Chapter 2
The benches in front of the school were filled with mostly waiting mothers, therefore he opened the hood of an old and very dusty Toyota parked on the street and busied himself with the car's ignition plugs while watching the school entrance. If the boy's situation was similar to the one Severus had been in in his primary school days he would try to leave first or rather late. As the obese cousin was among the first group of children, he settled for a wait. After some minutes he spotted Harry, but the boy was walking in the opposite direction than his cousin. That would bring him near the Toyota.
Severus bid his time. When the boy was at the same height as the car, thankfully alone, he adressed him, „Hello Harry, would you mind holding that plug for me?"
The boy stopped, looking wary. He kept a healthy distance to the stranger and the car, mindful of his teacher's admonishments about strangers and them talking to children, but extended his hand.
Severus gave one plug to him while cleaning the other with his handkerchief.
„That's Mrs Robinson's car. It hasn't worked for some weeks."
Right. At least the child was not dumb.
„I know that this is not my car. I merely used it as a prop to talk to you without anyone noticing. Your caution does you credit but I ask you to walk with me. I was a friend of your mother and I saw you and the Dursleys at the burger joint yesterday. They don't appear to treat you as they ought."
The boy squinted through his lenses at Severus' face. The Potions master added new glasses to his list of things to accomplish with Harry before shipping him off to the Hebrides.
„If I walk with you it has to be to the main street, where there are lots of people."
„Very sensible of you. There is an ice-cream parlour right at the beginning, isn't it? If somebody asks I should tell them that I am a distant cousin recently back from out of state, we are similar enough in colouring for that to work. Do you agree?"
The child nodded, handed him back the plug and waited for Severus to close the hood. He still kept away from the other parked cars and more than an arm-length from the stranger. It seemed that the Dursleys had raised him to be a survivor, a prime Slytherin candidate. If he kept his head down the cameras at the main street would not get a clear picture, on the odd chance that the Muggle police would investigate Potter's disappearance.
The boy, Harry, seemed completely overwhelmed with the choices at the ice-cream-parlour. Severus got fed up with the wait and ordered three scoops of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry for the child and an iced coffee for himself. They found a booth in the back. A waitress brought their concoctions. She twinkled at Harry.
„I am glad that you finally get some ice cream as well, little one. It is wrong of your aunt to always let you stand outside while your cousin stuffes his face. If you truly have some dairy allergy she could at least let you sit inside and have a coke!"
Severus thought about this complication. Maybe he could spin it to his advantage.
„I have only just come back from abroad and I am not entirely satisfied with my young cousin's living situation."
„You could say that! My boss even has called Social Services last year, but nothing ever came of it."
„I thank you and your boss for your concern. I will look into it. Harry and I will have a talk about it all."
With this words the child seemed to grow even smaller, which the waitress noticed.
„Harry, will you please be frank with your cousin? It can't get worse, can it? Me Mum's working at Tesco's, she's been talking about the brave little boy lugging shopping around twice his own weight for ages. And me little brother told me tales of your cousin that make me shudder."
Harry had grown paler even, seemingly on the verge of being sick. Severus pushed the yet unopened packet of wafers across the table.
„Have some wafers with your ice cream, Harry, and eat slowly, please."
With a decisive nod the waitress left and the Potions master knew he had to go slowly if he wanted to get anywhere with the child. He proceeded to describe Cokeworth to Harry, and how he had met Lily. At the mentioning of his mother sailing down from the swing the child perked up.
„My mum could do freaky things as well?"
„Yes. At first she was offended when I called her a witch. Then I explained about magic and about the school that British witches and wizards attend from ages 11 to 17. Your grandparents were thrilled and very proud of their daughter. Petunia was as well, first, later she grew to be jealous."
„Aunt Petunia knew? She is always calling me a good for nothing freak of nature! I try to be good and not do freaky things but they happen!"
„It is called Accidental Magic, and it happens to all magical children when they are frightened or angry or very happy. Your mother made flowers sway into her direction when she was very happy."
„So my parents weren't a lazy drunk and a whore?"
The Potions master had to reign in his anger.
„No, definitely not! Your mother was one of the kindest and most intelligent persons I have ever known and your father was an accomplished Auror, that is the wizarding police. They loved you very much."
„They did not die in an automobile accident, did they?"
