Growing Up Snape

By Teacherbev

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, I am not a multinational bookselling company, nor am I a multi-million dollar movie company, so I don't own anything that you recognize. I am a retired former teacher with a bizarre sense of humor, who likes to twist plots and play with characters' minds, so enjoy.

AN: I am excited, my very first story, Harry Potter and the Guardians of Power, has been nominated for a Quills Harry Potter Fan Fiction contest under the action/adventure heading at http/ www. geocities. com /dragonhidequills/main.html (Just remove the spaces, for some reason ff will not download a link here). Please read it and vote for it. And thanks for all of those who have added my stories and my author name to their favorites and their c2 groups! Makes writing much more meaningful and fun when I know people like it.

AN: To download any of my stories, click on my author name at the top of this page and then click on homepage. You may read messages, leave messages, and take the poll without signing in, but you must sign into Yahoo to download the stories. In the sidebar that says members only, just click on files and it will lead you to all three stories, each available in PDF, e-book and mobipocket formats. Enjoy and please review!

'Italics' is mental speech.

AN: Yes, I know that I am very evil, but I'm not really, I couldn't leave you hanging like that so here is the next promised chapter. That wasn't much of a wait, now was it? And I'm not even done with the laundry and unpacking yet!

Chapter 13: The Return of a Son

Severus could feel the daylight trying to filter through his tightly clenched eyelids, the sticky residue of his tears from the night before still gluing his lashes together. He groaned as he heard Nippy trying to rouse him for another meaningless day of existence. He raised one heavy arm and brushed the annoyance away from him, but it returned with more insistence.

"Severus, Severus, child, you need to wake up now!"

'Wait, that wasn't Nippy's voice that was Albus' annoying voice. What is he doing in my chambers at this hour?' Severus' mind was too befuddled to articulate more than a groaning, "Huh, uh…"

He registered Poppy Pomfrey's irritating voice and finally registered what she said as a strong jolt of power hit him right in the sternum, "Enervate!"

Severus tried to bolt upright only to be pushed back down by a surprisingly strong hand on each shoulder, he glanced up to find Sirius Black on his left and a very concerned Remus Lupin crouched beside his right shoulder. He registered Albus and Poppy having a concerned conversation standing at his feet, as he took in his surroundings. Bizarre birthday decorations, crying children, mounds of wrapping paper strewn around the floor of the Great Hall. He whooped with delight, nearly hysterical laughter lifting his spirits and filling his heart as he realized it had all been a bizarre nightmare, he had simply passed out and cracked his head open on the immovable and unforgiving stone of the Great Hall floor when Shaun disappeared with that strange phoenix!

Poppy turned her attention to her patient once more, her wand flying in complicated charms as she evaluated the bizarre specter of Severus Snape laughing and exuding joy and happiness. Perhaps he had a more lasting mental imbalance from having two minor concussions on the same day? Her face screwed up in lines of concentration as she continued to find negative results, she searched her memory for ever more complicated scans to no avail. As the usually taciturn man seemed to be calming himself down into more normal behavior she merely shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head and muttering to herself as she returned to her interrupted conversation with the headmaster.

"Shaun, where is he? Let me up you moronic imbeciles!" Severus had stopped his near hysterical laughter and had noticed his son was not in the room.

Remus laughed sarcastically, "Well, he's back to normal, no lingering side effects from cracking his skull open when he fell!" He reached down and helped the still slightly dizzy father to his feet and steered him into a chair.

Severus looked from one person to another, looking for a clue about his son's whereabouts, surely that had not been a prophetic dream when he was unconscious, it just couldn't be! "ALBUS!" he yelled, "Quit babbling with that infernal woman and tell me WHERE IS MY SON?"

Albus left Poppy's side and came to sit beside Severus, clasping a strong hand onto his shoulder as he reassured him, "We don't know but Fawkes has been able to reassure me that he is safe and still within the castle. I don't have a very clear communication with him at the best of times but somehow he has managed to confirm that Shaun is perfectly fine and will return in a short time. We will have to wait until then for Shaun to tell us what happened, but in the meantime, we will be gathering up the other children and sending them home until next week." As Albus was talking to Severus; Minerva and Filius had been sorting out the mound of Neville's gifts from Shaun's and had shrunk both boys' new belongings into small boxes for transport.

