Chapter Three
"Dad?" Harry began as they as they all sat at the table eating breakfast. "Can we stop and get some ice cream after we're finished getting my school supplies?"
Harry's letter had come the day before, and everyone else in the house had gone temporarily deaf due to his excited shout. James had finally gotten him to stop shouting because he was scaring the owl before he could send his acceptance. The not-quite-eleven boy had calmed down since then, but not much.
Severus had mixed feelings on his oldest child going to Hogwarts. He knew that, even if the boy showed some Slytherin traits, he was likely to end up in Gryffindor. In fact, none of his children would end up in his house. Even at age nine, Helena would rather learn something 'just for the fun of it,' a sure sign that she would be sorted into Ravenclaw. And Hugh, their last by not least born at almost seven, was a natural Hufflepuff.
James gave him a look across the table. "You're going with us," he said.
Severus resigned himself to the family trip. He had done so every time James needed to go to Diagon Alley. Three kids and one adult - three curious kids and an adult who liked to prowl the joke shops - cause havoc every time they went without Severus. Especially if they met up with Black. Remus wasn't as bad an influence as Black was, but James seemed to forget the concept of time when in Diagon Alley.
It was a good thing Sirius was out of the country. The Ministry of Magic, and more specifically Ramses Brown, who led the Department of Mysteries, had presented the idea of an exchange program with other countries' Aurors. Sirius, being single as well as a high ranking Auror, had jumped at the chance and had left for a five-year stint across the Atlantic, first in the States and then Canada. If Sirius had been here when Harry had gotten his letter, Severus would have hidden out at Hogwarts regardless of Dumbledore.
"Patri!"
Severus looked at the pleading blue eyes directed at him. "Yes, Helena?"
"May we go to Madame Minnows?"
He sighed and glared at James. "Why do we need to go there?" Severus intoned.
"I wanted to get some one-use hats," the young girl answered.
"Cause you keep on losing em'," Harry crowed. It had been a sticking point between the two siblings.
"I do not," Helena yelled. "Stupid Rosie keeps on taking them. She thinks they're yours! But you have cooties, so I don't know why she wants 'em."
Across the table, Hugh had plugged his ears to ready himself for the forthcoming battle between his brother and sister.
Severus looked over at James. "Remind me why we have children again?"
******
James glared at the little red haired girl who was staring at his son. He'd known this was going to happen.
"Dad? Dad?"
He looked down to the green eyes that were watching him.
"You're embarrassing me, Dad," Harry said. He turned to Hugh. "You will look after Midnight, won't you?" asking about the family cat, who was staying behind since Harry had gotten an owl, a snowy owl named Hedwig, and he could only take one animal.
Hugh nodded. "Yeah, Harry," he half-shouted.
All motion stopped and the entire platform fell silent.
Harry glared at his little brother, and James silently groaned. The only good thing about this was neither Severus nor Helena were here. Those two were very hotheaded when it came to Harry's safety. Two peas in a pod, they were. As it was, they weren't going to be happy about this.
James hurried up and hustled his two boys onto the train and into a compartment. He got Harry's trunk and owl settled in and turned to his oldest son.
"No matter what house, have fun and try to make friends," James told Harry. "Just don't let the Malfoy boy get you into trouble. Don't taunt him about his father, no matter what he says. You have a good idea of what your Father would have to say about that." James wanted to make sure his oldest child found friends because, despite being popular in the wizarding world, he and his siblings had been kept isolated by both where they lived, and by the fact that James and Severus were always on the lookout for some of Voldemort's followers that hadn't been taken to Azkaban. Plus, it didn't help that the first child they'd met while shopping was young Draco Malfoy, who had acted as snobbily as his mother when the entered Madame Malkin's.
Harry nodded his comprehension. He gave a hug to his father, surprising James, since the boy had declared he was too old for such things now that he was eleven. He cuffed Hugh upside the head and grinned.
James grinned back as he took Hugh's hand. "Don't get into too much trouble, Harry. Your Patri will be watching you."
"I know, Dad," Harry replied, and then watched as his father and little brother disapperated. He sank back into the cushions of his seat and sighed. As much as he loved his family, he wanted to go to school.
