Severus wished August's suggestion of just taking the boys to do something together was as easy as it sounded. Calen didn't like Harry though, and it had become obvious from Harry's tirade in London that he didn't like Calen. Thanks to August the picture was starting to become a little clearer as to why, but there were still some gaps that needed filling in.

He would probably never admit it to anyone, but Severus had grown quite attached to Calen since he'd taken custody of him. It had been less than a year but he already felt protective over Calen. It was a feeling he was now struggling with, knowing that Calen knew it was a possibility that Harry was also his son and hadn't told, and had possibly even dissuaded Harry from coming to him with his suspicions. Whatever had happened to Harry, it might have been prevented if only Severus had known...

On the one hand he had a son he felt close to, and loved very much, and had worked to give a sense of security to, and on the other he had a son very much in need that he felt like he needed to help, but did not feel close to. He knew it was wrong to say he didn't feel love for Potter- for Harry, but he had spent the last year and half despising him, not knowing he was his son. It had only been three days since he'd brought him home from London and began tending his injuries. That was not enough time to gain feelings of love, even if he was as much his child as Calen was. He wasn't stupid though and knew he'd cause more damage to Harry if he let on about any of his feelings. The fact was, that Harry's arrival into his life had just come at a bad time. Christmas was in just a few days, and he'd already purchased 20 Galleons worth of books, games, clothing, and other gifts for Calen. It would be awkward if he purchased a bunch of things for Harry, especially since he didn't know about any of the boy's likes or dislikes. He knew Calen would definitely be upset by it if he did. At the same time it wouldn't do Harry any good to watch his brother opening up present after present on Christmas morning and receive nothing, or very little himself. Severus cursed under his breath. This was not the Christmas he had envisioned for himself and Calen. This was not the Christmas Harry had envisioned either though, he reminded himself. The boy had probably not expected to end up battered and living on the streets of London in the bitter cold. Or maybe he had, after his father had seen to it that he be sent away from Hogwarts for the holiday. He cursed at himself again.

After his cousin had left, Severus made his way through the house looking for Calen. They needed to have a talk. He'd already talked to him last year about hitting other students, but at that point Calen had only said that Harry had said something offensive to him. Severus hadn't questioned it at the time having found the boy offensive often enough himself.

"Calen." He spotted the boy tossing a Muggle ball into the air and catching it in the children's den... the room that had been dedicated to children's books and board games since the Manor had been built two hundred years ago.

He caught the ball and looked over from where he was sitting. This room like Severus' office had tall windows overlooking the snowy grounds and was letting far more light in than Severus liked to see.

"I think we need to have a talk."

Calen didn't say anything but he did sit up straight. Severus walked over and took the chair across from him.

"I want to know the truth. We've spoken about this before. I expect you to be truthful with me, and I have come to find that you have not been."

"Whatever Harry said, it's a lie!"

"Harry hasn't said anything to me. He's refusing to tell me anything that's happened. August however has told me quite a bit."

"August?"

"Professor August, also my cousin."

"Oh."

"Last year you told me you hit Harry because he had said something offensive to you. What did he say?"

Calen turned the small ball over in his hands several times, looking at it. "I don't remember."

"You don't remember, or you don't want me to know that you knew it was a possibility that he was also my son?"

Calen's eyes shot up. "Why are you asking me if you already know all the answers?" he challenged angrily.

"Because I would rather give you the chance to be truthful with me than hear the truth secondhand. Why did you lie to me the first time?"

"I thought he was nutters ok?"

"Was that the first time he'd mentioned it to you?"

Calen hesitated to answer and Severus took that as a no. "Start at the beginning. You have a chance to tell the truth now."

Calen let out an irritated sigh and sat back in the chair, slouching down.

"We went to the same school for a couple years, but everyone knew not to play with him because his cousin would beat them up if they did. So he'd just stand around and stare at people on the playground, and he was always staring at me and my friends."

"So you never spoke to him before Hogwarts?"

"No, nobody did. Then mom died and I moved away because they sent me to the orphanage in Bristol."

"What about when you got to Hogwarts?"

