"There we go. That should sit better."

Small hands wrapped around the offered glasses and haphazardly shoved them onto his face. Severus tucked the right temple tip behind Harry's ear, settling the glasses more securely on the boy's face. Harry blinked up at him from behind the round frames, green eyes curious. He raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Well?"

Harry looked around, taking in the rest of the room. Most of the boy's attention went from poster to poster as the boy repeatedly raised and lowered the glasses.

"That pair more comfortable now?" the optometrist asked, clearly amused by Harry's behavior. Harry nodded, putting the glasses back down and dropping his hands. "Excellent. Now, you may get a headache for the next two days but it should fade. If it persists either beyond the two days or doesn't fade, we'll start you off with something much weaker and ease you into it. Sound like a plan?"

Harry nodded.

"Excellent." The optometrist turned to Severus, passing him the bag containing the hard glasses case and a few cleaning supplies. "He's all good to go. I don't think we need anything else from you so you should be all good to head out."

He dipped his head in acknowledgement as Harry got out of the chair and slipped a hand into Severus's free one. "Take care, doctor."

"You too!" followed them out of the exam room and down the hall.

Severus didn't give Harry his full attention until they had exited the office suite and made it to the central atrium of the building. The little boy's gaze was on the floor, half focused behind the new glasses. He gave the small hand a squeeze, reminding him, "Once we see Dr. Trill, we will return home."

Harry nodded but that gaze didn't change.

The walk to the doctor's office was slow. They weren't in a hurry and Severus saw no need to rush the small boy. He took them through the less crowded corridors and noticed the boy's gaze had risen from the floor by the time they entered the office suite through the pediatrics entrance. The noise startled him and the pressure against his leg told him it had startled Harry as well. The waiting room wasn't full but there were certainly plenty of loud children to fill the space with pressing noise. There was an infant crying in the arms of an exhausted looking parent and at least two children were squealing as they played.

Severus tugged on Harry's hand to get the boy to rotate for him. Harry turned, too wide eyes locking onto his face. He gently pulled the new glasses from the boy's face before picking Harry up. Harry's small arms immediately wrapped around his neck, face finding the side of his neck. He situated Harry's weight onto one arm as he crossed to the receptionist. The glasses case gave a sharp snap as he closed it around the glasses but the sound was lost to the noise in the room.

"Hello," the receptionist greeted warmly. "Here to check in?"

"Yes. We have a 1:30 with Dr. Trill under Snape."

"Snape," the receptionist parroted going through a stack of folders. "Ah, here we are." The folder fell open in her hand and the nurse pulled at a sheet. There was a pause when the page slipped free before she closed the folder and placed the piece of paper on a clipboard. "We just need you to go over this information and see if anything needs updating. I will let the nurse know you are here and they should call you back shortly."

"Thank you."

A quick glance around revealed that there wasn't anything resembling a quiet corner but he did at least find a chair as far from the ruckus as he could get them. He set the bag and clipboard on the little end table and promptly shifted Harry more onto his front. It was awkward until he was sitting and able to put the boy's weight on his lap. Harry's arms slipped from his neck as the boy curled into his chest. Severus tugged the lower hem of his robe up and draped it over the boy's head and his right shoulder. There was a sizable gap to allow air and some of the noise but it isolated the boy and offered some calming darkness against the chaos.

He himself took comfort in the boy's weight, letting it settle the agitation he hadn't realized had risen in his own being as he focused on the minimal paperwork.

"Snape."

Severus drew his gaze from the pair of children not far off - the older of the two was slowly reading a picture book brought from home to the smaller tucked in their lap, both concerningly subdued - and met the nurse's eyes. With what was most likely an imperceivable nod, Severus shifted Harry higher on his chest and stood; the hem of the robe fell away. He neatly gathered everything with his free hand before he approached the nurse, passing off the clipboard.

"Snape?" the nurse clarified even as the nurse's gaze fell to the form.

