Jack sat on his bed as he stared at the worn letter on his lap.

He'd read it at least fifteen times since Severus had made the offer to his parents for Jack to stay until he could start school while his parents left for America. The sandy-haired boy had mixed feelings about that aspect because it was the morning of July 31st, which had once been Harry's birthday but wasn't anymore.

'Jack, are you finished?' Judy called up the stairs.

'Yeah, mum!' Jack answered, his eyes still on his letter, re-reading the part that said he was accepted to Hogwarts.

He wasn't going to see his parents for a really long time. And yet, Jack wasn't sure why he was so okay with it. He hadn't worried about missing them or had the urge to run and hug them goodbye. He loved them, really he did, and yet all Jack could think about was Hogwarts, about staying with Harry's family for a month, and the fact his parents were not going to delay seeing Michael again for a few weeks so Jack could go to Hogwarts.

He tried not to think about it, but Jack was slowly starting to realise how much it hurt him.

And amidst it all, Severus had stood up for him. Harry's dad had helped Jack a little bit like he'd helped Harry so long ago...and for the first time, Jack finally understood why Harry always called him a “hero.”

'Jack, it's time to go!' Gordon called.

Gordon had just finished loading up their car with the last of the belongings. The rest were being transported to America where Michael awaited them in his big house with his girlfriend, and entirely different lifestyle to the one he'd left behind.

Jack sighed and rose from his bed, shoving his letter into the pocket of his jeans as he turned to grab two bags sitting on his bed. His dad walked into the room and took the rest of the luggage without looking at Jack, his mind preoccupied with all the careful arrangements they'd made to get to the airport on time.

Jack headed for his door and paused, turning to look at the bedroom that had been his for almost ten years. It was sad to say goodbye to it, so he took a moment to look over each detail before he could delay no longer. He shut the door behind himself and dragged his bags down the stairs. Glancing at the spot Severus had been the last time Jack saw him, which was some time ago now, because his parents and himself had been far too busy preparing for the move.

Glad he only had to take his bags as far as Harry's house, Jack exhaled and dumped them just inside the yard. He looked up and saw Harry's excited face through one of the windows before the dark-haired boy soon vanished and opened the front door.

'You're here!' Harry grinned, having spent the last few hours waiting even if they hadn't know which day Jack would be moving in temporarily. It was the day of the move, so Harry had been confident his best friend was going to show up at some point that day.

'Yeah.' Jack nodded and turned around.

His father had placed the last of the bags beside him, and his mother dropped off the once-shiny green bike he never used. He looked from one to the other and felt sad to be saying goodbye. Jack heard footsteps behind him and assumed either (or both) Erin or Severus had come outside as well. He watched his parents until they came over in turn and gave him a big hug. Jack smiled, and expected words of encouragement, or advice that could help or motivate him.

They said nothing.

Judy waved and turned to leave, muttering her schedule to herself in fear of forgetting it and wondering aloud if they should buy Michael a house-warming gift. Jack turned desperately to his father, wanting something – anything – to remember their last interaction by. It could be a year before he ever saw them again, yet Gordon only nodded once and followed his wife.

Jack stood there, feeling numb all over, as he stared at his retreating parents.

They got into their car and moments later, had driven away out of sight. He heard Harry talking quickly behind him to Erin, who was discreetly using her magic to levitate the bags into the house with intense concentration. Jack was left standing there, until he flinched at a sudden contact on his shoulder. Looking behind himself by leaning his head back, Jack saw Severus watching where the car had gone. Acting on impulse, Jack turned around and hugged Severus. Loneliness and abandonment feelings he had not been prepared for flooded his form as he sobbed against the man's middle. Severus didn't move other than to place a hand on the boy's back.

'Jack, where...' Harry had returned and halted at the sight in front of him.

He frowned and fidgeted, trying not to feel jealous, and instead wished he had been the one to help his friend. Jack looked so sad and lost.

'Jack?' Harry said in a quieter tone when he moved away from Severus and the man headed back into the house. 'Are you going to be okay?'