Albus left the still shaky father to the tender mercies of Poppy Pomfrey and went to escort and reassure each of the departing children and their families that Shaun was indeed fine, and that school would be starting next Monday just as scheduled unless something else came up. With a huge sigh of relief he shut the heavy oak doors behind the last of the visitors and turned, leaning tiredly against the closed doors for support, he turned his attention back onto the staff.

"Fawkes has somehow managed to convey to me that Shaun will be returning in about two hours from now. How about if you all meet me in my office then and we will find out what has happened all at once? Until then, I am sure we can all find something that needs to be done to keep busy. I am assuming no one wants to leave until Shaun returns?"

Madams Hooch and Pomfrey nodded and several of the Professors just started picking up the Great Hall, forgetting for once to use magic as they needed something mindless to keep their hands busy and their minds occupied as the time passed so slowly.

Shaun had materialized into a completely unfamiliar stone chamber, the white phoenix' sharp talons still carefully snagged in the shoulder material of his birthday robes. He opened his eyes just to squeeze them shut again as he sneezed, again and again. The huge wings of the phoenix had stirred up what seemed to be centuries of dust and debris that covered every surface and flat space in the echoing chamber. When he stopped sneezing, he noticed his own small footsteps in the middle of a great expanse of undisturbed dust. He knew somehow that he was still within Hogwarts, the ambient magic of the castle still surrounded him, the familiar feeling of deep power, safety and love enveloped him as it always did in the ancient edifice.

He rubbed his nose to block more sneezes while managing to yell, "Nippy! Can you find me?" as loud as he was able to with the dust choking him. A loud pop followed by a semi-hysterical sneezing house elf answered him in the affirmative. "Nippy, can you please do something about the dust in here?" Shaun managed to choke out before falling down, gasping in vain for cleaner air to breathe.

Nippy nodded, unable to speak himself and snapped his fingers three times in quick succession. With each snap, another elf appeared and instantly took in the situation. The four house elves took less than fifteen minutes to have the entire chamber and all of its furnishings looking like they were in daily use and had not lain undisturbed by human or elf for almost a thousand years.

Now that the chamber was clean and he was able to breathe again, Shaun looked around at his surroundings with wonder and excitement. He saw four large portraits, several comfortable couches arranged invitingly around a huge white and grey marble fireplace and a huge wall; filled floor to ceiling with shelves full of books; small books, large books, thick ones and thin ones, but all of them exuding a feeling of great wisdom and age. He noticed there were several very large, ornately carved doors leading off from the chamber in which he still sat on the floor, finally noticing a faded and ancient Persian rug with predominately crimson and gold weaves; but with traces of blue and green as well woven into the intricate patterns now barely discernable underneath him.

He was still looking around with his eyes wide and blinking slowly with his mouth hanging half open when he noticed the white phoenix was sitting on a gilded perch, beak open and laughing at his wonder and awe.

'Are we done gawking, hatchling? Ready to get down to some explanations and a little bit of work today?'

Shaun should be startled that he could hear the phoenix talking to him, but somehow he knew that it was all right and that he would be able to speak to her just as well.

He grinned crookedly at the huge bird and his green eyes flashed with mirth, 'My daddy's gonna to be real mad at you, bird. You better watch out when he finds us!'

'I don't doubt that he will be upset, but it was necessary, hatchling. You need to touch the edge of each of the portraits on the wall. Yes, that's right; anywhere that you can reach is fine.' The last was said as Shaun reached up on tiptoe to just barely run his hand on the edge of the first ornate gilded portrait frame. The black haired man, dressed in finely embroidered crimson and gold with a huge jewel encrusted sword strapped to his waist, stretched and yawned deeply, his hand raising in front of his mouth as he apologized politely. His chair was just visible behind him, its ornate carving visible more clearly on the massive arms that extended out each side to support his muscular arms.

The two ladies were almost exact opposites in coloring and physical make-up. The first lady was short and slightly round, with blonde ringlets tied back with a bright yellow ribbon that matched her very old fashioned gown. She was pictured sitting on a bright white wicker bench in a garden surrounded with springtime blooms and a frisky black and white kitten playing with a ball of vibrant green yarn at her feet. She opened her eyes, smiling down on the stretching form of Shaun and greeted him warmly.

The second lady reminded Shaun of a younger version of his Grandma Minerva. She had her long dark brown hair pulled tightly back into a bun at the nape of her neck and her high necked, long sleeved blue and gold gown was both prim and proper for a matron much older than she appeared to be. She looked to have been painted sitting in a comfortable red leather chair in front of the wall of books contained within this very chamber. The volume she was reading had fallen open upon her lap and was waiting for her to pick it up and begin reading again at any moment. A small round table held a painted china plate with small buttered scones and a matching tea cup still wisped a small stream of steam invitingly.

