we do now, if we can’t fly anymore?” Jonah asked, a bit grumpily.

Harry looked over at his da. Surely they wouldn’t have to leave?

“I think we should have some ice cream to recover from the shock,” Brunhilde said firmly. “Therapeutic chocolate, yes?”

The boys perked up instantly.

“Go find us a picnic table while we get the treats,” she instructed, linking her arm in Snape’s. “If you aren’t sitting quietly when we get back, we’ll eat all the ice cream ourselves!” she threatened.

Seth and Jonah laughed, and even Harry had to grin. What’s more, his da had lost his grumpy look and was looking at Brunhilde with an almost soft expression. “You’re much too lenient,” Snape remonstrated with her, but it was clear to all that his heart wasn’t really in it.

She tugged the normally dour man off and the boys, not wanting to risk losing their ice cream, ran to find an unoccupied table. There were a lot of families at the park, but they eventually found an empty table way off at the edge of the nearby woods.

“Here,” Jonah called to the others. Harry and Seth hurried over, but Seth promptly tripped over a tree root and went sprawling.

“You all right?” Harry stooped to check on the younger boy.

“You need to watch where you’re going,” Jonah scolded, even as he helped his brother up.

Seth pulled free, coloring. “I’m fine!"

Jonah rolled his eyes and pointed to the boy’s scraped knees. “Yeah, you’re so fine you’re bleeding,” he snapped. “Give me your handkerchief and I’ll go to the fountain and get it wet so we can clean you up before Brunhilde sees.”

“I’ll do it myself,” Seth protested, but Jonah just pushed him onto the picnic table’s bench and hurried off.

Seth hunched his shoulders and grimaced horribly at the table. “I’m not a baby!” he muttered. “I could’ve done it myself. I don’t need anybody’s help!”

Harry sat down next to him and patted his shoulder sympathetically. “I know you could’ve,” he assured the other boy, “but sometimes it’s good to let other people help you. Y’know, for a long time, I had to do everything myself because there was no one who wanted to help me.”

Seth’s eyes widened and he forgot his sulk. “But you’re The Boy Who Lived! You’re famous – everyone must want to help you!”

Harry laughed humorlessly. “I’m not famous in the Muggle world and my – the people I lived with didn’t like me one bit. So I had to learn to do everything for myself and not count on anyone’s help.” He glanced over at the younger boy. “Now I’ve got my da, and sometimes he doesn’t let me do a lot of stuff that I know I can. He says I’m too young or it’s too dangerous or whatever.” Seth nodded. He got that a lot too. “But you know, as much as sometimes it makes me mad, it’s still a lot better to have other people who care about you and want to keep you safe and to help you with stuff. That's how they show how much they love you, yeah?”

“Yea-ah,” Seth said slowly.

“Sometimes it can be hard to let someone else help you, especially if you’ve been used to not trusting anyone or letting them close,” Harry continued, as much to himself as to Seth, “but it really feels good when you do, when you let other people take care of you. Because, though I would hate to admit it to my da, we’re not really big enough to take care of ourselves yet, and it’s nice when you don’t have to any more. You need to let other people help you and not try to keep stuff to yourself all the time or try to fix things all by yourself. If you do, you’re likely gonna screw it up, and you make the other people feel bad too. I mean, Jonah wouldn’t go to get the water if he didn’t want to make you feel better, right?”

Seth smiled crookedly. “I guess not,” he confessed. “And my knees really do sting.”

“The water will help, and with the blood washed off, maybe no one will notice ‘til after the ice cream,” Harry grinned.

“Here.” Jonah returned just then and bent to sponge off Seth’s knees. He was a little surprised when his brother didn’t protest or try to kick him away, but the younger boy just held still.

“Thanks,” Seth said softly. “That feels better.”

Jonah blinked in surprise. “You’re welcome,” he managed to say. “I’m your big brother; I’m supposed to help you out, y'know.”

Seth smiled, though he kept his head down.

“Good thing your godmother doesn’t get too cranky,” Harry said once they were all seated and waiting for the ice cream. “I don’t think my da would’ve let us have a treat except for her.”

“Your da’s pretty strict,” Jonah observed.

“Yeah, he takes safety stuff really seriously,” Harry acknowledged. “You really are okay, right?” he asked Seth.

The youngest nodded. “I was just a little scared,” he admitted, blushing. “I mean, back when I first fell off.”

“Are you kidding? I thought I was going to fall over when it happened! I don’t think I was so scared even when I saw Voldemort in person!” Harry exclaimed.

“Honest?” Seth’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, and your brother grabbed my arm so hard I think he left bruises,” Harry added, much to Jonah’s horror.

Seth spun to face his brother. “Really? Were you worried too?”

