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Chapter Text

Dudley was after him, hot on his heels with Piers and Piers’ big brother right in with him and this time….

This time they were gonna to hit Harry with a stick!

Long and heavy cause Dudley was so much bigger than Harry, so much stronger, even though he was only a little bit older, and in a blind panic when his way was blocked Harry did the only thing he could do, tried to escape as he wished really hard he’d fit through the tiny gap in the new fence suddenly just there across the route he usually used to run to safety.

No where else to escape the yelling grabbing hands, the fence was high and strong and the hole between two badly joined boards was getting closer and bigger and the stick thudded right beside his head as he slid through the gap and he was running, faster than ever because yells and rage were behind him now but they might get through too somehow and he had to get away.

*

He got away.

Running and running and running he did indeed get away.

Of course, he was so bad just being him messed everything up because words yelled out from behind, “IT’S OPEN HERE COME ON!!!” had him scrambling down the lane rather than going through the gate to the fields, high walls on both sides now, no cover at all, nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape and a man was there on one side, taking bags out of the wall somehow and the screams of “FREAK gonna kill the FREAK!” from the oldest kid chasing him had the man whirling with a snarl of “How Dare YOU!”

The man didn't see Harry skid past and jump into one of the bags, didn't see him burrow beneath the blanket and pillow and hide, and Dudley and the rest were suddenly being yelled right back at, big tall angry scary man against three little kids and they all ran away crying as the man snatched the bags up and it would have hurt but Harry was snuggled into softness so he might feel a bit sick from the jolting footsteps but if he just stayed in place no one would find him, he’d jump out eventually and….

Did grownups get called freak too?

Cause the man had been really really mad about it, even if it’d been Harry the word was yelled at.

He’d done it again though, been super bad, the worst ever, and he was awful and stupid and scared and sad sad sad cause the wish had done something to him and he needed to have a plan, had to have a plan but between one moment and the next he yawned and the bags stopped moving and swaying which let him relax even more and he sighed as his eyes closed without him saying so.

At least now no one would find him for a while, and maybe when he woke up he’d be back to normal.

*

'Stupid bus, stupid muggles, stupid bloody horrible muggle children and a HUGE double fucking stupid Dumbledore bastard bastard bastard!'

He’d been kicked out of Hogwarts for the entire summer, "For your own good my boy!”

Yeah, his own good to be kicked out of his comfortable quarters and his potions lab and have to stay three full months in his decrepit house and no money to fix anything or even eat because of course he didn't get paid properly because why pay him when the vow he’d given to protect Lilly’s son bound him to service!

Paid only as much as a first year intern, because of course he could live on campus, had his meals included even, and why not be head of his house without any extra money, what else did he have to do with his time and of course he had to teach all years rather than only the final two years the way he’d been promised….

And a super of course he HAD to work for Dumbledore until Harry turned eleven and showed up at school because Harry was just fine and happy where he was and no, Severus wasn't on the need to know list of where the child was. So just work hard and do as you're told and don't ask questions and obey obey obey!

Of course he was little better than a slave to the bullying toerag that everyone worshiped, and now he had to figure out how to get through the summer with no money, no supplies, no support, no one to even care and most of the world still hating him despite having been cleared of all charges.

Fucking Black was lucky enough to die in the war, Peter dead and Remus put down for killing him, Lilly dead and gone, Shit for brains James dead too….

How was he the only one alive?

He’d hated them all, other than Lily of course, but he didn't want them dead.

At least Harry was safe.

Or, pausing as he set his bags beside his feet on the muggle bus because he still had his old pass, could easily make it work on the reader unlike the Knight Bus that took cash only, was the boy safe?

Dumbledore insisted he was but then again, he insisted this was for Severus’s own good, not punishment for his having protested hard against the dropping of another key subject from the curriculum.

Severus knew better, and his hidden tiny bit of savings knew better too.

Sagging back against the seat, rubbing fretfully at his temples at the sudden pounding headache, at least he was dry and had some supplies now. Storing them in a stasis charm buried in a stone wall in the lane he’d once met Lilly in seemed to have actually been a good idea, rather than the paranoid delusions of an overly dramatic teen, as Lilly’d called him while helping hide it all away.

Each bag was expanded inside, four of them, they held food, clothes, bedding and basic potions ingredients, and if the weather got any way better he’d go hunting himself for more.

A potions Master didn't need state of the art to create marketable potions, and Severus smiled for what felt like the first time in years, he and Lily might not be together any more in this life, but he knew she was still there for him.

Nudging the bags at his feet he sighed, “Gone but never forgotten my friend, never forgotten.”

She was saving his ass still, and he’d always love her for it.

**

Getting back home he sighed again, but in disgust rather than fondness, because, "What a dump!”

But by blood it was his dump, and it was within walking distance to a huge bit of forest and moorland, as well as the local shops for basic needs.

Raising his wand after setting the bags inside the door, he cast the first of dozens of cleaning spells, banishing nasty wallpaper as he went, charming the walls smooth as he repaired and reinforced much older repairs, a final color charm on the renewed plaster left each wall pale yellow with cream and rose accents.

Colors chosen at random yet they reminded him of something....

The furniture he left for last, as he worked from the front door all the way to the back for the basic cleaning and refreshing, and then paced the now gleaming polished wood floors back to tackle the outdated decor.

Spells would hold as long as he was there, his own magic reinforcing the houses own power, but for proper lasting repairs he needed supplies, specialist builders to use them, and nowhere in his budget did the money for that live!

**

Looking at the sitting room furniture Severus suddenly realized…. he’d never in his LIFE chosen something that he wanted, hardly even knew what he liked never mind what he wanted in his own home, but the wards were singing simply with his presence so safety was assured and with all the work and stress of the day he was too tired to second guess himself and he remembered one place he’d once loved so, a flick of his wand and the wood and wrinkled moldy fabrics smoothed and polished, cloth flashed to cream and then vines and flowers blossoms and spun across it, a tropical paradise on a textured canvas fabric, all mustiness banished along with the bland checked beige.

Spinning the stained carpet into a spiral tied rug, blacking scoured the rust away from the iron stove, he set an Ever-Flame within and fell into one of the two deeply padded arm chairs, utterly spent yet now it looked and felt like Lily's conservatory, a place he and she used to hide away in as the rain hammered down, giggling over their plans and homework, the memory of it had him sighing again with the remembered feeling of home.

Lilly had always been home for him.

He’d sleep on the couch tonight though because the bedroom was still nasty, finish the rest over the next few days, and then begin brewing.

Grateful once again for his younger self he tugged a packet of biscuits from one bag, opened a bottle of milk to have with them, and pulled the top blanket and pillow from the second bag and felt his heart stop.

Horror and guilt and shame, how on EARTH had he and Lilly managed to stasis a kitten!!!

Blue eyes blinked up at him and dirty black fur and flat little ears and panting breaths…. did it have fleas? Was it sick? 

He remembered them watching a mother cat and five kittens playing in the alley that long ago day, all of them black, short hair but Lilly had laughed and pointed at the one with long hair, told him all about how cats could have several fathers for a litter and the long haired one must be a different tom to the rest and it shocked and scandalized and they’d both gone red and giggled at how naughty it all was yet now, somehow, they’d managed to bag and stasis the poor frighted little thing.

It was so thin.

Crooning softly he reached down, offering a finger for it to smell, you did that with cats right?

He didn't know, but it did indeed sniff the digit, and then ate the digestive he offered, and he didn't give it any milk because the-font-of-all-information from his past had once lectured him relentlessly on never giving cats milk, despite the chances of his ever actually having a cat was perfectly zero. 

Not for any longer than it took his parents to find and kill it anyway, and the one time he’d tried as an adult, a freak accident, he tripped and it ran and he’d…. The memory never failed to bring tears to his eyes, shame and grief and horror all mingling to stab at his heart, he’d never had the bravery to try again!

Now though he gave the kitten water, watched it lap it up, saw the wistful gaze on the biscuits and instead offered it an open tin of sardines which it ate frighteningly fast, choking a few times in its haste, and then wobbled over making little whimpers and he picked it up.

Risking getting bitten because Lilly had spoken of bite strength, and perfect predators many many times in her cat obsessed childhood - forbidden due to her sisters allergies from having one she’d lived vicariously through learning about them and now Severus knew exactly how bad a bite would be even from a kitten this young yet risked it anyway.

Remaining unbitten despite being hissed at, he examined the surprisingly large feet and dug out of one of the other bags healing salve for the torn and bleeding paw pads.

By the time he was done caring for the poor thing it was sound asleep in his arms and he lay back, still in one of the arm chairs, put his feet up on the rest, and slept too.

Couches for sleeping were overrated anyway.

***

Harry’d almost died when the blanket was lifted off him, but then he got a digestive, and water, and then fish and his feet didn't hurt now that spicy smelling goo’d been put on them, and he'd slept so good, no bad dreams at all and the nice man was still sleeping but Harry had to pee!

No peeing on the man!

And he was still a cat, or, well, a kitten really and he’d so hoped he’d be him again when he woke up but nope, looking at his tiny toes he sighed and tried to figure how to get down only to be lifted down rather than jumping.

Oh, nice man was awake!

How to tell him Harry had to pee?

Shrugging in his mind Harry squatted and was hurriedly scooped up, the words, “Oh, right, litter, shit, no litter, go outside?”

They both looked at the window to the hammering rain. “No, inside, right, Lily, what do I do?”

Squirming cause he couldn't hold it much longer he saw the man take a stick, wave it at the bookshelves and one of the shelves and all the books on it turned into a low box full of what looked like cat litter cause he cleaned it at Miss Figgs’ house when she babysat him and even if it was embarrassing Harry jumped right in and sighed in relief to finally get to go!

And oh, his little feets had a mind of their own when he tried to just walk away and instead he turned around and scratched litter up and over the wet spot and he vibrated somehow when the man said, "Good job, well done.”

No one ever said that to Harry but no wonder kids smiled when it happened to them, it felt so nice!

Then he said, “I never liked those books anyway, just trash, all of them, cat litter is actually a better use than simply throwing them away I guess.”

“Hungry?”

Nodding frantically he missed the man's blink of surprise as he skittered forward to the empty can of the day before and sat with a wriggle of excitement, if being a cat was like this then he was glad he’d not turned back to a boy!

“Kneezle? Part Kneezle? Enchanted or cursed or enhanced? And how, how on earth was one of those kittens back in the alley in my bag and what….”

The man was muttering pretty big words, only some of which Harry knew but all of them he guessed had to be about magic, cause the man was magic, even had a magic wand and did wizard thing with it!

It was the coolest thing Harry’d ever seen and no one would ever find him hidden in the shape of a cat, well, pouncing on the fish placed in front of him he huffed, cause he was tiny and no matter how he wanted to be a cat he really was only a kitten, he was smaller than the man's foot!

But the nice nice man gave him more water, and the entire tin of sardines went down a treat, and Harry was still hungry but the man looked so sad and worried Harry didn't ask for more.

It was okay, he’d already had more than he usually got, and big seven year olds didn’t need much food, everyone always said so.

Well, they said nasty mean things but it really just meant he didn't need much.

A thought hit like a sudden smack, only without the ouchie bit, he had an entire house to explore!

A quick check as the man was leafing through a book, still muttering, Harry crept to the door, an off hand “Be careful.” had him nodding and then he was away down the hall, tail high and excited.

*

Harry liked the pretty colors the man spent the day filling the house with, one room at a time, and no one yelling at him was wonderful, and no school or things to do or chores or being hit or anything person-shaped him had to deal with made him doubly happy to be cat shaped, and he was trying to figure out a way under the bathtub because it smelt incredible, all fuzzy and squeaky, although he was a bit confused how a smell could have a sound too when he was picked up.

Just like Miss Figg did her cats, the nice man talked to him all the time which was fantastic! “If we want to eat more than survival rations dreamed up by teens, and past me was an idiot with some of the food I packed, we need money.”

“To get money I have to go to the forest and - ” Oh no, the nice man was leaving!

Scrambling up the man's arm Harry got to his shoulder and clung, and then wriggled to get into his jacket only to be carefully pulled free.

“You can’t go with me.”

Nodding a frantic I can, I can! Harry gripped the sleeve with his teeth and refused to let go.

Only knowing it was impossible prevented Severus from contacting Minerva to give him the animagus revealing spell, but as the kitten was so young, and it was only late teens that first managed the spell to finding their alternate form it had to be a very smart Kneazle, familiar level even, although how it’d gotten into their hidden away supplies was a continuing mystery.

“Alright, alright, you can come but only if you wear a leash and stay in my pocket, got it?”