"Yes."

"Perfect." The nurse passed the clipboard off to the receptionist. "Right this way."

They passed into the back halls where the sound dropped significantly. To his surprise, the nurse didn't stop at the scale and other equipment just inside the door. Instead, the nurse led them through the halls to a room that seemed more secluded than the rest of the examination rooms in the suite.

"Here we are," the nurse offered, stepping over the threshold. "I just need to get vitals before Dr. Trill stops in. If you don't mind standing him on the scale for me."

The door clicked shut as he dropped the bag into a chair. Harry's little hands didn't latch onto his clothing like he had half expected and found those green eyes were watching the nurse. Severus stood Harry on the scale and took a step back to allow the nurse room to work. The nurse was quick and thorough, asking the normal string of questions they were always asked as he plucked Harry's glasses from the hard case. Harry scrambled into his lap once given the all clear from the nurse before promptly taking the glasses from him and shoving them on with that inexperienced exuberance the boy had shown when he had first put them on. Severus absentmindedly fixed one of the temples, most of his focus on the nurse's questions. Harry didn't make a sound, content with leaning against Severus's chest and simply watching.

"Alright. I will go let Dr. Trill know you two are ready."

The door clicked shut behind the nurse and, for a long moment, the pair sat in silence. Unsurprisingly, Harry grew bored enough to get down from Severus's lap and he watched the boy poke around the room. Despite the boy spending most of his time with Black - who he expected to have taught the boy a bad habit or five by this point - Harry didn't open a single cabinet or drawer. There were many that were labeled and Harry would stare at the labels, sometimes tracing them with his fingers, before looking to Severus. Sometimes the boy would try reading the labels himself and Severus would correct him when needed. He always waited for the soft, "What does it say?" before reading a label for the boy. Despite the distance of time between their last visit, Harry seemed to recall a lot of the words Severus had taught him, if not a few mispronounced.

A soft knock announced Dr. Trill's entrance and the kind doctor graced them both with a soft smile. "Good afternoon." The door was shut tight and a privacy charm in place before the doctor continued with, "How are we doing, Harry? Feeling alright today?" Harry nodded, drifting back to Severus. "Good." Dr. Trill sat on the stool the nurse had used, turning their attention to Severus. "The nurse informed me of Harry's state when you two had been called. Nothing serious?"

"No; only a long day, one that will be done once we are finished here."

Dr. Trill nodded as graceful fingers tapped out some rhythm on the stethoscope. "Well, this visit shouldn't be overly long. His vitals all looked good and there were no concerns from our last visit. I'll just run through the normal check-up and then check his magic veins." Dr. Trill turned their full attention to Harry, an encouraging smile on their face. "Can I have you sit on the bed, Harry? I want to make sure you are as comfortable for this as can be."

Harry's little fist tightened on Severus's pant leg but the boy nodded.

"His magic veins are still developing but I would say they're in a good place," Dr. Trill announced as Harry shoved his glasses back onto his face around Severus fixing his shirt. "If I had to guess, he has another six months or so before they are fully developed; a little on the slow side of development but nothing that is concerning."

Severus picked up the bag. "And we are to refrain from magic with him, correct?"

Dr. Trill nodded. "As best we can. When you head out, stop by the receptionist desk. They will get you scheduled for six months out - or at the very least a reminder for it - while Harry's picking something out of the goodies basket."

"Thank you, Dr. Trill."

The doctor beamed at him. "Of course, Potions Master Snape. You two have a good day, now."

Harry wore the dinosaur sticker crooked at the center of his shirt for the rest of the day. Both Lupin and Black happily commented on it once both of them got home. One of them re-stuck it to the cover of Harry's current coloring book while they were getting Harry ready for bed. The only reason why he noticed was because he was the one to put the coloring book away as he helped Harry clean up for the evening.

"How did it go?" Black finally asked a half hour after Harry was asleep.