'Yeah.' Jack sniffled. 'I'll be fine. I just...I thought they'd...never mind. Will all of my stuff fit in your room?' He asked and followed Harry into the house.

'Oh, Jack you won't be sleeping in Harry's room.' Erin said as she reached the bottom of the staircase. 'I've put your things in the spare room. There's much more space in there and you'll get your own bed rather than having to share with Harry.'

'What?' Harry startled. 'No, he can sleep in my room. Right, Jack?'

Jack, being a bit shocked and emotional from the departure of his parents, only shrugged as his sleeping arrangements was of little concern to him at that moment.

'Harry, there's not enough room.' Erin tried to reason with her suddenly unhappy son. 'Jack will be here for an entire month. A little distance will be good, and he deserves his privacy. I do not want to have to send you both to opposite ends of the house if you two get into a scuffle that is bound to happen with all the constant, unwavering company.'

'No.' Harry frowned. 'Jack is sleeping in my room, mum!'

'Do not take that tone with your mother, young man!' Severus joined the group. 'Jack will sleep in the spare room, which has already been agreed upon.'

Harry stomped his foot and prepared to whine, something only Severus seemed to flawlessly predict every time. He fixed the boy with a very stern glare, and was not pleased to receive a defiant pout in response.

'Don't.' Severus warned when Harry opened his mouth to protest loudly against what he believed was completely unjustified.

If Jack didn't sleep in his room, Harry would have to go straight to bed and sleep, not sit up talking to Jack for hours at night or hide under his sheets with him in the morning to avoid getting up. He thought his parents were so unfair sometimes.

Erin looked from Severus to Harry and decided to intervene because the child was looking very adamant and she knew there would never be an incident like this one in which Severus would ever surrender or lose to a child. Harry might be prepared to argue his case, but the boy was without a doubt going to lose.

'Cody.' Erin said and tapped his shoulder to distract him. 'Would you like to help me finish watering the garden? The plants need to be ready for picking before we're to leave the house for a long period of time.'

Harry grumbled and glared at his father, before his shoulders sagged with defeat and he released a long exhale. Nodding to his mother, Harry sulked after her to go outside and work on the garden. Jack wasn't sure what to do, so he headed upstairs to unpack his stuff in the spare room.

Severus, not looking pleased even if he had technically won the little dispute, said something incoherent under his breath and headed for the basement.

--

The following morning was the first day of August.

The boys had an entire month before they were due to start Hogwarts, and to show this they laid on their stomachs in the living room to make a handmade calendar, so they could cross off the days until September 1st. It had been Harry's idea, but the “work” of drawing and colouring was shared amongst the boys, who spent nearly all morning on it. Their lines were mostly straight because they'd used a ruler Jack had brought with him that had been buried in his schoolbag, which he had been using as a luggage bag. They'd used the brightest blue, green, and purple crayons they could find and Harry had been extra careful when he'd used a black marker to draw the numbers.

They boys showed it to the adults at lunch with smiles of pride and accomplishment.

Erin had praised the boys and both boys beamed happily when she pinned the Calendar to the fridge. They could not be more delighted with their artful Calendar and the appreciated reaction they'd received, until Severus waved his wand and spelled it to automatically cross off a day at midnight every night.

Though Jack had been hurt and confused by his parents' departure, he cheered up as the days slowly passed by. He spent a lot of the time getting used to his “month-long sleepover” as Erin had called it, and the rest playing outside with a ball he'd gotten from Harry for his birthday.

Near the end of the first week, Harry paced in the backyard to wait for his parents to come outside. They were talking in the kitchen about something neither he nor Jack had been too interested in. Something about trunks and quills. Jack was nearby once again attempting to train Frogabook to move more than two inches while being attached to a lead - this time without being tempted by food. It meant Harry would have his parents entirely to himself that morning, though the dark-haired boy didn't quite realise why he felt so protective of the pending moment.

He loved having Jack stay with them for an entire month and had not yet realised why he felt agitated whenever Jack received attention from Erin or Severus.