Pocket, looking over Harry frowned cause how was he gonna fit…. oh, magic! Because the pocket now was big enough for him so he jumped right in when the man brought him close enough, and it was even bigger inside so the vibrating in his chest got louder and then fingers, oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh the man was rubbing behind his ears and it felt so good!

Hardly even feeling the walk, Harry Potter simply enjoyed some of the first positive touch he’d had in all the life he actually remembered.

*

Peering into the trees and wild scramble of briars and green smell and awesomeness, Harry continued to purr as the man walked slowly along, long stick in one hand lifting and pushing the brambles out of the way.

“Ah,” a happy found-it kind of sound, “here, see.” The man was kneeling now, “This is spike berry, no berries yet, too early in the year for it, it blooms in Autumn, makes berries in the new year, used to be called winter ice berry but now it’s called Spike Berry because of the shape of the berries.”

“Stupid name, and people are stupid too.” Carefully snipping young leaves to drop into a sectioned off collection basket, “They ignore it, call it common and want better, more expensive ingredients yet this little thing, ah good, see, more of them, it has at least nineteen different uses, including in the potion we are going to make, Be Of Good Cheer.”

“Non addictive, safe even for children, strong enough for adults, and every ingredient should be available here, near us.”

Long moments of quiet motion as only the right sized leaves were collected, not too young, not too old and then the man made a very happy sound indeed as he reached out for a round black nobbly elongated ball, roughly the size of a smallish marble.

“Another stupid common name for this one, Gnome Turds, but, I guess, if you are crude and rude, perhaps it does indeed look like Gnome scat, which also has potion uses, but not for what we will be brewing later."

“Yet smell.” The thing was scratched a tiny bit and a fragrance of - Harry didn't know, but he and the man kept sniffing it, cause it smelled so good!

“Hard to find, and we need at least ten, but so far so good WAIT, come back here you!”

The smell was easy, even put away Harry could smell it, not the one in the basket but a new one, not as strong as the one scratched, and Harry wanted to find it for the man and now he was flying!

Whhheeeeee he giggled and then he was in hands again and he pouted, purring and trying to squirm down until with a sigh from the one holding him and a swish of the magic wand, squiggling feelings around Harry’s chest and shoulders and he was set on the ground, now wearing a ‘Leash, oh dear, I did say yes to a leash.’  Meeping to himself about not being a baby to need a leash, he pounced at the smell, swiping old leaves away to show the sweet smelling thing and the webwork of brown bare vines it was growing on, and the nice man made a really weird sound when Harry looked up and ta dad’ed at it with his paw.

Watching it cut free of the ground Harry immediately shoved under the bushes and refused to be tugged back out until he snatched the next one in his jaws.

Offering it too the man laughed, and it was the best game Harry’d ever played, the find the magic plants game.

They found enough of the black balls the man said they could sell the best ones for even more money than the potion, and then Harry got taught a thin stinky vine, very hard to spot but pungent enough to wrinkle his nose up and it took ages to find it but when they did it was a huge patch of it and Harry sat right back for the man picking cause it really stank when cut.

Then it was a mossy thing on dead wood that was full of tiny wiggly bug things, and next a mushroomy thing like a web but all melting like and then Harry was too tired and hungry to keep going and fell asleep in the pocket.

*

The kneazle was a miracle.

In one morning's ingredient hunting Severus had enough to make a caldron of the target potion as well as several very pricey items to sell.

The little thing had even pointed out a mare's nest, the tangle of fibers no larger than its paw, but alone it was worth twice every single thing collected and even the future brewing.

Perhaps it’d found it by smell, regardless he was worried now, the kitten had only eaten one tin of fish, how had he not thought to feed it properly before letting it run all over the woods, it was wet and muddy and at least the warming charm on the pocket was keeping it warm, even if not dry.

Sending a patronus to his main potions supplier he gave an offer of the mare's nest and five of the best gnome turds and agreed with relief to the price. 

Strolling to the field beside his house Severus held up a wrist for the owl, untying the money pouch and exchanging it for the ingredients, feeling pride and joy for some strange reason as he felt the weight of gold earned today.

Reaching into the pocket he stroked the sleeping Kneazle as he strode swiftly to the local shop, having already requested part payment in muggle money.

One large bag of kitten food and a few things for himself, he headed home, tired out and so much still to be done.

*

A smack on his bum and Harry was set out of the room, along with a scolding frown, "No, you were told, do not touch anything in here, dangerous!” and the door was closed with him on the wrong side of it!

Pouting as he sat down plump upon the floor Harry huffed, because he really should have behaved.

Frowning, he licked the fur over the spank that did sting a bit, not much though, nowhere near what he was used to from the people he once lived with but he was super sad anyway.

Even more sad cause the door was closed.

He still didn't know nice man's name, and Harry’d been bad for not listening, and had been even badder, no, worse than badder earlier when he'd mewed and pestered and gotten a bit of a biscuit but he shouldn't of done that either.

Maybe the man would throw him away now because of how bad Harry was, or hit him even more or or or stop feeding him or….

Maybe Harry could make it up to him and things would be okay? Go back to before the man got cross at Harry being stupid and not listening?

The bathroom window was open because the fresh air smelt nice, and the woods were only a few fields away, and Harry knew so much more of what the man needed now after a second visit to the woods, and it'd been aces to watch him change the house room by room into a place of light and colors and bright and fresh so if Harry wanted to stay in such a nice place then he needed to be good, not touch and not beg and be polite and helpful.

That's what his old family said, with lots of extra words back then but he didn't like those words so he cut them out and just kept the better ones.

So, step one, get out.

Easy peasy, up until he was on the windowsill, looking out, and it was a looooong way down.

And then his new plan of finding a different way out of the house totally failed because he was too scared to jump out, and too scared to get back down cause the jump up from the counter was easy but going the other way….

The angle was wrong, his new cat body knew it, trapped, he was trapped!

And the man was mad at him, and Harry was bad, awful and greedy and touched things he wasn't supposed to and it was all too much so he sat down and cried.

Cause it was suddenly all the worst thing in the world!

*

Guilt hit as soon as he closed the door.

There were better ways to handle that than to put the kitten out like that.

Frowning at the cold cauldron, it was unlike the little thing to not listen, but it was a kitten after all.

A baby.

He’d smacked a baby and put it out of the room and what kind of monster did that?

Failed again to live up to his friend's memory, as he always did, he snatched the door open, hoping the kitten would still be there but a noise seized his heart with terror, it was crying.

Wailing kitten grief and pain and he bolted for the sound, only for fear to spike higher because it was on the windowsill, eight feet at least above hard ground!

Moving slowly so it didn’t startle he said, “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m sorry little one so sorry I should have explained better, not gotten cross with you you’re just little, just a baby really come here, I’ve got you see all better now I’ve got you.”

Cradling it close to his neck it snugged in, him rather, Severus thought, not it, him.

Tiny heart racing, face pressed into the shadow of his chin, Severus slowly rocked back and forth, eventually closing his eyes as he continued to murmur nonsense to something that might understand, or might not, regardless he did it, talked and talked and talked and then took them both to the fire in the sitting room and shared the heat, slumped into his favorite chair, the bright colors soothing in a way he didn't understand.

In the castle his rooms were black and tan and bare cold stone.

Not the way a castle should be, castles were once plastered and painted bright brilliant white and then painted over with decorations and people and stories and along with that were tapestries and woven fabrics and wood, polished to a shine and ironwork as decorative as it was functional.

Castles used to gleam and blaze with color and life and were the beating heart of the realm.

Hogwarts now was barren stone, cold and bleak and bare and dreary.

In a fit of madness he said, “Watch, come on, see what I do to the wall.”

Tiny face peeking out and a simple flick of his wand changed it to white and he began to trace the two of them in the woods, using all the colors once coaxed to life by roasting ocher and iron rich clays, bright reds, yellows and oranges on the fresh white of the wall, spinning curls of trees up and across onto the ceiling as the kitten gaped.

Then he scattered all the different potions ingredients the kitten found for him, lines in black and infilled with greens, purples and blues, expensive colors once, a looong time ago.

Then him, holding a hand aloft upon which sat the black fluffy kitten, a gold star shining bright above them both.

“See, a gold star for how good you are.”

A protesting mew, and sad sad eyes and Severus shook his own head, “No, you were wrong to touch when told not to but I was wrong to be so cross.”

“I’m sorry, and will try to do better.”

A meeping cry and he was cradling a kitten clearly promising the same and he sighed, “That in no way changes how amazing you were that day, such a good helper.”

Easing back he urged the flames in the stove higher to drive off the chill of yet one more cold wet early summer’s day, “From now on when I brew you will remain in here, or in the bedroom so you stay safe.”

“You already have food and water at all times, free feeding I think it’s called, Lily used to say it was best for kittens, oh, you'd have loved her, brightest mind and sweetest heart, she loved a boy of our year and things went really bad after that but we never stopped being friends.”

“Even when I was horrible she forgave me.”

Not bothering to wipe his tears away he sighed, “She forgave me even when I didn’t deserve it.”

“She’d have loved you too.”

“Now,” sniffling a bit he sat back and said, “names, we need a name for you.”

“I’m Severus Snape, potions master but my fucking employer, owner more like, well, we do NOT like Albus Dumbledore! Anyway, normally I live at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which is a very grand way to say a heaping pile of cold ass stone full of people who hate me but that’s who I am, now, you. How about Fluffy?”

Face wrinkling up in disgust Harry shook his head firmly.

“No, I suppose this couldn't be easy, so, Spot?”

“Yeah, no, hmmmmm, Zipper? Sar? Mittens although no, no white paws, just black fluff. Ink? Caldron, Truffle, Twig, Ingredient, Ingre for short, Hunter, Finder, Bag, Lost, Found, Gold Star?

He gave a laugh, “Maybe call you Harry, he was such a bright little baby.”

A sudden flurry of nods broke him from his reminiscent mood and he asked, “Harry? Seriously?”

But the purring and padding paws and bright cheeping peeps kept on so he said, “Right, Harry it is.”

“Lilly would have liked that, naming you after her son…. I promised to take care of him but…. I can’t find him, fucking Albus won't tell me where he is, just says he’s safe and I’ve done every find me spell I can figure out and asked and hunted no matter what fucking Albus does to me..…

“Gods I hope he’s safe.”

*

Harry wanted to be able to ask questions, because Lily sounded nice, and stories of other people were always exciting, and how funny Severus knew another Harry and he sounded sad about it too but it was like a magic story really with no real connection to make him sad too and maybe other Harry really was okay, and now he had his name back!

A sudden flicker of movement and Harry pounced but the mouse got away, as usual.

Being picked back up and cradled he listened to Severus talking, “That, my little friend Harry, is a Tiste. Or, in other words a temporal anomaly mouse, and very valuable indeed for potions ingredients.”

“You’ll only ever catch them by accident, because by the time you move they have seen at least three immediate futures and one longer term and simply run down the one that leads to escape.”

“Or, for old ones they saunter away, but that one looks young.”

“Even a bit of fur is valuable for any temporal potion based, but they are endangered, dying out I think, so even if we caught that one all we'd do is heal any injuries it might have and let it go again, although we’d take a few whiskers and some hair in exchange.”

“Watch it now, see the underside of its tail, where it joins the body? It's a little boy, like you too kitten, so finding it a little girl mouse to be friends with him would be good, but we have as much luck getting hold of  a breeding female as you do of catching him.”

“We will make sure to keep your bowl of kitten food topped up because it’s good for him too.”

“They live a very long time, so they look like mice but really are not mice and instead are mouse-like, see the tail, only half as long and extra fluffy, because with their temporal adaptations they don't need a long tail for balance or to get caught in things.”

“Ah, now, see, it’s back at your kibble, go on, see if you can catch it this time.”

Being set loose this time Harry stalked carefully, slowly, watching the entire time, because it was summer, and the house was nice and warm with the fire and sometimes sunny days, and he’d noticed his own fur falling out cause of how he didn’t need it right now so maybe if he was really lucky…

Holding his paws totally still after the mouse ran away again, Harry meeep meep meeped until Severus got up and came over, bending down to see what Harry was yelling about only freeze, almost not breathing at all, to take tweezers out of a pocket and, carefully pick up the single whisker on the floor!

Harry got an entire tin of sardines for his amazing, and valuable, find.

*

They’d done the woods again, this time driving much deeper, where the trees were taller than the sky, shadows so deep even brambles failed, and Harry was in awe as he looked up, and up, and up again until he fell backwards in the pocket to lie on his back and…. 

His belly was rubbed!

Grabbing the hand with all four paws he bit the wrist and gnawed a bit as Severus laughed, but Harry was very careful not to hurt, cause he’d bitten his own tail that morning after chasing it and had hurt himself badly!

