A.N.: Dun-dun! A new chapter! I want to thank every single one of you that read and reviewed my story so far. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much -if not more ;p- as you did the last one! Oh, and for all those who have asked, Severus can, in theory cast a charm to get his own emblem, but don't forget he has already been marked by Voldemort; getting his emblem would mean getting rid of the Dark mark first. And that's an issue 'm going to approach later in this story, so you'll just have to wait a bit… Once again, thank you! P.S.: Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter. Is there even a point in writing this disclaimer any more?

MASTERS OF THE KEEP

Now, Severus knew there was no way a magical adoption could have taken place as the Potters would have had to disown Harry first, something that was highly unlikely to happen. But there was always a different possibility to be considered altogether and Harry had indeed shown a tendency to attract old magic… It was something he would have to look at and what time would be better to start but now?

Harry was pacing the floors of his new home -and it was home indeed, for he could no longer deny where his heart felt it found its haven- looking around in awe. Sev had always managed to surprise him, but the seven year old wizard, despite his vivid imagination, had not seen that one coming; a castle, really! And to add to that, a castle that used to be a keep, the headquarters of a family of warriors that once upon a time, a long, long time ago, led their armies into battles against goblins and dueling kingdoms.

It didn't take more than that for Harry's mind to start producing images of a time long gone as he run through corridors and pathways, pretending to be a knight or a great warlock on a mission. With no fear of getting lost -Minnie had said all he needed to do was call for her before she went off to supervise the lunch preparations and an apparent renovation at the west tower- he climbed up and down stairs and run through galleries, a great line of Severus' ancestors and prominent figures of the magical world looking over him, smiling from their portraits. It had been a shared opinion amongst them that the boy's appearance had brought a new lease of life inside these halls and to their master as well.

Harry must have been walking around for a full hour before he came upon a set of great, double wooden doors. They reached all the way up to the ceiling and Harry couldn't help himself -he did have a curiosity streak after all and Severus hadn't said he was disallowed from entering any rooms in the castle. And those doors reaching all the way to the ceiling were unbelievably inviting… With a sigh and a soft smile he made up his mind.

"Better apologize for what you've done than regret not doing it, I say!" He muttered to nobody in specific and pushed the door open with all of his strength. His mouth slacked open at the sight; long live his curiosity streak! It had led him to the castle's library; and it was a room he could recall easily. He spun around slowly as he observed the room; it was immense and the ceiling was twice as high as the corridors' outside the door. Well, the second floor might have had something to do with that, he ventured. Because there was a second floor, fashioned around the empty space that allowed a great portion of the arched ceiling to be seen, and he could see rows upon rows of bookcases on both floors. The chandelier that hung from the ceiling was unlit but the metal shone in the light coming from the stained glass window covering the central part of the wall further away from him, behind a grand double staircase that led to the upper floor.

"Wow." Harry croaked in shock as he regarded the room petrified for a few more seconds. As he snapped out of his stupor he walked around the room, half expecting Merlin to show up around the next corner; it was, after all, most definitely the library from Severus' mind. And as the boy started pondering on the suspicion he had fallen asleep and was dreaming, he heard his name being called from the stairs.

"You found your way to the library I see." Severus stated chuckling as he walked down the stairs. Harry was once again surprised and not just because he had thought he was alone in the room. Severus looked different; with a quick assessment, the boy understood exactly why that was. He was still wearing the black slacks from that morning but gone were his black cape and shirt. They had been replaced with a white shirt and a dark green vest which, paired with his smile and the few pounds he had put on, made Severus look healthier and every bit the twenty seven year old man that he was. He was holding two leather bound books in his arm and had a spring in his step; it was Severus as he should have been, as he would have been if it wasn't for Voldemort.

"No black cloak?" Harry asked with a smile.

"I didn't feel like wearing black today." He stated shrugging.

"You were right." The boy stated happily, making Severus' smile widen. He truly had felt like wearing something brighter today, a feat on its own accord as black had been all he had worn since graduation. "This room is amazing!"

"It is." Severus agreed chuckling. "I remodelled it a little to appear like my dream library and I believe the outcome has rewarded my efforts." The potions master smiled at a vigorously nodding Harry. "And how do you like the castle so far? Did you pick a room yet?"

