Several hours later

Harry opened his eyes and blinked several times. A second later, he realized he'd been knocked out and now he curled in on himself as if to shield himself from further injury...but none came.

Slowly he straightened out and then froze when he realized that he was not in his old clothes and was very comfortable at the moment. He closed his eyes again and then opened them as if wondering if this was a dream. When he realized that everything was absolutely real, he slowly sat up and looked all around him.

He seemed to be some sort of cave. There was a fireplace and a nicely burning blaze in it. He looked around some more and then froze. Who was this? His eyes widened as he took in the very cozy looking couple. The man was lying back; looking at peace, against a few cushions and in his lap, lay a woman who seemed to be sleeping.

He squinted his eyes and tried to focus. Was this Professor Snape, the git of the year? There was no way this could be the same man...he was planting a soft kiss on the woman's lips and then on her neck. He was obviously a man in love...and was that a ring on his finger? Surely this couldn't be him.

As if sensing eyes on him, Severus looked up and smirked at him. Then he leaned down again and spoke softly to the woman in his lap, who stirred slightly and with his help sat up.

"Professor Snape?"

"Only at school, Harry. Here I'm merely Severus, of the house of Hakon. Before you go asking a bunch of awkward questions, I would remind you that things are not always as they appear."

Harry looked confused. "Sir?"

Severus gently helped his wife off of his lap, stood and then almost glided across the floor. "Here, in this safe haven, I am free to be myself, there's no need for my snarky facade here."

"So, all of that...it was just an act?"

Harry blanched as his teacher chuckled at him. "How else would one keep a classroom full of dunderheads and miscreants under control? Potions, if brewed carelessly, could result in death and severe injury." Severus paused and added, "Though I do suppose I take some sadistic pleasure in causing a little terror in the classroom."

Harry couldn't believe his snarky teacher had a sense of humor...had he just made a joke?

He was quiet for a few moments, processing all the new information. Then he looked up. "Professor, I don't mean to be ungrateful, but where is here? And how did you know that I needed your help?"

Severus picked up a couple of vials on the table and examined their contents. "This is the main cave in the village of New Asgard. This place is infused with a heavy concentration of ancient Norse magic. It's a place of perfect safety. No one, not even the headmaster can find you here. As for how we knew you needed help, well, that was pure chance. I'm sure you heard of the escaped convict?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Sirius Black. What does he have to do with me?"

"It's his fault that your parents died. He betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord. Before their death, he'd been named your Godfather. I feared that he'd be coming after you as soon as he discovered your location. I also knew that with your penchant for reckless Gryffindor tendencies, you'd be in grave danger within no time."

"So the only option was to remove you from your relatives and take you away...far beyond the reach of the ministry, Dumbledore, and anyone else who might use you for their own ends. It was lucky that we found you when we did. The impudent Muggle was all set to murder you had we not acted when we did."

Harry felt like his head would explode...so much information at once! Then one thought came to his head. He narrowed his gaze on the man before him. "How do I know you won't use me for your own ends?"

"Because you are the son of my best friend. Your mother Lily and I grew up together and were in the same year at Hogwarts. The only reason I agreed to become a potions teacher at all was to keep an eye on you...to keep you safe. And you have made that goal a hard one to achieve with the way you seem to attract trouble."

"It wouldn't be so hard to stay out of trouble if there wasn't a maniacal Dark Lord trying to kill me every year."

Severus nodded. "Touché, Potter."

It was then that dark haired woman walked up to them and Severus automatically put an arm around her waist. "Harry, this is my wife Angelica. She's the leader of this village for all intents and purposes. She is also a dream walker...a natural Leglilimens."

"You should be noticing now, that your scar no longer hurts."

Automatically, Harry's hand flew to his head and he gently touched the mark. His eyes widened.

"I don't understand...how-"

"You had a piece of Voldemort's soul in your body. It attacked me when I examined your subconscious. It's now been destroyed and it no longer will give you any trouble."

"So I'm free?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. When I examined your mind, checking for injuries, I saw how you are plagued with nightmares."

Harry looked down at his feet blushing. The last thing he wanted was to be seen as weak in front of another man.

"It's to be expected from what we could see of your home life."

"Am I in trouble for blowing up Aunt Marge? I tried so hard to control my magic. I know I'm not supposed to use it outside of school. Will I be expelled?"

Severus looked at his wife and she nodded. He kissed her cheek and she walked away.

"My wife's gone back to our tent to prepare some broth for your breakfast. In the meantime, we'll be taking a dip in the hot spring. It'll be good for your health. I'll answer all your questions once we get there." Saying this he pulled a pair of black swimming trunks from a pile of clothes and tossed them to his ward.

"I'm going to change behind the curtain, I'm certain you can change into yours without aid?"

Harry only nodded as Severus walked behind the curtain

"This is the shallow part of the spring but the ledge can be slippery. I've slipped several times and I'd rather you weren't injured just yet."

Harry didn't know what to say...how could he so easily trust this man?

Just then another voice spoke behind him.

"Believe it, Harry. I've seen it happen." Harry turned around to see another blonde man walk in, dressed in another pair of trunks. Harry's eyes widened.

"Are you a god?"

"He likes to think so." Severus said with a chuckle. "He fancies himself the direct descendant of the mighty Thor...only if he was he'd have red hair."

