When they finally arrived in London Snape was ready to smack his head into the wall repeatedly, once both the boys had digested the information about the dark Lord, about his past, which had evoked many questions on pierces side and eerie silence on Harrys he had answered a million questions about the school, about the magical world about all subjects and all sports, at least it felt like it.

“Very well, I think we should get the shopping for your school supplies done as we are here, just to get it out of the way. And you desperately need a new wardrobe.”

“I don’t have any money,” Harry said quickly, Pierce immediately saying he didn’t have any either.

“WE won’t worry about that now. For now I will pay, we have a grant at school for that,” he said, knowing that this would only affect Rodgers, the Potter whelp had enough money in his account to buy every single attire store in Diagon Alley. But that is not where he went at first. He first took them to the Snitchlett store in muggle London, a store hidden in an apparently run down mortgage office, with graffiti covered windows, one of them smashed and a very disgusting looking clerk sitting at a desk behind the window.

“We won’t go in there, right?” Pierce asked, voice thin.

“Your first lesson boys, in our world, nothing is ever truly like it appears, watch and learn.” He said, as he pushed the door open.

“Can you point us towards the next Snitchlett store, sir?”

 “Right through that door,” the man said winking at him as he got up and followed them towards the door, before closing it behind them.

“Professor Snape, with two students this time?” The man asked a smile on his face even as his face was morphing somewhat, thinning out, the beard pulling back under his now tight skin, tan skin. Both Pierce and Harry watched with their mouth open, horrified and excited at the same time.

“Mr. Brown,” Severus greeted the young man, shaking hands quickly.

“Yes, and both of them need an entirely new set of clothing, covering everything, can you do that?”

“Yes, sure. This should be fun, right guys?” He asked smiling brightly at the two young boys, both of them to startled to do more than stare.

“Oh, alright then. Just follow me,” Nicolas said a little self conscious now, but not letting it get into the way of finding new clothes for both, all Snitchlett, only the best.

 Snape sat in the chair by the changing rooms reading the newest edition of Potions weekly, an edition he had already read forty times or so, waiting for Mr. Brown to finally get done with it.

Once in a while he glanced up to see the graduate flick his wrist beckoning an entirely new stack of clothing towards him and then holding it up to the boys, frowning or nodding.

They had been in here for nearly two hours now, and only had about four more hours until the last train for the day would leave for Hogwarts, and he would be damned if he’d miss it. But then again, he could simply take the Knightbus.

“Alright, this should almost be it. Professor, do you have any extra wishes?”

“Yes, their school equipment as well, from quills to holsters.” It was nearly another half an hour until he discreetly walked up towards the counter, instructing both boys to go into the changing room and putting on one of their newer dress outfits, meaning slacks, button down and robe.

He nearly did loose his breakfast when the man rang up the price, but he knew that he had enough savings to dress the boys daily for the next two years, having inherited enough money from family and having earned enough with his teaching and potions making.

“Alright you two, come out and let me see,” he finally called after having shrunk the bags and put them in his pockets. He knew the boys were done as he could hear them talk to each other in excitement.

And both boys did look very different, in their expensive dress robes, their dress shoes.

“Nice, thank you so much Mr. Brown,” Snape said, extending his hand to shake his prior students hand strongly, "What do you say boys?”

“Thank you Mr. Brown,” they both chorused blushing somewhat looking everywhere but at the young man.

“You are so welcome, you do look flashing, let me tell you that. Have fun with the rest of your shopping,” Brown said before leading them back upstairs.

“Thank you Mr. Snape,” Harry said just before they exited the store and Snape stopped himself from correcting the boy at the last second.

“You both are very welcome, we have to hurry a little now. We still need to get all your books, and your other things.”

He didn’t stay with them after dropping them of at Madam Malkins, threatening both with very sore ears if he had to find them in Diagon Alley.

He had pinched both boys ears twice already in the twenty minutes since they had made it here. He was more than happy that Harrys fringe completely covered the scar and that no one would expect him to walk around with the Potter boy or this visit would have been horrible. But it proved to be complicated enough, with the boys stopping dead every couple of steps, gawking at a store, hissing excitedly about some moving picture or running up to the window of the pet store.

“You will stay right here and be good for Madam Malkin, am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Both said, Pierce still massaging his throbbing ear.

“If I have to hunt you down here, you know what happens yes?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, I’ll be back in just a few minutes, be good.”

The reactions of the two boys had been entirely different, when he had grabbed both boys simultaneously by the ear to administer a good pinch, Harry had completely frozen up in his grasp, not making a single sound, not even wincing, while Pierce had immediately apologized for running off, dancing on his toes to alleviate the pressure on his ear.

 He did not know which reaction worried him more.

 So he made it quick as he walked into the apothecary, ordered a complete restack of his supply and new Potionkits for the boys, the best there was, plus high quality cauldrons and scales. He would not have the two of them performing badly just because he shied from higher costs. And maybe this way the two of them would get off with a good start, maybe this time the other students at school would not notice that their supposed savior was a poor bum.