Severus’d fixed him all up, one of the newest of the potions all bottled and sparkling on the shelf was for kittens, magical first aid.

So he didn't bite hard, or let his claws out, and was lifted out to see better.

“This,” a tangy little green leaf was offered to his nose, “is what we are looking for first.”

“Think you can find it?”

Raising his head proudly Harry nodded firmly and let the magical tether be attached to his new harness.

Leather, emerald green, an attachment point for the magical tether that would let him roam without tangling, part of their sales money had paid for it and Harry was so proud as he was set down, sniffing the air and then backed up sharply, a nasty rotten stink had him gagging as he was scooped up and the wand waved and he was suddenly in a bubble of pure goodness and could breathe again.

“Well, that could have gone better, Felus Repulsa, Cats Bane, not deadly but it indeed drives any cat that smells it away.”

“See, look,” still in the bubble Harry watched as the round grey thing slowly eased from the leaf mold, Severus being careful with his wand to harvest and not damage it, and eventually it was free and in a sealed container.

“Many people don't want cats in their garden, this will safely repel them so it is worth a lot of money. Especially as you only need a few grains weight per sellable potion bottle and this one is big enough to brew over a hundred doses.”

“You feel up to trying again?”

A firm nod and they walked a bit more before being set down again, and this time it all went to plan.

Easily finding the first plant, Harry’d already worked out anything at all that smelt stronger, spicy or sweet or nasty or like things he’d already found before was probably something his person would want and so it proved, in hunting for the target species he found three others, all of which had Severus praising him, telling Harry how good he was.

Purring fit to bust a gut, Harry ate his lunch while Severus had his, later they shared snacks, and finally got home and this time Harry got to watch as all of it was put away, the spares packed up and owled away even if Harry didn't like owls.

They looked at him the way he looked at the time mouse!

*

Looking at their finances, his little friend curled up on his knee sleeping deeply, fur freshly brushed and dinner rounding out his tummy, gaining weight properly now, Severus couldn't believe it.

In two weeks of very light work he’d made more than four full months of teaching would give him.

And that was in a fairly non magical area of forest for their foraging.

Enough so his kitten had several nice choices of what to eat when Severus had his own meals, as well as high quality kitten food ready and waiting for him at all times under a freshness spelled ever-full bowl.

But, that total written in his daily log, a tiny dream from childhood unfurled fragile petals in his mind, when he and Lilly had decided one cold day to be potions ingredient hunters.

All the adventure in life they could ever want, and still helping people.

Could he do it alone?

Albus had bound him with an oath to protect Harry but wouldn't let Severus know where he was, said year one when Harry turned up, eleven years old at Hogwarts was soon enough and until then he’d be better staying and teaching and making the world safer for Harry and Severus hated it.

But because of the wording the old bully used, Severus had no choice.... He stayed.

A pounding headache hit, and he ground his teeth and headed for bed, Harry Kitten tucked in his arms, because the only time he’d tried to give him a bed of his own the kitten had cried so pitifully in the night that Severus’ own bed was the only option, sharing with something so tiny was no harm at all.

Why a kitten would have nightmares was a mystery, and perhaps soon he’d approach an animal healer because, did kittens need things? Medical things?

Curling under his covers, glad for the extra funds so they both could eat good food rather than the cheapest possible, and even had new blankets on the bed, and….. Fingers gently rubbing behind sleeping fluffy ears, why did he stay at Hogwarts?

But the suddenly increasing headache distracted him, and he lost the thought as sleep claimed him.

Chapter Text

Getting on the bus early in the day when the news reports finally announced a week of settled fine weather, he was a bit tired from the prep work of the trip and now it was a three hour trip ahead of them both but Severus needed to be fresh so resting on the bus would do nothing but good.

Never mind that this way was better for other reasons as well, but they’d be camping for three nights at least, so the bus would let him relax as they traveled, and no one from the magical world would be able to trace him.

He’d bought a small tent, nothing fancy, just a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a full bath in what looked like a muggle one person version, camo color.

Because the coast had been lashed by a huge storm, and mackerel ruffled sea dragons were spawning and he knew a cove….

Sheltered, rocky, high cliffs that usually protected it yet the storm would have lashed right into the mouth of its cove from the angle it hit land and just off shore was a rift, deep indeed, and Severus knew the spawning habits of his target item.

They nested deep, took exquisite care of their eggs, tethered them to the rocky sea floor and inspected them constantly for infertility or spoilage because they laid many yet few hatched.

Nipping any dead eggs free they floated away to be lost to potions hunters forever, but the storm meant a very good chance of some of them at least winding up on shore.

Nowhere near the size one would expect something the size of the sea dragons to lay, only as big as a medium grapefruit, opalescent shell of exquisite blues and greens shot through with orange and red fire, beautiful indeed and ever so valuable. He’d once found half of one, just the shell, the memory alone had a zing of excitement hitting his toes and hands, making them tingle and buzz, because Harry was amazing.

So smart, eager, willing, and learned so fast.

With his help they had a much better chance of finding an intact egg because the fluids within were prime ingredients, and he had a license for gathering, which meant he’d report any finds and have the choice of selling to the DOM at their set price or to sell it to his own supplier for a better price although the DOM came with the option of trading, and some of the things they had he couldn't get even with Dumbledore’s backing.

Not that he often gave his backing so….

A sleepy peep from his pocket made the journey worth it, usually he’d aparate but not with a kitten this young, blue eyes only just starting to muddle up into an adult color Severus still couldn't guess what it'd be, green maybe, or orange? Blue perhaps? Although a black cat seldom had blue eyes as an adult.

Never mind, whatever color they were, Harry was the best thing to happen to him since that terrible night his world ended.

Sitting back he sighed in contentment and watched the countryside pass by, enjoying every minute of it, while the thought of being unobserved by his employer added hugely to the pleasure of it all.

*

The smell of the sea was the most amazing thing Harry’d ever smelt in his entire life!

It smelt like excitement and he was struggling to get down when a sharp, “Hold STILL!” reminded him of his manners.

He would have given his new version of sorry but instead, “No, it’s okay Harry, I know it’s exciting, but this,” a hand waved at the cliff they were on, the rocks far below, tide pools and crashing waves and quiet mud flats and stones and sand that was sometimes slow, and other times quick!

“All of it that you can see,” and that view had Harry’s heart pounding with excitement hard enough for Severus to feel, “is ALL dangerous!!!"

“And the tide is coming in, so we are going to walk this path together, you will remain in either my arms or your pocket, and we will pitch our tent in the cove we are aiming for.”

“It has no way down for muggles, hardly a way down for us even, and has a sheltered innermost part, high enough to be above even storm floods, wooded, with a stream of sweet water and once we are there….”

“And all the way set up!!!”

“Then we’ll have a look round, and I’ll tell you all about the things we are looking for.”

Setting out with a firm stride Severus smiled as he said to the eager eyes looking out at the world from his arms, “Oh, there, see the tufty green grass looking plants with pink flowers? That’s Sea Pinks, we’ll gather some of it after we set up camp. And there, see the big dark green crispy looking plant, smell," he crushed a bit between his fingers, "that's the wild grandmother of beetroots, very tasty and we will gather a few leaves right now to go into my dinner later.”

The entire walk his person talked and Harry listened, and loved it all but nothing more than Severus who was the best, most goodest person in the world!

*

Having paid for the Easy Pitch tent feature and having already stocked the tent fully with food and water, setting up camp took less than five minutes although Harry still almost exploded with joy at how awesome it all was!

Magic was just, well, magic!

Now though they were finally exploring as the sun began to go down, well back in the sheltered tiny bit of woodland because Severus said he wouldn't risk Harry and waves. High tide would have them up and out in the earliest morning, for now though he stalked a smell, one that unlike most of the things he found, this one was moving and, a brief rush to get closer, a hissss and snarl met his advance and he lept back and pounced side to side to keep it boxed in and Severus was there slapping a clear spell dome over it and the sound he made had Harry looking up in alarm as he was suddenly scooped up and held tight tight tight.

“Holy fucking gods, do you have the luck of angels or devils? Harry, do you know what that is!”

Shaking his head because no, Harry had no idea what the strange thing was, “It's a flargh, and it is fucking toxic as shit, lethal even.”

Severus knelt so they could both see it clearly as it batted and bounced against the shield, “The size and rough shape of a toad, and like a toad it too secretes toxic fluid from skin pores linked to glands, see, behind the head are the largest ones, yet see the smaller swellings around its eyes, and there, behind its front legs and above it's shoulder blades? All parts are worth gold, yet I have never even heard of one being found in Wales, or any part of the UK for that matter."

"And unlike toads, these little horrors can climb almost any surface, and kill much larger prey than one would think just looking at it. Gluttons, greedy, this one would kill an adult sheep and then spend a full week eating the entire thing before looking around for more."

Huffing in frustration Severus activated an emergency amulet, replying to the curt, “What!” with, “Found a young Flargh in Beckets Cove, do you want it?”

A long moment of silence and then a double crack as two people appeared from nowhere.

In the moments before they arrived Severus had tucked Harry into his pocket and said, "Be totally silent, no sound at all, hurry!”

Because he’d suddenly worried the DOM might take an interest in his kitten and was not going to risk it!

Always curt to the point of rudeness and beyond, their dislike and distrust of him made working with them difficult but this nasty little creature really needed specialized handling and to be nowhere near humans, magic or muggle, so he simply watched them contain it and go, knowing he’d get a docket and invoice for for the capture, even if he got no thanks.

If he’d had access to his proper lab he’d have kept it, danger be damned, but for now it was better gone.

Just in case any other nasties lurked in the supposed-to-be-safe place he did a sweeping find-me, because a single touch might have killed his kitten.

Following the find-me with a familial spell of spot-all-danger-to-my-child, only the ocean and small river registered with a hot red - clearly Harry couldn't swim - other hazards shading down in color, the bottom of the cliffs were red as well, falling rocks killed after all.

The small river was dangerous because water always was, as were several branches weakened by the storm but after a nice long look round as the spell faded he simply lifted his kitten out of the pocket, pointed out each danger in descending order to Harry, and they continued to explore, because nothing registered the way the now removed creature would have, as a pillar of brilliant moving red rocketing skywards.

By the time true darkness fell they were both in the tent, eating a simple stew with a buttered side of sea beet greens for Severus, and turning in early, time and tide waited for no one, after all.

*

“Now, give me your last one, good.”

Having stitched the tiny booties himself, Severus was pleased they fit and would keep little toe beans safe from sharp shells and other hazards of hunting the shore line, including stepping upon unexpectedly toxic sea life, and smiled at the memory of explaining their target items.

“Remember, if we don’t find any sea dragon eggs it’s okay, yes this is the most likely place we might find one, but without having one to let you smell it, well, lets just have fun, okay Harry?”

A happy nod and he was off and away, methodically starting with the first patch of jumbled sand and stone edging a tide pool deep enough to swallow Severus, never mind Harry and with faint embarrassment and even more determination he shot a Floater spell at his little fluffy friend who squeaked and flailed in shock and then hissed at him!

“Sorry sorry, Harry petal I really am sorry but, can you swim?”

A grumpy pout and Severus laughed, “The spell is triggered by full immersion in water and will keep you warm and dry and on top for me to rescue and until then it just feels a bit like static in your fur, so deal with it cause it’s not coming off until we are back in the tent, and off you go!”

A few minutes of stomping sulk but Harry was a cheerful soul over all, as Severus well knew, and soon forgot his grumpiness and settled into hunting.

Being a pessimist himself by nature though, Severus expected them to have a nice day out and gather a few of the most common and expected items to be found on a beach like this one yet, only a half hour in his little finder paused, cocked his head and moved forward carefully.

Very carefully indeed because of a very long lecture of how to advance safely when encountering something new, and potentially dangerous.

Both of them moved around the huge rock draped with what looked like tons of seaweed and battered looking mussels and Severus felt his heart first stop, and then break.

Tangled in the weed, form limp and draggled and bloody was a mackerel ruffled sea dragon, dead and battered and so sad, its vibrant colors not yet dulled by death and this time Severus paused indeed, because it was fresh enough to eat, it was not a protected or in any way a thinking species, and he knew someone who’d pay an incredible price for the, at a guess, sixty foot beast, young indeed at that length and male if the shape of the snout and gills didn't deceive him.

Taking out the communicator again he answered the bark of “What!” with, “I am reporting a mackerel ruffled sea dragon dead from storm action, no, I have no wish to turn it into your department, just register the find please.”

"Male, sixty or so feet, probably its first mating season, it still has the lateral stipple pattern on its caudal fins although it's faded enough to be fully adult, just not old.”

