The Veiled Truth

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/52969570.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Relationship: Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Severus Snape
Characters: Severus Snape, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Harry Potter
Additional Tags: Harry Potter is Not a Potter, Harry Potter Has a Different Name,
Protective Parents, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent,
Severus is married to Bellatrix, Harry Potter is really Kaiden Snape,
Voldemort is Crazy, Narcissa Malfoy is misguided, Secrets, Good Draco
Malfoy, Cousins, Good Lucius Malfoy, The real Harry Potter died as a
baby, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Protective Severus Snape
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2024-01-11 Updated: 2024-02-11 Words: 67,172 Chapters:
21/65
 The Veiled Truth
by Musicmelis

Summary

Severus and Bellatrix were married and had a one year old son, ready to turn away from the
Death Eaters. Voldemort devised a plan to make sure that didn't happen and almost ten years
later, a secret is revealed about who Harry Potter really is. AU Warning. OOC.

Notes

This is an AU story though some events may follow canon and the characters OOC, just so
that you are warned. =)
 Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Isn't he beautiful Severus?" Bellatrix said in wonderment as she looked at their newborn
baby boy.

Severus smiled proudly at his son. "He is. He looks like you." He said, kissing his wife on the
cheek.

"He looks like you too." Bellatrix smiled up at her husband. She was tired from giving birth
but so happy. She had not thought she could be this happy. She had gone against her parent's
wishes for her to marry Rodolphus Lestrange and instead had married her soul mate. She and
Severus had known each other a long time but it wasn't until their fifth year that they started
dating. They were both in Slytherin, both advanced in the art of dueling, and both were top
students in Potions although Severus had a special gift for the subject. This was why the Dark
Lord had recruited them to join the Death Eaters. They had joined thinking they could make a
difference in the way wizarding children were treated by their muggle parents. They had
known of too many of their classmates who had been beaten by their parents because of their
magic. Severus's father had been such a parent. Bellatrix had also thought if she joined that
her parents would accept Severus as her husband, although in the end, it had made no
difference. They only saw him as a half-blood and nothing more.

It had not taken long after joining the Death Eaters for Bellatrix and Severus to realize that it
was not a world that they wanted to be a part of. Their meetings consisted of being tortured
by Voldemort when he was bored and attacking muggles for no other reason than the Dark
Lord hated them. Bellatrix wasn't fond of muggles, especially knowing how Severus had
been treated by his muggle father but that didn't mean she wanted to spend her time killing
them. Bellatrix's family were supporters of the Dark Lord and her sister Narcissa and her
husband Lucius had joined as well, but Bellatrix was not happy and neither was Severus. To
leave could mean instant death so Severus had suggested going to Albus Dumbledore, that he
would be able to help them. Then Bellatrix had gotten pregnant and they decided to just lay
low until their baby was born.

"Have you finally decided on a name, Bella?" Severus asked as he looked down at his son
who was sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. They had been going back and forth on
names for months.

"Well, I decided on Kaiden for his first name," Bellatrix said. The name meant warrior and
she thought it was a fine name for their son. "I still say his middle name should be Severus."

Severus shook his head and snorted. "I'm sure we can come up with something better than
Severus." He gazed at his son. "Have you noticed his birthmark?" He asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Bellatrix looked at Kaiden's right shoulder where there was indeed a birthmark of
what looked like a bird, and not just any bird. "It looks like a Phoenix." She commented in
surprise. "It reminds me of Fawkes." She added thoughtfully.
Severus grinned slightly and nodded his agreement. It did look like the Headmaster's familiar.
A phoenix was named after a powerful and rare bird but it also is a minor constellation in the
sky. "Perhaps this is a sign that we are doing the right thing in going to Albus for help." He
mused out loud. He did not want to be a death eater anymore and he did not want Voldemort
anywhere near his son.

"Kaiden Phoenix Snape," Bellatrix announced proudly.

Severus smiled and nodded. "Yes, a fine name indeed."

Bellatrix leaned into Severus. "Everything is perfect."

HPHPHPHP

"You will slip this potion into Bellatrix's drink. After she falls asleep you will take her baby
and kill him. That child is costing me two of my death eaters and they have too much
potential to lose!" Voldemort seethed. He glared at Narcissa Malfoy. "Do you understand
me?"

"Yes, of course Master," Narcissa said, although inside her heart was racing. How could she
do this to her sister? Her nephew? "The potion won't hurt her will it?"

"Of course not Narcissa, it will merely put her to sleep and jumble her thoughts a bit."
Actually the potion, along with losing her son, would put her on the path to insanity and that
was something he could work with. That would leave Severus, who would likely become
angry and bitter, and he could work with that as well. They were both powerful and useful to
his cause and he wasn't going to let their love, Voldemort shuddered at the word, and
annoying baby ruin it. He could feel he was losing them and was determined to keep them
loyal to him. He didn't worry about his other followers with their children, such as Lucius and
Narcissa, as they were too afraid to try and leave the death eaters. But Bellatrix and Severus
were stronger and braver, and they had too much to offer to just kill outright.

"When would you like this done?" Narcissa asked timidly.

"As soon as possible of course, and if you could make the death look like Bellatrix's fault all
the better." Voldemort purred.

Narcissa looked away. She couldn't do this to Bella and Severus! And how could she kill her
sweet nephew? "I don't know if I can." She said finally. She screamed as the Cruciatus Curse
was cast on her.

Voldemort lifted the curse and glared down at her. "You will do this for me Narcissa. Or else
not only will I have someone else kill their child, I will also have someone kill yours!"

Narcissa paled. Draco. Her dragon. She couldn't let that happen. "I'll do it tomorrow night."
She said shakily, still feeling the effects of the curse. "Severus will be away at a potions
conference and Bella has already invited me over."
Voldemort gave her a cold smile and handed her a vial. "Somehow I knew you would see it
my way." He said mockingly. "Here is the potion. Keep this between us; you are not to tell
anyone. Not even Lucius. Do not disappoint me Narcissa." He warned. "Or your child will
pay for it."

"I won't." Narcissa took the potions and waited for him to dismiss her. She walked away and
apparated home, desperate to figure out a way out of this situation. She didn't want to hurt her
nephew but she could not put her son at risk. She went into the nursery and dismissed the
house elf that had been watching her son. She smiled at Draco who was sleeping in his crib.
He was so precious to her. Watching him made her heart ache for what she had to do to
Kaiden. Being a mother changed everything. She had even felt sympathy for the Potters when
she had heard that their baby, who was the same age as hers and Bella's, was dying of an
incurable wizarding disease. In fact, their son had been born on the same day as Kaiden.
Suddenly her pale blue eyes widened. The Potters! Their son did not have much longer to
live; in fact, he may have already passed. They were losing a baby and she needed to hide
one. She could fake Kaiden's death and give him to the Potters. She may not care for them
but they would take care of him, she was sure of it. They were annoyingly good that way. She
called her house elf back and ordered her to watch Draco and then quickly apparated to the
Potter's home.

HPHPHPHP

Lily Potter opened the door, her teary green eyes widening when she saw Narcissa Malfoy
standing on her porch. "Narcissa? Why are you here?" She asked, her hand going to where
her wand was. Narcissa had been ahead of her at Hogwarts and they had never spoken before.

"Relax. I am not here to hurt you. I have a favor to ask." Narcissa said coolly, not showing
her true emotions. She rarely did except with family.

Lily looked surprised for a moment. "What could you possibly want from me?" She sighed
and wiped away a few stray tears. "This isn't a good time." Grief was clear in her voice.

Narcissa hesitated. "Your son? How is he doing?" She asked finally.

A sob broke from Lily. "He passed away a couple of hours ago." She whispered brokenly.

Narcissa felt for the grieving mother but kept her emotions in check. "Yes, I had heard he was
not doing well. I am sorry for your loss." She said stiffly.

Lily looked away. "What do you want?" She repeated.

Narcissa decided to be blunt. "The Dark Lord has given me a task. I am to kill my sister's
child."

Lily looked at her in shock. She and Severus had been somewhat friendly in school but they
had drifted apart as they had gotten older. "You can't do that! He's a baby, your nephew!" She
cried.
Narcissa raised her chin. "Yes, I am aware of that. I have no choice. The Dark Lord will kill
my son if I do not do not do what he wants. However, I have thought of a way to make him
believe I have done my task while still protecting my nephew."

Lily looked at her dully. "I still don't know what you want from me."

"You lost a baby and I need to hide one," Narcissa said impatiently. "I want you to take
Kaiden Snape, glamour him, and raise him as your son. Henry, was it?"

"Harry," Lily said softly as her mind tried to process what Narcissa had said.

"Have you told many that he has passed?" Narcissa asked, wondering how many she would
have to obliviate.

Lily shook her head. "Just Healer Robbins at St. Mungo's who came by today." She shook her
head. "I can't just replace my son like that." She whispered.

"Of course, your son will never be replaced. But this way you will still have a child and will
also be saving a life." Narcissa stared at her. "If you and your husband do not agree, then
Kaiden will have to die." She said coldly. Please say yes, Narcissa begged silently.

Lily stared back at her. Her arms still ached to hold her child. She couldn't believe her baby
was gone. And James was just as devastated. Would he agree? Could they even do this? She
did excel at charms, she could glamour the baby. And they would be saving a child's life.
Narcissa was a death eater and would of course follow through in killing her own kin. "I have
to talk to James." She said finally. "If he agrees then yes, we will take him."

Narcissa hid her relief. "I will bring him to you tomorrow night. I will take care of oblivating
the healer. You and James cannot tell anyone his real identity. Do you understand?"

Lily nodded. She said goodbye to Narcissa and went to talk to James.

HPHPHPHP

"Lily we can't do this. We can't just replace Harry and pretend we didn't lose our son." James
shook his head, his face pale and his hazel eyes just as red as his wife's.

"The baby will die," Lily said desperately. "Narcissa will kill him."

"We can warn the Snape's," James suggested tiredly.

"Do you really think they would believe us over Narcissa?" Lily asked as she shook her head
at the thought. "I doubt even Albus Dumbledore would be able to convince them in time."

"True," James admitted.

"And if she does not get rid of their baby, hers will be killed. We would be saving two babies'
lives." Lily said, her eyes falling on a stuffed animal that had been her son's. Tears leaked out
of her emerald eyes. They had only had a short time with their baby. "If we do this,
something good could come from losing our son." She whispered.
"We would be lying to everyone. The only person who knows Harry died is the Healer and
she agreed not to say anything until we are ready." James said as he ran his hair through his
messy hair.

"Narcissa will obliviate her," Lily told him. She looked at her husband pleadingly. "Please,
James. I can't handle this. It hurts so much." She reached out and grabbed the stuffed toy and
held it close to her. "Please." She whispered.

James sighed. "He wouldn't really be ours; he would be Snape's." He said in disgust. It was
hard to imagine raising Snivellus's son. They had been enemies from day one of Hogwarts.

"He would be charmed to look exactly like our Harry. And we would raise him, he would be
ours." Lily insisted. "You hate Severus so much that you don't care if an innocent baby dies?"
She asked incredulously.

"Of course I care!" James exclaimed. He shut his eyes. When he opened them back up he
took in the grief and exhaustion on Lily's face which no doubt mirrored his own. He nodded
slowly. "All right. When will we get him?" He asked finally.

Lily's eyes lit up for the first time in a long time. "Tomorrow night. Oh, thank you, James."
She threw her arms around him and sobbed, crying for their baby and for the deceit they were
about to commit. In her grief, all she could think was that tomorrow they would have their
baby boy back again.

HPHPHPHP

"Cissy!" Bellatrix greeted her sister while holding Kaiden. "Did you bring Draco?"

"No, he was a little fussy so I thought it best to leave him at home," Narcissa said and she
couldn't help smiling at how happy her sister looked. And Kaiden was really a beautiful baby.
She held back the guilt and disgust she felt for what she was about to do.

"Well, they will have plenty of time to spend together," Bellatrix said as she put Kaiden down
in his bassinet. "How are you, Cissy?"

"I'm doing fine Bella. I am enjoying being a mother." Narcissa said honestly.

Bellatrix smiled. "Yes, me too. It's amazing the love I feel for him." She gazed fondly at her
son.

Narcissa needed to get this done before she lost her nerve. "I would love a cup of tea. Would
you mind if I made some?"

"I'll make it." Bellatrix offered. She gave an airy laugh. "Well, I'll have Thistle make it."
Thistle was her and Severus's trusted house elf. "She is at Severus's old home in Spinner's
End, but I can call her back."

"No, I'd like to make it. It's strange; ever since Draco was born I just want to do things
myself. Strange isn't it?" And a total lie, Narcissa thought.
Bellatrix gave her a bemused look. "For you? A little. Go ahead and make us some tea if you
would like." She watched her sister head to the kitchen with amusement. She got up and
looked at Kaiden who was falling asleep. "Your Aunt is acting strange, my little snakeling."
She wondered if Narcissa and Lucius would be interested in leaving the Death Eaters as she
and Severus were planning to do. She didn't want her sister to be a part of that group either, it
was too dangerous. She was sure Lucius wasn't happy either; he valued power. Not being
someone's servant.

Narcissa re-entered the sitting room and placed the tray she had prepared down on the coffee
table. "Here Bella." She handed her sister the poisoned cup. I'm so sorry, she thought
sadly. So sorry.

"Thank you, Cissy. Are you sure that you are okay?" Bellatrix asked as she took a sip.

"Yes, don't worry about me," Narcissa said as she took a sip of her potion-free tea. After a
moment she put her cup down. "I love you, Bella. You know that right?" She asked softly.

Bellatrix looked at her in surprise. "Of course, I know. I love you too. What is wrong Cissy?
And don't tell me that there is nothing the matter." She looked at her sister in concern.

Narcissa shook her head and picked her cup back up. She needed to get this done. "Let's
finish our tea and then talk. I've been feeling sentimental lately."

Bellatrix smirked as she continued drinking her tea. "Hmm. So since you had Draco you want
to do the housework yourself and are feeling sentimental? How is dear Lucius handling that?"

Narcissa gave a forced laugh. "He's hoping it will pass soon, of course."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes as she finished her tea. "Of course." She smiled over at her son. "Did
you see his outfit?"

"Little green and silver snakes all over it?" Narcissa smirked herself. "Already thinking
Kaiden will be a Slytherin?" She teased.

"Don't you think the same about Draco? Where else would our children end up? Ravenclaw,
perhaps," Bellatrix yawned. "I'm sorry. I don't know why…" She slumped over on the couch
and Narcissa quickly grabbed her and helped to lay her down more comfortably. "Sleepy,"
Bellatrix mumbled.

Narcissa put a blanket over her. "Make sure you put the candles out, Bella." She whispered.
She waved her wand and lit Bella's favorite candles that she would sometimes have lit.
Narcissa even added more and the room was quickly growing warm from all of the candles.

"Candles? I didn't…" Bellatrix slurred as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Yes, you lit your candles. A fire will start if you do not put them out. Make sure you put
them out." Narcissa said over and over as Bella fell asleep. "I'm so sorry Bella." She
whispered as she took Kaiden in her arms. "I'm so sorry Kaiden." One little detail she had not
mentioned to Lily was that she would be using their son to replace Kaiden. They would need
to find a baby's body and she had already recruited a house elf to find the real Harry and
bring him here. She had already oblivated the Healer who had taken Harry's body. The house
elf popped in carrying Harry wrapped in a blanket. "Thank you Joffy. Put him in the
bassinet." Once Joffy had obeyed, she handed him Kaiden and then cast a strong undetectable
protection spell to surround her sister so that she wouldn't burn, and with a wave of her wand
she made all of the candles fall over. She took Kaiden back into her arms and she and Joffy
disapparated away.

TBC:
 Chapter Two

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Narcissa apparated to the Potter's home and knocked on the door. She looked down at her
nephew and saw his charcoal-grey eyes staring back at her. "Forgive me." She whispered to
him. "The Potters will take good care of you, I promise."

The door opened and James Potter cautiously greeted Narcissa. "Come in." His eyes dropped
to the precious bundle she was holding and his expression softened.

Narcissa stepped inside and noticed that Lily's eyes were directly on the baby she was
holding. "Here he is." She said softly as she handed Kaiden over.

Lily carefully took him and held him close to her. "Hi, sweet baby." She crooned. "He's
beautiful." She murmured.

James stepped next to her and had to agree with his wife as he looked at the tiny baby that
would now be his son.

Narcissa cleared her throat. "If you need money, I can set up -"

James scowled at her. "We have plenty of money. We may not be as well off as you but we
have a respectable amount." He said tersely.

"Of course you do," Narcissa said dismissively. She just wanted to make sure Kaiden had
everything he could ever want. "You will change his appearance, correct?" She asked,
wanting to leave and try to forget the horrible things she had done that night.

Lily nodded and handed Kaiden over to James. "Yes, I'll do that now." She took a deep breath
and began the safe yet complex charms over the baby, incorporating hers and James's features
into Kaiden. James and Narcissa watched in fascination as Kaiden's appearance began to
change. His hair went lighter, his skin not as pale and his other features began to alter. His
eyes began to turn emerald green, the same color as Lily's. Once she was finished she
couldn't help but gasp. It was done. He looked exactly like her Harry.

"Will the glamour fade?" Narcissa asked, hardly able to believe that was her nephew. He
looked nothing like his true self. She felt a stab of pang for her deceptions. There's no other
choice, she told herself.

"No, it will hold. It shouldn't be detectable unless someone powerful was looking for it." Lily
smiled as she took the baby back into her arms. "Welcome home, Harry." She said softly. She
looked up at James and smiled when she saw him looking at the child in wonder.

James smiled and gently brushed a finger against the baby's cheek. "Hi, son." He whispered
in awe. He looked up at Narcissa. "So will the Snape's think their son was kidnapped?" He
asked hesitantly, wondering how this was going to work exactly.
"No," Narcissa said quietly. "They will think he is dead." She raised her hand when James
and Lily began protesting. "I have taken care of it and it must be this way. Can you both
handle this?" She breathed a sigh of relief when they nodded. "Remember; tell no one his true
identity. Not one person or else you will risk losing him." She warned. When they nodded she
left the Potter's house, her heart heavy. Take care of my nephew, she added silently.

HPHPHPHP

Narcissa arrived home and found her husband reading a book in his dressing gown. He
glanced up at his wife. "Did you buy out all the stores dear?" He asked absently.

Narcissa shook her head and faked a laugh. "No, I left some things for the more common
people." She called Joffy and told him to get her a glass of red wine. "How is Draco?" She sat
next to her husband.

"He is fine," Lucius said with a hint of pride in his voice. "It will be nice when he can
converse with us."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Planning on discussing all the problems in the ministry with a child
are you? Will this take place over building blocks or a game of gobstones?"

Lucius scowled though there was some amusement in his eyes. "You're in a mood tonight."
He commented as he put down his book. "You're usually only snippy after a death eater
meeting."

"I am not snippy." Narcissa sniffed. "And I hate those meetings." She muttered darkly. "We
never should have joined." If they hadn't, Kaiden would be with his parents right now.

Lucius stiffened. He was not happy either, he detested bowing down to the Dark Lord and
being crucio'd at any moment. "We joined and there is nothing we can do about it." He said
finally. "If we try to leave, we will be killed. All we can do is keep the Dark Lord happy with
us."

Narcissa nodded and took a sip of the wine that Joffy had brought her. She wanted to sleep
but she knew she would stay awake and wait. Wait for word that there was a fire at her
sister's house.

HPHPHPHP

The next day James and Lily watched the Healer floo away, a look of wonderment still on her
face. She had checked over "Harry" and deemed him completely healthy.

"I've never seen anything like it." Healer Robbins had said in wonderment.

Lily hugged her son to her. "Now we can tell everyone that he is all better." She said happily
to James.

James sighed in relief. "Did you see the Healer's face? She couldn't believe he was healed."
He smiled at his wife and son. "Now we can continue with our lives, with all the plans we
had made." The months of pain and grief could finally be behind them for good.
Lily nodded and looked down at her treasured gift. She would never forget her Harry, the
baby she had given birth to. She would love him until the day she died. But now her heart
wasn't empty anymore. She had a son and she loved him already.

The floo came to life and Sirius and Remus stepped out.

"Hey, how is he?" Remus asked gently smiling down at his unofficial godson. He frowned a
little. Harry smelled different. His werewolf abilities were strong even when he was not in
werewolf form.

"He is fine -" James started to say when he noticed how tired Sirius and Remus looked.
"What happened to you two?" He asked in concern.

"We were at the Snape's house," Sirius answered. "A fire broke out and their son died." He
eyed his godson sadly. He and his cousin Bellatrix were not close but he felt for her and he
hated that the baby had died. It had made him think of poor little Harry.

Lily stiffened slightly and James coughed. "That's awful. How did that happen?" James asked
with a concerned look on his face.

Remus sighed. "Bellatrix was home alone with her son and lit some candles. She fell asleep
and woke up to the living room being on fire. It was too late for the baby."

"That's terrible," Lily whispered. "Poor Bellatrix and Severus." Merlin, how could I do this to
another mother? Lily wondered but she knew she would keep up the deceit. She couldn't lose
another baby.

"Severus arrived just as we were getting ready to leave," Sirius said, a tone of distaste in his
voice. Despite not caring about Severus, he had felt sadness for the man's pain over losing his
son. He shrugged when Remus shot him a look. "I feel sorry for him, really I do, but I'll never
like him. Anyway, Bellatrix was going crazy, really insane. She wasn't making any sense. She
kept screaming that she hadn't lit any candles but when directly asked, she kept saying she
had to remember to turn out the candles. Severus couldn't even calm her down."

"She had to have a sleeping spell cast on her. And Severus looked destroyed. He just sat on
the porch holding her with tears streaming down his face." Remus said and his heart ached as
he looked at his friends. They may be going through the loss of a child soon as well.

"It was a terrible sight. You're lucky you are still on leave." Sirius commented. His eyes
widened. "No, I didn't mean that. I -"

"It's okay Sirius." James interrupted. He had been on leave from the auror's for the last month
as his son's health had started to decline. He glanced at Lily and she smiled and nodded. "I
will be returning to work." He announced.

"What?" Remus asked in surprise. "I thought you wanted to spend your time with Lily and
Harry?"
"The Healer had just left when you showed up," Lily said. "Harry is fine. Completely
healthy."

Remus's eyes widened in shock and Sirius's mouth dropped open. "What? But I thought there
was nothing else they could do for him!"

"The Healer was just as shocked. But she ran a full diagnostic and Harry is not sick
anymore." James said as he took the baby from Lily. He smiled. "See?"

Sirius and Remus looked at Harry who indeed looked the picture of health. Gone was the
pale, sallow skin. Gone was the dull look in his eyes. "Yippee!" Sirius yelped and then
chuckled when Harry gave a start. "Sorry kid. Your godfather is just very happy!" He turned
into his Animagus form as Padfoot and ran around the room barking happily before
transforming back.

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend's antics and then hugged Lily. "I can't believe it! I'm so
happy for you!" Perhaps that is why Harry smelled different. He had smelled of sickness for a
long time.

"Just you wait pronglet! I'm going to teach you Quidditch just as soon as you're old enough
and then I will buy you your first broom," Sirius had taken Harry and was holding the baby,
chattering excitedly.

James laughed. "Don't you think his father should teach him Quidditch?" He shook his head
in amusement.

Sirius smirked. "Don't you want him to learn by the best?" He teased.

James gave a fake scowl. "He will be!"

While the two best friends continued in their friendly bickering Remus turned to Lily. "Those
two will never grow up." He informed her.

Lily laughed and shook her head. "I wouldn't have them any other way though." She watched
her friends dote over Harry and though she was so happy to have another chance at raising a
son, she couldn't help the guilt she felt for the pain Bellatrix and Severus were going through
right now. But it was for the best, she told herself. Their son would be safe and she and James
would raise him in a house full of love. It's not like anyone will find out, she thought as she
took Harry back into her arms. No one will ever know.

HPHPHPHP

Severus went into his new quarters at Hogwarts. He slid into a chair and put his head in his
hands. Even though it had been months he was still deep in his grief. He missed his son and
still couldn't believe he would never be able to hold him in his arms again. He remembered
how entranced he had been when he had first looked into his newborn's eyes. It had been hard
to believe he had been so afraid of becoming a father. There were still fears but looking at
Kaiden's little face he knew this was what he was meant for. Bella had given him a knowing
look that day and he knew she was also remembering the day they had discussed his fears of
parenthood.

"I am not saying that I do not want children," Severus said carefully to his wife as he crushed
lacewing flies into a fine powder for the potion he was currently brewing. "I simply have
doubts that I will be a decent parent."

Bellatrix stared at him. "Oh Severus," She sighed, and then her dark eyes narrowed. "Get
over it!" She laughed widely at his surprised expression. "You, my love, are not your
despicable father. You will not hate your child or make them feel worthless." She leveled him
a stern look. "Now, no more of this nonsense or I will hex you good!" Her dark eyes sparkled
mischievously.

Severus stared at her and then his lips curled in amusement. "You are the only one who can
get away with threatening me." He shook his head ruefully. He truly loved this woman.

Bellatrix tossed her head, her long dark wild hair flying. "I know." She said smugly. "Now,
what names do you like for our child? We also need to decide on colors for the nursery. I'm
telling you now Severus, there will be no black." She raised her eyebrow expectantly.

Severus finished crushing his ingredients and put a stasis on the potion he was working on.
"Why do you want to decide on that now? It is not like you are…" He trailed off as realization
filled his eyes. "Bella?"

Bellatrix took his hand and put it on her stomach. "Yes," She said softly.

Severus's face lit up and he pulled her into a hug. "I love you my Bella." He whispered in her
ear.

"I love you too," Bellatrix responded with contentment in her voice.

Severus pulled back and looked at her thoughtfully. "So, no black for the nursery. How about
grey?"

After the horrible day of the fire, Bellatrix had completely broken down. Severus had tried
hard to hold himself together and be strong for her but she could not be consoled. She would
scream and claw at anyone who came near her. She kept babbling that she had not lit any
candles but then she would say she needed to put them out. At one point Severus found her
slumped on the ground muttering over and over to herself. "Put out the candles Bella. Put out
the candles Bella."

Severus had taken her to St. Mungo's but she had checked herself out after a few days. Bella
had thrown herself into being a death eater. She ignored Severus whenever he tried to talk to
her at the meetings and she wouldn't even look at him. The Dark Lord had appeared pleased
by that fact. Severus, on the other hand, still wanted out of the Death Eater's life and had
turned to Albus Dumbledore for help when he found out the Potters were being targeted. He
hated James Potter and had not spoken to Lily in years but she had been a friend once and he
had hoped to save them and her son. He had become a spy for the light but even with Albus's
help, the Potter's had been killed and the Dark Lord had disappeared. Hopefully forever.
Their son, Harry, had survived and been sent to live with his relatives for his safety. Albus
had asked him to help protect Harry once he started school as he believed the Dark Lord
would return someday. Severus hoped that wasn't true, he never wanted to see that creature
again. He had agreed to Albus's request, figuring it was the least he could do for making the
terrible decision to become a death eater in the first place and being given the job of Potion's
Professor at Hogwarts.

Severus had tried once again to get in contact with Bella but after the Dark Lord's fall, she
had disappeared into thin air. Not even Narcissa knew where she was. He had tried to track
her for several weeks before returning home and completely losing it, destroying the house
where he, Bella, and Kaiden had once lived. He had lost the two people he loved most and
sometimes found it hard to breathe, his grief and pain were so great. He used his occlumency
to hide his emotions, burying them as deep as he could. To everyone else, he appeared cold
and bitter. And he was. All of the joy and love he had once felt when he was a husband and a
father was buried deep inside of him. And there it would stay.

TBC:
 Chapter Three

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Hurry up boy! We want to leave for our outing." Vernon Dursley yelled for his nephew. He
squinted at the small thin boy with messy hair and glasses. "Did you finish your chores?"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Ten-year-old Harry Potter coughed. He had been coughing a lot since
cleaning up the cleaning products that had spilled in his cupboard. His Aunt now kept them
in there, even though the cupboard was his bedroom. He had knocked over several bottles
and they had splashed everywhere, even on his bread and water. He hadn't been sure what to
do but he had been so hungry and thirsty that he had finished his meal despite it. Since then
he had been coughing and having trouble breathing and his skin felt like it was burning. His
stomach and throat hurt as well but he knew better than to complain to his Aunt and Uncle.

"You better not be getting sick boy," Vernon grumbled as he opened the front door. "Behave
yourself at Arabella's or else!" He warned.

"Yes sir." Harry tried not to cough but he couldn't help it. He winced at the look his Uncle
gave him and tried harder to control it.

"We're going to the beach today," Dudley told him smugly as he waddled by him. "Too bad
freaks aren't allowed, isn't it Scarhead?" He gave Harry a nasty look.

Harry shrugged and looked away, absently rubbing the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his
forehead. He would love to visit the beach but they had never taken him. They never took
him anywhere with them. He knew they hated him and that he should be grateful for the fact
that they at least put a roof over his head.

"And next week we are going to the zoo and you aren't coming with us then either," Dudley
continued his taunting. He faked a sad look. "Isn't your birthday next week?" He then laughed
spitefully.

Harry didn't respond as he knew anything he said or did would just get him into trouble. And
his Aunt and Uncle never celebrated his birthday. The only one who ever mentioned it was
Dudley, and that was so he could make fun of him for not getting any presents or a cake.

"I'll take him across the street and then we can go and enjoy our day." Petunia smiled
indulgently at Dudley. "We are going to have such a fun day aren't we Dudders?"

Dudley nodded and Vernon laughed. "A day without the freak is always a good day." Vernon
snorted as he opened the car door for Dudley.

Petunia roughly grabbed Harry's arm, took him across the street, and knocked on Arabella's
door.
"Hello, Petunia. Hello, Harry." Arabella greeted them when she opened the door. She
frowned when she saw Harry. "Oh, is he sick?" She asked worriedly.

Petunia pushed Harry into the house. "No, he just wants attention. Ignore him. We will be
back after dinner, just send him home then." She hurried away, clearly happy to be rid of her
nephew.

Arabella regarded Harry with concern. His eyes were red and he was coughing a lot. "Are
you sick, dear? Are you in pain?"

Harry looked up at her but couldn't answer as the coughing grew worse and he began to
struggle to breathe. He fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Everything began getting fuzzy
and there was pain in his throat and chest.

"Harry!" Arabella knelt down next to him. She gasped when she realized he was hardly
breathing. "No! Harry!" She got up and ran to her fireplace and threw in the floo powder that
Albus Dumbledore had left her. She was grateful that despite being a squib she was able to at
least do this. "Albus!"

Albus Dumbledore looked up from his desk and into the scared face of his friend. "Arabella?
What is wrong? Is it Harry?" He asked in concern, standing up. Arabella had never contacted
him before.

"Yes, Albus please step through. Something is wrong with Harry, he is barely breathing!"

Dumbledore practically flew into the floo and hurried over to where Harry was crumpled in a
heap on the ground. He was taken aback by how small the child was. He ran his wand over
him to run a quick diagnostic and his eyes widened. "I need to get him to Poppy right away."
He scooped up the too-light child and disappeared into the floo with the destination for the
infirmary.

Poppy looked up in surprise from where she was taking inventory of her healing potions
when her floo flared to life. As it was the middle of summer it was only her, Albus, and
Severus in the castle. "Albus? Who is that?" Poppy asked as Dumbledore laid Harry down on
a bed. She immediately began running diagnostics.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore answered, watching the child with worry in his eyes.

"Albus, get Severus," Poppy said in alarm. She put a life charm around Harry to sustain him
until she could get a hold of the potions she needed. "Tell him I need a Pulmone Instaurabo
potion and Cardiacus Lavage Elixir." As Dumbledore hurried to the floo Poppy summoned a
pain reliever and burn cream for his skin. She also began casting healing spells to make his
breathing a little easier.

Dumbledore returned quickly with Severus who was carrying the requested potions. "What
happened?" He demanded as he looked in surprise at the child who lay unconscious on the
bed. He noticed the lightning bolt scar. "Is that…Harry Potter?" Severus knew the son of his
childhood enemy would be starting Hogwarts this year and he had already decided that the
boy would be just as arrogant and spoiled as James Potter had been. But this child, he didn't
even look like a boy about to be eleven. He looked more like an eight-year-old.

"I don't know. Arabella just contacted me that something was wrong with him." Dumbledore
watched as Severus and Poppy began working on Harry. "Will he be okay?" He asked
anxiously.

"I'm not sure yet. According to my diagnostic, he has ingested chemicals which resulted in
his being poisoned." Poppy said, her attention focused on Harry. She administered the potions
and then began chanting healing spells over him.

Harry blearily opened his eyes and stared at the adults surrounding him. "Who are you?" He
asked, drowsy from the potions he had been given. Fear began to gather in his green eyes.

"It's okay dear. You were sick and needed potions to get better." Poppy said in a gentle voice.

"What are potions? Am I in a hospital?" Harry's eyes fell on the wand he saw the older man
with a long white beard holding. He began to struggle to get up. "Don't hit me! Please?" He
half whimpered. His uncle was forever threatening to get a stick and hit beat him with it.

Dumbledore was shocked at the plea. "Of course, I would not hit you, Harry."

Not knowing why he felt compelled to, Severus stepped closer to the child. "It is okay Mr.
Potter. No one is going to hurt you; we are trying to make you better." He said soothingly.

"Promise?" Harry's eyes began to close. The deep voice sounded somewhat familiar and he
immediately relaxed. He felt safe somehow. This man wouldn't let anyone hurt him.

Severus cast his own diagnostic once Harry fell back into unconsciousness. "Muggle
household cleaners. If certain ones are mixed they can be deadly." He said flatly. "It is
dangerous to breathe in the fumes, never mind ingest them. Any longer and this child would
be dead." He tried to keep his voice emotionless.

Dumbledore inhaled sharply at that. "I didn't know that Petunia was neglecting him this
much." He murmured almost to himself.

Severus looked up and narrowed his dark eyes. "Exactly what do you mean? You knew he
was not being properly cared for?" His tone had a dangerous edge to it. He had been prepared
to hate this child. Not just because he was James Potter's spawn but because Potter's son had
lived while his son had died. One of the reasons he was so cold towards the students, even his
own Slytherins to a degree, was because they lived while his child was buried. It was
irrational but it was how he felt. He missed his son. He missed his wife and there was not a
day that went by that he didn't wonder how different everything could have been.

"I suspected Petunia would not care for him like her own child but I had hoped over time she
would change. I know she and Lily did not get along but I thought that since Lily was gone
she would feel something for her nephew." Dumbledore looked at the small boy sadly. He
had added his own charms to the sacrificial magic that Lily had done when she protected her
child. He had felt at the time that while the protection was able to be transferred to Petunia, it
was not as strong as he had thought it would be. The love was strong but something didn't
feel right. However, he had hoped it would be enough to protect Harry should any death
eaters try to get him or if Voldemort came back. He had arranged for Arabella to live across
the street just in case it wasn't.

"Despite his condition today he is also malnourished, and dehydrated and his history shows
many bruises and sprains. The bruises and sprains start when he was at least three; the
malnutrition starts even earlier than that." Poppy said angrily.

Severus glared at Albus. "This is the boy you want me to protect? Why did you not inform
me that my job needed to start from the day he was left in his Aunt's custody?" He asked
sarcastically.

Dumbledore shut his eyes. "I didn't know."

"You should have!" Severus snapped. He was upset on principle; no child should be made to
suffer like this. He might be bitter that other children lived while his son did not but he would
never stand by and let any child suffer like this.

Poppy nodded in agreement. "If it was not for his magic trying to help him he could have
died long ago from the neglect." She gave the Headmaster a disapproving look. She sighed as
she looked at the child. "He is beginning to heal, although he will need a lot of rest and
nutrition. He will also need to take a Cardiacus Lavage Elixir for at least a week to heal the
inside of his stomach fully."

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "I will make sure that Petunia and her husband -"

"You seriously do not think to take him back there?" Severus said in shock. And people think
I am heartless, he thought darkly.

"The blood wards-" Dumbledore began and then stopped. The truth was he knew the blood
wards were not as strong as they should be. He just didn't know why. He sighed in defeat.
Obviously, Harry could not go back to the Dursleys, never mind that Severus and Poppy
wouldn't let him go back. It was only a little over a month until school started; the child
would be safe enough at Hogwarts. "He will stay here for the rest of the summer,"
Dumbledore said finally. "However, as it is only us three here for now we will need to take
turns taking care of him." His gaze was on Severus as he knew Poppy would have no
problem with this arrangement.

"Of course," Poppy said in a relieved voice, and after a moment Severus also nodded his
agreement.

"Excellent." Dumbledore smiled sadly down at the child. "I will have to figure out where he
will sleep for the rest of summer but I assume for now he will need to be in the infirmary?"

Poppy nodded. "He will need to be monitored closely for the next couple of days." She
confirmed.
Dumbledore nodded. Perhaps one of them could convert a room in their quarters into a
bedroom for the child. "There is some paperwork I need to finish, please alert me if there are
any changes in his condition," Dumbledore said after a while of staring at the child before
taking he took his leave.

Poppy ran another diagnostic and sighed with relief. She removed the life charm. "His throat
may be sore when he wakes and his stomach will most likely hurt a bit." She murmured. "I
would like to consult one of my books on his condition. There is not much more we can do
until he wakes up."

Severus summoned a nutritive potion and spelled it into Harry. He hated seeing the child so
skinny as it reminded him of himself as a child, too thin and neglected. He pulled a chair over
and sat next to his bed. "I'll stay and watch him while you do your research." He offered. He
didn't know why he felt so compelled to be near this child. Perhaps it was because he was
supposed to protect the boy anyway, or perhaps because Lily had been kind to him when they
were younger, or perhaps because Harry's condition somewhat reminded him of his own
upbringing. Or maybe because his son would have been this age…

Poppy looked surprised but nodded. "I will be in my office if anything happens." She told
him.

Severus didn't say anything; he just sat and watched Harry, whose breathing was still a little
labored. He felt a surge of protective feelings towards him which shocked him. He tried to
occlude but somehow feelings he had kept buried for so long were fighting to the surface and
he didn't understand why.

HPHPHPHP

Harry slowly woke up again and realized he felt better than he had in a long time, even if his
throat and stomach still hurt a bit. He looked around in confusion. Why was he in a hospital?
His Aunt and Uncle never took him to the doctor even if he was sick.

"Are you hungry?"

Harry whipped his head around at the deep voice and saw a tall man with dark eyes watching
him with what looked like concern on his face. Concern for him? "Yes sir," Harry answered,
surprised when his voice came out raspy. He looked at the tall man dressed all in black in
confusion.

"You are still healing," Severus explained. "Your voice should return to normal in a couple of
days." He slipped his wand out of his sleeve, slowly to not startle the boy. "I will not hurt
you." He waved his wand and a tray that held a bowl of chicken noodle soup with crackers
and pumpkin juice appeared.

Harry jumped. "How-how did you do that?" He asked nervously. It seemed that this man
could make strange things happen like him! "Are you a freak too?" He asked without
thinking.
"Excuse me?" Severus asked sharply. Was that what Potter had been raised to believe? That
he was a freak? More visions of his own childhood began to flicker through Severus's mind.

Harry shrank back into his pillows. "I'm sorry. It's just you did something strange like I do
sometimes." He explained.

"You do not do strange things," Severus said slowly as he took a seat beside Harry. "I do
magic because I am a wizard, as are you."

"Magic isn't real," Harry said softly, not wanting to upset the man. "My relatives told me so."

"Magic is real, child." Severus held up his hand when the child began to shake his head.
"Your Aunt and Uncle lied to you."

"They lied?" Harry asked, his eyes moving to the bowl of soup. It smelled really good.

Severus gestured to the meal. "Eat. You must be hungry." He was so thin, Severus thought
sadly.

Harry tentatively took a spoonful of soup. "It's so good!" He said happily. The soup was
warm with thick noodles and large chunks of delicious chicken. He continued eating and then
looked at the juice. "Is this orange juice? It looks different." He curiously took a sip and his
face lit up. "What is this?"

Severus couldn't help but smile slightly. "That is pumpkin juice. I take it you like it?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir!" He looked at Severus curiously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Severus Snape," Severus answered. "I am the Potion's Professor here at
Hogwarts."

Harry frowned. "Hogwarts? That's a funny name. Wait, so am I at a school or hospital?"

"You are in the school infirmary of Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Severus
answered evenly.

