"Severus? Severus, are you here? I have something for you!" a female voice called out from the fireplace. Harry looked up from his Sherlock Holmes book, confused. Who could be here at seven o'clock at night?

"Severus?" the woman's voice came again. Whoever it was, they wouldn't find Snape in the living room. About an hour after falling asleep, he had ungracefully rolled over off the couch and onto the carpet. Deciding not to risk falling off again, he had made his way slowly to his room and hadn't come out since. Harry never could have thought that a man like Snape, who looked so graceful, could be anything but.

He bookmarked the page, using the small card that Snape had given him with his present to place between the pages, and poked his head out his door. Spin hissed sleepily at him and Harry put his finger to his lips, shushing the half-awake snake.

Quietly, he tiptoed to the stairs, placing himself as close against the wall as he could. An older lady was standing in the middle of the living room, one hand on her hip and the other holding what looked like a small ball of black fluff. She wore wizard robes, and had on a large brown pointy hat. Her large wings were a dark brown, nearly black, at the top, and slowly faded until the tips of her wings looked like they were soaked in bright golden honey. They were honestly the most beautiful wings Harry had seen so far, and that was saying something, since he had believed his mother's to be the most beautiful.

The woman turned her head his way, and Harry quickly brought his head back, but too late. He knew the woman had seen him.

"Hello, dear. Do you know where Severus is?" the woman asked him, peering up the stairs. Harry gripped his wand in his pocket, but even if he tried to use it, he knew it wouldn't work. The most he could do was poke her with it.

"He's um, asleep right now," Harry replied then instantly regretted it. What if she was some evil person? One of those Death Eaters or whatever that Snape had warned him about? They could easily take advantage of the older man being asleep and attack him. But looking at her again, she didn't seem evil. If anything, she seemed familiar. As Harry stared, he knew he recognized her from somewhere, he just couldn't place it.

The woman looked shocked, then schooled her features. "Asleep? This early? That is so unlike Severus."

"We uh, went shopping earlier today. I think he was tired from that." As he talked, Harry slowly inched his way down the stairs, keeping his eyes on the woman the entire time. If he needed to remember her, he had to get closer.

The woman seemed amused. "Oh, really? I never pictured Severus for the shopping type." Her hand on her hip came to rest on the top of the small ball of fluff, which Harry realized was not a ball at all, but a small black kitten.

"He was mainly doing it for me. I needed clothes and stuff for school. Plus, we were almost out of food." Now Harry was almost right in front of the woman. She didn't seem keen to attacking him, so he let his guard down. But only a little. If he needed to, just a simple yell would have Snape come tumbling down the steps to help him.

"And who are you, dear child? I don't recall Severus having a son," the woman asked, and Harry realized she hadn't noticed his scar yet. He quickly brushed his bangs over it more, just in case she did.

"U-um..." Harry tried to think of a name, something that would sound realistic.

The woman's eyes widened. "Goodness! You're Harry Potter." Darn. He didn't hide his scar well enough.

"Why didn't I notice before? You look just like your father." Harry blinked, shocked. He looked like his dad? No one had ever told him that before.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

The woman smiled, looking a bit sad. "I'm Minerva McGonagall, Harry. I'm a teacher at Hogwarts. I taught both of your parents, and was a close friend with them, both throughout their school years and after."

A breeze wafted under his nose, and with it came the scent of roses and honey. He looked up at McGonagall, surprised. A memory wiggled its way forward to the front of his mind.

//"Say goodbye to Grammy Min, Harry," a warm voice said, and grabbed one of his chubby arms and waved it. A kind older face, smelling of roses and honey, filled his vision, and he giggled, reaching for the brim of her pointy hat. The older lady laughed, tickling his tummy. She kissed his forehead, laughter in her eyes.

"Goodbye, kitten," she said, kissing the top of his nose. She made raspberry noises, making Harry giggle louder. He waved his arms around, babbling, as she walked out the front door.

"Bah bah! Bah bah!"

He could hear his mother's chuckle vibbrate throughout her entire body as Grammy Min leaned back in the door for one last wave and wink.//

"Grammy Min?" he whispered, narrowing his eyes, finally placing where he had seen her before. McGonagall's face lit up, and Harry couldn't help smiling as well. She enveloped him in a hug and placed her head on top of his, squeezing hard. He heard the kitten mewl in protest.