"Draco Malfoy got mad at him before we got into the Great Hall for the sorting. I don't know why, I wasn't paying attention. I guess he didn't want to be friends with Draco or something. Then Draco started saying he'd got the wrong Potter, that I was Potter and he and I were brothers. Then Harry came to the back of the line to stand next to me and said we looked alike and I told him to leave me alone."

"Go on."

"Well he didn't leave me alone. He tried to stand next to me in Herbology and said we looked alike again and we could be brothers. I told him we weren't, that I only had one family member and that was you. Then we didn't talk again all year until after I'd talked to you. He asked about my new name and asked if I'd told you about him and I hit him, ok?"

"No, it's not ok. Calen, I can't pretend to understand what you were thinking or going through. You will have to tell me. Now, I already spoke to you last year about violence, so there is no need to speak about that again, but let me make myself clear. I will not tolerate lying again."

Calen nodded, and Severus hoped he understood. He didn't want to punish him. That would only work against the relationship he was trying to build with him.

"We need to talk about Harry."

"Great," Calen muttered.

"I know you're not happy about him being here, but he won't be going back to his relatives."

"Why not?"

Severus would have thought with Calen's grades that he was smart enough to figure out the answer. He was sure he was just being difficult at this point.

"His family is not fit to keep him after sending him out onto the streets. Given your dislike of orphanages, I would think you wouldn't want to sentence him to that, especially seeing that he's your brother."

"He's not my brother," Calen said sullenly.

"He's your half-brother," Severus said, "and since he will be staying here, I expect the two of you to be civil to each other at the very least."

"I'm not hanging out with him. He's weird."

"I didn't say you had to, but I don't want the two of you fighting either, am I understood?"

"Yes." It was a sullen reply.

"He has not grown up with a parent as you have. His mother died when he was a baby, and you already know that at the very least his cousin prevented him from making friends in school. You have had it considerably better than he has. It would be my hope that you would try to understand him."

"Up until three days ago you hated him too," Calen said with disgust. "Now you're just flipping around and going all ‘lovey' on him?"

"When you came to me, did I not take the appropriate actions in acting in a fatherly manner towards you? I do not like to hold double standards and I thought you would have that same expectation of yourself. I would have hurt you if I had denied you the love and attention you deserve, would I not have?"

"Whatever." Calen rolled his eyes and was surprised when his father suddenly sat forward and put a hand on his knee, drawing his eyes to him again.

"You are entitled to your feelings, but I'm finding myself disappointed that you would rather I send him away, when I took you in and gave you so much. You don't have to like him but I stand by what I said earlier. You will be civil." With that Severus rose and left the room, feeling disappointed in the son that he already had a relationship with and already cared for. He was making it harder than it had to be, especially since Severus himself was struggling to suppress his negative feelings for Harry since the dramatic news he'd received in the alley.

Severus felt exhausted just thinking about Calen's attitude and the conversation he'd had with August earlier that day, but knew he still needed to go upstairs to check on Harry. The boy's injuries were healing after the many potions and salves and he was probably well enough to get out of bed and walk around now, but Severus hadn't yet invited him to do so. Potter in his house... Harry, in his house he reminded himself. He sighed and rubbed his forehead hard. If the child was going to stay there he'd need to start looking past some things he'd previously believed about him.

For instance, he could no longer just write the child off as ‘strange' as Calen had done. He knew better now. The boy didn't have the social skills Calen had because he'd been intentionally isolated in school before Hogwarts. And yet, Severus pondered, he now had more friends that Calen, who didn't like to admit that he had trouble making friends in Ravenclaw. Severus wondered why that was as he made his way to the smaller kitchen to make supper.

That night after both of the boys were in bed, August turned up at the front door again with three large boxes. Severus motioned him in out of the blizzard.

"You can use the floo now," Severus said, taking one of the boxes from him.

"Thank you," August said, coming in and shaking the snow from his hair.

"The boys asleep?" he asked and Severus nodded. It was almost midnight.

"I got Harry's wand." He pulled a wand from the inside of his coat pocket and handed it to Severus. "I had to wait until the Muggles went out for dinner and then I snuck in and searched the house. It was in the cupboard under the stairs, but I couldn't find Harry's trunk anywhere."