Harry bit his lip as he looked around. "I don't understand. How did I get here?" Harry asked
as he began to feel nervous again. He felt so confused. "Magic can't be real, why would my
Aunt and Uncle lie about it?" Was this some sort of trick? Maybe he was dreaming…

Severus leaned forward slightly, wanting the boy to understand. "Mr. Potter," He began.

"Only abnormal people believe in magic," Harry said automatically. His eyes widened when
he realized he had interrupted an adult. And this adult, whose eyes were narrowing, did not
look happy. Not one bit.

TBC:
 Chapter Four
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"I'm sorry sir, er, Professor. I shouldn't have interrupted." Harry said quickly.

Severus closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relax. The boy had seen his anger and
assumed it was aimed at him. Abnormal, he thought in disgust as he re-opened his eyes to
find Harry staring at him with a worried expression. He took a deep breath. "While I do not
appreciate being interrupted," He began slowly. "I will overlook it this time. I understand that
you are confused and have many questions." He scowled inwardly. Why was he bothering to
explain things to the child? Albus or Poppy could handle the situation and he could go back
to making potions. Or brooding. Those two were his favorite hobbies after all. Well, along
with making students cry with a mere scowl.

"You are not abnormal and magic is very much real." Severus finally said. "Your Aunt and
Uncle lied to you; you will need to accept that. You must know I am right, don't you? Deep
down you know, must feel, that magic is real."

Harry stayed quiet. He had wondered over the years if it was possible… "So when my hair
grew overnight, that was magic?" He asked suddenly.

Severus stared at him. "I beg your pardon?"

"My Aunt cut my hair once, saying it was too messy. She cut it to where I had bald patches
on my head." Harry said, grimacing at the memory. "I had school the next day and was so
embarrassed for anyone to see me. But when I woke up, my hair was just as it had been
before she cut it!" He looked at the professor expectantly.

Severus smirked. "Yes, that was your accidental magic kicking in. All wizarding children
have accidental magic; it is simply part of being a wizarding child." He explained. His smirk
widened. "Your Aunt must not have been happy."

Harry let out a little giggle. "She glared at me but didn't say anything."

"Your Aunt knew it was magic Harry," Severus said quietly. "Your mother was a witch and
your father a wizard. I'm sure she saw your mother display accidental magic when they were
young."

Harry's face fell. "But then why did she tell me it wasn't real? Why did she get so mad at me
all the time?"

"Oh, many reasons I would imagine." Severus sighed. "Fear of it, or jealousy that while her
sister had magic, she did not. However, no reason justifies her treatment of you or the fact
that she lied to you, Mr. Potter." He said firmly.

Just then, Poppy re-entered the infirmary. "You're eating, wonderful! How do you feel
Harry?" She asked.

"A lot better," Harry answered her. "My throat burns a bit but nothing like before. The
Professor said my voice will be back to normal in a couple of days."

"Yes, it will get better. Do you remember what happened to you dear?" Poppy asked gently.

Harry frowned in thought. "I went to Mrs. Figg's while my relatives went to the beach." His
voice had a hint of sadness in it.

"Did you not want to go with them?" Severus asked curiously.

"I'm not allowed to go. No freaks allowed." Harry said automatically. He winced as he
remembered that the nice professor didn't like that word.

Severus gritted his teeth. Blasted muggles! He would love to have five minutes with them.
How dare Lily's sister treat the boy so poorly? She also knew her nephew couldn't help doing
accidental magic. "You are not a freak, remember?"

"You said I am a wizard," Harry said it more like a question.

"You are," Severus said firmly. "And accidental magic is very normal for magical children."
He repeated. With Potter's background, many reassurances would need to be repeated before
he would be able to truly believe it.

"I still don't understand," Harry admitted, hoping the nice professor wouldn't get mad at him
for being so stupid. His Aunt and Uncle always said he was stupid.

"I know you don't." Severus sighed. "It's okay."

Harry visibly relaxed. The professor wasn't mad at him! "How did I get here?" He asked
again.

"Mrs. Figg contacted the Headmaster here, Albus Dumbledore. She knows him and knew the
infirmary here would be the best place for you to get better." Severus answered.

"So…she knows about magic?" Harry winced at saying the word magic. He still expected to
be in trouble for saying it.

"Yes," Severus admitted. "She knows of it but does not have magic herself. Now, do you
remember what happened before you were dropped off at Mrs. Figg's? Did you eat
anything?"

Harry nodded. "I was allowed some toast and water. It tasted funny but I was hungry so I ate
it anyway."
Severus closed his eyes for a moment. Bread and water? He was allowed to have bread and
water? "It tasted funny?"

"I accidentally knocked some of the bottles in my cupboard down and I think it splashed in
my drink and food," Harry said in a small voice. He did not want his relatives to know that as
they would be angry with him. "You won't tell my Aunt and Uncle will you? I tried to clean
up the mess but my skin began to burn."

"You do not have to worry about those people anymore," Severus said as he tried to control
his anger. "What did you mean when you said your cupboard?"

"My room," Harry said simply as if it was the most normal thing in the world to have a
cupboard as a bedroom.

Poppy's and Severus's mouths dropped open. "Your room is a cupboard? How dare they!"
Poppy cried out.

"I take it that the household cleaning products are kept in your…room?" Severus said, unable
to keep the anger completely out of his voice.

Harry flinched back at how mad they both looked and nodded. "Yes sir. My Aunt started
putting them in there a few days ago. I didn't mean to knock them down!"

Severus stood up and then bent down to make eye contact with Harry. "You did nothing
wrong. The Dursleys were wrong to treat you the way they did. You are not a freak and you
do not do strange things. You are a wizard and sometimes you do accidental magic which is
normal. You should have had your own bedroom, not a cupboard, and you also should have
been given much more than bread and water."

Harry just stared at him. He had never been told anything like that before. And the man
seemed so sure. Harry bit his lip. "Are you sure?" Harry whispered. "They said I was bad and
should feel lucky to even have a cupboard. They said it was my fault my parents died in the
car crash and that I should have died with them."

The room shook and objects flew off the counters and onto the floor as Severus visibly
quaked with anger. He turned and left the room before he truly exploded in anger and scared
the child more than he already had. He trusted that Poppy would stay with him. It took
everything he had not to go to the Dursleys and start casting unforgivables.

HPHPHPHP

"I made him mad," Harry said sadly after the professor left.

"No dear. The only thing that made Severus mad is the way you were treated." Poppy assured
him. "He is not mad at you, I promise." She was a little surprised at the strong reaction of the
potions professor, although given his childhood perhaps she should not be.

"Oh," Harry said as he fiddled with his now empty glass. He wondered why they were mad
about how the Dursleys had treated him. No one else ever had been. "What is your name?"
He asked curiously.

Poppy looked startled for a second and then laughed. "I'm sorry dear. I am Madame Pomfrey
but you may call me Poppy." She smiled kindly at Harry. "I am the matron here at Hogwarts.
I take care of anyone who gets sick or injured."

"Thank you for making me better," Harry said sincerely.

Poppy smiled sadly. "You are welcome, dear." She nodded at the almost empty bowl of soup.
"Are you done eating?"

Harry nodded. "It was really good. The best meal I've ever had." He smiled happily.

Poppy banished the tray, her heart constricting at that. A bowl of soup was the best meal the
child had ever had? She couldn't help but feel anger towards the Headmaster for leaving the
child with such uncaring people. "Your parents," She hesitated, thinking it would be best for
Albus to tell Harry what happened to James and Lily. But she hated that he had been lied to
about them. "They didn't die in a car crash. They died while fighting a very bad wizard." She
smiled sadly at him. "They were heroes."

"Really?" Harry's eyes widened. They hadn't been drunks who caused a car crash? "Can you
tell me more about them?" He asked eagerly.

"I will share my memories of them later but first I think the Headmaster should talk to you
about them." She changed the subject. "Would you like to see some more magic?" She asked
with a smile.

Harry laughed with wonderment as Poppy began levitating pillows and empty vials and
spinning them around the room.

"Will I be able to do that?" Harry asked curiously after she had ended the spell.

"You will," Poppy said with a smile.

"You will be starting Hogwarts this September and will learn many amazing things," Severus
said as he re-entered the room. He had left so that the child would not mistake his anger
towards his relatives as anger towards him. He should have just retreated to his quarters but
he felt some unexplainable need to make sure the boy was all right.

"I will?" Harry brightened but then his face fell. "I doubt my Aunt and Uncle will pay for
Hogwarts." He said regretfully. "They told me magic wasn't real so they must not like it."

Severus glanced at Poppy and then looked back at Harry. "It does not matter what they think
Mr. Potter, they have nothing to do with you anymore."

Hope gathered in Harry's eyes briefly before worry took over. "What will happen to me
then?" He asked in a small voice. He didn't want to go to an orphanage.

"Do not worry about that now. For the rest of the summer, you will stay here at Hogwarts."
Severus said reassuringly. He then frowned at himself. Since when do I reassure a Potter? He
thought huffily. Perhaps I am getting sick…

Harry gasped when the fireplace suddenly came to life and a man in brightly colored robes
with a long white beard stepped out. "Hello, my boy! You look like you are feeling well."

"Yes sir," Harry answered warily.

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore smiled at him though his eyes were not their usual twinkling
selves. "I am Albus Dumbledore."

"The Headmaster," Harry said, tilting his head to the side. "You know Mrs. Figg right?"

"Yes, I do," Dumbledore answered. "We were all very worried about you my boy."

"I'm sorry," Harry flushed. He knew he had to apologize for causing so much trouble. He
figured that he was going to be allowed to stay at Hogwarts to work, like cooking and
cleaning. He was fine with that though, he would rather do chores for these nice people than
his relatives! "I can start work right away." He offered.

Dumbledore blinked. "Work? What do you mean child?"

"To earn my keep, sir," Harry explained. "You know, for me staying here."

"Why would you…ah," Dumbledore frowned. "What work do you do my boy?" He asked
conversationally though his eyes were hard. He ignored the sharp glances from Poppy and
Severus.

Harry smiled proudly. Maybe once the Headmaster heard of all the work he could do, he
would be allowed to stay every summer. "I can cook all of your meals," He began. "I can
dust, polish, sweep the floors, mop, and do all the laundry, vacuum, wash dishes, as well as
any outdoor work like weeding or mowing the lawn." He looked hopefully at Dumbledore.

"He was raised as a bloody house elf," Severus murmured disbelievingly. So the boy had
been starved, told he was a freak, put in a cupboard, and made to work like a servant.

"When did you learn to do all those things?" Dumbledore asked casually.

"Um, since I was really little," Harry answered with a shrug.

"Do you do all the chores or does your cousin help?" Dumbledore continued his questioning.

Harry snorted at the idea of Dudley doing any work. "No, just me sir."

"You cook the meals but are not always allowed to eat any of them?" Severus asked.

Harry nodded. "Usually I get some of the leftovers though, if I'm good."

"How generous," Severus said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes at Poppy's reproachful look.
"Harry, you do not need to earn your keep here," Dumbledore said firmly. "We are happy to
have you here and we will take care of you this summer as well as get you ready for school."

"The only thing you are required to do is gain some weight and get some rest," Poppy added.

"He can certainly start preparing for the school year," Severus spoke up. "We should get his
wand and books soon so that he can get a head start learning." He gave Harry a knowing
look. "Of course, first he needs to truly accept that he is a wizard."

Harry flushed. He couldn't help not believing it, it was a lot to take in.

"Wait until he gets his wand," Poppy chuckled and ruffled Harry's hair. "You'll see, child."
She looked at Dumbledore. "He wants to know about James and Lily." She said softly. "He
was lied to about how they died. He was told they died in a car accident." She smiled gently
at Harry. "I told him that they died as heroes fighting a bad wizard."

"I see," Dumbledore's face looked pained but he sat down next to Harry's bed. "Yes, I'll tell
you about them."

Severus stiffened. Obviously, the child had a right to know what happened to his parents, but
Severus wasn't going to stick around to hear about how wonderful James Potter had been. "I
need to make some nutritive potions for Potter; I will be in my lab if you need me." He turned
and walked out.

HPHPHPHP

Harry sighed as he leaned back against his pillow. He wanted to get up and explore the castle
but Poppy had insisted he needed more bed rest. His mind churned over the information the
Headmaster had given him. His parents had died protecting him from the dark wizard,
Voldemort, who had tried to kill him. Harry rubbed his scar thoughtfully. He had assumed he
had received the scar in the so-called car accident but now he knew the truth. The
Headmaster also had told him that he had placed charms with the Dursley's house to protect
him from those who followed the dark wizard. The Headmaster had apologized for not
checking up on him better and that he had not realized Harry would need protection from his
relatives.

It was strange that now he was being told how he had been treated was wrong. No one had
ever questioned it before. No one had done anything when Dudley had chased him around the
neighborhood to beat him up or at school. No one had ever commented on how thin he was
or how he rarely had lunch at school as Dudley usually stole it. No one had ever cared before.
But now…

Severus walked in carrying several vials and nodded to Harry. "I'm surprised you are not
asleep." He commented as he put the vials on the counter. "It has been a rather long day for
you."

"I wanted to explore the castle but Poppy said no." Harry sighed.
 "Ah," Severus crossed his arms over his chest. "She is right, you need to rest first. Also, you
may not explore the castle alone. It would be too easy for you to get lost or even hurt, as it is
a magical castle and you are new to this world. I'm sure if you do what Poppy wants,
tomorrow one of us will start showing you around."

"Yes sir," Harry said as he realized he shouldn't be complaining. These people had saved his
life, he shouldn't be so disrespectful.

"If you continue to behave, perhaps I will show you my classroom and introduce you to
potion making." Severus found himself offering. Ugh, what is wrong with me? He wondered.

"That would be great!" Harry smiled.

Severus nodded and made to leave but paused. "I can give you something to help you fall
asleep or I suppose I could lend you a book to read."

Harry's eyes lit up. "I like to read." He said happily. "Any books Dudley got he never used so
I was sometimes able to."

Severus summoned a large book. "Here you are. This should keep you busy for a while." He
smirked.

Harry looked at the title which was titled Hogwarts, a History. "Thank you, Professor!"

"You're welcome," Severus said and then made his leave, once again wondering why he was
even bothering with the child.

TBC:

Chapter End Notes

Next up, Severus finds out who Harry is! =) Any guesses as to how it happens?
 Chapter Five

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Severus still wasn't sure how it had happened. He had merely gone into the infirmary to see if
Poppy had completed her list of the potions needed for the school year, he certainly had not
gone in to check on how the child was doing. He had walked into a discussion between
Dumbledore and Poppy about what to do with Potter as he did not require strict bed rest
anymore. Dumbledore needed to go to the ministry and Poppy was busy cataloging what
potions she would need for the upcoming year. After seeing the disappointment on Potter's
face, he found himself offering to show the child the potions classroom. He had mentioned it
to the boy before but certainly had planned to put it off. He was around children enough
during the year; he didn't need to burden himself with another one during the summer.
Especially James Potter's son. And yet, here he was not only showing Harry his classroom
but instructing him on his first potion. Of course, when dealing with abused children Severus
always tried to be more considerate and patient with them. Severus knew what it was like, the
fear; confusion, and embarrassment a child would feel once their home life was discovered.
The truth was, that Severus felt a connection to Potter as he had grown up in a neglectful
home as well.

When he had begun listing some of the potions Harry would learn this coming year, the boy
had looked so interested and excited that Severus found himself asking if he wanted to try
and brew one now. What is wrong with me? Severus wondered with a sigh as he carefully
watched Potter begin to cut up his ingredients. He had first lectured about the Boil Cure he
was letting the boy make and showed him how to use the mortar and pestle. "This will be one
of the first potions you will be making in class so I will expect yours to be done correctly,
even more so than the other children," Severus smirked slightly as Harry's eyes widened at
that. If he messes it up in class I can take points from Gryffindor and resume my evil bat of
the dungeons reputation, Severus thought in satisfaction.

Harry carefully read the instructions as he added four measures of the crushed fangs to the
cauldron. He turned the heat to the correct temperature and waited ten seconds as the book
instructed. He frowned when he saw the next step required a wand. "I don't have a wand sir,"
He said softly. His voice was still not back to normal and his throat felt a little raw.

"I am aware of that Mr. Potter," Severus waved his wand over the cauldron and then stepped
back. "We will check on the potion in a half hour and see if it is ready to continue." He had to
admit to himself that he was impressed. This was the child's first time trying a potion and he
was doing a fine job of it. He showed some promise. No way had he inherited that from his
father, Severus smirked to himself. James Potter had been hopeless at potions.

Harry thumbed through the book to look at all the other potions listed. He was enjoying
himself and was sure potions would be his favorite class. "Have you always liked potions,
sir?" He asked with interest.
Severus raised an eyebrow. He had figured the child would read or ask to do something else,
not make conversation with him. "Yes, I always had an affinity for potion-making." The Dark
Arts, whether learning to defend against them or not had been a close second. However, he
had always enjoyed the process of making potions as well as the creativity in trying to
improve on one or create a new one.

"Did you always want to be a professor?" Harry continued to ask.

Not in a million years, Severus thought. "No, the opportunity to teach simply presented itself
at the right time. It would not have been my first choice of a career, however." He answered
honestly. Owning an Apothecary, however…

"Oh," Harry looked back at his book. "You're a good teacher." He offered sincerely.

Severus stared at him for a moment, wondering if the boy was hoping to win a special favor
for when classes started. When Harry looked at him with nothing but sincerity in his eyes,
Severus realized that wasn't the case. He couldn't help it and began laughing. "You will likely
change your mind after classes start Potter. I am not a favorite Professor among the students."
He realized with a start that he was enjoying spending time with Harry. He mentally shook
his head at the absurdity of it all.

"Really? Why?" Harry asked curiously.

I'm a bitter and angry man, Severus answered in his mind. "I am strict and allow for no
goofing off in class. I take points and assign detentions to students who do not follow the
rules or do not work hard in my class."

"Except for your Slytherins, of course," A voice teased from behind them.

Severus rolled his eyes as Dumbledore walked into the lab.

"Slytherin?" Harry asked as he smiled at the Headmaster.

"Yes, we have four Houses which you will be sorted into at the grand feast." Dumbledore
began to explain. "Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. The House will be like
your home for your Hogwarts career and you will earn, or lose, points for your House. At the
end of the year, the House with the most points wins the House Cup."

"Which Slytherin has been doing," Severus said smugly.

"Yes, Professor Snape here is Head of Slytherin," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"So Slytherins get away with not doing well in your class?" Harry asked, tilting his head to
the side.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Some people think so." He told Harry.

"They do not," Severus said coolly. "I may not take points or publically assign detention but I
assure you my Slytherins know they better do their best and not cause trouble or else they
will answer to me."
"Each House is known for certain qualities and our sorting hat will put you in the house you
belong." Dumbledore continued his explanation.

"What are the qualities of each House?" Harry was eager to learn as much about his new
school as he could. He had read a little in the book Hogwarts, a History but had fallen asleep
after a couple of pages.

"Let's see, Hufflepuff values hard work, loyalty, and fair play," Dumbledore said.

"They cry a lot too," Severus mumbled.

Dumbledore ignored him. "Ravenclaw values intelligence and knowledge."

"Arrogant know-it-alls," Severus interjected.

"Gryffindor values bravery and chivalry."

"Impulsive, reckless, and foolhardy," Severus smirked slightly.

"And Slytherin values-"

"Ambition, cunning and resourcefulness," Severus finished.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Yes. Although some would say they are cold and only care
for themselves." He said, merely smiling when Severus glared at him.

"Unfortunately, Slytherin has a bad reputation as being a House that caters to future dark
wizards or witches," Severus said with a sigh.

"There is no bad or good house," Dumbledore said firmly. "Each house has admirable traits
and each house has, unfortunately, produced dark wizards."

Severus snorted. The Headmaster has shown favoritism towards Gryffindors since Severus
was a student at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore gave a sad sigh. He knew Severus was still resentful from his own time at
Hogwarts, not that Dumbledore blamed him. He had not done right by Severus when he was
a student. To protect one student's secret; he had been unfair to another.

"I wonder what House I will be in," Harry mused.

Severus rolled his eyes as he gestured for Harry to continue with his potion. "No doubt a
Gryffindor so I hope you like the colors red and gold." He said dryly.

Harry shrugged as he took the cauldron off the fire before adding two porcupine quills.
"Green is my favorite color," He murmured absently as he concentrated on his potion.

Severus raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He watched as Harry stirred five times
clockwise and then he stepped forward to wave his wand over the potion to complete it.
Severus poured some of the potion into a vial and examined the blue liquid. "You did well,"
He had to admit.

Harry's eyes brightened. "Thank you, Professor." He said happily. That had been fun!

"Lunch will be starting in the great hall, I thought we could all eat together and answer any
questions Harry has," Dumbledore said. "After lunch, I will give you the grand tour my boy."

Harry beamed. He couldn't remember ever feeling this happy before. He was away from the
Dursleys, learning amazing things and with people who didn't treat him like a freak. He didn't
think things could get better.

"I am going to clean up; I will meet you two there in a few minutes," Severus said. After they
had left he leaned against the counter and shut his eyes. He could never admit this out loud to
anyone but he had truly enjoyed spending time with the Potter brat. Okay, maybe he wasn't a
brat but he surely would become one once school started. Potter was famous and he would
likely soak up the fame and attention he would receive from the students and other
professors. He would then become like his father, an arrogant and spoiled child who believed
he was above the rules. Although…after the childhood Potter had suffered perhaps he
deserved a little spoiling. With a sigh, Severus finished cleaning his counter and headed out
of the classroom.

HPHPHPHP

Severus, Harry, Poppy, and Dumbledore sat at a table in the Great Hall and enjoyed the
shepherd's pie the house elves had made. Dumbledore encouraged Harry to ask questions
which the child was a little shy about but soon began to feel more comfortable and asked
what the subjects were like, what the dorms were like, what the sorting ceremony was like,
and so on. Dumbledore and Poppy answered all of his questions and even Severus answered
a few.

Harry was just about to ask what Quidditch was, as he remembered the word from his
readings when a Hogwarts owl flew over the table and hovered over Harry. The child looked
up at it curiously.

"Ah, must be your Hogwarts letter," Albus said pleasantly, happy to get the chance to see one
of his students receive their school letter.

"A big moment in a young wizard's life," Poppy was also happy to see Harry get his official
letter.

Severus nodded at Harry. "Go on, it's for you." He said somewhat stiffly. The thought that his
son should be receiving his letter threatened to overcome him but he quickly buried that
thought beneath his shields. Spending the morning with the boy had rattled him more than he
had thought.

The owl dropped the letter and then flew away. Harry slowly picked it up, his first letter ever,
and his face fell as he looked at the front of the envelope.
"Is something wrong?" Dumbledore asked when he saw the dejected look on Harry's face.

"It's not for me," Harry said in his raspy voice. He pushed the letter away, feeling
apprehensive. If he didn't get a letter then did that mean he couldn't stay at the castle? His
heart sank at the thought that maybe he wouldn't get to attend Hogwarts after all.

"What?" Severus reached over to pick up the envelope and froze. The letter was indeed not
addressed to Harry Potter. "Is this some sort of twisted joke?" He snarled as he threw the
envelope at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked at the name and his eyes widened. "That's not possible." He whispered as
he read the front of the envelope.

Mr. K. Snape

The cot in the infirmary

Hogwarts Castle, Scotland.

"Of course it isn't!" Severus shouted angrily as he stood up. "Who sent this?" If this was
some sort of prank, he would make whoever did it, pay and pay dearly. Out of the corner of
his eye, he noticed Harry flinch and try to make himself smaller in his chair.

Poppy had leaned over to look at the envelope as well and had a shocked look on her face.

Dumbledore was frowning as he looked at the envelope and then his gaze settled on Harry.
"Severus," He said quietly. "These letters are magically sent out. All wizarding children have
their names written down in a book when they are born." He said slowly.

"I know that Albus!" Severus snapped. "But if a child dies, their name disappears so that no
letter is sent to them." He looked away. "Therefore, something must be wrong with the
letters."

Albus was silent for a minute. Could it be possible…? "The letters have never made a
mistake before, Severus." He said finally.

"Well, they have now!" Severus exploded. He heard a whimper and saw Harry had stood up
and was slowly backing away from the table. He forced himself to calm down. "Mr. Potter,
sit back down. You have done nothing wrong and there is no need to be scared." He said in a
calmer tone as he tried to control his emotions.

"Albus, what is going on?" Poppy asked weakly. She remembered going to St. Mungo's to try
and help Bellatrix after their son's death and her heart still hurt when she thought of how
broken and grief-stricken both Bellatrix and Severus had been.

"I don't know," Dumbledore shook his head as his mind began to race with possibilities.

Harry bit his lip nervously. "Who is K. Snape?" He asked softly.

Severus looked away, his face pale and hands clenched into fists.
"He was Severus's son, who passed away when he was a baby," Poppy explained gently.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Harry felt horrible for the Professor.

Poppy gave a sad little smile. Harry was a sweetheart. She was so glad he had survived that
illness. It had been a miraculous recovery actually, she hadn't been able to believe it when
Lily had owled the news. In fact, it had been the same day the news that Kaiden…

"Albus," Poppy moved closer to the Headmaster. "The same day we found out Harry was
healed was the same day we found out about Kaiden." She said to him quietly.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Yes, overnight Harry was somehow cured which was indeed the
same night…" He stared at Harry who was still looking sadly at Severus. It couldn't be…
could it?

Dumbledore called to Harry and gave him a reassuring smile. "I am going to cast a quick
spell to check something. It will not hurt." He assured him.

Severus looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

Dumbledore didn't answer. He pointed his wand at Harry. "Parentes Identitatem Revelare."
He invoked.

A cloud formed above Harry's head and began to spell out words.

Father – Severus Snape

Mother- Bellatrix Snape

Dumbledore stepped back in shock. It had just been a curious thought he had had, he hadn't
actually thought it could be true. How could this be?

"Merlin," Poppy whispered.

Severus stared. "That's not possible." He choked out.

Dumbledore took a deep breath and got ready to incant another spell. He was sure his spell
casting was correct but it was simply too incredible. He once again pointed his wand at a
confused Harry. "Venerandum Tuum Verum Identitatem."

Another misty cloud began to form above Harry.

Kaiden Phoenix Snape

"It is not possible!" Severus snapped when he saw the name. He regretted his sharp tone
when Harry's eyes widened and he once again seemed prepared to bolt from the room. It
can't be, it can't be, he chanted to himself.

"It is my boy. Somehow, it is." Dumbledore said solemnly. "You could make a potion to test it
further but I am quite confident in my spell casting." He added gently.
Severus stared blankly at Harry. "He looks like James Potter." He said numbly.

"He would have to be wearing some sort of charm." Dumbledore mused aloud as he waved
his wand again at different angles. An orb formed and he nodded at it thoughtfully.

"Now what are you doing?" Severus asked in a flat voice.

"The child is wearing a glamour charm," Dumbledore announced. "A very strong and
complicated one." He added.

Glamour? What were they talking about? Why were they staring at him like that? Harry
began taking more steps back.

"Severus," Dumbledore started.

"My son is dead!" Severus burst out. "I have grieved for him every day since that night and
now you are saying that that boy is him?" He pointed at Harry, not realizing how scary he
appeared to the almost eleven-year-old. Severus was shaking from emotion and his eyes
seemed darker than usual, a snarl crossing his face.

That was enough for Harry. He turned and ran out of the Great Hall.

"Harry!" Poppy called after him. She looked helplessly at Dumbledore. "So what are we
saying here, that Lily and James somehow kidnapped Harr-Kaiden and faked his death and
then pretended he was their own?" Poppy couldn't believe they would do that.

"It is hard to believe." Albus frowned. "Perhaps the children were somehow switched?
Maybe the real Harry is out there somewhere."

"Or not," Poppy sighed as a sad possibility occurred to her. "It always seemed unbelievable to
me that Harry survived his illness. It was incurable and literally overnight he was better. I
didn't think too much of it at the time as I was so happy and relieved for Lily and James." She
hesitated. "Honestly, there was no way for Harry to recover from his illness." She whispered.

Severus began pacing. "Exactly what are you suggesting? The Potter's child died so they took
mine? Not possible, James Potter would never raise a son of mine." He scoffed.

"Maybe Lily did it and didn't tell him?" Poppy hated suggesting that, she couldn't imagine
Lily doing something like that but something big had happened. "She was the one who
excelled in charms after all." She pointed out.

Dumbledore nodded his agreement. "It is a complicated charm and she was talented enough
to pull it off." He shook his head. "I want to know what happened, but we may never know.
The important thing now," He turned to Severus. "Is Kaiden."

Severus gave a start at the name. Kaiden. My son, he thought in disbelief. The Headmaster's
spells wouldn't lie, Albus was the most powerful wizard alive and his spells would be
accurate. Somehow, someway…his son was alive. Suddenly it registered that the child had
run out of the room. "I need to find him and try to explain," Severus spoke up. "I don't know
how to explain this though when I do not know the details of what happened."
"Right now the important detail is that he is your son and deserves to know that. He deserves
to know that both his parents are alive." Poppy told Severus. She glanced at Dumbledore. "I
would wait to break the glamour until he can adjust to the fact that he is not Harry Potter."

Dumbledore looked older than he usually did as he took in all this new information. He
wanted to know what had happened and who had caused Severus and Bellatrix so much pain.
Over the years he had begun to see Severus as somewhat of a son and his heart had broke by
seeing the young man's pain over the years. He also needed to find out if the real Harry Potter
had died as a baby and how he would deal with that now. Harry Potter was known all over
the wizarding world as a hero. He didn't even want to think how Cornelius Fudge, the
minister of magic, would deal with this information. Dumbledore's eyes widened as he
realized that the Boy Who Lived was Kaiden Snape. He looked at Severus who seemed so
lost and confused right now, not a usual look for the man who always kept his true emotions
hidden.

Dumbledore walked up to the potion master and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Go find
your son, Severus," He said softly. "Tell him who he is and that he has a family. Once he
accepts the truth we can break the glamour and then go from there."

Severus nodded shakily. "How will you explain the disappearance of Harry Potter once
school starts?" He asked in an even tone, still in shock.

"I need to think about that. Right now though, go to your son." Dumbledore smiled and his
eyes began to twinkle again. "Your son is alive, Severus."

Emotions that Severus usually kept buried began to surface and his dark eyes began to
brighten, his heart filling with love and hope. His boy was alive. Without another word, he
turned and left the Great Hall to find his son.

TBC:
 Chapter Six

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Severus pulled out his wand and had it lay flat on his hand as he left the Great Hall. "Point
me, Kaiden Snape," He intoned and watched the wand spin around on his hand before
stopping and pointing toward the Entrance Hall. He walked briskly into the hall and scanned
the area, finding the child standing in front of the four giant hourglasses that stood tall
opposite the main doors. Feeling relief Severus slowly approached him. He opened his mouth
and was about to call him Kaiden when he remembered that the child didn't know he was
Kaiden. It was going to be hard to explain the situation to him when Severus didn't
understand it himself.

"Harry," Severus grimaced slightly. Knowing this was his son, he wanted to use his real name
and see his real appearance. It was still surreal that this child with James Potter's face was his.
"I see you found the Hourglasses for the House Point system." He said casually.

Harry nodded and looked back up at them. They were so tall and the top bulb of each one
was filled with sparkling gemstones. "I remember reading that each House has its own colors
but I can't remember which color goes with each House."

Severus gestured to the first Hourglass. "The yellow diamonds are for Hufflepuff, they're
colors are yellow and black and their symbolic animal is a badger. The rubies are for
Gryffindor, their colors are red and gold and their animal is a lion. The emeralds represent
Slytherin, our colors are green and silver and our animal is a snake." He smiled when he
noticed his son smile. He remembered Kaiden mentioning that green was his favorite color.
"The sapphires are for Ravenclaw whose colors are blue and bronze and their animal is an
eagle."

"These are really cool," Harry commented as he stared at the hourglasses. He looked over at
the professor with wide nervous eyes. "Sorry, I ran away." He said quietly. He hadn't run far
as he had no idea where to go, he wasn't even sure how to get back to the infirmary.

Severus nodded and his eyes softened. "I understand that you are upset and confused but
please remember that this is a magical castle and it can be easy to get lost or even hurt." The
moving staircases came to mind.

Harry shuffled his feet, looking a little ashamed. "I'm sorry." He said again.

Severus stepped closer. "It is all right. As I said, I understand you were feeling…troubled."

"Everyone was getting upset," Harry said. Especially you, he wanted to add but didn't dare.

"We were shocked," Severus admitted.

Harry frowned in thought. "Because of the letter?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, your Hogwarts letter."

"It wasn't addressed to me," Harry said sadly. "Does that mean I can't attend school here?" He
bit his lip and looked worriedly at the professor.

Despite the situation, Severus chuckled. "Oh child, no. You will be starting school this
September, have no fear."

"Oh," Harry brightened. "Will I get my letter soon?" He asked eagerly.

Severus knelt in front of his son. "That was your letter."

Confusion filled Harry's eyes. "But it was addressed to K. Snape."

Severus nodded. "We need to talk. How about we go to my quarters?" He could have taken
him back to the infirmary but his quarters were now Kaiden's quarters as well. He considered
the quarters his home and he wanted Kaiden to view it as his home now too.

"Okay," Harry said, interested to see more of the castle.

Severus led the way and was amused by how his son looked wide-eyed at all the portraits that
were waving and calling out hello to him. He bit his lip to keep from laughing when Kaiden
began waving and saying hello back. Once they reached a large portrait that showed a green
and black snake lazily lounging on a rock Severus said softly, "Bellator."

The portrait swung open and Severus led his son inside. Harry looked around as they stood in
the sitting room that held a fireplace, two sofas, a comfortable-looking recliner, and a coffee
table. The colors were done in mostly browns and creams with hints of dark green here and
there.

"The kitchen is through there," Severus pointed to a cream-colored doorway. "And down the
hallway is my office, bedroom, and guest bedroom, and the last door on the right is the
entrance to my lab." He gestured for the child to take a seat on one of the sofas. He thought
for a moment about how to start. "I have some things to tell you and it may be confusing for
you and hard to believe but I want you to try." Severus sat down next to his child.

"Okay," Harry said slowly, getting very curious about what was going on.

"I had a son your age, born the same day in fact; who I thought had died when he was a baby.
Lily and James Potter had a son who was sick and was not expected to live." Severus began,
watching Kaiden carefully. He knew this would be a lot for his son to take in.

"So I was sick as a baby?" Harry asked as he tried to understand what his professor was
saying.

Severus shook his head. "No, you were completely healthy. The Potter's son was the one who
was sick."

Harry frowned. "You're saying my parents had a sick son but that I was healthy? That doesn't
make sense." His eyes went wide. "Did I have a brother?"
Severus took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, you didn't. Somehow, and I do not know
how yet, my son was switched with the Potter's son. I thought my son had died but today I
found out that he is alive." He stared at Harry.

For several moments Harry simply stared back. Finally, he said, "You-you mean me? I'm
yours?" Harry asked in confusion. "I don't look like you though." He pointed out, feeling
overwhelmed. "And my relatives wouldn't have taken me in unless they had to. They didn't
like me." He added matter-of-factly.

"They didn't know," Severus replied, reminding himself to find out more about how those
muggles had treated his child. "No one knew the truth until today." Well, someone had to
know. There was no way the Potter's pulled this off by themselves but he would deal with
that later. "You are wearing a very strong glamour to make you look like James and Lily. We
can try and break it so that you look the way you are supposed to."

Harry continued to stare at him in shock. "Are you sure about this? I mean…" He shook his
head. It seemed too unbelievable. He had been switched with the real Harry Potter? Why?
Harry stayed quiet for several moments. "So then you're my…my dad?" A flicker of hope
sparked in Harry's green eyes. If it was really true, then he had a chance at a real family….

Severus nodded, keeping his eyes on his son. "Yes. I thought I had lost you as a baby but…"
He cleared his throat and shook his head. "When the letter was addressed to K. Snape the
Headmaster cast a spell over you. Remember?"

Harry nodded. "I didn't feel anything."

"It was a spell to show who your parents are and my name, along with my wife's, appeared
over your head," Severus explained. "He then cast another spell to show your true identity
and the name Kaiden Phoenix Snape appeared. That is who you are. You are my son."

Harry peered at him curiously. The nice professor was really his father? He still didn't fully
understand but he couldn't deny he felt safe around the man and that the professor had also
felt…familiar maybe? "And my mother?"

Severus's heart clenched. "I have not seen her in many years. I am going to try and find her.
We were both grief-stricken when we thought we lost you and we drifted apart. Her name is
Bellatrix, though I usually called her Bella." He took out a picture that he had in his pocket. It
was of him, Bella, and Kaiden. He handed it to his son.

Harry studied the picture with wide eyes. "You two are waving in it! Pictures move here as
well as portraits?" He asked excitedly.

"There is a potion to make photos move, yes. They do not talk though, the way portraits do."
Severus watched the child's face with amusement as he gazed at the picture.

Harry finally looked up. "She's pretty. And is that really me?"

"It is," Severus said as he looked at the photo as well. It had been taken several days before
the fire. The last photo of them as a family before they had believed their son had died. His
heart clenched and he looked at the boy sitting next to him. So many years and Kaiden had
been alive this whole time. He vowed to find out what had really happened that night. He
also desperately wanted Albus to remove the glamour so that Severus could really see his son
and look into the dark eyes he hadn't seen in so long. Bella, our boy is alive. You should be
here, Severus thought wistfully.

"So my name is not Harry Potter?"

Severus looked up. "No. Your name is Kaiden Snape. Phoenix is your middle name."

Harry looked at him thoughtfully. Kaiden, he mulled over. He liked it. And it's not like he
was used to being called Harry anyway. The Dursleys never used it; it was always boy or
freak. Harry perked up. "And the Dursleys are not my relatives?" He wanted to clarify this.

Severus's face darkened. "No. You should never have been there and will never have to see
them again." And I will be paying them a special little visit in the future, he added silently.

Harry bit his lip and looked away as he processed all this. In a way, it was like all the
birthday wishes he had made over the years by himself were coming true. He didn't have to
live with the Dursleys and better yet, he wasn't even related to them. His parents were alive.
That was all he had ever wanted, to have a family that wanted him. "Are you…happy? I
mean, do you want me?" Harry whispered, turning his eyes onto the professor…no, his
father.

The emotions Severus had kept buried for so long finally broke through and he grabbed his
son into a protective hug. "You have no idea child," He murmured in a choked voice. "You
have no idea how much I have missed you, how much I love you. I never stopped loving
you."

Not used to being hugged, it took a moment for Harry to settle into the embrace. Once he did
he realized how good it felt being held like this. He didn't care that he wasn't a baby and was
about to turn eleven, being hugged by his father was the best feeling. It felt right.

HPHPHPHP

Severus was still sitting on the couch when his floo flared to life. He saw Albus's head
floating in his fireplace and gestured for him to enter.

Dumbledore stepped through and immediately a warm smile spread across his face. Severus
had his sleeping son's head on his lap and was gently running his fingers through the child's
hair. "I take it he knows," He said in a whisper.

Severus smiled slightly and nodded. "He is still adjusting to it all; it is a lot for him to take in.
But yes, he knows."

Dumbledore settled into the recliner, merely smiling when Severus gave him a raised
eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you mind if I take a seat?" He asked innocently.

Severus rolled his eyes and snorted. "Be my quest," He said wryly.
"I could remove the glamour," Dumbledore offered.

Severus hesitated. "I would rather he was awake when we did that. I do not want him to wake
up and not even recognize himself. As it is, in a matter of minutes he finds out is a different
person than he thought he was with a new name, parents, and a new appearance."

"You will help him through the changes," Dumbledore said confidently. "As will Poppy and
I." He drummed his fingers on the armchair. "We will need to discuss how to handle this
situation Severus." He said finally.

"What do you mean?"

"The public will want to know why Harry Potter is not with the rest of the students come
September 1," Dumbledore said. "Everyone believes Harry Potter to be the boy who lived yet
it is your son who is."

Severus stiffened slightly. "No one needs to know that." He argued. "No one needs to know
that the two boys were switched." He looked down at his sleeping son. "If only we knew
exactly what happened and why, it would be easier to make up a story."

"I suppose he could remain to everyone else "Harry Potter" and we can just keep it a secret-"
Dumbledore stopped when he saw the furious look on Severus's face. "No, we won't do that."
He said quietly. It would be too confusing to Harr - Kaiden and too cruel to Severus. "We
need to find Bellatrix and see if she remembers more about that night." He said finally.