How Black had managed to wait that long astounded Severus. "Well enough."

Lupin placed a steaming mug at Severus's elbow before taking his customary seat on the loveseat. "Was his vision bad? Those lenses were thicker than what I was expecting; James's lenses had always seemed so thin even as we were growing up."

"I would assume Potter's glasses were wixen made. Harry, on the other hand, has to have muggle made, which means a thicker lens."

"But the visit with Dr. Trill," Black started.

Severus picked the mug up, cutting in with an even tone. "Went well. Harry's magic system is still developing but Dr. Trill was not concerned, and neither should you."

Black sank deeper into the couch, not looking pleased but not arguing the point.

"Do they know how much longer?" Lupin asked in turn, catching Severus as he pulled a long drink from it.

The mug's soft tak against the coaster was lost under his words. "Not exactly. It could just as easily be tomorrow as it could be a year from now. This is not something that can be easily predicted."

"So more waiting?" Black asked, sounding morose.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Yes, Black. More waiting."

The heat of late summer had yet to touch the day as Severus sat on the patio, an empty coffee mug on the patio table and a book closed around a finger on his lap. Harry was sitting on the patio steps playing with a few toys but the boy wasn't making much noise; the majority of the noise was from the toys against the wood or from the chatter happening at the back fence. Shrieked laughter exploded from the yard three houses over not for the first time that morning. Harry's focus didn't change and Severus wasn't bothered enough to look away from the small get together happening at the far end of the yard.

"He still chatting with them?" Lupin asked, closing the screen door behind him.

"At this point, if he doesn't end up with a nasty sunburn, I'll be surprised. He hasn't moved from that spot in the last two hours."

Lupin chuckled, setting a plate of grapes and apple slices at Harry's hip. Harry didn't show he noticed the plate was there until Lupin was setting the other plates on the table; the boy grabbed an apple piece and took a bite without interrupting his play. "I'm sure," Lupin commented. "Mind fetching him anyways? I need to grab the last of lunch."

"We could always just let him starve," Severus pointed out even as he placed the book on the table. Lupin gave him a look, flat but amused, as he started down the stairs.

The direct sunlight was hot against his head and neck and it immediately pulled a scowl to his face. He smoothed his expression quickly aware that most of the gaggle could see him. He stopped a good arm's length behind Black. "Sirius," he spoke, deliberately using the man's given name with the audience present; it snapped Black's attention away from the gaggle. "Remus is bringing the last of lunch out. If you are at a place to stop, it may be beneficial to return to the patio so that you can join us."

The other man beamed at him, either blatantly ignoring or very much aware that the snide in his voice hadn't been intended. "Fantastic! I'm starving." Black turned back to the gaggle. Severus started walking back to the patio, eager to be out of the hot sun. "We'll have to continue our conversation later. Have a good one!"

Black jogged to his side, throwing an arm over his shoulder. The relief from the heat trumped his desire to shove the man away. "Thanks, Severus. I thought I was going to be stuck chatting with them until the sun went down."

"Thank Lupin's timing," he directed, slipping out from under Black's arm as the shade of the patio stretched over them. "If I had it my way, I would have left you to fend for yourself."

Lunch was a familiar event, pleasant in its slow pace and relaxed in its conversation. Familiar quips passed between him and Black but the air never strayed away from companionable. It stayed that way until Severus was putting dishes away while Lupin finished up in the sink.

"Severus." He let out a hum in acknowledgement. "You don't..." The sound of the scrubbing pad on metal stopped as the words stalled out. "Is there a reason you still use our surnames?"

The question had been asked with tremendous care as if Lupin was trying to defuse a situation that hadn't even begun yet. Unfortunately, the question itself put him on edge and he finished carefully putting the plates in the cupboard.

When he didn't respond immediately, Lupin continued, "Sirius and I have been calling you Severus for years now but you only use our names in public, never behind closed doors. You have every right to do what you want but even Sirius has noticed and I just want to make sure we haven't been crossing some line doing so."