Harry was looking forward to the time with his parents, not just for that, but because it involved the gardens. They had to pick everything or else the plants, herbs, and vegetables would die in their absence. Erin and Harry would first pick the vegetables and re-pot plants they wanted to take with them to continue growing and caring for them. That would take most of the morning, and afterwards Severus would take Harry over to their ingredient garden in the corner of the yard. He was going to teach Harry about the most effective and careful ways to extract the ingredients from the garden, and how to properly store them for use in potions or to be safely transported.

'Jack has never used one before.' Erin was saying as she left the house, looking at Severus with obvious disagreement to what he was saying. 'I think we should at least give him a bit of practise, and some pointers.' She was talking about writing with quills, as she and Harry had learned the skill over two years ago under Severus' patient teaching.

Erin was fairly certain that, since Jack only recently discovered he was magical too, he had never learned to write with a quill. It was a necessary skill for doing school work at Hogwarts, so Erin tried to make sure the sandy-haired boy didn't go to school and lack something others had just because they'd been raised around magic. She could relate to his new experience, as she had gone through it herself, whereas Harry had been raised into the basics for over three years – Severus had made sure of it.

'I can teach Jack. I remember how you taught us.' Erin added when Severus seemed stubbornly reluctant, preferring to focus on Harry because he was worried his son wouldn't be prepared. He wanted to make sure his son had as equal a chance as his classmates, if not more, to do well at Hogwarts.

'Very well.' Severus agreed. 'There may be insufficient time in which to educate him, but perhaps it will be an adequate foundation for Jack to build on.'

'Exactly.' Erin nodded, though she frowned with determination when Severus said there wasn't enough time.

Harry, who was sitting on the grass by the vegetable garden, had been close enough to overhear what they said. He glanced at his best friend, who was oblivious to it all as he glared at the ever-so-motionless Frogabook. Harry didn't know why what he'd heard annoyed him, but he didn't feel too happy about it.

'Well, are we all set?' Erin smiled as she joined Harry on the grass. 'Should we start with picking the tomatoes first so they don't get squashed while we work?'

Harry wasn't listening.

He watched Severus carefully to make sure his dad didn't go over to Jack. He felt possessive of his parent's attention, which had never bothered him until Jack was there all the time, and getting advice, comfort, or general assistance as well.

Sometimes Harry worried Jack was getting more than he was. Years ago, Harry had been seemingly invisible for so long that the idea of having a family for himself was a highly valued and longed-for dream. And then it happened. He was so happy, and comfortable that he felt he could share Severus and Erin with the world and still be okay, because he experienced a portion of what it meant to be loved and cared for.

And then, over the years, he had adapted and learned. Harry had a mother and father of his own, just like everyone else. It provided him with a stable and loving environment where he had someone to turn to when he needed them, or talk to when he was feeling confused, and most importantly to keep him safe and remind him he was love. Harry did not want to share. He did not want to get a shared portion of his parents.

He had come to terms with the fact that they were his parents, and only his - not Jacks, and not anyone's. Seeing Jack being treated like the brother they always pretended he was, now impacted Harry in a way it never had before.

And he did not like it - no, Harry did not like it at all.

'Cody?' Erin caught his attention.

'Sorry.' Harry exhaled when Severus returned to the house.

He focused on his mother again and their task at hand, convinced he didn't have to keep an eye on where his father was as long as Jack was only occupied with Frogabook.

Strange, he could not care less if his adored frog spent time with Jack as much as they wanted. Frogabook would always be his, yet Harry still worried about losing his parents to someone else. He'd never had a pet before, but he'd had a lot of adult guardians who had either died or left him.

'I don't want the tomatoes to get squished.' Harry told his mother, who watched him with a thoughtful expression. 'Can we pick those first?'

'Of course.' Erin nodded, not commenting that she had asked him about it only a moment ago.

As Harry leaned forward to start picking tomatoes, which were all bright red, Erin looked towards Jack and smiled. She did not think it was something to worry about, but Erin now realised what sort of distraction had stirred Harry's moods lately.