He hurried to the bookstore next, where he bought the two of them the entire set, plus introduction guides to the wizarding world, and two more potions books which he found very valuable for his class and wanted to put on the index ever since he started teaching. He also grabbed a book for himself, before hurrying next door and buying both boys a new trunk, a better quality trunk with three departments, so the two wouldn’t ruin their clothing the first chance they had.

So when he got back to the dresser almost an hour later he only had to wait for another ten minutes until the two finally stepped down from the stool, both scowling somewhat as they had been prodded for over an hour and had to stand still for the entire time.

“Alright, let’s grab a bite of lunch and then get going,” he said as he once again played while the boys went to go to the restroom.

“Was that Harry Potter?” Madam Malkin asked the moment the door to the restroom fell closed behind them.

“Yes, it was, and his friend Pierce Rodgers,” Severus answered offhandedly as he magically sealed the transaction.

“I didn’t say anything, poor boy, he must be so confused.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Did he not grow up with muggles? And he was kept from the magical world, how Dumbledore could think that that was beneficial is beyond me, but he must have not expected the reactions he must have gotten.”

“He was actually up to now not recognized and I was very grateful for that,” Severus explained as he leaned against the counter glancing at the restroom door.

“So why take them shopping already, this doesn’t usually happen for another two weeks, the school year is still going for another few days, isn’t it?”

“Yes, until this Friday,” Snape answered, “We wanted to get this over with before Diagon alley was crowded, no need to make it worse for the boy.”

They stopped talking then as Harry came back from the bathroom timidly, not meeting anyone's eyes.

“Were they good for you then?”

“Yes, they were wonderful, my best costumers so far I believe, that surely earns them a treat, no?”

Snape nearly groaned, he should have never asked. So instead of buying the three of them a healthy meal at toms or any other restaurant, he ended up eating waffles and then ice-cream at the parlor, both boys smiling over both ears, ice-cream smudges covering their faces.

“Very well, would you prefer taking the train or bus?”

“There’s a bus going all the way to the school?”

“Yes, it’s a magical bus, and it would be faster. If we take the train now, we wouldn’t be back to school until past midnight, the bus will take us there a little faster.”

They ended up taking the bus, both boys horrified by the way of driving, absolutely green In the face and nearly sicking up. He had picked both of them of the floor for three times by the time he was ready to just magically stick them to the bed, when the ride finally smoothed out, as they were out of the city, crashing towards Hogsmeade.

“It is late, and you had a long day, if you want you can lean back and get a little rest, I will make sure that you won’t fall magically if you wish.”

“I don’t want to sleep,” Pierce said immediately, sitting up straighter, eyes flying around the bus, taking every magical detail in, while Harry said nothing, simply sitting up straighter.

“Harry Potter!” another passenger suddenly exclaimed jumping to his feet the moment his eyes fell on the young black-haired boy, with green eyes, whose fringe had after the last fall been pushed back a little.

“It is such an honor, welcome back Harry, welcome back!” The man said, grasping the boys hand in his and shaking it profusely. Harry nearly pulled back in fright, but then just went rigid, allowing the man to nearly dislocate his shoulder.

“Thank you, that should be enough,” Snape finally said when the man didn’t let go even after twenty seconds, eyes on the boys scar the entire time, mumbling words over and over.

“Oh, I’m sorry, how impolite of me. My name if Larry Bumbleton, and it’s such a pleasure to meet you! We have been waiting for you to return for ten years! Wait until I tell my wife about this, she won’t believe it!” The man continued on.

“Alright, you can let go of him now.” Snape said briskly, tapping the man on the wrist with his wand sharply.

“Ow, oh sorry.” The man said, letting go before his eyes fell on the other boy.

“And you must be Harrys friend?”

“Yes, Pierce Rodgers, sir.” Pierce said offering a little smile.

“Such a pleasure, welcome back again, Harry!” The man hurried to say before Snape gave him a little shove.

“so it really is true,” Pierce said after a few seconds of silence, eyes flying back to the man who was hurriedly scribbling something onto a parchment, most probably a statement to the prophet, Snape thought shaking his head angrily.

“Yes, I don’t lie.” HE simply replied, glancing at Harry once, who sat staring straight forwards as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

HE hadn’t gone to get the wands for exactly that reason, he had hoped to keep it quiet, to keep the boys return to the wizarding world a secret for at least a little longer, at least until Dumbledore could figure out a statement to give to the Prophet, something small, something so short that it wouldn’t even make the fifth page. But that was ruined now.

He also didn’t want the boys swishing around their wands in his quarters, practicing magic and probably setting his place on fire as they did.

He was not surprised however when both boys of them were laying on their sides an hour into the ride, both slumbering peacefully, and he performed a sticking charm, just to be on the safe side.

“So what are you planning to do now Severus? Do you really think it was a smart Idea to bring them here just yet? What should we do with them over the summer break?” Dumbledore asked, eyes not twinkling, slightly confusing Severus. That was not the reaction he had expected.

“I did not go and pull them out of their beds, Headmaster. The boys must have been living in the streets for weeks now, and they searched for me. When I was contacted, I did not know what for exactly, so I went to look into it. What should I have done? Apparated them back to their abusive families and acted as if nothing ever happened?”