Jonah shrugged elaborately. “Well, I mean I’m used to you, y’know. It would be… weird… if something happened to you. That’s all.”

Seth beamed. That was about as mushy as his older brother ever got, and it was a clear declaration that he had been frightened too. Suddenly Seth didn’t feel like such a baby after all.

“What did I tell you, Igor?” A strange voice spoke from the nearby woods and startled the boys. “It is Harry Potter, and he’s all by himself. Not an Auror in sight.”

The children spun around to find that two men were standing by the table, looking at Harry with an evil gleam in their eye. “How much do you think he’s worth? The Carrows would love to get their hands on him.”

“Alive or dead?” the other man replied with a casualness that sent chills up Harry’s spone. “I mean, he’d be a lot easier to transport dead.”

“Go run for help,” Harry hissed at the other boys, stepping between them and the men. He flicked his wrist and felt a little better when his wand flew into his hand from its holster. He knew he wasn’t supposed to do magic over the holidays, but he suspected his da wouldn’t mind one bit under these circumstances.

“Oh, look, Igor. The little brat thinks he’s a big man and wants to fight,” the first one sneered.

“Like I said, it’s easier to kill him outright.”

That did it. Harry remembered what Professor Flitwick had said about fighting against greater odds, and he sent a Stunner at the second man, then threw up a quick Protego when the first retaliated.

The second man ducked and grabbed for Harry’s wand arm, then yelped in surprise as Jonah landed a punch in his stomach.

“Leave him alone!” Jonah yelled, flailing at the wizard with fists and feet.

Meanwhile, the first man directed a levitation charm at the bench near Harry and used it to knock him flying.

Harry struggled to his feet, only to find his wand arm seized in a grip of iron, while another hand clamped itself over his mouth, preventing him from yelling for help. “Come on! I’ve got him! Let’s go!” the attacker shouted at the other wizard, dragging Harry towards the woods. “Get out the portkey.”

“Just one second,” the other man growled. He had Jonah by the scruff of the neck and he drew back his fist in preparation for striking the struggling boy.

“LEAVE JONAH ALONE!” Seth screamed, and suddenly an explosion of pure white light shook the earth.

When their vision cleared, Harry and Jonah found themselves on one side of the overturned picnic table, next to a shaking Seth, while their two assailants were crumpled, unconscious, at the base of some nearby trees. Broken branches bore mute testimony to the fact that the men had been hurled against the trees with incredible force.

A white-faced Snape and Brunhilde came running up for the second time that afternoon. “What happened?” Brunhilde gasped.

“They tried to kidnap Harry!” Jonah gasped, just as Seth said, “He was going to hit Jonah!” and burst into tears.

Snape didn’t wait for explanations and used his wand to bind the two wizards. “We couldn’t find you,” he said to Harry once he was sure that the threat had been neutralized. “They must have used a Disillusionment spell on the three of you. It wasn’t until that was broken that we realized what was going on. Are you all right?”

Harry nodded shakily. “They were saying they were going to take me away and sell me to some sparrows, and they were trying to decide whether to kill me first or not. I told the others to run and tried to defend myself, but Jonah came to help and then one grabbed him and then the other grabbed me and then Seth saved us both.”

“Shhh, it’s all right,” Brunhilde soothed the youngest, who was still sobbing. “Everyone’s all right.”

“Yeah, Seth. Why are you crying? You saved Harry and me,” Jonah said in tones of unaccustomed respect, patting his brother on the arm.

Seth sniffled and looked up. “I did?”

“Yeah!” Harry agreed. “Look – you knocked them both out.”

Seth wiped his eyes and began to smile. “I did that?”

“One of the most powerful bursts of accidental magic I’ve seen,” Brunhilde said, hugging him.

Seth scrubbed at his face and squirmed free of the embrace. He didn’t want the other boys to think he needed coddling!

“That’s pretty cool, how your brother saved us,” Harry said to Jonah while Seth peered over at the two unconscious men, now safely bound. “I mean, he was really protecting you.”

Jonah looked at his little brother with newfound appreciation. “Yeah. He’s not so bad, really.”

Seth caught the approbation and grinned. This was turning out to be the best day of his life! It wasn’t often his much-admired older brother deigned to notice his existence, let alone commented favorably about it, and now he’d even managed to impress Harry Potter!

Snape took all three boys back to the heavily warded home of Sirius and Remus, while Brunhilde summoned the authorities and explained what had happened. The adults had agreed that it would be better for a Swiss citizen to make the complaint, while Snape was in a better position to defend the children if another attack was forthcoming.