Shaun hesitated before touching the last portrait. It displayed an older man with a pinched lip expression on his face, as if he had been smelling something vile for the last century without respite. He was almost bald and had a cruel glint to his brown eyes. He had been painted stirring a cauldron of some unidentifiable potion and had the familiar trappings of a well stocked lab surrounding him. Shaun loved his daddy's lab and willingly spent hours helping him there but this lab didn't feel the same way as his own daddy's lab did, somehow this one felt dark, almost evil to the young boy.

The phoenix trilled softly, 'Yes, child, he can be dark at times, just as your father can be. But it is necessary that he be awakened if the dark evil that threatens the very fabrics of time and nature are to be beaten back. It will be your task, but all of these must contribute their part, just as you must contribute yours. Now, go ahead and awaken the potion's master, just remember; you are a master of the 'Fool the Students' game this man also plays.'

Shaun took a deep breath, coughed some lingering dust out of his lungs, and reached up on tiptoe to touch the very edge of the frame, just one fingertip making a slight contact. He felt a surge of magic leave the end of his finger and flow out to the charmed inhabitant of the dark feeling portrait before he jumped back and out of the way instinctively. He remembered what his daddy had taught him and threw up his mental shields as tightly as he could, wrapped his face with a miniature version of his daddy's patented sneer, and faced the now awake potion's master looking just as indifferent at the portrait as the painted face did at him.

The man put down his stirring stick and snarled at the child standing so far below him. "Who are you to disturb my sleep? Well, boy, speak up!"

"My name is not boy and who are you?" Shaun answered back, knowing it really annoyed his daddy to have a question answered with another question.

The man drew himself up fully, which would have been much more effective if he hadn't been a fairly short man and Shaun was used to the not inconsiderable height of his father. "I am Lord Salazar Slytherin and you have disturbed my rest. Now, tell me your name, boy!"

Shaun merely giggled impishly while telling the man, "My Daddy can glare much better than you can! And I don't have to tell you my name, you are just a portrait, you can't hurt me!" Shaun finished his sing song speech by sticking his tongue out and wiggling his fingers in his ears like Terry had shown him last week at the now very purple faced man in the portrait. "So nah, nah, boo, boo to you to!" That had been Luna's contribution to the discussion of the young students on appropriate insults that they had had last week when they were supposed to be memorizing their subtraction problems.

The dark haired man in the throne like chair chuckled at Slytherin, "I don't think he wants to answer you Salazar. Child, come here and let me look at you closer. That's it child, we won't hurt you. We just need to know what to call you." The man smiled at Shaun encouragingly, waiting patiently for Shaun to make up his mind.

"My name is Shaun Severus Snape and my daddy's the potion's master here at Hogwarts. My grandpa is the headmaster and he isn't gonnabe happy if he can't find me. My daddy can be very mean if he gets mad at you, but my grandpa can fry you like a sausage." Shaun had never actually seen his Grandpa Albus fry anyone, but it sounded like something his Grandpa could do if he got mad enough.

The cheerful garden lady laughed; her gentle chuckle almost a bell like tinkle of mirth. "Well, then we shall just make sure your daddy and grandpa can find you soon, now won't we."

The library lady looked thoughtful, "I don't recall any Snapes in the direct Founder's lines, how can this child be the prophesied one if he doesn't have the right blood lines?"

The phoenix trilled again and the others seemed to understand her as well as Shaun did, 'He has been adopted as foretold to the goblins, he was orphaned, and then unloved and abused by his caretakers, now he has become the beloved child of the prophecy:

Child of Light, Never Dark

Born of Woe, Raised in Pain,

Scarred Forever by Evil's Mark

Will Lead Us All, the Light will Reign!

Child of Fire, Creature of Night

Will gather the forces and lead the fight.

Goblin, wizard, giant and more

Surround the child to help the right

Evil is doomed in its battle with light.

Bow to the Child, that evil has touched

Scarred and marked; his soul still pure.

Forces of light behold the one,

Born to lead and banish the dark, foretold; take heed

Or darkness will win.

Train the infant, encourage the child

From unloved infant to cherished child to mighty youth

Join him; follow him, your souls to unite

He'll banish the darkness and bring forth the light.

