"Look at this one," Severus said, pointing out the potion in the book he was reading to little Harry. They were sitting on the couch, or rather Severus was sitting on the couch and the tiny boy was sitting on him.

"The Boil Cure Potion is typically taught to first years—that is, eleven year-olds—here at Hogwarts," he explained as they looked at the moving pictures in the beginning potions book together. The lad was listening to him with rapt attention, something that Severus had often wished his first years would do during his lectures.

"But remember," he continued, shaking one long finger in the air dramatically. He watched in secret amusement as the boy's mouth formed a tiny "o" in anticipation. "The porcupine quills must be added after removing the cauldron from the fire. Because otherwise, can you guess what happens?" He asked, turning to look seriously at his small charge.

"It 'splode?" Was the child's shy suggestion.

"Close," he said, smiling a rare but short smile. "It melts the cauldron and sends up green acrid smoke into the air."

"Melts?" The small boy whispered in awe.

"Melts," Severus said, nodding seriously. "Like a candle," he continued, trying to give the child a concrete example.

"Wow," the child said, his bright green eyes shining with wonder at him.

Their moment was broken a short bit later by several fast paced knocks against his front door.

Severus fought against the urge to groan, knowing all too well who was standing outside his quarters now.

Sure enough, no sooner had the knocks stopped, but his door was opening and Albus Dumbledore was striding hurriedly across the room to stand in front of them, an overexcited expression on his ancient face.

Severus wanted to growl at the old man for bypassing his wards—not to mention his privacy—so easily, but he kept his distaste to himself, not wanting to further frighten the small boy who was currently trying to burrow his way into his chest.

However, he did have a brief spot of spiteful triumph after Albus spotted the child in his arms and came to a complete and dumbfounded stop in front of him. Rolling his eyes, Severus summoned him a chair and then waited for his employer to say something after finally taking a seat.

"Severus! That's Harry Potter!" Albus said in clear amazement.

"Very good Albus," Severus said sarcastically. "10 points to any house of your choice, provided that it ends in the letter 'n'."

"What in Merlin's name are you doing with Harry Potter?" The old man continued, oblivious to what he had just said.

Thankfully, said tiny boy had finally stopped his insistent tunneling into Severus chest, and seemed content to merely hide his face in his robes instead.

"Well, until you interrupted, we were having a very pleasant time learning about the 1st years' potion course work," he said with a sneer, leaning back against the cushions and crossing his legs imperiously.

"Severus, this is no time to joke," Albus responded, sounding a bit more like his atypical self.

"I don't joke about potions," he replied with a deadpan expression.

"Of course not, my boy," Albus answered with what was supposed to be a placating smile.

"Albus, why are you here?" He asked in exasperation.

"To talk to you about Harry Potter of course," was his employer's most damning answer.

Severus looked at the man seated across from him and saw that the familiar twinkle was back in his eyes.

He thinks he is back in control, he thought with distaste. We'll see about that.

. . .

Harry listened diligently to the conversation going on around him, but it was safe to say that he didn't really understand what was going on. Of course he was here; his angel had brought him, so why would he be anywhere else?

"Severus, is that really Harry Potter?" He heard the old man ask.

The tall man looked down at him for a second before looking back up.

"Would you like him to stand up?" The man asked with a smirk. And then barely a heartbeat later, he heard the exasperation in the black haired man's voice when he answered, "Yes Albus, it is."

He listened to their banter for another few minutes before finally hearing a comment from the old man that made his blood run cold and his breath hitch in his throat.

"Severus, you know as well as I do that he can't stay here. He must go back to his relatives for the blood protection!"

Little Harry felt tears swarm his eyes when he didn't immediately hear a response from the tall man. Anxiously, he shifted a bit within the man's warm arms, but luckily wasn't forced to wait very long. Two things happened simultaneously: His tall man tightened his hold on him, drawing him further into his safe embrace, and the man angrily spat out an answer.

"Like hell!" His tall man tensed under his body, but for once little Harry could tell that the anger wasn't directed at him.