Harry knew that his fathers had kept all three of their children home to keep them safe, more specifically him. He remembered when he was eight and they had been in Diagon Alley shopping for Christmas presents, only for Harry to be accosted by a mob in the Leaky Cauldron. Both of his fathers had starting hexing people when Helena started crying, as she clung to Harry, the rest of the family having been separated from the two. He shuddered at the memory of all those people surrounding him, and even now he didn't like crowds - he and Helena both. Harry knew he should have told his dad that he had almost had a panic attack on the platform, when everybody had been watching him. He didn't want his dad fussing, though, so had let it go.
The door slid open and two identical, red headed boys peeked into the compartment.
"Oh," said one boy.
"We didn't realize somebody was in here," said the other boy.
The two red heads grinned. "That was you our little sister was staring at, right?" the first twin asked.
Harry nodded, a sheepish tilt to his lips.
"We apologize on her behalf," the other twin said. He stuck his hand out. "I'm George Weasley, and this here's my brother Fred - " he pointed to his genetic copy - "but you can call me Forge and him Gred."
Harry laughed. He had a feeling his dad and godfathers would approve of these two. He shook George's hand, and then Fred's. "I'm Harry Potter."
Fred and George's jaws dropped. "Really?"
He nodded, knowing that he should have expected something like this.
"Your dad's one of our heroes!" Fred shouted.
George nodded. "He *is* Mr. Prongs, correct?"
Harry nodded again, this time a little curious to know how and why these two knew about his father's 'Marauder' days, and that that was the reason they were excited, and not for what he'd done when he was one. He pulled back into his seat when his musings were interrupted as Fred and George dropped to their knees in front of him.
"Oh, Son of Prongs," cried Fred.
"We worship at your feet," continued George.
No longer able to hold back anymore, Harry roared with laughter. The twins joined in, and the compartment was soon filled with jokes as more of the twins' friends stopped by.
******
Harry stared up at the castle. He had been here many times over the years because his father worked here, but had never seen it at night, lit up as it was. He grinned at the red head sitting next to him in the little boat. Fred and George's younger brother - he couldn't be called little, because even though he was two years younger than the twins, he was just as tall as them - had shown up, looking for a place to sit, since Ron had been roped into sitting with their older brother, Percy, before the train had left.
The twins had taken delight in telling those gathered about their teasing Percy about his prefect status. The two younger boys had bonded together when it came time to disembark the trains and piled into the boats. Harry had waved at Hagrid, who had once let him pet his Cereberus, whose name, of all things, was Fluffy.
Harry's friend Neville was also in the boat, along with a bossy girl named Hermione Granger. Harry wasn't sure about her at all, because as soon as he had introduced himself, she had rattled off all the books where she had read about him. She had gotten quite huffy and left without saying why she'd been in the compartment in the first place when Harry had told her he had also read them and thought they were stupid. Then Neville had come by while looking for his toad, Trevor, and had told all of them that she'd been helping him look for the missing familiar.
Neville, on the other hand, was a good friend. James and Lily had often worked with Neville's parents on the charms they were researching, and had gotten to know each other. After Lily was killed, Harry's father had still looked after his friend's son, whose parents had been unfortunately caught by some rogue Death Eaters and tortured within an inch of their life. Harry wasn't sure what was wrong with them, since all he knew was that Neville lived with his grandmother and a couple unmarried uncles and great-uncles. Still, Neville was a good friend, even if he was shy and reticent about meeting new people and challenges. Strangely protective of Hugh, though, who was even more fearless than Harry when it came to new adventures.
"Watch yer heads," Hagrid warned as they came to a low overhang, breaking Harry's train of thought. Once they were past that, the boats docked by a set of stairs. Harry and the rest of the first year trouped up the stairs behind Hagrid, clambering out of the boats to catch up with the tall man. They eventually stopped in a large room, at which point Hagrid left them, saying that he would go get one of the teachers.
Harry was just about to say something to Ron when he noticed a ghost coming out of the floor. He stared at the ghost, trying to figure out which of them it really was. His fathers had told him about the ghosts, and that if he *ever* had a big problem, he should call for one of them to get a teacher. He would probably never do so, but he might as well take the time to figure out who was who.