Severus cleared his throat and looked away. "I tried to locate her for years after the Dark
Lord's fall but have had no success. Our best bet would be to try Narcissa and see if she has
heard anything from Bella over the last few years." He hadn't kept too much contact with the
Malfoy's over the years and it had been several since he had seen them, the time had been
Draco's eighth birthday party.

Dumbledore nodded. "The sooner the better," He said. "I'm thinking of trying to contact
Remus Lupin and see if he knows anything."

Severus scowled at the thought of the wolf that almost killed him, even though technically it
was not Lupin's fault. "Just fish for information, Lupin does not need to be aware of what is
going on. Unless he already knows what happened, of course." He said snidely.

They sat in silence for a bit, both their minds at work on the situation they were in. "You'll
need to prepare yourself as this will be big news when it breaks, your son being alive,"
Dumbledore warned.

Severus shook his head. "I believe the news that Harry Potter is dead will trump the story of
my son." He said with a sigh.

"I'm not sure how to handle that," Dumbledore admitted. "If we keep it a secret that Kaiden is
the boy who lived, then we need to invent a story that Harry disappeared or ran away from
his relatives." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "But if I do that then Fudge will have Auror's
looking all over for him which would be a waste of their time."
Severus thought for a moment. "It is known that Harry was sick as a baby. What if when with
his relatives his illness flared back up again? And being muggles, the Dursleys didn't think it
was much more than the flu. He passed away in their care and they were too afraid to tell
you. We could alter their memories." After I have spoken to them…

"We may have to alter more, such as his school in case anyone wanted to investigate it."
Dumbledore mused. "It could work. I won't say anything until it is known that Harry didn't
show up for school and then the news of his death will come out then." He eyed Severus and
cleared his throat. "Despite hiding the truth, the fact is that your son was the one who caused
Voldemort to vanish."

"He was only a baby! It's not like he dueled him, Albus!" Severus hissed while trying to keep
his voice down.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, I know. I believe it was sacrificial magic that protected Kaiden
that night. Lily loved him like he was hers so the magic was put into place though I now
understand why the protection charm I put on him when leaving him with Petunia never felt
quite right. Lily was not his biological mother nor had she done a blood adoption otherwise
the bond of blood would have been much stronger." He eyed Severus. "There is still the
prophecy Severus."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Foolish nonsense. Look what happened to the Dark Lord for taking
it seriously."

"I still believe he will come back someday," Dumbledore said.

"If he does then I will protect my son. In fact, hiding the truth that Kaiden is the one he faced
that night will work in our favor. He will have no one to take revenge with." Severus smirked.

"Except for the followers who have left him and his cause," Dumbledore said mildly.

"I wouldn't be able to spy for you as I did before," Severus said slowly. "If the Dark Lord
does return, I will not let him near Kaiden. And he expects his follower's children to join his
ranks when they are old enough."

"I understand. Hopefully, it is something we will not have to worry about for a long time."
Dumbledore cast a tempus. "I should go. I take it Kaiden will be staying here instead of the
infirmary?" The Headmaster's eyes were twinkling brightly.

"Yes, he is well enough for me to look after," Severus said with a protective edge to his voice.
"I'll need to work on turning the guest room into his bedroom, however." A smug tone
entered his voice. "His favorite color is green."

"Shocking," Dumbledore teased as he stood up. "I will inform Poppy of his whereabouts, she
was concerned for him. Do not be surprised if she insists on checking him over later this
evening. And when Kaiden is ready for the glamour to be broken, let me know."

"You can do it now." A small sleepy voice said.

Severus looked down in surprise. "Ah, awake are you?" He wondered how much his son had
heard.

Harry nodded sheepishly. "I woke up and heard you talking about my room." Excitement was
apparent in his voice. "I really get to have a bedroom in here?"

"Of course you do," Severus said as Kaiden sat up. "We can work on it after dinner."

"I can't believe I fell asleep," Harry said and felt slightly embarrassed. He had taken a nap
like some little kid.

"After what you have been through, it is not surprising at all," Severus assured him. "There is
nothing wrong with taking a rest if you feel you need one, especially when you are
recovering from being sick."

"So young man, you are ready for me to attempt breaking the glamour charm you are under?"
Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded eagerly. "Will it hurt?" He asked suddenly.

"No, it will not hurt at all," Severus assured him.

"And you'll stay with me right?" Harry asked, still clearly a little nervous.

"I will not leave you," Severus said gruffly. He never wanted to let his son out of his sight
again.

Harry relaxed and smiled. "Thank you."

Dumbledore began chanting over Harry, trying out different spells until he found the correct
counter charm and he kept repeating it as Severus watched with wide eyes as Harry Potter's
glamour faded and Kaiden Snape appeared. His hair was black and straight, his skin a natural
pale and his cheekbones were higher. Harry shifted a bit and opened his eyes after
Dumbledore said he was done, revealing striking charcoal gray eyes.

"Kaiden," Severus whispered as he saw his son in his true appearance. He was the perfect
blend of him and Bellatrix, just like when he was a baby. His son was truly alive and well and
Severus felt overcome at the sight of his child.

TBC:
 Chapter Seven
Chapter Notes

Harry will be referred to as Kaiden from now on =)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Um, something's wrong," Kaiden said nervously. "Everything's blurry."

Severus looked at him in concern for a moment before he realized what was wrong. He
reached out and took off the wiry glasses that sat atop Kaiden's nose. "Better?"

"Yeah," Kaiden said in amazement as he looked around. "Wow, everything is so clear! I have
good eyesight now!" He said excitedly.

"Excellent eyesight, I would imagine." Severus looked at the pathetic pair of glasses his son
had had to wear for so long. "Do you wish to keep these?" At the shake of Kaiden's head,
Severus banished the glasses.

"Can I see what I look like?" Kaiden asked as he raised his hands to feel his face and hair. He
stared at the mirror that Dumbledore conjured. "Wow. I look like you now!" He said to
Severus. He ran his hand over his hair again. "My hair lays flat!" He peered at his eyes. He
had liked the green he had previously had but he also liked the color of his eyes now. They
weren't completely black like his Dad's but more like the color of stormy clouds.

Dumbledore felt a catch in his throat as he looked at father and son standing side by side. It
was a beautiful moment and he felt honored to witness it. He silently summoned a camera.
"Smile!" He called out mischievously.

Kaiden looked startled but then stood closer to his dad and grinned as he waved to the
camera. He felt his dad put his arm around him and Kaiden leaned into his side.

Dumbledore snapped the picture. "Wonderful!" He said happily.

"Can we make that potion that will make the picture move?" Kaiden asked his dad eagerly.
"Can we…Dad?" He tried out the word and felt a rush of happiness saying it. It wasn't
awkward or weird, it felt just right.

Severus froze for a moment. He had never thought he would hear that word. He let himself
enjoy the moment as he found himself looking indulgently at his child. "Yes, of
course." Merlin, this child will have me wrapped around his finger in no time at all. Oh, who
am I kidding? He already does, Severus mentally shook his head at himself. He noticed
Dumbledore giving him a knowing look and he gave a glare in response.
Clearly trying not to laugh, Dumbledore looked back at Kaiden and handed him an envelope.
Kaiden eagerly took it and began reading the letter.

Dear Mr. Snape,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

"Obviously you do not need to send an owl to give your response as you can give it in
person," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Kaiden's eyes widened as he read through all of the supplies he needed. Clothes for the
uniform, books, wand, cauldron, telescope… He looked up at his dad a little apprehensively.
The Dursleys may not be his relatives but their upbringing had left an impact and Kaiden
remembered how they had made a fuss that he cost too much to take care of. Which Kaiden
had always thought was funny, considering they had never spent any money on him.

"Is something wrong?" Severus asked when he noticed the look on Kaiden's face.

Kaiden looked back at his school list. "There are a lot of supplies that I have to get."

Severus was a little confused as to what Kaiden was worried about. "Yes, I know. We can get
your supplies later this week when we go to Diagon Alley."

"Um," Kaiden sighed. "I don't have any money to buy these things." He looked back and
forth from his dad to Dumbledore as the two older wizards stared at him.

Merlin, didn't the child realize…Severus frowned. "Kaiden, I will be paying for your school
supplies."

"It's a lot though," Kaiden bit his lip, a habit he did when he was nervous. "And I know I'm
your son," He smiled a little; still feeling bursts of happiness at finding out he wasn't an
orphan. "But you just met me and this will cost a lot of money and-"

"Stop there please," Severus said flatly. He led Kaiden to the sofa and had him sit down. He
then knelt in front of him and looked at him intently. "Yes, you are my son and as your
parent, I will be buying you anything you need. That is what parents do. I want to do this;
you have no idea how much. You are a child, my child, and do not need to worry about
money. Now, if you want to discuss having pocket money that you can earn weekly then we
talk that over later."

Kaiden stared, his dark grey eyes showing his conflict in accepting this. He wasn't used to it
and had been raised to feel as if he were a burden. It was hard to let that go.

Severus could easily read his son's expression. He put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed
gently. "It is all right. You will learn that you deserve to be taken care of and provided
for." I'll make sure of it, Severus thought fiercely.
Dumbledore made his leave and Severus led his son into the kitchen after using the floo to
order dinner from the house elves. Once dinner was finished, Poppy flooed to request for
Kaiden to come to the infirmary for a check-up. It would be her first time seeing him since
the glamour had been broken.

"My goodness!" Poppy exclaimed when she saw the raven-haired, grey-eyed boy. "You are
so handsome! You are the perfect blend of your parents." She smiled fondly when she saw
the proud look on Severus's face.

After running a few diagnostics on Kaiden, she handed him a potion for his throat and
another one for his stomach. She watched with some amusement when he grimaced as he
swallowed the potions but he didn't say anything about the obvious bad taste. She ran another
diagnostic and nodded approvingly. "You are almost completely healed, Mr. Snape. How
does your throat feel now?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Kaiden answered. He suddenly brightened. "My voice sounds
normal!"

Poppy nodded. "Very good," She turned to Severus. "His throat has healed nicely and his
stomach is almost all better. He should only need to take Cardiacus Lavage Elixir for another
couple of days. The only thing I am concerned about is the malnutrition he has suffered."

Severus scowled. "When I get my hands on those-"

"Now Severus," Poppy admonished gently. She looked over her shoulder at Kaiden but he
was talking to one of the portraits on the wall. "Personally, I'd like to see them rot in Azkaban
for their treatment of Kaiden. Starving and overworking a child," She shook her head.
"Whatever you do, just do not end up in Azkaban yourself." She warned.

Severus snorted. He knew how not to get caught, he had been a spy after all. "No need to
worry, Poppy."

Poppy nodded. "He should take a nutritive potion to help him gain weight and get the
vitamins he has been missing out on. He is smaller than he should be."

"I know," Severus said softly. It pained him to know that the cause of his son looking younger
than his age was caused by the mistreatment of those muggles. He should have been with
Bella and me, he thought in frustration. He should be healthy and secure in the knowledge
that he is loved and wanted. "I will make sure he takes the potion every morning with his
breakfast."

Poppy patted him on the arm. "Of course you will." She hesitated. "Will you be trying to find
Bellatrix?"

"Yes," Severus answered immediately. "I will go to Malfoy Manor tomorrow to talk to
Narcissa. I am hoping she will have heard from Bella over the years or at least have some
way of getting in touch with her. Other than that, the only way for her to know is to read
about it in the Prophet but I would rather that not be how she finds out."
Poppy nodded her understanding and after chatting a few more minutes, Severus and Kaiden
went back to their quarters. "I am going to call our personal house elf, Thistle, to help us
decorate your room."

Kaiden looked at him with interest. He hadn't actually seen any of the house elves at
Hogwarts, only heard about them. "Thistle?"

"She knew you as a baby so expect a teary reaction," Severus warned his son. "She has been
spending time in Spinners End at my childhood home."

"Why don't you live there during the summer?" Kaiden asked curiously.

"It's run down and does not hold the happiest of memories for me," Severus admitted.
Wanting to change the subject he raised his voice, "Thistle!"

"Master Snape summoned Thistle?"

Kaiden jumped when the house-elf popped in. She wore a dark blue tea cozy and had huge
eyes and long ears. Kaiden had never seen anything like her before.

Severus nodded at Thistle. She had always been extremely loyal to him and Bella and had
been heartbroken when Kaiden was thought to be dead and Bella had left. She had stayed
with Severus despite him trying to free her. She insisted the Snapes were her family.

"Yes, Thistle," Severus said. "I believe you remember Kaiden?" He grinned slightly at the
house elf's squawk of surprise.

"Master Kaiden?" Thistle whispered. Her eyes widened as Severus explained what they had
discovered about Kaiden's faked death, and when he was done he sighed in resignation as
Thistle threw herself at him in a hug. She then grabbed Kaiden into a big hug and it was
Kaiden's turn to squawk with surprise.

"Young Master Kaiden is alive! Thistle is so happy! Oh, we must find Mistress Snape!"
Thistle began dancing around the room after she released Kaiden.

"Calm down Thistle, I did bring you here for a reason."

Thistle looked at Severus eagerly. "What did Master need Thistle for?"

"We could use your decorative skills for Kaiden's room," Severus said as he walked to the
guest room, Kaiden and Thistle following. The guest room was empty except for a plain bed
and a small wardrobe.

Kaiden felt excitement at seeing the room. "You don't have to go to the trouble of decorating.
I like it just the way it is." He said sincerely. A bedroom all for him!

Thistle looked confused and Severus narrowed his eyes. As Kaiden stepped further into the
room, Severus whispered about how Kaiden how been raised.
"How dare them!" Thistle seethed quietly. She practically shook with anger before calming
herself. "Thistle would be more than happy to visit the muggle family." She offered sweetly,
her large eyes calculating.

Severus raised his eyebrow in amusement. That was something to consider actually. House
elves were very powerful and if someone harmed their family, they could be quite vicious.

"In due time Thistle. I am hoping to find Bella first." Severus said.

Thistle's eyes grew teary again. "Mistress will be so happy. Thistle can't wait for her family to
be back together!"

That's all I want too, Severus thought.

Thistle turned her attention to Kaiden. "Young Master Kaiden, what colors is you liking?"

"My favorite is green. But Thistle, you don't have to call me master. Just Kaiden is fine."
Kaiden said seriously.

Thistle rolled her large eyes. "You's is just like your father," She wagged her finger at him.
"Thistle knows the proper way to address her family."

Severus smirked at the determined look in Thistle's eyes. "Don't bother arguing with her son.
Your mother and I tried to get her to call us by just our names long ago to no avail."

Severus leaned against the doorway and watched as Thistle questioned Kaiden on what he
would like for his bedroom. Kaiden seemed unsure about requesting anything and finally,
Thistle just sighed and began waving her arms around.

Kaiden watched in amazement as the walls became dark green, and the bed cover turned
black and white with green and black pillows. The wardrobe turned into a bigger one with
four doors in a mahogany finish and across the room, a black desk appeared with a green
chair. Beside the bed popped up a silver nightstand with a black and green lamp. She finished
by adding windows and charming them to bring light into the room. She then looked
expectantly at Kaiden.

"Wow," Kaiden's mouth dropped open. "This is really for me?"

"It is all yours," Severus spoke up. He nodded at Thistle. "Thank you, Thistle. You did a
wonderful job."

"It's brilliant!" Kaiden grinned at Thistle. "Thank you so much!"

"No need to thank Thistle," Thistle said though she looked pleased. "Shall Thistle do the
same with his bedroom at Spinner's End?" She asked innocently.

"I do not intend for Spinner's End to be our home," Severus said in exasperation. "I do not
like that house, Thistle."
"It is a fine house and Thistle has completely re-done it!" Thistle said stubbornly. "You can
make happy memories in that house now." She looked at him stubbornly.

Severus scowled. She was just as infuriating as his students! "I will think about it," He said
dismissively.

Thistle frowned at him and then turned a bright smile onto Kaiden. "Where is young master's
clothes and belongings?"

Kaiden flushed. "I don't have any," He said softly. "The few outfits I have are still at the
Dursley's."

"And they are no doubt unacceptable," Severus stated as he remembered the overly large rags
Kaiden had been wearing when he was brought into the infirmary. "We will buy you new
clothes when we go shopping this week."

Thistle considered Kaiden and when her master's weren't looking she waved her hands
around the child, taking his measurements. "If yous not needing Thistle for the evening, then
I wills return to Spinners End," She announced. She smiled warmly at Kaiden. "Thistle is
very happy young master is alive and well. Thistle remembers young master as a very good
baby and has missed him very much."

"Thank you, Thistle," Kaiden said shyly.

With a pop Thistle was gone and Severus told Kaiden to get ready for bed. He went into his
room and shrunk a pair of pajama bottoms and a shirt for his son to sleep in. He planned to
visit Narcissa tomorrow but he should also try to fit in a shopping trip. His son had worn
hand-me-downs for long enough and Severus wanted to get him proper clothes.

After his shower and changing into the night clothes his dad had given him, Kaiden gratefully
climbed into his bed. His very own bed, in his very own room. The sheets and comforter felt
so good to bury himself under and his pillows were so soft. Kaiden was snuggling down into
the bed when he felt the comforter being pulled higher up.

"Comfortable?" Severus asked, his voice slightly gruff. He was tucking in his son, something
he had never thought he would get to do again. It was such a little thing but it meant
everything to him.

Kaiden nodded drowsily as the events of the day had tired him out. "Goodnight Dad," He
mumbled as he fell asleep.

"Goodnight my son. I love you," Severus whispered as he brushed Kaiden's hair off his
forehead. His heart clenched as he saw the scar. They would have to glamour that before he
went out in public. He stayed watching his son sleep. He was almost afraid to go to bed
himself in case he woke up and found out this was a dream. After a while of watching Kaiden
peacefully sleep, he finally went to bed.

HPHPHPHP
Kaiden woke up early as he was used to doing. At first, he sat up quickly, forgetting where he
was and only thinking he needed to start breakfast for the Dursleys. The previous day's events
flickered through his mind and he sank back into his warm comfy bed. He was about to fall
back asleep when his leg kicked against something. He sat up and saw a large box sitting on
the end of his bed. His head tilted in curiosity, Kaiden reached down and pulled the box
towards him. He opened the small note that was stuck to the top.

I hope Young Master does not mind, but Thistle wanted yous to have nice clothes right away.
This should get you started.

Harry opened the box and pulled out several shirts, jumpers, trousers, even jeans and shoes.
He flushed a little when he saw that there were even undergarments in the box. He looked at
the nice clothes, holding up a deep green T-shirt in wonderment. It looked his size! He
hugged the shirt to himself happily. "Thank you, Thistle," He whispered.

TBC:
 Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Severus was waiting for breakfast to be served by the Hogwarts house elves when he was
taken aback by Kaiden walking into the kitchen.

"Where did you get those clothes?" Severus asked in surprise.

Kaiden pulled at his green T-shirt a bit. "Thistle left a box of new clothes in my room,"
Kaiden explained. He paused. "Is it okay?" He hadn't ever been allowed new clothes before,
after all…

"Of course, it is," Severus pulled him into his side for a one-armed hug. He felt an
appreciation for his house elf. She must have taken his measurements without us knowing, he
thought. "Well, how do you like them?"

"They're great! I have all different colored shirts and jumpers, pants and jeans and shoes."
Kaiden beamed. "And they fit perfectly! I don't trip on the jeans and the shirts don't hang
down to my knees!" He saw the breakfast food appear on the table and immediately poured
himself a glass of pumpkin juice. "Do you want a glass, Dad?"

Severus turned away so Kaiden didn't see the pain on his face. "No thank you, coffee is my
morning drink of choice." It hurt him that Kaiden was denied the necessities such as a bed
and clothes that fit, never mind food. I wanted better for him, Severus thought with anger and
sadness. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. He summoned a vial
and handed it to Kaiden. "Drink this."

Kaiden made a slight face but obediently downed the nutritive potion. He quickly took a big
swallow of pumpkin juice to get the bad taste out of his mouth. He grinned sheepishly at his
dad. "Sorry."

Severus smirked. "Believe me; I know that most potions do not taste good."

"Too bad you can't add sugar to it," Kaiden remarked as he scooped up a forkful of scrambled
eggs.

"Do you know why you can't?" Severus asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Kaiden looked thoughtful for a moment. He had read some of an introductory to potions book
yesterday and had indeed read about that. "Um, it lessens the potency of the potion?"

"Correct Mr. Snape," Severus smiled slightly. "Depending on what you are brewing, it could
even render the potion completely ineffective."

"So what are we doing today?" Kaiden asked eagerly. He wanted to explore the castle and
learn more about magic and he really couldn't wait to get his wand and school books.
"Well," Severus hesitated. "I have to leave for a little while. There is someone I need to talk
to. Professor Dumbledore has offered to show you around the castle and of course, answer
any questions about Hogwarts that you have." The last thing Severus wanted was to leave his
son but he needed to talk to Narcissa about Bella.

"Oh, okay," Kaiden said as he scooped up some scrambled eggs. "Um, how long will you be
gone?"

"Not long at all," Severus assured him. "Perhaps, since Thistle has already handled getting
you new clothes, we could take a trip to Diagon Alley when I return." He watched as
Kaiden's eyes lit up. There was no point in waiting to let the public know that his son was
alive. The sooner they did the sooner the attention the news would bring would die down.
Severus wasn't a popular man so he figured the interest would fade rather quickly. "However,
there is something we need to talk about."

Kaiden looked at him expectantly.

"No one, except a few close friends and family, is to know that you used to be Harry Potter."
Severus began.

"Because of the bad wizard that killed my – I mean, killed the Potters?" Kaiden asked
tentatively.

"Yes, though that wizard is gone he may return someday. Also, the name Harry Potter is
known to everyone in the wizarding world for surviving the night he attacked. Everyone
would want your autograph, would stare and talk about you endlessly if they knew it was in
fact, you who survived." Severus noticed the look of horror on Kaiden's face.

"I wouldn't want all that attention," Kaiden shook his head.

"I don't blame you, I wouldn't either. Also, there are still some people who are loyal to the
bad wizard and they may want to hurt you." Severus said carefully.

"Why?"

"They believe the baby who survived that night did something to make the Dark Lord
vanish," Severus explained. "They may be angry and want revenge, although many of his
followers were quite relieved to see him gone." He leaned forward slightly. "It is better for
them to believe it was Harry Potter who was there that night, not Kaiden Snape. Do you
understand?" He asked gently.

Kaiden nodded slowly. "Won't people wonder where I've been all this time though? What will
I say?"

"We will think of something," Severus assured him.

After breakfast, Dumbledore came to collect Kaiden. "So young man, what would you like to
see first? The dorm rooms? The library? The Quidditch pitch?"

"All of the above?" Kaiden responded with a shy smile.

Dumbledore laughed. "Excellent my boy," He nodded at Severus. "Good luck with your
meeting. We will talk when you return?"

"Of course," Severus responded. He reached out and Kaiden stepped into his hug. "Do not
wander off and listen to the Headmaster all right?"

"I will," Kaiden promised.

"Have fun," Severus said as he reluctantly released Kaiden. He didn't want to. He didn't want
to be apart from his son ever again, not even for an hour. Foolish notion perhaps, but he just
had gotten his son back. He watched as they departed his quarters and then turned to the
fireplace and threw a handful of floo powder in. "Malfoy Manor!"

HPHPHPHP

"Hello Narcissa," Severus greeted his sister-in-law through the Malfoy's floo.

"Severus! I haven't seen you in quite a while. Please step through," Narcissa held out her
hand which Severus politely took once he had stepped into the parlor. "How are you? I must
tell you, my Draco is so excited to be starting Hogwarts this year. It is all he can talk about!"
She gave a light laugh.

"Yes, I am sure he is," Severus replied. He had kept small contact with the Malfoy's in hopes
of hearing news of his wife's whereabouts but he had not spent too much time with Draco. He
did hope the child wasn't as spoiled or whiny as the last time he had seen him. He was sure
Draco would be in his house and he didn't need a spoiled nephew to deal with. "My son is
also looking forward to starting school." He said with a slow smile, eager to share his
amazing news.

Narcissa's eyes widened. "Your-what? You had another child?"

"No, Kaiden is alive." Severus answered and he was about to explain when he noticed her
paling and taking a shaky step back.

"How long have you known?" Narcissa asked in a whisper. "How did you find out?"

Severus stared at her perplexed and then his own eyes narrowed at her frightened expression.
"Did you know?" He asked in shock. Narcissa had known? What was going on?

"I-," Narcissa faltered when she saw the darkening look on Severus's face.

"Look at me Narcissa!" Severus ordered harshly and he immediately legitimized her. Her
occluding ability was no match for him so he was able to find exactly what he was looking
for. He pulled out of her mind when he saw what she had done that horrible night. "How dare
you!" He pulled his wand out and disarmed her before she even had a chance to blink.

"Severus, please," Narcissa begged, her eyes on the ebony wand pointed straight at her. "I'm
sorry! I had no choice!" She cried.
"No choice?" Severus hissed. "You had better start explaining before I start casting hexes that
no healer in the world will be able to reverse!"

Narcissa began shaking. Severus Snape was not one to mess around with. "I can show you
why I did what I did that night," She whispered. He had only seen the night she had given
Kaiden to the Potter's so she brought the night the Dark Lord ordered her to kill her nephew
to the front of her mind. "I'm sorry! I had no choice!" She pleaded once Severus had seen
everything.

"No choice? You could have told us what that monster wanted you to do! We would have
figured out a way to protect our son without having to lose him!"

"He threatened Draco!" Narcissa argued. "I couldn't risk telling you and the Dark Lord then
finding out. He would have killed all of us, including our children for sure!"

"You poisoned your sister and made her think she was responsible for her son's death! You
destroyed my family!" Severus roared. He was about to lose complete control and cast a
crucio at her so she could feel a mere fraction of the pain he had felt for the last ten years
when suddenly they heard Draco calling for his mother.

"Mum? May I go flying?" Draco walked into the parlor and Severus discreetly hid his wand
under his sleeve.

"Hi, Uncle Severus!" Draco greeted happily.

Severus closed his eyes briefly to get his anger under control and then opened them. He gave
a nod to his nephew. "Hello, Draco." Yes, go flying, Severus thought with a glare in Narcissa's
direction. Then I can have a nice little chat with your Mum.

"I've been reading ahead in my potions book. I bet I'll be the best in your class," Draco said
smugly.

Severus resisted rolling his eyes. "That's very nice to hear Draco." Severus nodded towards
the child's broom. "I believe you were on your way to go flying outside?"

"Yes," Draco looked to his mother. "May I go flying Mum?"

Narcissa hesitated. "Well…"

"Mum!" Draco said in a whiny voice, completely unaware of the tension in the room.

"Narcissa," Severus said in a warning voice.

"Go on Draco. Be careful," Narcissa finally said and watched as her son grinned and hurried
out of the room. She looked at Severus and he just stared at her, his dark eyes accusing. "I
was trying to protect all of us, Severus. I made sure Kaiden would be taken care of. It was
risky but I did it." Narcissa said quietly. "I hated doing it. I hated hurting you and Bella and
taking my nephew away from his parents. The Dark Lord wanted him dead and I made sure
he ended up safe instead."
"And after the Dark Lord vanished? Why did you not tell us then?" Severus demanded.

"No one knew for sure if the Dark Lord was really gone. We still don't! I heard even the
Headmaster thinks he will come back. He could come back at any time and if he did he
would kill me for not following orders! He would kill Kaiden for sure and he would most
likely kill Draco and Lucius as well." Narcissa looked pleadingly at Severus. "Please, I'm
sorry."

"Your apologies mean nothing to me." Severus sneered. "Does Lucius know?"

Narcissa shook her head. "No, I couldn't risk telling anyone. The only one who knew was the
house-elf who helped me and I obliviated him afterward." She paused. "How-how did you
find out?"

"A couple of days ago the Headmaster brought a dying Harry Potter into the infirmary, thanks
to the despicable guardians he lived with. After healing him it was decided he would stay at
the castle with Albus, Poppy and I looking after him. Imagine our surprise when his
Hogwarts letter was delivered to him with the name Kaiden Snape on it." Severus answered
snidely.

Narcissa gasped slightly. She hadn't even thought of the letter being addressed to the name
Kaiden Snape instead of Harry Potter!

"Albus cast a paternity spell which of course revealed Bella and I to be his parents. You
cannot imagine my shock…" Severus broke off and glared at her. "We couldn't figure out
how or why the Potters would have faked my son's death. To think it was someone who was
family that orchestrated it!"

"I did my best to protect my nephew and I -" Narcissa paused. "What did you mean by
despicable guardians?"

"While the Potters would have cared for Kaiden, the Dursleys did the opposite. He was
neglected and abused since the night he was left on their doorstep. So thank you Narcissa, for
protecting him so well." Severus said sarcastically.

Narcissa's pale blue eyes widened. "They hurt him? I thought he would be well cared for
there!"

"You thought wrong! They starved him, worked him like a house elf, and made him feel
worthless! They told him magic wasn't real and that he was a freak!" Severus gripped his
wand more tightly and sparks began to fly out of it. The furniture around them began to shake
as Severus's magic responded to his anger. "They locked him in a cupboard, which also
served as his bedroom, with cleaning supplies which he ended up getting sick from. He
almost died!" Severus spat out with a look of deep loathing.

"I can't believe it. It didn't even enter my mind that Lily's sister wouldn't take care of him.
The Headmaster put him there himself didn't he?" Narcissa shook her head in disbelief.
"Petunia hated her sister and hated magic. They never told him he was a wizard and locked
him in the cupboard when he did accidental magic. Albus was aware there was a chance
Petunia would not love her "nephew" but he didn't expect them to treat him as badly as they
did. He also counted on the blood wards to protect him if the Dark Lord came back or if any
lingering death eaters wanted to hurt him. Of course, the protection could only go so far as
Lily was not the biological mother." Severus felt himself start to shake with anger all over
again. If he did not leave soon, he would hurt Narcissa. Not that he really cared if he did but
he couldn't risk doing anything that would put him Azkaban. He couldn't risk being separated
from his son again. "Do you know where Bella is?" He asked impatiently.

"No. But I can get a hold of her. I can send letters but Bella disables any tracking spells I put
on our owl. She will only write back occasionally so that I don't worry. I would have told you
so that you could write her but she informed me if I did that she would stop responding
altogether." Narcissa said sadly. She was eager to help in any way she could and try to make
up for what she did. "I don't know if she will believe me if I write and tell her Kaiden is
alive." She sighed.

Severus pulled out a copy of the photo Albus had taken. "Send this with it." He handed the
photo to Narcissa.

Narcissa gasped when she saw her nephew smiling shyly and waving in the picture. A huge
smile spread across her face. "Oh, look at him! He is so handsome!" Her smile faded when
she saw Severus's stony look.

"Write to her today," Severus ordered as he took a handful of floo powder and threw it into
the fireplace. "And Narcissa, I will enjoy Bella's reaction to what you did." He smirked at the
dismayed look on Narcissa's face and disappeared into the green flames.

HPHPHPHP

Narcissa paced the sitting room, wondering how long it would take for Bella to respond. She
was not looking forward to Bella finding out about her deception. Perhaps I should take a
vacation somewhere far away for the rest of the summer, Narcissa mused to herself.

The floo once again flared to life and Lucius stepped out. "Hello dear," He said as one of the
house elves popped in to take his cloak and briefcase. He eyed his wife curiously. "What is
wrong?"

"Lucius, I have to tell you something." Narcissa's eyes filled with tears. There was no point in
keeping Lucius in the dark; it was all about to come out anyway. And she needed her
husband's support.

Lucius immediately went to her and put his arms around her. "What is it? Is Draco all right?"

Narcissa sniffled and nodded. "He is in his room." She pulled her husband to the sofa and
they sat down. She began to explain, starting with the night the Dark Lord had instructed her
to kill Kaiden. Lucius's eyes began to harden, yet he stayed silent and listened until she
finished the story of Severus's visit.
"Say something," Narcissa whispered.

"I do not know what to say," Lucius stood up and began pacing the length of the sofa. "How
could you keep this from me? I'm your husband, I would have helped you!"

"What would you have done differently?" Narcissa asked wearily.

Lucius sighed. "I am not sure, perhaps nothing. But I would have been there for you so that
you did not carry the burden alone." He said fiercely.

Narcissa smiled sadly and reached up to grab his hand. "I know you would have darling. But
I could not risk your life, or Draco's, by telling you. I may have handled it wrong but at the
time, it seemed like the best solution."

Lucius squeezed her hand. "I know you Narcissa; I know it was difficult for you. You love
your sister."

"She is going to hate me," Narcissa whispered. "She will never forgive me, nor will Severus."

"We will make it up to them somehow," Lucius assured her. "They are our family and always
will be." Despite being a cold man to others, he did love his wife and son and he had also
always been fond of Severus and Bella and hoped that now the truth was out, their family
could reconnect.

"And if the Dark Lord does come back?" Narcissa looked up at her husband.

"Merlin, let us hope that does not happen," Lucius grumbled. He raised his chin. "If he does,
we will fight against him with Severus and Bella. We will protect our children." He said, his
eyes filled with determination. There was no way he was going to return to a life of being
someone's slave. And he would never let the Dark Lord near his son.

"Oh, Lucius!" Narcissa threw herself into his arms. "I love you!" Now she had to wait to see
if her sister would forgive her, as well as her nephew.

HPHPHPHP

Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco had just sat down to dinner when they heard the floo. "Who
would come at dinnertime?" Lucius asked in an annoyed voice. Not many were able to floo
directly into their home and those that were able to knew when they sat down to dinner.

Draco's eyes widened. "Who is that?" He asked in a loud whisper.

Narcissa turned and gasped. "Bella?" She stood up and faced her sister. "Oh Bella," She said
sadly as she studied how unkempt her sister was. There was a wild look in her dark brown
eyes as she stared back at Narcissa. Bella was thin and pale, and there were dark circles under
her eyes. The robes she wore were dirty and torn like rags and it was clear Bella had not been
taking care of herself.

"Is this some sort of cruel joke?" Bella hissed as she held out the photo of Kaiden and
Severus. "Is it? Tell me!" She screamed.
"No, it isn't," Narcissa said as Lucius quickly guided a curious Draco out of the room. "That
is Kaiden, Bella. I-"

"My baby died," Bella swayed slightly. "I killed him. Severus hates me for killing our baby,
our sweet baby…" She began laughing. "I lit the candles and burned my baby up," She said
in a singsong voice as she waved her wand around carelessly.

Lucius, who had returned to the room, gave Narcissa an alarmed look.

Narcissa stepped closer to her sister. "Bella, look at me." She said firmly. She waited until the
wild dark eyes finally settled on her. "Kaiden is alive. He is with Severus right now."

"He was taken from you and Severus," Lucius spoke up. He gave Narcissa a warning look.
Now was not the time to tell Bella who had taken Kaiden. The state Bella was in she would
easily kill her sister and anyone else in her path. "The truth came out only a few days ago."

"A death eater took him and faked his death," Narcissa said weakly. Oh, look at her. I did this
to her, Narcissa silently berated herself.

"Who?" Bella asked slowly, her eyes slowly narrowing.

"That is not important right now," Lucius said quickly. "Don't you want to go to your son?"

Bellatrix looked down at the photo. "Baby?" She whispered as she stared at the dark-haired
child waving. And Severus had his arm around him, looking so happy… "Kaiden? This is
real?" She asked in a small childlike voice.

"Yes," Narcissa assured her. "Your baby is alive."

Bellatrix's gaze snapped up. "Where are they?" She demanded.

"Hogwarts," Narcissa answered. "Bella, would you like to clean up before -" She sighed as
Bella disappeared into the floo. She quickly summoned her house elf and wrote a note to be
delivered to Severus right away. He needed to have some warning to the storm that was
coming his way.

TBC:
 Chapter Nine
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

While Severus had been visiting Narcissa, Kaiden had enjoyed being shown around
Hogwarts by the Headmaster. He had seen his future classrooms, and then been shown all
four House dorm rooms. Kaiden had liked all of them but his favorite had been the Slytherin
common room and the Gryffindor common room, which Dumbledore had remarked was
interesting. When Kaiden had asked why, the Headmaster answered, "Unfortunately those
two Houses do not generally get along and most consider them the opposite of each other.
Their common rooms have a different feel from each other, don't you think?"

"Yes," Kaiden had said thoughtfully. "The Gryffindor room seemed so warm and yet busy
with the red and gold colors. I think it would be fun to live there. But the Slytherin room was
cool and calm with the green and silver colors. I think it would be relaxing to live there." The
Headmaster had given him an appraising look.

"I agree with you my boy," Dumbledore said with approval. "You are quite insightful."

The next place Dumbledore showed him was the library. Kaiden had stood in the middle of
the room in wonderment. There were so many books! He couldn't wait to start learning and
reading more about magic. Dumbledore also showed him the Quidditch pitch, which Kaiden
had also found interesting. Mainly, he was excited to learn to fly. The last place he had been
shown was the Great Lake where the Giant Squid lived.

Now, he was in Diagon Alley with his dad. As soon as his dad had returned from his outing
he had pulled Kaiden into a tight hug for a long time. Kaiden hadn't wondered why, he just
relished being held. Before they had departed to get his school supplies, his dad had spoken
with the Headmaster with a serious look on his face. Kaiden had looked at his dad
questioningly but his dad had merely squeezed his shoulder and suggested they get started on
their shopping trip. Before they had left, however, Severus cast a strong spell to glamour
Kaiden's scar.

"Where are we going first?" Kaiden asked as he tried to take everything in. There were so
many shops selling clothes, robes, brooms, quills, spell books, and cauldrons. He wanted to
visit every shop!

"We will begin with Madam Malkin's to get your robes and a cloak," Severus answered as he
led him into the shop.

Madam Malkin greeted them as they entered. "How can I help you today?"

"My son is starting Hogwarts and needs to get his uniform," Severus answered.
Madam Malkin looked at Kaiden uncertainly. "Is he now? He looks rather young to be
starting Hogwarts." She commented.

Kaiden scowled. He would be eleven in a few days!

"Well, go ahead and step on the stool so I can take your measurements." Madam Malkin said
briskly.

Severus nodded encouragingly so Kaiden stepped on the stool and waited patiently as his
measurements were taken. When Madam Malkin left to get some robes for him to try, he
asked his dad, "Do I really look too young to start Hogwarts?"

Severus sighed and gave him a reassuring smile. "You do look a little younger than you are,
but there is nothing wrong with that." The only thing wrong with it is the reason behind it, he
thought darkly. "You will grow before you know it, especially if you keep taking your
nutritive potion and eating balanced meals."

Kaiden gave him a relieved look and when Madam Malkin returned he tried on the black
robe. It fit perfectly and his dad ordered three of them. They also purchased a pointed black
hat, dragon hide gloves, and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings. At the last minute,
Severus also bought a deep green cloak for his son.

Next, they went to Flourish and Blotts to get Kaiden's school books. As Kaiden glanced
through The Standard Book of Spells text, Severus also grabbed some books he thought his
son would enjoy reading for fun. After shrinking the bags so they could be carried easily,
they continued until they had also purchased a cauldron, telescope, brass scales, and a set of
glass vials.

"Our next stop is Ollivanders to get your wand," Severus announced.

"I can't wait!" Kaiden said enthusiastically. He had been looking forward to this.

"Ah, hello Professor Snape," Mr. Ollivander said when they walked through the door. "Who
is this with you?" He asked curiously as he looked from Severus to Kaiden.

Here we go, Severus thought. So far no one had made mention of seeing him shopping with a
child. Of course, Severus knew how to blend in and scare off potential conversationers with
his scowls. But Ollivander was a man who liked to be in the know about things. "This is my
son, Kaiden."

Mr. Ollivander's eyes widened. "But I thought, well, I thought your son had died Professor."
He said uncertainly.

Severus nodded. "He was thought to be dead. I only recently found out that he is alive," He
said with a glance at his son.

"Merlin, that's amazing." Mr. Ollivander breathed as he looked at Kaiden. He smiled brightly.
"I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Snape." He said to Kaiden, his eyes sparkling with
interest.
Kaiden smiled back. "Thank you, sir."

"I do enjoy hearing about happy endings," Mr. Ollivander continued as he began taking wand
boxes off the shelves. "Let's get you started, shall we? Here, try this one."

Kaiden took the wand and waited.

Severus chuckled. "Give it a wave."

Kaiden waved it and then flinched as the store windows shattered.

"Nope, not that one." Mr. Ollivander said cheerfully as he took it back. "How about this
one?"

