The next morning Harry woke up to the sound of someone entering his room, which was actually the guest room of Snape's living quarters that Harry had been occupying since moving off the sofa, and immediately shielded himself, before remembering that he was at Hogwarts, the Dursley's were in jail, nobody was here to hurt him. It was the head of Slytherin himself that entered the room, carrying a tray laden with vials "Good Morning, Harry." He said as Harry sat himself up, with difficulty, put his glasses on and looked at the man who had just entered the room. This man could not be the most feared teacher in Hogwarts, he looked almost fatherly in his dark wash jeans, white button down and black suit jacket. His usual mop of hair was tied into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck, but a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, giving away his apparent happiness at /something/. "You need to drink these. They'll help you to get up and moving. It's a pain reliever, strengthening solution, nutrition potion and energy supplement. There's a cup of tea for you as I realise that most of those potions do not taste particularly nice, and porridge with golden syrup. I do not mind if you don't eat all the porridge today, but your food intake is going to have to dramatically increase, Mr. Potter. You're at least thirty pounds underweight and it's not helping you at all. The nutrition potions I'm starting you on will help, but solid food is going to be the best thing for you. When you have finished with your breakfast take a look in the wardrobe." When Snape left the room, Harry quickly drank all four potions and set about tackling the small bowl of porridge. He could only stomach about half before pushing it aside and easing himself off the bed without help for the first time in weeks. As per Snape's instructions, Harry looked in the wardrobe on the other side of the room. He was surprised to discover a stack of muggle clothes on the shelf, as well as a black felt coat. Not a cloak, a coat. Whether he was more surprised about Professor Snape owning these things or allowing him to use them, he was unsure, but grateful to the man for doing so. Dressed in a white button down and black trousers, similar enough to his school uniform that he didn't feel uncomfortable, he ventured into the kitchen, where Snape was drinking his morning coffee and reading the Daily Prophet. The view of domestic bliss was so different from the usual view of the potions master, Harry was almost finding it funny, until he saw the picture of himself on a page flipping over the side and groaned. "There's no need for faces, Harry, it's more blatant lies."

"What are they saying, sir?" He asked, wanting to know what the rest of the school were believing

"As nobody has heard anything about you since the trial, rumour has it you've gone mad and are currently in St Mungo's." Harry snorted, and Snape finally looked up from the paper.

"I hope you don't plan on making that sort of noise again today." He looked Harry up and down "Coat." He said simply

"Sir?" Harry questioned

"I left a coat for you, go and put it on. It's February and you have been really quite ill. There is snow on the ground, so please go and put your coat on." Harry went and got his coat, finding that it fit perfectly. He wondered how Snape had managed to get hold of clothes his size, or even knew his size. It felt nice to have clothes that fitted, that weren't his school uniform. He was back in the kitchen within a minute, where Snape insisted on wrapping a scarf around his neck and ensuring his coat was buttoned properly. "We will be flooing to the Three Broomsticks, and from there we will apparate to the outskirts of the village. We will then walk to the church." Snape explained, taking a handful of floo powder from an ornate box on the mantle, then motioning for Harry to do the same.

The Three Broomsticks was empty, as could be expected at quarter to ten on a , with the only occupant being Madam Rosmerta wiping down tables. "Morning Severus." She called as the two left the building. Snape acknowledged her greeting with a small smile and nod, burying his hands deep in the pockets of his own coat. "There is a pair of gloves in your pocket, Harry. Put them on before we go outside." He instructed. Harry obeyed this instruction, still in awe as to how the blue gloves, along with everything else, were a perfect fit. "Now take hold of my arm."

"Professor...?" Harry was still not accustomed to Professor Snape being nice to him, let alone asking for physical contact.

"Just do it, Potter." Snape sighed. The young boy tentatively held his arm, before the pair apparated to the edge of the village of Glenlivet.

Before coming into contact with anybody else, Snape pulled Harry into a nearby line of trees. "Before we go anywhere you're going to have to go by a different name. I think all the other churchgoers are muggles, but we can't be too careful. I'm also going to change your appearance slightly." He waved his wand over Harry, who felt a warm tingling sensation. His hair took on a slightly reddish hue, becoming more auburn than black, and his sharp Potter features softened out. Freckles appeared across his nose and cheeks, the lightning scar slowly disappeared. "Temporary glamour charm." Snape explained, but Harry wasn't listening

"Jem. Jem Evans." He said suddenly

"What was that?" Snape asked

"My name. Jem Evans, if anybody asks. James is my middle name, but I know you don't like it, so shorten to Jem, and Evans was mum's name. Jem Evans." Snape smiled

"Ok then, Jem. Shall we start walking?" Harry nodded enthusiastically.

The church was small and modern, but had a wonderful atmosphere to it. "Severus!" A woman greeted "How are you?"

"Hello Judith," Snape smiled, something Harry had never seen before "I'm very well thank you. How did the bake sale go on Thursday?"

"It was a huge success! We raised over 300!" Judith said gleefully

"I'm glad to hear that, Judith. Sorry I couldn't be there, I was-"

"At work, I know. They keep you so busy at that school! Couldn't you get some time off?" Judith suddenly noticed Harry, who was lost in thought. Could this be Professor Snape, his terrifying potions master, asking a woman well into her 50's about a /bake sale/? Judith's question brought Harry out of his reverie "And who might this be?"

"Judith, this is Jem, my..." Snape started

"Nephew." Harry lied quickly "Mum and Dad are away so I'm staying with Uncle Sev." He knew he would pay dearly for 'Uncle Sev' later, but for now they needed a cover story.

"Hello Jem, I'm Judith. I'm in charge the fundraising here at the church. Your uncle is very generous, as much as he may pretend he's not. He always gives to the collection plate, helps out with the fundraisers when he can, he's a very nice man." For the first time in his life, Harry saw Severus Snape blush. Actually blush! He couldn't say anything to Judith, so just nodded. "Poor Dear, how old is he Severus?" Judith asked Harry's 'uncle'.

"He's twelve. Parents had to go away very suddenly, so he's still in a bit of shock about it. I was hoping the Lord might be able to help him with that." Ok so maybe the payment for 'Uncle Sev' was coming much sooner than he thought. "Come Jem, let's take our seats." He said suddenly. They turned towards the pews, selecting a more central one near the back. After they sat down Snape turned to Harry "If you ever call me 'Uncle Sev' outside of this village, you will be scrubbing cauldrons for the rest of the year, understand?" He glared at Harry, whilst Harry kept a perfectly straight face.

"Yes, Uncle Sev." He said monotonously, before cracking up. Snape gave a wry smile. With his newly charmed appearance, there was no doubt that this boy was Lily's offspring. The way he laughed with his whole body, not just his face, and the way his eyes lit up when he knew he was up to mischief. He reminded Severus so much of his lost love that it hurt. It was then that Severus decided that he must protect the boy at all costs.