The ghosts floated around the first years, introducing themselves before one of them, Sir Nicholas, Harry thought, wished them good luck. After he did so, the ghosts left through the ceiling just as the door opened. A witch with a tall, pointed hat walked into the room, her green velvet robes swishing on the floor as she came towards the first years.
"Welcome, to Hogwarts," she said. Her blue eyes were sharp underneath a graying fringe of hair, and she had lines around her eyes and the corners of her mouth, but Harry still couldn't tell her age. "I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House...."
Harry's view of the Great Hall was obscured by the hat, even as he'd been searching for his father. He had been looking for him as soon as he and the other first years entered the enormous room.
'Ah, a bright one, I see.'
Harry perked up. 'Do you talk out loud or just inside my head?' he thought to the hat. He wasn't about to speak out loud with the Slytherins watching.
'Curious little thing, you are, as well.'
'I'm not little,' Harry thought indignantly. 'Patri said I haven't hit my growth spurt yet.'
'I stand corrected,' the hat said wisely. 'I see many fine qualities in you, my boy. You are smart, but Ravenclaw is not for you - not enough patience with schoolwork. Hufflepuff is also out for the same reason. You would do well in Slytherin – '
'Slytherin?' Harry asked. 'I don't think Ron's going to be in Slytherin. Besides, people would say that Patri's playing favorites if I'm in his house.'
'Ah, worried about your friend? And your father?' The hat seemed to nod. 'Then the house that would be best for you is...'
"Gryffindor!"
The twins were standing up and shouting loudly, their hands clapping overtime as Professor McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat from Harry's head. George whistled as Fred waved Harry to the seat next to him.
As Harry sat down, he looked up at the head table and saw his father slip into his seat. The potions master has a slight smile on his face, and he nodded at his son before turning his attention to where Reynolds, Sara was being sorted. Harry was relieved that his Patri wasn't mad at him for not being sorted into Slytherin. He had nothing against his father's house, but Harry didn't think much of Draco Malfoy and his goons, Crabbe and Goyle. The latter two had already been sorted in Slytherin, along with Malfoy. The three boys, well, Malfoy had been insulting, and Crabbe and Goyle had stood to either side of the blond boy like gargoyles. Harry had stayed quiet, even though he thought of several things he could say. He didn't, choosing instead to follow his dad's advice, knowing that Patri would say the same. Harry had held Ron back as well, and moved away from them as they followed McGonagall into the Great Hall.
Soon, Ron had been sorted in Gryffindor, and he was taking his seat across from Harry, and next to Percy, as "Zabini, Blaise" was sorted into Slytherin. When the boy was seated, Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat and greeted the students. Harry didn't pay much attention to him, having heard the warnings numerous times from Patri. Instead, he was looking at the man seated next to his father. The man was wearing a turban and looked out of place, even in the midst of everything. He looked up suddenly at Harry, who quickly dropped his head as a sharp pain lanced through his scar. Harry raised a hand and rubbed it.
"Who's that with the turban?" Harry asked.
Percy spoke up. "That's Professor Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor."
"Yeah," said the girl seated to the other side of Percy than Ron. The black haired girl was also wearing a prefect badge. "Rumor has it that Snape would do anything to get the job."
Harry sat, stricken, at the venom in the girl's voice.
Fred must have noticed this, because he said, "Marjorie, that's Harry's dad."
The Gryffindors around them fell silent. Harry saw that some of them had a disgusted look on their faces.
"Snape's your dad?" Lee Jordan asked. He hadn't come into the compartment until after Harry had told the Weasleys about his fathers.
Harry nodded cautiously.
"Then what about James Potter?" Marjorie asked.
"He's my dad, too," Harry told them in a quiet voice.
An older girl and several boys pulled back from the table, even as Hermione, who had been on the fringes of the conversation, sat forward. "How can that be possible? And what about your mother?"
Harry sighed. Both of his fathers had told him to expect something like this, but he hadn't thought it would be this bad. Luckily his new friends were willing to stand up for him when he didn't know how to answer.
"Snape and James Potter are Harry's parents," Neville shyly told them. "Harry is their oldest."