„No, a very bad wizard hunted and killed them. When he wanted to kill you, too, the curse was somehow deflected and gave you that scar. The Dark Lord died from his own curse. I think your mother cast some ancient protection only mothers can use on you before the attack, but no one knows for sure. Nevertheless for this you are quite famous in the wizarding world."
„Why do I have to live with the Dursleys then?"
„The Headmaster thinks that, Petunia being your mother's sister, living there will give you protection from the Dark Lord's followers that are still around."
The boy seemed highly sceptical.
„Can you tell me about your life at the Dursleys?"
Eyes far older than they should be in an eight year old looked at him in sad resignation.
„I think my kindergarden teacher was the first to ask me that, then Mrs Watkins, a neighbour, and later on Miss Polly, my first grade teacher. Every time that happens I get locked up without food and the last two times I got the belt. I must not tell."
„I am quite decided to take you away from your aunt and uncle anyway, so it does not matter right now. What do you say?"
„Will you take me to an orphanage or would I live with you?"
„Neither. I would bring you to my mother. She lives in an isolated place in Scotland with other women and a lot of children. No one would be looking for you there. I am afraid that Headmaster Dumbledore would not allow me to take you away, therefore he cannot know. Otherwise I would take you in, I have vowed to Lily's memory to keep her son safe."
Angry tears appeared in Harry's eyes.
„I have not been safe for seven years! Where were you?"
„The Headmaster has told everyone asking after you that you were growing up happy and out of the spotlight with your loving relatives. And that he was checking up on you regularly. I was believing him, as did all the others. Still I should have made sure. I apologize for not doing so."
The child was scraping every last bit of ice-cream out of the bowl, tears momentarily forgotten. Then he put the spoon down.
„All right. Can we leave?"
Severus was taken aback. Surely the boy had some things he wanted to take with him?
„Right now? You don't want to fetch your things from the Dursleys?"
„My school uniform is the only thing that fits as I have to wear Dudley's old clothes. I have no toys and only three crayons in my cupboard. Will I have a blanket where I am going?"
„Of course you will."
„Good. My old one is much too short anyway. We can leave from here."
The waitress was collecting their bowls and looking at them questioningly. Severus decided to use this.
„I am taking my cousin away right now, the paperwork can wait. I should imagine the Dursleys will want to collect child benefit for Harry for the next month still, you should be careful about what to tell whom to avoid their ire, as I understand Mr Dursley is quite influential in this community."
„A big great bully is what he is, but thanks for the warning." She turned towards Harry, „Little one, would you write Daisy a card? If you send it to the parlour it will surely reach me and me and my mum and my boss will not worry about you."
„I will, Miss Daisy, and thank you."
Severus paid the bill, added a generous tip and walked to the train station with Harry. He planned to go to Brighton before travelling to Scotland. It should be busy enough there for one more father and son on an early holiday not sticking out terribly, and it had enough shops for him to outfit the child as well as giving him a short holiday on the beach. Eileen would send a Patronus with the coven's decision in three days.
They would have to wait 20 minutes for the next train to Norwood where they would have to change for Brighton. Severus went to the small shop next to Little Whinging station and bought two bottles of cold squash, on of water, four sandwiches, two apples and some chocolate bars. Then he asked Harry whether he wanted a comic for the journey. The boy seemed frozen by this question and pointed to the next best comic. The Potion master paid and beckoned the child to follow him to a bench on the platform a bit away from the station building. Harry was crying by then and Severus was undecided. His eleven year old Slytherins sometimes required their Head of House to ignore their tears rather than hug them. Lily's son seemed a bit young for such behaviour therefore Severus settled for some mumbled assurances, an offered handkerchief and an arm around the child's thin shoulders. Seconds after he had his lap full of an openly crying boy. He put his arms around Harry, slightly rocking him and humming an unidetifyable tune. Thankfully the little one came around before their train had arrived. Severus prevented the boy's school shirt sleeve from being used as a handkerchief and took Harry's hand. Something came loose in the Potions master's breast, something he choose not to ponder to closely.
They found window seats opposite each other, with a small table under the window. Severus opened two sandwiches and cut up an apple. He admonished the child to eat at least half an apple and a sandwich before having a chocolate bar. He could not shake the feeling that Harry was having squash, a chicken sandwich and a comic book for the first time in his life. The boy's queasiness from the ice-cream parlour had vanished thankfully and he ate with a healthy appetite while exclaiming now and then because of the sights passing them. The first few times this happened he stopped himself fearfully and looked at Snape.