'Mum?' Harry reversed the situation; pulling her from her thoughts this time.

Erin chuckled and brushed some dirt from his cheek with her thumb. She assisted him in picking tomatoes, and then beans. A silence followed, other than the occasional complaint from Jack on the other side of the yard, nothing was said for several moments. Erin waited until Harry seemed more attentive to his gardening, before she spoke and took advantage of their moment together.

'Are you looking forward to going to Hogwarts?' Erin asked.

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'I mean, it is a bit scary because dad said it's really big. I really want to learn magic, though. And Jack will be there so it's going to be a lot of fun!'

'It will be, yes.' Erin nodded. She actually had no idea, as Severus hadn't told her much about the school either. 'I'm sure you and Jack will make many more friends, and I want you to promise you'll introduce them to us, okay?'

Harry hesitated and kept his gaze away from Erin, as he thought about what she'd said. 'Okay, I promise.' He offered her a smile and quickly moved to pick some carrots.

'It's a big change.' Erin sighed.

She thought of how grown-up her boy seemed in her eyes now he was old enough to go to Hogwarts with teenagers and much bigger challenges that she couldn't always be there to help him overcome. Her little boy would need to learn a lot of new skills and values without her holding his hand along the way. Erin would always be there for her son when he needed her, without fail, but Harry wasn't the only one learning to adjust to a new situation and age.

'I don't want to muck it up.' Harry admitted. 'Dad made some classes sound really hard! And I don't know anyone else in my class, like I know those at our old school.'

'Don't worry, sweetheart.' Erin brushed some hair from his face with her fingers. 'You'll do just fine. I'm sure your new classmates will be a bit nervous and unsure as well. Once you get the hang of things, I know you'll make us proud because you already do, every day, just by being exactly who you are. If things get too tough, then your father and I will be there for you whenever you need us. Don't ever forget that, okay?'

'Okay.' Harry exhaled. 'Thanks, mum.'

As the topics shifted to more regular things like packing enough socks and remembering to use his manners when speaking to professors, the garden was slowly emptied of its vegetables while the nearby buckets filled with them and pots nearby were new homes to the rest of the flowers.

The morning hours went by until Erin and Harry had finished their shared job. There was still a little over an hour before lunch, so Erin headed inside the clean up and work out what to prepare for them. Harry peered over his shoulder and saw Frogabook sprawled out on his back under the sun near his favourite bush. The lead was dumped in a corner a distance away, where Jack had clearly gotten annoyed with the frog's stubbornness not to move, and given up. Jack himself was kicking his ball around near the fence facing the road and seemed content to have his own company, which he'd been doing a lot since he'd arrived.

Harry looked around for his father and wondered what was taking him so long.

His dad was probably in the basement, and might not know Harry was ready to work on their special little garden. Harry got up and headed into the house, not thinking he should probably wash his hands and face first as he was a bit dirty from his gardening already.

Reaching the door to the basement, Harry shuddered and wanted to ask Erin to knock instead, since she could go inside the basement even if she never went further than the bottom of the steps. Erin's lack of knowledge, regarding potions and the ingredients, made her less comfortable to venture inside there in wariness of the dangers they may pose.

Exhaling, Harry raised his fist to knock.

He shrieked and stumbled backwards in shock when the door was quickly pulled open and Severus glared down at him. Harry thought his father was super good at knowing when he was needed. This was something the boy had first thought when he was seven-years-old and probably would never grow out of. Severus, however, had been on his way to check the progress in the garden and was suspicious to see his son standing there with a hand near the doorknob.

'I...finished garden.' Harry gulped in hurried explanation when he saw the look he was given.

It was no secret that since the horrible and painful incident three years ago, Harry and Jack would not enter the basement even if it was their only shelter from a nuclear explosion.

Severus calmed and nodded, waving his hand to direct the boy away from the doorway and towards the garden in their backyard. He shut the basement door behind himself and tapped it with his wand. He passed the kitchen and saw Erin making sandwiches, so lunch would be prepared when they were done. Fatherhood had taught Severus how hungry children were after certain activities, and their whining about such hunger always annoyed him.

