Disclaimer: as always, I own nothing of JKR's and thank her for permitting us to play with her characters and explore the possibilities of her magical world.

Right, people keep asking me about the Kraitverse, and don't always bother to even give themselves a name for me to search so I haven't been able to answer. If you must sign in as guest, please put your name as known here if you want me to answer, otherwise I shan't be able to. Anyway, the answer is, I am working on year 17. Even I run out of ideas on a particular theme occasionally. It is in train. It will get there.

This will hopefully be a series of 7 stories. I have started year 2.

Chapter 1

"And what makes you think I want to see a grubby, ill-dressed brat with greasy hair?" demanded the big, dark, saturnine man with a nose made for staring down and long, silky black hair.

Severus tried not to quail.

"You may have disowned my mother, but I am your great grandson, and I wanted your advice because you are supposed to be a rune master," he said. "However, if you aren't as good as they say, I'm wasting my time."

"Oho, you have fangs, do you? Not as snivelling as you look," said Tiberius Prince. "I disowned your mother for consorting with that muggle. You're his mongrel brat. Why should I talk to you?"

"Because I may be a half-blood Prince but I am a Prince," said Severus. "My mother made a mistake, and she knows it. But she won't make up the rift."

"And you will?"

"Only because I need your advice to help a friend. I can live without your influence."

"Huh. Proud enough. Who's your friend?"

"Her name is Lily Evans."

"I don't know an Evans family."

Severus put up his chin.

"She's muggle born which is a whole world away from being a muggle," he said. "She's a clever witch and she picked up what I already showed her very quickly."

"So why does she need a rune master?"

"Because … it's a long story."

"You'd better come in. I'll find you better clothes than that too, what is your mother thinking of?"

"She tries to dress me as a muggle to blend in, but she won't listen to me, or to my father about what muggles really wear. I know it's a woman's blouse but she doesn't care. If she was going to marry a muggle, she should at least have learned about muggles."

"Yes, you should be wearing those deplorable blue trousers like goblin trousers made from that French cloth, from Nimes."

Severus translated this with difficulty into 'denims' and nodded.

"If I agree to give you help, I adopt you and you change your name," Tiberius said. "And I don't like your friendship with a mudblood."

"Oh, well, apparently your abilities are overrated," snapped Severus. "If you can't see that an accident of birth can throw up someone quite as good as a pure blood, the same as accident of birth can produce a genius of music."

"Touchy little bugger, sit down and tell me about it."

"Very well, sir. It can't do any harm to tell you, and then I can despise you when you can't help." Severus hoped the bravado might goad his grandfather; and if it did not, then at least he had got some retaliation in first.

He had his ears boxed magically for that one, and was pleased not to flinch. The black glittering eyes glared at him.

"Used to blows are you?" said his great grandfather. Severus shrugged a thin shoulder.

"Mother jinxes father so he gets drunk and beats us both," he said. "I feel sorry for him sometimes, but he shouldn't have got mixed up in something he can't understand. He likes betting on Quidditch well enough."

"He can see it then? Well that's more than a lot of muggles."

"Perhaps that's why I'm good," said Severus, greatly daring. He circled his finger in the air and held out his palm. A small snake appeared as he said, "serpensortia."

"Merlin's beard! Yes, you're talented."

"I can brew most of the potions from Libatious Borage too."

"That's NEWT level!"

"I love potions."

"Very well. What does … Lily Evans … need?"

"Lily has a sister, a year older, called Petunia. She loves Petunia very much, but Petunia has no magic. I … I wondered if anything blocked it, or … or if it was inherent in the family if it could be awakened."

"Merlin's bollocks! And you want me … ME! To turn a muggle into a witch?"

"No, sir, I want you to see if you can find a way of awakening magic in a repressed witch. I … I think Petunia might have suppressed her own magic because it scared her when she was younger."

"I see. That's a different proposition entirely. She might be a squib."

"Squibs only happen in pure blood families. And I bet a lot of so called squibs might not be."

"An interesting suggestion. Some children are late developers. Your grandfather was. He didn't manifest magic until someone threw a stinging hex at him in Diagon Alley, when we were getting his school kit. I almost had to pay wergild then though, he went berserk."

