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When next Harry awoke, they were alone in the train compartment. He was now stretched out on the bench with his head resting on his dad's lap. Part of him wanted to move away since he still felt a heavy dose of betrayal towards the man. The other part of him felt so damaged, like too many awful things had happened to him. He still felt broken, as if the smallest thing would shatter him completely. He was ashamed to admit to himself, that a sixteen year old could still need so much support.

"You are awake," came the deep voice of his father. Harry felt a cool hand press against his forehead.

"Your fever is gone," Severus said, as he ran a finger over the flattened scar.

"I didn't know I had one," Harry struggled to sit up.

"Just a small one, but any fever is cause for concern. No doubt this one was brought about by your need to exact retribution against that obtuse woman," Severus admonished.

Harry chose to ignore his dad's reprimand, since the lady clearly deserved what she got. Instead, he looked out the window and was surprised to see the sun just peaking over the horizon.

"Exactly where are we going, Severus?"

Severus looked up from the satchel he had been rifling through when he heard the difficult edge to his son's tone of voice. He knew he had to remain patient with the boy.

"We should be arriving shortly. The walk from the train station should not take long."

"I just hope Hedwig is able to find me," Harry said, with true concern. He didn't like being so far away from his companion.

"I'm quite certain your owl would find you no matter where you traveled to."

Severus could see Harry's shoulder's relax a bit. He handed him a vial of potion along with a greenish colored muffin.

Harry smirked at the sight of the muffin, "So now you're baking muffins?"

Severus raised an eyebrow, "That muffin is filled with enough nutrients and vitamins to fulfill a full day's requirement. Your elf friend, Dobby, baked a few for the trip, without using any magic to bake them. Regrettably, we will be required to cook devoid of magic until those bracelets come off." He nodded towards the silver bands at Harry's wrists.

Harry chose not to respond, considering that he had only ever cooked that way. Instead he took a bite, "Not bad," he declared, finishing off the whole thing in two more bites, followed by a swig of the potion.

He leaned back against the seat, thinking that the throbbing pain from the bracelets was a bit less intense. He held his wrists up, "You said you'd take these off when we got here, remember?"

""I recall stating that I would remove the bracelets if you behaved yourself. That has clearly not been the case."

"That old witch deserved what she got! People should learn to keep their big mouths shut when they don't know what they're talking about."

"As touched as I am for your assistance," Severus declared with sarcasm, "I'll not have you hexing every half-wit who sees fit to critique my parenting skills." He reached out and guided Harry's face up until they were looking eye to eye. "I expect better from you, Mr. Potter."

It was at that moment that the conductor stepped into the compartment. Apparently he had only heard the last part of the conversation since the conductor boldly stated,

"Merlin's beard man, Hasn't the boy done enough! What more do you expect from the lad?"

Harry pulled out of his dad's reach, smirking at the reprimand his dad had just received on his behalf.

Severus stood up as he reined in his irritation, "State your business."

"I just came in here to tell you that we will be arriving at your stop in five minutes," the conductor said, with a newfound sense of alarm, now that he was looking up at the sinister looking wizard. "That's all I wanted to say, sir."

"You've said it. You may leave now."

The conductor gave a sort of nervous bow, before scurrying backwards out the door.

"You didn't have to scare the pants off that guy," Harry accused, in a petulant tone.

"Shut up and get your cloak on," Severus snapped, tired of the boy's impertinent attitude.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The walk to the hidden cabin was not very long but it was quite treacherous, causing them to stop several times for Harry to catch his breath. The hills were covered in dense brush, canopied by giant trees up a steep mountain. The small town they had passed through was clearly Muggle, with only a few small shops and one grocery store. They hadn't passed a single soul so early in the morning, which Severus was grateful for since using the invisibility cloak was out of the question.

The cabin was obscured by a thick grove of trees, with a small clearing in front and behind the dwelling. Harry was shocked at how rustic and small the place appeared from the outside. It was a far cry from Snape Manor.

"Wait out here while I check the cabin," Severus stated before unlocking the wooden door with a rusty old key. He stepped into the dimly lit room, noticing with irritation, that his son was right behind him.

"I thought I told you to wait outside?"

"What if someone was in here?" Harry said, pocketing his wand. He heard his father mutter something that sounded an awful lot like 'foolish Gryffindor.'

The cabin consisted of one open room, which included a kitchen and a living room with a small fireplace. There was also a tiny bathroom and two small bedrooms, all sparsely furnished with plain furniture.

