Draco and Harry were laughing. Severus would deny to his dying day that his mouth hung open in shock. Severus was never shocked.

Draco had his arms wrapped around himself, his head tilted forward so that his hair swung over his face and his shoulders were shaking. Harry had a hand over his mouth as if trying to contain the sound of his laughter, eyes crinkled at the corners and dancing with mirth. At that moment, even with all the scars, he looked so much like Lily that Severus was lost.

The revelation hit him in the gut that these were his boys. His boys. Suddenly his legs felt weak and he couldn't breathe. For the second time in one day, the world shifted into a new normal. How many more, Severus wondered, before he didn't recognize the world he lived in at all?

For the first time in as long as he could remember, his life now had a purpose that wasn't directly tied to an insane Dark Lord or a manipulative leader of the Light.

Draco looked up, saw Severus and leapt off the bed, dragging Harry with him. "Uncle Sev!" he called.

The two boys stood before him, the last of the laughter lingering on their faces.

"What is amusing you two so much?" he asked trying to hide a smile.

"Girls!" Draco said and the laughter started all over again.

Severus decided he really didn't want to know.

~HPSSHPSS~

At dinner, one of Draco's year mates came and sat beside him, inside the silencing bubble. "I'm Blaise Zabini," he said. "One of the prefects asked me to copy my notes from today's classes for you." He passed the stack of parchment over and Draco slid them into his bag without looking at them.

"Thanks," he said.

Draco watched Zabini fidget a bit. "I'm sorry about what happened today," Zabini finally said, then looked very unhappy about having said it.

Draco narrowed his eyes at him. "Did you have something to do with it? Did you put Pansy up to it?" he asked.

"No!" Zabini said emphatically. "No, but all the first years are talking behind your back about you being friends with…" Zabini stopped and nodded his head towards Evan.

"Evan," Draco said. "His name is Evan Snape. Professor Snape is his guardian."

Evan turned towards Draco. "Who is it?" he asked, touching Draco's arm.

"Blaise Zabini," Draco explained. "He's a Slytherin and in our year."

Zabini looked uncomfortable. "He's a Mudblood," he hissed at Draco. "How can you be friends with that?"

Draco leaned away from Evan and whispered so that he wouldn't hear. "Zabini, I appreciate the notes, but don't sit here and insult my friend. He's not a Mudblood, his parents were wizards."

"How do you know?" Zabini insisted.

"I asked him," Draco replied calmly. "I talk to him quite a bit. It's amazing what you can learn by listening. Now go away unless you're going to make an effort to be friends with me and Evan."

Without another word, Zabini got up and moved back down to his place next to Goyle.

"What was that about?" Evan asked.

"He just wanted to give me notes from the classes I missed."

Evan nodded, but frowned. "Draco, are you sure you wouldn't rather go be friends with them? I would understand if you did."

Draco was astonished. "What are you talking about, Evan?"

Evan's fingers tightened on the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white. "Well, they obviously don't want to be around someone like me, and if you're here with me then they won't be friends with you. Maybe you should…"

"Stop, just stop," Draco said emphatically. "You're my friend and I'm not going anywhere." He paused. "What do you mean 'someone like you'?"

"Well," Evan squirmed in his seat, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. "You know…a freak."

Draco dropped his fork and it hit the table with a thud. "Who called you that?" he insisted angrily. "I'll hex them across the room. I'll put itching powder in their pants, I'll…"

Evan laughed. "Stop!" he said. "You're not going to do anything like that. Besides it isn't someone here at the school, we haven't been here long enough for me to get to know anyone besides you and Ron." He hesitated for a moment. "It was my relatives, my aunt and uncle. They hated me and said I was a freak. They…they used to beat me and locked me in the cupboard under the stairs." Evan flushed with embarrassment.

Draco looked at his plate. "My father beats me," he admitted slowly, then looked around to make sure that no one else heard him. They were sitting down the table, away from the other Slytherins, all of whom were engaged in their own conversations. Then he remembered the silencing bubble. "I nearly died this last summer."

Evan scooted closer to Draco, until their arms were against each other. Evan didn't say anything, just continued to put tiny bites of meat and potatoes in his mouth, but the weight of his arm was a comfort to Draco.

~HPSSHPSS~

"Why do you call Professor Snape 'Uncle Sev'?" Harry asked later, when they were sitting together on the sofa in the professor's sitting room. Draco had his book out on his lap and Harry had his fingers pressed to it, lightly running them up and down the edge of the pages, the uneven feel of them fascinating him.

"He's my godfather," Draco replied. "I've called him Uncle Sev as long as I can remember."

"Is he in the room with us?" Harry started picking at an edge that stuck out farther than the rest.

"Yes, he's over at the fireplace talking to someone through the floo. I think it's Professor McGonagall." Harry felt Draco's fingers brush over his, pushing him away from the place he was picking at, then the book opened. "Do you want me to read?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, but first, do you know why Ron hasn't talked to us since the train? Is he not going to be our friend anymore?"

