Harry stared out his window with a sigh. 

He was bored.

It was sunny out, so he could feasibly go flying. 

But Emmeline had been avoiding Dover for the last week. Something happened between her and Severus. Harry wasn't quite sure what, and both adults swore up and down that they hadn't fought, but Harry wasn't sure why else she'd be so vehemently against spending more than a few minutes at a time at the cottage. She had taken him to his first counselling session.

That had been… interesting.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry looked around the office feeling sullen. The office was bright and airy, but he knew that he was here because Severus thought he was an emotional basket case (no matter what the man said otherwise). This doctor whatever probably thought so too.

“Mr. Potter?” came the accented voice of the doctor. She was a short woman of Nepalese heritage with kind eyes and a kinder smile. Harry looked at her with slight apprehension. 

“Go on darling.” Emmeline encouraged him. Harry slumped slightly before he got up and followed the woman.

“Hello,” the doctor said casually as she sat on her sofa. “My name is Clarisse Fobbs-Warwick. I’m a doctor of child psychiatry. I obtained my degree at The University of Kent in Canterbury.  I came to England in My teens, but I am originally from Kathmandu in Nepal.” she gave him a curious look. “Now that I have told you about myself, can you tell me about you?” Harry shrugged.

“My name is Harry. I grew up in Surrey, London, England. I used to live with my aunt and uncle and my cousin… but they were killed this summer.” Harry said, hoping to get on task. The doctor made a little note on her clipboard.

“Where do you go to school?” she asked. Harry frowned.

“Er… well it's a very exclusive private school in Scotland,” Harry asked nervously.

“That sounds very impressive.” the doctor remarked, once again making a note, “why did you live with your aunt and uncle rather than your parents?”

“They're dead,” Harry said flatly. He remembered answering this question over and over when he was younger. And it always got the same reaction (oh how tragic)

“How did they die?” Harry paused.

He could tell the truth, that his parents had also been killed by someone who came into their home. But how bizarre would that be?

Alternatively, he could tell the old lie. 

But his heart hurt to tell it. 

“They were killed.” he heard himself saying.

“Oh my.” the doctor muttered with a sigh. "And how old were you when this happened?"

"One."

"So you do not remember your parents." The woman confirmed with Harry's silent nod. "You must rely on stories of them." Another quiet nod. "And what sort of stories do people tell?"

"For my dad, it's always the same," Harry murmured tiredly. "That he was a good man who cared about his family a lot." Then he faltered. "More recently I found out that while he was popular and had a lot of friends, he was also a bit of a sleazy jerk before he finished school, and that he was kind of a douchebag to people he considered 'weird'."

"I see," the doctor remarked as she put another note on the clipboard. "And what about your mother?"

"No one really talks about her actually," Harry muttered. "It’s always, oh you have your mum's eyes, but you look so much like your dad, so here's all this stuff about how awesome he was." He took a deep breath, "but recently I heard a bit more about what she was like. She was nice, and she liked to help people, even if everyone else thought they were weird or different. She had a kinda dark sense of humour." He paused and thought over the stories Severus and Emmeline had told him and grew a little sad. "But she was also pretty vengeful, and could sometimes fly off the handle if something was happening that she didn't like." 

"It's important to remember that your parents were people, Harry," Dr. Clarisse reminded him with a smile. "And that people have flaws. Do not be discouraged so much by hearing these flaws. You are not defined by your parents." She sighed. "Though I am sure it seems like it from time to time."

"Yeah," Harry muttered sadly. "My parents went to the same school I did, and a lot of the same teachers still work there. I hear stories from them all the time."

"There will always be expectations, Harry. You can never escape those. But learning to define your own expectations will be a skill you grow into. And while hearing stories of your parents your whole life must make you dream of living up to them, your successes and failures are for yourself. Not for them."

"I didn't hear those stories all my life," Harry admitted bitterly.

"Oh? What other stories did you hear? And who told them."

"My aunt and uncle," Harry whispered quietly. "They… didn't like me." He said, hoping that maybe Severus had told her a little more about his life with his family. 

"I see." Dr. Clarisse remarked quietly, "and why do you think that was?"