He turned his attention back to Harry, as he trailed after his son and stepped outside.

'There's only four.' Harry remembered as he walked to their corner garden and smiled proudly at the ingredients they had grown.

He crouched on the grass and held his hand up to grab the gloves offered to him by Severus without having to look to see if they were there. Harry always had those gloves shoved in his face whenever he got near the corner garden, regardless of if he actually intended to touch the magical plants at all.

Severus watched the boy with interest and did not immediately give him an instruction. Harry had learned fast not to handle ingredients in any way without Severus being there, and since he was only eleven, Severus expected Harry to want to start right away. However, the boy just sat there and stared at the ingredients with a curious smile. Severus crouched beside him, as it was easier to keep a close eye on the boy's work that way, and wasn't sure what to think of the obvious delight the child took in having grown those ingredients himself, with a little help.

'The leaves of that one are extra big.' Harry commented as he pointed to one of the plants. 'That means they're really healthy, right?' He looked to his father for confirmation.

'Yes.' Severus answered, surprised the boy had remembered that. He'd said it over two years ago, and this was the first time they'd grown that specific ingredient since. 'The bulbs only require gloves to be extracted. They're very strong; therefore you may use the force necessary to retrieve them.' He explained. 'They are to be placed into a jar.'

'Okay.' Harry nodded and did was he was told, putting the jar near his knee as he set to work on the bulbs of the leafy plant.

Severus watched with a smile, which Harry was too busy to notice.

When Erin worked on the garden with Harry, she might ask Jack to help if the other boy was there. But the ingredient garden in the corner had always been special. No one had said it, but everyone knew: it was Severus and Harry's garden only. The father and son had spent so much time, in private, tending to their garden and it was the only constant activity they shared together all the time. Some ingredients took weeks to grow, and other many months.

A year ago Harry and Severus had to get up at midnight on the night of a full moon to pick one of their ingredients, and both had done so without any fuss at all.

'I'm done with this one, dad.' Harry told him, even though Severus was right there and paying flawless attention to the task.

'Very good.' Severus approved as he reached the screw on the lid on the jar.

He then told Harry how to carefully cut off the thorns of the next plant, followed by shaking a pod of another and aim the vial carefully so the power-like sap fell into it. The last plant involved only picking the orange-tinted leaves as the dark red ones were too old or dry to be useful, and the leaves had to be carefully placed into a large jar of clear water. And Harry eagerly did them all to Severus' satisfaction.

'Dad?' Harry asked quietly as he snipped the last thorn and watched it drop into the small, clear glass container. 'What happens if I don't make any friends at Hogwarts?' He worried, thinking about how his mother was so sure he'd make them, and he'd promised to introduce them to his parents when he did.

'You are very likeable, Cody.' Severus answered. 'I am certain you will find at least a few of your classmates who may be interested in your friendship, and vice versa.'

'But what if they're not?' Harry stressed. 'What if none of them like me at all? What if I'm really bad at Transfiguration, or Charms, or worse – Potions!'

'Calm yourself, this is not a matter you should allow put yourself at unease.' Severus sighed. 'You will still have Jack. You will make friends, Cody, even if it takes time. Be patient. You are incorrect in assuming everything will happen at once.'

'You always know what I'm thinking.' Harry smiled at his father as he held a leaf in his hand, which he was about to drop into its designated container. 'But what about my classes?'

'Should you fall behind in any of your classes, or experience a great difficulty in learning the set material, then I shall of course assist you.' Severus said. 'It will be my job, after all.'

'Will you still have time for me?' Harry looked away. 'With all the other kids you'll be tutoring?'

'You are my son; I will always find the time for you whenever you require.' Severus reassured. 'The situation would be no different if I were a professor and teaching a class you were not attending.' He said and continued to observe his son's actions. 'Not that one; the orange is far too dark.'