"I did. Minnie said it's in the family quarters, a few doors away from yours." Harry admitted with a smile. "And I love the castle!"

"It's a good thing you do, because we will be spending a lot of time here." Severus offered.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Anything kid."

"What do we tell my family?" Harry asked. "I mean, what happens if they come looking for me at Spinner's End only to find it empty and me gone?"

"I see your point." Severus said thoughtful. "But Harry, in all honesty, when was the last time your family came to pick you up from my house?" The young professor asked with a sad smile. How long had it been since he had last dreamt of Lily living in his house with Harry and himself? Close to a year, maybe a year and a half, he discovered startled. He had no more time to ponder on that subject however as Harry responded.

"Never?" His answering smile was just as sad. When had the last time he had wished his parents would come pick him up from Severus' house been? Too long ago to remember exactly, he realized. Maybe before his fifth birthday. It didn't really matter anymore; Harry had decided that wanting to stay with Severus more than he did with his parents was a natural result of his growing up and didn't mean he did not love his family. It was just that staying with Severus was now a choice made happily and consciously instead of a choice made for him until his parents claimed him.

"Never." Severus agreed. "And this castle… Let's just keep it between us until I'm ready to share, or at least until you're asked directly okay?"

"Okay Sev!" Harry said nodding, making Severus smile yet again at how considerate the boy was. "And what are these books?"

"I figured out these books have been in here since practically forever, so there was bound to be something about emblems in their midst." The potions' master stated, pointing at the larger of the two books that was bound in dark brown leather.

"And you found a book?"

"Yes. Apparently emblems were a hit up until the eighth century before falling out of grace during the first goblin rebellion when it was thought wiser to not showcase your magical abilities to your enemies." Severus explained placing the first book on a table and seating down along with Harry who opened the book eagerly and skimmed through the first page.

"Can I read the book too?" Harry asked. "I promise I won't rip it or…"

"Relax Harry." Severus assured him chuckling. "I found the book for you and even if you decided to rip it into a thousand pieces you wouldn't be able; all the books of the library are magically protected."

"That's a relief; this looks ancient!" Harry exclaimed. "Heavy too…" He muttered as he tried to lift said book.

"You should exercise more Harry." The young man mock scolded him. It was a thought though.

"And what about the second book?" Harry asked ignoring the suggestion.

"That's for a bit of personal research; it's something that popped into my mind while we talked to Minnie today. If I get something precise, I will tell you." Severus said glancing at the black leather book in front of him.

"Okay." Harry agreed readily, knowing he was going to find out sooner or later. "Sev?" The boy asked after a short pause.

"Yes?"

"Could you come with me to explore around the castle a little?" The boy asked shyly.

"I would think you have seen the majority of it by now…" Severus said with humor as the boy blushed.

"There're still the dungeons that I haven't seen, the east wing and tower too and did you know the western tower is being renovated?" The boy asked in one breath.

"So you did see all the rest?" Severus chuckled raising an eyebrow and quite doubting the boy had time to explore everything. "I was only joking you know." Harry narrowed his eyes in an attempt of a stern look that was completely ruined by a small pout that fought its way on his lips.

"I'll let you play around a little more in the library but then you have to come with me mister!" Harry stated in his better Molly Weasley imitation, making Severus burst out in laughter, an example soon followed by the boy.

"Fine, fine, you win!" Severus conceded, wiping a couple stray tears from his eyes. "Just let me take a look around to see if I find anything else that I need. You may do the same." The potions' master said, quite uselessly, as Harry had already approached the closest bookcase and read the titles in the lower selves. "If you find a subject you like but can't reach the books, call for me. Oh, one last thing!" Severus exclaimed as if he had just remembered. He reached in his pocket and produced Harry's wand. The boy's eyes widened. "As long as you're here, you might as well carry it but don't try new spells without me around, or without me knowing." He stated intently and placed the wand in Harry's extended hand.

"I promise Sev!" The excited boy said, looking at his wand in awe. Severus laughed as he watched him practically hop away; Harry's approach of magic was refreshing to say the least. He was interested in every aspect -maybe not divination but still- learning the basics without prejudice and then deciding if he wanted to know more. But even in his young age he could understand the need for a spherical regard of magic and Severus couldn't help but feel a little pride knowing he was the one that had instilled such an understanding in the boy; Harry would grow up to think for himself and that was one of the best things he could wish for the boy.