Remus and Sirius were understandably horrified at the near miss, and they agreed to take the boys out to see a Muggle movie when the authorities arrived to speak with Snape. Even Snape had to admit that it would take the Dark Lord himself to wrest Harry and the others from an enraged werewolf and an ex-Auror, now that they were on their guard, and it was unlikely that most Death Eaters would ever think of looking for Harry in a Muggle area.

At long last, after all the paperwork had been completed and the two would-be kidnappers had been committed for trial, Brunhilde and Snape collapsed on the couch. “Does this happen to you and Harry often?” the normally unflappable witch asked in tones of dismay.

“More often than I’d like,” Snape admitted. “Perhaps next time you and the boys should visit us at Hogwarts, where the wards are among the strongest in the world. Unless,” he added, looking away, “you’d prefer not to associate with us any longer.”

Brunhilde smiled and reached for him. “While the boys are still away, let me set your mind at rest about that.”

##

After that experience, Snape, Black, and Lupin decided that it was better to return to Hogwarts as quickly as possible. Harry didn’t mind too much. He’d enjoyed the days in Switzerland, but he was looking forward to getting his godfathers settled in the castle so that his prank war could begin.

The only problem facing the men was what to do about the Dursleys. It would be difficult for the Marauders to continue their harassment of the Muggles once the students were back at Hogwarts, and on the last night before Harry and Severus returned to the castle, the men stayed up late, trying to decide what to do.

Portkeys, Polyjuice, and Harry’s invisibility cloak were considered and discarded, and then Sirius started to grin. “I’ve got it!” he exclaimed.

“Got what?” Snape demanded irritably. “Fleas?”

“The perfect solution to our problem,” Sirius assured him airily. “What if Moony and I handed over the chore to someone else?”

The Potion Master rolled his eyes at this further example of Black’s idiocy. “And if this person should betray us to the authorities? Or feel sorry for the ‘poor little Muggles’? What then?”

“I can guarantee neither of those things will happen,” Sirius grinned. “Kreacher!”

To Snape’s surprise, a hideous little house elf popped into existence. “What does horrible, wicked, disgusting Master Blood Traitor want now?” it demanded of Sirius in tones of utter loathing.

“I told you not to call me that!” Sirius exclaimed in annoyance.

The creature sneered. “Yes, Master Blood Traitor.”

Black looked like he was sorely tempted to boot the thing through the wall, but a warning rumble from Moony held him back and recalled him to the task at hand. “Kreacher,” he started again, forcing his tone to be bright and cheerful, “I have a task for you.”

The elf spat to one side, narrowly missing Snape’s foot. “And what can Kreacher do for vile Master Blood Traitor and his useless, stupid friends?”

“How would you like to go torture a family of Muggles for me?” Sirius offered enticingly.

Kreacher blinked in shock. “Has Master Blood Traitor finally seen the light and mended his wicked ways? Oh, Mistress will be so pleased!” The little elf broke into a smile that was even more frightening than his scowl. “Yes, Kreacher would like to torture Muggles! How very nice of Master to think of Kreacher! What can Kreacher do to thank Master?”

“Now it’s just the one family,” Sirius cautioned. “I don’t want you torturing any other Muggles… at least not until you’ve proven you can do a good job. Understand?”

Kreacher nodded frantically, reminding the bemused Snape of a (more) demented Dobby. “Yes, Master. Yes, yes, yes! Kreacher understands! Kreacher will do a very good job! Kreacher can be trusted by Master to torture the nasty Muggles for him!”

“Good,” Black sat back with a pleased sigh. “I’ve been torturing them myself all these months, and I’m getting a bit tired.”

“Oh, Kreacher can help!” the old elf promised quickly. “Kreacher is very, very proud of Master! Master has been torturing Muggles for months and bad, wicked Kreacher has still been spitting in his drinks and calling him Blood Traitor. Bad, bad Kreacher!”

“Yeah, well, go get us some fire whiskey but no spitting this time!” Black admonished.

“Oh, no, Master. No more spitting! And then will Master tell Kreacher all about these bad Muggles and what Master would like Kreacher to do to them?”

“I suppose…” Black allowed, and with a whimper of glee, the house elf vanished.

“He’s been spitting in your food?” Snape asked, nauseated.

Black shrugged. “Only after trying poison first. We figured that one out pretty quickly though - one of the benefits of having a roommate with a supernatural sense of smell,” he nodded at Remus, who waved a hand modestly. “So, any questions?”

Snape had to admit this seemed to solve the problem handily. “Fine. And you will join us at Hogwarts in the next few weeks?”

Both nodded. “You’ll be all right until then?” Remus asked. “It’s clear that the Death Eaters are still after Harry.”

“I’ll start the boy’s summer lessons once we get back. That will keep him too busy to worry.”

Sirius shuddered. “Summer lessons! You really are a bastard, Snape!”

The Potion Master smirked proudly. He still had it.