"Sounds like mother can be when things don't go her way."

"Yes, she sulked mostly when she was growing up but she could be a spitfire, boy, don't you ever wash your hair?"

Severus shrugged.

"Not any more, not since I got in the way of an ever-grease jinx," he said. "Mother was casting it at father because she thought he had a girlfriend, and she missed."

"And couldn't she even remove it?"

"I don't think she felt like it. I'd taken his part for once because I knew where he was when she accused him of having a floozy. He was at a motorbike show, but she can't get how muggles feel about motorbikes the way some wizards feel about racing brooms."

"A foot in both camps eh? Well, well. That might prove useful if we ever need muggleborn and their families supporting us. Finite incantatum! Scourgify! There, your hair should be better now."

Severus gasped and touched the lustrous silky hair that now resembled that of his great grandsire.

"Thank you sir! And what about … about Petunia?"

"You can bring her here, and her sister. I'll arrange you a voice-activated portkey."

OoOoOo

"Petunia, if I could arrange for someone to help you to be a witch like Lily, will you stop riding her and calling me names?"

Petunia looked at Severus suspiciously.

"You're trying to make me make a fool of myself and then you'll laugh at me," she said.

"On my honour, no," said Severus.

"Well, why would you? You don't like me."

"No, but it makes Lily unhappy to see you griping at her," said Severus. "I don't personally care if you remain a muggle all your life and … and marry the roughest, nastiest docker in the world who beats on you. But I care about Lily, and if you aren't cross with her for being able to do something you can't, we might be able to be civil to each other."

Petunia eyed him.

"What would I have to do?"

"Come and meet my great grandfather," he said. "Here; this will take us all to him." He got out the cog that was a portkey. "Put a finger on it, both of you."

Lily did so without hesitation, and Petunia, after a moment, did so too.

"Prince Mansion!" said Severus.

They landed with a bump, and Petunia was about to shout at Severus for making her look ridiculous when she realised he looked as silly as she did, sprawling on the marble floor.

"I have been persuaded to this against my better judgement," said Tiberius Prince. He waved his wand. "Ah! Yes, Severus my boy, your estimation was correct, Miss Lily Evans has as much power as any pure blood witch. And more than some of the more inbred at that," he added. "Miss Petunia Evans… indeed has the potential. It's going to be a tricky business. It will take some hours."

"Our parents don't know we are here, sir," said Lily.

"No matter; we'll use a time-turner to make it seem as though no time has passed so as not to worry them unduly," said Prince. "I will need to use an old technique, virtually lost, of chanting, as well as runes drawn indelibly into Miss Evans' skin; and to look into her mind with legilimensy to open her mind to her abilities."

"Will it hurt much?" asked Petunia.

"Yes, somewhat, but then a lot depends on how much you want to use magic," said Prince, cynically.

"I … I can take it," said Petunia.

"Good girl. I will tattoo invisibly … the least improper would be on your forearm," said Prince.

Petunia cried silent tears, but gritted her teeth not to cry out, and Lily held her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Severus took the other hand.

And when that was over, Prince stalked around her, chanting sonorous words in a language Severus did not even recognise. Ancient runes would be something to concentrate on as well as his beloved potions, it seemed. And then Prince squatted down, looked into Petunia's eyes, and her eyes widened in a mix of fear and wonder.

"Now hold up one finger, say 'lux' like you mean it, and concentrate on it lighting up," he said.

Petunia giggled.

"Lux is the brand of soapflakes mum uses for washing," she said.

"Well obviously it's named in Latin to show that the whites come out bright," said Severus. "Don't think about that, or you'll wash your hands instead of getting a light."

Petunia gave him a half smile, visibly concentrated on clearing her mind, and said, firmly,

"LUX!"

The glow was faint, and there was a distinct smell of hot soap, but it was an effect. Petunia squealed with delight and threw herself on Tiberius Prince and hugged him. He looked horrified. Then she hugged Severus, who knew he had the same expression as his great grandfather. And Lily hugged Petunia..

And then they were being sent back, with the aid of a time turner, and fell in a heap in the park, with the sun in the same place it had been when they left.

"I could sleep for a week," said Petunia.

"Me too," said Lily.