Severus turned his attention towards the upper floor and ascended the staircase once again; he had come up with something quite interesting on why Minnie had considered Harry and himself family; a soft smile crept into his face. You have to love magic, he thought to himself and strongly resisted the urge to whistle as he moved towards the bookcase he wanted.

Harry, in the meantime was looking over the many titles at his disposal; books on every subject he could think of were flashing before his eyes and he was slowly getting dizzy with trying to choose one. After a couple more minutes wandering around thus, he made the decision to just grab the largest book he could find and start from there. It was a soft brown leather bound book, decorated with carvings of magical animals and entitled The Art Of Warfare Vol.2: Magical Creatures In Battle. Never having come across any strategy book before, the green eyed wizard became engrossed into his reading almost immediately. It wasn't so much the text, he barely got to read that, as it was the pictures; beautifully drawn pictures of soldiers moving on fields preparing for battle an magical creatures such as hippogriffs and trolls aligned, ready to attack. He spent a good fifteen minutes just watching the tactics the book suggested and was just about to search for a different subject when he decided to turn the page.

His eyes widened in awe. The next chapter of the book was devoted to a breed of creatures that were considered to be one of the greatest assets in battlefields. They weren't something Harry had ever heard before and even in the text it was stated they were rare. He stopped reading for a second and instead turned to look at the moving painting on book. There, standing on its two back legs was a war-unicorn. They were -in contrast to normal unicorns- of a dark colour, black or a deep brown, as depicted on the book, and much taller than their white coloured brothers. They were strong and very difficult to tire, with a large silver horn and a much smaller one -barely one fifth of the larger horn's size- right beneath it. But despite the fact the unicorn was amazing on it own merit, that wasn't what had caught Harry's attention. No, what had caught his eye was this; on the side of the unicorn that was visible, right on the top of the war-unicorn's back leg a soft silvery glow could be seen. A silvery glow in the shape of an emblem.

"Sev!" Harry shouted as he picked up the book and ran to the stairs, climbing them as fast as he could. He was on the second floor in a matter of seconds and found himself face to face with a startled Severus Snape, his wand in hand and his eyes searching the area for Death Eaters.

"What happened Harry?" Severus asked when he was certain they weren't being assaulted. "Are you alright?" He crouched on his knees to take a better look at the boy, making sure he was uninjured.

"I'm fine Sev!" Harry reassured the now confused professor.

"Then why did you shout?" He asked realizing Harry didn't even appear scared.

"Look!" He said pointing to the open book. Severus regarded the boy with a half amused, half exasperated look.

"You scared me half way to death because of a book?" He asked with a smile only to have his eyes widen just as Harry's had a few moments ago when he noticed the emblem.

"See?" Harry asked excited. "What do you think this is?
"One would say it's an emblem…" Severus muttered as his eyes flew over the words, trying to find an explanation. And he did, a few seconds later, but that didn't help with his surprise. "Listen to this." Harry nodded and waited as Severus cleared his throat.

"War-unicorns, besides being the most trusted amongst the equine used for battles, appear to have the ability of forming a close connection with their riders, creating a bond akin to that of friendship. In cases where the wizard or witch has acquired an emblem it is quite often the case that the unicorn will produce a replica of said glyph on itself as a symbol of the bond created. No knowledge of how that is possible has been acquired by the time this book was written, but it is generally believed that the process is the result of some sort of a ritual." Severus stopped reading and looked at Harry with an eyebrow raised.

"Wow." Harry stated. "You think there might be a book on war-unicorns in here somewhere?" The boy asked, looking straight into Severus's eyes.

"There might be." He agreed. "Expect it to be pretty old like this one." Severus commended as he looked skeptically at the tome Harry had brought him. "Tell you what; why don't we go look at the dungeons and ask Minnie to appoint an elf to search for any books on war-unicorns?" The young professor offered. "It will take us forever if we try to search by ourselves and I can't summon a book without knowing its title."

"Can't you just summon it based on its context?" Harry asked after some consideration. Severus smirked at the question; he was definitely doing something right raising him.

"I could but this library is filled with books dating back to a thousand, maybe more, years ago. I even noticed some scrolls back there." Severus explained. "To my knowledge, war-unicorns were used in combat until early in the fifteenth century; can you imagine how many books in this library will mention them?"