He heard Draco sigh. "I don't know. Slytherins and Gryffindors have never really gotten along and he may decide he doesn't want to be friends because of that." Draco laughed, but Harry knew it wasn't a happy laugh. It sounded bitter and ugly. "It doesn't help that the Weasleys and the Malfoys haven't liked each other since before my great grandfather was born."

Harry frowned. "Why would that matter? If your great grandfather had a problem with the Weasleys, why wouldn't your families have worked it out by now?"

"It's a Pureblood thing, Evan. Feuds can last centuries."

"Well that's just dumb," Harry declared. "I hope he decides that he wants to be our friend. Besides, he promised that you two would work on your family problems." Harry paused. "Do you think that we could talk to him tomorrow at breakfast?"

Draco put his hand over Harry's. "Yes, we'll try talking to him."

"Okay, good." Harry said. "Now read."

"Bossy," Draco laughed.

~HPSSHPSS~

"Minerva," Severus said, keeping one eye on the boys as they sat on the sofa. "If you have time, do you think you could talk to Arabella Figg? Albus says that she never reported anything unusual to him and I want to know if she really is that incompetent, or if he's lying to me."

"What is your feeling on this, Severus?" Minerva asked from the floo.

Severus leaned back in his armchair and faced Minerva fully. "I think he's telling the truth, at least as much as Albus ever does, but I need to know for certain. I have decisions to make regarding the boys and I need complete information. If he was aware of what was happening to any degree at all, I will pull both boys from the school. I can't have a man who would do such things having any influence over either of them."

Minerva frowned. "I should have time tomorrow afternoon. Will that work?"

Severus nodded, turning back enough to see the boys without making it look like he was ignoring Minerva. "Yes, that would be fine. I've started a petition for guardianship of Draco and sent the paperwork off today. I will need to be ready to make a final decision by the time that's finished."

Minerva nodded. "You should have done the paperwork for Draco four years ago. I'll never understand why Albus wouldn't allow it."

Severus sneered. "He couldn't lose his spy amongst the Death Eater ranks simply because of one child, and he didn't want to believe that the beatings could be that bad. He decided that since I was there quite a lot, I could act as a positive influence on Draco." He watched as Draco opened the book, lightly pushing Harry's hand away from it.

"It could have gone very badly," Severus sighed, turning back to Minerva. "There was only so much I could do without having Lucius's wrath coming down on my head. I saw all the signs of Draco turning into his father and if Lucius hadn't gone so far with the beating this summer, I think we'd have lost him."

"It's sad when you have to look at a beating as a good thing," Minerva said. "But I'm happy for it because it will get Draco out from under his father's influence."

"If we win," Severus corrected. "Lucius is going to raise hell when he finds out what I'm doing and I only hope Draco is strong enough to withstand it all."

Minerva looked over to where Harry was sitting with Draco. "I think Evan is going to be a big help keeping Draco focused on the end goal," she said.

Severus nodded, thinking back to his realization at breakfast that morning. "I agree."

He closed the floo and went to make a cup of tea before joining the two boys on the sofa. Draco was trying to explain to Harry about time paradoxes but Harry just looked confused. It didn't help that Draco was making a complete muddle of the whole thing. Severus closed his eyes and laid his head against the back of the sofa, listening to the boys talk.

~HPSSHPSS~

"Sir?"

"What is it, Harry?"

Harry did not want to have this conversation, but Draco had left for his dorm and he was climbing into bed, knowing what would happen in a few hours.

"Sir, I…you…" Harry faltered.

"Just spit it out, Harry."

Harry felt the bed give, telling him that Professor Snape had sat down on the edge. Fingers lightly brushed the back of Harry's hand, but for once, Harry didn't grab his hand and hold on.

"I'm…I'm sorry about the nightmares, sir. I...you don't need to come in here every time. I can take care of myself." He gripped the sheet and twisted it in his hands, humiliation burning through him.

"Harry…" Professor Snape's voice hesitated. "How long have you been having nightmares?"

Tears gathered in Harry's eyes, but he was determined not to cry. "As long as I can remember," he whispered, his voice so soft that he couldn't hear himself.

"Do you remember what you dream about?"

Harry nodded sadly. "Mostly I dream about this woman screaming as she's being killed by a monster spitting green light." He felt the bed jerk, but didn't know what it meant. "Sometimes I dream about the accident, or being hungry, or hurting and no one is there to take care of me."

The tears started trickling down his face and he brushed them away. "I'm sorry for being such a baby, sir."

"Harry, you are not a baby." Fingers lightly grasped his chin and tilted his face up. "You have as much right as anyone to have those kinds of nightmares."

"But…but sir…" Harry began.

"No, Harry," Professor Snape's voice was firm. "There is nothing wrong with you."

"But, sir, you shouldn't have to get up every night with me. You don't need to do that just for me."