"Because I was…" magic "different."

"And why do you think being different made them dislike you?" Dr. Fobbs-Warwick asked casually. Harry blinked.

"I… I guess I scared them." Harry murmured quietly. "They weren't used to dealing with things that were different."

"That sounds plausible though, of course, highly irrational. It is exceptionally closed-minded to be fearful of things just because they are different. For instance, you and I are different in many ways. Do I frighten you?” Dr. Fobbs-Warkick asked with a smile. Harry winced.

“Er… well… not the same way the Dursleys did. I am a bit worried you’ll tell everyone I'm mad as a box of cheese.'' Harry admitted with much hand wringing. The woman smiled, looking very much like she wanted to hold back a small chuckle.

“You have absolutely no need to worry, Harry. These sessions are entirely confidential. Anything you say is completely private, and I would never think you're mad.” The doctor assured him. She righted herself and lifted her pen to get back on track. "What sort of stories did your aunt and uncle tell about your parents that were different from the typical ones?"

"They told me that my father was a lazy good-for-nothing who got his wife killed while driving drunk. And that my mum was a-" he cut himself off. Granted his aunt Petunia had never said that. But aunt Marge had. And it had stung. A lot. 

"I see." Dr. Fobbs-Warwick remarked with a frown. "It must have been very distressing to hear that everything you'd heard about your parents was wrong." Harry nodded. "Did you confront your aunt and uncle about their lies?" Harry wrung his hands.

"Sort of." He admitted with a wince. "But I wasn't allowed to talk about them when I was home. Or school. Or my friends."

"What were you allowed to talk about?"

"Er… well I wasn't really allowed to talk at all really." Harry finally admitted with a wince. 

"I see." The doctor muttered as she scribbled another thing onto her clipboard. "and how is that different from how things are with Severus now?" 

"Well…" Harry began with a frown. "He makes sure I have proper clothes. And proper glasses. And he took me to a doctor to get my shots and to make sure I'm healthy. And I guess he signed me up for this too." He admitted with a slight blush. The woman grinned. "And… well he doesn't tell me to be quiet or tell me not to ask questions. Heck! One of his rules is that I have to tell him if stuff is bothering me which is just… so weird."

"So he's treating you with respect and dignity."

"Yeah." Harry agreed with a nod. "And… well… he makes me feel like I matter… for just being me." 

"I am happy to hear that you are in an environment that is healthy and encouraging. It promises a major improvement to your mental health." Then she glanced at the clock above the door. "I'm afraid our appointment is finished now, Harry. I look forward to speaking with you again."

"What?" Harry questioned in shock. "But we haven't talked about the Dursleys' deaths at all!" The doctor chuckled.

"Do not worry young man. Every step on a journey is part of reaching the destination." Harry frowned but nodded slowly. He was still frowning in consternation when he and Emmeline returned to the cottage. Emmeline watched him with worry.

"I don't know if this is really helping him Severus… he seems so… flummoxed."

"Flummoxed is better than depressed," Severus muttered candidly.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Depressed

Was he really depressed?

He supposed that probably yeah. 

After all, here he was, on a bright and sunny day, and he just didn't feel like flying. Granted he wasn't supposed to fly alone and, as previously stated, Emmeline wasn't here. But he knew for a fact that Severus could ride a broom. Maybe not as well as Emmeline, but well enough! 

But he just didn't feel like it. 

He'd talked to Dr. Clarisse about these feelings. She had encouraged him to acknowledge them, and then to think more about what was causing them. 

He sighed and pulled himself up.

She also said that he didn’t have to do something big and energetic every day, but that he should at least maintain a routine of getting out of bed and getting dressed. He'd been pretty consistent about that. Today was the first day that he hadn’t wanted to do anything at all. He hadn’t even bothered to take Snappy off the shelf. He still didn’t feel up to that in fact, even though he'd mastered the art of becalming the book and even enjoyed playing with him.

Usually at least. 

Despite all this, he still stood up from the dormer seat. 

He couldn't lay around his room being mopey all day. Dr. Clarisse would be disappointed. 

He made his way downstairs and walked towards the kitchen. Severus was there, stirring something in a pot.