"Oh, Harry. You remember!" She held him away at arms length with one hand on his shoulder, looking him up and down. The black kitten decided enough was enough and began crawling up her arm to her shoulder. "You've grown so much," she said, sounding like a proud mother. She frowned for a moment, no doubt noticing how skinny he was, but didn't comment.

"Potter? Who's there?" Harry could see Snape's head poke out his door at the top of the stairs. His hair was tousled and he still looked half asleep.

"Um, someone named Minerva McGonagall?" Harry said, looking back at the elder woman. She winked.

He heard Snape mumble something that sounded like "Fuck...why...here...already seven o' clock?...haven't even started dinner..." Then he heard rustling, which he assumed was Snape trying to find clothes. "Tell Minerva I'll be right down!" he called.

Harry looked at McGonagall. "He'll be down in a moment," he relayed, even though he knew she heard. McGonagall nodded and moved to the couch, taking the kitten off her shoulder as she walked. She sat down, crossing her ankles and waited for Harry to sit in the chair opposite before turning her attention to the kitten, who was pawing at her robes.

"Oh, be still you!" she chastised, but didn't sound angry. She looked up at Harry. "Would you like to hold him, Harry?"

Before Harry could give an answer, she picked up the kitten and placed it in his lap. It looked up at him with large grey-blue eyes and mewled. Harry's heart melted at the adorable sound. He picked it up, cradling it to his chest. It was so tiny, it could easily fit into one of his hands.

"What's his name?" he asked, playing with one of the kitten's velvety soft ears.

"He doesn't have one yet. I was hoping Severus would help me with that." McGonagall leaned back against the couch cushions, draping her giant wings over the back and clasped her hands together.

Harry looked up. "Why do you want Snape's help?"

McGonagall smiled a bit evilly. "You'll see."

At that moment, Snape came stumbling down the stairs, socks two different colors and his shirt on backwards.  His wings were even more wild than Harry's hair, and that was saying something. Again, Harry had to wonder how Snape could be so ungraceful when he acted so...regal.

Snape plopped down in the other chair, looking like he was about to fall asleep again. He slowly turned his head to Harry, his eyes half-opened. "Why do you have a kitten?" he asked in the most monotone voice ever.

Harry wanted to laugh. Never did he think he would see this side of the man, and it was only his second day living with him!

McGonagall answered for him. "Because, Severus. I brought him over to see if you could...help me find someone who wants him."

Despite Harry telling Snape that she had come over not five minutes earlier, Snape seemed surprised to see McGonagall sitting on his couch. "Hullo, Minerva," he said, completely ignoring what she said. Harry cracked a smile and even McGonagall seemed amused.

Snape stared straight ahead, looking lost in thought. "I need to make dinner," he mumbled, then got up, albeit a bit slowly, and began shuffling to the kitchen. Harry turned to McGonagall, who had laughter shining in her hazel eyes.

"Is he usually like this when he first wakes up?" he asked. She had said she was a professor at Hogwarts, and she obviously knew Snape well. Perhaps she would know.

McGonagall snickered, which looked out of place on her stern face. "He's usually worse. You should see him at the morning teacher conferences." She laughed again, obviously remembering something. Harry raised an eyebrow, hoping she would go further, but before he could question on it, a loud crash came from the kitchen, making the kitten jump in Harry's lap and dig his claws in his leg.  

"Ouch! What was that?" Harry asked, placing the cat on the chair. He ran to the kitchen, McGonagall hot on his heels. Snape was standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring down a pot that had fallen on the floor and was rolling on its side. He looked up as they walked in and shrugged, as if to say "I don't know how that got there'.

McGonagall took one look, placed her hand over her eyes, obviously tickled, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Severus, I swear to Merlin you are a two year old sometimes," she said, shaking her head.  Snape looked a bit miffed, but a huge yawn broke the look and McGonagall chuckled, walking over and picked up the pot.

She pointed to the dining room table. "Go sit down. I'll make dinner." Snape opened his mouth as if to argue, but one look from McGonagall made him snap his mouth shut and sullenly walk to the table, his socked feet nearly sliding across the tile. He reached the table and sat in the chair, making the legs squeak across the floor, and placed his ruffled head in his arms. Harry watched all of this in amusement and wonder. Who was she to Snape to make him do something without him snapping her head off? As he walked over to McGonagall with the intention of helping, he chalked it up to the fact that she was older, and that Snape was obviously very tired.

"How long 'till he officially wakes up?" he whispered, as he handed McGonagall the spaghetti noodles she motioned for.