The man gave a hearty laugh. "No, I'm not a god to anyone but my wife. Actually my name is Thordred, Severus is my half-brother."

Harry cracked a smile as the man lowered himself into the water. "Trust me son,
Severus wasn't always so coordinated. When we were boys he was quite scrawny. His first time taking in these waters was literally a trip...and a skid...and a real splash! Father had to both rescue and resuscitate him."

"Only because you pushed me...your bum was quite sore at dinner that night, if I can recall." Snape replied back.

"And did I not extract the promise that you'd never speak of it again?"

Severus gave his brother a wicked grin. "I promised I would never speak of it again, if you never mentioned that awkward first time...remember?"

Harry looked between both brothers as they held an impromptu staring contest and then Thordred looked at him. "Enough stalling. Come Harry, this water is will make you feel better."

Snapping out of their banter, Severus also offered his hand. Harry looked at the water...suddenly remembering he couldn't swim.

"We already know, Harry." Severus reminded him. "We won't let you drown. This is the shallow end of the spring."

Harry took a deep breath and took both their hands and allowed them to help him descend into the magical waters. When he felt his feet touch the bottom, he and the water only came to his waist, he blushed feeling foolish.

So weak, afraid of water. He berated himself

"We're not too surprised that you don't know how to swim, Harry," said Thordred. "We've seen the state of your home life and it's naught but a glorified prison, Rest assured that you'll never have to back to that...place...ever again."

Harry looked at his rescuer sharply and then at Severus. "Never again?"

Severus shook his head. "No, and those Muggles will be dealt with very soon. I wouldn't be surprised if our mother wasn't already banging down their door as we speak. She was spitting lightning bolts last night."

Harry nodded and then bit his lip...in much the same manner that Lily used to do when she wanted was nervous about something. Severus took a moment to gather himself, then he knelt till he was level with the teenager.

"This is a safe place, Harry. You may speak your mind and not be judged...it's just the three of us here."

The teenager still didn't look him in the eye. Just as Snape was about to speak, Harry beat him to it.

"Your wife...she saw into my thoughts didn't she? I was hoping no one would know about...the hitting...my punishments..." here the teenager fell silent, blushing furiously.

Theodred spared a look at his brother and then joined his brother as he began to speak.

"When my mother was young she married a man named Tobias Snape. He was my birth father...life was good for a few years and then he lost his job when the mill shut down. Then he fell apart and turned to alcohol. He was constantly drunk and soon spent all the money we had on his addiction. There were many times we went hungry. Mother worked herself hard to provide but it was never enough. When he found out that she had taken to hiding money away, he got very angry and became very abusive to her. There were many times I wished that a magic fairy would come and rescue me and mum."

"Tobias was much the same as your uncle was when it came to magic. He despised it and when I started showing signs of magical ability, he began beating me and there were times I even blacked out."

"When things got really bad, she would take me out of the house and sent me to stay with the Evens for a day or two and those days were the best. Plenty of food, a safe haven."

Harry was enraptured by the story and was watching Severus intently.

"Then one day, a miracle happened. She came home with a strange man I'd never seen before. That day Tobias was in bed sleeping off his major hangover, Mum didn't say anything to me except for me to gather up my things as quietly as I could. While I was doing that, I accidently fell from a chair and my cry of surprise woke up the sleeping monster. He came charging in swearing at me and pulled his hand back to smack me but the stranger grabbed his arm and forced him to let me go."

"Tobias tried to retaliate, screaming all the while that we weren't allowed to leave and even accused mum of cheating on him." Here Severus paused and smiled as if recalling something really pleasant. "The stranger swung back and hit him square in the jaw before kneeing him in the gut. We got out of there as fast as our feet could carry us and before I knew it, we were saddled on the back of a giant Pegasus with massive black wings and flew us out of there. I never saw Spinners End ever again."

"I thought I was dreaming...but it was very real. The man was Hakon and he brought us here where he took us into our household and I gained a brother and a father in less than a month. All my dreams came true that day. Hakon was and still is a true hero. When they go confront the Dursley's, you can be sure that he'll avenge you for every moment of suffering you endured.

"So you see you and I are very much the same. I don't need to share my wife's memories to understand exactly what happened at your relatives...it was very much similar to my own childhood. Neither of us will ever pressure you to talk unless it's to save your life...but should you need to vent you have only find one of us."

Harry could only nod. Things got quiet then and all anyone heard was the gentle rippling of the water as the three men moved about in it.

Harry was now looking at his teacher with new eyes. Here before him wasn't the evil bat of the dungeons...but a normal man with regrets and his own scars...he looked so human.

"I never wanted fame, Professor. I don't want to be the 'Boy Who Lived' anymore. If I stay here, can I just be Harry?"

Severus frowned as he studied the boy before him. How could he have ever thought this teenager was a perfect copy of his attention seeking prat of a father? Could his mind have been that clouded with hatred towards Lily's child just because of his sire?

Making his mind up quickly, he said, "The prophesy has no meaning here. All we'll ever expect you to be is a normal teenager full of angst, sarcasm and over excited hormones...oh and perfect grades in everything but History of Magic."

When Harry gave him a questioning look he smirked. "It didn't matter how brilliant your mother was, she never got a passible grade in that class, unless you could grade falling asleep in class but never getting caught."

Harry cracked a grin at that and then cupped his hands which he used to pour more of the warm water over his head.