Clicking the communicator closed he pulled out his mirror, and called Pierre, who answered with a flamboyant “WHEEEEEE SEVERUS, My friend indeed it has been too long! What fabulous delight do you have for me today?”

Simply turning the mirror for him to see, the gasp was expected, and a crisp tone informed them, "My team is on the way!”

“No, you don’t need to hide from these ones.” Severus hurried to say to Harry when he began to climb towards his pocket, “they are Pierre’s children, all grown up now and ah, here they are!” Sharp cracks as a team of five appeared and lept to work and Severus left them to it, simply waving them in a go to it motion and they laughed and obeyed.

Almost faint with how much money it was worth, a full years wages of the average witch or wizard, he’d wanted an egg yet found something almost as good, and certainly something many many people would get to enjoy, because Pierre would make sure of it.

“You really are a lucky star, come on little one, we will look for a little bit longer and then have breakfast, I expect that team to be gone in less than that so come on, let us see what's this way!”

Between the team arriving to time to have a full meal rather than their keep-going snacks, the entire beast was sectioned up, packed into stasis boxes and as he looked over Severus paused, sighed and waved them all over.

Covered in sand, blood, soaking wet, shivering and still smiling, in good conscious he simply could not send them home looking like that! 

“Come on, wash up before you head home.”

Leading the youthful troupe his normal dislike of students was no where to see at the high happy joking while one by one they used the bathroom, showered clean, and as each one went in the one just finished would clean that one's clothes and the final one was done when Severus realized the others were in the kitchen throwing together a full meal, including large slabs of sea dragon meat, his protests falling on deaf ears as they continued to set the table.

Harry loved them all, had been pounced upon with cooos and kisses the instant they saw him having his booties taken off, he was called Petite Dragon Finder Tres Magnifique and even Severus laughed at the antics of the ecstatic kids.

Sending them all home the silence returned and he felt….

Gutted.

A wave of such sorrow and regret hit that he fell to his knees, sobbing for no reason other than he’d enjoyed them, liked them, yet that was wrong, he hated kids, all kids but he'd liked them. And they were gone. Gone home and he was alone and Harry pushed frantically against his chin as he cried.

Spells like that hit seldom but rose as if from a deep well, geysering forth and then fading away with no explanation as to where they even came from, or why, and eventually he rose, breath still hitching as he cradled the near sleeping kitten still frantically purring and kneading his chest, trying to make him feel better.

Not wanting to miss the still lowering tide Severus headed back down, keeping them to the easier gravel parts of the beach, slowly ambling along, bending a few times to pick this and that up, finally sitting on a damp stone and just…. let the peace of the place fill him.

The spells of soul deep pain were a mystery, yet as it eased even more it faded, and when Harry woke up from where Severus had tucked him into his pocket for a nap, they continued the search for ingredients, one of them at least with no memory of the spell at all.

*

Day three, following the retreating tide as it uncovered new hunting grounds, each pool and patch a potential treasure, and a smell, super fishy and familiar, hit Harry's nose.

It smelt of the dragon but saltier, not as meaty, and Harry was hunting it, following the shifting wind and his paws scrabbled on sifting sand trying to drag him into a tide pool, a shallow glittering in the sun one, all bottomed with sand and shell and right in the deepest part, still only shallow, less than belly deep even and Harry paused and his bottom wiggled and he pounced and splashed in bounds through it to scrabbled at the weed where three great stones come together as Severus yelled, “Harry!”

But even when he was pulled out of the water the sun glinted against the opal shell of what they’d been hunting.

Severus felt his feet go right out from under him and he simply sat in the pool of icy water, holding Harry, and just looked at it.

Hardly daring to touch, a bare brush of fingertips and it was real.

It really was real.

And now Harry scrambled to push at the collection box, because now he knew what it smelt like he’d smelled again, faint, but still real so he made sure his person began to pick it up and he was off again, because the faint smell was behind them!

*

Packing up after the best collection trip he’d ever been on, only the weather drove them home, three extra days of sun had them staying those same days extra, and now in a stasis box, expanded inside to hold it all, they had not one but nine sea dragon eggs, twenty two fragments of shell, and a beached Scarlet Praline Reash, still alive and nice and fresh.

Dozens of amble clams, a veritable mountain of different seaweeds, several different kinds of shellfish including a very hard to find crab-like digger he'd never seen before, nineteen spider legged wood borers all dug out of a large waterlogged chunk of ancient tember, six smooth stones with nice holes right the way through, a full cup of assorted sea glass which was a surprisingly useful ingredient, one very large sea snail, several bags of assorted sea side plants and flowers, and a few things simply to be eaten at a later date, including three large sea bass Severus had charmed into reach with a very old fisherwoman's song.

He’d felt a bit embarrassed at singing with Harry watching but his audience of one had been entranced, and then when they were close enough to see in the shallows, the first accio sea bass was cast and it was on shore Severus had laughed until he cried at Harry trying to hold the fish still.

Each fish he’s sung and spelled to shore had been a delightful moment in time indeed as his best helper rode the thrashing fish across the sand until Severus collected it and the kitten.

They’d keep the fish for later meals and with a deep hum of satisfaction the ledger snapped shut on one more step of his plan, now growing strong indeed.

If Harry Potter was only six or so currently, then Severus had five bloody years until he had to be at Hogwarts to protect him, if he was safe the vow didn't come into effect at all, so he was going to….

Maybe anyway, maybe he'd do it." Rubbing fretfully at the swiftly building headache, refusing to be distracted. Did he need to stay at the castle at all? Did he even have to be a teacher?

Did he have to stay with people who hated him, students who hated him, a place he himself hated, that held no good memories at all other than his one best friend.

Could he just…. a spike of pain and he flinched, but could he just take the next five years off and hunt potion ingredients?

Because he now had more money than he'd ever seen, never mind owned, all tucked away in the form of eggs and shells, safe as houses.

Safer than Gringotts even.

Sagging back into his seat on the bus, he finally gave in and took a headache potion and slept a bit, hoping the pain would go as fast as it'd shown up.

************

Home again!  Crowing in joy Harry scampered all over, pouncing on the time mouse only to have it not be under his paws, like normal, gobbled up a few bites of the food they’d left under a freshness spell for it, and then scrambled down the hall, so full of happiness energy he couldn't stop running up and down the hard wood hall, spinning in circles on the smoothe floor.

*

Laughing at Harry’s antics, kitten zips indeed, Severus finally headed into his storage room and then paused, a feeling of danger shivering up and down his spine.

Someone was at the wards!

Someone dangerous, but the wards were set to allow visitors, always set to allow people to cross, but that was so dangerous, why were they set for that?

Throwing a locking spell on the room he rushed out, gasping “Harry HARRY HIDE!!!”

The kitten skidded under the couch as the front door slammed opened, but he’d locked it behind them!

The wards fair screamed danger Danger DANGER and he didn't like Albus but he wasn't afraid of him, yet he sweated with terror now, the man filling his doorway and striding forward as if he lived there too, as if he was the owner instead of Severus.

“Ah Severus my boy, I thought you had better manners than to leave a guest on the doorstep!”

“Oh.” Shaking his head because it was filled with static, “Sorry, tea Albus?”

A long moment of confusion and tea was on a tray, Albus was in the best chair, his chair, his and Harry’s chair yet was drinking tea and telling Severus that as he had nothing else to do then Albus had a small favor for him and of course…

The words faded out a bit as the wards screaming in his bones finally broke the buzzing free, letting Severus see not his stubborn yet amiable employer and instead he could see the cold eyes, the pose of absolute entitlement as he laid out a miserable stupid errand.

Clearly being banished wasn't enough to make up for arguing with the man but this time Severus said, “No Albus, I have the summer off, you told me to go and I have plans now.”

“Plans?”

“Yes, plans, I haven't been out of the castle for years, you were right, this has been good for me so I’m sorry but - ” “Sorry?”

The one word question and sudden crackling rise in power in the room and Severus sucked in a gasp of shock, because Harry skidded into view hissing at the wizard radiating disapproval and rising anger.

Something, something bad, something bad was happening/had happened danger/loss sickening waves of it, bile in his throat, panic ringing in his head as Severus lunged for his little friend, snatching him up and backing away at the words dripping amused disapproval, “Oh Severus, you aren't allowed a cat, don’t you remember what happened last time you tried?”

Two memories hit simultaneously, one of him tripping, stumbling, little Princess running between his feet, standing full upon her, killing his beautiful little girl…. But….

At the same time, Albus raging at him, yelling for him to obey or else! Albus stamping on Princess, laughing as he crooned over Severus cradling the broken body, crouched on the floor with blood trickling between his fingers from the soft soft fur. “Oh Severus my boy, I need your misery for my plans to work, nothing good for you, not ever. Now, let's just give you a lovely memory, how about how you killed her with carelessness?”

"That way you are so sick with guilt you never even try again, oh, and while we're at it, lets get rid of the bits of color in here, brown and black only for you my boy, I know how much you hate them!"

Shaking in horror, Severus knew Harry was in deadly danger, he too was in danger and Albus Dumbledore rose to his feet and smiled. “I think you forget your place my boy, let's see if I can remind you of it, shame about the kitten, cute little thing, and you even named him Harry, how sweet. Now, give it to me.”

Severus was a potions master, not a battle mage like the person swelling with rage and contempt and crackling power and a clear to see sick pleasure in the terror he was creating, they were going to die, or at least Harry was, but in desperation Severus reached for the now shrieking wards and simply SHOVED Albus away!

Crying out as the man disappeared but it wasn't enough, he was just outside the ward lines, lock down, LOCK DOWN his very existence screamed at his wardstones and the surge as power hit but the wards held against Albus but it wasn't enough NOT ENOUGH Fawkes could get in REPEL FAMILIARS keep them out all of them Fawkes not welcome out out out OUT OUT OUT!!!

Running frantically he somehow reached the wardstone, Harry in one hand knife in the other, shifting Harry to the cruck of his elbow he slit his hand open pouring blood across the ward circle and heart stone, splashing it as he ran the spiral pattern focusing on everything being kept out, lethal war wards locking down and even though it was a tiny house in bad repair it was old, deep, and the wards flared to light and a scream as the spells hammering against them rebounded against the caster and silence fell at last.

Going to his knees, a silent healing spell for his hand about all he had left in him, Severus curled on the floor and held a sobbing kitten as he too cried.

His memories had returned with the casting-out ward, the power flared through the master of house as it formed the protective barrier, and Severus was free of all that had been done to him.

Done to him by Albus Dumbledore, for no reason he could comprehend!

*

The bad bad man had scared his Severus! Jumping out to protect him might have not been the best idea Harry’d ever had but it was effective, and now he was in a room like nothing he’d ever seen before.

Somehow they'd not even run to it, just kind of jumped somehow, a moment of falling floating feeling and then.... been there. Nosing the half curled hand to make sure it was better Harry sat up, and just looked.

Because somehow Harry knew it was safe now, even with his fur crackling with power he knew they were both safe, that even sleeping on the floor like Severus was doing now was okay, even if not very comfortable.

Walls and floor and ceiling of the space were all seamless. Some dark smoky stone he could see into a bit, and they all had symbols and drawings on them. Linked in loops like cursive writing and single ones standing alone, but they burned deep into the stone and the floor was like a floor maze and Severus had carried him as they ran along the main lines, round and back and round and back and round again until they reached the stone in the middle.

Pacing the same path himself eventually Harry reached the stone in the middle, tall, almost as tall as his person's shoulder, smooth and deep yellow and it smelled of thunder and storms and worry and without really understanding at all Harry bit his own paw deep enough to bleed freely, wiping it on the stone as he wished with all his might for Severus to be safe.

Not Harry cause he didn't matter, but Severus mattered, was special, and the stone felt at him, a question, and Harry said, talking somehow even with his kitten mouth, “Because I love him.”

Another question that was just as easy to answer, “Because he's special, he’s wonderful, takes such good care of me!”

A sharper question, demanding of him and again, it was easy. “Of course I’d die for him.”

The next one was much harder, but he tried. “Oh! I don't know, I've never done that before but I can try to live for him. I guess? I’ll do my best anyway.”

One final question, but it was more of an offer, soft and easy, a feeling of care and Harry cried because yes, he wanted that!

“It is yours.” Was a full body feeling lighting him up inside, a tingly hot soft firm caring loving supporting chiding teaching feeling of totally loving care and it was outside of him too, fire bright all colors and fur static crackle pop as lightning crawled up and down the big stone, and along the floor and walls, finally dying away and Harry nodded with a sleepy kind of happiness, “Thank you!”