Kaiden tried several more different wands, to no avail. He began to wonder if maybe he
wasn't a wizard after all. "They aren't working for me, Dad." He said sadly.

"It's okay Kaiden. It can take some time to find the right wand." Severus said, knowing what
was going through his son's mind.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Professor Snape." Mr. Ollivander said absently as he grabbed
more boxes. He gazed at one thoughtfully, shrugged, and added it to the pile for Kaiden to
try. After trying several more unsuccessfully, Kaiden took the one the store owner had been
looking at.

"That one is eleven inches made of Holly and possesses a phoenix feather." Mr. Ollivander
remarked.

"Phoenix is my middle name," Kaiden said as he held the wand and felt a rush of warmth run
through him. He gave it a wave and bright golden sparks flew out. Kaiden slowly grinned.

"Curious," Mr. Ollivander said thoughtfully. "I would have thought…"

"What?" Severus asked suspiciously.

"Well, that is the brother wand to you-know-who." Mr. Ollivander confided. "Obviously it
should belong to someone; I suppose I just wondered if it would belong to Mr. Potter."

Severus kept his face impassive. "I suppose I can see why you would. Have you seen Mr.
Potter yet?" He kept his tone casual.

Mr. Ollivander shook his head. "No, but it should be any day now I would think. I must say, I
am looking forward to meeting him." He said eagerly.

Severus sneered, knowing he had to act as he would have if he did not know that the child
was dead. "He is most likely an arrogant spoiled brat. I, for one, do not look forward to
meeting him." He noticed the hurt and confused look on Kaiden's face and gave a slight
shake of his head at him.
"It will be interesting to see what wand chooses Mr. Potter." Mr. Ollivander said, ignoring the
remark Severus had made. He smiled at Kaiden. "Again, I am very happy to have met you,
Mr. Snape. I have a feeling that you will do great things."

"Thank you," Kaiden said softly as he hugged the box which held his wand close to him.

"I imagine your happy news will be quite the gossip among everyone," Ollivander said
brightly.

Of course it will as you are no doubt eager to share it, Severus thought in amusement. He
dreaded the attention it would bring but knew that once news of Harry Potter's death became
known, the attention would turn away from him and his family.

Severus kept a hand on Kaiden's shoulder as he steered him through the crowded streets.
"Before we continue, how about a break?" They stopped at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream
Parlour and sat at a table. Severus handed Kaiden a menu. "Order whatever you would like."

Kaiden read through the menu and his grey eyes widened when he saw some of the flavors.
"Jelly Slug? Cockroach Cluster?" He glanced at his dad.

Severus smirked. "Welcome to wizarding ice cream. Don't worry; some flavors are like what
they sell in muggle shops."

"Are you ready to order?" A young waitress asked in a bored voice as she stopped by their
table.

"I will have a cup of Earl Grey and lavender," Severus answered.

"Um, I'll have the chocolate and raspberry," Kaiden said softly. After the waitress left he
began slowly shredding his napkin. "Why did you say that about me to Mr. Ollivander?" He
shook his head. "I mean, about Harry?"

Severus drummed his fingers on the table. "I went to school with Harry's father and it is fairly
well known that we did not get along. People will expect me to think to think badly of his
son. And remember, no one is supposed to know he is dead. They will find out soon enough."
Severus said quietly.

"So when you thought I was Harry, did you think I was spoiled and arrogant? Did you like
me at all before finding out I was your son?" Kaiden asked wistfully.

Before Severus could answer, the waitress returned with their ice cream. "Here you go." She
set down their cups full of delicious-looking ice cream and then left.

After she left, Severus answered Kaiden's question. "I will admit, I had already decided that
Harry Potter would be just like his father." He looked apologetic. "Before you came back into
my life, I was a broken and bitter man. I am the most hated professor and am known for
being strict, unfair, and unkind." He gave a slight shrug. "My most feared professor
reputation is fine with me, especially if it means students will pay better attention in my
class."
Kaiden smiled slightly.

"Look at me," Severus said softly and waited until those charcoal-grey eyes met his. "To your
second question yes, I did like you before I found out you were my son. It shocked me that I
did. When you brewed your first potion, I found myself enjoying spending time with you."

Kaiden perked up. "I enjoyed brewing the potion with you. It was fun."

"We will brew more together," Severus promised him with a smile, happy that his son found
potions enjoyable.

"Is my mother going to come and see me?" Kaiden suddenly burst out. He flushed slightly,
not knowing if it was okay to ask. What if she didn't want to see him?

"Word is being sent to her, wherever she is," Severus said carefully. "I expect she will come,
although she may act…strangely. She was put under a potion that I believe is still in effect so
if she acts alarming, that is the reason why."

Kaiden looked worried. "Is there a way to make her better?"

"When she comes, I will reverse the potion," Severus said confidently. He was sure he could
and he would not give up until he did. He had his son back and he would do what it took to
get his wife back as well.

On their way to buy quills and parchment, they passed Magical Menagerie and Kaiden
immediately begged to go in and look. As Kaiden began petting the kittens which were part
cat and part Kneazle, Severus contemplated buying him a familiar. As Kaiden seemed to take
special interest in the smallest of the bunch, a silver-grey cat with unusually bright gold eyes
Severus whispered to the sales lady who smiled and nodded. He put down a down payment
and agreed to pick up the cat in a few days.

"That kitty was really sweet," Kaiden said wistfully after they had left.

"Hm," Severus smiled to himself.

After acquiring the last of Kaiden's supplies, they did some window shopping. Here and there
Severus would buy fun things for Kaiden such as games and a drawing kit. He also bought a
few more items of clothing for Kaiden and went into the Quidditch store as Kaiden was
curious about the sport. Severus leaned against the counter as Kaiden walked around the
store, carefully touching the Quaffles and Bludgers, and thumbing through one of the books
on the shelves. When he heard several children oohing and aahing over the latest broom, A
Nimbus 2000, he joined the crowd admiring the sleek-looking broom.

Severus shook his head with amusement. The boy would be like his mother, he thought
fondly. Bellatrix had been a terrific flyer and knew everything about Quidditch. Her parents
had forbidden her to try out for their house team as they believed it was a waste of time.
Severus could handle himself on a broom but Bellatrix could really fly.
Severus grimaced when they left the store and ran straight into Rita Skeeter, a reporter for
The Prophet. She had obviously been waiting for him as a gleeful smile spread across her
face. "My goodness, it is true then?" She looked from Severus to Kaiden. "Your son is alive
after all! Tell me, how did this come about?"

A crowd formed, which included some of his students, and Severus lightly pressed Kaiden
closer to himself. Ollivander was more of a gossip than he had anticipated. "Yes, this is my
son Kaiden and as you can see, he is indeed very much alive. His death was faked, which was
not known to me until a few days ago." Severus said evenly.

Rita widened her eyes dramatically as she scribbled in her notepad. "Did your wife fake his
death? Is that where Bellatrix has been all this time? Hiding your son from you?" She asked
eagerly.

"No," Severus said curtly. "We both believed him to be dead. I am afraid I cannot go into any
more details at this time." He ignored the rumblings in the crowd and began to push past
Skeeter, gently pulling Kaiden with him.

Rita pursed her lips for a moment and then gave a fake smile. "Of course, I understand." She
said in a sweet voice. "So then, where is your wife? Does she not care to see her son? Is she
worried she will end up in Azkaban if she comes back?"

Severus stiffened and turned back to face her as Kaiden gave a small gasp. "I do not doubt
that she will immediately want to see our son once she hears the news. And when she does, I
will make sure she finds you and answers your questions…personally." A slow smile spread
across his face.

Rita blanched and stepped back a few steps.

"Let's go," Severus said quietly to Kaiden as he quickly guided them away from the gawking
crowd. He was seething inside about the audacity of that wretched woman.

"What is Azkaban?"

It wasn't until they had reached Hogwarts gates that Kaiden finally spoke up.

Severus hesitated. "A wizarding prison," He answered finally.

"Why would my Mum end up there?" Kaiden asked, confused.

Severus stopped walking. "She won't," I hope, he thought desperately. Dumbledore had kept
him out of prison, vouching for the fact that Severus had turned spy. He hoped that the
knowledge that Bellatrix had been acting under a potion would work in her favor, especially
if Dumbledore vouched for her as well. And if the Malfoys could stay out of prison by
claiming they were under the Imperious Curse…Malfoy! Everyone knew that Lucius
practically controlled Minister Fudge with all his money and influence. And as Narcissa
owed them big time…he thought darkly. He noticed Kaiden yawn as they continued their
walk to the castle. "How about a taking a na- I mean, a rest before dinner? Today was a busy
day for you."
"Um, maybe just a little rest," Kaiden agreed. He was tired and it was not like there were any
other kids around to make fun of him for taking a nap, er, rest. "Dad? Thank you for taking
me out today and buying all of my school supplies and getting me ice cream. I had fun." He
said sleepily as they walked into their quarters and Kaiden's room.

"You are welcome," Severus said as he pulled a blanket over his son. "I must say I enjoyed
the day myself." Except for the run-in with Skeeter.

"Can I practice using my wand after dinner?" Kaiden closed his eyes.

"Hmm, technically students are not allowed to use magic during the summer," Severus said
as he watched his son fall asleep. Between healing from his injuries and the shock of finding
out his new identity, his boy was holding up quite well. Severus was glad he was getting extra
sleep and not fighting it. "But perhaps I will let you try a few spells," Severus smirked to
himself as he strolled into his office, leaving Kaiden fast asleep. He imagined how his
students would react to him allowing rules to be broken. I haven't even had my son back a
week and I'm already going too soft, he thought with a resigned sigh. At this rate, I will be
starting the school year as the new Head of House to Hufflepuff. He shuddered at the thought.

Severus wasn't surprised to hear his floo and a moment later see Dumbledore enter his office.
"How was your shopping trip?"

"It went very well, except for Rita Skeeter," Severus answered.

"Ah, well, we expected that." Dumbledore sat down. "Where is Kaiden?"

"Resting," Severus sat back in his chair. "Skeeter mentioned in front of him that if Bellatrix
came back she would end up in Azkaban."

Dumbledore frowned. "Still no tact, I see."

"Is there a way to keep Bella from being arrested for being a Death Eater?"

"Hmm," Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "From what you told me earlier, she was
under a powerful potion from Voldemort. However, if we tell the ministry about Narcissa's
part she could be arrested for kidnapping. Never mind then that everyone would know the
truth about Harry Potter."

"We don't have to mention Narcissa's part," Severus said slowly. "I thought perhaps you
could speak on her behalf."

"Of course my boy, you know I will do everything I can to help," Dumbledore assured him.
"It may be tricky, however. First, we need to talk to Bellatrix."

"I know she will return," Severus said. "I know it." He repeated.

"Voldemort was desperate to keep you two," Dumbledore said after a few moments of
silence. "He normally viewed children of his followers as future Death Eaters. Yet, he feared
Kaiden's influence on you."
"He must have sensed we were going to leave," Severus mused. "We had already decided to
turn away from the Death Eaters when we found out Bella was pregnant."

"He most likely didn't know that," Dumbledore said. "He did know how to manipulate the
situation to drive you and Bella apart."

Severus closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes." He opened his eyes. "Malfoy may be able to
help Bella, as he does have considerable influence with Fudge."

"True. Cornelius counts on his money and support." Dumbledore agreed. He paused. "I must
say that although I am not happy with how Narcissa and the Potters handled things, at least
they did keep your son alive."

"Narcissa should have come to me and Bella," Severus said angrily. "We would have figured
out a plan and Kaiden wouldn't have been raised by those horrible muggles."

"I understand your anger but I also can understand Narcissa's act," Dumbledore said softly.
"She was afraid and did the only thing she could think of."

"She said she didn't say anything after the Dark Lord's fall because she feared that he was not
truly gone," Severus commented.

"I do not believe he is," Dumbledore said mildly. "That is why I put him with Lily's sister,
believing he would be safe there." He sighed. "I wished I had figured it out sooner."

"As do I," Severus muttered.

Dumbledore looked regretful and Severus relented. There was no way anyone could have
suspected that Harry Potter was actually Kaiden Snape. "I can't help but still feel anger
towards Narcissa as well as the Potter's. They stole my child."

"They lost their son, they were not thinking clearly," Dumbledore said softly. "They did help
Narcissa keep him alive and in the end, they died protecting him."

"I know," Severus said quietly.

"Kaiden is home now," Dumbledore stood up with a soft smile. "That is all that matters, is it
not?"

"Yes," Severus agreed.

"I will see you at dinner in the Great Hall?" Dumbledore asked. "Perhaps we could plan a
little celebration for Kaiden's birthday." His blue eyes brightened. "He could meet his
cousin."

Severus looked at the Headmaster in exasperation. "I am not exactly feeling friendly towards
the Malfoy's. And I don't know how Kaiden would get along with Draco, who is very spoiled
and used to being the center of attention."
 "Still, he's family and it would be good for Kaiden to hang around with someone his age.
Plus, it would give you a chance to enlist Malfoy Senior's help regarding Bellatrix."
Dumbledore reminded him.

Severus scowled. "True. We'll see."

Dumbledore smiled brightly. "See you at dinner, my boy!"

Severus rolled his eyes and did some paperwork until it was time to get Kaiden up for dinner.

HPHPHPHP

Severus, Kaiden, Poppy, and Dumbledore were having dinner in the Great Hall when in the
middle of their meal an owl flew in and dropped a piece of paper onto Severus's plate before
quickly flying back out. Severus glanced down at it and dropped his fork.

She's back

TBC:

Chapter End Notes

Next up, Bella reunites with Severus and Kaiden! =)

 Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Severus stared at the note for a moment, frozen and unsure what to do. He had known she
would come but he wondered how long he had until… suddenly the doors to the Great Hall
flew open. Severus looked up and there she was. Bellatrix. His heart clenched as he looked at
his wife for the first time in so long. She was extremely pale, and thin and looked exhausted.
Her clothes were disheveled, and torn and her long dark hair a tangled mess. Her eyes locked
with his and tears filled them. She stared at him before her eyes shifted their gaze to the child
sitting next to him. "Kaiden?" She stumbled in further, holding in one hand a green plush
snake that Severus recognized as Kaiden's when he was a baby.

Kaiden looked at his dad. "Who is that?" She looks familiar…

Severus thought quickly. Bellatrix needed to compose herself before reuniting with Kaiden,
otherwise, she might frighten him and that was not the first impression she would want to
make. "Albus, take him to my quarters." He said quietly as he stood up.

Dumbledore nodded and stood up as well, sympathy in his eyes. "Kaiden, have you played
Exploding Snap yet?"

"No. What is it?" Kaiden got up and started to follow the Headmaster, darting a look at the
woman who was just staring at him.

"No, where are you taking him?" Bella began to run to the Head Table. "I want my son! My
baby!"

Kaiden gave a sudden intake of breath as he realized that the woman was his mother. She
looked so different from the picture he had been shown of her. He hesitated in going with the
Headmaster.

Severus caught Bellatrix in his strong arms before she reached the table and nodded to Albus
to continue to take Kaiden. His son was staring at Bella in shock and realization. "Kaiden, go
with Professor Dumbledore please." He said in a firm yet gentle voice. He turned his
attention back to his wife once Albus and Kaiden had left the room.

Bella began struggling in her husband's arms. "Let me go! I want my son! Our baby,
Severus!"

"I know. Bella, I know." Severus tried to soothe her. "He's alive. He's okay."

"Let me go to him then!" Bella pushed him away, her dark eyes wild. She whipped out her
wand and cast a hex at Severus who was already prepared and had cast a Protego.

"Stupefy!" Bella shrieked again as she pointed her wand at him.

Severus managed to dodge the spell in time. "Bella, stop! You will scare our son if you go to
him acting like this!" He said sternly.

"Please, I want my baby. Please," Bella whispered, dropping her arm and holding her wand
loosely. "I killed our baby. Forgive me for killing our baby."

Severus disarmed her and then held her in his arms. "No, you did not kill our baby. He was
taken from us." He told her, relishing the feel of her in his arms. "He was taken from us
Bella. We both were made to believe he was dead."

Bella shook her head frantically. "No! We buried him! The candles, I need to turn out the
candles!" She began struggling to get away again.

"Didn't you talk to Narcissa?" Severus asked in a hard voice as he kept a tight hold on her.

"Cissy sent me a letter telling me Kaiden was alive," Bella said in a small voice as she sagged
in his arms. "It contained a picture of you and baby. It can't be our baby but he looked…" She
began crying. "He looked like us. But it's fake!"

Gritting his teeth as Bella struggled to get away from him; he produced a vial containing a
strong mixture of Wit-Sharpening Potion and Memory Potion. He had tweaked it and hoped
it was strong enough to counteract the potion the Dark Lord had given her. As he had been
the one to supply the Dark Lord with potions, he had a pretty good idea of what the monster
had used. He poured it down her throat even as she clawed at him to push the vial away. He
let her go once he was sure she had swallowed the potion.

Sputtering, she glared at Severus. "How dare…" She stopped and shook her head. It was as if
a fog was lifting from around her. The memories began coming back, her thoughts getting
clearer. She remembered Narcissa coming over and making her tea. She remembered
thinking Narcissa was acting strange and then getting sleepy after the tea. And then she woke
up to the room being on fire, yet somehow she had not been burned at all. The auror had told
her that her candles had caused the fire which resulted in the death of her child. Grief and
guilt had consumed her and she had pushed away her husband, family, and friends. The Dark
Lord confirmed to her that she didn't deserve forgiveness and that throwing herself into being
a death eater was the only way to forget. After the Dark Lord vanished she had left, knowing
she deserved the isolation with nothing but the knowledge that she had killed her son.

"Severus?" Bellatrix locked eyes with him, seeing nothing but love in those obsidian eyes.
How could I have ever left him? Her own eyes darkened. "It was Narcissa?"

Severus nodded, relieved that the potion appeared to have worked. "I thought she would have
told you when you returned after getting her letter." Although I should have known better, he
thought.

"She just said a death eater had taken him."

"Self-preservation at its best I suppose," Severus said darkly. "The Dark Lord ordered
Narcissa to kill Kaiden. He knew he was losing us to the light and thought that if we went
through the loss of our son, especially if you thought it was your fault, we would be even
more focused on him."

Bellatrix's eyes widened in horror as she mentally relived her sister's strange behavior that
night. "I felt sleepy after she made tea. She never makes tea." Bella frowned in thought. "She
drugged me?"

"The Dark Lord gave her a potion to confuse you. I believe it was enhanced to make you…
well…insane." Severus looked at her. "No offense." He added.

Bella waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. What did she do with Kaiden? Where has
he been all this time?"

Severus looked away for a moment. "Lily and James Potter's son Harry had passed away the
day before she gave you that potion. She talked them into switching the babies. She was
supposed to kill Kaiden but couldn't and figured this plan was the only solution. Lily charmed
Kaiden with a strong glamour to make Kaiden look exactly like their son. He became Harry
Potter."

"The Boy Who Lived," Bella whispered in shock. "When did you find out?"

"It was several days ago. Albus brought who we thought was Harry Potter to the infirmary as
he was sick," I'll wait to tell her why, Severus thought with a grimace. "I helped Poppy treat
him and it was decided he would stay here at the castle for the summer. I felt…a connection
to him. I spent time with him and discovered he was a smart, sweet child. And then his
Hogwarts acceptance letter came only it was not addressed to Harry Potter but to Kaiden
Snape. Albus cast a couple of spells that revealed he was our son and he was also able to
break the glamour. We have been introducing Kaiden to the wizarding world little by little."
Severus answered as he reached out and gently brushed back strands of Bella's hair.

"Where has he been all these years? Lily and James were killed." Bella said, anger in her
voice at the thought of her sister betraying her. She shook her head. She was still feeling a
little woozy.

"With Lily's muggle sister," Severus said stiffly. He would wait to tell her everything.

"I want to see him!" Bella insisted.

Severus nodded. "Perhaps we will get you some clean clothes first? A shower and a hairbrush
would not hurt either." He smirked slightly.

Bella looked down at her grimy clothes. "Oh," She swayed a bit. Suddenly she felt
overwhelmed and still a bit confused. For so long she had believed she was the reason
Kaiden was gone. She still had questions…there were still things she didn't understand.

"I've missed you, Severus," Bella whispered as she gazed up at Severus's face.

Severus squeezed her hand. "I've missed you too." He responded in a gruff voice. Slowly he
was starting to get his family back.
"I didn't kill him? I still don't…why was he sick? Why didn't Narcissa tell us…?" She swayed
again and Severus looked at her in alarm.

"Bella," Severus stepped forward. "You didn't kill Kaiden. He was taken from us." Before
Severus could continue to reassure her, she fainted and was caught by her husband.

HPHPHPHP

"The poor thing," Poppy murmured as she ran another diagnostic over Bella, who was still
unconscious in the infirmary. "She's beyond exhausted and has not been eating enough." She
had spelled dreamless sleep and an extra strength nutrition potion into Bellatrix. She had also
cast cleaning and refreshing charms and a spell that untangled and cleaned Bella's hair. "She
and Kaiden will both be taking a nutritive potion for a while." She said in mild exasperation.

Severus slumped into the chair next to her and grasped Bella's hand. "The potion to restore
her clarity was too much for her all at once. Especially when she realized her sister had set
her up." He said quietly.

Poppy patted him on the shoulder. "She will be okay Severus. She will feel better after a
much-needed rest. And then she will be able to see her son."

Severus's expression softened. "Yes, she will. I need to check on Kaiden. Will you alert me if
she wakes up while I am gone?"

Poppy nodded. "Of course," Poppy hesitated. "I do suggest waiting to tell Bella about how
Kaiden was raised until she is more, shall we say, mentally stable. She will be overwhelmed
as it is."

"I had already decided to wait on telling her," Severus assured her. "Though I know her, she
will want to know everything." And Merlin help anyone who gets in her way once she finds
out, he thought grimly.

HPHPHPHP

Kaiden laughed as the cards exploded and nearly singed off Dumbledore's beard.

"Oof! Well, that can sometimes happen." Dumbledore said ruefully as he patted his beard
down.

"This game is fun! Except for you almost catching on fire, I mean." Kaiden amended.

"Would you like to play again?" Dumbledore asked brightly.

Before Kaiden could answer, his father stepped into the room.

Severus raised his eyebrow at the half-burnt cards strewn on the floor and the blackened hairs
on the Headmaster's beard. "Having fun?" He asked in amusement.

Kaiden jumped up from the table and ran to him. "Professor Dumbledore taught me how to
play exploding snap!" He said excitedly.
"I see that," Severus smirked as Dumbledore waved his wand over his beard to fix the burned
hair.

"Dad? Is that lady really my Mum?"

Severus sat down after exchanging a look with Dumbledore. "Yes. She is in the infirmary
right now…she will be fine." He quickly assured Kaiden after seeing the alarmed look on his
face. "She's just been very sad and alone for a long time."

"Because of me," Kaiden said guiltily. "I'm sorry." He was startled when Severus gently took
him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"Look at me. You have nothing to be sorry for. We were all victims of someone's deceit, you
most of all. Nothing is your fault, do you hear me?" Severus said. He wanted his son to
understand.

Kaiden felt like a baby as tears filled his eyes and he fell against his father, who hugged him
and whispered words of comfort to him. "It's okay son. It's okay now." He tightened his arms
around his son and he unexpectedly could feel tears fill his own eyes.

HPHPHPHP

Bellatrix slowly woke up and took in her surroundings. Wait; was she in the Hogwarts
infirmary? Suddenly the day's events caught up with her and she sat up quickly. Severus was
here…and her son was here! She needed to see him, hold him so she could know that it was
really true.

"Bellatrix?" Poppy asked as she came out of her office. She smiled. "Are you feeling better
dear?"

Bella slowly stood up. "I feel much better Madame Pomfrey." She said, her eyes darting
around the room. She looked down and noticed that besides wearing the standard infirmary
gown she also had on her old favorite blue dressing gown. Severus. She reached out and
picked up the plush snake that she had held onto all these years. If Severus worked here then
his quarters would be in the dungeons, she thought. She eyed the fireplace and headed
towards it. It would only make sense that the infirmary was connected to Severus's floo.

"Wait, Bella! You should be resting. I will summon Sever-"Poppy stopped as Bella
disappeared into the green flames, calling out for Severus's quarters. Poppy sighed. Well, she
had tried.

HPHPHPHP

Severus was talking quietly with Dumbledore while Kaiden built a house with his exploding
snap cards when he heard the floo flare up. His eyes widened when his mother stepped
through, looking more like she had in the photo he had seen.

"Bella?" Severus took a step towards her and then stopped, watching as Bella stared at
Kaiden.
"Kaiden?" Bella whispered as she looked at her son.

Kaiden nodded and then his mother let out a cry and crossed the room, enfolding Kaiden into
her arms. She kept whispering my baby, my baby over and over again. Kaiden hugged her
back, feeling an immediate connection to her just as he had with his dad.

Tears streamed down Bella's face as she held her son. It seemed surreal that she was holding
him in her arms. She lifted her head and locked eyes with Severus who stepped over and
enfolded them both in a hug. The three of them just stood there, hugging and crying at finally
being reunited. They were complete now.

Dumbledore moved quietly to the door to leave and give them privacy but he couldn't help
conjuring a camera and taking a picture without them knowing first.

HPHPHPHP

After several minutes Bella pulled back and wiped her eyes before looking Kaiden over.
"You're so handsome, look at you! Are you okay? Why are you so thin?" Bella exclaimed as
she fussed over her son.

"Um…" Kaiden felt flustered, not sure how to answer that. He also wasn't used to being
fussed over.

"Bella take a breath," Severus said dryly. Kaiden looked completely overwhelmed.

Bella shot him a mild glare but did smile sheepishly at her son. "I'm sorry. It's just…I can't
believe you're here. I still don't understand how but I'm just so happy." She hugged Kaiden
again. "I missed you so much! I thought about you and Severus every day. I want to know
everything about you! Where have you been living, what was your first word and –"

Severus put his hand on her arm. "Relax. He is still getting used to everything himself."

Bella took a deep breath. "You're right, of course." She looked at Kaiden. "I hope I'm not
scaring you. I just missed you so much. To think you were alive this whole time." She shook
her head. "Where have you been?" Her eyes narrowed as she remembered her realization
from earlier. "Narcissa did this didn't she? Did she have you this whole time?" Anger began
to fill her eyes.

"I don't know who that is," Kaiden said as he backed up against his dad. His father put an arm
around him.

"Bella, we will talk about this privately," Severus said firmly. He knew Bella would explode
in anger when she found out everything and Kaiden didn't need to see that.

"Fine. But I will know everything." Bella said determinedly. She smiled at Kaiden. "Look at
you. He's beautiful isn't he Severus?"

Kaiden blushed and Severus chuckled. "You're embarrassing our child Bella. But yes, he is."
Bella studied Kaiden thoughtfully. He was almost eleven yet he looked eight or nine. Why?
She needed to know everything about him but she didn't want to let her son out of her sight
again.

"Are you hungry?" Severus asked Bella. He glanced at Kaiden. "As our dinner was
interrupted, I believe you didn't get your dessert?"

Kaiden's face lit up. He was still getting used to being able to eat all he wanted and also
getting to have dessert. His favorite was Treacle Tart. "I can still have it?"

"Of course. And then it will be time for bed." Severus said as he moved to the kitchen.

"Aww…" Kaiden started, his face falling. He stepped closer to his mother and she
immediately pulled him into another hug.

"It is almost your bedtime as it is." Severus pointed out. He understood Kaiden wanted to
stay up and talk with his mother but he knew Bella's patience was limited and she would
want all the details on Kaiden. It would be best if the child was asleep when Bella found out
everything about Kaiden's childhood. "Tomorrow the three of us will be able to catch up and
spend the day together. I believe you were interested in trying out your new wand?"

Kaiden's face brightened back up. "Yes sir." He said enthusiastically. He looked at his mother
as they sat down at the kitchen table. "I got my wand today, and all of my school supplies!
Diagonally is amazing!"

"Diagon Alley," Severus corrected as he watched the enchanted look on Bella's face as their
son babbled on.

"Oh, right," Kaiden grinned as he dug into his Treacle Tart.

"So it was your first time there?" Bella asked as she took a sip of her tea.

"Yes," Kaiden answered after swallowing a mouthful of Treacle Tart. "It was brilliant! Well,
except for that one lady who asked us questions, I didn't like her. And the lady who measured
my robes thought I looked too young to be starting Hogwarts," Kaiden frowned, still smarting
from that. "But dad says I will grow as now I get to eat balanced meals and take that nutritive
potion."

Severus shut his eyes. Uh oh.

"Aren't you used to eating balanced meals?" Bella asked causally though her eyes were hard.

Kaiden bit his lip. "I'm getting used to it," He said finally.

Bella's eyes flew to her husband's and seeing the pain and anger in his eyes, she knew
instantly that their son had been mistreated.

TBC:
 Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Kaiden, why don't you go get ready for bed?" Severus could see his wife's face darken as
she processed what Kaiden had said.

"Okay," Kaiden said somewhat reluctantly as he pushed his seat back and stood up.

"We'll be in to say goodnight in a few minutes," Severus assured his son.

As soon as Kaiden left the kitchen Bella stood up and stalked over to Severus. "Tell me," She
stared down at him.

Severus stood up as well. "Not yet," He said calmly as he turned and walked into the sitting
room.

"Excuse me?" Bella hissed as she followed.

"First we will say goodnight to our son," Severus said firmly. "And then I will tell you
everything."

Bella took a deep breath to relax. She picked up the stuffed snake sitting on the coffee table
that she had brought with her and held it for a moment. "Where is his room?" She asked
finally.

"This way," Severus led her down the hallway and they walked into Kaiden's room right
when he was pulling back the covers.

Bella glanced around. "I like your room," She said with a small smile. "Who chose the
green?"

"I did. It's my favorite color," Kaiden laid his head down and gave a small yawn. "Thistle
decorated the room."

"Thistle?" Bella repeated. She glanced at Severus.

"She refused to be freed," Severus shrugged.

"She refused to leave her family," Bella corrected with a smirk. She leaned down and pulled
the soft comforter up, effectively tucking in her son. She handed him the snake. "This was
yours as a baby," She told him as he tentatively took it. "Your father brought it home for you
because of the nickname I called you. Snakeling."

Kaiden ran his hand down the soft, plushy snake. He might be considered a little old for
stuffed animals but since it was his anyway… "Can I keep it?" He asked in a shy voice. He
had never had a plushy of his own, well, except for this one that he couldn't remember. When
he had been little he had longed to have something to hold as he slept in the cold, dark
cupboard.

"It's yours," Bella told him. "I kept it with me so I could always feel you with me. So that I
would never forget," Her voice choked and she blinked back tears. "So I would never forget
how happy and complete I had felt with you and your father. But now I don't need it, as I
have both of you back." She leaned down and kissed Kaiden's forehead. Tears spilled down
her cheeks as Kaiden reached up and put his arms around her neck.

"Goodnight Mum and Dad," Kaiden whispered thickly. He was overcome with emotion as he
clutched the snake to him and closed his eyes. He felt content, warm, safe, and happy as he
drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight Snakeling," Bella said softly, running her hand over his hair.

"Goodnight son," Severus also leaned down and kissed his forehead. He and Bella stood
there for a few minutes as they watched their child sleep. Finally, Severus gently touched
Bella's arm and led her back into the sitting room. "You should be sleeping as well. You are
still recovering." He said.

Bella scoffed as she wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks. "I'm fine," She said
dismissively.

Severus crossed his arms. "Still stubborn, I see."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You said you would tell me everything about Kaiden." She reminded
him.

"I did," Severus said slowly. "Kaiden is an intelligent, compassionate, and endearing child.
He also is still adjusting."

"Of course he is, finding out that he isn't who he thought he was." Bella frowned. "Does he
mind being called Kaiden?" She asked suddenly in concern.

"No, he took to it quite well," Severus told her. "He is adjusting to more than his new identity
and having parents. He is still adjusting to magic being real."

Bella looked at him in surprise. "He didn't know he was a wizard?" She asked with a
frown. How could that be?

Severus shook his head. "No. He was living with Lily's sister, Petunia. She and her husband
told him magic wasn't real."

"What? Why would they do that? What was their explanation for accidental magic?" Bella
asked in confusion.

Severus cast a strong privacy spell around them. He didn't want to risk waking Kaiden. "He
was called a freak and punished." He said, bracing himself. Here we go…
"They - I'll kill them!" Bella screamed. "They punished him for something he had no control
over?" Her hands clenched into fists and the furniture in the room began rattling. "What did
they do to him? Where do these people live? Accio wand!" She caught the wand that Severus
had taken from her in the Great Hall.

Severus winced. "Calm down! You don't want to risk Kaiden coming out here and seeing you
rant and rave, even if he can't hear you. Not with how he was raised." He looked around the
room. "You must control yourself!"

Bella glared at him but lowered her voice slightly. "They abused our son! They will not get
away with that!" She tried to control her emotions.

"No, they won't." Severus agreed in a low voice. "I fully intend to pay them a visit."

"Not without me." Bella hissed. "I will make them beg for mercy!" Her eyes gleamed.

"As much as I would love to, we cannot do anything that will put us in Azkaban," Severus
said flatly. "We will not be separated from our son again."

"We are Slytherins, Severus. Who says we will get caught?" Bella asked, her eyes practically
glowing with rage. "We know curses even the ministry wouldn't be able to identify. Besides,
who would care about two magic-hating muggles anyway?" She asked flippantly.

"Kaiden would," Severus said bluntly. "He would blame himself if anything like that
happened to them. He blames himself for us thinking he was dead, for Merlin's sake!"

"Why in the world would he blame himself?" Bella asked in shock.

Severus sighed. "He was brought up believing everything was his fault. It will take time to
dissuade him from that notion. He also will need to be shown that he is not a burden and not
unloved. He is shy and worried that he is unwanted. He also will need to learn to trust that we
will never send him away, lock him up, or starve him."

Bella just stared at him for a moment. "That is why he is so small. Why he looks younger
than he is." She finally said. "They starved him." Sparks flew from her wand.

"When he was brought in he was close to death. Petunia had put cleaning supplies in his
cupboard, which also was his bedroom." Severus told her, anger and disgust clear in his
voice. "The cleaning supplies spilled and got on his bread and splashed in his water. He was
so hungry he ate in any way. The only thing he was worried about was his Aunt finding out
that he had knocked the cleaning supplies over and getting into trouble for it."

Bella closed her eyes. "Did they beat him as well?" She asked finally.

"No. Their son did though," Severus said. "He was allowed to beat up Kaiden." He looked at
her seriously. "Do you understand Bella? He doesn't need us getting revenge on the Dursleys
for him. He just needs us to love him and reassure him. To give him the childhood he has
been denied so far. Make no mistake, you and I will deal with the Dursleys but not
impulsively or foolishly. We are not Gryffindors."
Bella shuddered at the thought which made Severus suppress a chuckle. If he ever wanted to
ruffle her feathers he only had to compare her to a Gryffindor.

"How did he survive the night he was attacked?" Bella asked as she sank into the sofa.
Severus sat beside her.

"Albus believes it was Lily's sacrifice. She died trying to protect him and it was the sacrificial
love that saved him and weakened the Dark Lord." Severus said. "I'm angry that the Potters
went along with taking our son as their own instead of coming to us but…I am grateful that
they loved him enough to die trying to save him." He said though that didn't stop him from
still being angry at the deception that had been done.

"But he was ours!" Bella said fiercely. "We could have protected him too! Why didn't
Narcissa just tell us everything from the start?" She shook her head.

"The Dark Lord threatened Draco. She panicked." Severus said though his eyes were
narrowed. "When I found out what she had done, I would have cast the cruciatus curse on her
if Draco had not entered the room." He admitted.

"She would have deserved it," Bella responded darkly. "Of course, I would rather deal with
her myself." Her eyes gleamed.

"If you insist," Severus drawled.

Bella smirked at him but then her face slowly fell. "We missed so much Severus. So much
time lost." She said sadly. "We failed him."

Severus took her hands into his. "I know how you are feeling Bella." He sighed. "For ten
years I buried my emotions so that I didn't feel the hurt and pain of losing my family. All I let
myself feel was anger and bitterness. Ironically I was prepared to hate James Potter's son. I
figured he would be spoiled and arrogant just like James had been. I had planned to take him
down a peg or two. If we hadn't found out the truth, I would have hated my own son." The
self-loathing in his voice was obvious.

Bella leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry Severus. I'm sorry
for leaving you. I thought you deserved better." She whispered.

"There is no one better than you," Severus said gruffly. "These past ten years I never stopped
loving you and Kaiden. I couldn't fully bury that emotion away, no matter how hard I tried."

Severus and Bella just sat there, holding each other and seeking comfort in merely being in
each other's arms with the knowledge that their son was safe and asleep down the hall.

HPHPHPHP

Severus woke up and it took a moment for him to be aware that he wasn't in his bed. He
looked down and saw Bella snuggled up against his chest, still asleep. We must have fallen
asleep on the sofa after talking about Kaiden last night, he thought with a yawn. He heard
noises coming from the kitchen and could smell bacon cooking. Thistle must have popped in
this morning to make us breakfast…

Bella sighed and opened her eyes. "Severus?"

"Good morning," Severus said in amusement as she looked around blearily.

"Good morning." Bella yawned and sat up. "We fell asleep out here?"

"Astute as ever," Severus teased. He grunted when Bella elbowed him in his stomach.

Bella gave him an innocent smile and stood up. "It smells good. Who is cooking?"

"Thistle, I would assume," Severus said as he followed Bella to the kitchen. They both
stopped and stared.

Kaiden was at the counter, scooping bacon and scrambled eggs onto a plate. When he noticed
his parents he smiled brightly. "Good morning!"

Bella just stared. "What are you doing?" She managed to ask.

"Making breakfast. I made bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, hash browns…" Kaiden's smile
faltered when his parents kept staring at him. "Did you want something else? I'll make
anything you want." He said hurriedly.

"You're too young to use the stove alone. You should be having breakfast made for you."
Bella frowned. He reminded her of a badly treated house-elf who was desperate for approval
with the earnest expression on his young face.

Kaiden slowly put down the plate of food on the table. He took a couple of steps back. "Did I
do something wrong? I made breakfast all the time at the Dursley's." He said nervously. He
had just wanted to do something nice for them.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Severus said smoothly walking over to his son and putting
his hand on his shoulder. "It was very nice of you to make breakfast for all of us. Whenever
you want to help make a meal let one of us know though, all right?"

Kaiden nodded, relaxing. "I just didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry."

"I told you that you didn't do anything wrong, therefore there is no need to apologize,"
Severus said in a calm voice. He gestured for them all to sit at the table.

"This is very good," Bella said after she had taken a couple of bites. "So when did you learn
to cook?" She asked casually.

Kaiden looked thoughtful. "Um, I was four or five I think." He said slowly as he tried to
remember.

Bella's fork clattered onto her plate. "You cooked at that age? Using a stove? Knives?"
Kaiden nodded. "Yes. I just had to stand on a stool so that I could reach the stove." He
shrugged. He didn't mind cooking.

Severus's face hardened. He exchanged a look with Bella, who looked furious. "You were too
young to be making food for everyone. They should have made food for you." He leaned
forward. "You do know that you do not need to cook or clean to earn your keep correct?
Remember? We provide for you. Your home is with us no matter what. And as our child, you
are the one that deserves to be looked after and taken care of."

"There is nothing you can do to earn our love. You already have it." Bella added in a soft
tone.

Kaiden fiddled with his fork, scrapping it through his eggs. His dad had told him that before
but… "Really?" He finally asked. "Because the Dursleys said if I tried harder to be normal, if
I worked harder then maybe I would deserve to be cared about like Dudley."

"Remember how much they have lied to you. First, you are completely normal. Second, you
deserve to be cared for and loved simply because you are you. Love is not something you
earn. They were wrong and cruel to treat you the way they did." Severus said seriously.

"Forget anything they ever told you. They were never truthful with you. Disregard any of
their rules and expectations." Bella added. Hmm what poisons would be best to use on those
worthless muggles, she mused to herself.

"So what are your rules and expectations?" Kaiden asked suddenly.

Bella exchanged a surprised look with Severus. "Well," She said slowly.

"We haven't discussed that yet," Severus admitted. He couldn't imagine Kaiden doing
anything wrong yet he understood that his child wanted to know where he stood. "One thing
would be no lying. No matter what, don't ever be afraid to tell us the truth. About anything."

