"What should I do Professor?" Harry was still looking at him, wide eyed.

Inwardly, Severus sighed.

"It seems that you should name him, Harry," Severus said aloud. "He has picked you, after all."

"But—I mean, sir," Harry looked down at the small ball of fuzz that seemed intent on climbing up his chest. "Is he really mine?" The last word of his question was tentatively whispered.

"Yes Harry," Severus answered. He scowled at his friend, who was hiding a smile behind a large hand.

"Now go, child. Get to know him a bit better and choose an appropriate name," Severus said with a touch of distaste. "I will call you when it is lunchtime."

"Yes sir," Harry replied softly, his wonder at owning an exotic pet still clearly evident in his face.

Severus watched the child carefully walk back to his room, his eyes fixed on the magical creature the entire way.

. . .

"I dunno why you'd pick me," Harry whispered to the ball of orange-red fuzz that was now on his shoulder once more. Slowly he made his way to his bed and sat down. Gently, he reached up to his strange pet and removed him from his perch. He lay back on the bed and brought the creature up to eye level.

"I'm not worth very much, you know," Harry whispered to the little ball of fuzz that seemed content to sit on his chest and stare back unblinkingly at him.

"I don't have a dragon either. Except Norbert-and he was a baby-I've never even really seen one," Harry paused and turned his head thoughtfully. "Well, that might not be true. I think I saw one in Gringotts, but I might not have."

The little animal clicked its tongue once and then tilted its head as though thinking about what he had said.

"Anyway, Professor Snape said I need to name you. Unless you already have a name?"

Silence from the small animal.

"Guess not," Harry answered for them both. "I've never seen another one like you. Did you come from a big family?"

More silence, only wide intelligent eyes staring back at him.

"Yeah, I don't know either. Maybe the Potters were big once, I think they must have been," Harry answered softly, his face thoughtful. "But now all that's left is me. And I'm not much."

The little creature reached out an individual digit to touch Harry's nose and the small thirteen-year-old boy grinned in spite of himself.

"I must be pretty strange to you too!"

A tiny, but long pink tongue poked out of the animal's mouth, and Harry watched in amazement as it reached upwards to lick its own little nose. Then, quick as a switch, the tongue was withdrawn as the animal reached out both hands to touch Harry's face.

"Your hands are so tiny!" Harry observed in a voice not much above a whisper.

"I could name you 'Midget'?"

The tiny animal responded by blowing a raspberry in his face.

"Guess not!" Harry answered, delighted to have gotten such a clear answer from his pet.

He reached up and extended his index fingers to the little fuzzy guy; watching in pleasure as his pet reached out with those little hands of his and latched onto his fingers.

"You really are a baby, aren't you," he whispered.

The little tongue darted out and licked its nose again, like before.

"Does that mean yes?" Harry asked, excitedly.

The pink lithe tongue shot out again and then back in just as fast.

"Okay, how about 'Squirt'?"

The small animal blew another raspberry.

"'Little Guy'?"

Double raspberry.

"Okay, okay!" Harry said, watching his little friend walk unsteadily on its hind legs towards him, across his chest.

He leaned back and closed his eyes and thought about Hedwig. Her name had been easy to come up with. She was such a majestic creature; it was hard to imagine any other title for her. But this little guy, he was so tiny and fuzzy, completely unlike anything else except—.

Harry's eyes flew open and he scrambled upright, lifting the little animal back up to eye level to stare at excitedly.

"How 'bout I call you 'Snitch'?"

The small creature didn't answer immediately, but instead looked down to where they were still holding "hands." And then, the little tongue reached out delicately licked a stripe up his thumb, before reaching forwards towards his own nose. Harry obliged and brought the little guy in closer, and suddenly there was a tiny wet tongue petting the tip of his nose.

"Yeah?" Harry asked softly, all other thoughts briefly pushed out of his mind as he waited for his pet to meet his eyes once more.

Finally, brownish-purple orbs reached up and met his own green ones and he smiled at the visible change wrought in his pet's fur.

The fur that had been reddish-orange, was now entirely orange, and the little wings that had been black were now deep blue with—Harry leaned forwards and peered even closer at his little pet's wings.