He heard a weak sounding, "Severus," come from the old man, but it was silenced by his tall man's quick response.

"Tell me Albus—who is the bigger monster? The one who deliberately hurts an innocent child? Or the one that stands by and allows it to happen?"

Little Harry's thumb found itself into his mouth and he curled his other hand tightly around the soft fabric of the robe, bringing it up around his ear as he laid his head down on the man's chest; essentially turning the tall man into a large personal safety object for himself.

"No Albus, I am not joking," his tall man hissed, standing them both up as he began to pace around the room.

He didn't catch the old man's response, but he did hear his tall man's.

"You want him Albus? You're going to have to do it yourself—get your own bloody hands dirty."

A moment of silence passed, followed by a surprising statement from the old man.

"I saw Lily last night Severus."

It seemed such an unlikely thing to say in the context of the conversation. Harry wondered—rightfully—if the old man hadn't said it on purpose like that just to try and distract his tall man from their conversation.

Luckily, for them both, his tall man didn't react to such the enticing bait, and instead threw back a surprise of his own.

"As did I," was the cold response, the man who held him answered, coming to a complete stop in the middle of the room.

"I should wonder what she said to you. She very clearly told me that his relatives tried to murder him. You see, that's why she brought him to me."

The silence that followed his tall man's statement after that comment was longer and maddening to the little Harry, who had begun fidgeting nervously again. Distantly, he felt warm hands gently rub across his back, and he allowed himself to relax into them, almost missing the answer from the old man as he did.

"His relatives, Severus?" Was the suddenly hushed response.

"His aunt."

Little Harry missed the accompanying glare that the tall man gave to the old man, but he could hear the anger in the man's voice nonetheless.

"You must have misunderstood," the old man said in a disbelieving tone.

"Would you like to view my memory of her visit? Or are you implying that perhaps Lily was mistaken?"

"Now, don't misunderstand me, my dear boy," the old man said, quickly backpedaling.

"As long as you don't try to judge me, old man."

The two men stared at each other angrily, neither willing to speak. It could have gone on indefinitely if not for the sudden sound at the door.

. . .

Severus pinched the skin on the bridge of his nose and fought against hexing the old man sitting so innocently in front of him. As if that were not difficult enough already, now he had to deal with another damned visitor!

A small hand was patting his chest and he looked down into frightened green eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked, knowing it could be any of a thousand things. Perhaps they were wrong to have this conversation here in front of the boy, but where else could the child be? He didn't trust to leave him alone in the next room—what if he made a mess of his things?

Or got himself hurt somehow, his conscience pointed out frighteningly.

It was all that damned Dumbledore's fault for striding into his quarters like he belonged there! Severus looked up to glare at the old man, but the old wizard wasn't in his seat. His eyes automatically flickered over to the doorway, only to find that Albus had answered the door for him.

Merlin, save him from the rules of polite society!

"Will he take me back to auntie?" A little voice invaded his mental ranting, bringing him back to the present with a sharp figurative slap to the head.

"No," he answered, shaking his head back and forth for emphasis as he looked down at the tiny boy in his arms.

"But what if he does?" Tears began to fill those wide green eyes and he swallowed hard, angry at the harm Albus had continued to cause the little boy.

"I won't let him," Severus said definitively, unconsciously awakening some very old magic with his words.

The child was still staring uncertainly at him, and although he felt rather foolish in reassuring a tiny four year-old boy, he felt it necessary to so in that moment.

"I swear that I will protect you," he said softly, his voice completely serious. For a moment, despite their being completely cocooned in the dungeons, a breeze smelling of fresh flowers wafted across them both.

To Severus, it seemed that Lily had heard his statement and was sending them her mark of approval.

For little Harry, the smell reminded him of a memory long buried in his mind; one where his mother had been with him and everything had been all right.

It was a smell of safety, a smell of love.

"Okay," the little boy nodded his acceptance against Severus's chest.

"Harry?" A female voice disrupted them from their conversation.

Severus looked up in annoyance, just as the small child within his arms began screaming in terror.

Minerva McGonagall had made her appearance.