Bella caught his eye and nodded her agreement. "Never do anything that would put your life
at risk," She said as she filled Kaiden's glass with pumpkin juice. She knew she wouldn't be
able to handle it if anything happened to him.

"Examples would be going to the forbidden forest, riding a broom without proper
supervision, or wandering the castle alone," Severus added. He paused. "Practicing spells
alone would count as well."

"And no doing a spell that you haven't been taught yet or is one you won't be taught until you
are older unless supervised by us," Bella said as she remembered her and Severus doing that.
She inwardly grinned as she thought about how a spell had backfired and Severus's skin had
turned orange their second year.

Severus scowled as he saw Bella struggling not to laugh. He knew exactly what she was
thinking of. "No going into my potions lab without one of us or our express permission."
Kaiden nodded. So far, these rules didn't sound bad. In fact, they were mainly rules that
ensured his protection which was nice.

"We will expect you to do your best in school," Severus continued. "That does not mean you
will get in trouble if you do not get top marks. All we want is for you to do your best and
keep up with your homework. Remember, we are always here if you need help." He said.
"The only chore I expect is for you to keep your room tidy. When you move into the dorms, I
hope you will do the same. Just for your room and your things, your peers are responsible for
themselves." He added quickly. He did not want Kaiden to assume the picking up for
everyone in his dorm. "I make sure the students in my House do the same, I do not know how
the other Houses are run."

Kaiden nodded his understanding.

"You'll get a weekly allowance which you can spend as you please," Severus continued. He
smiled gently at the shocked look on Kaiden's face.

"Being respectful and not being deliberately disobedient is important as well. However, if
another student or even a teacher is being at all cruel to you, you do not just have to take it.
You can defend yourself." Bella stated.

"Really? Even if it is an adult?" Kaiden asked incredulously.

"Yes," Bella nodded. She looked at Severus. "Remember Professor Crane?"

Severus snorted and nodded. "Yes," He turned to Kaiden. "He told your mother to shut up,
our sixth year when she corrected him during a defense lesson. She was polite when she did it
but he took offense anyway. He told her no one cared about what an evil snake like her had to
say and that she could just slither on out of his class."

"What did you do?" Kaiden asked with interest.

"I cast a silencing and tripping spell on him and walked out," Bella smirked. "He went to the
Headmaster to complain and was surprised to find me already in the office, sipping tea and
chatting with Professor Dumbledore. He was still tripping every few steps as he couldn't
remove it since he was still silenced." She grinned.

"I wouldn't let anyone help him after your mother walked out." Severus chuckled.

"The Headmaster wasn't mad at you?" Kaiden asked in disbelief.

"Albus Dumbledore rarely gets mad," Severus commented. It was true; Dumbledore rarely
ever got angry or lost his temper.

"He was more disappointed, I think. I believe he was also amused." Bella said. "He told me I
should have just walked out and come to him or my Head of House without casting the spells
but that Professor Crane was in the wrong to talk to me as he did. He then told me he admired
my restraint." She laughed.

Kaiden giggled. He could imagine the Headmaster saying that.

"Professor Crane was told his words were inappropriate and after the Headmaster reversed
the spells I had cast, Crane tried to argue that I should be expelled but he was told the matter
was closed." Bella smiled in memory as she remembered the angry look on Crane's face. She
hadn't even gotten detention. "So, if a professor or student tries to bully you or treat you
unkindly, you don't merely have to sit and take it. And never be afraid to tell us, no matter
how old you are." Bella said seriously.

Severus stayed silent as he thought of how he had been prepared to treat Kaiden when he
thought he was Harry Potter. He would have been like Professor Crane, only worse. He
already was the most disliked professor because of how strict he was and he was liberal with
assigning detentions and taking points.

Kaiden fiddled with his now empty plate. "Um, what if I do break a rule? Not that I'm
planning to." He quickly said.

Bella's heart broke at the nervousness on his face. "We will never hurt you," She said quietly
as she reached out and grasped his hand. "Never."

"Nor will we starve you or lock you in your room," Severus added gently. "Groundings,
lectures, revoked privileges, writing lines or an essay are the type of consequences you can
expect."

Kaiden visibly relaxed. "Okay." He said. "I'll be good though."

Severus snorted as he stood up. He ruffled Kaiden's hair playfully. "I'm sure you will find
your way into some mischievousness, as all children are prone to do."

A sudden pop made them jump. "Thistle is finished with Master's house!" Thistle noticed
Bella and gave a cry. "Mistress is home too!" She then burst into happy tears.

Severus rolled his eyes as Thistle continued her blubbering, hugging Bella then Kaiden, and
then Bella again. He narrowed his eyes as he waited for Thistle to finish welcoming Bella
home. She had better not start again about Spinner's End, he thought darkly.

Indeed, it wasn't long before Thistle turned to him with determination. "Master's house is
finished and ready for the Snape family to move in," She said as she crossed her arms. She
matched his glare and held it.

Bloody stubborn elf, Severus thought in irritation.

TBC:
 Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"What's this about?" Bella asked curiously. She looked at Severus. "Don't you still have our
cottage?"

Severus looked away. "I destroyed it…after I couldn't find you." He said softly.

"Oh," Bella was quiet for a moment. "You still have your childhood home though?"

"I never go there," Severus said stiffly.

"Thistle has been there and Thistle has redone the entire house," Thistle said with her hands
on her hips. "The Snape house looks completely different now."

"It's still the same house," Severus hissed at her.

Thistle looked ready to stamp her foot. "It is not the same house if you make new, happy
memories there." She said stubbornly. "Thistle worked hard!"

Severus opened his mouth to argue when a timid voice spoke up.

"Can we go see it?" Kaiden looked at his dad hopefully. He felt bad for Thistle; she wanted
them to see what she had been working on. He wondered why his dad was so against it, he
would love to see where his dad had grown up.

Severus was about to answer with a firm no when his son looked at him with wide, pleading
eyes. Thistle mimicked him and soon Bella joined in. He sighed, knowing he was defeated in
this issue. "Fine," He grumbled. "We can go look, but as far as I am concerned our home is
here."

Thistle smiled happily. "Thistle wills expect yous at lunch. Thistle will make something nice
for her family." She beamed happily and popped away.

"She hasn't changed a bit," Bella said fondly. She noticed Severus's irritated look and
grinned.

"You don't really mind do you?" Kaiden asked worriedly, biting his lip. Maybe he shouldn't
have asked to go see a house that for some reason upset his dad.

"It is fine Kaiden," Severus said. He had kept the house in case he needed it during his spying
days. It just seemed absurd to take his son to his old house that had been the residence of so
many unhappy childhood memories for him. The house had also been small and run-down,
with mismatched furniture. "Why don't you go get your wand and your mother and I will
show you a spell?"

"Okay!" Kaiden raced off to his room.

"I can take Kaiden alone if you do not want to go," Bella offered quietly. She understood
Severus's feelings; she wouldn't want to visit her childhood home either. Her parents, though
they didn't join the death eaters, believed in blood purity. They had been furious that she had
married a half-blood which was why she had joined the death eaters in the first place. She
thought that by doing so she could make them accept Severus. It hadn't worked, although
they had not disowned her the way they did her other sister, Andromeda; they had still treated
Severus with disdain. I don't even care to see them now, she thought darkly. If they are even
still alive…

"No, we can all go," Severus said finally. "I am being ridiculous, I suppose."

"No you are not," Bella said. "Although Kaiden is likely going to wonder why you hate that
house so much." She changed the subject for the moment, hating the desolate look on
Severus's face. "So you are a professor. I'm…surprised." She raised an eyebrow. "I thought
you wanted to own an apothecary?" In fact, they both had planned to own one together.

"Dumbledore needed me here so that when the time came, I could protect Harry Potter,"
Severus said. "I also owed him for speaking on my behalf when I became a spy for the light."

Bella stared at him. "You were a spy? I didn't even suspect…" She paused. She hadn't been
very aware of anything except her own misery during that time. "That was very dangerous
Severus, if you had been found out…" She shook her head at the thought.

"I wasn't. And it is no more dangerous than leaving the Dark Lord as we were planning to
do." Severus pointed out.

"At least we would have been well hidden," Bella murmured. And together, she thought
wistfully.

"Bella, do you still consider yourself a death eater? Do you wish for the Dark Lord to
return?" Severus asked bluntly. He already knew the answer but felt he should ask anyway.
He wanted to make sure the potion that had poisoned her mind was truly gone.

Bella was shocked at the question and narrowed her eyes at Severus but couldn't respond as
Kaiden had re-entered the room proudly holding his wand. He noticed the tense looks on his
parents' faces and stepped back a step. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong," Severus looked away from the fury in Bella's eyes and focused on
his son. Perhaps he had been a tad too blunt. "So are you ready to try a spell? Now remember,
normally during the summer you are not allowed to practice magic. This is a special
circumstance, all right?"

"I know." Kaiden nodded his understanding. He looked eagerly from his dad to his mum.

Severus had a small smile on his face at the excited look in Kaiden's eyes. He caught Bella's
eye and saw that she was smiling as well.

"The Levitation Charm is one of the first charms you will learn in school. This charm makes
things fly with a mere flick of your wand." Severus began, falling back into his professor
mode. "This charm tests your skills, wand control, and most of all, your patience. Do not get
discouraged if you are not able to do it on the first try. You need to remain focused yet
relaxed, as your magic responds to your emotions."

Bella watched her husband lecture with amusement as well as pride. Even though Severus
had never been interested in teaching, she could see how he was an effective professor,
especially if the student was as attentive as Kaiden was.

"Now, this charm is not intended for human beings. The only thing the charm would affect is
the person's clothing and they would likely not last long in the air. Some in the past have tried
to use this charm to make themselves fly but it does not work like it does on objects."
Severus continued. He pulled his wand from his sleeve and pointed it at a quill that was lying
on the coffee table. "The spell is all in the wrist. Remember to stay relaxed so that your hand
is loose while you perform a swish and flick movement. The wand movement somewhat
resembles the letter J. Watch," Severus instructed. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The quill flew into
the air and hovered over the table.

"Brilliant!" Kaiden breathed. He was itching to try the spell.

"Repeat the incantation before you attempt the spell," Bella said. "It must be pronounced
correctly to work."

"Wingardium Leviosa," Kaiden tried, his voice a little unsure.

"No son, more emphasis on the gar. Win-GAR-dium. Also, you must be confident when you
say it." Severus said gently. "Go ahead and try."

Kaiden pointed his wand at the quill that had been lowered back onto the table and repeated
the incantation. Nothing happened and his shoulders slumped.

Bella noticed her son's disappointed expression at not performing the spell correctly the first
time. "Try again," Bella urged encouragingly. "Remember your father's instructions."

Kaiden took a deep breath and tried again. "Wingardium Leviosa!" This time, the quill
floated up into the air and Kaiden grinned happily. "I did it!"

"Very good," Severus said proudly.

"My baby's first spell," Bella said fondly. "Well done."

Kaiden beamed. He had done it! "I can't believe it. I performed magic!" He thought for a
moment. "Well, on purpose anyway. And this time I won't get into trouble for it!" He grinned
at his parents as he lowered the quill back onto the table and then performed the spell again.

Bella frowned at that as she thought of the muggles that had raised her son. She moved closer
to her husband. "I will not be patient for much longer in confronting those muggles," She said
quietly to him.

"Yes, I know," Severus said. "We will do so soon. Albus and Poppy can watch Kaiden when
we go."
"I hate the thought of being away from him though," Bella sighed.

"I feel the same. When I went to see Narcissa, it was hard to leave him even though it was
only for a short time." Severus admitted.

"I also need to visit with Narcissa," Bella said with anger in her voice. "But I think we should
visit the Dursleys first. I want to know exactly how they treated Kaiden so that I can make
Narcissa understand what her decision did to him."

Severus took her hand into his. "Perhaps after dinner, we could visit them. Kaiden will most
likely be tired from practicing magic and visiting Spinner's End. I'll ask Poppy to come and
watch him this evening. She'll most likely want to run another diagnostic on him anyway."

Bella looked over at Kaiden who was still practicing the levitation spell. "We also need to
discuss the question you asked me before Kaiden came into the room." She said tonelessly.

Severus gave a curt nod. "There are many things for us to discuss." His voice had a slight
edge yet he squeezed her hand gently and then let it go, walking over to Kaiden.

"Can I learn another spell?" Kaiden asked eagerly.

"It is may I and no. Trust me; learning magic is tiring as you are exhausting your magical
core. Also, you will be learning plenty of new things once the term starts up." Severus took in
Kaiden's crestfallen expression and shook his head ruefully. "Remember, you aren't even
supposed to be using your wand yet."

"Aw, come on Dad. Just one more? Please?" Kaiden said. He took a step back when he
realized his voice had taken on a whining tone. He had sounded like Dudley! How could he
act so ungrateful? "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked again or used that tone. I just, magic is so
brilliant and…I shouldn't have though. I'm sorry." He babbled.

Concerned, Severus and Bella approached their child with Bella putting her arms around him
and Severus resting his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay baby. It's okay." Bella said in a
soothing voice. She raised her eyes to Severus with a worried expression.

"Kaiden, look at me." Severus knelt so he was more at level with his son.

Kaiden's eyes were slightly fearful and he had an ashamed look on his face. "I'm sorry." He
whispered. "I shouldn't have whined at you."

"All children whine and beg their parents for things, especially when told no," Severus said
with some amusement. "It's normal."

"I sounded like Dudley when he wanted something," Kaiden said shamefully. "I never want
to act like he did. He got so much attention and love and all he cared about was getting more
toys and things. I appreciate everything you've done for me, honest!"

"Kaiden, do not apologize for acting like a normal kid," Bella said, running her hand up and
down his back in a soothing gesture. "Like your father said, all children whine and even
pester their parents when they want something. Just wait until you are a teenager, it will
probably be daily." She joked.

"But won't that upset you?" Kaiden asked softly, relaxing as he realized his parents weren't
annoyed with him.

"I'm sure it will sometimes." Severus chuckled. "You need to understand; even if we do get
upset at something you do it doesn't change how we feel about you."

"There will be times when you get upset with us," Bella added. "Yet we know that won't
mean you don't care about us or love us right?"

Kaiden nodded his agreement.

"The same goes for us," Severus said firmly.

"You could've stamped your foot and yelled at us and we would still love you," Bella added
with a smile.

"Exactly. Although if you do that someday, don't be surprised if you are sent to your room or
given lines to write." Severus smirked. He was relieved that Kaiden had acted a bit petulant
as to him it showed he was getting more comfortable around him and Bella.

"Are you okay now?" Bella asked Kaiden.

"Yes. Thank you for showing me the spell, it was brilliant." Kaiden smiled. "I can't wait until
school starts!" Suddenly he thought of something. "Will I still be allowed here in our quarters
when I am staying in my dorm? Will you both be here?"

"Yes," Severus answered. "A benefit to having your parents at school is if you need a break
from your peers you have another place to stay."

"Good," Kaiden said in satisfaction. He didn't want to be too far apart from his parents. He
had only just found them after all.

Bella was thinking the same thing. There was no way she was going to be away from her son.
However, at the moment she was a wanted fugitive for being a death eater. But no matter
what, she would fight until her last breath to stay with her son and her husband.

"Are we still going to your old house?" Kaiden asked.

"Yes, I suppose." Severus sighed. He cast a Tempus and saw that it was almost time for
lunch. "Go ahead and put your wand back in your room. We will leave in ten minutes." He
and Bella were still in the same clothes as yesterday and needed to freshen up.

Kaiden's face brightened and quickly left the sitting room.

Bella cleared her throat. "I don't have any other clothes except what I was wearing yesterday
and what I am wearing now." She murmured. Was it only yesterday she had still believed her
son to be dead? "I'll shower and transfigure this robe and hospital gown into something
presentable."

"You could always ask Poppy if you could borrow one of her nurse uniforms," Severus
suggested innocently. He laughed when Bella glared at him.

HPHPHPHP

"Wow!" Kaiden exclaimed as he stepped out from the floo and into the sitting room of his
dad's childhood home. "You grew up here?"

"Oh my," Bella breathed as she looked around. She had only been here once, after Severus's
parents had both passed away to help him pack up the rest of his things. It had looked quite
different than the room they were standing in now. And this was only the sitting room!

Severus stared and in an undignified moment, his mouth dropped open as he gaped at the
room. This did not look like the house he had grown up in! Gone was the mismatched
furniture, the cracks in the walls, the chipped paint. The musty smell that he remembered was
gone and the house was larger than it had been. The walls were now a light silvery grey and
the floor a rich dark grey carpet. The fireplace they had just stepped from was now a dark
antique marble with new picture frames sitting on top of the mantle. The frames were filled
with pictures of Severus and Bella's wedding day and Kaiden as a newborn. Taking a step
closer he noticed two of the new pictures were current. How had Thistle gotten a picture of
him, Kaiden, and Bella hugging yesterday? He wondered. Unless…Albus. Of course.

The furniture consisted of a large soft grey sofa with dark green end tables on each side. A
glass coffee table was in front of the sofa, the legs on the table looking like elegant silver
snakes. Two comfortable-looking recliners were on the other side of the room, near a huge
window with dark green drapes. In one corner, there was a beautiful two-end angled
bookcase with glass doors and cabinets at the bottom. The staircase that led to the second
floor had the same dark grey carpet as well as dark wooden banisters.

Pop! "You's is here!" Thistle squealed. "Do you like Thistle's work?" She looked eagerly at
them.

"It's brilliant Thistle!" Kaiden said as he walked around the room. "It's the most beautiful
room I ever saw!"

"Amazing," Bella agreed. "It resembles the décor of the cottage." She glanced at Severus.
"What do you think?"

Severus stayed silent as he marched out of the room and saw that the dining area held a new
dark wooden table and chairs, an elegant teacart, and a mahogany hutch that held dark green
plates and glasses. The table was already set for three. He continued to the kitchen to find it
was brand new looking as well, practically sparkling with the shiny pots and pans and
wooden floor. The granite on the counters was dark grey.

"Severus?"
Severus returned to the dining room where Bella, Kaiden, and Thistle were now waiting for
him. He stared at the house elf. "Thank you." He said simply yet sincerely.

Thistle's eyes widened and she broke into a huge grin. "Master Snape is happy with the
house?"

"I have not seen the upstairs yet but if the downstairs is any indication then I am beyond
pleased with the house," Severus said honestly. There was no reminder of the unhappy years
he had spent here, no echo of the yelling and fighting that he had been forced to endure in his
youth.

"Upstairs rooms are like the cottage," Thistle informed him as she gestured for them to sit at
the table. "The Master bedroom, young master's bedroom, guest room, and an office." She
smiled warmly at Kaiden. "I did young masters room like the one at Hogwarts, only Thistle
added more furniture and a bigger window."

"Can I – I mean, may I go see it?" Kaiden asked excitedly.

"Lunch first," Severus insisted as his stomach grumbled from hunger. They enjoyed the
delicious chicken pot pie lunch that Thistle had prepared.

"Why isn't Thistle eating with us?" Kaiden asked after he had swallowed his first bite.

"House elves do not eat with their wizarding family. It is not considered proper," Severus
said. "However, in the past, we have invited Thistle to join us but she has always refused."

"She laughed for almost ten minutes the first time we asked her," Bella remarked as she took
a sip of her water. She eyed Kaiden, happy to see him enjoying his meal. "Make sure you eat
your vegetables." She couldn't help but say. She ignored the amusement on her husband's
face.

Kaiden speared a large piece of broccoli and obediently ate it before continuing the
conversation. "Can't you insist she eat with us? Maybe she wants to but-"

"Kaiden, she does not want to. She would be very unhappy if we insisted on it." Severus told
him. "She knows she is welcome." He added.

"Oh," Kaiden said sadly.

Thistle popped into the room once they had finished eating. "Did yous enjoy your lunch?"

"It was delicious Thistle," Bella said, sitting back in her chair. "I had forgotten how well you
cooked."

Thistle nodded approvingly at the empty plates on the table. "All's three of yous need to eat
more food. Thistle hates seeing yous so thin!" She admonished, wagging her finger at them.

"Yes Thistle," Kaiden said as she banished his plate to the kitchen. "Now may I go see my
room?" He asked his parents hopefully.
"Go ahead. I am sure Thistle wouldn't mind showing you." Severus said. "Your mother and I
will be up in a bit."

"Okay," Kaiden hopped out of his chair and eagerly followed Thistle upstairs.

Bella said nothing, merely raised her eyebrow at Severus and waited.

"We need to talk," Severus stated. "About the Dursleys, Narcissa, Kaiden, and how we will
keep what happened to him a secret. We also need to talk about the death eaters, the Dark
Lord, and how to keep you out of Azkaban."

"Is that all?" Bella asked sarcastically. Obviously, they had a lot to talk about, she knew that
already!

Severus glared at her. "No there is one more thing. How could you have done it?" He tried to
keep his hurt feelings and anger under control but it was a losing battle. His emotions had
been buried for too long. It wasn't fair, but he felt betrayed by his wife for leaving him.

Bella stared at him. "How could I what?" She demanded to know.

"Leave me!" Severus hissed at her. He shook his head a little and the anger in his eyes was
replaced by sadness. "How could you have left me?" He whispered.

Bella could only stare at him as her own eyes filled with tears.

TBC:
 Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Severus turned and stalked to the other side of the room, trying to occlude so he could control
his emotions. It wasn't like him to lose control of his feelings like that. He hadn't meant to
bring up her leaving; he knew she had been under the effects of a potion. It still hurts, he
thought bitterly.

"Severus," Bella choked out. "I don't know why…I wasn't in my right mind. I was under the
influence of –"

"I know that!" Severus snapped, turning around. So much for my occluding abilities, he
thought. "The potion made you crazy and the Dark Lord made you feel like I was better off
without you, I get it." He crossed his arms.

"Do you?" Bella shot back, her temper rising. "I wake up, surrounded by flames and
believing that I had started the fire, believing I had killed our son! Do you have any idea of
the guilt I felt, the torment I have suffered?"

Severus gritted his teeth and cast a silencing spell around the room. This conversation was
the last thing Kaiden needed to hear. "No, I have no idea of the torment and grief that you
would have been feeling," He said sarcastically. "It's not like I felt any grief or despair over
losing my son and then my wife!"

"That is not what I meant!" Bella snarled. "At least you didn't believe you had killed him!"

"Yes, I did!" Severus shot back. "For years, all I could think of was what if I had been there
that night? If I hadn't gone to that bloody conference, I could have protected the both of you!"
The thought had tormented him for years and the pain of the guilt he had felt over it had
practically consumed him.

"Narcissa would have just drugged you too," Bella muttered, mentally reminding herself that
she still needed to confront her sister.

"I didn't know about Narcissa. All I knew was that something horrible had happened and my
child was gone and the one person in the world, who I needed, wanted nothing to do with
me!" Severus began pacing. "You pushed me away, ignored me every time I tried talking to
you." He could still remember the pain and confusion that he had felt.

"If I had been in my right mind, I would never have done that!" Bella threw up her hands in
exasperation. "I thought I had killed Kaiden, I was afraid I would hurt you too somehow. To
me, I was the murderer of our child and I deserved no happiness, no love." She shook her
head. "I was alone and it was my own doing, or so I believed," She glared at Severus through
tear-filled eyes. "Don't you dare think that I would have left you…you are my best friend, my
soul mate…" Her voice broke and she turned away.
Mentally cursing himself for losing his temper, Severus immediately went to her and put his
arms around her. "I know, I'm sorry," After a moment, he turned her around and looked into
her eyes, gently wiping the tears from her face. "Don't cry, my love." He murmured. "We're
together now, the three of us. That's what matters."

Bella leaned her head against his chest. She always felt so secure when she was in his arms.
"We both have been living in a nightmare due to the manipulations of other people," She
sighed. "Just know that in my right mind, I would never leave you, Severus. Never."

Severus tightened his hold around her waist. "Good, because I will never let you go again."
He said fiercely.

Bella slowly smiled. "I love it when you get possessive, Severus." She teased, lifting her head
to meet his gaze.

Severus tilted his head down and kissed her deeply in response.

HPHPHPHP

Severus ran his hand through Bella's hair lazily as they snuggled together on the sofa. "I
shouldn't have gotten angry like I did," He said regretfully. "I know it wasn't your fault that
you left."

"It's okay Severus. Despite your occluding abilities, it's good for you to let your emotions
out." Bella said softly. "It's okay to be angry at me."

"I'm not angry at you," Severus protested.

Bella sat up and faced him. "Not now but you were," She said simply. "Before you knew
about the potion, you were angry with me. It's okay that you were."

She has always known me better than I know myself, he thought ruefully. "As much as I
missed you and longed for you, I was angry and hurt," He admitted. "I feel guilty that I felt
those emotions towards you when you were being held under the influence of that blasted
potion."

Bella stroked his cheek. "You shouldn't, I would have felt the same way." She said firmly.
"You didn't know."

"I should have found you," Severus said in frustration. "I should have never stopped looking
for you after the Dark Lord fell."

"You wouldn't have found me, I made sure of that." Bella sighed. "Besides, if you hadn't
stopped and gone on to be a professor you wouldn't have been at Hogwarts when Kaiden was
brought in."

"That is true," Severus agreed, feeling sick when he thought of the condition his son had been
in. "Speaking of our son, I wonder what mischief he and Thistle have gotten up to upstairs,"
Severus said with a smirk.
Bella grabbed Severus's hand as she stood up. "Let's go see," She said with a laugh.

Severus and Bella walked upstairs, admiring the changes that Thistle had done to the house
when they heard Kaiden shout. Alarmed, they both raced into his room to find Thistle
laughing and Kaiden standing with a disgusted yet amused look on his face.

"Gross!" Kaiden complained with a laugh as he wiped the fowl-smelling liquid from his
cheek. "I don't know about this game."

"Gobstones," Bella said in amusement as she surveyed the game on the floor.

"Thistle was teaching Master Kaiden," Thistle grinned.

Severus used his wand to clean Kaiden's face. "This is why Gobstones is not more popular at
Hogwarts," He chuckled.

"Thanks for teaching me Thistle," Kaiden said.

"Thistle had fun, Master Kaiden," Thistle said before popping away.

"Your father and I used to play gobstones our first couple of years at Hogwarts," Bella said as
she walked around Kaiden's room. "He lost most of the time." She grinned innocently at
Severus.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Did I? Or did I simply let you win to make you happy?" He said
smoothly as he winked at Kaiden behind Bella's back.

Kaiden bit his lip to keep from laughing.

Bella whirled around and stared at Severus. "You did not!" She paused. "Did you?"

Severus shrugged. "You'll never know," He smirked at her and focused on Kaiden. "Well,
you've played two wizarding games now. Which one have you liked best?"

"This was fun, but I like Exploding Snap better," Kaiden said.

"I'll have to introduce you to wizards' chess," Severus told him. He was sure Kaiden would
enjoy it and he looked forward to teaching him how to play.

"And flying?" Kaiden hinted hopefully.

"You'll be taking a class on flying soon," Severus told him.

Bella snorted. "Most of the kids will have flown on a broom already," She said. "I knew how
to fly before Hogwarts."

"I didn't," Severus reminded her.

"Why didn't you already know how to fly?" Kaiden asked curiously as he plopped down into
a large green and black beanbag that sat in the corner of his room.
"It was mostly pure-blooded children who were taught before Hogwarts," Severus said as he
sat in Kaiden's desk chair. "Some half-blooded children knew and of course, muggle-born
children didn't know how yet."

"What is muggle…oh yeah, non-magical people," Kaiden remembered. "So half-bloods…"

"One parent is a witch or wizard and the other a muggle," Bella explained as she joined
Kaiden on the beanbag. He immediately snuggled up to her. "Pure-bloods have no muggle
blood in their families at all, although there are not that many pure-blooded families left."

"Which are you two?" Kaiden asked.

"My father was a muggle," Severus said curtly, not wanting to think of the man who had
caused him so much unhappiness. "So I am a half-blood."

"I'm from a pure-blood family, although not anymore since I married your father," Bella said
lightly.

"So then," Kaiden frowned in thought. "I'm a half-blood since there is muggle blood in my
family…right?"

"Correct," Severus nodded.

"Do people care about stuff like that?" Kaiden asked.

"Yes, some do," Bella answered, thinking of her parents and how they had treated Severus.

"There are those who are pure-bloods that look down on half-bloods and muggle-borns,"
Severus said. "In truth, it does not matter what your blood status is. It does not determine
whether one is a strong witch or wizard or not."

"Unfortunately, there are some families who like to think themselves superior to everyone
else," Bella said slowly. She wondered about getting in touch with her other sister,
Andromeda. Her parents had disowned her too, when she had married a muggle-born. Bella
and Narcissa had cut ties to her when they had joined the death eaters, as an attempt to
protect her and keep her off of the Dark Lord's radar. The only way to do that was not to ever
see her or speak about her. She wondered how her niece was doing; she would have
graduated from Hogwarts by now.

"I'll warn you now that there will be kids at school who put down others because of their
blood status," Severus said seriously.

"They bully them?" Kaiden asked, feeling angry at the thought. He hated bullies.

"They do," Severus admitted. "However, if a professor hears about it they do their best to put
a stop to it." Usually, he thought bitterly as he remembered how he had been bullied by
certain Gryffindors.

Kaiden leaned against his mother, starting to feel sleepy from the events of the day. I am not
going to fall asleep like a baby, he told himself stubbornly. "You too? You said you don't take
house points from Slytherin." He grinned cheekily.

Bella looked up with interest. "Really? Never?"

"Hardly ever," Severus amended. "As Slytherins tend to be picked on by other professors and
have points taken away unfairly, I generally do not take points nor assign detention in public.
In private, I do assign detention and make sure it is extremely unpleasant if I feel their
behavior warrants it, as well as lines and a sound lecture."

"How do you know the Slytherins earn unfair detentions?" Kaiden asked as he struggled to
keep his eyes open. "Did you in school? Are they always unfair?"

"Oh, we earned plenty of detentions," Bella said with a laugh. "Some may have been earned."
She winked at Severus.

"Anytime a detention is issued or points taken, the Head of House of that student gets notice
of it." Severus continued. "I make sure to talk to both the professor and student to find out
what really happened."

"You sound like a fair professor," Kaiden smiled.

Severus couldn't help but laugh outright at that statement. "That is the last word any student
would use to describe me."

Kaiden shrugged and yawned.

"Do you want to take a rest before dinner?" Bella asked as she swept Kaiden's hair back.

"No," Kaiden said quickly as he sat up. "I don't need a nap."

"Kaiden, there is nothing wrong with taking a rest if you need it. Your body is still healing
and you've had much to adjust to," Severus said gently.

Kaiden stood up and tried not to yawn again. "I'm not a baby," He said. "I'm almost eleven
and I don't need a nap." He crossed his arms across his chest.

Bella wanted to laugh. Oh yes, he is our son, she thought in amusement as she stood up.

Severus eyed his son, who looked both tired and stubborn. He hid his urge to laugh as he
stood up as well. "We never said you had to take one so there is no need to get upset," He
said pointedly.

"Oh," Kaiden said guiltily, berating himself for practically snapping at his parents. "I'm sorry.
I'll take a nap if you want me to." He offered quickly.

"It is your choice," Severus said. "Why don't we go see how the backyard looks? My memory
of it is dead grass and plants and a broken swing set."

Kaiden perked up. "You have a swing set?" He asked excitedly.

"I did as a child but it broke not long after I got it and no one fixed it," Severus said as he led
his son and wife downstairs and out the back door.

The grass was green and thick, and planters with fresh plants and flowers hung over the patio
area. Tall, beautiful trees surrounded the yard, and in the middle was a brand-new-looking
swing set.

"Wow!" Kaiden exclaimed.

The once old, broken-down swing set was gone and replaced with a new one that had an
extra wide fort that had an upper front wall and window. There was a ladder to get up into the
fort so that you could use the slide to get out. Behind the slide was a bench to sit on and on
the other side were two swings and an acrobat bar.

"This is certainly better than the one I had," Severus remarked. Thank you, Thistle, he thought
gratefully.

Bella stared at it thoughtfully. She had never seen a swing set before. "It looks…interesting.
Is it safe?" She asked uncertainly.

"Muggle children play on them all the time, although obviously they could fall off," Severus
said. "I will put safety charms on it." He told her quietly.

"This looks even better than the swing set at the park!" Kaiden said as he ran to it. "I've
always wanted to play on it but wasn't allowed."

"You were taken to the park but not allowed to play?" Bella asked darkly.

"Aunt Petu- I mean, Petunia would take Dudley and if she couldn't find anyone to babysit me
then I had to sit on the bench and not move," Kaiden said absently as he began to climb the
little ladder into the fort.

"Be careful Kaiden," Bella said as she stepped closer, her wand in her hand in case Kaiden
fell. "Severus? When are we going to deal with the Dursleys?" She asked as she watched
their son use the slide, laughing as he slid to the ground.

"Is tonight good for you, my love?" Severus asked in a steely voice. He was more than ready
to confront the muggles. The Dursleys would be having their minds altered by Albus at the
end of summer to hide the fact Kaiden had been disguised as Harry, so any consequences
dished out would only be able to last for a short time.

"Perfect," Bella said with satisfaction as Kaiden began swinging. Her eyes widened. "He's
going too high!" She exclaimed.

Severus laughed. "Calm down, he is fine. How can you be okay with the thought of him
being on a broom but not a swing?"

"I know how a broom works and that he will be supervised," Bella said. "This…I've never
seen or tried before." She eyed the swing set warily.
"Try it," Severus suggested.

"Excuse me?" Bella asked, her eyes growing wide.

Severus took her hand and led her to the swing next to Kaiden. "Kaiden, your mother has
never been on a swing before either."

Kaiden put out his feet to stop swinging. "It's easy Mum! I watched the kids at the
playground and all you have to do is move your legs back and forth." He demonstrated
slowly, pumping his legs until he was swinging high.

Bella watched him and with a mild glare at Severus, she sat on the swing.

Severus swallowed a chuckle and went behind her. "Hold on, I'll give you a push." He said as
he grabbed her waist and pulled her far back and then let go.

"Severus!" Bella shrieked as she gripped the chains that held the swing up.

"Come on Mum!"

Bella followed her son's example and soon both of them were swinging up high toward the
sky, laughing together.

Severus watched with joy, smiling at his wife's and son's giggling. Merlin, he loved them so
much. This is how it should have always been.

HPHPHPHP

"Mummy, where's my pie? And I want ice cream with it!" Dudley Dursley called loudly to
his mother from the living room. The family had just finished dinner and Dudley had insisted
on having dessert in front of the TV.

"Coming sweetums!" Petunia hurried into the living room carrying a plate that held a huge
slice of chocolate pie heaped with vanilla ice cream. "Here you go diddykins."

Dudley grabbed the plate and began shoveling the dessert into his mouth, his piggy eyes
glued to the TV.

Vernon chuckled as he flipped through his newspaper. "Little tyke."

"He will grow up big and strong," Petunia said fondly. A loud popping sound startled the
three Dursleys.

"I agree with the big part."

Petunia whirled around and gasped at the sight of two dark-haired strangers in her living
room. "Who are you?" She shrieked.

Vernon struggled to his feet, his overlarge stomach giving him a hard time. "How did you get
in here? Get out!" He shouted.
Severus and Bella stepped forward, taking out their wands and twirling them around casually.
"We'll leave after we've…talked," Severus said. He slowly smiled. "And it should prove to be
a most interesting little chat."

TBC:
 Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"You're one of those freaks, aren't you?" Vernon Dursley yelled. "Just like the boy!"

Bella stayed silent for the moment although she began pacing back and forth as she eyed the
Dursley family, very much like a tiger eyeing its prey.

"The boy," Severus repeated darkly. "Yes, the child you believed to be your nephew. We are
here to discuss your mistreatment of him."

"What mistreatment?" Vernon scoffed, though a flicker of fear showed in his eyes.

"Wait, what do you mean believed to be?" Petunia asked as she pulled Dudley behind her.

"Mummy, I want my pie!"

Severus looked at the overgrown brat in disgust. He pointed his wand at the half-eaten pie
and banished it.

"Hey!" Dudley protested angrily.

"I suggest you send your spoiled child to his room," Severus said calmly.

"No! Mummy, I want my pie!" Dudley stamped his foot.

"I am not known for my patience," Severus said slowly. "Get him out of here."

"Dudley, go to your room dear. I'll bring you more dessert later." Petunia practically shoved
Dudley towards the stairs. He made a show of stomping upstairs and slamming his door shut.

"Now then, my name is Severus Snape and this is my wife Bella." Severus leaned against the
back of a chair. "The child that had been in your so-called care was not Lily and James's
biological son."

"He looks like James did and he has Lily's eyes," Petunia said, looking at them suspiciously.

"The real Harry Potter died as a baby and the Potter's then charmed another baby to look like
theirs." Severus continued. The Dursleys didn't need to know the specifics of why Kaiden
had been taken by the Potters. "The child that you have had is our son, Kaiden."

Petunia showed no emotion at hearing that her sister's child had passed away as a baby. "So
we never should have been stuck with him then," She spat out. "We were told he had to stay
here for his protection but if he isn't my nephew, then we were saddled with him for nothing."
She sniffed. "I would assume we never have to see him again?"

Severus stared at the heartless woman. "No, you will never see our son again."

"I suppose you are here to repay us for housing the boy," Vernon said with a smirk. "It cost us
quite a bit to feed and clothe him, you know. He was also a troublemaker, so you can add
compensation for our pain and suffering."

"I'll give you pain and suffering!" Bella suddenly yelled, pointing her wand at the overlarge
man. "Furnunculus!"

Painful, oozing boils began sprouting over Vernon's face and he screamed with pain. "Ahh!
Stop!"

"Vernon!" Petunia ran over to her husband. "Undo this, you witch!" She glared at Bella.

Bella merely flicked her wand and warts began popping up on Petunia's face. "This is
nothing; it is mere child's play." She said lazily.

Petunia cried when she saw her reflection in the mirror. "No! Take them off!" She wailed.

"What do you want?" Vernon asked, only this time his tone was fearful and not demanding.

"I told you, to talk of your mistreatment of our son," Severus said.

"We were good to the boy. If he told you otherwise, then he lied!" Vernon insisted as he
gently touched his face, wincing from pain.

"He was a troublemaker, he treated my Dudley horribly by stealing his food and toys from
him," Petunia lied.

Bella swept in closer to Petunia and stared her down. "My son is underweight," She hissed.
"He has to take special nutritive potions to try and get his weight up and get him healthy. He
looks younger than he is because he doesn't have the nutrients to help him grow properly.
Your son is extremely overweight so how dare you look at me and say my son stole his
food!"

Petunia looked flustered. "My Dudders is not overweight, he is big-boned," She said weakly.

Severus snorted. "A lie you tell yourself. How about this, your son has two bedrooms and
Kaiden had a cupboard to live in."

"You believed him to be your nephew," Bella said in a low voice. "How could you treat him
so cruelly? Blood ties aside, how could you abuse any child like that?"

"He's a freak! I didn't want him here; I didn't want him near my normal son!" Petunia shot
back. "You obviously didn't want him either. What did you do? Sell him to my sister?" She
asked cruelly.
Bella screamed in sheer anger and cast a strong hex at Petunia causing the woman to drop to
the ground in pain as scorch marks began covering her body. She screamed and begged for
Bella to stop.

Severus crossed his arms. "I do suggest, Mrs. Dursley, that you start watching what you say."
He began pacing. "You hurt our son, an innocent boy. An animal should never be mistreated
in such a way, never mind a child. There is nothing you can say in your defense. He was so
sick he almost died after you dropped him off at Mrs. Figg's house." The room began to
shake and rattle as Severus's anger grew and he remembered how ill Kaiden had been. "You
locked him in his cupboard with cleaning supplies, which spilled and got in his food. And I
use the term food loosely as all you gave him was bread and water."

"You are a mother," Bella said, her eyes bright with anger. "How could a mother treat a child
in such a way? An innocent baby is left on your doorstep and you abuse him? Perhaps," She
said thoughtfully. "You don't deserve to be a mother," She looked upstairs and then back at
Petunia meaningfully.

Petunia's eyes widened fearfully. "No, please. Leave our Dudley alone." She begged.

"It's appalling, isn't it? To think that I may go and hurt him, perhaps do to him what I did to
you," Bella gestured at the burn marks on Petunia's arms.

"No!"

"We won't hurt him," Severus said as he circled Vernon and Petunia. "He is a spoiled brat and
a bully but he was raised to be, wasn't he? You've taught him that it is okay to be cruel. He
will have a consequence for how he treated our son, but we won't harm him. We are not like
you."

