Hey everyone...so here is the next chapter! Like I said before...this chapter will contain Lucius and Harry's first word. Sorry to all who are wondering about the plan (implied from last chapter), but you are going to have to wait until next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It makes me happy to hear from you all! Well... there is nothing else to say but ENJOY!

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The next morning found Severus busy putting together the final pieces of his plan. He wanted to be completely prepared and thorough in his idea because anything other would have dangerous consequences for his two boys. He had spent the majority of the night writing letters and gathering information. By the time that both boys were awake, Severus was just waiting on a letter from his cousin before presenting it to the headmaster.

After quickly returning to his room and changing into his clothes for the day, Severus slipped into his chair in the kitchen and greeted his two wards.

"Good morning Harry, Draco. I trust you both slept well."

Draco turned his attention from his breakfast to his godfather. "Morning Uncle Sev!"

As became a usual sight, Harry just gave a small smile and a nod of the head.

Severus had just finished his toast and was contently drinking his coffee while watching the boys when Lola popped into the kitchen.

"Master Severus sir, Headmaster Albus sir is ins the fireplace. He tolds me to tells you its urgent!"

"Thank you Lola." Severus then rose from his place and quickly entered the living room and to the fireplace.

"Good morning Albus, I was just going to call you. What can I do for you?"

"Hello Severus, I'm sorry but this is not a social call. You need to gather the boys and come up to my office immediately. Madame Rosamarta just flooed and told me that Lucius Malfoy is on his way here. We need to get the boys out of reach."

"How long?" Severus asked while heading towards the kitchen.

"I would say about ten minutes." Albus' eyes were grim and colored with worry. He knew what would happen if Draco or Harry were discovered in Hogwarts. The old man was also aware of what would happen to his potions master if something happened to his boys.

"Alright, we will be through in a minute."

Severus then cancelled the call and continued into the kitchen.

"What did Dumbledore what, Uncle Sev?"

Severus seemed to ignore the question and began banishing the dishes from the table.

"Hey….I wasn't done with that yet!" Draco yelled indigently.

The potions master turned his attention to his wards. "Draco, you need to gather some books or games or something and meet me back here in two minutes. Also, grab a change of clothes, but hurry. Harry, come with me please."

The boys got up and followed their instructions. Harry followed Severus into his room and was surprised when the potions master shrunk the rocking chair and pocketed it. He then grabbed a change of clothes for the boy and the blanket that Harry seemed to like. Severus told Harry to grab anything he would want to have for the day and shrunk those too. At the end of the two minutes, Severus led the boys to the floo.

"Alright Draco, I want you to floo over to the headmaster's office. I will be through with Harry right after."

"Sev, what's going on?" Draco had a look in his eye that the dour man had not seen for a long time, fear.

"Dragon, I will explain everything shortly, but I need you to trust me right now."

The blonde nodded his head in obedience and stepped into the floo. Once all three had arrived in the headmaster's office, the old man directed them up a secret passage and into his private rooms.

"The boys will be safe here. The rooms are warded, unplottable on any Hogwarts map, and only known by myself and now you."

"Thank you Albus, I'll be down in one minute. Don't let him enter your office until I am back."

The old man gave a nod of agreement and left the room to give the three some privacy.

"Draco, Harry, I need you to stay up here until Albus or I come and get you." Severus was rapidly going over the room with extra protection charms while unshrinking the rocking chair and explaining to the boys. "Draco, your father is on his way to the castle. We needed to get you both to a safe place where he cannot find you. Take care of Harry and make sure he is doing okay. As you can see, I brought his rocking chair. Maybe he will let you rock him. I left some calming potions in this bag if they are needed. Be strong Dragon, it will soon be over and you will be free of him." The man then drew the blonde into a hug before addressing the youngest in the room.

"Harry, stay here with Draco. You don't need to worry. Lucius will not get a hold of you again. You're safe here. I'll come and get you both when he is gone and all is clear." Severus then drew the black-haired boy into his arms and hugged him. He was about to leave when a small hand caught his robes. The potions master turned to acknowledge the owner of the hand and was met with the teary eyes of Harry.

"Harry, you need to let go. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."

Severus started to head towards the door when he was stopped in his tracks once more.

"Promise?"

Harry had barely whispered the word, but it rang throughout the room.

Severus strode back to the little teen and picked him up and hugged him tight. 'My little one has said his first word.' While the potions master was holding Harry, he guided Draco to the rocking chair with his eyes. He knew that he would never be able to leave the room without distracting the small boy in his arms. He made his way to the chair and handed Harry over to Draco.

Harry became aware of the exchange and gripped onto Severus' robes tightly.

"Harry, please, you have to let go. I need to get down there."