“You know that Harry needs to live with Petunia, it is for his safety.”

“He is better off anywhere else, do you want him to turn into the next dark Lord Headmaster? We know what abuse does to children, we know what it does to children if they know nothing of love. Don’t you always say that there is nothing stronger than love? How can Harry learn love if he is only surrounded by hatred.”

“I am surprised at you Severus, at the beginning of this year you were ready to resign just because the boy was coming here,” Dumbledore said, and Snape almost swore, damn there was that twinkle.

“It occurred to me, that hating the boy would not be in my benefit, nor was Potter solely to blame for the way things went, teachers should have stepped in, you should have stepped in Headmaster, we were only teenagers. And while Potter should have been punished for his behavior at school, I got him killed, and thus hating him, or continue hating him is not possible.”

Dumbledore nearly frowned at the man after those words.

“Severus, you know that you are not to blame for that night, yes?”

“Not solely, yes. All this could have been prevented, had the adults in my school years not turned a blind eye and clearly favored Potter, had I spoken up about my own childhood, then it would have never gone so far. But no one can go back to change the past, we can simply grow from it and learn to never repeat those mistakes. That being said, Headmaster, I will not allow for Potter to ever return to that family, and if you even think about arguing that, then I will write to the Prophet and give them a very graphic description of the boys childhood, his abuse and I will not hesitate to mention the fact that you neglected to check up on him.”

“Severus, you are jumping to conclusions,” Albus said, voice hard as steel.

“Am I? Because if you tell me that you did check up on the boy, and knew of his abuse, then I can not promise that I can stay calm.”

“Severus, I had someone watching the boy and his family, he was never all alone.”

“Who, Arabella Fig? The Squib? Do you think those relatives of his would beat him in the streets? In the yard for everyone to see and hear?”

“He went to school like all other children, I received all the reports from that school. He never missed an alarming amount of days, the teachers never hinted at anything, nor did Mrs. Figg,” Albus said, voice low, but there was something in his eyes, he looked haunted, almost crazed at the mere thought that he perhaps could have missed something.

“You should learn Headmaster, that the word Family does not stand for unconditional love. You should learn that not everything is black and white, you should know that, for Merlin's sake!” Snape nearly yelled, fisting his hands.

“They are his family, the only ones he has left!”

“And yet they treated him worse than Malfoy treats his house elf's! They treated him worse than I ever treated anyone! And that should tell you something! Love, you build everything on that, you pull all your hope from that simple little thing, Headmaster, the world is not black and white. There is not only Love and Hate.”

“There was nothing I could have done, Severus. The boy was in mortal peril, what should I have done?”

“Every single Wizarding family in this world would have taken the boy in, and while I understand why you didn’t do that, and I understand your thoughts, I understand why you gave the boy to his relatives, but I am still shocked to find out that you never thought about personally checking in on the boy. You have so high hopes in him, and yet you never went to see him, in ten years?”

“I wanted him to grow up like any other normal boy, without any worries, without having to remember!”

“He was a year old for christs sake, they told him his parents died in a car crash, that his father was a drunk and killed both himself and his mother leaving him behind to be the burden in their family, was that what you had in mind? Has it never crossed you mind to go and explain to the boy just how special he is?”

“He is a mere child, he need not know.”

“He is a mere child, yes, but he is not the average child. He is the child that defeated the dark lord, the only survivor of the killing curse. He lost his parents to he who must not be named, he is destined to defeat the dark lord, when were you thinking about telling him? When he is an adult, perhaps found a bride and was a father? When he is in his final year? Did you really think you could keep him ignorant of his own destiny until he was fully grown? Every child in our world knows his name, knows his fame, he needs to know, he needs to know just who he is and what is to become of him.”

“He is eleven Severus, knowing of the prophecy will be too much!”

“He’s not the average ten year old, Headmaster, but what is past, is past. But I will stick to my word, the boy is not going back there. And I will take him in, I owe that much to Lilly!”

“Six months ago you hated him!”

“Six months ago you thought that he was loved and cuddled by his family. I will not let him go through the same hell I went through, I will not let any child go through that. You know me, Headmaster, better than anyone else. If you truly believe that I am incapable of taking care of the boy, then tell me now.”

“What are you planning to do with him, you have never taken care of a child before.”

“I will help him get over his past, Headmaster.”

“Like you have?” Albus asked, and there was true curiosity in those words, the bright blue eyes nearly causing Snape to look away.

“I am better now,” Snape said carefully. “And perhaps it will do both of us good, I am planning to be honest with the boy, honesty will do him best, he needs to know everything, he needs to know that he is not the average ten year old, but that he can still live an average life.”

Albus sat quietly for a few seconds before he glanced up at him, his bright blue eyes saddened, “What about the other boy?”

“I will have to talk with the cousin. Mr. Rodgers is on of my brightest students, and I will be damned to see him throwing away his future, learning something way under his qualifications just because he needs to take care of an eleven year old.”

“So?”

“I will offer to take care of the boy, so Terrance can go to University.”

“So two boys?”

“Yes, I am confident that it is for the best,” Severus said, head reeling. Was he ready for that?