*

Still bleeding Harry left tiny pawprints as he followed the lines on the floor again, trying to figure out how the stone had so many feelings, both for him and for Severus, and Harry was sure he’d figure out how to live, and be good enough to have the love feeling burning in his chest never go out, somehow he’d figure it all out. After all, he loved Severus, so as long as his favorite person was willing to keep him around, Harry would do his best to be good for him too.

And maybe if he was good enough the feeling would stay too?

Falling against the motionless figure on the floor, their breathing slowly matched, and none saw the combined blood of two people flare bright and hot, winding ties and binds around and within the sleeping figures, and the surging flickers of energy as the house repelled repeated attacks against it didn’t have a chance of waking either of them.

***

Fortunately locking down a house with war grade wards was not illegal in any way!

Even if it was seriously frowned at.

Between that fact and the story Dumbledore had spun about his young friend getting upset, an argument between them, both of their over reactions when things got out of hand and a startled moment with the kitten and it was all fine, all good, no harm done at all.

When he and Auror's met with Albus, late morning after sleeping in the shockingly elaborate ward room all night long, they asked what the argument was about, and Severus had taken a calming potion just for this moment, had spent much of his waning energy creating a mental shield hidden underneath a mirror view of who he’d been under the wizard’s control, something the man would see and believe, because it had been true for years!

Being a natural Legilimens, and skilled at occlumency was going to come in doubly handy for the bluff he was preparing to spin, because now he was behind the damage in his mind, could use it as the weapon it truly was.

Severus also had Harry hidden deep in his pocket, a shrunken trunk on a cord round his wrist, disguised as a simple wooden bead, in it everything they’d need to just run.

But, calm as anything, Severus met his nightmares eyes, let the man see exactly what he wanted to see, and planted his own memory into Albus Dumbledore's mind, a simple little thing, and then said, “It was about my taking a TEN year sabbatical, Albus was upset but after a bit of discussion" rolling his eyes at the aurors to show it was a bit more than just a conversation and they nodded understandingly, "he agreed to five. Our tempers were still up though because if I take a sabbatical it should come with pay, because I am working on being a better teacher and I’m already a potions MASTER and sabbaticals are part of all masteries but, well, I do see his point.”

Letting himself look down cast and slightly shamefaced and guilty he went on, “I mean I am leaving him in the lurch for five entire years and he will have to pay someone else to teach so I did agree in the end to an unpaid leave as long as I can go, and he agreed to five rather than ten years and we’d worked it out but my kitten startled us, he’d been chasing mice in the other room and Albus raised his wand because he didn't know what it was and I - ”

“I’m truly sorry, but I over reacted, I was just so scared because my first kitten died in a freak accident.”

Giving proof to the lie of the man's control reasserting itself over both his mind and memories, Severus added, “I stood on her, tripped and stood on her and she died and I don’t know if you notice but my headmaster is a big man, and his feet are huge so again, I am really sorry to be such a bother.”

It worked.

Somehow it worked, not only did Dumbledore believe his mind alterations had restored themselves but the magic was achieved for real, five years unpaid leave. “Just until Harry Potter's first year Severus," Albus insisted sternly, adding, "I do think you are being terribly selfish but go on, I guess you're only young once and I do forget how young you really are.”

"You are to write me every single week, Severus, without fail!"

He’d swept off at last and the aurors shared a look before asking carefully, “Unpaid for five years lad, are you gonna be alright?”

The question blindsided him, because no one ever cared about him, but Severus managed to nod, “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

Reaching in he stroked Harry who meeped, and the younger of the two law enforcement said as a fluffy black face peeked out, “Awwww, sweet kitten, I’d love one but I live at at home still, Mum’s allergic. I keep offering to get her treated but I think she just doesn't want one in the house. Who wouldn't want someone as special as you though, what's his name?”

Voice slightly hoarse with the calming potion now wearing off he said, “Harry, I named him Harry.”

“As in Potter? Yeah, I c’n see it.” the older one said with a laugh, “Come on Milo lets get this logged and let the poor man stand his house down from war status.”

“Ha ha, good job lad," he'd laughed, "not many could have ejected that old puff guts out of their house and keep that bloody fire bird of his out too!” and still laughing the two apparated away.

A tiny questioning meep and he replied to Harry, “I don’t know, but, let’s go in for a bit and then get the hell outta here!”

*

Already having lied to Albus about his lack of memory, despite having large chunks returned to him, Severus was ignoring it all fiercely just to remain sane as he stroked the ward stone, he’d never actually seen the ward room, believed the house only had a central hearth ward stone, not something like this, it was instinct alone that let him in, yet in the space now, seeing it calmly, it was a room fit for a stately home, or castle even, not a cottage.

And they sang with power, even with how powerful the wards had to be to repel a phoenix and a battle mage, the fading song of ritual was different, personal and loving, as he’d only dreamed of.

But it was a mystery for another day, for now he set the wards to only allow him in, well, he and Harry that is, and left them on war status yet not lethal.

Anyone now trying to cross would be spun round and kicked out again, painful yet not injurious.

Before stepping that down, anyone trying to shove through would have fried!

Already having their tent, and all their ingredients packed safely away in the chest, along with everything of importance, expanded and filled to the top the ever-fresh food bowl of kitten kibble for the lonely little time mouse to have years of food at least to keep it a bit happy, Severus made sure Harry had a snack easy to paw - as it were - in his pocket, set him down on the litter for him to go, then tucked him away nice and safe and stepped out of his house to make good their escape.

Keeping nice and calm, they walked to the road as if just going down’t shops, never even looking back as he raised his wand for the Knight Bus.

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A floating charm, harness and leash, warming charm, a double spot-and-locate charm, and both hands carefully holding Harry, together they both watched the white cliffs of Dover disappearing behind them, the wake of the ferry churning the waters into all different colors of blue.

They'd made a single stop at Gringotts to cash out his vault before buying their tickets, or at least to try and cash them out but instead he’d been convinced to get a travel card instead.

The Dverger helping them had studied his kitten very closely, smiled with all her teeth on show, said, "Beautiful! Blessed Lady Magic never fails to amaze!” and given him the best rate of exchange and interest Severus had ever heard of, and a firm command to “Remember Gringotts for all your travel needs young ones, and we also give a very firm and fair price on rare potions ingredients, so simply press your finger here, on this spot, it will prick and let a single drop of blood activate your card. Then clearly state what you have to sell when the card goes green and the rate we will pay for that item or items will be displayed less than five minutes later.”

“If you agree to our price, simply place the card on a flat surface, the item or items upon the card, it will enlarge enough for almost anything smaller than a full sized dragon, and it will transport to us.”

“If you disagree to our price you are most welcome to suggest a different one, yet rest assured we will almost always offer the highest price you will find, although some of our members do love a haggle!”

“Your balance for the agreed upon sale will hit your vault the instant the transfer is complete and your travel card is accepted in all nations of the world.”

“Enjoy yourselves young ones, you have done very well indeed!"

To say it was confusing was an understatement, but, not willing to let go of Harry lest he somehow fall off the ferry Severus didn't take his bank card out to look at the zeros again, but there were so many of them, and lovely numbers in front of them too, so, “You and I are going to stop at Pierre’s Fine Dining first, and then we’ll see about getting a nice camper van, I’m sure I can learn to drive easy enough, especially if we get all safety mod cons with it, and you and I are going to disappear for the next few years.”

“And of course we'll write, the way that shit bastard Albus demanded we do, but we are already unplottable, oh! We need to write and thank our vault manager for that service and seriously, what was up with how helpful they were? Dverger, never goblin Harry, cause goblin is a racial slur and nasty!” A firm kitten nod to learning better that use a bad word like that had Severus kissing between fluffy ears as he said, “And we’ll use delayed delivery for those letters to Hogwarts so he'll never find us.”

“For five years at least and with your namesake clearly safe and well, according to Albus anyway and why would he lie about that?” No headache at all arrived with his doubting of the man, proof, if any more was needed that hold on him was gone. “We are free.”

A bubble of pure happiness filled him, even with the agony of what that man had done to him, to them all, they were free for now at least.

Snuggling his nose into soft black fur he whispered, “We are doing so good already, I wonder what hiring someone to investigate if other Harry really is safe and well might cost, and lead to?”

Eventually, after a snack, they simply sat, enjoying the feeling of the sun, the very minor swell of the ship beneath them, and the wind.

And freedom, because it was the best spice in the world.

Chapter Text

Together on the first day of the rest of their lives, Harry and Severus sat on deck for the entire ninety minutes the ferry took to cross the English Channel and totally unexpectedly they were met as they disembarked, the five people that had been such good company on the wind swept beach not that long ago now imitated that same wind as they swept them both off and away to their family home where the matron of the family took one good look at them both, whacked Pierre with a wooden spoon causing him to leap with a pained yell and rub the sting away as she said, “Why did you not tell me he was so thin!”

“Look at him, skin and bones and the petite kitten, so thin, so tired, so worn, come, eat, we make plans tomorrow but today we eat and then you both rest!”

Maman was a force of nature and Severus fell to her kind brown eyes, and Pierre wrapped them all in his love and their grown up kids filled their waking moments with laughter as a day turned to a week, turned to a month, turned to mind healers and finally to a sudden shocking discovery.

Because Severus took Harry with him to the mind healer office one day after they'd been there for a few months, and while the treatments helped heal the damage done to him across the years, and the family they were suddenly part of helped even more, the puzzle little Harry was had begun to worry Severus more and more until he asked.

Because it was months now, not weeks, and kittens aged fast, grew to cats before your very eyes yet Harry still looked exactly the same.

Severus didn't get an answer after the team played with his kitten, laser pointers and a feather wand and letter blocks and balls and toys had them all laughing in delight, but he was told to "Leave le petite Harry home with Maman tomorrow and return, we talk then."

Part of him knew, knew already, but as he sat next day with hot coffee in hand he asked again. “Animagus?”

“Indeed.”

“Human child, you are sure?”

“Absolutely certain, and before you even ask, he is from now, from our time, not from when you hid those bags you told us of away, so long ago.”

“Why not tell us yesterday?”

“Think my young friend, what child hides in the shape of an animal, never even trying to turn back?”

“Oh gods!” The coffee was removed from his hands as Severus covered his face and curled into himself, “Abused, he was abused!”

“Indeed he was, yet now he has you, bonded and then adopted through your family magic, and your love is so great his very name has changed as he has healed in your care.”

His cry was tortured, “But I treated him like an animal!”

“Did you?”

An anguished “Yes!” had the healer laughing hard enough to snap Severus enough from his guilt to look at them in shock “Truly you did not. I have watched you with your son, you are so careful, so kind, yet stern and loving enough to give him rules he must obey, and consequences when he breaks them, and rewards for when he follows those same rules.”

“And what rules Severus! Oh hardness indeed to be made to care for his own safety, to not risk himself, to be carried or walk on a leash when out, the way all parents do for their very young children, don’t you think?”

A shudder raced up and down his spine and a warm blanket was cast around him, “Come Severus my lovely one, in all regards you have done the job splendidly, you gave him time to heal, a place to just be himself, yet it is time for him to step back into the world fully human, as your son indeed.”

“Son, are you sure? How? We did no rituals, no blood rites of adoption, nothing at all, how is he my son?”

“Look, feel, think. In your heart, where once you were alone, and so sad, feel now, the connection.”

“My son?” Tears trembled and fell, rolling down his face, because in his heart and magic lived someone else now, tiny, new, and so deeply loved he was sobbing, and his healer's arms held him, murmuring in at least six languages, all of them about how good this was.

Harry Snape, his son.

Eventually he calmed down enough to ask, “Do we know his birth name? I think.... oh gods, did Lilly and I kidnap a child!!!”

“No no no calm yourself please!” A laugh, “We already established this, he was never in stasis, although with your tale I can see how you thought so, but no, he is from our time, our years indeed, and his name was once Hadrian Arcturus Potter-Black, usually known then, as now, as Harry.”

Severus was suddenly floating in a calm bubble of shock, so utterly confused he couldn't process anything until, “I sent a temporal team back to the alley, they read the story bled into the walls and he was running for his life from three others, children indeed yet one was old enough to be actively dangerous. In desperation to escape he found his animagus form as often happens in dire situations, and lept into your bag because it was simply the only cover to be had.”

“They were yelling at him when you thought they called you freak, and we shall come back to that remembered and reactivated trauma soon enough.”

“For now, my team back tracked him to the house of one Vernon and - ” “Petunia!”

“Yes, full sister of his maternal parent, now deceased, as is his first father and all of that family line.”

“I reached out to Gringotts and froze his accounts, locked them down until he hits eighteen, you both can decide what to do with them then.”