"Spaghetti Bolognese." He suddenly declared. He turned around, with the spoon still in hand. "Care for a serving?" Harry shrugged. "A verbal response please Harry."

"Sure." He muttered blandly. So he drifted to the table. On the table, there was a stack of mail. Harry blinked. It was muggle stuff! A census card, a couple of bits of bumf and a water bill. 

"You get muggle mail?!" He cried in shock as Severus walked up to the table with the two bowls.

"Nosy." Severus admonished quietly. "The cottage has a PO box at the end of The Droveway. The muggles around here know it exists, but as far as they're aware it's still owned by the quiet elderly widow who owned it two people previously." 

"But wouldn't they realize she's probably dead by now?" Harry argued.

"That's where magic comes in," Severus argued with a chuckle. 

"Oh right." 

"It's also why they never bother to come to check up on her. The moment it crosses their minds they remember a slew of errands that need to be done instead." Severus muttered. Harry frowned.

"Well… I guess that means they get lots done. As long as they're nice people."

"I wouldn't know," Severus admitted with a slight frown. "I prefer my privacy. It's safer."

"But lonely though" Harry muttered sadly into his lunch. Severus looked up with a slight frown. Harry casually looked over at the flyers. They were your typical stuff really. A bit for the local grocers, the flashy menu of a Chinese takeaway. But one stuck out. It was a simple sheet of light green printer paper with a Corinthian border and a date. Harry pulled it closer to himself.

WELCOME, WELCOME, ONE AND ALL!

to the annual

SHAKESPEARE ON THE CLIFFS!

FEATURING

The Farthing & Wright Players

Johnstonsons acrobats

fun and games

FREE ADMISSION, DONATIONS ACCEPTED

August 9th - The Merchant of Venice

August 10th - A Comedy of Errors & The Tempest

August 11th - Macbeth

Harry's eyes lit up

"Shakespeare in the park?! I love Shakespeare in the park!" He cried with delight. Severus blinked at him in shock. "There's a troupe that comes to Surrey every year. My school hosted a modern telling of Twelfth Night when I was about seven. They usually do something at the park just past the A3. I used to beg to go out there every year." Harry recalled. "I haven't for a while though. Not since Hogwarts." Severus looked contemplative.

"I suppose we could go for one night. Saturday would be best." He muttered. Harry's beamed. "Provided Emmeline agrees. I don't feel comfortable being the only one keeping an eye on you in what is sure to be a rather crowded setting." Harry's face fell.

"But… but she has been around since that fight you two had."

"For the millionth time, there was no fight!" Severus cried in exasperation. "Emmeline and I did not fight about anything. She's just busy getting ready for the new year."

"Well, how come you’re not that busy then?!" Harry demanded, "You're a professor too!"

"I don't have to rewrite the units for every year from scratch or re-organize my office." He reminded the teen with a scoff as he stood and reached out for Harry's bowl. Harry grumbled and handed it over. How was he supposed to ask Emmeline if she was so busy she couldn't even be bothered to pop in and say hello?  Then he had a thought.

"There's a floo in Emmeline's office, right?" Harry questioned. Severus paused.

"Yes, I believe so."

"I'll just call her then!" Harry said with a grin before he went towards the hearth. He grabbed the box of floor powder when a hand reached out to still him. Harry frowned at the potions master and opened his mouth to yell that it was a bit weird to try and stop him if they didn't have a fight!

"Don't be such a sullen teenager," Severus grumbled. "I was just going to say that for an extended call, you need a lot of floo powder." He picked up a mug that had always been sitting on the hearth but Harry had never known what for. Severus used it to scoop a large helping of powder. "That should be good. The flames will pop twice to warn you when your time is running out. Some wizards just toss on more floo powder but that can be dangerous. If you happen to go over I would be more comfortable if you disconnect and restart the call."

"What makes it dangerous?" Harry questioned. 

"Let's just say it would be rather hard for your body to get on without while your head is in northern Scotland," Severus warned sardonically. Harry instantly felt very afraid of the idea of floo calling Emmeline. Especially if sudden decapitation was a genuine risk! "Just relax and pay attention to the popping. At two, tell Emmeline you're out of time and you'll call back, then call back." 