"A lot?" The boy asked with a smile.

"A lot." Severus agreed chuckling. "It would be better to ask somebody who already knows where they are." Harry nodded and Severus summoned Minnie who in turn summoned an older elf -called Watt- and explained what they were looking for. He asked for any books found on war-unicorns to be sent at Harry's room while the books he had gathered himself to be left at his quarters. After thanking both elves the two wizards left the library talking vividly.

"War-unicorns are brilliant!" The green eyed boy exclaimed as they walked down the corridor. "How comes I've never heard of them before?"

"Well, since they're no longer used in battles they aren't bred in England anymore." He considered his answer for a while and then added. "Actually they aren't bred in Europe at all; there are some wild war-unicorns in central Europe, I believe, but the only place I've heard of them being bred is the Arabian Peninsula. I even heard some rumors about Morocco, but either way they're not exporting." Harry was listening with amazement.

"I would love to see one…" They boy stated dreamily. "And I would love to travel someday. I've never left England you know." He added wistfully. Severus stopped in his tracks and looked at the boy with wide eyes. His mind flashed back to a time when he was not much older than Harry, during the summer after his first year at Hogwarts.

A black haired boy and a red haired girl with bright emerald eyes were sitting by a lake talking animatedly to each other.

"After finishing school I would like to work at the Ministry." The girl said. "I know it's too soon but I've heard so much about their Charms division!"

"And the whole school knows how much you like charms!" The boy added with a smile.

"What would you like to do after school Severus? Become an Auror or something?" The girl asked.

"I don't know Lils." The boy answered looking at the lake absentmindedly. "I would like to travel someday. You know, I've never left the country."

"Sev?" Harry asked looking at the potions master with a concerned expression. "Sev are you alright?"

"Yeah…" The young man trailed off and then looked at Harry with a smile. "Yes, I'm fine kid. You just reminded me of a boy who had the same dreams as you at your age." Harry looked at him surprised.

"Whom?"

"Me." Severus answered and looked at Harry's eyes earnestly. "I promise you will travel Harry. I'll take you see the world, I swear." He said solemnly, well knowing the burden Harry would have to bear in the future; he would make sure the boy would live his life to the fullest. Harry just stared at him blankly before hugging the life out of him.

"Thanks Dad." He said fighting off his tears.

"Don't mention it Harry." Severus said, feeling the now familiar warmth in his chest. "You've been thanking me an awful lot lately."

"With reason." Harry stated, making Severus chuckle once.

"And as for war-unicorns, well I can't promise you I will show you one, but I can teach you how to ride." Harry's head snapped upwards to look at Severus with amazement.

"You know how to ride?"

"My mother taught me before she died and I was deemed unwanted from her family." Severus said with a soft smile. "You know this castle has stables right?" He asked the boy whose eyes widened for the umpteenth time that day.

"With horses?" He asked and Severus chuckled.

"It's customary to have horses in your stables Harry."

"Well the Potter manor has stables but father said the last one to keep horses there was his grandfather." Harry stated and Severus noted he didn't call James "Dad" but stuck with the more formal term "Father". His heart leapt a little at the implication but he tried to ignore it.

"That's a waste of space." He stated and smiled. "Well there are horses in our stables and they are, of course at your disposal. We can start lessons anytime you want." Severus said smiling at the sparkle his statement created in the boy's eyes. "And I'd better see to that Quidditch pitch being repaired…" He trailed off as he started walking again, looking at Harry with the corner of his eyes.

"You have a Quidditch pitch?" The boy asked excited.

"Potter manor has one too." Severus reminded him with a smile.

"Yeah but I've never used it." Harry explained. "Father and Sirius taught Adrian how to fly this July but they never asked if I wanted to learn too." He blushed and looked at his feet while Severus cursed under his breath.

"Do you want to learn Harry?" He asked already knowing the answer.

"Sure." The boy stated, trying not to look excited.

"Then I'll teach you that too." Severus stated turning at a now smiling Harry. "It's time I started enjoying Quidditch again myself."

"You mean it?"