"About thirty minutes," she replied, snapping the noodles in half. With a swish of her wand, the spaghetti began to make itself. McGonagall seemed satisfied, placing her wand back into her robes, and turned to lean against the sink counter. Her hat fell in front of her eyes, and she took it off. She turned to Snape, aiming, her tongue poking out a bit, and with a flick of her wrist, sent the garment flying straight onto Snape's head. He looked up, confused, then snatched the hat off his head, sending a glare in McGonagall's direction before setting the hat down and plopping his head back on his arms.

Harry couldn't help it. He laughed. He laughed so hard, his middle hurt and his face felt like it was going to split in two from smiling so wide. It was so amusing! He wanted the little show between Snape and McGonagall to go on forever, but he knew it wouldn't last. Snape would wake up fully eventually.

A small 'mew' drew his attention from the duo and he looked down. The small black kitten sat on his haunches, looking up at Harry with it's big stormy eyes. Harry bent down and scooped the kitten up in his hands. The kitten pawed at his glasses and Harry laughed again, making his stomach ache twinge again.

McGonagall watched Harry play with the kitten, a small smile softening her stern features. "Harry," she said. "Would you like to have the kitten?" Before Harry could open his mouth to decline, he already had two pets and he didn't need another, Snape popped his head back up. "Absolutely not!" he bellowed, making Harry and McGonagall jump.

McGonagall huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "And why ever not, Severus? The boy needs a pet for Hogwarts, doesn't he?"

"Well, you see Grammy Min, I already have two pets. I have an owl and a snake. I don't need a cat. Plus, Hedwig might eat him," Harry said, looking down at the small cat. His eyes slid over to Snape, who was in a glaring match with McGonagall. An idea popped into his head and a downright devious smile overcame him. "But..."

He walked over to Snape and placed the kitten in the middle of his lap. Instantly, the small fluff ball crawled up Snape's shirt, making the older man wince slightly, and settled himself on Snape's shoulder, where he proceeded to lick his cheek multiple time, giving off a small purr. McGonagall smiled, putting her hand over her mouth, and Snape sent Harry a small, unamused glare. He took the kitten by the scruff and placed him on the floor by his feet. "No," was his simple reply.

"Aw, come on, sir! He obviously loves you!" Harry pleaded, batting his eyelashes for good measure.

Snape looked at him, then looked down at the cat, who was giving Snape his own large watery-eyed stare. His face softened. For a moment, Harry thought Snape might reconsider and take the kitten. Then Snape looked Harry dead in the eyes, and with the most straight face possible, said "No".

Harry rolled his eyes and groaned. Before he could plead further, McGonagall clapped her hands together, drawing both of their attention. Plates began to fly from the shelves and the spaghetti flew from the pot, placing itself onto the three plates. They floated behind her and as she sat down directly across from Harry, one was placed in front of each of them. Glasses soared from the cabinets and were filled with milk before floating down beside the plates.

"Dinner is served," she said with a smirk.

Harry wasted no time in digging in, not even letting the hot noodles cool down as he slurped and chomped, receiving a disgusted glare from man beside him. McGonagall gave Harry a stern look over the rim of her glasses, then began to eat her own spaghetti. Harry slowed his attack on his noodles and took a sip from his glass of milk, feeling his face heat up.

"This is really good, Grammy Min," Harry commented as he speared at meatball with his fork and brought it to his mouth.

McGonagall gave Harry a small smile. "Thank you, Harry. I got the recipe from the House Elves at Hogwarts."

"House Elves?" Harry asked.

McGonagall waved away his question. "I'll explain later, Harry. That's not really a conversation to have over dinner."

Harry nodded, accepting that answer. The kitten pawed at his leg, wanting attention. Harry gently nudged it away with his foot.

"Why do you need my help finding it a home, Minerva?" Snape asked as he too nudged away the clingy kitten.

"I managed to get rid of all of Athena's kittens except this one. No one seems to want him." She picked up the mewling cat, and moved it away from the table.

"And you think my help will be sufficient?" He raised an eyebrow at the older lady.

She shrugged. "I know there are a lot of people in this area who might want one, and you know them better than I do. I was hoping you can talk to them, see if someone would be willing to take him in."

Snape sighed, rolling his last meatball across the plate. "I'll see what I can do."

McGonagall smiled wide and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Thank you, Severus." She turned to Harry.