Today he turned five years old and received the 'Torque of Merlin' as well as called me to be his familiar. His father is unaware of his surroundings so our time today will be very short. Another visit can be with his father and grandfather to gain a full understanding of his history, for now we need to explain a little of what will be happening to him and then return him to his family.' As the phoenix repeated the prophecy that he had heard in the bank, the boy remembered what had happened that day once again and glared at the large white bird.

"You made me and daddy and Grandpa Albus forget about the bank and the goblins, didn't you?" He put his hands on his hips and tried futilely to glare like his daddy.

'Yes, hatchling and now we need to explain to you why we did that and what will happen now. Can you feel someone in your head with you?' Shaun nodded and the phoenix continued, 'That is your mentor and trainer, Merlin, who died eons ago but has been waiting for you and for this time. As you sleep he will teach you what you need to know and he will always be available to help protect you if needed. Otherwise he will help you control your magic by keeping most of it unavailable to you until you are much older and have need of it and control over it. I am your familiar; my name is Niveus, which means snow as I am as white as snow. I will be here to be your friend, your companion and your guide to keep you from straying from the path that you must follow.'

Shaun nodded his understanding to his familiar and looked at each of the portraits, they introduced themselves as the Four Founders of Hogwarts and told him he was in the Founder's Chambers that would be his one day when he grew up more and needed them. He spent several minutes talking to each of the founders; even Slytherin who had warmed up somewhat after finding out his father was the Head of Slytherin House before Niveus trilled softly to remind him of the time.

'Time to return, hatchling, your father is most worried and so are the others.' She grasped his shoulder once again and with a more familiar flash of white light, they disappeared only to reappear instantaneously in the headmaster's office. Niveus circled once, crooning softly to the group before dropping Shaun softly into his father's lap.

Severus grabbed the small boy and squeezed him as if proving to himself that the child wasn't missing and his horrible dream had been nothing more than a concussion induced nightmare. He rained soft kisses onto the crown of Shaun's head and then pulled the messy haired child into his shoulder, relishing the touch and smell of his child once again, his tears of joy and release of his intense emotionally exhausting afternoon trailing unashamedly down his cheeks. Shaun pushed his daddy away, "I wasn't gone that long Daddy! I never even left the castle!" he complained, but then relented giving his father a squeezing hug and soft cheek kisses in return.

As Grandpa Albus plied the group with lemon crisp biscuits, Shaun excitedly told about meeting the paintings and his familiar and how he had sneezed and sneezed. Somehow he forgot to mention that he now had Merlin residing within his head or the memory of the restored prophecy.

Shaun had fallen asleep before they could feed him dinner, his excitement of his birthday, the shock of his new familiar and the lack of sleep from the night before all weighed down his eyelids as soon as he sat in his chair at the staff table to eat. Severus was happy to lay the slightly wheezing child across his lap as he ate; contently rubbing his left hand in mindless patterns on the small fabric covered back and up to run his long, slender fingers through his son's wayward black locks as he talked softly about inconsequential things with the staff. Later, he could not have told you what he ate, his heart was too full with the knowledge that his son had been returned to him, safe and sound, and not taken away from him to care what he put into his mouth.

Severus gently slung the sleeping boy over his shoulder, his legs dangling limply down his torso as his limp body molded itself into his father's shoulder. He idly noticed that Shaun's legs seemed to reach farther down his own body than they had just a couple of months ago and was pleased the boy was finally catching up on his classmates' height and weight. He had been afraid the boy would always be small and thin because of the abuse and starvation he had suffered at his aunt and uncle's hands, but it appeared he had been young enough and Severus and Poppy had been aggressive enough with the nutrient potions to prevent any permanent stunting of his growth.

Severus had to consciously stop himself from humming as he walked the short hall to their quarters, it wouldn't fit his image at all if a student ever caught him happily humming to his child, especially when he finally recognized the tune as a lullaby his own mother had sung to him as a small child! But what the hell, today he would hum, his Shaun was still here and he was so happy he didn't care if anyone knew it! His eyes glistened wetly as he tucked the small frame into his bed after flicking his wand to change the boy into his favorite summer pajamas.

He sat on the edge of his boy's bed, gently brushing his hand through the long silky hair over and over again, reluctant to let Shaun out of his sight ever again. He leaned over and kissed the small forehead, thinking to himself, 'The brat is going to be the death of me, I'll either have a heart attack from shock, go bald before I'm forty, or I'll kill him myself for worrying me!' Severus smiled fondly, flicked out the single torch that was still lit with a swish of his wand, and went to his own room for the night, for once oddly nostalgic that his son no longer insisted upon sleeping in his father's bedroom any more.