"Right," Harry said. Then he took a deep breath. He remembered Molly Weasley's advice. Speak very very clearly. "History of Magic professor's office, Hogwarts!" Then he dumped the cup into the hearth. The flames sparked green instantly and Harry quickly dove his head into the flames. Instantly he could see the inside of the rather small office. There was a desk in front of him with the door to the classroom to the opposite, and what looked like the corner of a bookshelf to the right. To the left, he could see a doorway and what looked like a wardrobe through that. But the office was otherwise empty. "Emmeline?!" Harry cried into the room. Maybe she was just out of sight. "Ms. Emmeline?! Are you in here?!"

"Harry?" Emmeline called out, stepping out from the wardrobe-containing room. She looked rather casual, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt with one of her green shawls wrapped around her shoulders and a messy bun replacing her braid.

"Over here!" Harry cried with a grin. Emmeline looked towards the floo and jumped.

"Oh! Harry darling!" Her grin was so… nice. It made Harry really happy for some reason. But then her smile faltered "What's the matter? Has something happened to Severus?"

"No. But that's nice to ask, especially since you two have been fighting lately." Suddenly a hand struck through the flames to the back of his head. "ow!"

"Fighting? What are you talking about?" Emmeline demanded with a confused frown. Harry meanwhile had half turned away from the fire.

"Yeah well, then why are you so distant whenever I bring her up huh?!" Emmeline smiled as she realized the poor boy was getting a lecture from Severus and was probably making things rather worse for himself. "Yeah, Well I'm not blind anymore! You should know! You're the one who got my glasses fixed! Now go away this is my call!" There was another beat of silence in which Harry's face went a little pink. "Er … yeah actually… Now that you mention it, a pillow would be nice… thanks." He turned back to her with a sheepish grin. "Sorry bout that."

"Severus and I haven't been fighting dear," Emmeline assured him. "I've just been terribly busy with the preparations for the next semester."

"Well if that's the case then you really need a break," Harry argued. Emmeline raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose a break would be nice."

"Well, that's why I'm calling," Harry said excitedly. "There's a Shakespeare in the park festival happening on the cliffs this week! I really want to go, but Severus won't take me unless you agree to come too. He says he needs another set of eyes on me." Emmeline smiled.

“Well I would love to!” she cried happily. “I'm rather fond of Shakespeare myself.”

“Brilliant! It's this Saturday, see you then!”

“Right!” Emmeline agreed. Then Harry’s head disappeared and the flames turned cherry red once again. she smiled and turned back to her bedroom. A break would be rather nice.

By Saturday morning, Harry was buzzing.

"I've never seen A Comedy of Errors before," he declared excitedly, "Tempest yeah. Is it true it's Shakespeare's shortest?"

"Yes," Severus confirmed.

"Have you ever seen it?" 

"No. I have read it though. I have a copy of Shakespeare's complete works." The man admitted as he plucked the small book from the shelf and passed it to the teen.

"Cool!" Harry cried excitedly before he cracked it open. A little message on the inside cover caught his eye.

To my son,

May this book be a feast for that clever mind of yours,

Love, 

Pappy

Harry felt his heart tighten as he read that. To think that Severus had once called his Dad 'Pappy'. That they'd had such a close relationship. And how one death had sent it all tumbling down into ruin. 

"You're free to take it," Severus said. "You can return it whenever you’d like."

"Thanks," Harry said as he flipped to the table of contents and read through the various titles. Flipping to a random page he noticed it was written in old English dialect, though it had helpful annotations in the margins. In addition, Severus himself had come in with his own thoughts, adding tiny notes in the margins remarking scathingly on the intelligence of certain characters, or the different ways that magic was represented throughout. Harry smiled. Severus seemed to have had a bit of a book-defacing problem. He wondered how Pince would feel. And if he'd ever been banned from the Hogwarts library. Suddenly the fire leapt up, burning bright emerald green and out stepped Emmeline, wrapped in her green shawl, hair in a braid, with a wide smile.

"Good afternoon boys!"

