“He’s alive!” Ginny yelled in a whisper.

Harry pulled her out of the kitchen when she almost dropped plates of food at the sight of Snape.

“Yes, he is alive.” Harry whispered back to her.

He had already introduced Snape to his kids and James was talking to Snape about Wizards chess.

“Harry, he’s suppose to be dead!” Ginny yelled again

“That’s what I said when I saw him.”

“He called you the other night?” Ginny was still clearly shocked at seeing Snape.

“Yes, and….”

“Why didn’t you recognize his voice?”

“I told you that it sounded familiar. The last time I heard his voice, it wasn’t the same because a snake attacked his throat.”

“What is he doing here?” Ginny questioned, now in a calm voice.

“Snape is a witness to a string of murders that we are working on, which means that he needs to be kept safe. He told me that he would be happy to help you with anything that you needed, when he got back from work.”

“What does he do?” Ginny questioned, turning back to the kitchen to look at Snape.

“He’s an apothecary in Diagon alley. Snape leaves when I do and comes back before me. We are the only two people who know that he is alive.”

“Why didn’t he come back after the war?” Ginny questioned, turning back to Harry. “He would have been….”

“Thrown in Azkaban. Remember, people didn’t think he was a hero until very recently. Now let’s go back in there before the kids think you murdered me.” It was meant to be funny, but all Harry got from Ginny was a deep sigh. “I love you Ginny”

“I love you too, Harry.”

They walked back into the kitchen and sat now. It was like they never left.

“Do you have a middle name, Mr. Prince?” James questioned.

“I do. My middle name is Severus.”

“That’s my middle name, too!” Albus shouted, which cause Ginny to give him the look. “I was named after two war heroes.” Albus said, quieting down when he saw the look that his mother was giving. “Did you know, Professor Severus Snape?”

“I did. He is my nephew actually.”

Albus looked like he was going to explode with excitement.

“What was he like as a teacher?” Albus asked.

“Well, I am sure that your dad can answer that.”

“Can you Dad?” Albus questioned, turning to look at Harry.

“Well….” Harry said, leaning back in his chair. “Professor Snape was a hard man to please, but he taught us a lot of things that helped us later on in life.”

“Like what?” Snape asked, wanting to know what he could have possibly taught Harry.

“Well, he taught us to keep trying. I wasn’t very good at Potions in school and Professor Snape made it known to everyone in my class. That didn’t stop me from trying though.”

“What was he like as a person?” Albus questioned Snape.

Snape didn’t hear the question though because he was still staring at Harry in shock. He would never expect to hear that answer from any of his former students, least of all, Harry.

“Mr. Prince?” James called, bringing Snape out of his mind.

“Yes….I am sorry. What was your question?”

“What was he like as a person?” Albus asked again.

“Well, he was a very quiet man. Kept to himself most of the time.”

“Mr. Prince, did you know that your nephew is my hero.”

“I am glad that he is your hero; however, you must remember that Severus Snape was a human and humans make mistakes.” Snape said, placing his cup down on the table. “He made a mistake that caused people to lose their lives.”

“I know that, but he made up for his mistakes by becoming a spy. What else can you tell me about Severus Snape?”

“Albus, what is Mr. Prince tells you about Snape when he comes home from work?” Harry said, rising from his seat to clear the table.

“Can you, Mr. Prince?”

“I’d be glad to, Albus. James, your father tells me that you are very good at chess. When I was your age, I was also very good at chess. If you would like, I will play you in a game or two of chess.”

“You’re on, Mr. Prince” James nodded at Snape, then ran off to chase after his brother and sister.

Ten minutes later, Snape and Harry were walking out of the house. Harry saw Snape put on a bracelet and was curious about it, even though he didn’t ask.

“It’s a strong disillusionment charm, Harry. That way no one knows who I am.” Snape said, without any questions from Harry. “Potter, after all these years you still haven’t learned how to mask your true intentions.”

“Sorry about that Professor. Listen, I really appreciate what you were telling Albus.”

“It is not a problem. It is a very bright and curious child.”

“When you talk to him this afternoon, can you just keep out our roles in the war.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. Albus is much too young to know that his parents were apart of the war.” Snape said, looking at Harry as they walked down the street.

“Okay. I will see you tonight.”

“Alright.” Harry turned and began to walk away. “Potter!” Snape yelled, causing Harry to turn around. “Be careful.”

“I will, Professor.”

Harry’s day at work was chaos which meant that he didn’t get a chance to look at the murders, so Harry brought work home with him. Harry walked into the dining room and placed a piece of paper down in front of Snape. It was almost dinner time, so everyone was gathered around the table.

“So, it’s true?” Snape questioned with a hint of shock in his voice. He was surprised that he was right.

“That is tomorrow’s front page.” Harry said pointing to the paper in front of Snape. The paper had a picture of Yaxley, chained up, with a smirk on his face. The top of the paper read ‘HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WIZARD?’ “It will be like last time all over again.” Harry pointed out, remembering the manhunt had followed after Sirius broke out of Azkaban.

“They sent an owl before I got to work. They had only just realized that he….” Harry began to say before Ginny interrupted.

“Not at the dinner table.” Ginny sternly said.

Harry sat down and, for the next few hours, he listened as his kids told him stories about their day. After dinner, Harry helped Ginny wash the dishes.