Shaun found himself in a small cottage, the bright sunlight streaming in from a glisteningly clean window, the six small panes forming a pattern of shadow on the floor, a comfortably faded dark blue rug under his feet. He turned from the window to find an old man, long white beard tucked into his belt, his hair almost non existent except for a wild fringe of white that banded the back of his head in a fringe about six inches long that traveled from ear to ear across the back of his head. He wore thick spectacles made of tortoiseshell that made his pale watery blue eyes appear much too large for his face. His wizened pink skin had crinkles at both eyes and the edges of his mouth from a lifetime of smiles and laughs and his ears were curled and almost as large as those of a house elf. He was dressed in a deceptively simple robe of fine blue wool, the braided gold belt holding his beard also held several puckered leather pouches that were tied with a variety of cords and colors. He had simple brown leather sandals, with gnarled toes and thick white toenails that matched his gnarled and miss-shaped knuckles and long white curving fingernails. He smiled genially at the small boy and waved at a comfortable sagging couch that was positioned to take full advantage of a small fire with a black cauldron hanging from an iron hook positioned to cook a meaty smelling stew without burning.

Shaun scuffed his bare toes through the soft pile of the old rug, enjoying the soft feel almost like his beloved sheepskin that he still slept on sometimes. He grinned at the old man as he leaped up and flopped into the couch, it's soft, worn folds engulfing him in a feeling of soft comfort and love. The old man knelt with surprising agility to toast a thick slab of bread over the embers before turning, slathering it with fresh creamy butter, and offering it to Shaun, who took it gratefully, using the sleeve of his pajamas pulled down over his hand to protect his fingers from the hot bread. He blew on it to cool it enough to savor the first wonderful bite as the old wizard sat down beside him, blowing on his own piece of toast with a matching grin.

"Ah, Shaun; the simple pleasures are what makes life worth living. Don't ever forget that child."

"I won't sir." Shaun nodded his head in agreement, the toast tasted wonderful. He smiled in contentment as he used his sleeve to wipe a runnel of melted butter off of his chin.

The old man chuckled, "No need to be so formal, especially as we are both inside your own head, child. Simply call me Merlin if that suits you, and if it is permissible, I will call you Shaun." He chuckled again as Shaun simply nodded, unwilling to stop eating his hot bread for more of an answer.

"As you eat, I will tell you a story, don't be afraid if you don't remember all of it, it will be told again and again as you grow older, so just remember what you can, child." Merlin settled back, his own toast gone. "A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Whoops! Wrong story! Well, a long time ago any way, there was a very lonely old wizard who didn't have a family and he wanted to have children more than anything, but he was too old so he traveled around the country all by himself. Until one day, he came across a burning farmhouse and heard screams coming from the upstairs. He spied a small boy and an older girl trying to climb out of a window, but the house below was burning and there was an angry mob of people throwing rocks and shaking pitchforks at them and not letting them climb out of the window to safety. The wizard got very angry and he sent a bright ball of light at the mob, scaring them away from the two children.

Then, just as he used a spell to lift the children to safety, the house collapsed from the fire and the two became orphans, just like you are, child. The boy's parents and his aunt, who was the girl's mother, and a brother and two twin baby sisters didn't make it out of the house before the fire collapsed the roof. The two were burned and very ill for a long time, but the wizard took care of them and finally made them all better and they became the children that he had always wanted. The girl was named Helga and the boy was named Godric. Do you recognize those names, child?"

Shaun nodded; his bread now a comfortable weight in his middle as he listened to the man's soothing story.

"Well, as you can guess, the wizard is me and the boy was Godric Gryffindor, his cousin was Helga Hufflepuff and they gave me the great honor of becoming my children. After they grew up, they wanted to have a place for magical children to grow up safe, without worrying if the non-magical people being scared of them and burning down their houses or killing their children. So they found two more friends, a very bright witch named Rowena Ravenclaw and a very talented potion's master named Salazar Slytherin. Rowena eventually married Godric and Salazar brought his wife with him to the school they all started together.

