Chapter 12: The Beginning of Trust

The portrait swung open, admitting the unlikely pair into the sitting room. The potion master had gone to great lengths to transform his quarters to resemble anything but the damp, dark dungeons that they were in. The walls were still the castle stone, but the beige carpet and cherry wood furniture helped to warm the feel of the room a great deal. It was his home, the only place in the world he felt he could relax. Thankfully, the walk down to the dungeons had served to calm the majority of Severus’ agitation at the child.

Setting Harry down on the couch, he stepped back and entered his ‘professor’ mode, determined to instill proper manners into the child to preserve the sanctity of his domain. His eyes narrowed at the boy as if expecting him to already get into mischief.

“As the Headmaster explained to you, Potter, you will now be residing with me here in my quarters. You will not find me to be as tolerant of misbehavior as your previous guardians here at Hogwarts. You will have rules that I expect you to abide. Failure to adhere to them will result in dire consequences. Understood?” Severus stopped his rant and turned his attention to the small child, perched on the leather couch. Wide, green eyes met his narrowed gaze and, before the child looked away from him, Severus noted his confused expression. The Potions professor sighed inwardly, realizing that his normal speeches that he reserved for the most dunderheaded first years would be too complex for a small child.

“Let me try this again, Potter,” Severus relented. “Whilst living with me, I expect you to follow the rules that I give you. Should you break a rule then you will be punished. Understand?”

Severus watched as Potter gave him a small nod, but he still did not meet his eyes. Where was the insolent, spoiled child he was expecting? This quiet, nervous child could not be the offspring of James Potter!

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Severus sat in the leather chair, adjacent to the couch.

“Now, Potter, the rules are simple. First of all, my room and the potions lab are completely off limits,” Severus said, finally satisfied to see the child looking at him again as he pointed out to the two closed doors from their seats. “Should you need me when I am in either room, you will knock and wait for me to open the door. Second, your room will be kept clean and I will not tolerate toys being strewn about my home. Lastly, as my ward I expect you to listen to my direction at all times. There will be no questioning my judgment or disobeying my direct order. Clear?”

A quiet “yes, sir” was all Harry said in response and Severus tried his best to ignore the twinge of guilt at the boy’s continued quiet, sometimes silent, responses. Perhaps he was being too harsh on one so young, but his few years of teaching had already taught him that if you gave a child an inch, he’d take a mile.

Standing, the potions professor beckoned his ward to follow him down the hall. “We share this loo. I expect you to bathe every night before bed, Potter.” Severus narrowed his eyes at the child as if studying him. “You do know how to bathe yourself, correct?” The nod of affirmation almost made the older man sigh in relief. It was one thing to take on the care of a child, but he wasn’t about to bathe a child. Thank Merlin Potter was long out of nappies!

Continuing down the hall, Severus opened the last door on the left. “This shall be your room, Potter. Do keep it clean.” The door swung open to reveal and pleasantly furnished room. Even Severus had to admit that the house elves had done a fine job in transforming his spare storeroom into a child’s bedroom. The walls were a pleasant blue, with charmed quidditch players zooming around all of the room. The twin-sized bed was covered in a patchwork quilt over navy blue sheets. There was a small desk in one corner, an oak wardrobe in another, and a large toy chest at the foot of the bed.

Severus strode into the room and opened the wardrobe. He was quickly disappointed to find it barely half full with clothing for the boy; it contained the bare necessities. Albus had mentioned to him in passing that they had been using transfigured clothing until there was a time to take the boy shopping for necessary clothing. It now seemed that the duty would fall to him.

Opening the toy chest revealed where the headmaster’s focus had been. He’s been spoiling the boy rotten! The chest was crammed full of every toy imaginable. There was a large, stuffed teddy bear, building blocks, coloring books, and even an entire quidditch field complete with animated figures. Severus sighed and shook his head as he shut the chest and turned to find Potter still standing in the doorway.

Summoning a pair of pajamas from the wardrobe, Snape laid them out on the bed. “I know it’s early but you’re still in need of rest. Change into these,” he indicated to the clothing, “and you can choose one toy from the chest. You will have to remain in bed but can play quietly until bedtime.” Severus couldn’t help but feel a bit satisfied at the small smile that crossed the boys face. It was a much more pleasant feeling than the guilt he felt earlier for being so strict when explaining the rules.

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The gate creaked closed behind them as the potions master and his charge left the school grounds. That morning, Severus had explained to Harry that they would be walking to the village and mentioned something about refilling his stocks, which meant nothing to the 3 year old boy. What Harry did understand was that he was getting new clothes. Harry’s excitement overpowered the small voice in his head saying that burdens like him didn’t deserve new clothes. This was the first time he’d ever been allowed to go shopping!

A baseball cap was pushed low over Harry’s brow. The professor had told him he had to keep his scar hidden. He didn’t understand why but knew that if he didn’t, it would mean trouble.