“I’m sorry for earlier.” Harry whispered to Ginny.

“It’s alright, Harry. You were just excited. So, how was work?” Ginny questioned as she handed the last of the dishes to Harry.

“Mad. That is the only way that you can describe it. No one had a chance to look over the cases, so I had to bring some work home with me. How was your day?”

“It was lovely. Professor Snape came home and helped me around the house. Then he kept the kids entertained while I did some other jobs around the house.”

“Well that’s good. You know how much I love you, right?” Harry asked, wrapping his arms around Ginny.

“I think you love me.”

“You are right. I do love you and I love you more than you can imagine.”

“I love you too, Harry. You have no idea how much I love you.”

Once Harry put the last of the dishes away, the two of them went out into the living room where James and Snape are playing chess. Harry watched silently as he watched his son gain the upper hand, almost beating Snape multiple times. Finally, Snape won the game.

“That was a very good game, James. You almost had me there. You can have your rematch tomorrow, if you would like.”

“I will find a way to beat you, Mr. Prince.” James said

“Alright, kids. It is time for bed.” Harry interrupted.

“Awww……really Dad?” The kids questioned in unision.

“Yes, you are up way past your bed times.”

“Can Mr. Prince tell us a story?” Albus asked.

“Yeah, he tells really good stories.” James agreed.

“Not tonight. It’s time for bed. Mom will be up in five minutes.” Harry said with a hint of force.

Harry’s kids ran up the stairs, not wanting to get into trouble if they weren’t ready. Once the room and staircase was clear of children, Harry looked to Snape.

“Are we going to continue our earlier conversation?” Snape questioned as he stood up

“Let’s go in the kitchen, Professor” Harry answered, nodding his head in the direction of the kitchen.

“You can call me Severus now, Potter. I am no longer your professor.” Snape told Harry.

“And I am no longer your student, so stop calling me by my last name. Plus, you will always be my professor.”

The two men sat down at the table, and Harry pulled out the sheet of paper he showed Snape earlier.

“It took them almost a week for them to figure out that he wasn’t there.” Harry informed Snape, handing the paper to him.

“Figures.” Snape took one quick glance at it, then placed it down on the table. “Are the other Death Eaters being questioned?”

“Why should they?” Harry inquired

“Back during Voldemort’s reign of terror, The death eaters knew what the others were doing. The only exception to that was the inner circle. We kept our plans within the circle. Yaxley was apart of that circle, so if Yaxley had planned to escape then someone else had to know about it.”

“I will make sure that they are questioned tomorrow.”

“This seems way too easy.” Snape whispered.

“What?” That was all Harry could say.

“Yaxley is a complex man. He sees things that aren’t easily visible to others. Are these victims connected somehow?”

“I was planning on looking into that.” Harry said as he reached into his briefcase and pulled out six file folders. “These files are filled with the victim’s history. Hopefully, they can give us some insight.”

So the two men got to work, each taking three files. It was silent between them, the only sound was the scratching of quill on parchment. When the men looked up from their files, it was almost midnight.

“Bloody hell.” Snape whispered as he looked at the table. It looked as if a small tornado went across the table. There were papers everywhere.

“What did you find, Professor?” Harry questioned, rubbing his eyes wearily.

“A whole lot of random garbage. Financially stable with good jobs. Hardworking and good citizens. Each of them are related to someone who fought in the War.”

“Isn’t everyone.” Harry said under his breath, just loud enough so that Snape heard. “Who are they related to?”

“Let’s see.” Snape answered, ruffling through the pile of papers to find a piece of parchment. “Victim 1: Frank and Alice Longbottom, victim 4: Ted Tonks, and finally victim 6: Remus Lupin.”

“I have victim 2 being related to Albus Dumbledore, victim 3 is related to The Weasley family, and victim 5 is related to Lucius Malfoy.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Everyone except the Malfoys played a large part in the War.”

The two men sat in silence for a moment, contemplating the new revelation.

“It’s not the Malfoys who are important.” Harry jumped and scrambled around to find a scrap of parchment. “It’s who they are related to.” Harry looked down for a second, writing furiously on the parchment. “Narcissa Malfoy is related to Bellatrix Lestrange.” Harry pointed out, looking up at Snape. “And Bellatrix Lestrange is related to Sirius Black, who is my Godfather. No one but James and Lily knew that though.”

“It is still a possibility. We should make sure that everyone has protection. Most importantly, you and your family.” Snape pointed out.

“I can protect my own family. I need to make sure that Neville and Andromeda Tonks have protection. It seems like this list keeps getting longer.” Harry whispered the last part to himself as he ran his hand through his hair. It was a sign of frustration and weariness.

“I think it is time that we both turn in.” Snape spoke softly.

“I agree.” Harry sighed. “Thanks for your help, Severus.”

“You are welcome, Harry.” He replied as he handed the files to the other.

Both men stood up, said goodnight to each other, and went to bed. Harry slowly ascended the stairs, not wanting to wake up his kids. When he reached his room, he quietly opened the door.

“Harry, remember that the kids are leaving tomorrow afternoon for their weekend with Ron and Hermione.” Ginny reminded Harry as he climbed into bed, then falling back to sleep the moment that she stopped talking.

“I love you.” Harry whispered quietly, so as not to wake Ginny.

Harry laid down and within a few seconds, he was asleep.