"What's all this?" Severus asked.

"These two boxes are school supplies, including new school robes," he motioned to the larger of the three boxes before waving his wand at them. Bright red wrapping paper appeared around them and taped itself to the boxes. "Everything on the supply list including dragon hide gloves is in there. This box has a few books and two sets of clothing. I figured he'd need something to wear since his trunk is gone, but I didn't want to buy too much in case you wanted to get him clothes for Christmas. The clothes I got aren't for Christmas," he clarified. He'd seen Harry's ratty old clothes and didn't want him to feel like an outsider there in Prince Manor when he knew Calen was wearing the finest teen clothes Muggles and Wizards could offer.

"I'm sure he will appreciate it," Severus said. He paused and then after long moments in thought said, "I'm sure he would also appreciate seeing you on Christmas morning."

"Are you inviting me to Christmas?"

"I am."

"Well, I'll be there then. I'd better be getting back to the castle though. I've got to pack a few things so I can make it back to my house at some point before the holiday is over."

He turned but Severus stopped him. "I- would appreciate your help with something."

"Name it," August said with a smile, knowing it probably had something to do with Harry.

"I am uncertain of what to get Harry for Christmas... aside from clothes."

August put his hands on his hips. "He likes Quidditch and he doesn't have a broom yet or any of his own gear like flying gloves. He seemed interested in American maneuvers too when he saw the posters in my office... maybe a book with some less challenging moves? And I know he likes Potions. You might spend some time asking him about his interests though. You've still got three days until Christmas."

He smiled at his cousin and turned to leave again, but then turned back with a more serious look on his face. "Severus, I promised not to tell you this, but- well it might help you get closer to him."

"What is it?"

"Well I don't think he's been given the opportunity to eat well. I'm certain his cousin eats like a horse, he's quite pudgy. Maybe you could give Harry some candy for Christmas as well?"

Severus sighed. Just what he needed... a hyper active twelve year old on Christmas morning... two in fact, he told himself, because he'd already filled a fairly large stocking full to the brim with sweets for Calen and it was already hanging above the mantelpiece in the larger of the three family rooms.

"Thank you," he said and August nodded and hurried back out the door and into the cold night.

That night Severus went to bed faced with trying to get to know his other son in the morning, if the boy saw fit to talk to him at all.

* * *

Harry reached up to his eyes and tried to rub the crust from them because someone was trying to rouse him. "Huh?"

"It's time to get up." Someone shook his shoulder again and Harry finally managed to get his eyes open, though his limbs felt heavy and he didn't feel like waking up just yet. Curtains in the room drawn for the first time since he'd been there, Harry blinked in the bright light and saw that it was snowing outside, and then his father came in to view.

"Here. August dropped these off for you last night. There's another pair of clothes on the desk along with your wand."

Sitting up and feeling better than he had in days, Harry looked down to the jeans and new shirt his father had just handed him. The shirt was soft and red and had a dark stripe across each shoulder of the long sleeves.

"Sir?"

His father turned from where he was opening the curtains on the second window, flooding the room with even more light. When he turned Harry asked, "Professor August bought these for me?"

"Yes. You seem surprised."

Harry looked down to the shirt and rubbed his thumb over the soft fabric again.

"I never had new clothes before," he said, and then without thought to moving gingerly because of his still bruised body, he took off the pajama shirt and pulled the long sleeve red shirt on over his head, looking down at his new garb in awe.

"You've never had new clothing?" Severus was trying desperately hard not to sound irritated. He supposed that after so many years of bitterness, it was just in his nature to sound that way, and even with Calen he had to suppress it.

"No," Harry said. He stood up and worked to get the new jeans on and was happy that they fit him perfectly. There were no holes in them and they weren't baggy at all. He searched for his socks and found them on the floor, sad that he hadn't gotten a new pair of them as well, and pulled them on, trying not to feel too embarrassed at that moment that both big toes stuck through the holes. He didn't know that his father was watching him with interest until he'd finished and stood up, avoiding putting all his weight on his left leg which still ached.

When Harry finally did look up, Severus noted that his eyes were bright and he looked eager.