"Don't I always?" Severus asked rhetorically, assuming a mock superior air. Harry laughed and the black eyed man congratulated himself for lifting the boy's spirits. The conversation turned towards the castle and how the various repairs where proceeding. Severus explained he was renovating the western tower, which was the tallest of the keep, so they could use it for astronomy lessons and so on. They reached the dungeons soon enough and Severus led the way towards what he remembered was the potions lab. His smile widened at the sight and at Harry's exclamation of "Wow".

The lab was much larger than he had expected; not quite as large as the one at Hogwarts but then again this one wasn't supposed to fit twenty students and their cauldrons. They looked around for a while and Severus made a mental note of the ingredients he would need to buy so he could stock the now empty ingredient cabinets. After inspecting the room closely they went to observe the rest of the dungeons. They found an armory -to Harry's delight- and a vast empty room probably designed for training. Exactly what we needed, Severus thought. The castle apparently came equipped with its own holding cells and Harry's imagination once again led him to a time of battles and heroic deeds. The morning was spent in walking around the castle and its fields, including a visit at the stables where the house elf in charge -a shy female elf who introduced herself as Millie- showed them around and gave them the name of the eight horses currently residing there.

It was already early afternoon when the two wizards remembered they had to eat. Minnie decided, eying their thin bodies suspiciously, to feed them double rations than they usually ate. They decided no training was to take place that day and instead opted for a short trip to Diagon Alley for potions ingredients and a few items needed for Harry's upcoming astronomy lessons. Severus was trying to decide which telescope would fit Harry better as the boy absentmindedly looked over some charts that depicted various constellations when he bumped into an old man who seemed just as absorbed as himself.

"Forgive me sir, I didn't see you standing there." The boy said blushing profusely. The man smiled kindly and waved his hand dismissing the apology.

"No need for apologies young man. I didn't see you standing there either." He explained. Harry took that moment to observe the man closely; he was old, almost as old as Dumbledore or Merlin had looked and he had kind brown eyes and a short white beard. His equally white hair was long and he wore a pale green wizard's hat on his head that matched his long robes. The man's eyes twinkled as he noticed the boy observing him. "Tell me, are you interested in astronomy? It's very rare to see a boy your age in such a store."

"I'm actually here to buy a telescope sir." Harry said blushing again.

"So you are interested in astronomy!" The man exclaimed. Then he looked at Harry with worry. The boy couldn't be older than six, maybe seven years of age. "But are you here alone?"

"No, sir." Harry said with a smile. "I'm here with Sev." He said and pointed at Severus who was conversing over a telescope with the shop's owner. The man cocked his eyebrow at the introduction but let it slide.

"So you're interested in astronomy." He repeated. "But how old are you?"

"Seven sir." The boy stated, looking at the old man with curious green eyes. He didn't want to give out more information than necessary but the old man felt trustworthy.

"Seven and interested in more than Quidditch! Will you look at that!" He said good-naturedly.

"I'm interested in Quidditch too. Sev says I have a curiosity streak a mile wide." Harry explained with a smile, making the man laugh.

"Ah, curiosity! Troublesome at times but where would we be without it?" The man exclaimed. "And sadly very few possess creative curiosity anymore; it's good to meet a fellow spirit." Harry laughed lightly at the man's words. "But where are my manners?" He wondered out loud. "My name is Nicholas. And you would be?"

"I'm Harry, sir." The boy said and shook the old wizard's extended hand.

"It is nice to meet you Harry." The man stated with smiling eyes.

"Nicholas!" A woman's voice sounded from outside. Harry turned to look and his eyes met with an elderly woman that looked about the same age as the man. "What are you doing in that shop again? You have more charts than you'll ever need!"

"Ah! That would be my wife." Nicholas said conspiratorially. "I believe that's my cue to leave. It was a pleasure meeting you Harry." He said looking at the boy with a smile. "I have a feeling we shall meet again." And like that, he turned around and left a slightly confused Harry Potter looking at his retreating form before shrugging his shoulders and joining Severus at the registry.

"You're always in that shop, Nicholas!" The old woman commented with a fond smile, trying to look exasperated at her husband of many years.

"My dear Perenelle, I fear I'm too old to change my antics now." Nicholas said smiling.

"I know that look, Nicholas." His wife stated as she took in his pleased look. "What did you do this time?"

"I believe I made a very interesting acquaintance today my dear." He stated as they walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. "A very interesting acquaintance indeed!"