"Emmeline!" Harry cried before rushing to give her a tight hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too darling," Emeline said with a chuckle. "But I was only gone for a week?"

"A week is a long time!" Harry crowed whineily, "plus Severus isn't nearly as good a flyer as you."

"Oi!" Severus barked crankily.

"Well, it's true!" Harry argued. 

"Seems like you two have been driving each other mad," Emmeline remarked with a chuckle. Severus let out a grunt while Harry harumph himself. Emmeline beamed. Then she glanced at her watch.

"It's four o'clock now, should we head out?"

"Yep!" Harry agreed before he went over to the door. "Got some blankets and a picnic too!"

"Wonderful!" Emmeline cried happily. "Are we walking down?"

"Apperating to the edge of the park," Severus muttered. "I for one don't feel like lugging this all the way to the cliffs."

" It's not that heavy," Harry argued. "The picnics got to be heavier than the blankets."

"Yes, but you have a handle," Severus argued as he shoved the blankets under his arms. Emmeline smiled and pulled one out from under the pile to carry herself. Severus nodded his head gratefully. Emmeline suddenly found herself lost in Severus' gaze. It was so casual. So open. His deep eyes were surprisingly peaceful.

"Emmeline?" Harry questioned. The woman jumped and ripped her eyes away. 

"Yes, dear?" 

"You alright?"

"Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine!" She insisted with a smile. "Just a bit tired from all the work I've been doing. I really wish Albus had asked me more than a month before classes started. Planning lessons for an entire year is not easy to do in a few weeks."

"Well try to relax," Severus said candidly. " Personally, I only develop loose plans for the second semester and confirm them later based on the individual classes' progress. Don't take on more than you can chew. You don't want to burn out before the year has even begun.”

"I suppose you're right," Emmeline said with a smile. "You are the expert."

"How long have you been teaching sir?" Harry asked curiously.

"14 years in September."

"Really?! You started teaching at 20?"

"Is that so surprising?"

"Well… you taught people you'd gone to school with!" Harry thought.

"I didn't interact with very many people under my own year," Severus muttered. 

"Except for myself of course." Emmeline reminded him with a chuckle. "And a few friends of mine."

"Yes but by then all of you had already left Hogwarts,” Severus argued with a roll of his eyes. “Regardless, I had no trouble asserting authority over my students.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Harry said with a grin. He couldn’t imagine his professor being anything less than the pushy disciplinarian he was today. Severus immediately cuffed him upside the head, which left Harry snickering even as he rubbed the spot. 

“Oh calm down you two!” Emmeline admonished with a huff. “Really Severus! I came to watch Harry, not you as well!” the man sputtered out his indignation, which made Harry howl with laughter.  

Harry was still laughing when A Comedy of Errors wrapped up. It really was a funny one! Things went so wrong so fast, and yet it all seemed to work out in the end. 

"There will be a short intermission!" The actor playing Egeon cried merrily. "The Tempest will begin in  half an hour hence!" Then he gave another bow and the player disappeared behind their little pop-up curtains into the tent behind, likely to set up their costumes for the next play. Harry craned his neck around to the sweets stall he'd seen when they walked up.

"Can I grab some treacle?" He begged quietly. Severus made a show of sighing and pulling a ten-pound note out of his wallet. When Harry reached for it he slipped it away quickly.

"Buy me a green caramel apple." He said firmly. Harry nodded and scrambled away. Then he quickly scampered back and pointed at Emmeline.

"Candy apple. A red over a green please." She responded with a chuckle. And Harry was off again, like a bat out of hell. Severus straightened up, pulling the blanket that was wrapped around his and Emmeline’s legs (now that had been an awkward interaction) straining to see him through the wandering crowds. Emmeline chuckled.

"Oh relax Severus. It's less than 30 feet away. What do you think is going to happen? He's going to be snatched up between here and-"

"Harry!" came a girly shriek of glee. Both adults jumped up like a shot and dashed through the crowds with fear in their throats and thunder in their ears. What they found was not the young boy being dragged away to some horrible fate, but instead trapped in the embrace of one extremely exuberant Hermione Granger, complete with him spitting out clumps of her bushy hair. 