For many, many long years the school grew and the students all learned and lived together. But as it grew, more and more students came from non-magical families and one year, a young student brought a non-magical disease back with him from his summer holidays that killed Salazar's wife and his two smallest children before he could develop and brew a potion to cure the illness. He started to blame the muggle born students for his wife and daughters' deaths and grew more and more bitter with hatred until the other three Founders had to make him and his son, leave the castle for the safety of all the students. He vowed that he would kill all the muggle born students and Godric for allowing them to come to the school. Do you understand so far, Shaun?"

Shaun looked puzzled, "But it wasn't the student's fault that he was sick? Daddy says I'm not resp…responz…it's not my fault that my aunt and uncle hit me and you can't help it if you get sick, can you?"

"No child, but he was so hurt and so lost when his wife and his daughters died that he wasn't thinking right. And your daddy is very right; it wasn't your fault that your aunt and uncle hit you no matter what they told you." He pulled the boy to him and Shaun curled into his side as he loved to do with his father.

"Now I think, child that is enough lesson for one night, so lay your head down on my lap and I will sing you to sleep." Shaun yawned, cracking his jaw with the force and width of it. He lay his head down on the ancient wizards lap and fell asleep, the mellow baritone soothing and easing him into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Shaun was getting annoyed at his daddy, the man practically wanted to go into the bathroom with him, he had even sat on the edge of the tub and washed his hair for him, something he hadn't done in the last few months. So now Shaun was ready to make his daddy pay for the unwanted attention he was showering on him. With a mischievous glint in his too innocent green eyes, he sat down at the circular table and seemingly ignored his surroundings as the wheels madly turned in his devious little mind.

Albus looked speculatively at the young boy, he knew he was up to something, but was much too happy to see a normal child shining in that deceptively angelic face to stop him. It wasn't his fault if Severus seemed to be the only one oblivious to the child's machinations. Remus, Filius, and Sirius were the only others at the table for lunch and they certainly weren't going to spoil the boy's plans.

Severus filled his son's plate with a slice of tender roast beef, carefully cut into manageably sized pieces, a small scoop of garlic mashed potatoes and a slightly larger scoop of green peas. It surprised him still that the boy would eat practically anything put on his plate, but how he could managed to choke down those miserable little green balls of nastiness was beyond him. The boy actually liked them! He filled his own plate with meat and potatoes, but opted for the green salad with balsamic vinegar dressing instead of the loathed vegetable.

Four pairs of twinkling eyes noticed a small hand wave under the table as the first bite on Severus' fork entered his mouth. Severus' face took on a startled, disgusted look that only flickered briefly before disappearing into his normal unreadable mask. 'How did I get peas on my fork?' he looked down at his plate, not a pea in sight.

He carefully cut a piece of beef, dipped it into the rich gravy and anticipated the taste. 'Ugh! Peas again. How?' He tried to hide his bewilderment as he carefully dug through his gravy and swished his fork unsuspectingly through his potatoes for any hiding nasty surprises. 'Nothing.' He took a third bite, carefully checking the potatoes before politely placing a small amount into his mouth. The four men surrounding him breaking into peals of laughter at his expense made him open his eyes wide with astonishment and glare down at his son who had slid under the table trying to hide while giggling merrily at the joke he had pulled off so successfully.

Albus was leaning back against his chair, laughing so hard, his cheeks were flaming pink and he had tears glistening in his eyes. "Three bites! Marvelous Shaun, I thought he would have caught on after the first one!"

"True Marauder's son you are, Shaun!" Remus managed to get out while Sirius just collapsed against his fellow Marauder in great glee. Professor Flitwick's tiny tinkling laugh made an odd descant above the deeper chuckles and laughs of the three other wizards while Shaun's childish giggles added an extra depth of merriment to the table.

Severus tried to glare at his son and the others who were laughing at him, but he couldn't manage more than a few moments before he had joined them, his own smooth and silky baritone filling in the odd musical chorus of laughs.

AN: There, now don't beat me for the last chapter; I just couldn't resist a dream sequence and an evil cliff hanger. I guess I just had too much time to think on my vacation. Victoria is only two and a half hours away by ferry so we go there several times a year. I really enjoy it; it's like going back in time.

In the last eighteen months my husband and I have gone to Victoria six times, Vancouver three times, Salem three times, Ocean Shores and Astoria once each and then a circle of fifteen states during the summer that took five weeks and more than 6,500 miles so we travel quite a bit. I suppose I will eventually need to get a laptop but not yet!

The next chapter will begin Shaun's training, more history and the beginning of day school. Thanks for reading and reviewing, it keeps me typing!