He found his gaze out the window watching Black play with Harry on the patio steps. Between the two men, he was grateful it was Lupin who was asking. He didn't want to have this conversation, didn't want to bring to light his subterfuge, but it would seem neither man was going to let him keep his secrets for long. Bitter amusement rolled through him briefly as he turned his gaze back to Lupin. "Distance between us is for the best. Despite the charade your neighbors see, my stay is temporary. Becoming well acquainted is pointless."

The pan clattered into the sink, soap flying as Lupin fumbled for it even as those light brown eyes locked onto him. "What? Why?"

Severus rolled his eyes, taking the opportunity to look away from Lupin. The other may be more tame than Black but that didn't mean the other wasn't expressive and Severus wasn't willing to watch that expression change when the betrayal finally sank in. "I would think that was rather obvious. The Dark Lord is far from dead despite the world's assumption and he will be back. I am branded as his; I cannot ignore the summons when he returns. I am only here to make sure Harry is raised right. Nothing more."

"Bullshit."

At first it didn't register that Lupin had even spoken. The word had been the very thought that had tailed his own words. When it did dawn on him, his gaze snapped to the other man's face.

There was determination masking hints of hurt and confusion but the full meaning of Lupin's expression was lost to him. The man's body was squared, one hand resting on the down pressed faucet handle. "There's no way you'll be able to just walk away from Harry like that. You've become his family and I doubt he'll grow out of that view as he gets older." Lupin's expression hardened. "And you know as well as we do that if another war does come, you won't be able to return to Voldemort even if you are branded. Not in the same capacity."

"I can't just ignore a summons from the Dark Lord-"

"The Dark Lord isn't here right now!" Lupin cut in, voice choked with emotions Severus couldn't parse out. The other took a step towards him, hand falling from the faucet handle as the other pressed against Lupin's chest. "I'm talking about the here and now. What ifs and possibilities will happen as they happen but Harry is growing up every day with you a constant in his life. You try and step away from that and he'll fight you tooth and nail to make you stay." Lupin's expression fell as a bittersweet smile pulled at the man's lips. "He's definitely not James and he's definitely not Lily but I'll be damned if he didn't inherit their stubborn love for their chosen family because whether you like it or not, Harry chose you, Severus. Harry chose you the day you pulled him out of that house and has shown that every day you spend with him and you can't tell me you don't see that."

Silence rang between them as Severus tore his gaze away from the other man. He found it settling on Harry through the kitchen window. The boy was running around the grass, laughter clear in the boy's expression as Black chased him with a toy in each hand. Black overtook Harry and scooped the boy up. They spun around a few times before Black stilled, gaze falling onto the window. Black said something to Harry and the pair waved at the kitchen window. Lupin moved in his peripheral as he raised his own hand in acknowledgement. Black put Harry back onto his feet and the boy took off across the lawn again, quickly sought after by Black.

"Whether you like it or not," Lupin continued quietly, "you are a part of Harry's life, a part of his family, and that makes you our family too." He wasn't even sure why he was looking back at the werewolf but Lupin met his gaze, expression oddly neutral. "You don't have to call us by our names but Harry will start asking questions and I don't want to be the one to tell him you're not planning on sticking around."

Severus tore his gaze away back towards the kitchen window without taking in what he was seeing. Annoyance was the only thing he was allowing himself to feel after that blow. "I am not your family," was the only retort he managed to spit out.

He jumped when Lupin's hand closed over his shoulder and he shot a glare at the man he hadn't even heard move. "Friend, then, at least," Lupin amended. "Just think about it, Severus. We won't force you to do anything you don't want to but do know that we - Harry, me, and Sirius - we want you here."