„Harry, it is all right. I will tell you if you are too noisy for the other passengers. After the next stop look out for the fire station. Sometimes they are hosing down the cars in the afternoon."
Tobias Snape had been a train-spotter in his youth. The very few positive memories Severus had of his father were connected with train journeys they had taken together. The Potions master still retained a vast knowledge about trains and a certain fondness for them, too.
The connecting train was punctual and they arrived early enough in Brighton for some shopping. Severus bought a cheep collapsible suitcase and filled it with toiletries for them both, a tracksuit, pyjamas, underwear and some t-shirts and shorts for the boy. They booked in a small, family-run Bed-and-Breakfast, Severus paying cash in advance under the name of Prince. Upstairs Harry had a fit of giggles at his nom-de-plum, Prince Harry. As the boy was very tired already and there was a sandwich left, Severus decided to call it a day. He ran a bath for the boy, needing to tamper down his anger again, as apparently Petunia had never seen fit to let the child have a bath after his liking. The Potions master folded some paper boats as he still did not want to use his magic and checked the temperature frequently, turning on the hot water again if necessary. Harry took some time to get used to this but then enacted an epic battle, ordering more and more boats. When the child resembled a prune Severus told him to come out of the water. By the time he had returned with the boy's new pyjamas Harry had cleaned the bath-tub and the floor. Severus showed his surprise and praised the child for his quick thinking.
They ate the remaining apple, sandwiches and chocolate bars and the Potions master had a much needed cup of tea. He settled the child in the bed and turned the remote control over to Harry before having a shower himself. By the time he returned the little one had fallen asleep, rolled up in a corner of the queen sized bed. Severus would have prefered to have to single beds but sleeping quarters in Brighton were already booked quite fully, therefore he had to take what was available. He straightened the child on one side of the bed and slipped under the covers as well. Despite being exhausted the young man took a long while to fall asleep.
June, 4th 1987
Severus could feel the eyes in the back of his head. He took a moment to orientate himself and then turned around slowly. Harry was sitting on the bed, as far away from him as possible, knees drawn up, eyes hooded.
„Good morning, Harry. I trust you slept well?"
The child nodded, but did not relax. Severus went to his discarded jacket and retrieved the pictures he had collected from Cokeworth the day before. Without further explanation he gave them to Harry before going into the bathroom.
When he came back the boy had come out of his funk and was already dressed.
„What is your name, sir? It is not Prince, is it?"
„No, my name is Severus Snape, although here we use my mother's maiden name which is Prince."
„The lady here seems to think I am your son. Shall I call you Dad then?"
„Would you like to? I can tell her the story of cousins, if you wish, and you can call me Severus, or Sev even."
„I would like to call you Dad. But I might slip and call you sir."
„No problem, she will think that I am a particularly traditional parent. Anyway, we will not be here long enough for her to notice anything. After breakfast we could get some swimwear for you and go to the beach, if you like. And we should check the prescription for your glasses, I do not think that they fit any longer."
„I cannot swim."
„The water is very shallow on the beach, you can have fun even if you cannot swim. Or I can teach you, if you like."
Severus could see that the boy was not used to having so many options and vowed to himself to keep the decisions for the child to a minimum during the day. They went down to breakfast. Harry was able to eat a decent sized meal, even if Mrs Broadbent, their landlady was a bit disappointed. She offered to pack some homemade waffles for them to take to the beach, an offer Severus gladly accepted. The short trousers showed some bruises and scrapes on Harry's knees. While the Potions master was quite sure that at least some of them originated with the child's cousin it was not so bad that it would alarm other people who saw them.
In the shopping center on their way to the beach Severus choose swimming shorts for both of them and visited an optician with Harry. He got some strange looks as the child's prescription was totally wrong. Together they chose a rectangular wire frame for the new glasses which would be ready in two days time.
During the day on the beach the boy grew more and more confident in the water and Severus was able to teach him to paddle a bit. They collected shells and pretty coloured stones and even built a castle. Harry was disappointed when the stones lost their shine with drying, but his guardian showed him how to use sunscreen to preserve the colours. They had fish and chips in the afternoon and then went back for a nap. In the evening they ventured out to the pier. The boy refused to go on any attraction alone therefore Severus drove bumping cars and went on several rollercoasters for the first time since Cokeworth's fair in 1975. During a shared pizza at the promenade Harry fell asleep against Severus' shoulder. Not wanting to wake the child up he carried him back to the B&B,with that funny feeling in his chest again.