"Lightning bolts?" He whispered, looking back at Snitch's eyes. The small creature clicked its tongue in a response of some kind.

There were now lightning bolts in the centre of each wing, slightly raised from the rest of the surface, noticeable only because they were still black.

"You're really mine, huh?"

A little pink tongue touched his nose again and Harry couldn't help but smile a little in response.

. . .

"They don't bite, do they?" Severus asked Hadwyn after Harry had left the room.

"Not their owners," Hadwyn said with another grin.

Abruptly Hadwyn's grin dropped off his face, and a much more serious look came over him. "Harry's been hurt before, hasn't he? I remember what you told me about Lupin?" Hadwyn looked up briefly. "Was that what you said the man's name was?"

Severus nodded.

"But he was hurt long before this year, wasn't he Severus," Hadwyn stated softly.

"It seems that the longer we are together, the more I learn about his unsatisfactory family situation," Severus answered slowly. "I don't yet know all the details, but I hope that the boy will open up more as I get to know him better."

"He does seem to have a certain level of regard for you, old friend," Hadwyn said with a small twist of his lips.

"Something like that," Severus admitted, not wanting to go into detail about their relationship was like before the latest crisis.

"You won't let him continue with them, will you?" Hadwyn's eyes searched his own carefully.

"I don't think Dumbledore will be foolish enough to send him back after I have explained precisely what I have learned," Severus said, crossing his legs and leaning backwards into the soft cushion behind him.

"Harry seems particularly—ah, fragile right now."

"He is indeed," Severus nodded. "He is not stable enough to continue in school, which is why I asked you here. I need to take over the rest of my classes for the term, while I take Harry somewhere more isolated."

"Have you decided where?"

"I have a few ideas. Why? Do you have a suggestion?" Severus's eyes were sharp as they studied the other man.

"There is a small dragon reserve that is unknown to most of the magical community, near the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia," Hadwyn explained.

"You want me to take Harry around dragons?"

"When I say small, I mean less than ten, Severus," Hadwyn chided.

"Ten dragons or a thousand, Hadwyn; it does not matter. They are not safe for an emotionally damaged thirteen-year-old boy," Severus hissed back.

"Beware Severus," Hadwyn turned so they were looking directly at one another. "Your prejudices are showing."

"So enlighten me," Severus said.

"Dragons don't hurt wizards unless they are provoked. Muggles, of course, are another category altogether, but in general, magical folk are safe, provided they don't attack first."

"Or harm a dragon's young?" Severus supplied.

"Well, that's a given of course," Hadwyn smiled. "However, one of the reasons the dragon keeper's playmates are so valued is because they are respected by the dragons themselves. Dragons won't harm a playmate's owner, or that owner's owner, Severus," Hadwyn added, raising an eyebrow towards the other man.

"So sure of this, are you?"

"Severus, I wouldn't lie to you about something of this magnitude. Besides, the area I'm suggesting you go to is on the other side of the lakes from where the reserve is."

"And where exactly are you suggesting we go?"

"To my cabin of course," Hadwyn said with a self-satisfied smirk.

Severus was silent for a moment, before responding with, "Is it stocked?"

"It is. I wouldn't suggest it if it weren't."

"There is space for the two of us? Running water? A roof? Doors?"

"Severus! What do you think I am? There's even tea!" Hadwyn retorted with a touch of snark.

"There'd best be tea," Severus groused, keeping his grumpy expression for an entire minute before breaking into a rarely seen grin.

. . .

It struck Harry suddenly, as he sat them down at the dining table, that Snitch looked a bit like a tailless monkey, but with bigger eyes. He figured that the size of eyes probably meant his little pet could see pretty well in the dark, but he wasn't sure, and decided to ask Snape after lunch.

Snape.

"You see that scary looking guy?" Harry whispered in Snitch's tiny ear. "Yeah, you gotta be nice to him. He's Professor Snape and he's taking care of us. So we gotta be good for him. Can you do that?" Harry asked. His familiar squeaked in what he assumed was acquiescence, and he instinctively touched their noses together.

Looking up, he realized that both his professor and Hadwyn were staring at him and he blushed a bit at the attention, ducking his head back down.