"If you are feeling well enough, I thought you might like to come downstairs to have breakfast with us this morning."

Harry bit his lip to avoid asking silly questions like if he would be allowed to eat or not. He had a feeling this would irritate his father and the day had already gotten off to a good start with new clothes so he didn't want to ruin it.

"Yes sir," Harry said, and he followed him out of the room and into a long narrow hallway with many doors. At the end they went down a spiraling staircase and Harry was surprised to find that he'd actually been up on the third floor of the house. As they got further down the stairs, the stairs became wider until they finally opened up to a large entryway, decorated with ornate rugs and paintings, and even had a chandelier, the only one Harry had ever seen. If only he could live here he thought. He felt very rich indeed to just be allowed to stay there for the rest of the holiday.

They walked down a wide hallway towards another part of the house. This hallway had beautiful hardwood floor that was shiny with some sort of varnish, and many large rooms off of it, most with no door but a large square archway with white decorative molding. When Harry had imagined Calen getting to live with their father over the summer, he never imagined it had been like this.

Finally they came to a grand dining room at the end of the hall and Harry tried not to draw any attention from Calen who was sitting at the end of the long dining room table. Taking his cue from Snape, he followed his father down the table to sit next to Calen who was reading a Potion's book Harry hadn't seen yet and eating bacon and eggs off of what seemed to Harry like fine china.

"We have the luxury of a house elf this morning," Severus said. "She comes four days a week when we're here. She will serve whatever you want for breakfast." Harry watched as Severus unfolded his napkin and placed it on his lap, and as soon as he picked up his fork, food appeared on his plate. Had his father already told the house elf what he wanted to eat before he'd gone up to get Harry? Calen was watching him now and Harry didn't want to make a fool out of himself by asking how to get food to appear on his plate.

When Harry just sat there though with no food, Calen snorted. "Just think what you want," he said snidely to a sharp look from Snape, and Calen shook his head as if disgusted and went back to his book. Harry felt like he didn't want to put the house elf to too much trouble, so he thought quietly, ‘Can I please have some hot chocolate?' Suddenly hot coco appeared in the empty mug next to his plate, and he was pleased to find that it had whipped cream and colored sprinkles on top. He would have given anything for this on the streets of London, and tried to ignore his father, who was watching him carefully as he picked up the mug and took a drink. His hands still weren't completely healed yet, so he was careful not to touch the hot mug anywhere but the handle as he set it back on the table. His stomach rumbled then and before he knew he was even thinking of pancakes and eggs, they had appeared on his plate with syrup, butter, powdered sugar and a bowl of fruit. That he hadn't thought of, but he felt sure the elf had given it to him so he'd have something nutritious on top of the chocolate chips that were melting all over his pancakes.

Calen looked over to Harry's plate and then to his father to see if he'd scold Harry for asking for chocolate and sugar for breakfast, but his father said nothing and he went back to his book. If it had been him, he would have been scolded, Calen thought.

Harry ate the best breakfast he'd ever had that morning, even better than at Hogwarts, and was happy to have a full stomach for the first time since he'd gotten off the train for the break.

"Perhaps Calen can show you around the manor," Severus said after sipping his coffee when Harry was halfway through his breakfast.

"I'm busy today," Calen said, and he took his book and rose from the table, seeming irritated as he moved off in a hurry. Harry watched him go and felt bad, like he was still unwanted but also like he was causing trouble.

"I'm sorry," he said, setting his fork down, but Snape- his father raised his hand and waved the apology away.

"Do not be. He is upset, but will be fine."

With Calen gone breakfast felt a little less awkward but not much as he and his father ate in silence. As soon as Harry was done, his plate disappeared and he wondered if he'd be sent back to the guest room since Calen didn't want to show him around. He was surprised when his father rose however and beckoned him to follow.

"This is the small dining room," he said, "the large one is through that door, but it has not been used since my grandparents lived here."

"There's a bigger one?" The one they'd eaten in was large enough to seat fifteen or more, but this wouldn't be the first time Harry would be surprised on their tour by the size of things. As it turned out there was a large and a small kitchen, three family rooms one of which was decorated with a large Christmas tree and seemed the most lived in, his father's study, a small library, a room just for children, and a sunroom that followed the back of the house on one side and was warm and full of plants he actually knew the names of from his Potion's texts.

