A few years later. . .

“Da! Mother!” Harry Potter-Black ran out of his bedroom in the dungeon. All of his furniture was floating near the ceiling.

Bellatrix stormed out of her office and Snape stormed out of his lab. They stopped side by side and glared at the boy. After exchanging looks with Bellatrix, Snape spoke.

“You're being punished. When you are confined to your room you may not leave until one of us gives you permission.” He frowned at the boy he considered his son. “You've disturbed my work and your mother's.”

Harry looked at the floor. “I'm sorry Da. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just angry.” The eight year old had wrecked an entire cabinet of expensive potion ingredients during a temper tantrum. But he still wasn't getting a new broom. His old one worked fine.

“Why did you call?” Bellatrix knelt down next to her son. Her appearance had changed. Her hair was a different shade of black and her eyes were blue. And because she was under Dumbledore's protection no one had tried to send her to Azkaban yet.

Harry's smiled returned and he ran back to his room. “Look at what I did!”

The two adults peered in the doorway. The contents of the room were still hovering a few feet off the ground. The wardrobe, desk, bed and shelves hadn't even moved. They'd just gone straight up.

Snape looked around the room. Why did I ever agree to raise James Potter's son? He thought. Such displays of accidental magic. I don't think I could do this if I wanted to. “What did you do Harry?”

“I was bored.” Harry admitted. “I finished the essay you gave me and I was looking around. Just thinking about how much I wanted something to do.”

“And everything just came up like that?” Snape raised an eyebrow. “That defiantly doesn't sound like fun.”

Bellatrix didn't agree. She jumped on to the bed. “Amazing!” She smiled at Snape. Her smiles had improved over the years. They were no longer nasty, insane grimaces. Now they were warmer and kinder.  “It hold my weight!”

Harry jumped on the bed next to her and then proceeded to jump all over the floating furniture. “It's awesome! I was right! This is fun.”

“Get down!” Snape yelled. He could see that the furniture was starting to shake and shudder under Harry's excitement. Once he'd stopped concentrating everything had started to move.

Harry leapt free of the desk chair just as everything smashed into the floor. Bellatrix managed to keep her seat on the bed and looked none the worse for wear.

“Thanks for the warning.” Harry hugged his Da. He knew that unlike most other children in his day school, his parents weren't married. But they did love him and they got along fine. Plus they were both awesome by his standards.

Both his parents tried to capture Dark Wizards and Death Eaters. That meant they stopped bad people and were good with wands. Both of them were smart, they were Professors. And his Da was a Potions Master. And he was one of the very best!

“You did magic again.” Bellatrix hugged her son. I was so worried that the mudblood would have made him magic-less. He's don't quite a bit of accidental magic now. He must be a wizard! She thought. “This calls for a celebration!”

“Yay!” Harry laughed as the tickling charm from his Da hit him. His mother lifted it when it got to be too much. Both of them took good care of them. They were better than his real parents, because they were there.

Snape gazed at the Death Eater and the Boy-Who-Lived. The way they played together and cared for each other was amazing. Bellatrix had recovered from her Dark Lord obsession. She was still a blood fanatic. But nobody's perfect. And at least she didn't wreck his potions stores.

“Diagon Alley?” Snape asked. The last time Harry had performed magic they'd all gone out for ice cream and dinner. After all, in this household the use of magic was celebrated not punished.

Bellatrix looked at Harry. He nodded. “Then let's get ready to go!”

It didn't take much time for the three to assemble in front of the floo. All of them already had robes on and after Snape grabbed his cloak everything was ready. They used the floo and scrambled out into the Leaky Cauldron.

The ice cream parlour was a short walk away. Before Snape knew it he was sitting at a table with a chocolate sundae in front of him.

“That's your favourite. Right Da?” Harry asked. He was digging his spoon into the largest dish of ice cream Snape had ever seen. Bellatrix had a second spoon and was quietly sneaking bits of his from the other side.

Snape looked at his ice cream. He loved chocolate. A little too much, so he generally tried to not rush through it and only eat sweets on special occasions. This was defiantly a special occasion. He dug his spoon in. The ice cream was just as good was he remembered. “Yes. It is my favourite.”

Harry wolfed through the sundae faster than either of the adults thought was possible. Once finished he looked back that them with big eyes. “I'm full now. Do we have to go out for dinner?”

Bellatrix gave him a one armed hug. “Of course not. We'll head back soon.”

The three finished their ice cream and floo'd back to the quarters they shared. Dumbledore hadn't been willing to trust Bellatrix to live on her own. Nor had he consented to have her raise Harry. As far as he knew Bellatrix was staying with Snape and they were raising one of her many relatives who'd been orphaned in the war.

Getting Harry adopted had been easy. The Blacks had plenty of money and Bellatrix had spread it around. Not a word of the transfer of guardianship had reached Dumbledore's ears. He still thought the Boy-Who-Lived was with muggles. Snape was also an official guardian of the boy. He'd been part of the adoption ceremony and both he and Bellatrix had given a little of their blood to Harry to make him look more like they did.

That night they retired to their separate bedrooms. Harry was in between the two adults. All was quiet in the dungeons, for it was summer and the students had all returned home. But at 3 o'clock a whimper woke Snape up from his nightmares of Lily dying.