Once he stepped into the smaller bedroom he saw something scurry across the ceiling. With a flash of alarm, he noticed the many cobwebs and spiders crawling about the ceiling. There were several black spiders crawling directly over his head along the wooden beams. He couldn't help but to be reminded of Voldemort's strong-hold. Panic swept through him, causing him to step back out of the room, until he was practically standing outside the front door.

"Harry, what is it?" Severus asked at the look of terror on his son's face.

Harry berated himself for being so ridiculous, "It's-it's nothing. I-I guess I just wasn't expecting to see so many spiders. It's stupid, I know."

"No, it is not stupid," Severus said, coming to stand next to the boy. "It is most understandable, under the circumstances."

Harry looked down at his shaking hands, "It's stupid. This is ridiculous… I grew up in a cupboard with loads of spiders crawling all over me. I don't know why …"

"I believe you know exactly why," Severus gently but firmly stated, wanting Harry to come to terms with all that had happened to him, "It should come as no surprise that you would have a reaction after what you have been through."

Harry turned around in embarrassment and walked out the front door. He sat down on an old tree stump. The irony of the situation suddenly became apparent. He started to laugh, his laugh became higher pitched, and he wondered if he was going mad. He certainly sounded mad to his own ears. He didn't stop laughing until his dad knelt before him and grabbed hold of his arms.

"I think I'm losing it," Harry said as everything became much less funny and much more real, "I've gone mental," he said, burying his head in his hands, even as Severus continued to hold his arms.

"You are NOT going mental, Harry," Severus adamantly stated, shaking the boy's arms until they were looking eye to eye once more. "You will be back to your old self before you know it."

Harry pulled his arms out of Severus' grasp. His hands fisting up once more, "No, you're wrong about that! I'll never be back to my old self. Too much has happened, I've lost too much! You made sure I'd never be happy again when you took Sirius from me!" He knew it wasn't fair to say such things to Severus but he wanted to hurt him as much as he was hurting.

"I did what I had to, to keep you alive," Severus whispered, sounding regretful.

"I wish I'd never faced that arsehole, snake faced, bastard! At least then, Sirius would still be alive," Harry snapped.

"Perhaps the words spoken by the lady on the train were not so far from the truth? I've spent hours debating with myself on how your own father would have dealt with this situation. I doubt he would have had you face Voldemort alone. I should have been with you," Severus said in a tired voice.

"My dad sure as hell wouldn't have killed my godfather!" Harry yelled. "You didn't just take Sirius from me; you also made sure Remus wouldn't be able to stand the sight of me! Shit, and I can't really blame him either."

Severus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "That is not true. Lupin cares deeply for you, Harry."

"Oh yeah? Well, if he cares so much for me, then where the hell has he been all this time!?" Harry stood up and tried to push past Severus, but was stopped when his dad wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him back. His back was up against his dad's chest as he was held firmly in place. He could feel his dad's strong heartbeat against his back.

Harry let his dad hold him, once again realizing how much he needed the man's support. The twisting in his heart made it hard to breathe. He felt so torn between getting the help he needed and betraying his godfather by depending on the man who had killed him.

Thinking of Sirius made him want to scream. He was so furious that his godfather had been taken from him again. His wrists throbbed with the dark magic pulsing through him as his anger started to build.

He abruptly turned around and pushed his dad back. He held his wrists up, "If my dad had been here, he sure as hell wouldn't have tortured me with these bloody bracelets! Take them off!"

"Harry," Severus implored, refusing to give in to his son's pleas.

The far off sound of an owl's hoot forced Harry to swallow the sharp words he was ready to shout. He looked up through the canopy of trees to see a small white dot coming closer. He held his arm up as Hedwig broke through the trees.

The white bird fluttered down to her master's arm with a loud hoot.

Harry scratched the top of her head, relieved to see her.

"What do you got there, girl?"

The bird held her leg out as Harry pulled the leather strap holding the small scroll attached to it.

Harry recognized the writing immediately. "It's from Remus," he whispered. Without waiting he spread open the scroll and read the short missive.

Harry,

Use your mirror at noon today. I've much to tell you.

Remus

"Bloody hell! I didn't bring the mirror," Harry said with alarm.

"But I did," Severus pulled the mirror from his robe pocket. "Lupin thought it might be useful whilst we are away from the castle."

Harry walked over and took hold of the mirror. When he looked up and saw how truly exhausted his dad appeared to be, he felt a stab of guilt for all that he had said.

After a long moment he finally said, "I'm sorry."