Harry grinned at Neville. He was happy his friend was in Gryffindor. Neville may not have a lot of self-confidence, due to what happened to his parents, but he was always ready to defend his friends. He held back a grin, as he thought about Neville's reaction to Harry's little brother - protective of him even against their Patri. And Neville was scared of Patri.
"You have siblings?" Hermione asked. "How is that possible? Lily Potter was killed by You-Know-Who."
Most of the surrounding Gryffindors glared at her when they caught Harry's stricken look.
"How rude can you be, girl?" George asked.
"That's a very sensitive subject," Fred told her.
"For your information," Harry suddenly spat out, tired of the entire conversation. "She was my godmother. James Potter gave birth to me, and Severus Snape is my father." He stood up, even as the table gaped at his temper. "I'll see you later."
******
Harry trailed behind Severus as they made their way to Gryffindor Tower. He understood why his son was quite upset with his new housemates, but he had to try and get along with them. As much as Neville Longbottom irritated him, he knew that Harry had at least one friend, and judging by the way the Weasleys had gathered around him, Severus could count on them as well - as much as he could, considering Fred and George's propensity for causing trouble, which was on par with his husband's trouble-making past.
They soon stopped in front of the portrait that guarded Gryffindor Tower. Severus turned to look at his son. Both of them had been silent the entire trip up from Severus' office, next to his classroom, lost in their own thoughts. That was one of the traits all three of his children had inherited from Severus: the ability to brood. James had a tendency to make up his mind in a second and let it go, something that the rest of his family couldn't do.
Severus looked down at the face that was so like James'.
"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you have Potions with me in two days," he told Harry. "You do understand that I cannot favor you."
Harry nodded. "I don't expect you to, Patri. It wouldn't be fair to the others."
Severus gave a slight smile in response. The remark was James down to a hair. "You will do fairly well, since you have been helping me at home. I expect you to work hard on your work outside of class as well. That goes for all your classes."
He turned to the large woman in the portrait, her hands resting on her pink taffeta dress.
"Good evening, Lady Beverly," Severus intoned. "This is my son, Harry Potter."
The lady in the portrait smiled. "Hello, Severus. He is like James, isn't he!" She put a fluttering hand to her breast. "Oh, the stories I could tell you, Mr. Potter, about your fathers."
Severus turned a stern glance to her. "No stories."
Lady Beverly sighed. "Very well. Password?"
"Caput draconis."
The portrait swung open, revealing an opening in the wall. Beyond that, the face of Fred Weasley peeked through to see who was opening the entrance to the common room.
"Harry!" he exclaimed before spotting Severus. "Professor." He turned back to Harry. "Come in, Harry! Ron saved you a bed, and Neville made sure your owl was all right."
Severus nodded at his son in parting, not wanting to stick around for the prattling of a Weasley. As he made his way down the corridor and the portrait shut, he heard George ask, "Your owl's name is Hedwig, Harry? You must like history...."
Once in his rooms, Severus threw off his robes, letting the warm fire soak through his shirt. Despite what the students thought. All the teachers shared a wing - he included - and it was nowhere near the dungeons. Even though it was the first day of classes, Severus had been here on and off for the last couple of days, and it showed in his rooms. Helena had been with him earlier today, helping Severus move some of the more precious ingredients for potions and obtain others. Severus had taken her back home and had given James a last kiss - and more - for a couple of months, before making his way back to Hogwarts in time to watch Harry get Sorted.
He wasn't surprised that Harry was in Gryffindor - he was, out of their children, the most like James in both temperament and looks. Severus knew that, as of now, none of his children would be in Slytherin, which sent mixed feelings through him. He had wanted to share his pride in his house, but he also knew that some of the children in it were dangerous.
Draco Malfoy was one of those children. Lucius Malfoy may have been in Azkaban, but that didn't mean his son wouldn't be taught what Narcissa thought appropriate. What was bad about the situation was that Lucius was in the prison for the bribes he'd been caught making, and not because he was a Death Eater. No, Lucius had wormed his way out of those charge, as well as Narcissa. Severus was going to have to keep an eye on the junior Malfoy, especially since Lucius' sentence was almost up - seven months to go.