“Harry, is that you?” He asked the darkened room. He could hear breathing and a quiet cry of pain every few seconds. Snape pulled his wand and spelled the lights on.

Harry was curled in a ball on the floor in the centre of the room.

“What's wrong” Snape knelt beside Harry. “Are you feeling all right?”

Harry shook his head and clutched his stomach. “Belly hurts.”

Too much ice cream. Snape thought. Then he sent a message to Bellatrix with a wave of his wand before turning back to his child. “Come on Harry. It'll be all right.”

Harry continued whimpering. But he allowed Snape to move him onto his bed and lay him out more comfortably. It hurt his belly more, but he knew that his Da's potions would be able to help him.

“What is it Severus?” Bellatrix ran in through the door. Her hair was a complete mess and her robe and slippers were hastily thrown over her night clothes. “What happened?” She was expecting anything. Including an attack from the Dark Lord.

Severus's eyes widened at her use of his given name. He'd given her permission to use it, but she'd never taken him up on the offer. He motioned to Harry. “Someone ate a too much ice cream.” He left for his lab. Luckily the potion he needed hadn't been destroyed earlier that day.

Bellatrix sat on Severus's bed next to her son. She ran her fingers through his hair. “It'll be all right Harry. Severus will help you.”

“Here's the potion.” Severus showed Bellatrix the vial in his hand. “Come on Harry.” Severus slipped his hand behind the boy's shoulders and helped him to sit up enough to take the potion.

Harry gulped the potion down as quickly as possible. Since his Da was a Potions Master he was used to having to take a lot of potions. And none of them ever tasted good. The stomach settling potion was salty and thick. But once he taken it he felt much better.

“Thanks.” Harry curled up between the two adults. Bellatrix and Severus exchanged looks over the child.

“Does he expect us to stay here all night?” Severus muttered. But he wasn't quiet enough.

“I wouldn't mind.” Bellatrix smiled at Severus. In fact, I think I'd enjoy it. She swung her legs onto the bed and lay down next to her child.

Severus was shocked at her comment. Why would anyone stay near me voluntarily? I can't say that I really mind. He shrugged and lay down next to the other two sleepers.

That night was one of the most peaceful the three had ever had. No nightmares disturbed their dreams and they slept calmly through the night. However, the morning was a different story.

“Severus!” Bellatrix shook the sleeping professor awake. “We've overslept!” She pointed to the clock, which read 9:23.

Snape hurried to unattached himself from Harry and get ready to leave. Classes stated at 8 o'clock. All of them were late. They rushed through their morning routines, barely pausing to eat breakfast. Bellatrix ran out the door first.

“Bring Harry to school!” She called over her shoulder.

Severus scowled and swore under his breath. He had classes to teach too. And Harry was old enough to bring himself to school. But Bellatrix had told him  to and he was still slightly nervous around her. “Harry!” He called.

“Yes Da?” The boy was stuffing toast into his mouth. “I'm almost ready to go.” His robes were coming undone and his hair was a complete mess.

“No your not. Come!” Snape snapped as he pulled the boy into the wash room. He brushed the boy's hair and used a potion to make it stay where he wanted it. Then he fixed his robes for him. “Clean your teeth and get your bag.”

While Harry finished getting ready Severus wrote a note assigning his morning classes a very large essay and used a spell to stick it onto the door of his classroom. Then he hurried back to his quarters to find Harry standing at the door, ready to leave.

“I'm ready to go!” Harry said, while rubbing his eyes. He was tired. Going back to bed was an extremely appealing thought.

“Then what are you waiting for? Go!” Snape seized his arm and started moving quickly through the corridors of Hogwarts. The two made their way out of Hogwarts, across the grounds and into the outer limits of Hogsmeade.

Harry looked around. “Where are we going? Mother doesn't come this way.” He looked searchingly at Severus.

Severus scowled. Why can't the boy trust me? “I don't have time to bring you the way Bellatrix does. We are going to apparate.”

Harry shivered. He hated apparating. It was a nasty way to travel. “All right.” He took his Da's hand and prepared for the feeling of being turned inside out.

I wish he didn't fear apparation. He's a wizard, not a muggle! Severus pulled the boy towards him and wrapped both of his arms around him. By holding him closer he could take more of the unnerving sensation the boy would feel. “It'll be all right.”

Severus spun on the spot and the two rocketed through space and time to land in front of the Thames Wizarding Day School. Harry was still shacking as he clutched his guardian's robes.

“We're here Harry.” Severus murmured as he pried Harry's hands from the front of his robes. “Come on.” He strode toward the tunnel that would lead them under the river and to the school. The tunnel was tiled and well lit, but it still made Severus feel claustrophobic and worry of the strength of the magic keeping the river from falling on them.

“Good morning.” A young witch greeted them as they entered the school's main office. “Can I help you?”

Severus glared at her. “My son.” He pushed Harry forward. “He's late.”

The girl sighed and reached for a piece of parchment. “Go to class.” She told Harry after writing him a late slip.

“Thanks.” Harry muttered before he hurried to his classroom.

Severus gave his son an almost smile before hurrying back to the surface and back to Hogwarts. If he was lucky he'd be on time for his second period class.