Lupin opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the patio. He called out to Sirius and Harry but the words were noise in Severus's ears. He watched Lupin walk down the steps in time to catch the sprinting child in a solid bear hug. Harry happily latched on, allowing the werewolf to pick him up and perch him on a hip. Harry turned and reached for Sirius talking a mile a minute. Sirius passed the boy one of the toys ruffling Harry's hair as soon as his hand was free. A string of giggles erupted from Harry. As the giggles subsided, the boy's gaze landed on the window again. Harry beamed at him and waved again even as the boy's attention returned to the other two men.

The atmosphere around dinner was heavy, awkward even, but Harry was blessedly oblivious to it. Black didn't seem to fully understand it yet Severus could tell it was affecting the man. Lupin for his part was pretending as if nothing had happened and maybe that was for the better.

"I highly doubt there's anything to worry about."

Severus raised an eyebrow as he kicked the snow off his shoes at the door. The first proper snowfall of the year had dropped a good few inches overnight but the snow wouldn't last long with the unseasonably warm day that was following. Locking the front door in the same motion it took for him to put his bag down, he followed after the voices.

"But he's isolated. That has to be enough to worry about." Black's whine - though whine was pushing it - held genuine concern which only piqued his curiosity and his own concern.

"I am sure that's by choice, not design, Padfoot. He has no problem playing with the other kids."

"But he never talks about them, Moony."

He heard the snort of a laugh as he stepped into the empty kitchen and dining room. "He talks plenty about them, but I'm assuming you mean in the way that you assume one would about a friend."

"Exactly!" Black had thrown his hands up with the word. Severus paused on the threshold of the open sliding glass door, watching the pair talking on the patio. Black's voice was heavy with his concern but his posture showed none of it. In the shade, it was still chilly but neither man wore anything heavier than a long sleeved shirt. "You're telling me you never talked about your friends?"

Lupin shrugged. "I was turned too early for any real friendships before Hogwarts and you already know I would include the lot of you in my letters home. Harry's still young. He doesn't need a friend if he doesn't want one."

"Have you asked the boy if he has any friends?" Severus inquired, noting the subtle jump from Black and the curious glance from Lupin; Lupin had noticed his arrival, then.

Both men got to their feet, greeting him. "Hey! Welcome back!" Black said; Lupin quickly followed it with, "I take it the snow didn't slow you down too much?"

"Only slowdown was waiting for the plows to pass. So. Have you asked the boy if he has any friends?"

Black snorted, offended on some level by the question. "Of course."

"His answer was rather vague but I don't think it's anything concerning," Lupin remarked.

Black opened his mouth but Severus spoke up before the other man could. "Probably not, though there is the chance it was more due to your Gryffindor tack than his lack of a true answer."

Black snorted. "You think you can get a better answer out of him?"

He raised an eyebrow. "If he has a better answer to give."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Severus," Lupin put in, taking a half step sideways to be between them.

Severus waved the other off. "It gives me an excuse to see the boy." Severus stepped back into the house as Lupin and Black fell into something that sounded like an argument. Neither man tried to stop him, though.

He found Harry lying on his stomach in the boy's room flipping through a picture book. Harry didn't look at him when he sat down next to the boy but the tiny body shuffled about enough for Harry's socked foot to touch Severus's lower back. Severus, in turn, fixed the boy's shirt.

"Harry."

"Hmmm?"

"What do you think of the other children in the neighborhood?"

"They're ok."

"Do you like any of them more than the others?"

The foot not pressed into his lower back stilled its swaying. Harry looked up at him with a very familiar thoughtful frown but it was still a moment longer before Harry asked, "What do you mean?"

"Do you see any of them as friends?"

That thoughtful frown deepened. Years of watching the boy and learning his mannerisms told him what it meant but he waited. It would do Harry no good if he spoke for the boy.

"What makes someone a friend?"