Harry left the indicated leaf along and picked the last one he could see that was good enough to be an ingredient. Exhaling, he leaned back to sit on the grass and looked at his father with a fond expression.

'I'm glad you're the one who saved me.' Harry said barely above a whisper, though Severus heard every word. 'I think you're the best dad I could ever have!'

Severus could only smile in return.

The preparations for Hogwarts continued into the second week of August.

On Wednesday, the boys were woken at six in the morning to dedicate a large portion of their day to preparing the house to be left for a long period of time. This meant cleaning it up entirely and putting everything away. If it weren't for the fact they never removed any furniture or belongings from the household, one might think they were moving out. And when they were finally finished, the place had never looked so bare since they'd purchased it three years ago.

While Erin remained optimistic, Severus strongly doubted the house would stay that way for the coming two months (with a pair of eleven-year-olds running around), and believed they would be doing it all again just before the end of the month. The only aspect they hadn't done that day was the food. Since they still needed to eat for the coming few weeks, removing the remaining food from the fridge and cupboards would be one of their last tasks before the final day of August arrived.

'Stay, Frogabook!' Harry commanded just after breakfast on Saturday morning. 'Dad, he won't stop!' The dark-haired boy whined.

Jack jumped for the frog, missed, and nearly got a mouthful of grass, which led to a series of muttered words the adults might not approve of if they'd actually overheard them.

'Stand aside.' Severus frowned and raised his wand.

The boys shot to either side of him quickly to get out of the path of the wand. With a transparent flash of pale light, Frogabook was suddenly hovering an inch off the ground, though still trying to get away. Severus blinked with surprise and looked towards his right where Erin stood with her wand aimed at the creature.

'What?' Erin smirked at him. 'I know how to catch a frog with a hover jinx. You taught me it yourself.'

'Hm.' Severus grunted and directed a spell at Frogabook, who was convinced his flight was supposed to give him super-powers in his attempt to flee certain doom. Severus, however, was not aiming his magic at the frog, but rather the shiny blue collar around its neck. It had been Harry's idea, and the boy reminded his parents of the task constantly until Severus could tolerate the nagging no longer.

'Did it work?' Harry rushed to his frog, who have been harmlessly dropped onto the ground. He tapped the collar as though it would react with sparks to let him know the spells were in place.

Severus, trying not to feel offended by the question, nodded. 'The locator and protective charms can't be broken without extreme effort.' Severus said. 'I also ensured the collar cannot be removed by anyone outside our family.'

'Wicked.' Harry grinned. 'Thanks, dad.'

'Well, that's that settled.' Erin sighed. 'Come on, you lot.' She waved the boys back inside the house. 'Frogabook will be fine on his own. Severus has placed enough spells on this yard to prevent a dragon from escaping.' She rolled her eyes, to which Severus glared at and prevented himself from gloating that a dragon could indeed not escape his selective and powerful casting.

'We've got a lot to do,' She reminded them. 'Starting with actually getting wherever it is we're supposed to go.'

'It's the Leaky Cauldron, mum.' Harry remembered as he led the way into the house. 'Dad said we're going through the fireplace.' He didn't look too confident about what he'd been told regarding such, and while he had faith in his dad's apparent inability to ever be wrong, Erin did not.

'I don't understand why we can't simply drive there.' Erin grumbled as she stared at the fireplace in the living room. 'Surely it's not that far? I do have a car, you know.'

'A fact you're constantly reminding us of.' Severus said bitterly.

'I don't see why we have to choose the most uncomfortable and disorientating ways to do things!' Erin hissed back at him. 'Honestly, what do you have against my car? In three whole years, you have not once set foot in it!'

Severus did not answer.

Instead, he lifted a dark bag from his pocket and held it out to Erin with a grim expression. She glared at it, before placing her hand inside with a cringe as though she expected him to have it filled with live scorpions, rather than the greenish floo powder it contained. She whispered the instructions over and over from their lesson the previous day, which had been done without the floo powder, and taken all afternoon until Severus was convinced everyone had a very slim chance of ending up at the wrong place.