"Harry," Hadwyn spoke, ignoring his embarrassment.

"Sir?" He whispered.

"You're going to need to feed him before you feed yourself. There is a bottle next to your plate, filled with a mixture of milk and fruit juice. He's only going to eat if you feed him."

Harry looked up and saw the bottle, barely smaller than Snitch himself and looked back up at Hadwyn in surprise.

"He's going to be eating a lot more with you, Harry," Hadwyn said. "Probably best if you feed him every time you eat, and maybe once in the middle of the night, if you think he needs it."

"How much were you feeding him?"

"About," Hadwyn took a long drink of his tea, "once a day—or so."

Harry shot to his feet immediately, holding Snitch to his chest protectively.

"You were starving him?" His voice both incredulous and accusatory. "How could you do that sir? He's just a baby."

"Harry, sit down," Snape growled.

"You misunderstand, Harry," Hadwyn answered in a soothing voice, holding his hands out sympathetically in front of his body, their lunches forgotten.

"I understand plenty," Harry answered in a choked voice, pulling Snitch's little fuzzy body up higher on his chest, covering him with both of his hands. "Couldn't bother to feed the creature, could you? Too much trouble, was it?"

He missed the serious glance that Snape and Hadwyn exchanged, but he did finally hear his professor the second time he spoke to him. This time, Snape rose from his seat and grasped his shoulder, pulling his face towards him.

"Harry, look at me." Snape's voice wasn't angry, just very very calm.

"Sir?" Harry whispered, not aware of the tear that dripped down his face until he felt a little hand on his chin, pressing against the wetness. He looked down and saw Snitch looking up at him, wide eyes staring trustingly up at him.

"Sit down Harry. Listen to what Hadwyn has to say. I'm sure he has an explanation," Snape instructed, still using that calm voice.

"Are you sure, sir?"

"Don't you trust me, Harry?"

"I—," Harry thought about it. "I do."

He sat, and Snape sat shortly after. They turned their attentions back towards Hadwyn.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't clearer before, Harry," Hadwyn answered slowly, looking contrite. "He didn't need to be fed much before he met you, because he was sleeping more than eighteen hours a day. Remember how I told you that this was the most active I'd seen him?"

Distantly, Harry felt himself nod. He did remember.

"That's why he didn't need to be fed much. Magical dragon playmates—also known as magical pygmy loris—don't start to grow or develop until they have bonded with their keeper. Do you understand?"

Hadwyn looked at him carefully while Harry thought about what the man had said.

"Is it true?" He asked softly, turning his face down to Snitch for confirmation.

His little orange ball of fuzz slowly licked his nose and then squeaked loudly.

"Are you hungry now, Snitch?" Harry responded to the new sound by reaching for the bottle and bringing it towards the little guy's mouth.

"Cradle him in the crook of your shoulder and elbow, pulling your arm in close to the side of your body, and then give him the nipple. It should fit into his mouth easily," Hadwyn explained slowly, and Harry did as he said.

He watched in amazement as Snitch curled up against his chest like a little tiny fuzzy baby, mouth latched onto the bottle's nipple, hands holding onto the sides, while his little clawed feet wrapped themselves up in Harry's shirt.

But the most amazing part was that while Snitch fed, he kept his little purple brown eyes staring trustingly up into Harry's own green ones.

. . .

"Hah!" Hermione Granger whispered triumphantly from her corner in the library.

She had found her proof in one of the unending rulebooks about professor-student relationships. Quickly she packed up her belongings and checked out her book from Madam Pince. From there, she hurriedly made her way to the headmaster's office.

After all, as the rules had stated,

'Students are not allowed to spend more than a fortnight in the quarters of a professor, unless they are: 1) Related; 2) Bonded; 3) Dead; 4) Apprenticed; 5) Stuck as an Animagi and either accidentally bonded to said professor, injured, or using said quarters as breeding grounds; 6) Petrified; 7) Cursed.

"Harry's not any of those! Professor Dumbledore has no right keeping him there," Hermione swore to herself as she waited for the stairs to reach the headmaster's office.

"Ah Miss Granger, how can I help you today?" Dumbledore greeted her jovially.

"I have a complaint to lodge."