"Did Lily ever mention death eaters to you?" Bella asked casually. She could tell by Petunia's
expression that she had heard the name before and knew what it meant. Bella grinned slowly.
"The things we could do to you," She murmured.

"You can't…you have laws too," Petunia said shakily as she stood behind Vernon.

"Yes but you see, we made sure that no magic could be detected here before we came." Bella
smiled sweetly. "No one will know." She shrugged. "Even you won't remember us; you'll just
remember the experience. And of course, suffer the effects."

"You are lucky that there is use of you in the future," Severus remarked. He knew Albus
would be visiting Privet Drive at the end of summer to alter their memories of "Harry". In
case any Aurors visited, they needed to have the story of Harry getting sick when he was
younger and passing away in their care.

"Now see here," Vernon said, puffing his chest up to attempt to look intimidating. "We never
wanted that freak to begin with. Now we find out that we should never have had to be stuck
with him. You should be thanking us for trying to keep the little nuisance in line!"
"Vernon shut up!" Petunia whispered as she looked nervously at Bella. When she saw Bella's
eyes darken, she began visibly shaking in fear. She was finally starting to appreciate the
situation they were in.

Seething in anger, Severus pointed his wand at Vernon. "Legilimens!"

Bella also dove into Petunia's mind and they easily saw the years of neglect, hate, excessive
chores, and starvation that they had subjected Kaiden to. They saw Dudley hitting and
kicking Kaiden while the adults did nothing to stop it, they saw Vernon roughly throwing
their son into the cupboard and locking the door.

Bella ended the spell and fired another painful hex at Petunia, while Severus did the same
with Vernon once he was done. Bella looked at Severus with pain in her eyes. Even though
Kaiden had looked different in Petunia's mind, Bella could still clearly see her son. What
devastated her the most was the confusion and hurt in Kaiden's eyes every time he was
punished for something; it was like he didn't know what more he could do to please them.

Severus took several deep breaths to try and calm down. Kaiden is home, he is safe now, he
reminded himself. "One thing that stuck out, besides the abuse you heaped on our son," He
began slowly after the Dursley's screaming had quieted. "Is how well you think of yourselves
and how much you need everyone to see you as a normal family." He smirked. "We're going
to have to change that."

"This one desires to impress her friends and the clients her husband brings home, yet she
mentally insults all of them," Bella said. She gave Petunia a mean little smile. "What if you
couldn't hold all those insults in? What if you were forced to tell them what you really think
of them?" Her eyes widened in humor at the horrified expression on Petunia's face. "Yes, you
wouldn't be well-liked anymore, would you? Your husband would most likely lose all of his
clients," She said in mock sadness.

Severus produced two vials of potion that he and Bella had made. "Drink," He said as the
vials floated to the Dursleys. "Unless you want another hex cast on you."

"What will this – " Petunia started.

"Drink!" Severus snapped. After everything Kaiden had told him, he had already known how
much the Dursleys prided themselves on being normal and impressing everyone else. It had
been easy to decide what potions to give them.

Bella waited until the vials were empty to speak. "The potions will last until you feel true
regret for how you treated our son," She informed them. "Vernon will be seen as strange
and freaky by everyone who lays eyes on him. And you, Petunia, will not be able to help but
insult those you wish to impress the most."

"As for your son," Severus glared when they made to protest. "He will have nightmares that
he is being treated by you the way you treated Kaiden. It will not be every night but
hopefully enough for him to feel some empathy." He crossed his arms. "Also, everything he
eats and drinks will taste like vegetables." He smiled inwardly as he sent a spell up the stairs.
"Duddy hates vegetables," Vernon protested.

"Too bad," Severus rolled his eyes. "Perhaps he will learn to appreciate food and cut down on
the calories. You don't realize it but you are abusing him too, only in a different way. The
spell will last until he also feels regret for how he treated Kaiden."

"One more thing," Bella said. "The two of you will feel everything our son felt while he lived
here. All of the hurt, the pain, confusion, loneliness, everything. You will feel it all." She
began incanting and a stream of blue encircled the Dursleys before fading.

"Monsters," Petunia muttered.

Bella started to raise her wand again but Severus stopped her. "We're done here. You won't
remember us." Even if the Aurors visited them and were suspicious, there would be no
memory of what was done today in their mind nor would their magical signature be able to
be detected. "We may visit again someday though. You never know," He glanced at Bella.
"Our son's birthday is soon and we have some planning to do."

"Oh, and your memories of us will last for another hour," Bella added before disapparating.
She smiled innocently as Severus looked at her curiously. "I'll tell you at home," She
promised. They both turned and before they disapparated, Bella cast another painful hex at
them. Their screams filled her ears as she and Severus returned home.

HPHPHPHP

Once the painful hex had stopped, the Dursleys got painfully to their feet.

"They didn't fix our faces!" Vernon wailed, poking at one of his boils. "Petunia, do you have
some cream for these?"

"I have my own problems!" Petunia said as she examined the warts on her face. "I won't be
able to face anyone!"

"We are having guests tomorrow night," Vernon griped.

"Cancel it!"

"They are clients that I need, I can't cancel it!" Vernon shot back.

Pop!

Vernon and Petunia turned and stared at the strange-looking creature standing in their living
room.

Thistle gave them a mean smile. "You hurt a member of Thistle's family," She said in a
dangerous voice. "Thistle loves her family and young master Kaiden is the sweetest child and
you abused him!" She wagged a long finger at them. "You will learn it is never wise to hurt a
house-elf's family."
Thanks to the silencing charm placed around the Dursley's home, none of the neighbors could
hear the horrifying screams and cries that came from number four, Privet Drive.

HPHPHPHP

Poppy was reading a book when Severus and Bella stepped through the floo of their quarters
at Hogwarts. She smiled when she saw them. "How was your errand?"

"Productive enough," Severus said. "Thank you for staying with Kaiden. Is he asleep?"

Poppy chuckled. "He was so tired, poor thing. He wanted to play a game of exploding snap
after you left but fell asleep on the couch before I could even summon the cards." She stood
up and tucked her book under her arm. "I transfigured his clothes into pajamas and put him
into his bed."

"Thank you, Poppy," Bella said.

"Goodnight," Poppy said as she left.

Bella turned and went straight to Kaiden's room. Selfishly she wanted to wake him up and
hug him, tell him how sorry she was for the life he had had to endure so far. She gazed at her
sleeping child with regret. She smiled slightly when Severus's arms came around and she
leaned back into him. "No one will ever hurt him again," She whispered. "My heart is broken
Severus, he should have never been put with those horrible people."

"I know," Severus whispered back. "But he is with us now, right where he belongs. He is safe
and he is loved."

Kaiden stirred slightly and his eyes opened a little. "Mum? Dad?" He murmured sleepily.

Bella reached out and stroked his cheek. "Go back to sleep, snakeling," She whispered.

"I had fun today," Kaiden said as he blinked blearily. "Will we go back to the house soon?"

"Of course, it is our home, just like our quarters here," Severus said as he bent down to kiss
Kaiden's forehead. "Goodnight son." He said softly.

"Sweet dreams," Bella added as they quietly left the room.

Home, Kaiden thought happily as he fell back into a peaceful sleep.

HPHPHPHP

"Kaiden's birthday is the day after tomorrow," Severus said as they entered their bedroom.
"He hasn't even mentioned it."

"Of course not, he's used to his birthdays being ignored," Bella said bitterly as she sat on their
bed. She stared aimlessly at the wall.
 "I know what I would like us to get him," Severus said as he took off his cloak. "The main
present, anyway."

"What is it?" Bella asked.

"When I took him to get his school supplies, he fell in love with a part Kneazle kitten,"
Severus said. "I put a deposit down on it and will pick it up tomorrow. I thought him waking
up on his birthday with a kitten next to him would be a nice surprise."

"That's a wonderful idea," Bella said softly. "I'd like to get him his own set of gobstones and
exploding snap, he likes those games."

Severus watched his wife lie down and shut her eyes. It had been an emotional evening for
both of them. "Perhaps some more books," He said thoughtfully. He took his wand and
transfigured both of their clothes into nightclothes. "I'm also already thinking of things for
Christmas," He admitted with a laugh.

"Mmm, like a broom," Bella said as she got under the covers with her husband.

"Let's see how he does with flying, though I am sure he will be a natural like you are,"
Severus put his arm around Bella and she laid her head on his chest. "Bella, why did you
want the Dursleys to keep their memory of us for an hour?" He asked curiously.

"Thistle," Was the sleepy reply.

Severus's chuckling filled the room, lulling her sound to sleep.

TBC:

Chapter End Notes

I know the Dursleys deserve worse but they're needed later for the story. What Thistle
did to them I'll leave to your imagination lolol
 Chapter Fifteen

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Kaiden, how would you like to spend some time with the Headmaster today?" Severus asked
after they had eaten breakfast. Tomorrow was Kaiden's birthday and he and Bella wanted to
do some shopping, as well as pick up the kitten. They were going back to Spinner's End
tonight so that Kaiden could feel he had a home away from his school. It was also safer for
Bella to be there until they sorted out her freedom with the ministry.

"Sure, I'd like that," Kaiden said. He caught the sneaky looks being exchanged between his
parents. "Wait, what's going on?" He asked suddenly. His parents had been acting strange and
whispering whenever they thought he wasn't looking for the past couple of days.

"What makes you think that something is going on?" Bella asked casually as she sipped her
tea.

Kaiden looked at them suspiciously. Something was going on, he was sure of it. Sneaky
looks, whispering, wanting him to stay with someone else…the Dursleys acted similarly
whenever he was going to be left with Mrs. Figg while they went on vacation. Or worse,
whenever he was going to spend a couple of days locked in his cupboard. He was sure the
cupboard wasn't going to happen but he figured that maybe his parents wanted to spend some
time just the two of them. "How long will you two be gone?" He tried to sound casual but his
voice came out hurt and sad. "It won't be for the rest of summer will it?" Maybe it was selfish
of him to not want them to go, but he had only just been reunited with his parents and they
already wanted to leave him?

Severus and Bella stared at him.

"We should only be about two hours, maybe less," Severus said finally. "Why would you
think we were leaving for the rest of the summer?"

Kaiden immediately relaxed. "I thought you two wanted to go on vacation or something." He
admitted, feeling better now that he knew that wasn't the case.

"Why would we go on vacation without you?" Bella asked confused.

"Is this worry to do with how you were treated by the Dursleys?" Severus asked, already
knowing the answer.

"Is the Headmaster picking me up soon?" Kaiden asked quickly. He felt bad for doubting
them.

"He will be here in a half hour and please don't change the subject," Severus said in a gentle
yet firm tone. No matter how many times his son needed reassurance, he would provide it.
But he had to make sure that Kaiden truly understood that his days of feeling unwanted were
over.
Kaiden sighed. "Yes, it reminded me of the Dursleys. They would whisper around me and
give each other sneaky looks whenever I was going to be left behind for a long time."

"Like when they went on vacation and left you with Mrs. Figg?" Severus prodded.

Kaiden nodded. "Or like when they were planning to lock me in my cupboard for a whole
day, or two. But I know you two wouldn't do that." He quickly added.

"I'm glad you know that," Severus said. Noticing the look of fury on Bella's face, he had no
doubt she was imagining returning to the muggle's house and ripping the Dursley's limb from
limb. He crooked his finger at Kaiden. "Come here," He said softly.

Kaiden approached slowly and was quickly snatched into a warm hug. "We would never
leave you; I really hope someday you believe that," Severus said into his son's ear. "If we
have to tell you that every day for the rest of your life, then we will. We love you and we love
spending time with you."

Kaiden felt a soft hand on his shoulder. "If we were to go on vacation, it would be
a family vacation," Bella said, squeezing his shoulder. "We are planning for tomorrow, which
is why we have been giving each other sneaky looks."

"What's going on tomorrow?"

Severus chuckled. "Someone is turning eleven."

"Oh!" Kaiden's eyes brightened. He rarely thought about his birthdays, although Dudley
sometimes remembered them just to point out to him that no one cared. "So what are you
planning?" He asked eagerly.

Severus smiled at the excited look in Kaiden's eyes. He should have anticipated that acting
secretive would upset his son; the child hadn't even thought that it could be about his
birthday. "Let's see, I know Thistle is planning on a very nice breakfast for you and then we
thought you might like to visit Hogsmeade, a popular village not too far from here." Of
course, Bella would have to take Polyjuice potion first as she couldn't risk being seen yet.

"And maybe we could give you a little flying lesson with your father's broom," Bella made a
face. "Unfortunately, my broom was at the cottage." She looked pointedly at Severus.

Severus rolled his eyes. "I told you that you that you can have mine." He said. He had left his
broom behind at Spinner's End, as flying wasn't a hobby of his or his favorite way to travel.
"Or we'll get you a new one." He offered.

"Hmm, yes we will." Bella smiled sweetly.

"That sounds great!" Kaiden said excitedly.

"The Headmaster and Poppy will come over for dinner and cake," Severus continued. "How
does that sound?"

"Brilliant!" Kaiden hugged both his parents. "I can't wait!"

"We want to pick up a few presents, which is the reason why the Headmaster is going to
spend some time with you today," Bella explained. "I trust that is all right?"

"Presents? For me?" Kaiden's eyes could not get any brighter. "You don't have to," He
quickly said. He meant it, the day they had planned sounded perfect as it was.

"We want to," Severus said. "We're selfish; we finally get to spend your birthday with you.
This is for us as much as you," He teased. "Why don't you go finish getting ready, Professor
Dumbledore will be here soon."

Once Kaiden had left the room, Bella looked at Severus sadly. "Will he ever trust that he is
safe with us and that we will never abandon him?" She sighed.

"Someday," Severus reached across the table and took her hand. "In time he will. It's part of
his healing; he has been let down so much in the past. He's had no reason to trust adults; they
either hurt him or ignored the signs that he needed help."

"I love him so much Severus," Bella said. "I hate to see that insecurity in his eyes." She sent
her empty teacup to the sink. "So, I suppose I will be taking Polyjuice Potion today." She
made a face.

"Yes, and tomorrow too," Severus smirked. "And no, the taste has not improved over the
years."

HPHPHPHP

Bella looked through the shops in Diagon Alley happily; it had been a long time since she
had been able to do so. After entering one store she pulled a set of gobstones off of a shelf
while ignoring the snickering behind her. She also found a set of exploding snap cards and
added it to her basket. Finally, she whirled around. "Will you stop?" She asked in
exasperation.

Severus tried to stop chuckling. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to seeing you look so…"

"What?" Bella ran her hand through her short blonde hair. It did feel weird not to have her
usual long, curly hair. She was also shorter than usual, with very pale blue eyes and light
freckles scattering her face.

"Hufflepuff," Severus stepped out of the way before Bella could hit him. "Well, you do." He
insisted. "Wide-eyed, innocent, a little boring…" He grinned. "Well, at least compared to how
you usually look." He amended.

Bella tilted her head. "And how do I usually look?"

"Gorgeous, alluring, exquisite, intelligent, wild…" Severus said in a deep voice. "Shall I go
on?"

"Yes," Bella practically purred. She laughed. "Later, when this potion wears off."
"You should take another sip," Severus told her as he grabbed some books from a shelf. He
smirked slightly as she took a swallow of potion and grimaced.

"Maybe I should make Kaiden's birthday cake," Bella said as they queued for their items.

"Hmm, that's something to think about," Severus said mildly.

Bella frowned. "I can cook." She said stubbornly.

"Of course you can," Severus said soothingly. "But I think Thistle already made plans for the
cake."

Bella rolled her eyes as they walked out of the store. "Just say it, my cooking skills are non-
existent."

Severus snorted. "I'm not falling for that, the last time I agreed with you I ended up on the
couch." After they had been married, Bella had made a grand breakfast. Severus had done his
best to choke down the burned food while Thistle had pulled at her ears, desperate to make
them edible food.

"Oh right," Bella grinned at the memory. "Where to next?"

"Kaiden shows a talent for potion-making, which is not surprising," Severus said. "I already
got him his supplies for class but I'd like to get him a nicer potions kit that he can use when
brewing with us."

"He'll like that," Bella said. She noticed some children that looked to be around Kaiden's age
getting their school supplies and they were laughing and joking with each other. She watched
in amusement as they noticed the potion's professor passing them. They all paled and
scattered. "Your reputation precedes you." She remarked.

"That is how I like it," Severus said in a pleased tone.

The last gift to pick up was the kitten. "Oh, he is so cute!" Bella said as she cuddled the
silver-grey cat in her arms.

Severus paid the remaining amount for the kitten, as well as purchasing a carrier, bed, toys,
scratching post, and a litter box.

They had just returned to Spinner's End when Bella returned to her true appearance. "That's
better," She said as she ran her hand through her long hair.

Severus pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her neck. "I'll say," He murmured against her
skin.

"Mmm," Bella sighed. The kitten she was holding began to swipe at Severus's hair.

Severus made a face and pulled back. "Perhaps you could put the cat down?"

Bella laughed. "Where should we keep him until we give him to Kaiden?"
"Thistle said she would keep him with her," Severus answered and immediately Thistle
popped into the room.

"Oh, so sweet!" Thistle squealed. "Thistle knows Master Kaiden will love him!"

Bella handed the cat over. "Thank you, Thistle."

"Thistle will take good care of the kitten," Thistle assured them.

"We'll return later this evening," Severus told her. Once she left he turned back to his wife.
"Where were we?"

Bella put her arms around his neck. "I can't seem to remember," She teased.

Severus met her teasing lips, engaging her with a deep kiss. "I love you," He said softly.

Bella kissed him again. "I love you too."

"We should go," Severus said after a few minutes. "Despite our reassurances, I don't want to
risk Kaiden getting nervous again."

"I don't either," Bella agreed. She began to look excited. "After he falls asleep, I'm going to
wrap his gifts and I thought we could decorate too. I want this to be a birthday he never
forgets!"

HPHPHPHP

"I don't think I could ever get tired of walking around Hogwarts," Kaiden said as he and
Dumbledore walked back from viewing the Great Lake.

"I've been here a long time, and I never have," Dumbledore agreed. "Beautiful weather isn't
it? I can't decide if I think Hogwarts looks even more magical in the summer or in the winter
when everything is covered with snow."

They continued on their walk and stopped at a small wooden cabin. Standing in front of the
cabin was the tallest, biggest man Kaiden had ever seen. He was at least twice as tall as any
adult, very wide with long shaggy black hair and a beard that covered most of his face.

"Hagrid, I did not know you had returned," Dumbledore said pleasantly.

"Got back not too long ago, Professor," Hagrid said cheerfully.

"I trust you have had a good summer so far?"

"Yes, I've traveled a bit and seen many interestin' creatures," Hagrid said enthusiastically.
"Oh, and I also took care of the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."

Dumbledore coughed slightly. "Yes, thank you, Hagrid." He stood aside so that Hagrid could
see he was not alone.
Hagrid looked at Kaiden curiously. "Well now, who's this?"

Dumbledore placed a hand on Kaiden's shoulder. "This is Kaiden Snape."

Hagrid's eyes widened. "Snape? As in Professor Snape's son? But I thought…"

"Kaiden was kidnapped as a baby and we were all made to think he had perished in that fire,"
Dumbledore explained. "The truth only recently came out."

"Tha' is amazin''," Hagrid breathed. "Professor Snape mus' be so happy!"

"Beyond happy," Dumbledore smiled. "Kaiden, this is Rubeus Hagrid. He is the Keeper of
Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts."

Hagrid grinned at Kaiden and Kaiden found himself grinning back. He could tell he would
like Hagrid; there was a gentleness about him. Kaiden almost felt like he had met Hagrid
before. He saw something small and white move in Hagrid's hands. "What is that Mr.
Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked surprised but then laughed. "Jus' Hagrid will do." He opened his hands to
reveal a small snowy baby owl. "I found her earlier today near the forbidden forest. It looks
like she has no family and I didn' want her to get eaten by another animal. Do yeh wan' to pet
her?"

Kaiden nodded eagerly and stepped forward to gently touch the soft owl's head. She nuzzled
her head into his hand. "She is so sweet," Kaiden said softly.

Hagrid nodded. "She will be a beauty all righ'," He said.

Dumbledore glanced at Kaiden. "Why don't you take the owl for a bit? I need to speak to
Hagrid regarding some Hogwarts business." He said smoothly.

"Okay!" Kaiden took the snowy owl and cuddled her close to him as he walked to look at the
garden near the hut.

"Kaiden is new to magic," Dumbledore told Hagrid quietly. "He was kept in the dark,
literally, all this time. His parents are helping him adjust to the fact that magic is real and that
he is a wizard."

"He didn' know he was a wizard? Poor tyke," Hagrid said sadly. His eyes widened. "Wait, did
yeh say parents Professor?"

"Yes, Bellatrix is here. I ask that you keep that quiet for now until I can deal with the
ministry." Dumbledore said.

"Isn't she a death eater?" Hagrid asked nervously.

"Bellatrix was under the influence of a potion, courtesy of Voldemort," Dumbledore said. "A
death eater had taken her son, framed her for causing his death, and with the aid of that
potion she completely lost touch with reality. Severus was able to counteract the potion when
she returned this summer. Now the three of them are finally bonding as a family."

Hagrid's worried look faded. He trusted Dumbledore and whoever was right by him, was
right by Hagrid. "I'm happy for them," He said with a glance at Kaiden. "He seems like a nice
boy, specially with all he's been through." His heart went out to the child.

Dumbledore nodded. "He's is a remarkable little boy." Seeing that Kaiden was approaching
them, he added, "Tomorrow will be his eleventh birthday."

Hagrid grinned at Kaiden. "Eleven is an important birthday. Have you received your
Hogwarts letter?"

Kaiden nodded happily. He was about to tell Hagrid that the letter was what allowed the truth
to be known before he remembered that no one could know he had been living as Harry
Potter. "I already went to Diagon Alley with my Dad and got my school supplies," He said
instead. "I'm really excited."

"Ah, your firs' year," Hagrid smiled. "An exciting and special time."

"Well, we should head back. I have some paperwork to finish and your parents are still out
planning for tomorrow." Dumbledore said. "I don't want you to be bored so you could read a
book or play a game."

"He could stay here Professor." Hagrid offered. "He can help me get this little owl settled and
meet Fang. That is, if yeh like to," He said to Kaiden.

"Sure!" Kaiden looked at Dumbledore. "May I?"

"Of course," Dumbledore said. "Take him back to Severus' quarters in about an hour," He
told Hagrid. He gave Kaiden a meaningful look. "They don't like to be away from him longer
than they have to." He said knowingly.

Kaiden smiled to himself.

"Let's go in," Hagrid said once Dumbledore had walked away. "It's pretty small," He said
somewhat apologetically.

As someone who had lived in a cupboard, Kaiden would never judge someone else's home.
Besides, he liked the cabin. Inside it was only one room, with a fireplace with a copper kettle
hanging. A massive bed was in one corner and a table with a mismatched set of chipped cups
and plates. An old-looking, lumpy chair was near the door that held a big boarhound dog.

"Fang, are yeh goin' to sleep all day?" Hagrid asked as he set the owl on the table. He began
moving around the room, grabbing a box and several tea towels and tucking them into the
box before setting the owl inside. "There, nice and soft for yeh," He said.

Kaiden approached Fang carefully. "Is he friendly?" He asked over his shoulder.
"Fang? Gentle beast he is, cowardly but a good dog," Hagrid said as he bustled around the
fireplace, putting on some water to make them tea.

Fang lifted his head and stared at Kaiden before leaning forward and licking Kaiden's face.
Kaiden laughed at the slobbery kiss.

"So what does a gamekeeper do?" Kaiden asked curiously once he and Hagrid had sat at the
table to tea and something Hagrid called rock cakes.

"Many things. I escort the firs' year's to the castle, tend to the gardens, look after the animals,
make sure things are safe in the forest, and help the Headmaster with different tasks," Hagrid
crunched on a rock cake. "Plenty to keep me busy." He smiled broadly, clearly proud of his
job.

"Sounds brilliant," Kaiden said as he tried to find a way to eat the rock cake without breaking
his teeth. Maybe dunking it in the tea would help soften it, he thought. "Maybe I could help
you in the garden sometime. I used to at my -," He cringed slightly. He certainly couldn't
mention the Dursleys. "Where I was, sometimes I was allowed out to do garden work."

"Horrible thing to have happened to yeh," Hagrid said sympathetically. "I remember when
your parents thought they lost yeh, they were devastated."

"I wish it had never happened," Kaiden said as he pulled the cake out of the tea and tried to
take a bit. Huh, soaking it hadn't helped. He wondered what was in it. "I wish I had never
been taken from them. They're amazing. My Dad is so smart and so is my Mum," He said
proudly.

Hagrid grinned. "They are both very strong and powerful." He nodded.

"I hope I don't disappoint them," Kaiden said quietly. "Magic is still so new and I'm afraid I'll
fall behind everyone else when school starts."

"Nah, don' worry," Hagrid said. "Yeh will do fine. A lot of the students are muggle-born and
magic will be new to them too."

They spent the rest of the hour chatting, with Hagrid telling him about the different creatures
he had come across and Kaiden telling him about trying his first spell. "But don't tell
anyone," Kaiden said hastily. "I'm not supposed to do magic in the summer but my parents let
me try one spell."

"Yeh secret is safe with me," Hagrid assured him.

Kaiden smiled in relief. "Thanks," His eyes suddenly brightened. "Tomorrow night the
Headmaster and Poppy are coming over for dinner, for my birthday. Can you come too?"

Hagrid looked flattered. "I'd love to."

When Hagrid walked Kaiden back to his quarters in the dungeons, he talked to him about
dragons and how amazing he thought they were. "I wish I had one," Hagrid said wistfully as
he knocked on the door.
Severus opened it and looked at him in surprise. "Hagrid, hello."

"Hello Professor," Hagrid said. "I brought Kaiden back." He ruffled Kaiden's hair as he
walked by him. "A good kid yeh have. I'm happy for yeh and Bellatrix."

Severus inclined his head, wondering how much Dumbledore had told him. "Thank you,
Hagrid." He said.

"Hello Hagrid," Bella greeted as she hugged Kaiden. She eyed the usually friendly man
warily, wondering how he would react to her.

"It's good to see yeh back where yeh belon'," Hagrid said easily. "Both yeh and Kaiden."

Bella relaxed. "Thank you," She said.

Hagrid winked at Kaiden. "See yeh tomorrow for dinner." He gave a wave as he walked
away.

Severus shut the door. "You invited Hagrid over to dinner?"

"Is that okay?" Kaiden asked anxiously.

"Of course it is," Bella said. She and Severus had already felt bad that there wasn't more to
come and celebrate with their son. If things had been different, he would be surrounded by
friends and family for his special birthday.

Kaiden grinned. "Brilliant! I can't wait!"

TBC:
 Chapter Sixteen

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Kaiden woke up slowly, feeling something soft brush against his cheek. He opened his eyes
to find bright gold ones staring at him. "What?" Kaiden sat up and picked up the kitten, who
immediately began purring. It was the same kitty he had seen when shopping with his father!
"Are you for me?" He whispered into the silver fur, gently hugging the kitten to him.

"Indeed he is."

Kaiden looked up and saw his parents standing in his doorway, looking immensely pleased
with themselves. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Kaiden got out of bed, the
kitten still in his arms, and ran to his parents.

"Happy Birthday baby," Bella hugged him tight, careful not to squash the kitten. "We love
you so much."

"Happy Birthday son," Severus said as he hugged his boy. "So you like your surprise?"

"I love him!" Kaiden said happily, scratching the kitten under its chin. "He's really mine?"

"He's all yours," Bella assured him.

"Will I be able to see him even when school starts?" Kaiden asked eagerly.

"He will not be able to be in your dorm with you, but he will be with us in our quarters. You
can see him anytime you want." Severus told him. "We bought some things for him, they are
downstairs."

"As is breakfast," Bella added. She put her arm around Kaiden. "I believe Thistle has planned
an even grander breakfast than usual."

Once downstairs, Kaiden gaped at the colorful streamers and balloons that were in the sitting
room as well as the dining room. Above the entrance to the dining room was a banner that
read, Happy Birthday Kaiden!

"Master Kaiden!" Thistle squealed when she saw her family. "Oh, Thistle is so happy to
celebrate your birthday!"

"Thank you, Thistle! These decorations are amazing!" Kaiden said in an awed tone. This was
so new to him, he had watched Petunia and Vernon fuss over Dudley on his birthday and now
he was getting to experience what it was like.

The table was filled with delicious breakfast foods like eggs, hash browns, bacon, grilled
tomatoes, English muffins, tea, and pumpkin juice. Tied to the back of Kaiden's chair were
several balloons.
"Thistle put out food for kitten in the kitchen," Thistle said.

Kaiden looked torn from diving into breakfast and relinquishing his kitten. Finally, he handed
his new pet to the elf. "Have a good breakfast…um," He frowned, not quite sure what to call
his new friend.

"You'll have to think of a name," Severus remarked as they all sat down. "Perhaps you can
look through some books to find one."

"Good idea!" Kaiden said as he enthusiastically dove into his breakfast. "Mmm…"

Severus and Bella exchanged amused glances. "Slow down so you can actually chew your
food," Severus chuckled as he took a bite of his eggs.

"It's so good," Kaiden said as he munched on a piece of bacon.

"It is," Bella agreed. "Thistle is the best at cooking."

Once breakfast was finished, Kaiden took his kitten into the sitting room and sat on the floor
as he and the kitty played with the cat toys his parents had bought. Kaiden laughed as he
watched his pet chase after a toy bird that flew several feet above the ground. It reminded
him of the pictures he had seen of Quidditch of the golden bird that had been used before the
snitch. What had it been called again? Snidget. Kaiden picked up a thin stick that had green
feathers attached to it. He waved it and the kitty immediately pounced. "Catch the feathers
Snidget!" He waved the feathers again and Snidget caught it, rolling on his back as he
playfully batted at the feathers.

"Snidget?" Bella asked as she and Severus sat on the floor beside Kaiden. "If you are naming
him that, I completely approve."

"Of course you do, it is Quidditch-based," Severus shook his head as he scratched Snidget's
tummy.

"Your father would have called him Asphodel or Flobberworm," Bella teased as she rolled a
little ball across the floor. Snidget jumped up to chase it.

Severus rolled his eyes, picked up the feather stick, and dangled it in front of Bella's face.
When she tried to bat it out of the way, he laughed. "Kaiden, this works on your mother too."

"You two are silly," Kaiden informed them as Snidget crawled into his lap and curled up,
instantly sleeping soundly. Kaiden looked at him in surprise. "He's tired already?"

"Kittens play hard and sleep hard," Severus said. "Why don't you put him in his bed and we
will give you a flying lesson."

Practically shaking with excitement, Kaiden gently put Snidget into his little cat bed and then
followed his parents outside.

"Accio broom," Severus held out his hand and an instant later caught his broom. He laid it
down on the grass. "Stand on the left side of the broom, stick your right hand over the broom,
and say up."

Kaiden did as his father instructed and held out his right arm. "Up!" To his delight, the broom
flies into his hand. "Whoa," He grinned.

Bella grinned smugly. "Good job! I know of one kid who had their broom hit him in the face
instead."

"Only once and then it worked correctly on my second try," Severus said huffily. Ignoring
Bella's laughter he turned to his son. He raised his eyebrow at the grin Kaiden was trying to
hide. "Don't listen to her, she is a bad influence."

"Oi!" Bella said in protest.

"Now, mount your broom and grip it tightly. You don't want to end up sliding off the end."
Severus said, watching with approval as Kaiden did just that. "Good. Now, kick off from the
ground hard and keep your broom steady as you hover for a moment, and then lean forward
slightly and touch back down. Ready?"

Kaiden nodded eagerly and lifted off the ground. He grinned. "Look!"

"Excellent," Severus said approvingly. "Now lower yourself down."

Kaiden glanced up. "Can't I go higher?" He pleaded.

"Not yet," Bella said gently. "Soon though, don't worry. You have to give yourself time to
learn."

Kaiden lowered himself and hopped off the broom. "Can one of you fly me higher then?
Please?"

"Hmm, since it is your birthday," Bella got on the broom with Kaiden sitting in front of her
and kicked off into the air.

"Be mindful of the wards!" Severus called after them.

Bella flew them around the yard, one arm securely around Kaiden as she pointed the broom
up and then zoomed down, making Kaiden squeal with delight. "This is fun!" Kaiden
laughed.

"It is," Bella agreed, careful not to do any of the more daring moves she used to do. "Hold on
tight and watch this," She said as she began to circle Severus, faster and faster.

"Stop that!" Severus said as they zoomed round and round him, laughing. He quickly
disapparated and reappeared on the other side of the yard.

Bella lowered to the ground with a laugh as she and Kaiden dismounted. "Oops, sorry
honey!"

Kaiden threw his arms around his mother. "That was great! Thank you!"
Bella hugged him back. "You're welcome, baby."

Kaiden was allowed to use the broom again and this time got to fly across the yard, though
not as high up as he would have liked. After his lesson, he played on the swing set with his
parents watching fondly and even joining in.

Kaiden had another playing session with Snidget before getting ready to go to Hogsmeade.
He was waiting by the fireplace when his dad and an unfamiliar woman with short blonde
hair walked into the room. Kaiden stared. "Mum?" He asked uncertainly.

"It's me Kaiden," Bella assured him. "I took a potion to change my appearance for while we
are out."

"Why?" Kaiden asked curiously. "Oh, is this about the prison that lady mentioned before?
What was it called again?"

"Azkaban," Severus said quietly.

"What lady?" Bella asked with a frown.

"When we went to Diagon Alley to get Kaiden's school supplies, Rita Skeeter cornered us,"
Severus said. He glanced at Kaiden. "She was being nosy and said some things."

Bella's face darkened. "I see," She said. "Kaiden, there are some people who believe I am
dangerous due to how I acted when I was under that potion." She explained carefully. "Until
my name is cleared, I have to be careful of who sees me."

"Oh, okay," Kaiden nodded. He couldn't imagine anyone thinking his Mum was dangerous.

"Be careful not to call her Mum, otherwise people could be suspicious if they overhear,"
Severus said gently.

"What should I call her?" Kaiden asked.

Severus looked at Bella, who shrugged. "Carina?" Severus suggested. Being named after
stars or constellations was common in the Black family.

"I like it. What do you think?" Bella looked to Kaiden.

"It's pretty," Kaiden said, taking her hand as they stepped into the floo.

Once in Hogsmeade, Kaiden admired the cottages and shops as they walked down the street.
"Where are we going to first?"

"The Three Broomsticks," Severus answered. "It is a popular pub where we can get some
lunch."

As they had had a large breakfast and would be having a big dinner, the three of them ordered
soup and salad.
"Professor Snape," Madame Rosmerta exclaimed as she passed by their table. "I haven't seen
you in here in quite a while." Her eyes shifted to Kaiden curiously.

"Hello Madame Rosmerta," Severus said in a slightly guarded tone.

"Oh, this must be your son," Madam Rosmerta said with a smile. "I read about him still being
alive. I'm very happy for you."

Severus relaxed. "Thank you. Yes, this is my son Kaiden."

"Hi Ma'am," Kaiden said shyly.

"Such a fine young man," Madam Rosmerta said. She looked at Bella. "I don't believe I have
met you before. Are you a new professor at Hogwarts?"

"No, I'm an old friend of Severus's," Bella said smoothly. "I help him procure rare potion
ingredients."

"Ah, I see," Madam Rosmerta nodded. She still looked curiously at Kaiden. "You should give
a proper interview about what happened with your son," She said eagerly. "Not with Rita
Skeeter, can't stand her but I for one, would love to hear the whole story."

Bella rolled her eyes. She had always liked Madam Rosmerta but the woman was simply too
nosy. "It's none of your business." She said sharply.

Madam Rosmerta looked surprised and frowned. "It's not up to you," She smirked. She
smiled sweetly at Severus. "We should get together and have dinner one evening so you can
tell me about it," She said.

Kaiden's eyes widened and he choked on the pumpkin juice he was drinking. Severus
thumped his back in concern. "Are you okay?"

Kaiden nodded and wiped his mouth. "Yes, sorry."

Bella glared at the pub owner. He's mine, she wanted to shout.

"I do not think so," Severus told Madam Rosmerta firmly. "My family's business is of no
one's concern except ours."

"Of course," Madame Rosmerta sighed in disappointment and smiled at them. "Enjoy your
lunch."

"She is certainly pushier than I remember," Bella grumbled as she dunked her spoon into her
soup.

"Did she really ask you out on a date?" Kaiden asked in a loud whisper.

Severus swallowed his laugh and pointed his fork at Kaiden. "She simply wanted some
gossip to spread around." He then pointed the fork at Bella. "Relax, she is harmless."
"It will be better when this mess is straightened out and I don't have to hide." Bella sighed.

"Yes, we'll have to meet with Lucius soon." Severus agreed.

"Who's that?"

Severus and Bella looked at Kaiden in surprise and then shared a glance. "He is your uncle."
Bella finally said. "He's married to my sister, Narcissa." Her eyes hardened with the thought
of her sister's betrayal.

"So I have an Aunt and Uncle," Kaiden said slowly. He hoped they weren't like Petunia and
Vernon.

"And a cousin, Draco. He will be starting Hogwarts this year as well." Severus said.

"Really?" Kaiden bit his lip. "Will I meet him before school? Do you think he would like me
or…?" He hesitated. "Or would he hate me like Dudley?"

"Honestly, I do not know Draco very well," Severus admitted. "I've only seen him a handful
of times throughout the years. He is spoiled but I don't think he would treat you like that
muggle boy." Especially as your mother and I wouldn't allow it, he added silently. "I'm sure
he would like to meet you and be friends."

"I wouldn't mind meeting them," Kaiden shrugged. He was nervous they wouldn't like him
but he thought it would be cool to have more family members.

"You won't meet your Aunt," Bella said in a hard voice. When she saw Kaiden's confused
look, she softened her voice. "I do not trust her right now and I don't want her around you.
However, I do not have a problem with you meeting Lucius and Draco."

Severus decided to change the subject before Kaiden asked more questions about his Aunt.
"Ready to explore the village? There is a very popular candy store and a joke shop that is
every professor's worst nightmare."

"Really?" Kaiden's eyes brightened as he followed his parents out of the pub. "You don't like
joke products?"

"Not in my classroom," Severus said as they walked to Zonko's. "Remember that Mr. Snape."

Kaiden grinned as they entered the shop. "Wow!"

Shelf after shelf was filled with all different jokes and tricks and the shop was filled with
children and teenagers laughing as they tried out the products. Kaiden immediately began
looking, carefully picking up items so he could examine them better. "Frog Spawn Soap?"

"Let's just say, it won't be actual soap that gets on you," Severus said.

Kaiden snickered and put it back. He noticed several kids staring at them and he inched
closer to his parents. Severus noticed and put a hand on his shoulder. "I believe the stares are
mostly for me. Students are not used to seeing their potions professor in Zonko's." He said
wryly. He stood up straight and glared at those who were staring. "At least now I will know
which new products to ban from my class as well as those who will likely have them!"

Kaiden watched in amazement as several teenagers ran out of the store while the others who
stayed moved as far away from his dad as possible. A couple of kids looked on the verge of
crying.

"Dad!" Kaiden looked scandalized.

Oops, Severus thought with a touch of regret. "Sorry son. I imagine you won't be popular
with having me as a father," He admitted.

Kaiden couldn't help but laugh. "That's okay; I don't care about being popular. I just hope I
have at least one real friend," He said wistfully. "Maybe I should meet my cousin."

"We'll arrange it," Severus said smoothly.

Kaiden spent time looking through the store and trying several of the products. He liked the
Nose-Biting Teacups and laughed loudly when he tried a Screaming Yo-Yo.

"Those are annoying," Severus murmured to Bella.

"Where's your sense of humor?" Bella grinned. "Kaiden, would like one of those?" She
smiled innocently at Severus's glare.

"Really?" Kaiden asked.

"To use outside only," Severus quickly said.

"Brilliant, thank you!" Kaiden said happily. He went and got in line with his mother to pay
for it when he was surprised by his dad handing him one of the teacups as well. "I can get one
of these too?" He asked excitedly.

"Well, it is your birthday," Severus said nonchalantly but it was clear he was pleased at how
happy Kaiden looked.

Honeydukes was next and Kaiden couldn't help but simply stand in the middle of the shop,
staring at all candy. He had never seen anything like it.

"Merlin, I forgot how good it smells in here," Bella said as she breathed in deeply.