He would rather have used side-along apparation in avoidance to stressing over the fact that he was the only person in the group who had travelled by floo before. Erin did not like his description of apparating and therefore forbid the use of it.

Harry and Jack stood back as Erin soon disappeared in the green flames. Despite the trust he put on his father, Harry could not help whimpering as his mother vanished. He looked at Jack, whose eyes were wide, and shuddered at the thought of their turn. Severus directed Jack to the fireplace next, and the boy only just managed to speak clearly.

'Dad-'

'Go.' Severus said, entirely expectant of his son's reluctance. 'I will follow. You know what to do. There is little to fear, Cody.'

Harry gulped and took a handful of the powder from the offered bag and shakily walked into the fireplace. He looked to his father, who nodded in encouragement, and whispered the location to himself several times to try and calm his nerves.

'The Leaky Cauldron!' Harry declared and threw down the powder.

He braced himself like his father had taught him and tried not to be sick. A few seconds later, he shot out of another fireplace in a darkened pub and was greeted with Jack's soot-smudged smiling face.

'You did it!' Jack applauded while Erin stood behind him with a very relieved smile.

'I guess I did.' Harry exhaled with relieve and moved so his father could come through.

They waited, but the man never did. After several minutes of anxious anticipation, Severus stepped inside the pub through the main door and rejoined them.

'You apparated, didn't you.' Erin glared at him.

'I detest using the floo network.' Severus told her. 'Despite the efforts we endured to permit our house to be connected to it. Yes, I apparated.'

Erin prepared to say something to him, but noticed the expression on his face as his gaze trailed around the room almost as though he was being extra cautious. Deciding he might know something they didn't, she ushered the boys out of the pub and allowed Severus to lead them to the brick wall. He tapped it with his wand in a specific way, and soon the three alongside him gasped and stared at the sight of the appearing magical Diagon Alley.

'Whoa.' Harry grinned at it all in amazement.

'Is this real?' Jack added.

'I assure you, it is very real. Now move along, we haven't got all day.' Severus nudged both boys forward.

Erin was stunned for a moment, and was only able to shake off her shock when she noticed Harry moving out of her reach and hurried to keep up with the group.

'I trust each of you remembered to bring your shopping lists with you?' Severus asked the boys, who were too distracted by all the stores and magical people.

'What? Oh, yeah.' Harry got his out of his pocket while Jack looked dazed and unaware of the conversation as he tried to take everything in at once.

'Where should we go first?' Erin wondered how anyone knew where to go in such a crowded place.

They had stores all around them filled with things she scarcely believed existed. In a few minutes she had seen broomsticks in a store window, cauldrons sitting outside a shop, owls flying overhead, and a strange cart with food she could not even try to guess the names of. It was incredible, and took everyone apart from Severus at least several minutes to adjust and refocus on the reason why they were there.

'We shall shop in the order of the lists.' Severus decided, as it would be easier for the children to keep track of their purchases and limit a scattered shopping schedule.

'Our uniform is listed first.' Harry commented while Jack searched his pockets for his list and seemed to be having trouble finding it.

'Than we shall visit Madam Malkin's.' Severus indicated to the mentioned store, which the group headed for at once.

Harry and Erin entered first, but Jack paused at the door and was frantically trying to find his list. Severus rolled his eyes and swished his wand, summoning the list from the boy's jeans pocket and handed it to the blushing boy.

'Sorry.' Jack ducked his head and hurried after the others.

Madam Malkin had Harry stand on the stool first and slipped a robe over his head before she began pinning it in several places. Erin browsed the items on the racks with high interest while Severus stood nearby and looked thoroughly bored already.

'There we go.' Madam Malkin nodded to Harry. 'Almost done.' She added to Jack, who tried hard not to fidget.

'Are you going to buy one?' Harry asked his mother, who was eyeing a deep gold robe and black cloak.

'I think I will.' Erin smiled and touched the material gently. 'If I'm going to be staying in a magical school, I should probably look the part, don't you think?'