"There are two upper wings," Severus told him as they made their way back to Harry's room. "Both contain living quarters. I was thinking that we could move you to a bigger room in the East Wing."

"The East Wing sir?"

"You have been staying in the West Wing. It was- the closest to the entryway," he said, feeling a little ashamed now that he'd put Harry in the West Wing where the rooms were smaller and where he was far away from his and Calen's rooms. In the past the West Wing had been used to house less prestigious guests of the Prince family, and more distant relatives who had come to stay, while the East Wing had been reserved for close family and those who lived in the manor.

"A- a bigger room?" Harry was biting his lip and seemed nervous.

"Yes," Severus said, "you will be closer to myself and Calen."

Harry looked down at the hall floor as they walked and didn't say anything else until they got back to the room he'd been staying in.

Severus motioned for Harry to pick up his second pair of new clothes, but when Harry did so he asked, "Sir, why are you moving me?"

"I thought you would like a bigger room."

"But- but I'm only-" he looked away without finishing.

"You're only what Po- Harry?" He kept the sigh inside but it was still there.

"But you're just sending me back to Hogwarts aren't you? I'm only here until you can take me back?"

Damn. So maybe he hadn't made himself as clear as he should have. He'd been caught up talking to August and telling him all about how responsible he was and how he would take care of his son, but he'd forgotten to tell Harry and now the boy didn't think he was staying. What had those Muggles done to him anyway to make him just assume he would be shipped back off to the school?

"I thought you would like a bigger room of your own," Severus said, feeling guilty, "so that you will have plenty of room for your things while you live here."

Harry bit his lip again as if he was still unsure. He was really going to make him spell it out for him, wasn't he, Severus thought, irritated.

"You will be staying with us now." He said it with finality and Harry stopped biting his lip.

"I get to stay with you?"

"If that is what you wish. I assume you do not want to go back to your aunt and uncle."

"No," Harry said, shaking his head, and Severus noticed the fear flash through his eyes briefly as he looked up.

"Let us go find a suitable room then."

Harry followed him out. As it turned out the upstairs was a maze of hallways and only one connected the East and West Wings. His father pointed out that he could tell which hallway it was because it was the only one with no doors leading off of it.

"This is Calen's room," Severus said, pointing out a wooden door with a blue wooden C on the outside. It was ajar but as soon as they had passed it Harry heard it click shut.

"This is my room. If you need me at night, you may come and knock on the door. The rest of these rooms are empty and you may choose the one you like best."

Harry opened a few doors, feeling awkward about choosing a room too close to his father or brother, and decided to go all the way to the end of the hall and open the door that was there. Inside was a room a little smaller than the others, but it was on the corner of the house and had windows on two sides instead of one and Harry could see the snowy forest on the front and side of the grounds, and the snowy mountains in the distance. There was a small bathroom, a desk and wardrobe, and a four poster bed with no hangings.

Harry turned to find his father in the doorway watching him. "Can- I have this one?"

He nodded. "I will send the house elf up after lunch to help you clean and decorate it."

"Thank you."

"You are allowed to go wherever you wish in the house, except Calen's room unless you are invited. You may also go out on the grounds but I would appreciate it if you asked me first as it's easy to get lost and it is cold out."

"Yes sir," Harry said.

Feeling awkward and not knowing what he should say to this second son he now had, Severus backed out of the room and shut the door behind him. In the hall he took a few steps and then stopped. I have two sons. He said it just under his breath as if just to confirm it to himself. Two sons. And then he went to Calen's room to let him know he'd be out of the manor for a few hours and to leave Harry alone and that the house elf would be there if they needed anything. Before he left he told Harry most of the same. He had two sons who were expecting Christmas, and even if he still didn't feel for Harry what he felt for Calen, he was determined to give Harry a Christmas as well, and that meant going out to buy him things. As he apparated to London he hoped he could come up with appropriate gifts for him as he tried to squash the voice in the back of his head shouting that Calen would be angry.