Snape was sitting up in his bed reading a copy of Potions for the Particularly Gifted, a wizarding magazine that he was particularly fond of. Although he was exhausted he still had a lot on his mind. Like how best to help his son, the boy seemed just so lost and Snape did not know what had caused it. He put his magazine on the bed side table and pulled the blankets up snuggling into the bed. It was quite comfortable and Snape had longed to be able to feel the warmth and comfort of knowing that his son was sleeping peacefully in a room near his and being able to sleep peacefully without worrying as badly as he had the last few nights. He allowed himself to close his eyes and for the first time in a while, he allowed himself to fall into a peaceful sleep.

He dreamed that he was in a meadow, it was nice, there were flowers and lots of lovely freshly grown grass, a few trees rested nearby. He could feel the warmth of the sun against his back and he smiled in the security it seemed to bring. When suddenly he saw a grey mist, like a large cloud had come to earth. It came slowly from the north, like a speeding train, bringing the rain and the cold with it.

Snape shivered within his bed and rolled over subconsciously pulling the blankets up further around him.

Snape's meadow slowly become dark and gloomy, cold and misty. Like the grey mist just enveloped him as a wave of pain reached through him.

"Dad?" he heard Harry's voice like the light of day reaching through the mist. "Dad?" Harry asked again. Snape looked around but he couldn't see anything past the mist. "Dad where are you? I'm trying to find you. Dad where are you?" Harry asked.

Those words broke Snape's heart, he ached to be able to reach his son. "I'm coming for you Harry, Just wait there!" Snape called and he started to try to make his way towards the voice.

"Dad…Dad…where are you Dad? I'm trying to find you! Dad where are you?" Harry asked.

"Harry wait for me, I'm coming!" Snape stated. He tried so hard to find his son, even breaking into a run and searching and searching for him. But he simply couldn't find him.

"Dad where are you?" Harry asked again, "I can't find you. Dad I'm afraid!"

"It's ok son," Snape stated, "I'm coming for you! I'm coming! I promise."

Snape awoke to sounds coming from the room next door. He looked towards his window seeing the light shining through his curtain. Harry must have woken up. He smiled but soon found himself falling into a dreamless sleep.

Mel was in the kitchen cooking pancakes for breakfast. She knew how boys often woke early and thought it might be a nice little surprise for Harry when he woke.

"Good morning Harry!" she said as the boy entered the room.

"Hi," Harry said grumpily thinking about his dream the night before. Mel just sighed as she served him some pancakes, the boy was obviously not a good morning person, oh well her son, Norman was like that. She served the boy with a smile and watched happily as Harry absent mindedly started to eat his pancakes.

"Maybe after breakfast I can show you some new spells!" Mel said. Harry just about fell off his chair as those words pulled him away from his thoughts. He had been thinking about the dream he had the night before, he had been in a mist, and calling for something, trying to find something desperately like his life depended on it. Harry just didn't remember what it was.

"That…that'd be nice thank you," Harry said. Mel smiled as she set to cleaning up the kitchen a little. Harry ate his breakfast slowly still thinking about the dream he had. He just couldn't understand what was so important that he had to find. He didn't remember ever owning ANYTHING let alone something of importance when he lived with the Dursleys. None of them cared for him so he couldn't be searching for them, he didn't have any friends, Harry was just lost and confused in a world of his own.

"Harry, finished yet? Would you like some more?" Mel interrupted his stream of thought yet again. But Harry thought it didn't really matter, after all…he couldn't have been looking for anything with much importance if he couldn't even remember what it was!

"No thanks," Harry said, "it was nice though could we have them again tomorrow?"

"We'll see," Mel said and laughed, it reminded her of the children and how they used to love her pancakes.

"Let's go for a little walk Harry," she said.

"Ok," Harry said.

Mel led her outside. It was a typical suburban neighbourhood and as they walked Mel spoke a little bit of her children, Harry wanted to know what they were like and how it was that they weren't around.

Mel sadly said, "But they grew up, as children tend to do and now have children of their own. I see them from time to time, but not as often as I would like." That made sense to Harry, somehow he knew that a lot of the older people did not have the ability to see their families all that often.

Mel led him around the corner to a forest and walked into it. "Come on Harry dear, watch out for poisonous ivy, do not go near any bushes that have leaves of three, leave them alone or you might get a nasty rash."

Harry followed Mel into the middle of the forest where there was a beautiful river rushing by. Mel sat on a big rock near the river and indicated for Harry to sit next to her.

"Harry, I told you this morning that I wanted to show you a spell. I want to show you how you can call on the elements to help you. First you need to know, which element are you. As for me? I am wind."

Harry looked at her like she was completely mental, she stood up and took her hands out to the side. Harry felt it get cold and he didn't like it, as the wind started to gale around Mel he saw her hair starting to stand in different directions and she was able to levitate herself just with the sheer force of wind beneath her. She reached out towards Harry and lifted him up with her. Harry felt an odd sensation as if the ground was actually moving upwards and he found himself standing next to Mel with his hair flying every which way just like hers.

"How do you feel Harry?" she asked.

"I feel….odd," is the only thing Harry could think to say.

"Do you feel the wind just flowing through you?" she asked.

"Um…no…not really….I feel….odd," Harry said.

Mel allowed for them both to be placed onto the ground.

"Come sit by me Harry," she said, "run your fingers gently through the water like this," Mel stuck her hand into the water and just gently moved her hand around. Harry copied. "How does this feel Harry? Do you want to go for a swim?" Mel asked. "Do you like the water Harry?"

"Well…a swim would be nice, but I don't think it's deep enough." Harry said staring at Mel, "it's a bit deeper further down. How does your hand feel?"