“For now my friend, go to your son, tell him of your love, and if he can't find his child's form then return to me, well, return regardless because what we learned of his care in that house tells me he needs as much help as do you.”

“Go now, return together tomorrow.”

Severus left, starting with a walk and then a jog and breaking out into a run and finally sprinting the final alley to the home they'd been so warmly accepted into and bursting through the doors to fall into Maman's arms as she cradled both he and Harry to her ample bosom.

His son.

Hadrian Arcturus Potter-Black-Snape, his very own son by heart, magic, and now blood as well due to his very own ward stones of the cottage performing a magical adoption, unbeknownst to anyone.

*

It took Harry loads of days to change back to human, but no one got mad at him at all for how slow he was!

He did start going to a mind healer though, cat shaped when he couldn't properly kick up a fuss about it, which he’d wanted too yet in the end he loved it because each time the lovely grandmotherly person he met with would take just one of his memories that she said was bothersome and then together they’d live it again together and then talk about it.

Cause even if he couldn't talk as a kitten she had a nice big floor mat with all the easy words on it, so they used that for him, or just nodding and shaking his head when she asked him questions.

The best part though was when seeing it again Harry didn't have to feel it, just watch, and kind of remember the feelings of back when he lived it but even then they were soft, not hard and sharp enough to cut him.

Which made them easy, and his healer was so nice, he always got a big cuddle after they talked it all out, and there were games and toys as well for if he felt bad or was upset cause even if it didn't hurt like when it happened, seeing people who should love him yet didn’t, hurt, and sometimes made him sad for a while.

*

Waking from a screaming nightmare, Severus was already there, blankets tangled around his legs from lunging across their shared room, Harry reached for him, gripping double handfuls of sleep shirt, wailing his fear aloud, Maman suddenly there too, Pierre in the doorway, and Harry slowly calmed down as he remembered, “Oh, no, they can’t hurt me anymore!”

Breathing to the rhythm the one holding him was counting, a warm drink suddenly in his hands, big adult ones helping hold it for him, helping him drink and not spill, he snuggled closer when it was finished and careful words, “Want to talk about it?” were asked at last.

Instead of answering he said something he'd felt for so long, “I love how you sound.”

Harry then continued sleepily, “You use all your words and think about them before letting them out into the air, it’s nice.” He paused for a long time, slowly calming even more, and finally said, “You didn't want me anymore, in the dream, cause I’m so bad.”

“You threw me away and they found me, had sticks and there was a fence and it was tall and I was trapped!”

Beginning to cry again he was lifted and carried across the room, where he and Severus were tucked in by Maman who took the glass away after kissing both of them on the head.

Harry sniffled a laugh, “I like her, she gives nice kisses, and good hugs too.”

“She does.” Agreed the one still holding him and then it was quiet for a bit until, “Harry?” Severus asked softly, and he made a mmmmph noise to show he was still listening, and couldn't believe when the best person in the world said, “I will never throw you away.”

Trying to sit up he was foiled as he was snuggled deeper under the covers, entire body vibrating with the chuckle his grumpy reaction to not being let up caused, “No, sleep now, we’ll talk in the proper morning but for now, as you go to sleep, I want you to know you are good, you are beloved, and you are mine.”

“My very own son by magic.”

“No one will ever take you, I will never give you up, and if something ever did happen to me Maman and Pierre are listed as your emergency guardians, they will keep you safe if I’m gone.”

And then as his eyes refused to open, even with how surprised he was by what he’d just heard, Severus softly began to sing the fish summoning song, and Harry giggled at the thought of the bed being suddenly full of fish and fell totally asleep, never even realizing he’d regained his human form at last.

____________________________________

….our latest potions trip went poorly, too cold and wet for much to be around but we have enough to survive a while longer, and summer is right around the corner so hopefully things go better with warmer weather.

Although I am still determined to use the full five years of our time away, at times like these I miss the security of the castle and my labs.

Never mind, I’m sure it’ll work out fine, a little hunger never hurt anyone, will write again next week and let you know how we are doing, and as always, Harry sends his love.

Severus Snape

Potions Master

A dry chuckle from behind as he finished his latest letter he too laughed, because he’d written every single week, lying like a beaten rug, all about how poor they were, how hard it all was, and how he missed the castle.

He also asked about how Harry Potter was doing in his safe and happy home, and never failed to sign off with the words Harry sends his love, knowing both that both Harry's were the same and now how much Albus hated his kitten.

It made them both laugh, and then the rest of the family learned about it and began helping with writing them and it had became a game.

Now thought Pierre was tugging him out of the house saying, “Severus my young friend, I believe I have found what you wanted, come, I will take you there!”

“Noooo, really?”

“Indeed, a camper van most perfect for you and the little one, with room as well for my children who wish to be trainee hunters to rotate through your care one by one so as to not overwhelm you with their them-ness, and again, you do not need to do that my friend - ”

“Stop, honestly Pierre, I want to, teaching one on one, or even one on five, I enjoy it, and Harry loves them all so much, loves you both as well….”

It was hard, hard to make the words come out but Severus managed, “I love you all too.”

“Ah my lovely one, come to papa who loves you very much indeed!”

Being hugged was a new thing, as was how much like actual parentals the two of them had become to him, grandparents to Harry as well, nowhere in his plans had been getting adopted by a lively family of exotic-foods restaurateurs but here they were, and Severus was grateful down to his very bones.

He was enchanted at the first glance of the tiny, old, adorable camper van, only six meters long at best, tan and creams and he knew it would blend in utterly to the European roads, safe and anonymous.

Albus Dumbledore had no idea they were NOT returning, clearly had no idea now of even where Harry was, and used every letter he sent to them to attempt to keep the mind control going and to get him back to the castle.

Each letter in response to what Severus sent to him was spelled and potioned, they even gave off a gas that when breathed induced a temporary state of belief and obedience to the one writing.

“Insidious stuff!” Maman had hissed when she saw the first one, waving a wand with tight controlled motions and suddenly this was not a fat aging mother but a powerful and dangerous witch, and the final fear in his heart had died then, because they could protect themselves, protect Harry as well. Severus was not bringing them danger, they were engaging with it alongside them.

The way found family always did.

He’d just never had that before, so it still took him by surprise.

Going into the camper he stepped into a brightly lit space, bold tropical fabrics and house plants and intricate parquet flooring and he involuntarily smiled and Pierre agreed. “Indeed, I took the memory from petite Harry and Maman and I did a little sprucing up in here to be more suitable for you both than the crash pad of teens this sweet camper once was, come, let me show you!”

*

“Aaaaaah, I did not believe it but you are not as bad as Pierre said but are WORSE instead AAAAAAAAAAAAGH how can anyone be so terrible at driving!!!

The charms expert who had just taken a VERY short test drive with him now waved her hands wildly as she set about making the camper crash proof, unplottable, invisible, soundless, with magic fueled propulsion and Every! Single! Safety! Feature she could pack into it.

She’d watched him try to drive, had tried to teach him to drive, had met and adored Harry, and now had a mission to keep them both alive on the roads!

By the time she was done, if Severus ran someone over the way she’d been certain would happen time and time again, they’d simply bounce back into place, unharmed, not even noticing it had happened.

If he ran into a wall or building or into a tree or wall or even off a bridge, the camper would simply shift around the object or roll off without damaging it or itself, like the Knight Bus did but without the sickening jolting.

“Honestly, you British are crazy! To allow such a transport nightmare to exist is, is, is - ” throwing her hands into the air at failing to find any words for how stupid it was, Severus laughed and paid for her expert work, adding a generous bonus on top because she’d created two emergency portkeys for the van itself as well as probably saved both their lives a dozen times over by making it utterly uncrashable.

If either portkey was triggered the camper returned to Paris, right to Pierre’s driveway in fact.

From inside or out, either of the portkeys could be triggered not with a word, or a touch, but with a thought, and he and Harry spent some time practicing, him driving out of the city and then one or the other activating it for an emergency return.

Worth every penny!

Even if no one would go with them yet cause Severus was behind the wheel.

*

Looking at the shop he’d tracked down, a tiny door, tinier window, panes of glass so thick and bubbled and gilded with age it was almost impossible to see within, he took a deep breath and stepped through.

Gently placing the thickest fragment of sea dragon egg upon the desk, everyone in the room made an oooooh sound.

When fresh laid the shell was thick, hard, almost impossible to break.

As the embryo aged and grew the shell stretched, thinned, eventually it was a transparent bubble that the inmate simply flexed to be rid of.

It was why the younger the egg the more valuable it was, because if treated correctly the shell was not only beautiful but would hold charms and spells many times stronger than anything that thickness should be able to withstand, never mind hold in full working order.

“My son.” Severus said, then blinked and cleared his throat at how the word alone still affected him, “Sorry, he has dangerous people after him, I need him to have protection…..”

A simple wave of her hand and an ancient crone silenced him and took the shell, “From this I craft it for you, protection indeed.”

For a long moment she stared at him, and although he felt nothing in his mind he had no doubts at all as to her having read him deeply, and then she said, “Go away, you will know when tis done.”

*

When it was done, they did indeed know it, because her great great great granddaughter brought it to them.

Look,” Mariana said as she move it for the light to make rainbows of the shell, “she layered spells of protection, healing, a find-me-DAD spell triggered by fear, a find-me-granddad as well as a find-me-granny so all the grown ups will know and transfer directly to him if needed.”

“As well, she added an emergency beacon triggered by terror that alerts not just Severus and you both but any law enforcement within a hundred miles, and it’s a portkey, as well as has several active notice-me-not spells, one on the pennant so as to not be noticeable, and two linked that Harry has to learn to activate, but once done he will be totally invisible to magic, scent, touch, sound, and any other senses that might be used to find him!”

It also transforms with him to his animagus form, and only needs to be recharged every five years.”

“Oh, and as Super Great Granny scryed out, Harry still can’t swim very well, so it has an added floating plus a heating spell triggered by sudden immersion to water, although the heating spell also will activate if he gets dangerously cold for any other reason than falling into a lake or the ocean or something like that.”

“Everything we could think to put on it, it has! Now,” Looking intently at Harry, she said with a grin, “let it all go to waste, yeah?” and they’d all laughed with utter agreement at never wanting any part of it activating!

‘Money,’ Severus thought as he paid and took the beautifully carved thing to hang round his son's neck, ‘very well spent!’

*

For the entirety of that summer they hunted potions ingredients, doing very very well indeed.

Sticking to the nearby mountains for their first trip, each week had a different member of their new family joining them to learn the ropes, a young aunt or uncle to learn from his dad and play with him and Harry had never imagined life could be so much fun!

Even the idea of having to go to proper school for the winter didn't dim his happiness much, because he already knew most of the kids from playing with them in the neighborhood they somehow now lived in.

How Harry had a totally new family was still a bit of a mystery but he loved them, they loved him, and they all loved his dad, and that was the only thing that mattered really cause his dad deserved all the love.

Holding his pendant, he ran his fingers over the cool slipperiness of it, loving the roughness of the deeply carved runes, all of them still enjoying each evening when Severus would pick one rune to draw from the ones carved on it and tell them all what it meant.

A yell and Harry ran to catch up with the others who’d gotten ahead of him. 

They’d found a beautiful little river, all smooth stones and old woodland, high cliffs and dappled sun flitting across the ancient stone bridge. Roman he’d been told and he’d been excited as they headed into deep cool shade after crossing it and even in his human form Harry could now smell the gilder berries, sweet and tangy as he picked and ate the first one.

By bath time that night in the camper he was sticky all over from juice, had eaten many more berries than he’d picked for the basket, and sighed as he was tucked in, almost asleep from the bath and now his super fluffy comforter, murmuring “Love you daddy.”

The words, “Love you too sweetheart.” sent him down to sleep, and into very good dreams.

*************

Blessing every single moment with his son that summer, Severus watched as the letters from Hogwarts got sharper, meaner, more demanding….

Dumbledore had begun insisting he return, that he was needed, that it was time to stop this foolishness and come back and help make the world safer for Harry!

Safer for Harry, the catch phrase Albus had used to control Severus through his vow to protect his best friend's single child.

A series of words that, if he didn’t know where Harry was, that he was safe in his own care, then that plus the compulsions he’d dealt with for so long - despite being deactivated - would undoubtedly have had him scurrying back to Hogwarts, tail between his legs, cowed and shamed and all of it would just be another brick of failure Albus was trying to crush him under.

Switching on the mirror he smiled at Remi and Russel who answered it, “I think it’s time to let Sophy loose on the Where is Harry Potter plan.”

“Oh my friend, oh goody, she and Slice will be THRILLED!!!”