Harry was now crying. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise." Severus then kissed Harry and Draco's forehead and walked out the door.

The small teen turned into Draco and started to cry harder. Draco started to rock the distraught boy and hummed a lullaby that Sev would sing to him when he was younger. The blonde was worried about what was happening downstairs, but trusted his godfather to protect him. As Draco continued rocking and humming to Harry, the little teen fell into a restless sleep.

--

Severus just had time to settle himself across from the headmaster when a knock on the door was heard.

"Are you ready?" asked the old headmaster.

Severus gave a severe nod and placed his masks on.

"Enter!"

"Ahh, Lucius! What do we owe this pleasure for?" Severus laughed inwardly when he heard Albus greet the blonde aristocrat in false surprise.

The blonde gave a condescending bow and addressed the headmaster's question. "Dumbledore, I'm sure you know why I am here. I want my son back."

"My dear boy, why would you believe he is here? You, as a school governor, know the rules about students staying during the summer. Plus, I doubt I am the first person young Lord Malfoy would run to."

"You may not be sir, but I believe that your potions master may be." Lucius may have been addressing the headmaster, but his attention was focused on the dark figure sitting in front of his desk.

Severus sneered at the man. "Lucius"

"Severus, where is my son?"

"Your son? I believe that you disowned him yesterday. I received a missive last night stating that I was the sole guardian for the now Mr. Draconis Alexander Black." For this was true. After the boys had gone to bed last night, a Gringott's high security owl had delivered the notice. As of yet, he had not told Draco of this.

Lucius' mouth formed an angry sneer at this. He hadn't planned on the stupid goblins to inform Severus of Draco's disownment until after this. By that time, he had hoped to have his former son and his toy well into his grasps and far away from the potions master.

"Damn it Snape, the boy's a traitor. He must be punished!" Lucius was quickly losing his patience and forgot who was in the room.

Dumbledore was furious at the statement. His eyes now held a steely dangerous blue. "Mr. Malfoy! It would do you well to remember who is in your company. I would hate to misunderstand that comment and think you are in allegiance with Lord Voldemort."

Lucius hissed at the implied threat behind the words. "Never my dear old headmaster. I was only referring to the fact that Draco has dishonored his family and therefore he is a traitor to our clan."

"I'm sure that is all you meant," Severus grumbled under his breath.

"As you can expect, I have permission from the ministry to search anywhere for Draconis Black. I will be searching the castle before I leave in order to ensure that he is not here. I will come back when I am ready to depart. Rest assure that if the boy is here, I will find him." With that, the blonde man bowed to the other occupants and swept out of the room.

The two remaining men talked for another forty-five minutes about trivial things such as the potions Severus needed to brew for Poppy and the incoming first years. Both were confident that Lucius would not find the boys, but they still would not relax until the blonde aristocrat was gone.

When the blonde reappeared without Draco or Harry, both men were relieved.

"I see that you were not able to locate young Mr. Black. I am sorry for your fruitless search. Shall I have Hagrid escort you to the gates?" Albus still had a dangerous streak in his eyes, but mixed with a mischievous look.

"I do not need that oaf to show me out. I am very much capable of showing myself out. Good day Albus." Lucius then walked to the door where Severus had moved in order to show him personally out. The two men walked out of the headmaster's office and towards the exit.

"Don't toy with me Severus. I know you know where the traitor is. I'm willing to guess that you know where my toy is too."

A cold chill ran down Severus' spine when he heard Harry referred to as Lucius' toy. "There is no way that I would ever tell you were they are, even if I knew. You are a bastard who threw away his own blood in favor of a monster," Severus viciously hissed.

Lucius made an abrupt turn and stopped the potions master from continuing down to the gates. "I will find them, both of them, Snape. When I do, you will never see them again. I will have my revenge and my fun regardless."

"If you so much as look at them when they are found, you will live to regret it."

"Watch it Snapey-boy, wouldn't want to think you are against me." Lucius then headed towards the gates and apparated away once out of the wards.

--

When Severus returned to the headmaster's office, he had finally cooled off from his final words with Malfoy. Dumbledore was working on some papers at his desk with a look of serenity. However, Severus knew the headmaster as a father and could tell that the old man was furious.

"We need to think of a plan to protect the boys." The headmaster didn't even look up when addressing his potions master.

"I have an idea. I was planning on telling you after I got a confirmation from my cousin, but I believe it would be wise to tell you now."

Albus' head shot up at the statement. He did not know that Severus had been planning something.

"Why don't we discuss this tonight. I'm sure the boys are anxious to see you right now. I was afraid they were not going to allow you to come down earlier." Dumbledore could now chuckle at the worry that consumed him before.

