Chapter 4-Arrival At The Burrow

Arthur held onto Severus and apparated to the burrow with Molly not far behind. Severus looked fascinated at the five story house that went up at different angles. It was obvious to him that only Magic held it together. He thought it was kind of neat. Arthur set Severus down on to the ground and let him look around, Ron and Ginny spotted them first and Ginny yelled to Fred and George that Mom and Dad were back with a little boy.

Percy came out of the house and said that some parcels had been flooed in from Hogwarts and he stopped walking halfway across the yard when he saw his parents with a little boy. Severus looked over the five Weasleys with some interest and wondered if they even liked the fact that he was there. Severus was wondering if he should say something or not

Percy looked him over and asked, "Who do we have here?"

"He is dressed just like Snape!" Ginny exclaimed, as she got closer.

Ron's eyes narrowed "He looks like him too." Ron glanced behind him to find the twins. He had just realized what happened to the shrinking potion ball he had left for Mrs. Norris to find.

The twins came out from the backyard and stopped suddenly as they spotted Severus and then whispered to each other while eyeing the small child standing between Molly and Arthur.

"Looks like Snape in short form."

"You don't think..."

"Yeah bro I think he found"

"The potions ball?"

"Oh oh."

Arthur and Molly sensed that the children were curious as to what was going on but were going to wait for their mother and father to say what was going on before commenting further. Severus just tensed and stiffened his back. He was pretty positive that his situation was not looking promising at all. Arthur noticed and told him "Don't worry Severus they are only curious about you."

Severus gave Arthur a look that clearly said, "Yeah, right" then looked away.

Molly yelled "That is enough everybody into the house so we can explain everything to you."

Severus winced as Molly's voice was raised; he wondered why she was angry with everybody. Arthur leaned over to Severus and whispered to him "Don't worry about her yelling like that, she isn't angry with you."

The family trooped back into the house and Severus glanced around at the small kitchen with the long narrow wooden table and chairs that was squarely in the middle of the room. He noted the outside door was split into two halves and that the windows had diamond shaped patterns and a design instead of being a totally clear pane like back at home. He saw that the place though crowded was clean and had a warm welcoming feeling unlike his home at Spinners End except at the moment the red headed children were making him feel a little uncomfortable as they focused their attention on him and he dropped his gaze down.

Molly noticed his discomfort. "Okay now lets all settle down and introduce ourselves to Severus."

"SEVERUS! Like in Severus Snape?' asked Percy as he stared hard at the little boy "I didn't know he had a family."

"No Percy he has no family this is Severus Snape. Sometime on the day school ended, he was returned to his childhood."

The twins and Ron gave each other furtive glances as they knew what had probably happened but none of them wanted to draw their mother's wrath upon them.

"Severus, do you remember any of us?' asked Ginny.

Severus felt a little shy and said softly "No I don't."

"we're a little curious about how old"

"You are.. four or five?'

"I'm eight years, seven months old." Severus informed the twins.

"But you are so tiny,"

"when you were older"

"you stood over six feet tall." exclaimed the twins.

Severus looked surprised "I was?"

Ron snapped, "Yeah you were, and you glided around like a bat..."

"Ron that is enough." Molly said, "Mind your manners."

Severus stared at Ron as he wondered what was his problem.

Molly paused and then decided not to say anything more as she caught a look from Arthur that she took to mean let things go and see how the kids will get along without adult interference.

Molly hustled around getting cups set in front of every one and with a whisk of her wand they filled up with hot chocolate and whipped topping. "Don't worry Severus you will get to know us after a while."

Percy who was obviously the eldest told Severus who he was and then prodded one of the twins who introduced himself as Fred and then George, Ron and Ginny. They thought it mighty peculiar that Severus Snape did not know their names

"We have two older brothers named Bill and Charlie but they are on their own now." explained Ginny..

Severus looked around at all of them and nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"I think Severus can use the room across from ours right dear?" Molly turned to Arthur who agreed that room would be fine. "It will be much easier for me to look after him if he needs me during the night."

Molly then turned back to Severus "My boys and Ginny will show you your room, go on through the living room and up the stairs to your right."

Severus was feeling a little nervous and scared but he held his feelings inside and presented a blank face to Molly. "Thank-you, I was told to expect some parcels flooed from Hogwarts."

Percy said, "Oh, those packages from Hogwarts are yours are they?"

"I guess so, at least the fellow they called Filius said they were mine."

There were some odd looks passed by each of the Weasley children, but for now they would not say anything till they had more to go on.

"Fine we will help you take them up." Percy said as he got up and motioned to the others to follow.

Severus slipped down off his chair and said "Thanks," as he followed the older children towards the living room.

Ron studied Severus through narrowed eyes and then got up to follow the others..

Molly watched the children as they left to show Severus his room and help with his packages.

"That went well Arthur."

"So far Molly but then we are present and I have this feeling something is not quite right, but I can't quite put my finger on it, besides Ron's reaction."

"I guess whatever it is you are sensing will come out sooner or later." Molly paused and thought while watching the children stop at the big grandfather clock in the living room. "You know Professor Snape is not one of our childrens favourite people."

Arthur sighed and reminded Molly "But this is not Professor Snape,."Arthur thought a few seconds "He is just Severus who is eight years and seven months old" He said with a chuckle.