Severus smoothed down the front of his robe and stood up straighter, "Your feelings are valid. I do not want, nor do I expect you to apologize."

"Still, I'm sorry I said that stuff… I didn't really mean it," Harry said, feeling miserable. When his dad looked away, he quietly said, "Uh, it's almost noon. I think I'll go inside."

He walked into his bedroom, forcing himself to face his fear of spiders as a form of self punishment for having behaved so badly. He set Hedwig on the bedpost, and then placed the mirror on the desk.

The black spiders had made several webs throughout the bedroom, the largest being directly over his bed. Standing up on his bed, he captured the biggest spider by cupping it in his hands. He sat down on the bed to come to terms with his fears.

The spider tried to scurry away but he pinched its black spindly leg between two fingers to hold it in place. His heart constricted with a mixture of fear and sadness for all that he'd been through and lost. His anger toward Voldemort spiked as he thought of his mother trapped in the mirror.

The spider bit him, causing him to lose his grip on its leg. The creature dropped down onto his lap and quickly darted away. He lunged for it as it ran across his bed. A flurry of white wings stopped him as Hedwig swooped down from the bedpost to catch the spider.

The white owl crunched her meal in her beak, looking as if she were proud of her accomplishment. Once the owl finished her treat, her eyes darted to the other savory morsels scurrying about the room. It wasn't long before Harry felt the spiders no longer posed a threat.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Remus took hold of the small mirror at precisely twelve noon. When he first saw the face of Harry, he was shocked at how pale and sickly the teen appeared to be, even after hearing all that the teen had suffered through. The dark circles and almost translucent complexion of the teen reminded him of a vampire's appearance. He pushed those thoughts aside when he thought of how close they had come to losing the boy.

"Harry, it is so good to see you."

Harry swallowed back a lump in his throat, guilt almost consuming him upon seeing the last surviving Marauder, "Remus," he managed to say in a thick voice.

"How're you feeling," Remus asked.

Harry shook his head, as his throat swelled with emotion, "I'm so sorry, Remus! Merlin, I would never have wanted this! If I had known, I never would have let Sirius do this…"

Remus shushed him, rubbing at his own eyes, "Oh, Harry, don't ever think that way. Sirius, wanted to do this for you. He died with a smile on his face; he died happy for having saved you. It was meant to be this way..."

Harry interrupted, "How can you say that? Sirius had just come back; he hadn't even had a chance to live again."

"Harry, listen to me, Sirius, came back to save you!"

Harry shook his head, thinking that Remus was just saying that to make him feel better, "Remus, no, don't say that."

In an overexcited voice, Remus replied, "But, Harry, it is true! Albus performed a spell to help take the confusion from Sirius' mind before he gave up his soul. Oh, Harry, I wish you could have seen Padfoot! He was back to his old self, the way he used to be before he went to Azkaban. If you had only known him back then … he was so clever, so very sharp of wit and tongue."

"I wish I could have seen him like that," Harry said, with true regret for losing someone so dear to him.

"Albus' spell helped his mind to heal so they could enact the final spell. His mind cleared and for a few precious moments he remembered what had happened to him when he had crossed behind the veil. Harry, he remembered a conversation he had had with your mum!"

"My mum!?" Harry repeated in disbelief. His heart twisting further until his chest felt heavy.

"Yes, he remembered a conversation he had with your mum from behind the veil. He said that Lily knew you would need him to save you. He took the only chance he was ever given to come back through the veil when Voldemort opened that portal upon his death."

Harry could hardly comprehend all that he was being told. How had his mum known that Voldemort would manage to come back? Had she always known about the horcrux? His thoughts were brought back to the mirror when Remus spoke again.

"Harry, I was so reluctant to believe that you and Severus had just suddenly formed this deep bond but then Sirius remembered your mum telling him that she had sent a powerful dream charm to both you and Severus. Your mum was brilliant at Charms, so very brilliant!"

"That's true, Remus. Both Severus and I remember having odd dreams," Harry replied.

"Yes," Remus replied, with enthusiasm, "The dream charm she sent was filled with her own love. She gave that love to both you and Severus so you would have a parent's true love for their child. Part of that love that Severus demonstrates is coming from your mum, Harry!" By this point both Harry and Remus were in tears again.

All those lonely years of praying for a parent had actually come true. Harry covered his eyes as he wept. He knew the way he felt for Severus had been powerful but he had no idea it was part of his mother's feelings too.