"They were almost successful. It was Harry that held me up. I don't think that he realizes just how Slytherin he can be. I was leaving and he did the one thing that I've been wanting him to do at the most inopportune moment. He said his first word." Severus had a big, goofy smile when he told the headmaster. The old man could not help laughing at the fact that Severus was acting like it was his baby's first word.

"Really, my boy. That is an improvement. It shows that he is overcoming what happened to him and that he is comfortable with you." There was a short pause in which Severus grabbed his untouched teacup and took a long drink. Albus waited until that moment to say his next comment. "Did I ever tell you that the sorting hat wanted to put Harry in Slytherin first year?"

Severus nearly sprayed the desk with his tea at that comment. "WHAT?"

"It's true my dear boy. Maybe your ward is as much a Slytherin as yourself. Although, we must not keep the boys waiting. Floo me when they are both asleep and I will come over tonight."

"That's sounds ideal. They usually are asleep by ten. If you excuse me, I will go get the boys."

--

After Harry had fallen asleep, Draco continued to rock him for a half an hour. Draco was overcome with the desire to protect the small boy. Harry did not look like a soon-to-be fourteen-year old. He looked like a soon-to-be first-year. The small boy also didn't act like the courageous, confident thirteen-year old Gryffindor that he once was. If fact, Harry allowed Severus and himself to treat him younger. Draco did not know all of the small boy's past, but was happy that Harry was away from his relative and living with them. The blonde had come to view Harry as his little brother and no one missed with his family.

Once Draco's legs started to get numb from sitting there and Harry's weight (although it was nearly non-existent), he moved the other boy to the bed placed in the corner. He then retrieved one of the books that he brought to read and settled back on the rocking chair. The blonde alternated between reading and checking on Harry for the remainder of the time they were there. When Severus walked into the room, Draco looked up and smiled.

"All clear Sev?"

"Yes, I've come to bring you boys home. Was there any problems?" Severus asked this while casting his eyes to the small form on the bed.

"No, he cried himself to sleep about twenty minutes after you left and hasn't woken up yet."

"Any new words?"

"Nope, but I didn't expect there to be." Draco than rose from the rocking chair and gathered his things. While he was doing that, Severus shrank the rocking chair. Harry didn't use any of the other things he brought, so there was little mess to pick up.

"How are you, Little Dragon?" Severus quickly asked. He knew that it was important to reassure Draco as much as he reassured Harry.

Draco stood still while thinking up his response. He knew that he needed to stay strong for Harry when all this happened, but did he have to do that now? Severus then opened his arms in understanding and Draco ran into them releasing a sob in the process.

"Shhhh, Dragon. You are okay. Your father is gone and will not be back. I'm sorry you had to be so strong when this is affecting you just as much. You are so strong my Little Dragon." Severus and Draco stayed hugging each other for a few more minutes. "We need to talk about a couple of things. How about we go down to our quarters and relax until lunch. Afterwards, we'll talk."

Draco nodded his agreement and moved to finish getting everything together. Severus went over to the bed and lifted the sleeping boy into his arms. Draco came to Severus' side and wrapped Harry's blanket around him. Severus shifted Harry to his hip and wrapped his free arm around Draco's shoulder. The three made their way slowly back to their quarters. Severus sent Draco to his room to rest and then walked into Harry's room. The man then reached into his pocket and removed the rocking chair. Once it was resized, he sat down and arranged Harry comfortably in his lap. He spent the next thirty minutes rocking the sleeping boy before laying him down on the bed and going to check on his eldest.

--

After lunch, Severus sat down and talked to Draco about Lucius disowning him. The potions master was a little surprised when Draco told him that he expected it. Before Harry was kidnapped, Draco had received a letter from his mother informing him that she was expecting another child. Along with the letter came the implied threat that if he was to upset them, he would be disowned while the new baby would be given the title of heir.

The afternoon followed the same routine as before after that. Harry had yet to say another word, but they were willing to wait for him to speak when he was ready. Both Harry and Draco seemed a little clingy that evening. Severus seemed to believe that the event had finally caught up with them and both boys need reassurance.

During dinner, Severus received the reply from his cousin and quickly pocketed the letter until his talk with Dumbledore. That night, since both boys refused to let Severus out of their sights, he read them to sleep on his bed. He had come to expect it after their actions this afternoon, and the potions master wasn't in a hurry to get away from them either. When he was sure that both were asleep and staying that way, he slipped out of bed and went into the living room. Once he informed the headmaster to come over whenever he was able, Severus went over his plan once more while he waited.

Author's Note: So..thats the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and have tons of amazing comments to write. I thought it was a cute first word and I loved writing Severus' response to it. Anyways...I promise the next chapter will have the plan to keep them safe. I'm still playing with a couple final ideas, but pretty much know where the next couple chapters will be going! Anyways...thanks for reading and REVIEW!