"You think we should tell them what we know about his background Arthur?"

"No Molly, at least not yet, I don't think Severus would like to feel he is to be pitied."

"I just don't want to see him hurt again."

"I know but I think we should give the children some time to adjust to him as a child first, I don't think they would do him deliberate harm."

Meanwhile Severus was walking through the living room with the kids when he noticed the Weasley grandfather clock. "Oh wow I have never seen a clock like that one before." he exclaimed.

The twins explained how the clock worked.

"You see there are nine hands.''

"And each one represents."

"One of us so we"

"can tell where we."

"Are at a glance."

"No matter where we are."
"Traveling,"

"At work."

"School "

"Asleep"

"Or in danger."

Severus gazed for a minute at the clock with all the arrows resting at home and safe, then bent down and picked up a package of books with his name on it that was on the carpet.

Percy and the twins gathered up the other packages that had come through and went up the twisty winding stairs to the first landing and took Severus into the little room that was simply furnished with a single bed and a dresser. A small throw rug was beside the bed and there was also a tiny closet for to hang his clothes up

Severus liked what he saw as Percy and the twins dumped the packages they were holding onto the bed. Severus placed the package of books he was carrying on the dresser.

"Our home may not be fancy..." started Ron who stood just outside the doorway with his arms folded waiting till he could talk to the twins alone.

"Its nicer than Spinners End." stated Severus as he looked over the tiny room.

"Spinners End? What is that?"

"My parents house." Severus told them.

The Weasley siblings looked at each other, as they wondered why Severus hadn't been sent to Spinners End then with his parents instead of here at the Burrow. Percy took charge once again.

"Hmmmmf, Lets leave Severus to unpack. He turned to Severus "You should change into something lighter so your outfit won't get ruined." as he shooed the rest out of the room and then left himself.

Severus nodded and said quietly " thank you."

Ron went with the twins to their room to talk. Ginny went back downstairs as Percy went back to his room to finish off some work.

Molly asked Ginny how things were going along upstairs.

"Severus seems a little lost but I think he likes our house. At least he said it was better than his parents house...Spinners End I think he called it."

"That was nice of him."

"Why did Professor Dumbledore send him here instead of his home to his parents?"

"His parents are dead and he has no other family."

"Oh, he never mentioned that."

"He probably didn't think it was necessary to mention anything about it honey.''

"His parents are dead and that isn't important?"

"It's a long story which isn't for us to say anything about...at least not yet."

Ginny's eyes widened and she wondered what the mystery was concerning Severus Snape that her parents were hiding.

Meanwhile in the twins room

"Okay Ron it looks"

"Like we have got."

"A test subject."

"Thanks to you."

"And now we have."

"A real problem."

"If mom and dad."

"find out..."

Ron glared at them "Yeah, sure it is my fault, I didn't invent the stuff. Who would think that Git would find the shrinking ball."

"It didn't just shrink him Little bro, it made him younger and it is."

"Obvious that he has no conscious memories of his older self."

Ron plopped into a chair "So what, he still here and I don't like him."

"Bro, go easy on. the little chap, we didn't particularly like."

"Professor Snape either but this person is a small child."

Ron sighed, "I just hope mom and dad don't find out we are to blame for all this."

Severus had unpacked the parcels and found some shirts, pants, socks and underthings which he put away. He changed from his potions master outfit into a pair of green pants and shirt.He then sat on the bed and looked through the books that Minerva had sent on to him.

She had sent a potions book that she had found in his study that he had obviously been reading and some books about transfiguration and charms. Severus sat on the bed with his legs crossed and started to look through the books. He figured the other children had other things that they wanted to do and he was used to being alone.

Molly and Arthur wondered how things were going but as Arthur said to Molly "Let the children be, they will adjust on their own, anyway this is Severus's first day and he may not be comfortable with too much attention."

Molly sighed and went about making up the late luncheon. Her wand work was fast and efficient as she got the dishes going and the meal on the stove warming up. It had been quite a day for everyone.

Ginny helped her mother set up the table and asked how was it that Severus turned into a child.

Arthur told her that Albus mentioned something about a shrinking potion that had resisted the usual antidote was more than likely the culprit as Professor Flitwick had eliminated the possibility that a shrinking charm had been used.

"But how can a shrinking potion be responsible for de-aging Professor Snape?"

"I don't know but they found evidence that it was a shrinking potion when they found the Professors desk was half its size."

"Oh."

Ron was restless and he sat down in his room and stared at the liquid shrinking balls that were lying in the box on his dresser then wrote a couple of letters, one to Harry and one to Hermione to tell them about what had happened. He was worried that they might be stuck with Severus Snape at the burrow all summer and that as far as he was concerned would ruin his vacation.

The twins were going over their formula and were trying to find out what had gone wrong.

"It should have just shrunk"

"Not de-age him."

"We better try to find out

"How long he.":

"Will be this way and."

"If we can reverse"

"the effects or we may"

"Have a bigger problem."

Back at Hogwarts

"Albus you do think we did the right thing sending Severus with Molly and Arthur don't you?" asked Minerva who thought back to the look in Severus's eyes when he had left.

"Yes Minerva Molly and Arthur will look after him and give him something he has never before experienced."

"What do you think that would be Albus ?"

"Love, and kindness."