He took a slow breath to organize his words, gaze settling on the far wall. He wasn't a Gryffindor despite the company he kept and being a Slytherin meant he held a different opinion on what a friend was than what the two Gryffindors downstairs. It would do the boy no good if Severus gave him a narrow definition anyway. "A friend is someone who you wish to spend your time with to create stories and play games." He brought his gaze back to those striking green eyes behind those thick lenses. The boy's scar was oddly stark against his cheek. "A friend is someone you find yourself happy to be around and excited to hang out with."

Harry stared at him for a long moment before the boy returned those green eyes back to the picture book. Severus didn't try coaxing the boy's question out. Either Harry would ask him or he wouldn't. At this point, he had gotten an answer for Black either way.

"Is there a limit to how many friends someone can have?"

"Socially, no, but that is not something anyone can decide for another. If you asked your godfather, I would be surprised if he didn't list ten people, not including those within these walls. If you asked the neighbor, Mr. Huey, how many friends he has had, he will tell you stories of the countless people he has called friend over his lifetime."

"Do I have to have a friend?"

"Only if you want one," Severus assured him. "Many people will not understand but that is their problem, not yours; you are not obligated to have one if you don't want one."

"Can I ask Tanner if we're friends?"

He didn't recognize the name despite a part of him feeling like he should. "You are more than welcome to ask but know that they can say no."

"Ok."

The boy's foot started swaying again as Harry's focus returned to the book. Severus didn't move for a time, enjoying Harry's company after weeks of brats he was starting to wish were more like Harry as the days went on - the brief weekend for Halloween certainly wouldn't be long enough. The soft turning of a page was the only disturbance to the companionable silence.

Friends. Lupin had called him that two months ago and he had ignored it vehemently. Now, though, he could see what the other man had seen at the time, of how much Harry had weaved himself into Severus's life without Severus even realizing it. The idea of being able to slip out of Harry's life and pretend he hadn't spent countless years raising the boy left a bitter taste on the back of his tongue, but he could still do it. He knew without a doubt that before Harry turned 8, he would not be able to even entertain the idea as anything more than a last resort.

But that left Lupin's claim of friendship, of family.

Severus had been doing his best to avoid both men's names when speaking with or around the boy but that had been growing more and more challenging as the animosity that had hung between the men slowly faded. Heck, calling Black and Lupin Harry's "dogfathers" in a demeaning way had lost its appeal shortly after Harry had turned two. It had become a way to tease - like Black's tendency to call him a git now without any of the venom that had gone with it years prior.

Harry shifted on the floor, rolling over and scooting sideways all at once to rest his head on Severus's leg. Severus watched the youth until the boy had settled before turning his attention back to his thoughts. His fingers found the boy's raven locks, carding through them slowly.

Friends. Family. Both concepts were acrid on the back of his tongue but there was no denying he considered Harry family despite his history with the term.

But where did that put him with Harry's other guardians? What did he want out of this? Obviously keeping Harry in his life as his charge was at the top of that particularly short list; keeping the boy alive went hand in hand with it. He wanted to keep up his Mastery and his work for Madam Gold. Both had their benefits and, loath as he was to admit it, so did working at Hogwarts. He might not care for children that weren't Harry but it put him in the perfect position to protect the boy while he was at school. Beyond that, though...

Laughter cut through his thoughts. It was distant, drifting through the slightly open window, but he still recognized it as Black's. It was quickly followed by the man shrieking in fear while still laughing. Whatever prank he assumed Black had just pulled on Lupin clearly had consequences the man was taking with minimal dignity.

Did he count the two men as more than well tolerated acquaintances or were they already his friends, be it his definition of the word or theirs, and he was just being obtuse?

"Severus?"

He looked down at the boy, meeting those curious eyes. "Yes, Harry?"

"Who are your friends?"

When he entered the kitchen a few minutes later, Black and Lupin were busy making lunch and chatting away about something Severus didn't care about. Black grinned at him as he slipped past towards the sink. "So what did Harry say? Does he have any friends?"

"Or want any?" Lupin added, scooting over for him and smiling gently even as the man went on peeling potatoes.