Laughing at the enthusiasm they set it in motion, because with a few careful questions the entire wizarding world of Britain surged into panicked motion, because the Boy Who Lived was gone!

And the one to blame?

Albus fucking too many names Dumbledore, who was the child's magical guardian, unlawfully at that!

As distractions went, it was tops!

Heading home with the autumn school year, the adults watched as the first frantic questions led to others.

Because even magic couldn't find the child, it simply insisted they still existed in some form or other - which a magical adoption and name change would cover, but no one other than they and their Dverger vaults manager knew that.

Theories in the wider world ranged from magical abduction to aliens to fairies to enchantments to transfigurations into forms many and varied, each one more wild than the last, and they laughed until they cried at some of them.

But other questions led to more serious outcomes, because Sirius Black had died being captured by aurors, and a few simple investigations that should have happened way back then revealed it was a hit, rather than anything lawful.

The lord of an ancient and noble house had been murdered, his will left unread.

And speaking of wills, Albus was asked to give a reason Lily and James Potter’s wills had been sealed, rather than read and executed, and was asked the same question over Serius Blacks own will and testament.

A follow up question was why was he funding so many things using money not belonging to him, coming as it did from the vaults of those dead in the last war.

Watching Albus Dumbledore's life unravel from a safe distance was beautiful, yet they all took precautions now with their safety and every single letter to Severus from anyone at all was diverted to a dispatching house in the alps, simply called The Alps Owlery, and from there it was switched into secure spell proof casings and delivered to a curse breaker firm, and only when declared clean was it read.

Desperate, the man was desperate now, and they watched and waited until practically the entire world knew of the laws broken, especially the child endangerment at the school Albus’d ruled over utterly, using magic, curses, spells, charms, and his own personal glamour-of-trust, all to keep control of the students and the teachers.

“Ah my friend," Slice said via magic mirror, "well done, well done to escape that!”

Severus agreed, magic herself had gotten them free.

When Severus and Gringotts finally agreed it was time to let his son’s name be given to the head of the DOM only, they sat back and watched Albus pried from Hogwarts like a particularly difficult hermit crab. 

An Auror team’s simple invitation for him to help them with their enquiries suddenly became a potentially deadly hostage situation when he struck them down and then closed the wards, locked down the school, held all within it in thrall to himself as he made his demands and then, in that moment, with the director of the DOM's full approval, Severus sent a letter.

Spelled to get through because Albus himself had given Severus that route, the I’m Coming Back letter, an open door for that owl to get through.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

I write to you today to say, no, I am not returning to the castle, or to you, ever.

That day I cast you from the wards I cast you from my mind as well, broke all your spells upon my person, and got free of you.

I tricked you into believing I was still your slave, still your tool, even as I got your permission to go on sabbatical and it was a wonderful day indeed when my son and I got onto the ferry and away from the British Isles.

I know you once knew my son, when he was a tiny baby, indeed you left him on a doorstep in winter, with only a single blanket to keep him warm!

You left him injured and bleeding, where it was only a blessing from the goddess herself that kept him from wandering off and freezing to death that dark night.

The reason no one has been able to find Harry Potter is because he isn't Harry Potter any longer, he is now Harry Snape, my son in blood, in magic, and in love.

My oath to protect him lives, stronger than ever in my heart, yet I need no oath to be his protector, all I need is the love I have for my son, my kitten, my Harry.

You have failed in your plans, failed even to keep either of us sick and hurt and weak and under your control, because I am free of your control and he is healed even of the cursed scar you left him with and a full curse breaker team has long been on the hunt for any other items like the one my son was burdened with.

Shards of a crazed being’s soul are just nasty, foolish man to have done it in the first place but both you and moldyshorts - as my son calls him - are stupid indeed, and deserve each other.

All your plans are finished, we are both free of you forever….. and remember, as always, Harry sends his love.

Severus Snape

Potions Grandmaster and Master Ingredients Hunter.

In the rage and distraction of that moment, reading that letter, Albus failed to notice the flicker of the lowest most wards as Hagrid let the magical law enforcement officers, a second full team of Aurors, and a curse breaker teams into the castle to rescue all of the hostages.

It was the beginning of the end, and when it was finally over, Albus was dragged screaming from the castle, in magical chains, and thrown into Azkaban for life.

All it took was one look round the man's office to see what he’d been up to, yet one more greedy stupid plan to live forever, not just syphoning life force from all his many victims but his additional plan to use Harry to defeat Voldemort, to lure him in so the one person the dark lord feared, rightly feared, could drain him to a husk as the energavore that Albus had been all along simply ate him.

Because that was the final nail, the final seal of awful, that although Albus Dumbledore, wizard that everyone loved and trusted, looked human, yet all along he’d been an actual creature feeding upon energy given to him because he was in fact the super rare energy form of a vampire. 

So old already but he never wanted to end, was indeed growing old now, so he’d wormed his way into the school, worked his way up, got his hooks into the halls of power as well, but Voldemort was powerful enough to be a deadly danger to him. 

The entire plan with Harry was to cement Albus Dumbledore's power over the wizarding world utterly, so he could rule from the shadows with total control, and feed forever, because with unlimited energy he would never actually die.

Oh, and to kill every single cat and kitten and kneezle in the world if he could, because he hated cats with a deadly passion!

As plans went, it was a doozy.

************************************************************************

It took years for it to all settle down, years Severus and Harry spent in a tiny magical village in the heart of Paris, Harry enrolled and loving his school in the winter, and driving all over the continent in the summers with any member of their found family free to join them, loving their life deeply.

And time passed, as it does.

******

“So,” They all looked at the six letters still on the table, “we have Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Magica Perfecta, the American Academy of Magic, The Magic School of Japan, and the Chinese College of Magical Arts.”

“We have thrown away all the secondary magical education options and also all the rest of the two-bit fly-by-night establishments wishing to use our boy's name to raise their own status.”

Reaching out, Severus took the letter from Hogwarts and tore it slowly into strips, and then banished them.

“Indeed, I think we all agree!” Matilda laughed, and they all settled in with tea and biscuits to read the packet each of the other schools had sent, rather than the simple and insulting welcome letter from Hogwarts.

Hell would freeze before their wonderful Harry went anywhere as substandard and harsh as that castle!

Yes the people now in charge were trying to make it better, to bring it up to some kind of standard but to be honest, it’d been failing bit by bit for over a hundred years until now it was dangerous, dirty, gave the poorest of poor educations and was soaked in elitist shit from the ground up, so no, Harry Snape was not going there!

In fact, they were planning to send a letter to several papers with that information, and all the reasons why the hero of the wizarding world was not joining all the other eleven year olds in a nasty cold ass castle, no matter its history! But that was for after they chose and started in a magical school in the first place.

Which left in the possible pile the magic schools of both South and North America, they’d ruled out Canada in the first shufflings as too limited, they ONLY did magic classes.

Another reason to cross off Hogwarts, Harry was part of the wider world, not just the magical one, and needed to remain bedded into that same world rather than losing all connections while locked away at school.

Another reason as well to rule out the Canadian College of Magic, they insisted on boarding students, and not a hope in hell was Severus doing without his Harry at home each night.

“Cutting all of those out leaves us with these but, honestly, we can rule out the Americas, one has too much dark, one has too much light and both are not only filled with way too much crazy but ar super bigoted against the other.”

“No balance at all.”

“Durmstrang is as bad as Hogwarts, just bad all round. I swear, the EU needs to create their own official school and be done with it, but if we rule out everything on our list of WILL NOT ACCEPT for our Harry, we are left with Japan and China, and China is a boarding school, although only week days, kids do go home weekends….”

“And on the plus side,” spreading the pages of information on the Japanese school, “dual education, running in tandem, Muggle and Magical, so he’ll lose no ground on the tech and sciences end of it.”

“And look here, they will allow him home at night but would prefer - and it's a strongly worded preference - if families can relocate to their village or nearby area, at least for the length of the child's education, as it makes integration to the culture easier and the local villages are fully warded to help keep the statute of secrecy, even if they handle it quite a bit differently than Britain does.”

Reading all the information, they’d already made up their minds, even though they spent hours online as well, because the request for more information from the Japanese school had a box appearing on the table, containing a magic-proof computer and instructions - if needed - on how to do basic internet searches, set up email accounts, contact support groups, and reach out to the school itself to the clubs and administration with any worries and concerns and questions they might have.

That night at dinner, they showed Harry and he smiled after reading it all, carefully and with great interest and then clapped his hands with glee. “Looks like we’re moving to Japan then, cool!”

****

By the end of the week they’d bought a traditional villa on the bay in the town that was part of the school rather than any of the others that were close but still quite a walk away, had enrolled Harry and begun packing the house up, because the camper van would go with them simply shrunken down for ease of transport so needed no packing at all, other than a good tidy up.

Severus and Harry’d lived in it for a long time now, having added many more rooms inside to suit their needs, and still loved it as they drove all over, searching for potions ingredients to use in the retrofitted state-of-the-art all-mod cons-and-safeties-package potions lab.

The coming years were a worry though, for the adults anyway, because despite the changes to the magical world they’d left behind in Britain, even with the horcruxes destroyed - the auror teams had finally found the last of them - that still left a fragment of evil running around loose, and people were headless chickens, and some still followed the bastard!

So all of them being thousands of miles away from anywhere Harry might be expected to be found was a solid win on all their books.

They were almost finished with packing when their vaults manager Slice called them in.

*

The last time Severus had seen Slice in person he’d been fleeing for their lives, and Harry was still a kitten, yet sitting down he suddenly remembered, and said, "You knew!”

She laughed, a Dverger actually laughed and said, "Foolish one, of course we did, his magical signature is unmistakable!”

“Now, we are not trying to alarm you, yet with Harry turning eleven a chance has arisen to get a little bit of nastiness out of circulation, to capture a bit of a counterfeit human, if you will….”

Suddenly seeing where this might go Severus said a flat, “No!”

“As expected. Hadrian, your father is very good, we approved fully.”

Harry nodded, "Yeah, he's the best.”

Looking over, he then said with his best sorrowful kitten expression, “But dad, can we hear her out? Isn’t it a bit like the floating spell, don’t need to use it, just have to have it? And information is always good!”

Hating it when his ever so sensible son used his own words against him, Severus ruffed tumbled black curls and leaned back from his defensive braced position and said, “Go on, but the answer will not change.”

Her grin was sly as she said, “The entirety of the wizarding world expects Harry Potter to be at Hogwarts on September first, and we know he will not be, yet his enemy does not.”

“We at Gringotts propose creating a blood gollum of your son, of you Harry.” She spoke directly to his son now, “Thus using the homunculus as bait while keeping you safe.”

“It will be endowed with as much of your personality as our bio works department can give it, which is quite frankly a lot, and we are certain with no further soul anchors on this earth the enemy will try and reach you.”

“The only one prophesied to be able to kill it.”

“It fears death so much it drove itself insane, shattered itself, yet this way we shall trap it in a soul crystal, and once so trapped you will merely have to pull a lever to drop said crystal into basilisk venom, of which, because we are clever enough to create one just for the purpose, we have a vat waiting.”

Looking over at Severus, “Your son will be in no danger, his gollum will be connected in no way at all to him, because his safety is important to us.”

“Very much so.”

“Once the creature is captured the memories of the gollum will be analyzed for safety, and if you approve at that point then Harry can receive them, especially if he helps with its creation, because his blood and memories and personality will imbue it so thoroughly his magical signature will be impossible to mistake.”

“The gollum, for a few weeks anyway, will be Harry Potter, as he once was anyway, and it only seems fair the original gets to share the memories when the job is done.”

“If, of course, you agree…. dad.” And she laughed at him.

Giving a sigh as he capitulated to the big green eyes of his son and his accounts manager, Severus said firmly, “Explain the entire process.”

****

Moving into their new house in Japan was a culture shock indeed, but they’d done all kinds of research, hired a cultural professor for private lessons even, and the school itself was multinational which meant all the kids were having the same, or similar, issues with settling in.

As were their parentals if they’d moved to the surrounding villages to be near their children.

As Pierre and Maman had sold their restaurant and officially retired, in order to have a nice hobby to keep themselves busy they bought a local warehouse in poor repair, and the kids along with the odd boy and or girlfriend, along with Harry and Severus, transformed it into a potions depo, able to store even level ten restricted substances, because as he’d signed his letters with his advancements as they, with much hard work on his part, were granted, him being a licensed Master Potions Ingredient Hunter and Grandmaster of Potions, Severus was able to both hunt, collect, handle, store, sell and process said restricted substances.