"So, Harry. How good are your flying skills? If you are anything like your father, you should be a natural."

Harry looked at her a bit sheepish. "Um, well you see Grammy Min, I haven't really tried to fly yet. I almost did, but then Snape stopped me."

McGonagall shot Snape an exasperated look.

Snape scowled a bit. "He was about to fly indoors! I wasn't going to let him fly around and possible get hurt!"

Harry felt himself blush a bit, at both the harshness of the words and also the underlying tone of worry. McGonagall clicked her tongue.

"Well, you are going to have to learn to fly soon. If you ever try out for the Quidditch team at Hogwarts, it's a necessity."

Harry looked at her excitedly. He had read a bit about Quidditch in one of his school books earlier that day, and it sounded like one of the best things ever!

Snape harrumphed. "Who says he's going to play Quidditch? He can't even join his first year."

McGonagall opened her mouth to argue, but Harry cut in. "I want to try out for Quidditch! It sounds amazing! Even if I can't try out for my first year, I want to get a head start."

McGonagall looked smugly at Snape. "See, Severus? Harry would like to try."

Snape folded his arms over his chest, looking displeased. McGonagall leaned over the table, looking slightly excited herself.

"Well then, Harry. How would you like it if I came back over tomorrow, seeing that I have a free day, and teach you how to fly? That way, once you get the hang of it, I can start you on the basics of Quidditch."

Harry nodded rapidly. "That sounds amazing, Grammy Min!"

McGonagall winked. "Atta boy! I can already tell you'll make an amazing flyer, if your father's genes have anything to say about it!"

Harry beamed brightly. Her words made a warm sensation run through his body and as they finished their dinner, he couldn't keep his large smile off his face.

McGonagall finished her plate, then politely excused herself. "I must be leaving now, Severus, Harry. I have a lot of paperwork that I need to finish before it gets too late."

Snape got up, shaking her hand. "It was a pleasure to have you here, Minerva. I suppose I'll see you again tomorrow."

McGonagall turned to Harry and opened her arms, which Harry gladly fell into. Her hug was tight and warm, and got even better when she wrapped her large wings around him, which he returned with his own wings.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Harry. Be prepared to start flying early in the morning!" She waved, the left through the Floo. 

It was only after she had left that Snape realized that she had conveniently forgotten the kitten. he grumbled and picked up the ball of fluff, walking to the living room where he plopped it down on the couch. The kitten mewled, and tried to climb up his arm, but Snape shook it off.

"Are you going to keep it, sir?" Harry asked, sitting down next to the cat and stroked it's dark fur.

"Absolutely not," Snape huffed, and sat down in his armchair.

"Why?" Harry placed the cat on his lap and let it play with a loose feather from his wings.

"I don't want a pet. Is that simple enough?"

Harry nodded. "So what are you going to do with it? I don't think Grammy Min wants him back."

"I'll find somebody around here that might want to take it."

"I hope I'll get to see him again," Harry mused aloud as he let the kitten gnaw on his pinkie.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Snape said, turning on the television to the news channel.

Harry's head shot up. "Why?"

"Because I think I know who I'm going to give the kitten to."

Harry cocked his head sideways, curious. "Who?"

Snape smirked slightly, a knowing look in his eyes. "Your grandparents." 

Harry paused in playing with the kitten. "My grandparents?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Snape nodded. "They live not far from here, just a couple of blocks away. They're your mother's parents."

"Can we go see them?" The question blurted out before he could stop himself, and he leaned forward eagerly.

Snape switched channels. "I don't see why not. They're your grandparents after all. But we'll have to call them first. They really don't like unexpected visits, although I'm sure they wouldn't mind if it was you."

Harry bounced up and down on the couch, the little kitten jumping with him. "Really? We can go see them?"

"Did you not just hear me?" Snape snapped sharply, but quickly softened his tone. "I said yes. Perhaps sometime this week. I'll contact them tomorrow."

"Thank you, thank you, sir!" Harry hugged Snape tightly before he could stop himself. The other man stiffened at the surprise touch, but relaxed a little, patting Harry awkwardly on the head.

"You're welcome," Snape said, clearing his throat.

Snape looked at the clock, then clicked his tongue.

"It's nine o'clock. It's past your bedtime, Potter. Hurry up and get ready. You'll need to be up early for Minerva when she shows."

Harry gave a slight whine, but headed towards his room. He grabbed the kitten, hugging him close.

"I'm taking him with me," Harry said.