Once he had pulled himself together, he said, "Yeah, I know it's true. I could never figure out how Severus changed his attitude towards me so quickly but I guess I was so desperate that I didn't question it."

Remus' face looked pained over hearing this. "I'm so sorry. Harry. I should have been there for you."

Harry shook his head, "No, it wasn't your fault. I didn't exactly tell anyone how I was treated at the Dursley's."

"I am glad you have a father to watch over you now. Severus is an excellent father. You should probably know… Severus tried to convince us that it should have been him to give up his life. He insisted that you would never forgive him for taking Sirius from you."

Remus studied the guilty and pained look on Harry's face before he asked, "Harry, you haven't accused him of any wrong doing, have you?"

Harry grimaced, "I haven't exactly been grateful. I think I owe him an apology."

"In the very least," Remus agreed, "I've never seen a man so torn apart, Harry. Severus was so very worried over your reaction to losing, Sirius."

"I'm such a bloody prat!" Harry exclaimed, "I've been treating him as if he murdered, Sirius." Saying it out loud made him feel worse. His guilt was overwhelming.

"Don't beat yourself up, Harry. I am positive, Severus, will forgive you. Perhaps you should rectify that situation?"

"Yeah, I guess I should," Harry replied. "Thanks for talking to me, Remus. It means a lot to me to hear from you. I was kinda worried you'd be mad."

Remus shook his head, "No, I am not mad. I would have been here sooner but I wanted to take part in rounding up the last of the Death Eaters. We got most everyone."

"That's a relief," Harry said.

"It's over, Harry. You've got everything you need now to live a happy, normal life."

Harry closed his eyes, "I can't imagine it."

"Sirius loved you very much, Harry. He wanted you to promise me that you would be happy. You'd be fulfilling all of our wishes if you could manage to do so."

"I'll promise to try," Harry said with sincerity.

"Oh, just one more thing," Remus said with a Machiavellian like grin, "Sirius, said that he left you something. He wouldn't say what it was and he didn't give me anything to give to you, but he did say it would irritate the hell out of Severus."

"I wonder what it could be?" Harry said, knowing how mischievous his godfather was.

"Call me if you need me, Harry," then he added, "Anytime, day or night."

"Bye, Remus. It was so good to hear from you."

Harry placed the mirror in his back pocket, just in case Remus wanted to talk with him again. He felt a sense of relief. His relief stemmed from both knowing that Remus wasn't angry at him, to knowing that Sirius had come back here with the express purpose of saving him. He stood up and paced around to the other side of his bed as he thought about his dad.

Quickly, making up his mind before he thought more about it, he walked purposely out the bedroom door to go find his dad.

As soon as he opened the front door he saw that Severus had his back to the house with his head bent down, as if in deep thought. Harry walked up behind him and put an arm around his shoulder.

Severus was startled by the embrace. He quickly turned around and was caught up in a fierce hug. He held his son in his arms as relief flooded through him. They didn't speak for several minutes. .

"Sorry," Harry managed to say, as he pulled himself together. "I'm so sorry, dad."

"Harry, you've nothing to be sorry for. I am the one who is truly sorry for not being the father you deserve," Severus stepped back and rubbed at his neck.

"Remus, told me everything, dad," Harry said, stepping closer to his dad. "He told me how you wanted to take Sirius' place."

Severus frowned deeply upon hearing this. He thought he had made it perfectly clear that no one was to speak of this. He looked away when he saw the unrestrained look of admiration on his son's face.

"It is no matter, it did not come to pass," Severus said, waving a hand in dismissal.

Harry put a hand on his dad's shoulder, "It means everything that you even tried. I wouldn't have wanted it to happen. You're my dad, I still need you."

Severus gave his son a brusque hug. "Enough said," he said harshly before stepping back.

Harry smiled, but didn't say anything further about all that he had been told. He rubbed at his swollen eyes again, realizing how at peace he suddenly felt. His wrists didn't even bother him. It felt like the weight of the world had been removed from his shoulders. He yawned as he rubbed his face.

Severus could see how tired and emotionally wrought out his son appeared to be. He motioned to the house with his head, "You are not fully recovered. I must insist that you take a nap."

Harry smiled, knowing that part of his dad's concern was put there by his mum. He followed his dad into the house, not even resisting when his dad turned the covers down on the bed for him, or when his dad spelled the bedroom clear of the remaining spiders, much to Hedwig's displeasure.