"Did your relatives get up when you had a nightmare?"

Harry nodded again, feeling ashamed. "If I was making too much noise, they would beat on the door to the cupboard and yell at me to be quiet and…and to stop being such a freak."

He felt himself being pulled into Professor Snape's arms. He stiffened and tried to pull away, but when Professor Snape didn't let go, he relaxed against the familiar fabric covering his chest. It was a little scratchy, but soft at the same time. He liked the feel of it against his cheek.

"You're not a freak, Harry. You're a young boy who has been through too much in too short a time and the nightmares are how your brain deals with all of it."

"So I'm not…I'm not…bad?"

"No, Harry, you're not bad."

~HPSSHPSS~

Severus was not going to think about the fact that Harry dreamt about the death of his mother. It was simply too painful to even contemplate. Instead, he was going to concentrate on the things that he had some control over.

Severus had discovered last night that Harry's magical storms were confined to the room he was sleeping in. How he managed to do that while asleep was a mystery to Severus, but he was fairly certain that it was because of the Dursleys. If Harry's magic had escaped the cupboard, there would have been hell to pay and Harry unconsciously knew that.

He spent a portion of the next morning in between classes repairing the surprisingly minor damage caused from the night before and building some strong wards to protect the bed and other furnishings. The damage each night would be minimized even further, and Severus hoped that eventually Harry would become comfortable with his surroundings and learn enough control to be able to stop the worst of the nightly storms.

When he was finished, he called, "Service," and a tiny house elf dressed in a neat tea towel appeared at his elbow.

"How can Dotty be helping Potions Master Snape?" she asked in a squeaky voice.

"I need a house elf assigned permanently to these quarters to do the cleaning and help with Evan." He looked at Dotty. "Are the house elves aware of Evan's…problems?"

Dotty nodded enthusiastically. "Yes sir, Potions Master Snape, sir, I will be assigned to you. Headmaster Dumblydore talked to us and we elveses worked it out."

Severus nodded. "Very well. I will call for you this evening to have Evan meet you. You're dismissed."

With one last look around Evan's bedroom to make sure he hadn't missed anything, he left for his next class.

The sixth year students were waiting for him when he entered the class. Because this was a N.E.W.T level class with only fourteen students, all four houses were represented. After a few minutes of berating the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs, he watched them start on the potion written on the board.

When he was certain that there would be no immediate catastrophes, he sat at his desk and pulled out a parchment to write to Flourish and Blotts'. He requested any beginner's books they had that were written in Braille and an instructor's guide in teaching it. He hoped that they would be able to provide the necessary books to begin teaching Harry. If they couldn't, then it would necessitate going into Muggle London for the supplies. That sort of trip would have to wait until the weekend, and he wanted to get started with Harry before then.

The classroom was silent except for the occasional whispered instruction between partners and the sound of knives chopping necessary ingredients. He finished his note and sat back in his chair, watching the students. Sixth and seventh years were his favorite classes. The idiots had been weeded out for the most part and the only students left were those who actually had a modicum of intelligence. Most of them could be left on their own with a minimum of supervision.

The potion that they were brewing was not a new one, they had learned it at the end of last term, but it was a strong healing potion that Poppy used regularly and one that was good to revise. It would focus their attention and bring them back into the mindset of learning.

His eyes never left the students, but his mind drifted to Harry. He needed to talk to Poppy about stepping up the research to heal his hearing. They had started him on the nutrient potions that morning and discussed the type of diet he would need, but it would take the better part of an entire year to bring him up to his year mates in health and weight and Severus did not want to wait a year to start working on his hearing. Because Harry could hear, it was simply a matter of finding exactly what the damage was and what spell or potion would be needed to heal it. It could take days or weeks to find the solution and Severus wanted to get started.

The salve he would begin working into Harry's scars this evening would help with the pain and the limp, also helping the muscles to develop properly so that when the leg had to be broken again, Harry would be strong enough to heal easily. Severus was debating on how much of the scars on Harry's face he wanted to try to heal. If he managed to clear Harry's face entirely, the famous lightning bolt scar would become evident and no amount of sticking charms on his fringe would hide it forever. Severus supposed that he would wait and see how Harry progressed with his hearing and how much of his sight could be restored before making that decision.

The sound of a cauldron spitting and hissing brought him out of his reverie and he sighed, pulling his wand out for the inevitable explosion.

"Mr. Wright, Miss Johnson," he sneered at the Gryffindors whose potion was now dripping onto the floor, contained within the shield Severus had placed around the cauldron. "Have you two learned nothing in the past five years? How you both managed to achieve an "O" on your O.W.L.s is beyond me. Ten points each from Gryffindor for sheer stupidity and a two-foot essay due by next class on what you did wrong and why."

Elizabeth Johnson flushed with embarrassment, but David Wright looked at him angrily and placed an arm around her. Severus sighed inwardly. Teenagers.