Chapter Three; Guess Who Else Is Coming to Hogwarts?
Harry reread his father's letter a number of times before quickly dashing back inside and showing it to his mother and all of his friends before writing a letter back to him. "Harry got a car for his seventeenth birthday?" Ron questioned with uncertainty and disbelief. "All I got for mine was a bunch of socks and underwear!" he exclaimed indignantly before Hermione elbowed him inside the stomach. "Ouch! Cut it out Hermione! It's not fair that you're always doing that!" he cried.
"Yeah, well, if you learned to keep your big fat mouth shut I wouldn't have to." She told him. As soon as Harry was finished writing his letter that accepted his father's apology and that he wanted to see him, he sent it out with Hedwig. A few days later he got his response, however he got it by a ring at the doorbell. Cowboy and Katie started to bark as Harry raced to go get it and Lily tried to quiet the dogs since the twins were taking their naps.
As soon as Harry saw his father standing there before him he immediately burst into tears while embracing him tightly. "Shh,.." Snape began while wrapping his arms around him tightly and rubbing his back as he planted a kiss on his cheek. "it's alright,.. it's alright." He reassured him as he continued sobbing hysterically before he broke out of the embrace and looked up at him through his teary eyes.
"No it's not! I'm sorry Daddy, I didn't mean it! Really I didn't!" he exclaimed as Snape's heart began to shatter and melt at the same time because he hadn't heard his son call him that in years.
"It's alright son," he began while gazing into his eyes and brushing away his tears with his thumbs. "I know you didn't. I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere, and I promise that I never will again." He told him with a shake of his head before he quickly wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I love you." He whispered softly while planting a soft kiss on the top of his head and resting his chin against it. "Now just calm down." He told him as he started choking over his sobs. "I want to know where Ron and Hermione are so that I can speak to them myself." He said.
"They're over at the burrow. Ginny's cat just had kittens and they wanted to see them." He explained with a sniff.
"Oh really? Well maybe in a little bit we can go over there and pick one out." He told him when suddenly Eve sprung up from her laptop and raced down the hallway.
"Really!? We're getting a kitten!? We really, really are!? Honest and truly?" she questioned him as he just simply rolled his eyes at her. For she had been wanting her own pet for years (particularly a kitten) ever since she had nursed a rabbit back to health and sent it back to the woods.
"I'm sorry Dad, please excuse her." Tobey began as he walked out of the bathroom. "She hasn't taken her chill pills this morning." He explained.
"I can see that." He began. "Hullo buddy, I've got something for you." He told him with a grin while passing an envelope over to him that had all of the Hogwarts crests on it. Tobey's face lit up with excitement while his eyes danced with joy as he quickly tore inside it.
"My letter!" he exclaimed as Harry grinned while he started reading it aloud. "Dear Mr. T Snape, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He read.
"Well isn't that exciting?" his mother questioned him. "Boy, it seems like it was only yesterday when Harry got his letter and shortly before that you were born!" she cried.
"Can we go to Diagon Alley now Mum? Please!" he exclaimed.
"Well alright darling, as soon as you get dressed we'll go over to the Weasley's to pick out a kitten, then we'll do Eve's, Teddy's, and Heather's school shopping before we get yours and Harry's done." She told him.
"Alright! I'm going to get changed now!" he cried before rushing back inside his bedroom and accidentally slammed the door behind him.
"Well I must say, he certainly is enthusiastic." Lily began as Severus grinned. "And I don't have any doubt that he's going to be a great student since he was the top of his class in charms school." She finished.
"Hey! So am I!" Eve protested. "And I bet I'll do just as great as him when I start next year!" she boasted.
"Academically yes, I'm sure that you will. However if you don't learn to shut that mouth of yours you'll end up having your little behind in detention as much as you do in charms school." His father told her as Harry just breathed a heavy sigh. He was excited to be going back to Hogwarts for his final year, and excited for his little brother to be starting there, but he knew that shortly after they did their shopping he would have to leave searching for horcruxes.
"Are you alright Harry?" his mother asked him out of concern.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just need to go get dressed and feed the animals before letting them out." He said as he turned around and walked down the hallway.
….
"I can't believe how tiny those kittens were!" Eve exclaimed as soon as they had gotten into Diagon Alley. "They were so adorable!" she cried as both of her parents smiled down at her. For since it was her kitten, she had picked out a fluffy little grey kitten that looked like she had been splattered with orange paint. Of course they couldn't take her home for a few months but she had already picked out a name for her. "I think I am going to call her Precious since that's what she is." She said.
"That's a pretty name." her mother told her.
"Well just make sure that Precious doesn't go anywhere near Hedwig when she gets older." Harry warned as he secretly thought to himself that it was an ironic thing to call Crookshanks' daughter when he was nowhere near precious himself.
"So Tobey what do you want to get first?" his mother asked him while grinning down at him.
"Either a wand or an animal." He replied.
"Well Harry, why don't you take your brother inside Ollivanders to get his wand? We'll surprise him just like we did for you when you were eleven." Lily said.
"Alright then, c'mon Tobey." Harry told him as he started leading him away.
"Thanks Harry. I really wish you weren't going away though. I'm really going to miss you. And so are Teddy, Heather, and even Eve even if she refuses to admit it." Tobey told him.
"I know, and I'm going to miss you guys too. But Mum had a point, I have to do the right thing." He said as they pushed their way in through the door to Ollivanders.
"Well bless my soul, if it isn't Harry Snape. My goodness, I can't believe how big you've gotten since the last time I've seen you Harry. And if I recall correctly, you've recently reached maturity." He said as Harry nodded at him and grinned.
"Yeah, I'm here with my little brother now. This is Tobey." He told him as they started walking towards the counter.
"Well hullo there Tobey, I've heard an awful lot about you. Now are you right handed or left handed?" he asked him.
"I'm the only lefty in my family." He said. "Although my sister Eve can use both of her hands." He told him.
"Very well then, stick out your left hand." Mr. Ollivander instructed while he placed a wand made out of willow inside his hand. A few seconds later when nothing happened he quickly snatched it back out of his hand. Harry could tell that his brother was just as confused as he was when he got his own wand. Then the willow wand was quickly replaced with a wooden wand before that one too was quickly snatched out of his hand.
"Is something supposed to happen?" Tobey wondered while he turned to look over at his older brother.
"Just be patient Tobey, trust me." He told him.
"Well I see that you're very different from your parents." Mr. Ollivander began. "Well it's alright boy, there's nothing wrong with a little individuality." He told him before he placed a third wand into his hand and sparks suddenly shot up into the air. "We have a winner!" he exclaimed excitedly. "It looks like the wand that has chosen you is a nine and a half inched dragon heartstring." He told him.
"What do you mean the wand that has chosen me?" Tobey questioned him.
"Well you see Tobey, I'll tell you the same thing that I told your brother six years ago. The wand chooses the wizard, although it's not always clear why." He told him before Tobey thanked him and paid for his wand. Then as he went outside to show his parents he saw a beautiful horned owl sitting on its perch in the cage that his father was carrying.
"Whoa!" he cried excitedly as he rushed over to the cage. "Is it a boy or a girl?" he wondered.
"A boy." His father began. "He's all yours son." He told him.
"In that case I think I'll call him Patrick." He said.
"Patrick!? What kind of name is that for an owl!?" Eve cried.
"Because it's either that or Spongebob, and that's a stupid name!" he told her as his mother smiled down at him before they continued the rest of their shopping.