Severus didn't have as big of a sweet tooth as his wife; however, there were a couple of treats
he was fond of. He grabbed a basket. "What would you like Kaiden?"

Kaiden shook his head. It was overwhelming! "I don't know, it all looks amazing!"

Severus chuckled. "Let's see, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans are popular." He put a box in
the basket. "Chocolate frogs are as well," He added those to the basket.
Bella threw in a bag of Chocoballs. "My favorite." She also added some of Honeyduke's best
chocolate.

"Something you need to know about your mother," Severus whispered to Kaiden. "She is a
chocolateholic. I tried getting her help for it once but it was of no use."

Kaiden giggled. "I love chocolate too," He said with a grin at his mother.

Severus picked out some Liquorice Wands and Treacle fudge and handed the bag full of
sweets to Kaiden as they left the store. "Don't eat too many as we still have a big dinner and
birthday cake to enjoy later." He warned, not wanting Kaiden to have an upset stomach.

Bella handed Kaiden some the Bertie Bott's beans. "Careful, they really do mean every
flavor." She warned.

Kaiden tried a couple, which tasted fine to him and as he popped a tan-colored one into his
mouth he grimaced. "Ew, it tastes like earwax!"

Severus snickered. "Here, try a frog. They come with collectible cards."

Kaiden opened the treat and caught the frog before it hopped away. He read the card that had
come with it. "I got Professor Dumbledore!" He said happily.

"Albus considers being on a chocolate frog card one of his greatest accomplishments,"
Severus said wryly.

Kaiden ate his treat, marveling at how good the chocolate was, and shared a piece of Treacle
fudge with his dad. His Mum was busy devouring the Chocoballs. "Careful Mum, you don't
want to spoil your appetite." Kaiden teased.

Bella pretended to swat the back of his head. "Spoilsport," She teased back.

"I can't wait to show Thistle what I got at the joke shop," Kaiden said enthusiastically.
"Especially the Yo-Yo!"

Bella merely smiled as Severus groaned.

TBC:
 Chapter Seventeen

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Once they had arrived back home, Kaiden showed Thistle his joke products before finding
Snidget and playing with him again. He sat on the couch and tangled a piece of string in front
of the kitten. Snidget jumped to grab it and settled comfortably in Kaiden's lap as he began to
bat at the string. Watching his pet play was calming and Kaiden found himself struggling to
keep his eyes open.

"Look at him, poor thing," Bella whispered as she and Severus found their son asleep on the
sofa with Snidget curled up next to him. "We wore him out."

"It's been a great day," Severus said softly.

Bella nodded and leaned into Severus as they watched their son sleep. "Severus," Bella said
after a while. "I'm going to confront Narcissa tomorrow." She glanced at her husband when
he didn't say anything.

"I'll go with you," Severus said finally.

Bella shook her head. "No, I need to do this myself. Don't worry, I won't kill her." I'll try not
to anyway, she thought darkly. She took a deep breath. "I was thinking you could have Lucius
and Draco here to meet Kaiden and discuss my situation. I'd like to get that resolved as soon
as possible."

Severus nodded. "I'll send a letter to Lucius," He said, putting his arms around her. He felt so
content holding his wife as they watched their son sleep, safe and sound in their home. We
may have missed a lot, but we also have much to look forward to, he thought.

HPHPHPHP

Kaiden smiled brightly as the dinner guests arrived. He had woken up a little sheepishly but
had to admit he felt more refreshed and ready to have some more fun.

"Severus, your house is simply wonderful!" Dumbledore said as he looked around.

"It is, thanks to Thistle," Severus said as he took the headmaster's cloak and hung it up.

"Happy Birthday Kaiden!" Dumbledore greeted.

Kaiden beamed. "Thank you," He said.

"How are you Kaiden?" Poppy asked with a smile as she discreetly ran a diagnostic test on
him. She was pleased with the results and thankful the child had his parents back in his life.

"I'm great Madam Pomfrey," Kaiden said. "Hi, Hagrid!"

"Hello Kaiden," Hagrid grinned. "Happy Birthday!"

"Look at what my parents gave me! Come here Snidget," Kaiden called and the silver kitten
ran and jumped into his arms.

"Well now, that is a fine-lookin' cat," Hagrid said as he gently patted the furry head.

While Kaiden showed Hagrid and Poppy the cat toys he had for Snidget, Severus quietly told
Dumbledore that he had invited Lucius over tomorrow to discuss Bella. "I would imagine he
will be most eager to help, with you being family," Dumbledore said. "And I am ready to use
all influence I have at the ministry, just let me know when."

"I will contact you after my meeting tomorrow," Severus nodded.

Dinner was a lively affair, with the guests telling Kaiden funny stories about their own days
at Hogwarts. "For me, just seeing the castle was magical. I never lost that sense of
wonderment at seeing her. Even now, after all these years it still gets me." Dumbledore said
as they feasted on pot roast, roasted potatoes, vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding.

"I remember I kept getting lost those first few days," Poppy laughed. "You're lucky Kaiden,
by the time school starts up you will be used to navigating the castle."

"He will also be able to meet all of his professors before September," Hagrid said. "The rest
of the staff gets back from vacation soon."

After dinner, Kaiden was given his presents from his guests and parents. "You guys didn't
have to get me anything else," Kaiden told his parents.

"We've been through this, we wanted to," Severus told him.

Hagrid quickly stood up. "I'll be right back, my gift is waiting at my hut," He said
mysteriously as he left. He had already run his gift idea by Severus and Bella.

Kaiden opened his gifts, loving the games and potions kit from his parents, a fancy green
quill from Poppy that also wrote in green, and a brand new copy of Quidditch Through the
Ages from Dumbledore.

Hagrid returned, holding a birdcage with the snowy baby owl in it. "I know yer got a kitten
but owls are ruddy useful familiars and this one likes yeh already."

"Wow!" Kaiden couldn't believe how amazing this day had been. "I love her! Do you think
she and Snidget will get along?" He asked his dad eagerly.

"Introduce them slowly," Severus said, admiring the owl. It would be beautiful when it was
full grown. "This is why it will be better to have Snidget stay in our quarters during the
school year as students technically are not allowed two familiars."

Bella leaned closer to Severus, speaking so only he could hear her. "I'm on to you Snape. You
want Snidget to stay with us to ensure Kaiden will visit us regularly," She said in a teasing
voice.
"Am I that transparent?" Severus chuckled.

Kaiden stuck a finger in the cage to gently pet his new owl. "Thank you, everyone, I've never
had a party or anything like this before," Kaiden said sincerely.

"You deserve it and much more," Bella said as she hugged him.

Thistle popped in holding a plate that held a huge chocolate and raspberry cake. "Dessert is
ready!"

Kaiden blushed when everyone sang to him; he had never been at the center of attention like
this before. He liked it but also felt shy. Not only did he now have his parents but several
other adults cared about him too.

After his guests had left, Kaiden got changed into his pajamas and sat on his bed with Snidget
while holding his new owl. "You two are my new friends so you have to be friends with each
other," He said as Snidget sniffed the owl. The owl tilted her head as if not sure what to make
of the grey kitten. "This is Snidget, and Snidget this is…um," He hesitated. He hadn't decided
on a name for his owl yet.

"How about Hedwig?" Severus suggested as he entered the room. "It is a name from your
History of Magic textbook. I always liked that name for an owl, but I never got one of my
own."

"Hedwig," Kaiden mused. "I like it. Thanks, Dad!" He watched as Snidget gently bumped his
head against Hedwig. Hedwig gave a little hoot and nuzzled her head against the purring
kitten.

"Look at that, how sweet," Bella said as she watched their interaction.

"Thanks again for today," Kaiden said, looking up at his parents. "It was perfect. I never
thought I would feel so…cared for and loved."

"We love you so much Kaiden," Bella sat next to him and took him into her arms. "We
always have."

Severus sat on the other side of his son. "I wish we could change the past," He said softly.
"And make it so that the three of us were never separated, but at least we have each other
now. And I promise if anyone tries to tear us apart again, I will fight with everything I have to
stop them. So would your mother."

"No one will separate us again," Bella said firmly. "Ever."

Kaiden smiled to himself at how protective his parents looked and sounded. His parents.
How long had he dreamed of what it would be like to have them back in his life? He had
longed for them all his life and to have his family was better than he ever could have dreamed
it would be. "I love you both," He mumbled, slightly mortified that he felt like crying.

"We love you, son," Severus said as he dropped a kiss on top of his head. "Happy Birthday."
HPHPHPHP

Kaiden paced in front of the fireplace as he waited to meet his cousin and uncle. He couldn't
help but be worried, after all his previous "relatives" had not liked him. What if his uncle
despised him like his former uncle had? Or what if his new cousin beat him up like Dudley
had?

Severus looked up from the potions journal he was reading and studied his son. He hated
seeing that apprehensive look on Kaiden's face. He hoped having Lucius and Draco come to
their home wasn't too much, too soon, for Kaiden.

"He looks scared," Bella murmured from beside him as she watched their child sadly.

"I know," Severus closed his journal. "Kaiden," He said gently.

Kaiden turned and faced his parents, who were sitting together on the sofa.

"You don't need to worry about your uncle and cousin. Lucius would never treat you like
Dursley did and Draco will not hurt you like that muggle boy did." Severus said. "Although,
you may as well be prepared for your cousin to be a spoiled brat."

"Severus!" Bella laughed as she elbowed him in the side. "It's probably true." She admitted.

"I just want them to like me," Kaiden said softly as he stood in front of his parents.

Bella reached out and grasped his hand. "Of course, they will," She said. "How could they
not? You are smart, sweet, not to mention completely adorable."

"Mum!" Kaiden blushed. "I'm not adorable!" He protested. Adorable, honestly.

Bella exchanged a smirk with Severus. "I'm sorry. I meant you are a wonderful young man."

Severus reached out to grab Kaiden's other hand and then he and Bella pulled Kaiden forward
until he fell onto their laps and tickled him until their son was laughing.

"Okay, I'm adorable!" Kaiden laughed as he tried to get away.

"Thought you would see it our way," Severus chuckled as Kaiden scampered away from
them.

I always knew you would be a great father, Bella thought fondly as she watched her husband
tease their son. So many wasted years…

The floo flared to life and Lucius and Draco walked out. "Hello Severus, Bella," Lucius
greeted as his eyes landed on Kaiden. "It is so good to see you after so long."

"Lucius," Severus inclined his head.

"Hello Lucius," Bella said. She gave a small smile to Draco. "Hello, Draco."
"Hello," Draco said politely, though he looked a little nervous.

"I hope I did not frighten you when I went to your house the other day," Bella said in an
amused voice. Draco's first impression of her would have been when she interrupted their
dinner while still under the effects of the potion.

"Um, no of course not," Draco said quickly. He looked curiously at Kaiden. "Hi!"

"Hi," Kaiden said quietly, feeling apprehensive.

"Draco, this is your cousin Kaiden," Severus said, not sure how much Draco knew about the
situation.

Lucius stepped closer to Severus and Bella. "He knows Kaiden was taken as a baby and his
death was faked," He told them quietly. "He does not know of Narcissa's involvement. I also
told him that Kaiden was not brought up knowing he was a wizard and to be sensitive to that
fact."

"Sensitive?" Severus repeated incredulously.

"I do know the meaning of the word," Lucius said huffily.

"I should be going," Bella said as she grabbed some floo powder.

"Where are you going? I thought we were going to discuss your situation," Lucius said.

"Talk with Severus first. It shouldn't take too long. There is someone I need to see." Bella
said.

It took Lucius a moment to realize who she was going to go see. "Bella," He began.

"She and I need to talk…privately," Bella said firmly. She threw down the powder and called
out for Malfoy Manor.

"I hope you told Narcissa goodbye before you left," Severus quipped.

"Very amusing," Lucius grumbled, hoping his wife was ready to confront her sister.

HPHPHPHP

Narcissa didn't look up from the current edition of Witch Weekly that she was reading when
she heard the floo. "Did you forget something dear?" She asked absently, assuming Lucius
had returned to the house.

"I did, actually. I forgot to tell you what I think of you, sweetums."

Narcissa dropped her magazine. "Bella," She breathed. She stood up. "Oh, you look so much
better!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, I've been getting plenty of food and rest," Bella casually twirled her wand. "And of
course, being reunited with my son and husband has helped."

"Of course," Narcissa fidgeted slightly. "How is Kaiden? I saw a picture of him, he looks
wonderful. I can't wait to meet…ahh!" Narcissa rubbed her arm where the strong stinging hex
had hit. She backed away while holding her burning arm. "Please Bella, I only did what I
thought was best!" She pleaded.

"Really?" Bella fired another hex at her sister, who this time had her own wand out to block
it. Bella frowned. "That certainly won't do, now will it? Expelliarmus!" She smugly caught
her sister's wand and pocketed it. She cast another hex at her sister which caused Narcissa to
yelp loudly. "You've never been good at protecting your wand Narcissa," She glared at her
sister. "How could you think drugging me and taking my son away was for the best?" Her
face darkened. "We've always been close, how could you do that to me?"

"I didn't want to, but I had to!" Narcissa said tearfully. She looked around and opened her
mouth to call for one of her house elves when she was suddenly thrown several feet across
the room.

"You call for anyone and this will end very badly for you," Bella warned. "I deserve to have
my say." She cast a silencing spell around the room.

Narcissa picked herself up, knowing she was at her big sister's mercy. "All right but Bella,
please let me have my say too."

"Your say?" Bella laughed bitterly. "Go ahead. I would love to hear it." She leaned against the
back of a sofa chair.

"The Dark Lord told me if I didn't kill Kaiden he would kill my Draco. If I didn't carry out his
order, Kaiden would still have been killed anyway as well as Draco, Lucius, and myself."
Narcissa shuddered as she remembered that night. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to
hurt my nephew but I was scared. Then I remembered that the Potter's son was dying so I
went over there to talk to Lily. Their son Harry had passed away earlier that day and it didn't
take much to convince her and James to take Kaiden and pretend he was their son. It seemed
to be the best way to protect Kaiden." Narcissa wiped away her tears. "I hated hurting you
and Severus. It has haunted me every day! Please believe me, I did what I thought was right
at the time. Please, Bella, believe me." Narcissa whispered. "I protected your child as best I
could."

Bella looked away. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to think you've killed your own
baby?" She whispered. "To think your husband would be better off without you? To be
trapped in torment and guilt? There is no way you could possibly fathom the hate and self-
loathing I felt for myself."

"I have hated myself for what I did," Narcissa said softly. "I wanted to tell you and Severus
the truth so badly, especially after the Dark Lord disappeared. But I have been so afraid that
he will come back!" Narcissa walked up to her sister. "I cannot apologize enough for the pain
my actions have caused you. I was trying to protect both of our babies. You can crucio me, or
kill me. I just," Her voice broke. "I just hope that someday you can also forgive me."
"You didn't check on Kaiden after the Potters were killed," Bella said furiously. "He was left
with a family that hated him on sight. He was abused, Narcissa! They worked him like a
house elf, starved him, and made him feel worthless every day! He is so insecure about our
love for him, he thinks we will get tired of having him around and abandon him!"

Narcissa's face paled as tears streamed down her face. "Dumbledore put him there; I assumed
he would be safe and cared for," She whispered, realizing that she should have checked on
her nephew.

Bella pointed her wand straight at Narcissa's heart.

Narcissa closed her eyes, not bothering to wipe the tears away that were still streaming down
her cheeks. She waited for pain or death but neither came. She slowly opened her eyes and
saw that Bella had lowered her wand and was crying silently. Cautiously, Narcissa gently
pulled her sister into a hug. "I'm sorry. So sorry," She whispered. "Can you forgive me?"

Bella stepped out of her embrace and wiped away the remaining tears on her face. She locked
eyes with her sister. "No," She said.

Narcissa's face crumpled.

"I would like to say someday, but I cannot even begin to imagine being able to," Bella said
slowly. "I'm furious with you and heartbroken and the truth is…" She sighed. "I don't know if
I will ever feel the same way about you. You were more than my sister, you were my best
friend. Now I don't trust you and I doubt I ever will again. My son suffered because of your
actions."

Narcissa gave a shaky nod and looked away. "I understand." She hesitated. "Will I be allowed
to meet Kaiden?" She asked tentatively.

"No," Bella snapped. "If you ever go near my son it will be the last thing you ever do. Lucius
and Draco may be a part of his life, as long as they treat him well. But you? I don't think so.
You should have come to Severus and I, or Albus. You had to know that he would help
protect an innocent baby, no matter whose side you were on at the time. You could have
hidden Kaiden somewhere else and let us know in secret. There were other decisions you
could have made! "

"I'm sorry," Narcissa said sadly. At the time, she had been in shock from the Dark Lord's
order and had not had time to think of anything else. She had been so sure she had done the
right thing.

Bella threw floo powder into the fireplace.

"Bella, we have to work this out," Narcissa said desperately, wondering if things would ever
be the same with her and her sister again.

Bella turned and gave Narcissa a dark look. "Narcissa, just be grateful that I am leaving you
alive and in one piece." She snapped. Her eyes narrowed. "One more thing, it is only fair that
you feel what you caused me to feel for so many years. Dolorem Meum!" She disappeared
into the floo, but not before tossing Narcissa's wand across the floor.

Narcissa cried out and collapsed, as years of torment, sorrow, guilt, and pain her sister had
felt engulfed her.

TBC:
 Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Your house is nice," Draco said to Kaiden as their fathers talked quietly to each other. "Not
as large as ours though." He said as he looked around.

Kaiden shrugged. "I think it's brilliant. We also have our quarters at Hogwarts."

"That's pretty cool," Draco admitted. "I should have brought my broom so we could fly. We
could share your broom, where is it?"

Kaiden bit his lip. "I don't have my own broom yet. We have my dad's though."

"You don't have your own?" Draco sounded like that was the worst thing in the world.

Kaiden shook his head. "No, I never knew you could fly on broomsticks until this summer. I
thought they were just for sweeping the floor."

Draco's mouth dropped open. "Sweeping the floor?" He asked in a horrified voice. "Why
would anyone do that with a broom?"

Kaiden laughed. "Um, muggles use them to clean the floors." He explained.

"Merlin," Draco breathed. "What a horrible thing to do to a broom." Remembering that

Kaiden had been brought up not knowing he was a wizard, he asked, "Have you tried flying
yet?"

Kaiden nodded eagerly. "On my birthday my parents gave me a flying lesson. It was brilliant!
And I was given Quidditch Through the Ages which I've been reading, though I'm still trying
to understand how the game works."

Draco's face brightened. "I can help you with that. Where's your book? I can answer any
questions you have," He said confidently.

Kaiden gestured upstairs. "It's in my room," He said happily, relieved that he had a common
interest with his cousin.

HPHPHPHP

Severus watched the children head upstairs, happy that they appeared to be getting along. He
turned back to Lucius. "What are Bella's chances of getting pardoned from being a death
eater?"

Lucius sat down. "The fact that she was under a potion will help, however, it would be easier
if we could prove it." He said. "Would you be willing to show your memories?"
"Not all of them," Severus said. "I can't have them know that Kaiden is really the boy who
lived. They wouldn't leave him alone if they knew."

"True. They also can't know about Narcissa's involvement." Lucius looked apologetic. "I
know you probably hate her right now, but she did –"

"If we are going to get along, we probably shouldn't talk about your wife." Severus
interrupted curtly.

Lucius nodded slowly. "All right," He said, holding back a sigh. "As you are the master of
occluding, you'll be able to make sure the memories are of only what you want the ministry
to see. The Headmaster vouching for her will help as well."

Severus nodded. He summoned a vial and then put his wand to his head, focusing on how
Bella looked and acted until he gave her the antidote and when she was finally reunited with
Kaiden. He put his wand on the top of the vial and filled it with his memories.

Lucius took it from him and pocketed it. "If Albus will go with me tomorrow, we should be
able to get this sorted out. Fudge is an idiot but he respects money and power and he knows I
have plenty of both. He counts on my support."

"Naturally, who else would fund his campaigns?" Severus said dryly.

Lucius smirked but then his face became serious. "There is one thing I need to know. The
Longbottoms were very well-liked by a lot of people within the ministry and Bella tortured
them into insanity."

Severus frowned. He had not thought of that, nor had he asked Bella about it. It was that act
that made her the main person the ministry wanted to catch. Even with the excuse of being
under a potion, they may not be willing to look past that. The Longbottoms were now
permanent patients at St. Mungo's, their son Neville living with his grandmother. Ironically,
Neville had been born on the same day as Kaiden and Harry. "We'll have to get Bella's
version of the events when she returns." He said finally.

Thistle popped in just then. "Would Master Snape be wanting tea for him and his guest?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful Thistle," Severus said.

"I know I offered many years ago to trade one of my house elves for yours," Lucius said.
"The offer is still open."

"I would never trade Thistle, she is family. Also, I do not want Dobby," Severus smirked.
Dobby was a nervous, quirky elf that often exasperated Lucius and he knew that was who
Lucius wanted to give away.

Thistle returned with a tray containing a teapot and tea cups. "I will leave a cup for if
Mistress Snape returns," Thistle said. "Thistle will now take a snack to the children."

"Thank you, Thistle," Severus said, knowing that taking a snack to the boys was a ruse to
check that Kaiden was okay.
"Thanking a house-elf," Lucius shook his head. "If I did that to any of my house-elves they
would probably faint. House-elves do not expect to be thanked."

"If you were polite to anyone, they would likely faint." Severus countered. "Not everyone
abuses their house-elves."

Lucius looked offended. "I do not abuse them." He said hotly. "I just let people think that I
do. It strengthens my reputation that I am not someone to be trifled with. As for not thanking
them, that is simply being a proper wizard."

Severus rolled his eyes. "I see you have not changed, old friend."

Lucius chuckled. "I don't see any reason to." He sipped his tea and gazed at Severus
appraisingly. "You're happy. It is pleasing to see."

"My life is complete again," Severus agreed.

HPHPHPHP

"The Seeker is the most important because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his
team an extra hundred and fifty points. I've read that there have been games where even
though the Seeker caught the Snitch, the other team still won but that's rare. Usually, it is all
up to the Seeker." Draco said as he flipped through Quidditch Through the Ages, munching
on one of the biscuits Thistle had brought them.

"It sounds brilliant," Kaiden said as he stroked Snidget. "Are you going to try out for your
house team at Hogwarts?"

"I will our second year," Draco made a face. "First years aren't allowed to try out."

"Why not?" Kaiden asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Something about first years needing time to get used to learning
magic, the castle, and taking the flying lessons." He closed the book. "Many of the children
will already know how to fly so they should be allowed to try out." He complained.

"Well, at least we can cheer our house teams on. Whichever house that will be," Kaiden said
with a shrug.

Draco looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean? We'll be in the only house that matters.
Slytherin."

"I thought we wouldn't know until we were sorted," Kaiden said as he tried to remember what
the Headmaster had told him. "We get sorted our first night there."

"Oh, I know that. But my parents were in Slytherin, my Aunt, and my grandparents." Draco
shrugged. "How could I not be in Slytherin? You should be too."

"I hope so," Kaiden said, liking the idea of being in the same house as his parents, not to
mention then his dad would then be his head of house.
"I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad," Draco said thoughtfully. "But the other two
houses?" He shook his head. "I'd change schools if I got sorted into Gryffindor or
Hufflepuff."

"Gryffindor doesn't sound so bad," Kaiden commented. He grinned a little at Draco's

expression. "Their common room is nice, but so is Slytherins. The other two are nice too but
Slytherin and Gryffindor were my favorite."

"You got to see all the common rooms? You're lucky," Draco said enviously.

"Maybe you could visit Hogwarts before summer is over," Kaiden suggested. "I could show
you around and you could meet Hagrid!"

"Hagrid…the groundskeeper?"

"Yeah, he's so nice. He gave me Hedwig," Kaiden nodded towards the baby owl who was
sleeping on her post. "He has a cabin on the grounds and a huge dog. He has stories about all
sorts of creatures he's seen." Kaiden grinned. "He said his dream is to have a dragon as a pet."

"I love dragons," Draco said, looking excited. "Maybe I can visit, I'll have to ask." He looked
thoughtful. "Actually, you should ask. My parents couldn't say no to their nephew, now could
they? Especially after all you've been through."

"You're sneaky," Kaiden said with a grin.

Draco looked pleased. "Thanks." He reached out to pet Snidget. "Um, I don't mean to make
light of whatever you've been through. It must have been awful to be separated from your
parents for so long." He said softly.

"It was," Kaiden said, mindful not to tell his cousin everything. "I was basically alone and I
didn't know what it was like to be wanted or loved."

Draco frowned. "Whoever did that to you should be in Azkaban for the rest of their lives!"
He gave Kaiden a reassuring smile. "At least you have your parents now. I've barely gotten to
know Uncle Severus over the years, though I know he is the best potion maker around. And I
don't know Aunt Bella at all."

"She's brilliant, just like my dad." Kaiden grinned. "They are fun too. I've gotten them both to
play on the swing set with me."

Draco stared at him. "The what?"

"The swing set," Kaiden said. Oh right, he wouldn't know what that was, he remembered.
"It's in the backyard. Muggle children play on it, it's really fun!"

Draco looked skeptical. "I highly doubt I would enjoy anything muggle." He sniffed.

"Oh," Kaiden said lamely. He thought it was fun but maybe it just made him a freak in the
wizarding world like he had been at the Dursleys.
"I suppose there is no harm in seeing it," Draco offered, feeling guilty at his cousin's sad
expression.

"Okay," Kaiden said slowly. He led Draco downstairs, careful not to interrupt his dad and
uncle who were talking. Once in the backyard, he gestured to the swing set. "There it is."

Draco circled it, eyeing it warily. "How does it work?"

"You climb the stairs into the fort and use the slide to get out," Kaiden said, as he moved to
sit on a swing. "This is a swing and you can make yourself go really high." He began
pumping his legs, making the swing go higher and higher. "Try it!"

Draco looked doubtful.

"It's okay if you're scared," Kaiden called, grinning to himself when he saw the determined
look on Draco's face. You're not the only one who can be sneaky, he thought smugly.

"I'm not scared!" Draco said as he got on the second swing. He followed Kaiden's movements
and soon was flying as high as his cousin. "Hey, this is fun!" He yelled with a laugh.

"Told you so!" Kaiden grinned.

HPHPHPHP

Severus drummed his fingers against the teacup he was holding. "If the Dark Lord should
return one day," He began.

"We will fight to stop him," Lucius finished. "Do not worry Severus; we are on the same side.
I regretted joining the Dark Lord before, but was too afraid to leave." He admitted. "But if he
should return, I will fight against him to protect my family."

Severus nodded. The floo flared up and Bella stepped out. He stood up and held out his arms.
"Are you alright?" He could see she had been crying.

"I'm fine," Bella said as she stepped into his embrace.

"I must ask, am I a widower now?" Lucius asked, only half joking.

"No," Bella said with a slight smirk. She looked around. "Where are the boys?"

"They were upstairs," Severus said. Suddenly they could hear laughter from outside. "Ah, the
swing set."

"What is a swing set?" Lucius asked as he followed Severus and Bella to the patio. "What in
the world?" He gasped.

Bella chuckled. "I was skeptical about it too but Kaiden loves it, and actually it is fun."

"I've never seen one before," Lucius said as he stared.

"There is a reason for that. It is something muggle children play on." Severus smirked at the
horrified expression on Lucius's face.

"A muggle contraption?" Lucius sputtered. "Honestly, you two."

"Oh, relax," Bella said, rolling her eyes. "We know you hate muggles and anything related to
muggles."

"I do not hate muggles; I just believe they are inferior to us," Lucius said. "And though I am
sure that there are some…nice muggles, there are many that are hateful towards our kind."

"True," Severus muttered, thinking bitterly of his father and the Dursleys.

Lucius couldn't help but smile at the sheer joy on his son's face. Draco didn't have many real
friends, most of the children he spent time with only did so because of the Malfoy name. In
truth, his son was lonely so he was grateful that despite Bella's issues with Narcissa, she was
allowing Draco to get to know Kaiden.

"Let's jump off and see who lands the farthest!" Kaiden called to his cousin, not noticing the
adults watching them.

"Okay!" Draco agreed. "On three?

Bella gasped and reached for her wand. "They'll break their necks!"

Severus lowered her arm. "Relax; this is something children do for fun. I already anticipated
it. The safety charms I placed will make sure they don't get hurt."

They watched as Kaiden and then Draco jumped off the swing, both landing on their feet and
laughing as they playfully argued about who had jumped the farthest.

"See? They will be fine," Severus said. He touched Bella's shoulder. "We need to talk."

"All right," Bella said, with one last look at the children. "They appear to be getting along
nicely." She remarked as they walked into the dining room and sat down at the table. From
there, the adults could keep an eye on the boys through the window.

"Bella, though I have considerable influence at the ministry, there is one issue that I know
will cause concerns," Lucius said. "It's what you did to the Longbottoms."

Bella frowned. "I didn't do anything to the Longbottoms."

Severus leaned forward. "You didn't crucio them until they went insane?"

Bella shook her head. "No, that wasn't me. I was going to torture them," She admitted. "It
wasn't because of the Dark Lord though, I hated them. Well, in my potion-induced mind, I
hated them." Bella sighed. "They still had their son, who was the same age as Kaiden. All I
could think was why did they get to have their baby when I had lost mine? I was about to
curse them when I saw a baby blanket and a rattle in the room. All I could do was stare at the
blanket, as it was so similar to Kaiden's baby blanket. Everything and everyone in that room
faded away for me and I was lost in memories and sorrow." She shook her head. "Rodolphus
Lestrange was with me at their house, he cursed the Longbottoms. Alistair Avery helped
curse them as well. When I snapped out of my stupor, I saw them casting the curse, and the
damage to the Longbottoms was already done."

Lucius's eyes widened. "Avery?" He looked thoughtful. "He managed to dodge being arrested
by claiming he had only pretended to be a death eater."

"So he claimed the Imperius Curse?" Severus raised an eyebrow. He knew that was how
Lucius had managed to keep from being arrested.

"No," Lucius said. "He told the ministry that he had not ever cursed anyone, that he couldn't
bring himself to hurt anyone." He rolled his eyes. "Complete lies of course, but his uncle had
been a friend of Fudge's and so let him off with probation. He now works in the ministry and
pretends to upstanding but I know from my spies that he is just waiting for a sign that the
Dark Lord is still alive so that he can try to find him."

"Hmm, if they see Bella's memory not only does it prove her innocence with what happened
to the Longbottoms but it also will put Avery in Azkaban," Severus said. "One less death
eater to worry about if the Dark Lord returns."

Lucius looked concerned. "Do you really think he will return?" The thought made his skin
run cold.

"Albus does," Severus said.

"If he does, I'll kill him," Bella muttered.

Severus summoned a vial for Bella to put her memories into. Once she had, Lucius went
outside to collect Draco and leave.

"Did you two have fun?" Bella asked with a smile.

Kaiden nodded eagerly. "I showed Draco the swing set and now he wants one."

Lucius paled.

"It's brilliant, Father! It's so fun!" Draco told his father enthusiastically.

"Well, um, we'll talk about it later," Lucius said, throwing Severus a quick glare when he
snickered. "We should go Draco."

"Oh wait, Kaiden wanted to ask you something," Draco gave Kaiden a pointed look.

"Right, um, can Draco come to visit me at Hogwarts before summer is over?" Kaiden asked.
"It's pretty cool to have the school empty and I thought he could meet Hagrid…" He trailed
off nervously. He wasn't used to asking for things.

Draco put his arm around Kaiden and made a sad face. "And after everything he has been
through…" He said sadly.
Lucius, Severus, and Bella began laughing. "Ah, a Slytherin at work," Lucius said with a
chuckle.

"A very good attempt at manipulation," Severus winked at his son.

Kaiden smiled sheepishly while Draco grinned proudly.

"It's fine with us," Bella told Lucius. She glanced at her son and nephew who were now
whispering excitedly. "You may want to return home alone," She said quietly.

"And why is that exactly?" Lucius asked suspiciously.

Bella looked away. "You'll see when you get there." She said. "Draco can stay for a bit
longer." She looked back at him. "Don't blame the house elves for not contacting you; there is
still a silencing spell on the room. Oh, and a simple finite should do it." She said casually.

Lucius's eyes widened and he hurried to the fireplace.

TBC:
 Chapter Nineteen

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Lucius and Dumbledore sat in Fudge's office waiting as Fudge, the head of the Department of
Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones, and one of the top Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt
reviewed the evidence brought before them. They had already listened to both Dumbledore's
and Lucius's testimony that Bella had been drugged by Voldemort and had not had any part in
cursing the Longbottoms. Dumbledore had also told the edited story of how they had found
out that Kaiden was alive.

Bones and Shacklebolt had appeared somewhat sympathetic but Fudge had been all too ready
to dismiss their request to pardon Bella when Lucius had vocally pledged his full support
behind his sister-in-law and handed them the vials containing Bella and Severus's memories.

"What do you think?" Lucius asked the Headmaster quietly.

"I think we have presented a very good case in favor of Bella being pardoned," Dumbledore
said, not sounding worried.

Lucius smirked slightly. "It helped that you announced you trust her as much as you trust
Severus and even want to employ her at Hogwarts."

"I do trust her as much as I do Severus," Dumbledore said. "And I have a job to offer her if
things go our way today. She will want to be there anyway, to be with her family."

"True," Lucius murmured. He wished Bella would forgive Narcissa, as his wife had been
depressed and despondent since their confrontation the day before. Well, depressed after she
recovered from the hex Bella had put her under.

"Merlin," Amelia Bones said as she emerged from the pensive. She shook her head. "The
Snape's have been through so much," She sighed as she sat down.

Fudge and Shacklebolt followed suit. "I never believed Alistair Avery was innocent,"
Shacklebolt said in a disgusted voice. "He has been reported over the years for suspicious
activity but we were never able to prove anything."

"It is one death eater's word over another," Fudge said slowly.

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "You saw Bella's memory of that night, did you not?" His voice
was cold.

"Yes," Fudge admitted.

"You vouched for him didn't you Cornelius?" Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow.

Fudge gritted his teeth. "I believed his story," He said curtly. "He appeared to be sincere."
"Of course, he must have been very convincing," Lucius said in a kinder voice. "The public
will no doubt feel sympathy for you when he is arrested. They will also feel respect for you
in having him apprehended, despite the fact you were friends with his uncle."

Fudge's eyes brightened at the idea of playing this up in his favor.

"You are looking to award yourself an Order of Merlin, are you not?" Dumbledore suddenly
asked absently.

Fudge's face turned red as everyone stared at him. "I would award anyone who has done all
the good work I have accomplished," He retorted.

Idiot, Lucius thought. Outwardly he gave Fudge an encouraging smile. "I would be happy to
show my support for you," He offered. He smirked to himself at the relieved look on the
minister's face. "Supporting a mother being reunited with her long lost child can only help
you as well."

Amelia exchanged an amused look with Shacklebolt. "We will have to have a vote with some
other members in the ministry, but I can tell you I will vote to pardon her." She announced.

"I agree," Shacklebolt nodded. "I would also like to bring in Avery as soon as possible."

Fudge drummed his fingers on his desk. He relied on Dumbledore for his advice on decisions
in the ministry and Malfoy for his money and influence. He would rather focus on getting his
Order of Merlin and this would help his case in case anyone protested it, rather than deal with
fighting to prosecute Bellatrix Snape. "I will owl you with the decision," He finally told
Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, standing up and shaking his hand.

"Please tell Severus and Bellatrix how pleased we are that they have been reunited with their
son," Amelia said warmly. "It is an incredible story."

You have no idea, Dumbledore thought wryly. He knew the ministry would soon have enough
on its hands when the news of Harry Potter's passing came to light. He and Lucius left, both
hopeful and anxious about what the decision would be.

HPHPHPHP

That evening, Bella and Severus both sat silently on the sofa, each re-reading the same page
in their books as Kaiden lay sprawled out on the floor playing with Snidget and Hedwig. He
had no idea his parents were feeling tense and nervous. His thoughts were on when Draco
could visit again so they could explore the castle.

Suddenly an owl flew through the open window and dropped a letter on Severus's lap. It flew
in a circle around Hedwig and Snidget and happily took the owl treat Kaiden offered it before
flying back out the window.

Kaiden looked curiously at his parents. His dad appeared slightly shaky as he stood up and
opened the envelope while his mum was pale and almost appeared like she was holding her
breath. He watched as his dad read the note. "What is it?" He asked finally, his curiosity
piqued.

Severus's face practically exploded into a smile. "It is very good news," He said in relief,
handing the note to Bella.

"Really?" Bella asked in almost disbelief. She read the note and gave a relieved cry as she
stood and hugged Severus tightly.

Kaiden stood up. "What's going on?" He asked softly.

"I can't believe it," Bella whispered to Severus.

Severus held her, glancing over her shoulder at Kaiden's confused look. "Kaiden, you
remember why your mother couldn't be seen in public?"

Kaiden nodded. "People thought she was dangerous because she was under that potion," He
said. His eyes brightened. "Did you get your name cleared?" He asked excitedly.

Bella held out her arm and Kaiden went into the embrace as the three of them hugged. "Yes,
with the help of the Headmaster and your Uncle Lucius."

Severus felt like a weight had been lifted off of him. He had his son and wife back and now
Bella was free. The only concern they had left was keeping the fact that Kaiden was the real
boy who lived a secret.

"I'm happy for you, Mum," Kaiden said with a grin.

"Thank you, baby," Bella said with a relieved laugh. "I love you both so much." She looked
at her husband and son fondly.

"And we love you," Severus said gruffly. "Right Kaiden?"

Kaiden nodded happily, feeling especially loved and content wrapped up in his parents' arms.
"Right."

Bella stepped back and picked up the letter again. "It's such a relief," She murmured. "I
thought for sure I would have to take Polyjuice potion for the rest of my life so I could be
with you two."

Severus tenderly wiped a stray tear off of her cheek. "Thank Merlin for the ministry's
decision then, otherwise you would have demanded I find a way to improve the taste."

"Very funny," Bella said. She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I am quite adept at potions
Mr. Snape, I could do it myself." She winked at Kaiden.

After Kaiden had gone back to play with his pets, Bella sank back into the sofa. She couldn't
believe she was free and didn't have to hide anymore. She was finally free to be with her
family.
HPHPHPHP

"I am very happy for you Bella," Dumbledore said warmly. He had arrived at the Snape's
house after dinner to congratulate Bella.

"Thank you so much for your help," Bella told him. "You and Lucius supporting me made all
the difference."

"I was more than happy to do it," Dumbledore assured her. "Now, I have a job offer for you."

Bella exchanged a surprised look with Severus. "And what is the offer?"

"Professor Babbling is looking to take some vacation time for the unforeseeable future to
spend time with family," Dumbledore said. "I understand you achieved an N.E.W.T. in
Ancient Runes?"

"I did," Bella said, her face lighting up. "I loved that class."

"Would you be interested in teaching it then?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Bella breathed.

Severus put his arm around her. "Congratulations Professor Snape," He teased.

"Two Professor Snape's," Bella smirked. "You may have a withdrawal of students Albus."

"Good," Severus said bluntly.

Dumbledore rolled his eyes. "Now Severus, I'm sure you do not mean that."

"I won't have Kaiden as a student though," Bella frowned slightly. Ancient Runes was an
elective course that was offered once students were in their third year.

"You'll still see him plenty," Severus told her. "Besides, it may be too much having both of
his parents assigning him homework."

Bella smiled slowly. "True. I can comfort him while he complains about what a mean teacher
you are and how you assign too much work," She teased.

Severus rolled his eyes.

"I just want to make sure he is okay and makes friends," Bella sighed. "At least he and Draco
get along."

"You know, it might make Kaiden less nervous if he met more of the kids he will be going to
school with," Dumbledore suggested. "I know he has his cousin but if he is still insecure
about making friends, getting to know some more children may help."

Severus exchanged a look with Bella and then they both looked suspiciously at the
Headmaster. "I take it you have a suggestion of the children he could meet," Severus said
wryly.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Ah, how well you know me, Severus. I do have a suggestion."
He said cheerfully. "The Weasley children."

Bella began laughing while Severus stared at Dumbledore in horror. "Have you gone mad
Albus? The Weasley twins friends with our son? The troublesome twosome?"

"Fred and George are not that bad." Dumbledore shrugged. "I thought when they glued us to
our seats at the leaving feast, that it was quite entertaining."

"They did that?" Bella asked, looking impressed. "To everyone?"

"To all of us at the Head Table," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Terrible pranksters," Severus muttered.