"Her- pfth! pfthbb! -mione?" Harry choked out in shock. The girl pulled away with a wide smile.

"Harry! It's so wonderful to see you!" Then she hugged him again, though this time Harry was grinning as well. 

"Miss. Granger." Severus drawled from behind her. The girl jumped a mile and whipped around.

"Oh!" Hermione cried in fright before smiling, though a bit tentatively. "Professor Snape! Harry said he was staying with you." She looked over to Emmeline, much more relaxed. "And you must be professor Vance."

"Indeed," Emmeline said before she reached out to give Hermione a firm handshake. "Harry has told me some wonderful things about you."

"To me as well about you," Hermione said with a grin.

"Hermione darling, where are you?" came Jean Granger, followed by her father, Frederick. "Oh! Hello Harry! How wonderful to meet you again!"

"You as well!" Harry cried before he frowned. "But what are you doing here? I thought you were in France?"

"I was!" Hermione said happily. "We just got back. We saw a flyer for this festival at the harbour and we just had to see it! I absolutely adore Shakespeare in the park! The Kingsbury Players do As You Like It in the park every summer!"

"Me too!" Harry cried happily. "The Shakespeare in the park bit, not the performing."

"We have a bit of a picnic if you care to join us. The next show is The Tempest. Should be starting fair soon." Emmeline offered merrily. The Grangers smiled.

"Why thank you! We'd love to join you." Jean said happily. Harry very quickly rushed over to buy the sweets, with Frederick accompanying. He did admonish that as a dentist, he didn't strictly approve, but he supposed that as long as they all brushed their teeth it would be fine. Severus performed a very discreet bit of magic, duplicating one blanket and widening another so that their new guests needn’t sit on the grass in the cold. About halfway through the show Emmeline pulled out the sandwiches and fruits, Harry devoured them so fast that Hermione poked his stomach in slight shock. Then she frowned and raised her hand to her brow before gaping.

"You've gotten taller!" She cried in awe. Harry grinned happily. 

"Yep! And I got new glasses too!"

"I knew there was something different!" Hermione cried with a smile. "They look very nice."

"Thanks."

As the show wound down the sugar from the treats had left Harry and Hermione a bit wired. They were very excitable, chattering away like crickets as they walked in the general direction of the cottage. Severus had invited the Grangers back to the cottage for a drink (after a bit of nagging for Emmeline). About halfway he stopped Harry with an indulgent roll of his eyes.

"Huh? What? Is something wrong?"

"We're apperating the rest of the way."

"Oh," Harry said before he looked at Hermione with a grimace. "Hold your breath, this bit is pretty awful." 

"Oh, I know all the theory. I've read all about it." Hermione explained before Severus grasped her arm firmly. When they landed she went an ugly shade of green and convulsed before taking a very thick swallow, followed by a horrified shudder. "That was nothing at all like the book described." She admitted shakily.

"Let's get you all some water," Emmeline said to the equally ill-looking Mr. And Mrs. Granger. Jean glanced around the cottage before giving Emmeline a charming smile.

"It's a very lovely home."

"Thank you," Severus responded tonelessly. He seemed rather awkward about having guests. Which made sense, considering his earlier cries about wanting privacy. 

"Come meet Snappy!" Harry suddenly declared before dragging Hermione up to his room. Severus shook his head before turning to his liquor cabinet.

"Wine? Or perhaps something a bit stronger." Severus offered.

"I would love a glass of wine," Jean said happily.

"I'll have the same." Frederick agreed. Severus returned with four glasses and poured a generous amount.

"Did he really?!" Jean cried with laughter "flashing pink?!"

"With confetti," Severus added with a note of disgust. "It was ridiculous."

"Sounds like it!" Frederick chuckled. "But why on earth did Dumbledore hire him, if he was so incompetent?"

"Well you see," Emmeline began with a smile. "There's a bit of rumour. It started not long after I started Hogwarts actually."

"Oh longer." Severus insisted. "I heard whispers in my first year."

"Whispers? Rumours? Sounds awfully mysterious." Jean remarked.