Snape raised both eyebrows in slight surprise, but otherwise didn't stop Harry. "Good luck," was all he said.

Confused at the man's words, Harry simply whispered a small "Goodnight" and took the steps two at a time to his room. He placed the kitten on his bed and shimmied under the covers, getting comfortable.

‘Who isss that?' Spin hissed at him as he walked in. He was looking at the kitten with a mixed look of surprise and slight horror. Or at least Harry thought he was. He wasn't fully sure what the snake's emotions looked like quite yet.

"This is a kitten that someone gave to me. Don't worry, he'll be gone soon." Ignoring the confused hiss from Spin, Harry placed his glasses on the table and clicked off the switch on his lamp. He brought the kitten, which he had secretly named Hades, up to his chest and stroked his soft fur. He yawned once, and quickly fell asleep.

-'-

Later, Harry really regretted bringing the kitten to his room. Hedwig had woken up and spotted the kitten, now she wouldn't stop fluffing up her feathers and doing a weird hop on top of the dresser. Hades had arched his back and was making hissing noises while his ears were laying flat against his skull. Spin just watched with an air of indifference, turning away from the staredown to curl up on the corner of the table.

Harry groaned and rolled over, but Hades wouldn't shut up, so he grabbed the kitten by the scruff, and with great reluctance, got out of bed to put the kitten outside. He was going to shut the door, ignoring the kitten's big, round, pleading eyes to be let back in, when he heard voices coming from the living room. He froze, wondering whether he should investigate or go back to bed. Curiosity won out and as silently as he could, he tiptoed down the stairs, moving Hades out of the way when the cat wove around his ankles. He got to the bottom of the stairs, and held his breath, listening.

"A Parselmouth, you say, Severus? That's very interesting. Do you suppose Voldemort could have something to do with it?" an older voice asked.

"I have no idea, Headmaster. That subject isn't really in my area of expertise. All I know is that Potter somehow managed to befriend a snake, and now wants to bring it to school as a pet. He already has an owl--a little gift from Hagrid for his birthday--and I just don't know how the student body will react to the Boy-Who-Lived owning a snake as well," he heard Snape's voice reply.

A sound of someone sipping from a cup reached his ears then the older voice spoke. "Ah, yes, I've heard about Potter's little pet. Hedwig, I believe Hagrid said her name was. Well, it certainly would be bit of a problem if they found out Harry had two pets instead of one, especially if the other isn't even a pet on the school list!" A small chuckle and another sip from the cup. "Everyone would be asking to bring another, and no doubt it would quickly get out of hand. I don't know about that one, Severus. I'll have to think about it."

A sigh from Snape. "As you wish, Headmaster. I was just relaying the message. Potter was very adamant about taking him."

Harry could hear an amused hum come from the other man. "You've grown to care for him, haven't you, Severus?"

Snape sputtered. "Me? I-I..."

"Don't try to lie to me, Severus. I can see it all over your face."

A pause of silence filled the room. "Perhaps a little."

Harry held in a gasp. Snape cared for him? Him? He thought the man hated him, or at the very least barely tolerated him. But now that he thought about it, Snape had begun to act very different from when he first met Harry. Could it be that he was telling the truth? Harry didn't know what to think of that. Nobody had ever care for him before. Why would someone start now, especially someone he had just met not three days ago? It just didn't make sense.

"How  did you deal with Potter's relatives?" Harry's ears perked up at the mention of his aunt and uncle.

"You're changing the subject, Severus."

"Just answer the question, Headmaster."

Harry could tell the other man was very amused and reluctant to change the subject as he answered, but quelled Snape's curiosity. "Well, let's just say that they will not be bothering young Harry ever again and that his cousin will be going to a better family."

"They went to jail, then? Or did you manage to lose control over your powers again? I hope there wasn't a repeat of when you interviewed my father."

"Of course not. I'm shocked you have such little faith in me, Severus. They went to jail. They should have gone to Azkaban, but the Wizengamot wouldn't hear me out. Instead, they were tried in a Muggle courtroom and will spend a very good amount of time behind bars."

Snape made a disappointed sound. "They should be Kissed."

"There was nothing you could have done, Severus. The most you can do now is take care of young Harry and make sure he gets treated well like he is supposed to."

"I will try my best, sir."

Harry didn't stick around to listen to anything else. He quickly shot up the stairs, entering his room before Snape could investigate. His mind raced as he settled under the covers.

What just happened?