"They have good hearts though. They never prank to hurt anyone." Dumbledore said.
"Besides, Molly and Arthur's youngest son will be starting Hogwarts this year. They also
have a daughter who will be a year behind Kaiden and Draco."

"Do you really think the Weasleys would want to associate with us?" Bella asked skeptically.
"Me especially?"

"Molly and Arthur are fine people. I believe they would want to help when they know of the
situation." Dumbledore raised his hand when Severus looked ready to protest. "I do not mean
that they should know the truth about the baby switch."

"You think when they hear of Bella being under a potion they will accept it and want to be
best friends?" Severus asked sarcastically.

Dumbledore shrugged. "Why not? She's been pardoned, which will be in the newspaper
tomorrow and Kaiden needs friends his age. It won't hurt to let him meet the Weasley
children. If he finds he does not like them, then at least he had the experience."

"I don't know," Severus said hesitantly.

"Is this because so far all of them have been in Gryffindor?" Dumbledore asked
exasperatedly.

"Partly," Severus said. "The Weasley's are rather…overbearing. They might overwhelm
Kaiden or what if they do not accept him? He is the son of the most hated professor after all."

Dumbledore frowned. "I don't think they would act like that. I don't know the two youngest
children very well but the other five –"

"Five?" Bella interrupted. "So they have seven children total?"

"Seven Weasley's," Severus confirmed with a shudder. "I suppose Bill and Charlie turned out
fine. Percy is rather pretentious, however."
"He is an ambitious young man," Dumbledore smiled.

"And the twins are a nightmare," Severus continued.

"We can ask Kaiden if he would like to," Bella said slowly. "I want him to feel more secure
about starting school and making friends. Draco could be with us when we meet them; we
said he could visit Hogwarts anyway."

"Fine," Severus said in a resigned voice.

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said happily. "I'll contact them first thing tomorrow morning."

Bella suddenly had an idea. "What about inviting Andromeda?" She wanted to make amends
with her middle sister. "I'd like a chance to explain things to her."

"Of course," Dumbledore nodded. "Her daughter Tonks just graduated this past June. Would
you like me to make contact with her for you?"

"If you wouldn't mind doing so, I don't know if she would even read any letter I sent," Bella
said, her eyes downcast. She had pushed Andromeda away to protect when she had joined the
death eaters but what if her sister didn't believe that? After the fallout with Narcissa, she
desperately wanted a relationship with at least one of her sisters.

Severus put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. "I'm sure she will
understand." He told her.

Bella sighed as she leaned into him. "I hope so."

HPHPHPHP

Kaiden was standing in the Entrance Hall, waiting to not only meet the Weasleys but also his
Aunt Andromeda, Uncle Ted, and his cousin Nymphadora. He was also waiting for Draco to
arrive and was grateful his cousin would be here with him. He glanced over at his Mum, who
was leaning against a wall. She looks nervous too, he thought with a frown. "Mum, are you
nervous about meeting the Weasley's?"

Bella looked up. "Hmm? No, not them," She answered. "I'm a little anxious about seeing my
sister. It's been a very long time and I am not sure if she will want me back in her life."

"Why wouldn't she?" Kaiden asked in confusion. "You're great."

Bella laughed. "Oh, Kaiden. I think you're great." She said fondly. "I…had to act like I didn't
want her around," She admitted. "I was trying to keep her safe."

"Oh, you mean…when you and Dad were death eaters?" Kaiden asked, whispering the last
two words.

Bella nodded. "You don't have to whisper Kaiden, everyone pretty much knows," She said
gently. "But yes, I didn't want her to be a target so I had to push her away."
"Kaiden!"

Draco and Severus walked in and Draco made a beeline to his cousin. "Merlin, this place is
bloody brilliant!"

"Language Draco!" Severus admonished.

"Sorry Uncle Severus," Draco said sheepishly.

"Wait till you see the lake, and Hagrid's hut, and the common rooms…" Kaiden said
enthusiastically.

"Okay, you'll have time for all of that later," Severus chuckled. "After our guests arrive," He
looked at his wife. "It's going to be fine." He told her quietly as the boys talked excitedly to
each other.

Bella took a deep breath and nodded. Suddenly the castle doors opened and Andromeda
walked in with her family. Bella stared at her younger sister, who still resembled her except
her hair was straighter and a lighter shade of brown, as were her eyes. The man she was with
was slightly portly, with light sandy hair and a kind smile. The teenager with them had dark
eyes but was sporting bubblegum pink hair.

Bella stepped forward slightly. "Andi," She said softly, using the nickname she had used
when they were kids. "I'm…I'm so sorry," She said, tears in her eyes.

Andromeda stared at her for a moment before rushing forward and hugging her big sister.
"Oh, Bella!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Ugh, a mush fest," He muttered.

Kaiden grinned and his other cousin looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"I've missed you so much!" Andromeda sniffed as she pulled back and wiped her eyes.
"When Albus contacted us this morning and told us what had happened, you have no idea the
relief I felt. I thought you hated me," She admitted.

"No, never," Bella insisted. "But I won't blame you if you hate me after the pain I put you
through and the bad choices I made." She was aware of all the eyes on them. "I suppose we
can talk more about that later," She said.

Andromeda nodded. "Yes, of course." She smiled at Severus. "It's so good to see you too
Severus."

"You too. You are looking well," Severus said.

"Thank you," Andromeda smiled. "This is my husband Ted and our daughter Nymphadora."

"Mum," The teenager frowned, her hair suddenly turning red. "It's Tonks or Dora."

"Is she a Metamorphmagus?" Bella asked in surprise.

"She is. Did I not mention that to you?" Severus said.

"No," Bella told him as she turned to her niece, whose hair had turned back into bubblegum
pink. "I love your hair," She said with a smile.

Tonks grinned. "Thanks!"

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "She is constantly changing it, although it will sometimes change
based on her moods without her even realizing it."

"That's awesome!" Kaiden blurted out without thinking. He blushed when all eyes turned to
him and he shuffled a bit behind Draco.

"Look at my nephews," Andromeda said as she walked towards them. "You're both so
handsome!"

"Thank you, Ma'am," Draco said.

"Aunt Andromeda," Andromeda corrected with a smile as she hugged Draco. "Or Aunt Andi,
that may be easier to remember as my name is a little long," Her eyes traveled to Kaiden and
softened. "Hi, sweetheart. When I heard you were alive and well, I about collapsed into
tears." She leaned forward and hugged Kaiden.

"I'm really happy to meet you, Aunt Andi," Kaiden said shyly.

Ted moved forward to shake both boys' hands. "It is good to meet you both." He said warmly.
"You must be very excited to be starting school soon."

Draco and Kaiden nodded. "Kaiden was going to show me around the castle," Draco said.

"Yes, Draco wanted to see the castle and grounds before the infestation arrives," Severus said.

"Infestation?" Ted repeated.

"Students," Bella said with an eye roll. "Perhaps my lovely niece wouldn't mind showing
them around?" She smiled at Tonks, who smiled back.

"Not at all," Tonks said cheerfully. "I'd love to get to know my little cousins."

Draco scowled. "I'm tall for my age," He informed her as he and Tonks headed to the
staircase.

Kaiden paused, looking over his shoulder at his parents, and at their encouraging nods, he
hurried after his cousins.

TBC:
 Chapter Twenty
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"Shall we go to our quarters where we can talk and catch up?" Severus suggested.

"Oh, this is nice," Andromeda said once they had settled in the sitting room. "So you stay
here during the summer as well?"

"No, we also have a house that was Severus's childhood home," Bella said. "We go back and
forth." She wrung her hands a little nervously. "Would you like some tea? Or coffee? I can
make some," She offered.

Severus put his hand on her arm and squeezed gently. "I'll do it. You two should talk." He got
up.

Ted stood up as well. "I'll help," He said.

Bella and Andromeda watched in amusement as their husbands fled to the kitchen. "Subtle,"
Bella shook her head. She eyed her sister. She knew Albus wouldn't have told her about the
baby switch with the Potter's but otherwise... "I'm not sure how much Albus told you."

"He told me about Kaiden's death being faked and how you-know-who put you under a
potion to make you think you were crazy and to blame for Kaiden's death," Andromeda said
slowly. "He said the truth came to light this summer and that Severus was able to get in touch
with you, and then counteracted the potion." She took her sister's hand. "I can't imagine the
pain of thinking your child is dead," She whispered. "I wanted to reach out to you when it
happened but -"

"You wouldn't have been safe," Bella said. "That is why we, Narcissa and I, agreed to push
you away. We didn't want the Dark Lord to focus on you and try to kill you," She said
honestly. "I know we hurt you and I'm so sorry," Her voice choked. "I'm so sorry for that. I'm
so sorry Severus and I joined in the first place. We were planning to leave and then we found
out I was pregnant so we were going to wait until after Kaiden was born." Bella sighed. "We
waited too long; we should have left and hid right away."

"You joined because of our parents, didn't you?"

Bella looked at her sister's knowing face. "How did you know?"

"I know you," Andromeda said with a small smile. "You never cared for all that pureblooded
nonsense. You just wanted them to accept your decision to marry Severus."

"Yes," Bella admitted. "It didn't work though. I don't even know where or how they are now."
Andromeda shrugged. "No idea. They're still alive, I believe, but I haven't spoken to them
since I married Ted."

"He seems nice," Bella said. "And Tonks is amazing."

"She is," Andromeda grinned. "She can be a handful though." Her eyes misted over. "Thank
you for reaching out to me. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too," Bella said.

"Why is Narcissa not here?" Andromeda asked tentatively. "Is she still a death eater? I mean,
is she like our parents in how they view purebloods?"

Bella looked away for a moment. "No, not exactly. She and Lucius joined for power and
while they do view themselves as superior to muggles, they did not anticipate what being a
death eater is really like. They regretted joining as well, yet were afraid to try and leave." She
looked at her sister. "You need to know, I have nothing to do with Narcissa. I have no
problem with Draco and Lucius but I will not see Narcissa. However, I have no problem if
you want to reach out to her. She could probably use a sister right now," Bella said quietly.

Andromeda frowned a bit. "What did she do to you?" She asked flatly. "Or to Severus?
Kaiden? Nothing else would make you turn her away."

"I can't go into the full details," Bella said. "I wish I could but…it's just something I can't
forgive her for," She said thickly.

Andromeda stayed quiet as she processed what Bella was telling her. She wanted to know
what it was, what could tear them apart but she wouldn't push Bella. Whatever Narcissa had
done, it had obviously been very painful to Bella. Somehow, Narcissa must have done
something to betray Bella because that was how her big sister looked now, betrayed and hurt.

Bella blinked back angry tears. "Narcissa aside, everything else is finally coming together.
Being with Severus and Kaiden, well, it's everything."

"I'm so sorry for all the pain you have been through but I'm also so happy for you now,"
Andromeda said sincerely. "I want us to be a part of each other's lives Bella."

Bella smiled in relief. "I'm thankful for that," She whispered.

Severus and Ted re-entered the room, carrying a tray that Severus set on the coffee table. "I
hope we are not interrupting?"

"No, you have excellent timing," Bella smiled at her husband. "We should probably drink our
coffee quickly and locate the kids; the Weasleys will be here soon."

"I think it is great that you are having Kaiden meet some of the children he will be going to
school with," Andromeda said happily. "Molly and Arthur have always been nice when we
have seen them. Do you remember them?"
"A little," Bella said. "I'm a little nervous about how they will receive us though," She
glanced at Severus.

Severus shrugged. "I'm sure they have heard all about me," He smirked. He had sent enough
letters to the Weasley house regarding the twins' antics in his classroom that he was sure
Molly and Arthur were sick of him.

"We sure did, from Dora." Ted chuckled. "She'd complain that you were too strict in class."

"Good," Severus said with a nod.

"I'd explain to her that you have to be as potions are a dangerous subject," Andromeda said.
"Which she should have known as I have taught her many healing potions while she was
growing up."

"That's right, you were always interested in healing magic," Bella remembered. "Did you
become a healer?"

Andromeda nodded. "I did, though I have a private practice instead of working in a hospital.
We own a little shop that sells healing potions and I usually meet my patients there as well."

"Where is your shop?" Severus asked curiously.

"It is in Diagon Alley, though it is away from all the more popular shops," Ted answered.
"We do well enough there though."

"What is it called?" Severus asked. "If we had known about it, we would have visited the last
time we were in Diagon Alley." Owning a shop that sold potions was what Severus and Bella
had been hoping to do. However, he and Bella would stay on as professors while Kaiden was
in school so that they could be closer to him.

"Tonk's Tonics," Ted said proudly.

Bella noticed Severus's lips twitch and she resisted the urge to giggle herself. "That's cute,"
She said politely.

Andromeda gave Bella a knowing look. "Ted thought up the name," She said, giving him a
fond smile. She looked thoughtful. "It's funny; I think I saw you in Diagon Alley." She gave
Severus a suspicious look. "You were with a short-haired blonde."

"Did you like it?" Bella asked innocently.

Andromeda stared. "That was you?" She laughed.

The door burst open and Kaiden and Draco rushed in, their faces flushed from excitement.
"We know what we want to be when we graduate from Hogwarts!" Kaiden announced.

"You haven't even started school yet," Severus said in amusement.

"Well? What is it?" Bella asked, happy to see her son had been enjoying himself.
"Aurors!" Draco announced triumphantly.

Tonks had entered behind them, smiling a little sheepishly.

"What? Where did you even hear about Aurors?" Bella asked in alarm. Being an Auror was a
very dangerous job and the thought of Kaiden wanting that career…

Severus was feeling the same way though he tried to keep control of his true thoughts on the
matter. Being an Auror was dangerous, as well as you were practically owned by the
ministry. "That is a very ambitious goal to have," He said calmly.

"It sounds so cool!" Draco exclaimed. "Tonks was telling us all about it."

"Was she now?" Bella gave her niece a look.

"Tonks," Andromeda sighed. "You've only just started the program. You barely have an idea
of what training will be like, or how the job will be once you are a full-time Auror."

Tonks lifted her head. "I've had several training sessions already and I have done much
research into it." She informed her mother. "I know it is what I am meant to do with my life."

"And we support you," Ted assured his daughter. "But maybe you should wait until you are
actually an Auror before advising about it."

"I wasn't giving advice," Tonks protested. "They asked what I was going to do for a career
and I told them what an Auror was."

"And I'm sure you made it sound glamorous and exciting," Andromeda said. She stifled a
laugh when Tonks shook her head while both boys nodded eagerly.

"I was surprised because Tonks was a Hufflepuff," Draco said, shaking his head in
amazement.

Tonks glared at her blonde cousin. "I told you, being a Hufflepuff does not mean you are
weak. Our house just does not get enough recognition." She said huffily. "It's a fine house."

"I was surprised Tonks was in that house, with all the mischief she would get herself into,"
Andromeda smirked.

Tonks shrugged. "Hufflepuffs like to have fun too," She grinned.

Draco rubbed his hands together. "She shared some pranking ideas with us, I can't wait for us
to –,"

"Remember that your Aunt and Uncle will be at school with you, watching you both very
carefully?" Severus interrupted, his eyebrow lifted. He shifted his gaze to Kaiden, who
looked like he was struggling not to laugh at his cousin.

"Drat," Draco frowned.

"Dora, honestly. You're with them for a short time and already you are corrupting them," Ted
shook his head, though he looked amused.

Tonks smiled innocently.

A silvery phoenix suddenly flew through the room, pausing by Severus before disappearing.
"The Weasleys are here," Severus said. "They are waiting for us in the Great Hall."

"What was that silver thing?" Kaiden asked, his dark grey eyes wide.

Bella put an arm around him as she guided him towards the door. "That is a Patronus." She
explained. "It's a resourceful way to send a message to someone, though the real purpose of a
Patronus is to guard you from Dementors."

Kaiden was about to ask what Dementors were when they arrived at the Great Hall and
standing with the Headmaster were seven red-heads. He immediately felt shy and fell back a
few steps behind his parents.

"Ah, here they are!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Molly, Arthur I believe you know Andromeda,
Ted, Tonks, and of course Severus. I'm sure you also remember Bella," He said.

Arthur gave them a warm smile as he extended his hand. "I am so happy for you both," He
said sincerely to Severus and Bella. "When Albus told us what had happened," He shook his
head. "I can't believe everything you have been through; it is all the talk at the ministry."

"You work at the ministry?" Bella asked curiously.

Arthur nodded. "I work in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department," He said proudly.

Bella noticed one of Arthur's sons make a sour face at his father's statement.

Molly's eyes were slightly wary as she looked from Severus to Bella. "I'm happy that your
son is alive and safe," She said slowly. Her eyes glanced over at Kaiden and Draco and
softened a little. "You two must be excited to start school," She said.

Draco and Kaiden nodded. "Yes Ma'am," Kaiden said shyly.

"This of course is our son Kaiden and our nephew Draco," Severus said.

The youngest Weasley boy snorted.

Draco had narrowed his eyes at the younger redhead but quickly turned a winning smile to
the elder Weasley's. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Let me introduce you to our children. Severus of course knows Percy and the twins," Arthur
gestured to a tall, thin red-headed boy wearing horn-rimmed glasses. "Percy is about to enter
his fifth year."

"He has been made prefect!" Molly announced proudly.

"And these are our twins, Fred and George," Arthur gestured to the identical boys who each
had mischievous glints in their eyes.

"Gred, did you ever think we would spend our summer visiting our favorite potions professor
at school?"

"It's the stuff dreams are made of Forge!"

Kaiden giggled and even Draco regarded them with amusement. Bella had a small smile on
her face while Severus had narrowed his eyes at them.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "And this is our youngest, Ginny. She'll start Hogwarts next year." A
small girl with long red hair and brown eyes smiled shyly at the boys. "And this is Ron; he
will be starting school this year too." Arthur nodded at a tall, gangly boy who was watching
Kaiden and Draco with distrust.

"It's so odd to be at the castle while it's empty," Fred said as he looked around. "All the empty
classrooms…"

"The Professor's offices…"

"The common rooms…" The twins grinned at each other.

"Don't even think about it," Severus said firmly.

Kaiden gave a small grin to the twins and they grinned back. He could tell already that he
liked them.

Molly had been staring at Kaiden and now looked back at Bella. "He looks younger than
eleven," She said bluntly.

Bella narrowed her eyes. "Yes, being starved and neglected can have that effect on a child,"
She said coldly yet quietly.

Molly's eyes widened.

Arthur looked horrified. "Merlin," He breathed. "And you still have no idea who took him in
the first place?"

"No, we do not," Severus lied smoothly. "A death eater most likely but as to who, we have
not figured that out yet."

Molly gave Bella a suspicious look. "Hmm," She murmured.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Why don't we sit and talk while the children sit at another
table so they can get to know each other?" He suggested quickly. He waved his wand at one
of the tables and a large platter of sandwiches and fruit appeared along with pitchers of
pumpkin juice.
Tonks stayed with the rest of the adults as she had begun a conversation with Arthur about
the Auror program.

The children sat at the table and eagerly filled their plates. "So you live here at the school? In
the dungeons?" Ron asked with a smirk.

"We have quarters here and we also have a house," Kaiden said with a frown.

"Ignore him, he's a prat," Fred said with an eye roll.

"What year are you two going into?" Draco asked the twins.

"Third year," Fred said.

"We finally get Hogsmeade weekends!" George said happily.

"I've been to Hogsmeade," Kaiden spoke up, his eyes brightening. "I went on my birthday."

"Duh, we've been as well," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like it's a big deal."

Kaiden bit his lip and lowered his eyes. He must sound so stupid, being excited about things
everyone else was used to.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Ron. "It was his first time, you git." He said in a hard voice. "He
is still new to the wizarding world, or did you not know that?"

Ron flushed and shrugged.

"No, he knows that," Fred spoke up, giving Ron a disapproving look. He smiled at Kaiden.
"Did you go into Zonko's? That's George's and my favorite shop!"

Kaiden nodded. "It was great! I got a nose-biting teacup and a screaming yo-yo."

"Professor Snape let you get a screaming yo-yo?" George asked in surprise.

"Well, my Mum did," Kaiden grinned. "My Dad said to use it outside only."

"Speaking of your Mum, how did she really escape being sent to Azkaban?" Ron asked,
taking a large bite of his sandwich.

"Ronald!" George snapped.

Ron quickly swallowed. "Well, come on! Everyone knows she is a death eater. She shouldn't
be free to roam around. And Professor Snape's head of Slytherin which means he's a dark
wizard!"

"Watch it, Weasel!" Draco said angrily.

"And you," Ron glared at the blonde. "You're a Malfoy. Your whole family is dark too!"

"Ron, don't make me get our parents." Fred hissed.

 "It's true though. Right Percy?" Ron turned to his older brother.

Percy hesitated. "Well, pretty much everyone who has gone dark is from Slytherin. And
everyone knows Bellatrix was one of the worst death eaters, despite what that article in the
prophet said." He shrugged. "I'm sorry Kaiden, but I am really surprised she isn't locked up. It
just seems too convenient that she can suddenly prove her innocence."

Kaiden's eyes darkened, feeling angry and hurt over the words spoken about his parents.
"You know nothing. My parents are wonderful." He said in a shaking voice. "You don't even
know them. You only know what you've read or heard about them."

Draco crossed his arms. "You two better keep your mouths shut from now on." He
threatened.

"Yeah, or else George and I may have to use you two for our experimental joke products,"
Fred said with a smirk.

"What is it that Ronniekins hates Gred? Spiders?" George grinned.

Ron's eyes widened. "You better not!" He said to the twins. "Besides, I'm going to be best
friends with Harry Potter and you wouldn't want to mess with any friend of his would you?"

Kaiden felt his heart jump a bit. He had forgotten that no one knew about Harry being dead,
not even Draco.

"What makes you think you'll be best friends with him?" Fred asked curiously.

"I'm going to make sure I am," Ron said smugly. "He's a hero and a celebrity," He threw
Draco and Kaiden a look. "He'll need real friends to protect him from those who want to do
him harm." He stared hard at Kaiden and Draco. "Like Slytherins."

TBC:

Chapter End Notes

OOC for some of the Weasleys I know, I'm just having fun with it. For the most part, I
like all the Weasleys…It will just take some of them some time to come around =)
 Chapter Twenty-One

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

"How are you both doing?" Arthur asked as the adults sat down at a separate table from their
children. "You must be going through so many emotions."

Bella exchanged a look with Severus and nodded. "It has been an emotional time. But we're
beyond happy to be back with our son," Bella said.

"Severus, it must have been such a shock," Molly commented. "Albus told us how Kaiden
came through the floo, extremely ill. Still no idea who sent him?" She briefly glanced at
Bella.

Severus realized Albus had covered the real details of how Kaiden had come back into his
life, minus being Harry Potter, and shook his head. "We believe a death eater arranged to
have Kaiden's death faked but we do not know which one," He lied smoothly. "We don't
know if the death eater became scared that Kaiden was so sick or if someone else rescued
him and sent him to Hogwarts."

Ted shook his head. "Unbelievable. Who would be that sick and twisted as to take someone's
baby from them?"

"And to use a potion on you," Arthur murmured with a sympathetic look to Bella.

Andromeda face eyes narrowed slightly, her face thoughtful. "Who indeed," She murmured.

Bella's eyes widened slightly. Uh oh…what if she figures out Narcissa's part? Bella thought
with alarm.

"What matters now is that the three of us are together," Severus said, though he exchanged an
apprehensive look with Bella.

"What do the Aurors think?" Tonks asked curiously.

"We are looking into the situation privately," Dumbledore spoke up. "For now we are
focusing on Kaiden getting comfortable in the magical world as well as raising his
confidence in making friends."

"Hopefully our brood is making him feel more secure," Arthur said brightly. His eyes darted
over to the group of kids and he frowned slightly. Ron had his fists clenched and was looking
sullen. He and Molly had been seeing a rebellious stage in their youngest son and he hoped
Ron wasn't causing trouble for Kaiden and Draco.

Severus had also glanced over and now leaned closer to Bella. "It does not look like our son
or nephew is crazy about at least one of the Weasleys." He whispered.
Bella narrowed her eyes as she took in the scene at the kids' table. "If he upsets Kaiden…"
She said ominously.

"Are you threatening to declare war on an eleven-year-old?" Severus asked in amusement.

Bella eyed the young redhead for a moment. "He would make a nice ferret," She shrugged.

Severus bit his lip to keep from laughing. Merlin, he loved this woman.

HPHPHPHP

Draco rolled his eyes at Ron. "It's clear from your vacant expression that the lights are not on
upstairs. You think Slytherins have nothing better to do than gang up on Harry Potter for
something that happened when he was a baby?" He shook his head.

"There are people that would love the chance to harm Harry Potter," Ron objected.

"I'm sure there are still a few devoted death eaters out there but here at school? You-Know-
Who is gone and most of his followers are happy about it. I wouldn't expect you to
understand that, being as ignorant as you are." Draco said hotly.

My cousin is so cool, Kaiden thought happily.

"Of course, you would say that since you don't want anyone to suspect you," Ron smirked.
"Either way, I am going to be Potter's friend."

"Me too!" Ginny piped up.

"Harry Potter is indeed very famous and being a friend to him could be very beneficial for
whatever career you go into after Hogwarts," Percy commented thoughtfully.

"That's not a very good reason to be friends with somebody," Kaiden finally spoke up,
grateful more than ever that the truth of who he was had come out. Otherwise, he would still
think he was Harry Potter and end up having friends who only liked him for his fame.

Ron gave him a withering look. "What do you care? You and Malfoy probably hate Harry
Potter because he defeated your Master!"

"He is not our Master!" Draco glared.

"Uh, Ron," Percy said with wide eyes, nudging his brother.

Ron ignored him. "You probably want to hurt Harry Potter, don't you Snape?" He accused
Kaiden.

"No," Kaiden whispered, feeling sick. He felt for the boy he had once believed himself to be,
the boy who had passed away practically unnoticed. He backed up a few steps and bumped
into someone.
Severus put a hand on his son's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Is there a problem here?" He
asked darkly. He already knew the answer; he had overheard the last part of the conversation
as he had walked up.

Percy paled. "No sir," He said quickly. He knew Professor Snape was not someone you
wanted to get on the bad side of.

"Really?" Severus questioned, turning his dark eyes on the youngest redhead.

Ron visibly gulped. "Uh…"

"How eloquent," Severus sneered. "What a pleasure it will be to have you in class."

"The Weasels were just sharing their views on Slytherin," Draco said angrily. He looked at
the twins. "Well, these Weasels are okay," He amended.

Fred and George snorted. "Gee, thanks!"

"And what views would those be?" Severus glowered at Percy and Ron.

Percy cleared his throat. "I think I should go say hi to Tonks," He quickly scurried away.

"Me too," Ron said, practically running after his brother.

"Such bravery," Severus muttered. He looked down in concern at Kaiden. "Are you alright?
What did they say to you?"

Kaiden bit his lip. "Nothing," He said finally. He cringed slightly as he realized he was lying
to his father.

"What? Yes, they did!" Draco said huffily.

"Percy is a pompous git," Fred started.

"If it wasn't for the red hair,"

"We would be convinced he wasn't,"

"Related to us," George finished.

"As for Ron, he's young and the story about Harry Potter was practically his bedtime story,"
Fred looked apologetically at Kaiden and Draco. "We're hoping he will grow up when school
starts." He glanced at his little sister. "As will others, we hope."

"Yeah, hopefully, he'll be able to see that the boy who lived is just a kid like anyone else,"
George nodded.

Severus had to grudgingly admit that the twins just went up a few notches in his book. He
should have figured talk of Harry Potter would have been brought up. "What did they say?"
He asked his son again.
Kaiden just shrugged.

Draco looked at his cousin in exasperation. "They said everyone from Slytherin was dark,
that Aunt Bella should be locked up, and that we want to hurt Harry Potter."

Kaiden looked at his dad worriedly when he saw the impressive glower on his face. "It's no
big deal," He said softly.

Severus looked down at his son. "Yes, it is. You two did not deserve to be spoken to like that.
It is like I told you before, there are people prejudiced against anyone even associated with
Slytherin." He seethed. He glared over to where Percy and Ron were now sitting with Tonks.

Kaiden desperately wanted the subject to be changed. "Could we walk around the castle?
Maybe go visit Hagrid?"

Severus glanced back at his son. "All right," He said finally. He noticed the eager looks on
the twins' faces. "However, there is no going into the common rooms or my classroom or my
office. And our quarters are off limits," He quickly added.

"It's like he doesn't trust us Forge,"

"Rather hurtful that is Gred,"

Severus rolled his eyes and sent them on their way. He would talk with Kaiden later about the
conversation that had occurred as well as ask why he hadn't wanted to tell him the truth. It
concerned him that Kaiden didn't feel comfortable being honest with him. He turned back
towards the adults' table and could immediately see that things there were not going well
either.

HPHPHPHP

Bella watched Severus head over to check on the children, wondering if she should go over
there too. She was interrupted from her thoughts by the stare she was getting from Molly
Weasley. "Is there a problem Mrs. Weasley?" She asked finally.

"No," Molly hesitated. "Well yes, actually. I simply have a hard time understanding how you
could be pardoned from being a death eater."

"Molly!" Arthur admonished.

"I'm certainly not the only one wondering," Molly protested. She met Bella's gaze evenly.
"Alice and Frank were dear friends of mine," She said in a slightly shaky voice.

Bella took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in control. "I did not cast the Cruciatus
curse on them," She said firmly.

"Yes, I read that," Molly started to say.

"I wanted to hurt them," Bella said absently. "They still had their baby boy while I had lost
mine. In the state of mind I was in, I thought they deserved to be cursed." Bella didn't bother
stopping the tears that were forming. "I saw the baby items in the room and it was like I was
paralyzed. I could only think of my Kaiden, my baby who I believed I had killed." Bella shut
her eyes for a moment. She felt someone take her hand and opened her eyes to see tears
streaming down Andromeda's face. "I didn't curse them," She whispered.

"Molly," Dumbledore said gently. "I know how much Frank and Alice meant to you, Lily,
and James as well. What happened was tragic and a great loss for us. Now I have seen Bella's
memory myself. Lestrange and Avery were the ones who cursed the Longbottoms, not Bella."

Molly looked ashamed and stared down at her plate.

"Kaiden was taken from his parents and a cruel and heartless plan was put into motion,"
Dumbledore said. "Imagine believing you had killed your child for so long," He shook his
head slightly. "Bella did not stage Kaiden's death." He said bluntly.

Bella's eyes widened and she stared at Molly. "Is that what you think?"

"I believe the thought crossed her mind," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Honestly Molly!" Andromeda glared.

Severus walked up to the table then, looking in concern at Bella. "What is going on?" He
asked. He noticed that Tonk, Percy, and Ron were across the room talking to one of
Hogwart's ghosts, Nearly Headless Nick.

"We are simply clearing up a misconception," Dumbledore said calmly.

Severus sat next to Bella and reached out to wipe away a stray tear on her cheek. "Is it the
same misconception that two of your children have?" He stared at Molly and Arthur. "You
know, the one where all Slytherins are bad, Bella should be locked up, and my son and
nephew want to hurt Harry Potter?"

"What?!" Bella said in shock.

"I assume that is why Ron and Percy came over here," Arthur said slowly.

"Yes," Severus said.

"Where are Kaiden and Draco?" Bella asked when she noticed the empty table.

"They are with the twins and Ginny, looking around the castle," Severus said.

"I assure you we will be talking to Ron and Percy," Arthur said apologetically.

"They most likely took their cue from me," Molly spoke up. She looked regretful and sad as
she looked at Bella. "I'm sorry. I was so angry at losing my friends; that I didn't even pay
much attention to the article written. I just assumed it was a lie." Molly's eyes filled with
tears. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even try to put myself in your place," She reached across the table
and grabbed Bella's other hand. "You are very strong. Both of you are. I can't even imagine
the state I would be in if I had gone through what the two of you two had."
Bella looked into Molly's eyes and saw nothing but remorse and sincerity. "Thank you," She
said quietly.

Dumbledore smiled happily. "I am very pleased that this has been worked out," He said with
a twinkle in his eyes. "Ah, have I mentioned that Bella will be taking over the position of
professor for Ancient Runes?"

"You are?" Andromeda asked excitedly. "That's wonderful!"

"Fred and George will be starting that class this year," Arthur said cheerfully. "Percy is in it
too."

"The twins are taking Ancient Runes?" Severus asked skeptically.

Molly smiled. "We allowed them one elective of their choosing and then we chose the other
one."

"Good idea," Ted nodded.

Severus smirked. "Now you will know the joy of teaching the Weasley twins. Good luck with
that," He said lightly to Bella, causing the adults to start chuckling.

HPHPHPHP

"Don't worry too much about Percy and Ron," Fred said as the group headed down to
Hagrid's hut. "If they bother you, just let us know."

"Yeah, we usually experiment with our joke products on them anyway," George snickered.

Ginny giggled.

"You make your own joke products?" Kaiden asked.

"Yup! We plan to own the best and biggest joke shop when we graduate," Fred said proudly.
"Right now we're working on changing the taste of bars of soap. If it works, we will sell them
at school."

"Why soap?" Draco asked curiously.

"Well, most parents use a bar of soap to wash their kids' mouths out, for lying or swearing.
Hardly any parent uses a Scourgify charm as it makes you choke on soap suds." George said.

"So we are making our soap look like the real thing but in tasty flavors," Fred explained. "All
you have to do is switch it with the real bar of soap and then pretend that it tastes horrible if
your parents wash your mouth out. Secretly you can simply enjoy the flavor!"

"That's brilliant!" Draco said, impressed. His mum would occasionally wash his mouth out if
he gave her backtalk. "I'll buy one when they are ready."
Kaiden wondered if his parents would ever wash his mouth out with soap. They hadn't
mentioned that being a consequence but he sure wasn't going to ask. No sense in giving them
ideas! Just in case though… "I'll buy one too."

George rubbed his hands together. "Excellent. We already have customers!"

"I'm actually surprised you two weren't put in Slytherin," Draco commented with a grin.

Fred shrugged. "I guess because we are so brave about being so sneaky," He grinned.

"Friends with Gryffindors," Draco shook his head. "Who would have thought?"

"Careful blondie, you haven't been sorted yet. You may end up being in Gryffindor." George
teased.

"No way!" Draco protested with a laugh. "Kaiden and I are going to be in Slytherin."

"I hope so," Kaiden said. "Although Gryffindor would be cool too. At least we would have
Fred and George."

"I wish I was starting school this year," Ginny spoke up, sounding wistful.

"You just want to meet Harry Potter," Fred teased, ruffling her hair.

Ginny ducked away from her brother, blushing slightly.

Kaiden looked away. "Hey, there's Hagrid!" He said in relief when they found the
groundskeeper tending to his garden.

"I wondered if you would come say hello." Hagrid grinned when he spotted them. "Enjoying
havin' the castle to yourselves?"

"It's great! If only we were allowed into certain common rooms," George said mischievously.

Kaiden snickered. Now that he knew how much the twins liked jokes, he could imagine what
fun they would have if let loose in all the common rooms. No wonder his dad hadn't wanted
them in their quarters.

"Ah, that wouldn' be a good idea," Hagrid chuckled. "Yer two would be the firs' students to
lose points in the summer!"

"Wicked!" Fred and George grinned at each other.

HPHPHPHP

Kaiden was sad when everyone left after dinner, except for Ron and Percy. He hadn't been
sad to see them go. But he loved his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Tonks. He also really liked the
Weasley twins and their parents. The girl, Ginny, had been mostly quiet though she had
walked off in a huff when Draco had commented that he didn't think Harry Potter should be
treated any differently than any other student despite being a celebrity. She had stayed with
Percy and Ron after that.

Kaiden was lying on the sofa with Snidget on his stomach, purring loudly as Kaiden petted
him.

Severus smiled slightly when he sat in his armchair. "You enjoyed yourself today?"

"It was really fun," Kaiden grinned. "Tonks and the twins are so cool. Even Draco likes
them!"

"Wonderful," Severus sighed, though he didn't really mind. The twins had shown that they
would be good to his son and nephew so he could put up with their antics. "I'm sure you are
tired, it's been a long day for you. However, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Kaiden sat up slowly, carefully rearranging Snidget on his lap so that the kitten didn't wake
up. His dad didn't look mad but he did look serious. "Is it about earlier? When I lied to you?"
He asked shamefully.

"Yes," Severus said. "It concerns me son. Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't want it to become a big deal," Kaiden said softly. "I didn't want to be a tattletale and
I knew it would just upset you."

"I see," Severus said, leaning back in his chair. "Your mother and I have told you that we
want you to come to us if anything happens that upsets you. If you are being targeted and
having cruel things said to you, you need to tell us. Not only so we can put a stop to it but so
that the one doing it can talk to an adult about why they are acting the way they are. If they
are not dealt with now, they will most likely turn into even bigger bullies when they are
older."

"I understand," Kaiden said, his eyes downcast.

Severus leaned forward. "Look at me, child. Please understand that you can trust me. You can
trust your mother. You have us now; you have a family who loves you and you are no longer
alone. I understand why your first instinct was to lie, with the way you were brought up.
Believe me, I understand. However, I do not want you to lie to us. I want you to always be
honest with us, no matter what. You need to work on that, all right?"

Kaiden nodded. "I'm sorry I lied to you," He said. "I felt bad when I did it. It was just sort
of…"

"Instinctive," Bella said as she walked into the room. She sat next to Kaiden. "We know." She
pulled him to her side, kissing the top of his head. "We love you more than anything Kaiden."

"I love you guys too," Kaiden said. "I guess I should be more like Draco. He had no problem
telling you everything!"

Severus chuckled. "Yes, Draco has no problem letting an adult know if he feels he has been
wronged."
"I felt bad when they spoke of Harry Potter," Kaiden confessed. "I feel guilty; no one but us
knows the truth about him."

Bella exchanged a look with Severus. "You have no reason to feel guilty." She said quietly.

"From what I remember, he was very sick from the start," Severus said gently. "I know what
you are thinking and even though the Potters took you as their son, I'm sure they never forgot
their own child."

"But when people find out, they will be sad for the boy who lived," Kaiden said with a sigh.
"It's just...awkward when people talk about him. Or me, I guess," He frowned.

"It's confusing, I know," Bella said. "It will be okay Kaiden. Yes, there will be a lot of talk
once news of Harry's passing comes to light but once people come to terms with the news, it
will fade."

"If the truth about me hadn't come out, I would be the one everyone would fawn all over,"
Kaiden said with a slight shudder. "Ron would have already decided to be my best friend and
I probably would have let him. I've always wanted to have friends. I don't think I would have
cared if people only liked me for the fame, as long as I had someone."

"I felt the same way," Severus said. "I didn't have friends growing up and I was desperate for
friendship when I started Hogwarts. How do you think I ended up with your mother?" He
quickly dodged the hex Bella shot at him while Kaiden burst out laughing.

"Enjoy the couch tonight, love," Bella said in mock anger.

Severus held back a laugh. "Just kidding, my dear. But truthfully, I did make friends with
some people I shouldn't have," He said, thinking of some of the older kids who had
befriended the younger students to convince them to join the death eaters.

"I did too, in the vain hope that it would please my parents," Bella said. "Thankfully for you,
you will be able to make friends with those who you really like. You already have Draco and
the twins."

"I think Draco is in shock that he likes them since they are in Gryffindor," Kaiden yawned.

"Hmm, I think it is time for bed," Bella said in amusement.

Kaiden nodded as he stood up, cradling Snidget. Bella hugged him. "Sweet dreams,
snakeling. We'll check on you in a bit okay?"

"Okay," Kaiden said as his dad pulled him in for a hug.

"Goodnight son," Severus said. He watched Kaiden go into the hallway before turning to
Bella, who was fluffing up the sofa pillows. "What are you doing?"

"Getting the couch ready for you," Bella smirked.

"I could simply transfigure it," Severus said slyly. He grinned when Bella scowled.
"However, I could just tell you I was trying to make the conversation a little lighter."

Bella laughed and tossed a pillow at him. "Yes, I know you were."

"You were the main reason I looked forward to Hogwarts after every summer," Severus said
as he stepped closer to his wife.

Bella looked into those dark eyes she loved so much. "I was?" She asked innocently.

Severus pulled her close to him and nuzzled her neck. "Mm hmm," He murmured. He traced
gentle kisses up her neck and to her mouth.

"Well, I suppose I can forgive you then," Bella said somewhat breathlessly after the kiss
ended. "Just this once, of course."

"Of course," Severus agreed as he kissed her again. "Just this once."

TBC:
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