Severus turned the faucet on. "He didn't name any as friends outright but did ask if he could ask some child named Tanner if they were friends."

Lupin's hands froze around the potato. He turned the water off and grabbed for the hand towel on the fridge. It allowed him to catch sight of Black staring at him.

"Tanner?" Lupin repeated. Black quickly clarified, "You sure Harry said Tanner?"

He narrowed his eyes at the both of them. "Yes. Why?"

"Tanner's..." Black started.

Lupin took over when Black sent the man a look Severus almost counted as pleading. "From what the ECE teacher has said, Tanner's been harassing Harry. The staff have talked with Tanner's parents about it and have talked to Tanner but the behavior hasn't really stopped. Harry hasn't really shown signs of bullying but it doesn't mean that he's not being affected by it."

"Harry seemed intrigued and rather eager at the prospect of being friends with whoever this Tanner is, regardless of the discourse between them. Whatever beef the other child has with Harry, it seems one sided." Black and Lupin shared a look again but they seemed to accept his words to some extent and that was good enough. He changed the subject. "How early were we planning on leaving tomorrow morning?"

Both men's expressions sobered immediately. Black's expression closed off while Lupin just looked sad.

"Weather permitting, whenever Harry gets up and we finish breakfast," Lupin answered. The words that followed were equally breathy. "Forecast said it was supposed to be cold and snowy but that's never stopped us before."

Black snorted. "Would have to be an outright blizzard to keep me from visiting their graves and even then…"

The threat to be reckless went unsaid but Severus caught the implication anyway. He crossed his arms to have them somewhere other than awkwardly at his side as he leaned against the counter. "I highly doubt Lily and Potter would be happy to see you if you died from exposure."

Black waved him off, a snarl pulling at the man's face. Anger was quick to mask the grief that always came at the mention of their dead friends.

"Who are my friends?" he repeated. The boy nodded his head, never taking his eyes off of Severus's face. He hummed a thought, carding a hand back through the boy's hair. "I believe at this point, I have a good few. Some you don't know and some you may never know, others you have known for a while."

"Like Remus and Sirius?"

He met the boy's gaze again. Amusement pulled a small smile to his lips. "Yes, like Remus and Sirius."

"Sirius." He watched the other man tense and turn a guarded glare his way. Severus didn't react, simply reminding him, "Harry would be devastated if you died." The other man's expression darkened but he took the other looking away as a good sign. He pushed off the counter. "I am going to put my things away. Remus, if you need any help with lunch, let me know."

The werewolf offered him a weak smile, nodding.

He kicked the slush off his boots against the welcome mat as he entered, the gales of laughter in the backyard chasing after him even as he closed the front door. Sounds drifted from the kitchen of someone cooking accompanied by delicious smells. He wished he could stay and partake; he hated how little time he had to duck in and out but this could not wait.

To his disappointment, Sirius was the one in the kitchen.

"Severus!" Sirius exclaimed once he caught sight of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Remus. Is he still here?"

Sirius's surprised expression quickly turned into worry. "Should be; he hasn't said goodbye yet. Check upstairs; he should still be packing. Why? Something wrong?"

Severus shook his head even as he started for the stairs. "No. His birthday gift finally arrived."

Sirius called after him as he hurried up the stairs. As Severus reached the landing, Remus stepped out of his room folding a shirt, confusion pulling at the other's expression. "Severus?" Remus asked. "What's wrong?"

He pulled the folder out of his pocket as he closed the distance between them. A quick tap of his wand and it quickly returned to normal size. "Your belated gift," he said as he offered Remus the thin folder.

Remus tucked the half folded shirt over an arm as he took the folder. There was a hesitation to the werewolf's movements but it was faint. Remus gave a smile, reminding him, "I had been serious when I said you didn't have to get me anything."

"That doesn't change the fact that this is for you. If you choose to not see it as a gift, that is your choice, but it is still yours to do with as you please."