The street was deserted when they reached Hogsmeade, and sleepy looking shopkeepers were just opening for business. The young boy, clasping the much larger hand, hurried to keep up with his guardian’s brisk pace. Harry’s green eyes were wide as he took in his surroundings. He’d never been to such a place! Sure, Hogwarts couldn’t exactly be considered normal but never had shops looked so… magical.

“Keep up, Potter,” his guardian barked when Harry stalled for just a moment. He had been distracted by a broomstick display with a poster of someone flying on one. He’d only seen brooms used for cleaning!  Harry followed the tug on his hand as they continued their journey down the cobblestone path.

“Here we are,” Severus announced, drawing Harry’s attention to a small shop displaying clothing on moving mannequins in the windows. This was it; he was finally going to get real clothes! All his own!

The door chimed as they entered the small shop. To the side of the tall counter were racks of robes. Harry couldn’t help but smile at the idea of wearing the dresses that all of the professors wore. Maybe even a black one like his guardian!

An old man stepped forward from the back room and barely glanced down at the child. Harry pushed his hat down further, wanting to make sure that his scar was covered. He didn’t want to get in trouble and ruin the entire day in the village.

“The boy needs a full wardrobe,” his professor informed the old man. The old man grunted in reply, seemingly annoyed at the potion masters brash tone.

“Come on then,” the old man beckoned to Harry. The boy glanced nervously at the professor but obeyed as he was gently pushed forward to the back room.

“Stand there, young one.”

Harry climbed on the low bench and stood in front of a large wall of mirrors. His eyes went wide as a tape measure started flying around him. Clenching his eyes tight, Harry took deep breathes as he felt the tape wind around different parts of his body.

“Nothing to fret about, child. It’s over now. That tape measure wasn’t gonna hurt yeh,” the old man chuckled, having watched Harry’s scared reaction. Harry opened his eyes and gave a small smile. That wasn’t so bad. He met the obsidian eyes of his professor in the reflection of the mirror and nearly burst with happiness as the man gave a small nod of approval.

Soon Harry watched as a stack of clothing grew on the small table next to his stool. There were different trousers, jeans, shirts, and underpants. He’d never owned so much clothing. Sure, Uncle Albus, as he’d been instructed to call the headmaster, had brought him a few different outfits, but this pile was nearly as big as him. There were even teddy bear pajamas!

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Severus barely acknowledged the amount the clothing cost as he handed over the amount of gallons to settle the bill. Really! Who showers the child with toys before first seeing to the basic needs?

Shrinking the parcel and placing it in his pocket, he grabbed Harry’s hand and led them from Gladrags to the apothecary. His order that he had sent the week prior should have been filled and ready to be picked up.

“Don’t touch anything,” Severus warned Harry as they entered the small shop. The shelves were filled with different potions ingredients contained in very breakable jars. A normal jar could be charmed unbreakable but the residual magic tended to decrease the shelf life of the potion ingredients.

“Ah, Professor Snape. Here to pick up your order?” A young man greeted him. Severus recognized him as a former student that graduated in his first year as the potions professor.

“Indeed, Mr. Knightly. I trust everything has arrived?”

As Severus waited for the requested supplies to be put together, his eyes racked the store, landing on a shelf behind the counter.

Knightly must have followed his gaze as he suddenly spoke up. “Just got those in yesterday. Latest potions kit for little tykes. Not real ingredients, just simple combinations that cause the cauldron to smoke, bubble, and turn colors. Been a popular seller in Diagon Alley so we thought we’d try them out here.”

Severus glanced down at Harry who was busy studying the ingredients behind the glass case in front of him. Severus tightened his grip on the boy’s hand to make sure he didn’t get too close.

“I’ll just take my order, Knightly,” Severus responded, turning his attention back to the young man. Surely a Potter wouldn’t be interested in a potions kit?

Exiting the store, Severus started down the path heading back to the school. They had finished their errands and Severus was in a hurry to get back to the safety of the castle. However, even with him holding the boy’s hand, Harry kept lagging behind. Finally getting impatient, Severus turned to scold the boy but stopped as soon as he saw the big yawn coming from his ward. Poppy had said his energy would be low and, he admitted to himself, it had been quite a morning r12; especially for a less than healthy 3 year old.

“Come here, Potter,” Severus huffed in annoyance. He gathered the small child in his arms and took off down the path. If anyone saw their feared potions master now his reputation would be ruined! It was only a few minutes before Severus realized that Harry was sound asleep in his arms, his face burrowed into his shoulder. Unable to restrain himself, Severus’ hand reached up and cradled Harry’s head, as if protecting him from some unseen harm. He couldn’t even prevent the warmth that flowed through his chest as the boy sighed and tried to burrow deeper into his guardian’s shoulder. This boy, who trusted no one, seemed to trust him of all people. Perhaps you are more like Lily than I thought.

Shaking his head of the sappy thoughts, Severus steeled himself once again and continued down the road back to the castle.