Harry was a Licensed Potions Apprentice to his dad, able even at eleven to handle and collect up to level three substances, legal to handle any and all of that category but he could find just about anything, even if his family had to take it from that point, but he was rising fast with his experience.

Finally getting the paperwork needed to hunt Japan was awesome, because even if Harry couldn't handle the more dangerous items and creatures, his nose was just as good now as when he was a kitten indeed, so he found it, and his dad bagged and tagged it, even just on getting used to the area walks he found a few choice specimens.

Then Pierre and Maman - who were totally retired, like, soooooo retired they never stopped working - directed their grown children in the selling and marketing of everything they brought in, because with five additional licensed, trained, experienced and rabid hunters in the family, even if all of them weren't masters yet, they could handle most of everything they found and had energy to spare when it came to the actual hunting itself, even if Maman had to make sure they did the boring task of getting each item listed properly.

The grounds of the villa were large enough to grow things as well, stretching deep into the woods, and right at the back were broken down and over grown wasabi terrace gardens that Harry and Matilda gleefully spent days cleaning out and repairing, getting the water flowing and new root stock into place, returning muddy from head to toe each day, all of them glad to sink into the hot soaking tub in the onsen that came attached to the house.

A bit of cultural adjustment they were thrilled to take part in!

With magic the job of repairing the disused garden was fun, and good practice because they were dealing with hundreds of tons of soil, stone, and water, reshaping the hill itself to get it back to the way hard manual labor once had crafted the perfect growing beds for the finicky root.

But it was one of the prime ingredients in pepper up potions, which were consumed by the boatload each year by one school alone.

Because Harry’s new school had carefully reached out to Severus, asking with great delicacy and respect if he might, if they were very lucky indeed, brew potions for their school?

Having learned enough about himself across the past years to know he had a deep love of teaching older students, late teens and early twenties, Severus not only agreed but said, not during his son’s first year but starting on the second he’d be willing to teach a class of no more than five all about how to gather ingredients from the wild, and then turn them into useful and important potions.

The family thought the administrators were going to stroke they were so happy, and tentative ties were formed that day, of friendship, respect, and love of a tricky subject.

Because Wakamara-san had been a hunter when young, and loved the subject still. And as she was in charge of the entire potions department, her word was law in the school.

*

Six weeks after September first, Harry and Severus were once again in Gringotts, because the gollum had done the job perfectly.

Mimicking Harry Potter - yet with a huge tweek to his basic nature to simply accept the world around him as it was without questioning it the way the real Harry did all the time - he’d gotten on the train, well dressed and excited for the adventure, met not just a red head who was excited about seeing the famous scar - added during construction because Harry's actual scar was long gone, simply healed away not long after regaining his human form.

A simple pediatric exam had discovered the truth and a healing team got rid of it.

But during that train ride he met not just Ron, he met a girl named Hermione looking for a toad, met Princess the toad herself and the toad's owner Neville and even met a stow away, Luna Lovegood, who one by one dragged all of them not just into her train compartment but into her heart, and they all became fast friends on the journey.

They all stood up for Luna when the teacher who met the train tried to send her home, insisting she be allowed to stay, because the train let her on as a student, so she must be a student.

The fact she had nowhere else to go was sad, and did help, because her daddy had wandered off again, which he’d been doing all her life, and this time he’d been gone for weeks and weeks.

So she got to stay, contingent upon the sorting hat agreeing, which it did, sending her to GRYFFINDOR! Because, as she told them later, it said she was recklessly brave to do what she’d done, as well as successfully brave to have pulled it off.

Hermione was sorted to Gryffindor as well as Ron, and then Neville as well, and then Harry sat down and put it on.

*Oh my goodness!*

“Oh gosh, oh Hi, I am so glad to meet you my dad told me all about you and his mistake because he should have been in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw but he argued with you and went with Slytherin instead and I am not arguing but please, I was told you might have a bit of a problem with me for some reason, no one said why, but if you don’t mind, will you put me with my friends in Gryffindor please?”

*No one told you why I might have a problem sorting you?*

“Nope, just said it wasn't bad, or dangerous, and to not worry about it, and my dads great, wouldn't ever hurt me, and the rest of my family is also great, so I’m not worried about it, just, I made some new friends and like em a lot, so it’d be nice to be with them.”

*You, Harry Potter of the many family names, will be fantastic in "GRYFFINDOR!"

The cheering from his new friends almost raised the roof, and Harry bounced to his new seat and cheerfully enjoyed the rest of the sorting, the following feast, and even his new dorm room, although he did miss home and his dad something fierce!

*

Classes were fun, although he was missing familiar subjects, and with all the work he’d already done on some subjects, potions, runes, charms even, he was miles ahead on those, and so far out of the box on potions he thought he’d die of boredom.

Because even showing what he knew, not a single teacher believed him, not even the potions teacher testing him!

Just said it was nice to be a bit ahead but to slow down, he’d enjoy the class if he gave it a chance.

Instead he softly corrected their mistakes in class so no one had an accident, then used homework time to teach his friends better, even if he couldn't save the rest of the class.

His letters home were filled with frustration, as well as enjoyment, because some of it was indeed fun.

Mostly his new friends though.

*

Holding a letter he'd gotten that morning at breakfast with a request to meet, Harry happily bounced along, enjoying seeing a new part of the castle, the teachers did keep them busy so exploring was not something that happened near enough. And having a teacher ask him to meet in a disused classroom, well, that was exciting too. 

Because he’d been asking for permission to use a lab of his own, and to perhaps help his classmates with their potions homework as well so if he was lucky the teacher was going to show him a good room for him to use.

He already had permission from his dad, so even if the teachers were being stupidly slow this might be it!

It wasn't it!

Yes, it was the potions master, tall and frowning and his turban wrapped neatly around his head. Harry approved because stray hairs into a potion could cause disastrous results and this was a stylish way to prevent that, so much nicer than a hair net!

But the man just yapped about destiny, and tools and new bodies and yada yada yada and somehow Harry was really calm all of a sudden, his mouth talking without his help, and he was closing his eyes with relief as the man grabbed him, falling into darkness even as the screaming began.

*

Learning one of her students was a gollum, no, not even just a gollum but a mobile spirit trap in the form of a gollum was bad enough!

That her potions teacher was possessed by Voldemort and interacting with all the students and teachers every day and had been for almost three years was horrible but so much worse than that, the bastard had tried to not just possess a student but to take them over so completely nothing else remained.

Had the bastard managed it Harry Potter would have died and no one would even have realized it, giving the monster a brand new body and repaired soul, letting him start over again.

And with limitless fame as a tool to use, she shuddered at the thought.

Looking down at the body as a team of Dverger paused in the removal, she asked, “Is he alright, the real Harry, is he alright?”

“Indeed he is, enrolled into a different school than this one, has a loving family, and indeed is almost at graduation level with his potions skills but as he aims at a mastery, he has much still to learn.”

“Now headmistress, if you please, we need to get the spirit crystal and the gollum itself locked down and stored away.”

Waving them to continue she headed to her office, tired to her bones. The ministry had insisted she take the position, even if she herself wasn't healed yet from what Dumbledore had done to her, they insisted the safety of the children was her responsibility.

But she’d let Voldemort into the castle, had helped him even.

Sitting down as her legs gave out, she began to cry, because she couldn't do it anymore.

 A student had died tonight, even if only in gollum form, and it was all her fault.

*

Frowning as his son sat enraptured by the entire story, the final bit of soul destroyed by his hand pulling the lever to drop it into basilisk venom already, the prophecy fulfilled because, as their favorite Dverger said, “The power he knew not was just a spirit trap embedded into a gollum, of course he didn't know the power against him, if he had it wouldn't have worked. Fucker’d have run a million miles to escape it even!”

“Now, we have checked the memories, and while some of them were frustrating for the doppelganger, nothing is actively dangerous or upsetting, do you both agree to the transfer?”

Still slightly unwilling, Severus nodded, and Harry nodded much faster and more excitedly, because he loved his school and wanted to see how it compared to a different one.

A softly glowing memory crystal was offered, and his son lifted it to his forehead and pressed, going still.

*

He was still for a long time, yet the first thing he said when he finally moved after five bloody hours was “DAD! Dad dad dad we gotta save em!”

Blood freezing at the words Severus only slowly began to relax as Harry kept talking, “My friends are getting a crap education!!!”

“So bad, dad so baaad!”

“And the teachers, like, it's awful, one teacher for ALL SEVEN YEARS of a subject?”

“That is insane!”

Striding up and down the room now, waving his hands exactly as - Severus blushed to admit it to himself, but his son was doing the exact same thing he himself did when upset.

“And the headmistress, she looks sick, so tired and hurting, most of the teachers do, and the houses, OH MY GOD its like they are designed to make kids hate each other, like, dad,” he began to cry, “it’s so bad!”

*****

Taking his terribly upset son home, Severus sat with his family as soon as he put Harry to bed after a light dinner of miso soup and grilled fish with a side of pickled daikon that they all loved, locally grown and processed, they really were perfection.

Sitting down with his own mug of tea he said, "Right, Hogwarts is in deep deep trouble.”

“Dumbledore bankrupted it, the ministry is hiding that fact, teachers are being blackmailed with threats to the students to remain in place for only half pay and all in all, it is about as bad as it could be.”

Opening the call to their banker, he smiled at the hidden simmering excitement in Slice's face and nodded, “I think it's time.”

“Time?” Pierre asked. “Yes,” Severus said, “time for the “goblins” to take the children.” He laughed as he added, "Time to take their school back rather, because the kids come with it.”

“We need to meet, in person, with all the teachers. A team of curse breakers and a full team of ward specialists will be needed at the same time, as well as a full Dverger controls team.”

Looking at his family, and his good Dverger friend, Severus softly said, “We are going to steal Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry from the wizarding world.”

“Because,” the canny Dverger in the magic mirror added, “It was never theirs in the first place.”

*

It was easy enough, for the short term anyway, for them to simply take Luna and Hermione - one because her father was still not to be found and the other because her parents didn’t seem to want her anymore, said it was too complicated to have a witch in the family - and to request Neville’s presence which was granted easily enough once Severus explained what was going on to his formidable grandmother.

Sadly Ron was kept home, his parents said Hogwarts was the best school in the world, and wouldn't hear a word against it.

The children the adults could get through each were given a bedroom in the villa, and joined Harry at school, where they all had a lot of catching up to do but with tutors and dedicated staff to help they easily began to do so.

And while they were settling in, enjoying both the new school and their new homelife, the Dverger nation simply foreclosed upon the castle school that educated Britain's youth.

The uproar could practically be heard with the unassisted ear even thousands of miles away but when the founders of Hogwarts had taken the castle by forced treaty from the Dverger nation, there was a loophole.

Because the Dverger were neutral, took education to be second only to the double arts of banking and war, and it was indeed education that was the foundation of all successful conquests.

They had worked long and diligently to recover their school, and Dumbledore had finally given them that chance, because the forced treaty stated that if the Wizarding World ever failed to meet basic standards of safety, security, and health and hygiene, and began to work at a loss, rather than a profit, then the ownership of the school along with the duty of the education of all human magical children of the British magical world, would revert back to the Dverger nation.

That day had come.

A simple audit presented to the Wizengamot and magic herself unfurled the charter, the amendments and rewriting once carved upon it by the founders were removed with a flash of power, and the deal was done.

Hogwarts was once again in the power of a neutral nation, and the education and safety of the student body was assured.

Harry though, even if he missed Ron, was still glad he didn't go there, because now he had his friends - even made by a fake him, fake him had great taste in friends - with him in Japan and all of them were with him in his favorite school, life was even better!

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

And in time the kicked hornets nest that was magical Britain calmed down, especially when simple doorway transportation was set up at Hogwarts so any child could go home, or not, every single day after school.

And the children's stories of the proper education they were finally getting soothed the worries of humans who feared their children being turned against them.

Learning all the human teachers were finally getting health and healing of their own Severus Snape could let any remaining pain of his time in the castle go, the fault belonged to one man, and he was dead now, dead in an escape attempt from Azkaban itself.

A smuggled wand hidden somehow upon his person got him out of his cell, yet it had failed against the dementor guards, despite Albus Dumbledore’s baffling belief it would somehow master them.

*****

Sitting back as the summer term was finally there, enjoying the sun as he sat on the low wall beside the path to school, Severus Snape watched his son with his friends from England, and his friends from school here in Japan, all of them already rostered for joining he and his son on their first ever collecting trip into the mountains all around them, he felt fully at peace, contented with his life, and excited to share the rest of it with his son, his family, and all their friends.

end
__________________________________________________




In case anyone wondered, this is the Roman bridge (or very like it anyway) that Harry and his family picked berries near.