"There is a, at the moment still unproven, rumour that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is cursed," Severus admitted with a sniff. "No professor has lasted more than a year, with varying degrees of tragedy befalling the teachers. Case in point, the previous owner of this house. The castle itself seemed to turn against her. She somehow ended up in a sealed room with no windows or doors for three days." Severus recalled with some trepidation.

"And despite that Severus still insists on applying for the position every year!" Emmeline scolded. "Do you think perhaps Albus is denying you not because of some perceived failing, but because he doesn't want you to end up horribly disfigured? or dead?”

"Oh, ye of little faith," Severus grumbled. "I could weather the curse, I'm sure of it!" 

"Lockhart ended up with absolutely no memories, dead to the world!" Emmeline said firmly. "And Quirrel is literally dead!"

"Well, there were extenuating circumstances!" Severus bickered in frustration. Emmeline scoffed in disgust into her wine. 

"Sounds like a losing battle, love," Jean muttered as she leaned up to Emmeline with a mirthful smile.

"Tell me about it," Emmeline responded in equal volume. Suddenly Severus stood.

"I ought to go check on the children. Make certain they're not getting up to something they shouldn't."

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine. Hermione is a sensible girl. And Harry is such a lovely polite young man." Jean argued.

"I trust Harry to be a good lad." Frederick agreed. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"You don't seem to recall what it was like to be a teenage boy, Mr. Granger. I do… vividly." He turned down his heel. "I'll be right back." Severus made his way up the stairs. There was a girlish giggle that made him a bit nervous. But when he opened the door just a crack he found Hermione Granger feeding 'Snappy' bits of spare parchment.

"Oh I really should apologize to my poor book when I get home," Hermione said with a sigh. "I'm usually so good to my books! I should have known a living one would require a more gentle hand!"

"I think most people would have missed the point," Harry admitted as Snappy hopped up to him and whined to get picked up. Severus frowned. That book needed to learn some manners. Maybe you could train it like a dog. "I mean how often do you come across a book with eyes!"

"You'd be surprised," Hermione muttered with a chuckle. "There are plenty of sentient books out there, most of them are… less furry." Snappy gave her a pouty whine. "Oh, your fur is lovely!" Hermione insisted with a wince. Severus chuckled before he closed the door again. 

"Well?" Frederick asked as Severus rejoined them, "is my daughter's honour still intact?"

"Yes," Severus assured him.

"I told you so!" Jean crowed. "Harry is a good boy." 

"Yes." Severus agreed quietly. "Yes, he is."

"Well thank you so much for all your hospitality!" Jean cried as she guided Frederick and Hermione to the door. "But we really ought to be heading back to our hotel." 

"I can apparate you if you like." Severus offered, as he tucked the Granger family dental practice business card into his trousers.

"Oh no, thanks!" Frederick said with a grimace. "Hate to chuck up that lovely wine you gave us. We'll just head to town and find a cabbie."

"Have a good night!" Emmeline waved after them.

"See you at Hogwarts!" Harry waved with a grin.

"Bye Harry!" Hermione called back. Then the door closed, dimming the light that poured out from the cottage. Then suddenly her mother jumped.

"Oh! The house just disappeared!" Hermione blinked and looked back. It still looked there to her.

"Magic sure is fascinating stuff." Frederick reckoned with a grin. Hermione smiled. 

"I really am happy for Harry, you know. From what you’ve told me about his relatives, he seems far better off." Jean said candidly. "The professor and his wife and very lovely people."

"Professor Vance isn't Professor Snape's wife." Hermione corrected quickly.

"What?!"

"They're both single," Hermione confirmed.

"Poppycock!" her mother cried. "Hermione darling, I've been married for 15 years! I can recognize a marriage when I see one!"

"I'm telling you!" Hermione insisted.

"Well," Frederick suddenly butt in. "Snape better get a move on! A clever woman like that? Well, I'm surprised she hasn't gone off to find someone else!"

"He clearly has feelings for her." Jean agreed. " And they definitely act married!" Hermione raised an eyebrow in contemplation as her mother dove into a complex explanation of all the little things they’d done, secret touches, the ways they finished each other's sentences, that had shown just how deep their relationship went. Hermione had a very intrigued smile by the end.

Maybe Harry really was onto something.