The chimes struck eleven, and Severus moved to the fireplace. One couldn't floo into Hogwarts, but you could fire call either way. He had done this action for the last nine years, making sure that everything was okay. This year, though, James would want to know what house Harry had been sorted into.
"Hi, love," James greeted.
There was a giggle behind the sofa. Severus tried to stare through it, but he was handicapped by the fact that his head was in the fireplace and the rest of him an entire country away.
"I thought you were supposed to be in bed, Hugh."
Two amber eyes under a mop of black hair popped over the sofa's back. "Patri!"
"Go to bed," James commanded, pointing up the stairs.
"Daaaad!" Hugh whined. "I wanna find out 'bout Harry!"
Severus looked at his son when he tried to plead with his other parent. "Hugh."
"Jeez," Hugh protested. He stomped out of the room and up the stairs.
"He's been like that all day," James said as he sat down on the rug. "And actually got worse just after you left."
Severus smiled at him after shaking his head at their youngest child, something he only let his family see. James still looked handsome even as they reached thirty - his birthday was the end of September, and just after his own. Three children and a career as guest lecturer at Cambridge, as well as author of four Transfiguration books, hadn't slowed James down a bit. Only the faint indications of future laugh lines around his eyes and mouth showed.
"Do you think Harry had a good time tonight?"
Severus shook his head. "Partly. He made some friends on the train, and he met some more in his new house."
"You're not telling me everything, are you? And tell me which house, Sev," James said.
Severus gave a brief synopsis of what Harry had told him what happened during the Welcome Feast. Then he smiled when James huffed indignantly on his son's behalf. It grew wilder when he huffed out, "You're not going to tell me which house, yet, are you?"
He let out an evil-sounding chuckle. "No."
His husband pouted for a brief moment. "I think Helena's been truly converted to potions. She fell asleep talking about helping you."
Severus nodded. Out of all his children, she was the one he had thought who would take after him. Harry was so much like James that it was uncanny at times, and Hugh was more like Remus than anyone. He still had Severus' nose - he just hoped his younger son grew into it, even though it wasn't broken like his father's had been on multiple occasions.
"And Hugh?"
James laughed. "He wanted to get on the train as it was leaving. I didn't tell you that earlier, did I?"
An eyebrow quirked. "As I recall, we didn't spend any amount of time talking this afternoon."
James' cheeks flushed. "Yes, I remember now," was the reply as an answering eyebrow waggled.
It was times like these that Severus cursed he couldn't touch James. It wasn't as frequent as the early days of their relationship, but it was still as hard now as it was then. Still, this was better than then - James was only a floo call away, and Severus was able to come home several times during the school year.
The both of them sat in a comfortable silence.
"I'd better go," Severus finally said. "The powder's almost gone. I'll talk to you Saturday?"
"Ok, love," James said. "And Harry?"
"Gryffindor."
As Severus pulled his head out of the fire, he could hear James' enthusiastic yelling.
Gryffindors, he thought.
******
James knew that something wasn't right. Halloween had dawned with a weak light, only to be covered in clouds soon thereafter. He had sent Helena and Hugh off to school and had sat down to work. Once he had, though, James had been unable to concentrate. He'd given up on working and had gone out into the garden until school was over for the day to pick his younger children up.
The feeling had grown steadily as the day wore on. Helena had ended up fixing a meal with Maddy's help because James hadn't been paying attention to the time. It wasn't until Hugh asked if they should floo Patri did James come out of his daze.
Throwing the red powder on the fire, he tried getting a hold of Severus, and then Dumbledore, but neither answered. James then thought of ringing Remus, but then he remembered that the other man was visiting Sirius in Toronto.
"Dad?"
He turned to find Helena's pale, blue eyes fixed on him.
"What, baby?"
"I'll watch Hugh if you want to go to Patri and Harry."
James saw the serious look on her face, Even though she was nine, he knew he could trust her far more than either of her brothers, taking after Severus like she did. Making a decision, he nodded at his daughter and grabbed his cloak.
Arriving at the front entrance after the long trek from Hogsmeade, James opened the door to look at chaos. Children were hurrying behind yelling prefects, but there were no teachers in their midst. He hurried up to the headmaster's office.