That deepened Remus's confusion and the man quickly turned his attention to the folder's contents. The several pages within were full of text but he knew the first paragraph would be enough. He waited, watching Remus's face closely as Sirius came slowly up the stairs behind him.

Bewilderment overtook Remus's expression as the werewolf snapped his gaze to Severus. Remus's entire body had gone rigid yet the folder and its contents remained undamaged. "Severus…" Remus started but the words died out as those nearly amber eyes returned to the pages.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked Severus in a soft voice.

Severus didn't answer.

Remus looked to him again with distrust woven into the bewilderment. "This isn't-" Remus shook his head. "No, of course it is. You don't joke like that." Remus raised the folder. "You're leading this? This is actually a thing? It's been approved?"

Sirius slipped past him to approach Remus's side. There was barely any acknowledgement from Remus when the other man carefully took the folder and looked inside. Severus nodded. "That is the project Madam Gold had spoken about back in August. I and the others that will be working with me have been working on the proposal for approval since late September."

"But you never said anything."

Severus scoffed. "Of course not. I had no information to share and there was no point in giving you false hope. It had to be approved before we could start working on it, which meant that any information did you no good until afterwards" He shifted his weight to something more stationary, imploring, "This will not happen overnight, Remus. This will be years of waiting, but I wanted you to know that someone was working on it, that I and numerous others are doing everything that we could to help you and other werewolves have an easier life. The original potion - while effective - is heavily flawed and we are-" he gestured to the folder- "clearly not the only ones to believe that. The goal is to have a viable potion in two years - viable but not the final product. It will all depend, though, on what results we get in the coming months and how much time myself and the rest of the team are allotted to work on it."

Both men had expressions so thick with emotions, Severus had to fight the urge to turn around and go back downstairs. He had known presenting this to Remus - and subsequently Sirius - would not make for an easy conversation but that didn't mean he wanted to be at the mercy of their emotions either. "This is not a cure," Severus reminded them both. "All we are doing is attempting to redevelop the original Wolfsbane Potion into something that is not only easier to brew but also simpler to take. And that, if nothing else, will take time."

And time it took. When he stepped out onto the back deck three years later, it was with a bundle of papers from the latest tests neatly bound for him to review. There had been numerous setbacks along the way - frustrating setbacks - but finally they were gaining traction again and that was all that mattered. Having to work on it around his teaching was infuriating, though, and he was grateful for the start of summer break to devote most of his waking hours to it.

Not that the others would let him over do it. Already Remus had, for all intents and purposes, put him under house arrest. Neither man could stop him from doing any sort of work in the house but they could keep him from going into the IPPA labs, if not at the risk of a few spells aimed their way.

Not that he was resisting their corralling. As much as the project was gaining traction again, he was tired from the school year and more than content exploiting the house arrest until he couldn't not work anymore.

The morning was far cooler than the intended heat coming that afternoon. It was certainly cool enough in the shade that the several layers he was prone to wearing were certainly needed. Harry and Tanner were in the backyard both wearing t-shirts, a solid indicator that the sunlight was far warmer than the shade. The pair were at the fence in two different locations very clearly looking for something. His curiosity only spiked when Tanner raised nir hand, calling out, "It's over here, Harry!"

Harry dashed across the lawn giving him a chance to catch the boy's determined, concerned expression before it was hidden by Tanner's body and the thick bushes that grew on the left side of the yard. Tanner didn't move back to the bush like Severus expected nem to. Instead, the nearly 8-year-old stood at Harry's back, gaze on the sky and surrounding yard as if on guard for something. It put him on edge.

The likelihood of something actually being wrong was minimal. Children played pretend all the time and those two were no different, yet he had mistaken their play for something far more serious going on several times with how intensely the two played. Despite knowing it would most likely be just another interruption, he set the bound pages down on the table before stepping out into the yard.

He would much rather deal with interrupting a moment of innocent play than the consequences of ignoring a serious situation.