"And me," agreed Severus. "He talked about adopting me, you know."

"Well, he's a better man than your rotten parents," Lily opined.

Severus was not sure about that. He was a more useful guardian, but he strongly suspected that Tiberius Prince knew more about the Dark Arts than his mother did. But then, knowing about the Dark Arts meant that one was better prepared against them. One did not have to use them . Much.

OoOoOo

"Headmaster, something unprecedented has happened," Minerva McGonagall looked flustered.

"And what is that, Minerva?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he tried to second guess what might have so rattled the Scots witch.

"You remember the muggle girl who wrote to you that she wanted to come and try to do magic like her sister? Petunia Evans?"

"She hasn't managed to run away to come here personally?" Dumbledore looked concerned.

"No, Headmaster; but her name has appeared in the book next to that of her sister," said Minerva.

"Well bless my soul!" said Dumbledore, truly taken aback. "Are you sure? I'm sorry, Minerva, of course you are sure," as the animagus gave him a very cat like stare over the top of her glasses. "My goodness! I wonder if I should go to see her?"

"I think it might not be wise," said Minerva. "Just send her out a letter to tell her that as her circumstances have changed, she is to acquire the kit on her sister's kit list and present herself at school."

OoOoOo

"But how…" Mr. Evans scratched his head in puzzlement as he read the letter the owl had brought to his older, difficult daughter, who had so resented Lily's talent.

"Severus Snape says some people are late developers," said Petunia, who had no intention of confessing to her parents that she had let a strange man put a tattoo, even an invisible one, on her arm. "He … he helped me to find magic."

"Oh Tuney, we are proud of you, for swallowing your pride to let him help you," said Mrs. Evans. "He's such an odd little boy."

"He dresses better now his grandfather has taken an interest," said Petunia. Tiberius Prince had insisted that he could live without the 'great' in his title as it made him feel old. "Mr. Prince is adopting him, so he'll be Severus Prince, but Mrs. Snape is making difficulties."

It was a rather strained atmosphere in the Snape household; Tiberius had given Severus enough muggle money to outfit himself in reasonable style, which Severus did in Marks and Spencer, being good quality without being pretentious. Tiberius himself took him to Diagon Alley to have decent wizarding clothes made by a young modiste calling herself Madam Malkin. Eileen Snape had thrown a serious hissy fit when Severus turned up with all these clothes, and a Prince family elf, Tessi, to help carry them. She had been most put out when Tessi had prevented her from vanishing Severus' new acquisitions and threw her against a wall to stop her attacking Severus.

"Master Tiberius says Tessi is not to let the disowned one hurt Master Severus!" declared Tessi. "Tessi is pleased to obey! When the disowned one was Mistress Eileen, she wasn't very nice to Tessi, and Tessi remembers!"

Tobias Snape had fared no better.

"Well if this high and mighty grandfather wants the muling brat he can take him into his own house," he grumbled, from the position where he was crumpled up on the floor.

"My grandfather offered me his home," said Severus, fighting tears, "But I told him that I owed you both something as my parents, and I wanted you to know that I had managed to heal the breach with him. If you don't want to be a Prince any more, mother, then I will go and live with him."

Eileen Snape had screeched at Severus, and the boy found himself in a bedroom grander than he could ever have imagined, and Tessi sorting his clothes away.

"Master Tiberius said he thought that might happen, Master Severus," said the elf. "Tessi had orders to bring you to the room he has prepared for you. This is your home, now."

"Oh Tessi! I do want to meet with Lily, and I suppose with Petunia, and what will happen about school?"

"I is to take you to school until the end of term and to visit your friends when you want, except when Master Tiberius is teaching you," said Tessi.

"Oh thank you, Tessi!" said Severus.

OoOoOo

The lessons were not just in magic. Severus had to learn the etiquette of the oldest and highest families, because if he was to be a Prince, the line would not die out with his mother's father, and Tiberius intended his great-grandson to be a worthy heir. Severus endured such training in order to learn what he really wanted to learn; Ancient Runes and Chanting. With a combination of runic and chanted magic, it mattered little that he had not yet got a wand.

And then the visit to Diagon Alley, to be outfitted as befitted a scion of one of the secondary noble houses, provided even the wand.