On the way there, he heard roaring coming from down the corridor with the girls' bathroom on this floor. Intrigued, he followed the sound even as he saw Severus limping towards the same destination, along with McGonagall and a man who must be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. When they each were about twenty feet from the door there was a scream, a shouted "Wingardim Leviosa" that James almost frantically recognized as Harry's, and then a thud.
Severus opened up the door to reveal a settling cloud of dust. It cleared a bit more, and the adults found a knocked out mountain troll, Harry and a red-headed boy who must be a Weasley standing with their wands upraised, and a frightened girl cautiously making her way over the troll's leg to the door.
"Harry!"
The green-eyed boy's head snapped to the sound of both his fathers' voices. "Dad! Patri!" In his hand, he held a sticky looking wand. As he spoke, Harry leaned over and wiped his wand on the troll that was prone on the floor next to him. All that served to bring James' attention to the creature taking up most of the space in the bathroom.
"Harry!" James shouted again. "What...?"
McGonagall stepped forward, and James noticed the annoyed look she directed at him. "What is the meaning of this? I thought I told you boys that you weren't to cause any more trouble."
Harry opened his mouth, but the girl spoke first.
"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall. I thought I could handle a troll, since I've read so much about them."
McGonagall's face showed disappointment. "And you boys?"
"We came to help, miss," the red head said.
Harry was shuffling off to one side, a sign James recognized that there was more to the story than what was being said. He caught Severus' eye and saw him nod.
"I am disappointed in you, Miss Granger," McGonagall stated. "Five points off Gryffindor for your behavior. Misters Potter and Weasley, five points each."
McGonagall swept down the hall with the other two children as James hauled Harry into a hug. He then pulled back and cuffed him up the head, once they were a ways from the bathroom.
"What were you thinking, Harry?" Severus asked, his arms crossed and his stance foreboding for his son's mental health.
"Hermione didn't know there was a troll, Dad," Harry said, addressing both parents. "Since it was Ron's fault - kind of - that she didn't know, we went to find her."
"And you told no one?"
Harry nodded. "I told Percy, but he thought we were joking. So we left."
Severus muttered under his breath.
"How did you manage this, Harry?" James asked, curious at how a couple of eleven year olds accomplished such a feat.
"The levitating charm. I didn't aim it right though, so it picked me up and I ended up sticking my wand up its nose. Ron actually got his to work and he hit it over the head with its own club." A pause. "Ouch, Dad! Not so hard!"
James unclenched his fingers from Harry's shoulders.
Well, now he knew how his parents had felt when he had done something like this when he was younger. James decided, right then and there, that if that feeling he'd gotten all day was active for all three of his children when they were away from home, he was going to be insane by the time he was forty.
Finally, James and Severus sent Harry up to bed with Dumbledore, who had come to greet James. Alone, they made themselves comfortable in Severus' rooms. James laid his head on Severus' shoulder; the height difference had made it a comfortable spot over the years.
"Who's watching the children?" Severus eventually asked.
"Helena's looking after Hugh with Maddy."
Severus nodded against James' hair.
"He is definitely a Gryffindor," James finally said, an exasperated tone to his voice. "Though, it does make me wonder about Helena and Hugh. I mean, what houses they will be in."
"Helena is a Ravenclaw in the making," Severus commented. "I doubt we will have many instances where she will meet up with a troll or other such creature."
James laughed. "Only bookworms."
Severus snorted. "As for Hugh, he will most likely be a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, much though I detest admitting such a thing. Either way, he will find some way to tag along with Harry if something happens. But, given that there's four years between them, there won't be many times when Hugh can tag along with Harry and his friends."
James squirmed enough so that he could look at Severus. He knew how much pride his husband had in his house, and while he may say that it won't hurt him that none of his children would be in Slytherin, it still touched something deep inside. He cupped a hand on Severus' cheek.
"You know that, no matter what, whichever house those two are in, they will always be our children. I know you're disappointed that Harry isn't in Slytherin, but even you would admit that he had many of they qualities you hold pride in. All of our children do."
Severus was quiet for a long time, and James had almost dozed off when he shifted.
"Go home and go to bed, James," came the sibilant voice. "Knowing you, you panicked the entire day and need to rest. Go home to Helena and Hugh."
"M'kay," was James' sleepy response.