"Wet." replied Harry.

"Do you feel a need to connect with the water?" she asked, "like you want to be a part of it?"

"No…not really," Harry said. Water reminded him of the garden hose at the Dursleys, of needing to water his aunts flowers and other plants. His uncle was making a nice little veggie plot but why whenever a vegetable didn't grow as fast as he wanted it to it was suddenly he fault he had no idea.

"Harry, why don't you place both of your hands on that tree?" Mel asked.

"Um….ok…..um…..fine if you want me to…." Harry said totally confused.

Harry went to the nearest tree, a big oak tree and put his hands on it.

"No dear," Mel said, "give it a hug. Tell me what you feel."

That was when Mel saw what she had been looking for. Harry started to radiate a beautiful hue of green as the magic flowed through him. Harry remained quiet as he just allowed for the feeling of strength, protection and stability flowed through him. It was a feeling that he had never felt before and one which he craved.

"Harry, you are earth." Mel stated. Harry ignored her and continued to allow for the magic to simply flow through him. Mel just sat down and crossed her legs in the middle of the forest, allowing for the wind to simply flow through her. It liked her and it, made her feel safe. To feel like there was nothing which could possibly hurt her and to know that by understanding the power of the elements she could give him the ability to understand magic which was not often known in the magical world. She sighed thinking about how sad it was that a lot of the old ways, which were traditionally handed down through the generations of family, were forgotten by the magical world and the schools no longer taught it finding it to be unimportant.

When Harry finally let go of the tree Mel simply looked up at him. "Join me Harry," she said as she allowed for the gale of wind to simply become a gentle breeze.

"Harry," Mel said, "you are earth. There are four elements of nature Harry. Four elements of the universe. Four….of your very soul. Think about it Harry, during the winter you warm yourself by the fire, you wash yourself in the water, you feel the wind upon your face and you walk upon the earth. Four crucial elements."

Harry nodded, whilst he was thinking…so what? Who cares! But he was happy to have someone showing some attention to him.

"Harry, the earth is considered to be one of the most important elements. It is what grounds us, gives us the ability to feel stable," she continued.

Harry couldn't help but snort at this.

"Harry it's true, you know some of the people who help stabilise this earth have been those that are mistreated. Think about the rainforests for example, they bring magic, nourishment, and help clear the world of its carbondioxide but yet muggles and their big factories keep making this world unclean…for all of us. I believe that were we to start learning about the elements within magic we could possibly clean up the air and make the earth liveable. Stop some of the disasters that have been happening in the last few years."

Harry thought about all that Mel was saying, he knew that there were problems in the world. He had seen things happen in his life that were unforgivable. He knew that there was a lumber jack company just around the corner from where Uncle Vernon worked, he had to walk past it those few times he had to give the man his lunch. Catching a bus across town was always something that Aunt Petunia refused to allow Dudley to do because "there could be dangerous people out there didykins" yet it was perfectly fine for Harry to be the one who was told "take it boy and get out of my face!" The Dursley's only ever had the one car. Petunia always believed that a wife's place was not to drive machinery, that was what men were for.

"What about the other elements?" Harry asked.

"I'm glad you asked that Harry. There's air, which you saw me use before. It is full of life, always wanting to go in directions that people have not thought to before. Like the wind rushing across the moor at night."

Harry didn't know what a moor was but thought it sounded interesting.

"Water, is able to shape and create things. To be able to manipulate itself so that it can become a part of whatever it needs to. You can drink water, shower in it, cook with it, you even use water when you go to the toilet. It is precious and when you look at a river rushing by you can understand why."

Harry looked at the river, then at Mel and smiled. It was as if the idea of being able to manipulate situations seemed somehow familiar. Like someone who he knew could do that...but he couldn't think of who.

"Fire, now fire is quite dangerous when you use it incorrectly. Yet it gives you warmth on a cold winters eve, it helps you cook your meal and bring sustenance. It destroys life, through bushfires, housefires and the like, but it also brings reason for new growth. Like the phoenix, which dies in the fire and is reborn from the ashes."

Harry didn't know what a phoenix was but it sounded interesting.

"What's a phoenix?" he asked.

"it's a bird Haryr," Mel replied, "Dumbledore has one in his office. You should ask him if you can see it when you go to Hogwarts. He would be only too delighted to show you."

"Now, the elements must work together. Like how the air allows the fire to burn, the ground gives it a safe area to grow on, and the twigs and wood give it the ability to burn. The water puts the fire out but if kept contained say in a saucepan, it can boil hot water. Make a good cup of tea and it can move away in the wind as smoke. These elements Harry, are what make the world work. I hope to be able to teach you how to harness yours. That is earth. To help you to understand why it is so important. Whilst you are here. Now come on Harry…back up to the house with you I think we've had enough lessons for today."

Severus, still asleep, had no idea of what had transpired that day. But he soon found with Harry walking into his room that it was time for him to put his foot down.

"Mel, you should not be teaching him this drivel!" Snape stated, "you know that we as a magical community have moved well past elemental magic."

"But I want to know Dad, please! I found it so interesting!" Harry stated enthusiastically.

Mel smiled at him as she led the boys to the table which had some nicely warmed up soup waiting for them whilst Mel continued to bustle around in the kitchen.

"Let him learn Severus, like you he has a thirst for knowledge and it won't do him any harm to learn some older styles of magic," Mel stated gently.

"well…alright…I guess it'll keep him out of mischief," Snape stated as he picked up his spoon and started to eat his soup. Mel just smiled. She had hopes to teach the boy at least a little of the old magic before he went home.