They didn't spend a lot of time on robes and cloaks, but Severus was very picky when it came to the rest of the uniform. They had purchased the three plain black work robes, a pointed hat, and the black winter cloak with silver fastenings.

The last thing listed were the protective gloves, which were to be dragon hide or similar. Jack had picked his in accordance to the list, with Erin's assistance, whereas Harry and Severus remained at the counter negotiating prices for quite some time. Jack looked down at his purchase and hoped he had gotten the right one, because he'd chosen it so quickly. Harry was even trying his on.

'Don't worry.' Erin smiled at him when she saw his doubt. 'Severus is just being picky.'

'Cody's doing it too.' Jack pointed out.

'Yes, well...' She frowned at the other pair. 'He's been around Severus too long. Don't fret, your gloves are fine and they fit nicely within your price range. I offered to pay for your supplies, but Severus insisted your parents did.'

As the group left the store, Severus had to keep an eye on Harry to make sure he didn't open the packaging the gloves had been placed within, as the boy clearly wanted to walk around wearing his shiny new dragon hide gloves.

Because the textbooks were listed next on their shopping lists, the family and Jack headed for Flourish and Blotts. Since they could see the boys anywhere they needed to go within the store, which was otherwise mostly filled with families, Erin and Severus allowed the pair to wander around and collect their books themselves.

Erin found a section on household charms and instantly picked out a few she wanted, whereas Severus kept eyeing the Potions area while attempting to avoid the temptation. His gaze watched the two boys carefully, and he quickly inched back into the shadows from towers of books when a crowd of a red-haired family walked towards the Transfiguration section. He didn't need to overheard anything or get a closer look to know they were the Weasley Clan.

'I'll get it, mum!' Their youngest child called out and headed towards where Harry was reaching on his tip-toes to get the History of Magic textbook written by Bathilda Bagshot.

'Hello.' Harry greeted her.

'Hi.' The girl blushed shyly. 'Can you reach it?' She asked and looked at the book. 'I need it too. Are you new at Hogwarts as well?'

'This is my first year.' Harry nodded. 'I'm Cody, by the way.' He said, still trying to grab the book and wondered who put it so high up.

'I'm Ginny.' She smiled. 'I'm a first year as well. We'll be in the same class then.'

Harry thought she was nice enough, and realised his dad was right about his ability to make friends. Finally, his fingers curled around the spine of his needed book and he pulled it down.

'Here.' He offered it to Ginny. 'You can have it. I'll just ask my dad to get me another.'

'Are you sure?' Ginny checked. 'Thanks.' She added when he nodded in agreement. 'I'll see you at school then, bye!' She waved and hurried back to her mother.

Harry watched her and hoped all of his classmates were that friendly.

He turned to look for his father, but the man was already extracting his needed book from the shelf. He handed it to his son with a very strange expression on his face. The way he looked at the red-haired girl almost seemed sad, though Harry didn't have the time to think about it.

'I've got mine.' Jack rejoined them with Erin at his side, each loaded with books.

'I still need the Magical Theory book.' Harry looked over his list. 'Oh, and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection.'

Severus looked around and quickly spotted them. He retrieved them and directed everyone to the counter. The boys purchased their eight textbooks, which was almost the same amount of books Erin had also selected, and followed Severus to a different store where he said they could get better quality and prices for quills. The boys got their parchment, ink, and quills much faster than their previous items so far, though the increased haste had more to do with the next item on their list.

'A wand.' Harry grinned. 'I'm really looking forward to this one!'

'Me too.' Jack added.

'Well let's not wait any longer.' Erin smiled. 'Come on, it's just over there.' She pointed towards the store, and the group headed in its direction. 'Severus?' She asked when he halted rather suddenly and looked towards a darker section of the Alley.

Had he just seen...?

'Dad?' Harry added.

'It's nothing.' Severus answered and urged them forward.

They still had many more things to buy, and the previously bored man was now on high alert. If he had witness who he thought he had, then things could go very badly if they did not keep an eye on the boys. Severus wasn't sure if he was over-reacting, but something sinister was going on. He could feel it.