Harry placed the mirror on the nightstand then drank the potions handed to him. He got into bed, laying on his stomach in pure exhaustion. He felt a hand rest on his back momentarily before he heard his dad close the bedroom door. It wasn't long before Harry fell into a very trouble free sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Harry awoke from his nap, the sun was dipping into evening. He rolled onto his side and stared at the mirror on his nightstand. He sat up and stretched, noting the delicious smell of pizza wafting through his room.

He couldn't imagine where his father had managed to find a pizza pallor out in the middle of nowhere? They certainly hadn't passed by one when they walked through the tiny town. Overcome with curiosity and a fair bit of hunger, he opened his bedroom door.

The sight that met him was beyond hilarious, his dad had out several cauldrons, all bubbling with some sort of red sauce or yellow cheese. But most amazing was the man himself! Severus' black robes and dark hair were covered in white flour and dough!

Harry laughed out loud at the outlandish sight before him.

Severus looked up and grimaced. Merlin forbid, he had planned on having this mess cleaned up before Harry awoke. He couldn't stop the smile that broke out across his face when he saw the amusement in his son's face. He actually laughed out loud when he caught sight of his own reflection in the long kitchen window.

He pointed to the perfectly round pizza on the kitchen counter and said, "You WILL eat that peculiar looking piece of food that I have spent the better part of the day cooking for you!"

Harry walked closer and peered down at the round pie, "I'm not sure how you managed it, but that is a perfect example of the most popular Muggle food ever invented! I can't wait to taste it!"

"Shall we?" Severus pointed to the table already set with plates and silverware, along with cold glasses of pumpkin juice.

"May I ask what possessed you to make a pizza?" Harry asked as he sliced the pizza with a kitchen knife.

"You did," Severus replied, dusting off his robes and hair, before taking his seat. "You asked for it when you were recovering in the infirmary." At Harry's confused look, he added, "You were not fully conscious at the time but you said you were hungry and that pizza sounded good to you. I had no idea it would be such a difficult brew."

Harry laughed again, "It's not so much a brew as it is a recipe. Don't tell me you tried to brew the whole thing instead of baking it?"

Severus frowned deeply, "I admit, it took a few tries before I realized that brewing the dough would not be such an ingenious idea." He couldn't help but to grin at Harry's amusement at his expense.

Harry took a big bite of the cheesy pizza. With a mouth still half full, he commented, "Wow, this is really good! It's even better then the pizza at Papa Guido's in Little Whinging."

"Well then, I have hit the pinnacle of my success," came Severus' sarcastic reply.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several weeks later, the cabin felt like a true home. Harry sat on his bed, almost sad to be leaving the peaceful dwelling. He rifled through the parchment and quills stuffed in his desk drawer until he found what he was looking for. He held the silver bracelets in his hand, reminded of all that they represented. It was still hard to believe that Voldemort no longer had a hold on any part of his life.

The magical silver bracelets had done their job, siphoning most all of Voldemort's dark magic from his own. The last bit that was left behind had been hard to control but his dad had helped him triumph over it. It had taken weeks of constant training, drills and dueling to make sure that the dark magic would not cause him to lose his control.

Harry grimaced, just thinking about all the drills his dad made him perform. At least now, he could feel confident that he wouldn't accidentally hex one of his friends or let the dark anger control him.

Even though his time at the cabin had been both physically and mentally painful at times, he still felt those other times he had spent with his dad, outweighed the bad times. They had taken long walks through the quiet forest, just talking about everything from girls to what the future held for both of them. Harry wasn't surprised that his dad had no plans at all to date at the present time. After all, anyone would be turned off of women once they had Narcissa Malfoy as a girlfriend.

He, on the other hand, was most definitely looking forward to seeing Ginny once again. They had been talking to each other through the mirror most everyday. Some of the things Ginny promised to do to him when he went back, brought a blush to his face just thinking about it.

Hermione had used the mirror at least a few times a week reminding him how much school work he was missing. She would assure him that she was keeping meticulous notes and then he would assure her that he would not be behind in any of his classes, due to the fact that he was living with Severus. His dad had made certain he was studying and had made a point of grading him harder to push him further.

Ron seemed as if he had changed. He was very careful in what and how he spoke to Harry about all that had happened. Perhaps he was just worried that Harry would snap, like he had the last time Sirius had died. It touched him deeply that his best friend would be so concerned.

Draco had even managed to use the mirror a few times, mostly just talking about Lavender. Apparently they were quite the item, even eating with one another at the Slytherin table. Harry wondered if Lucius was flipping over in his grave.

At that thought, he knelt down on the floor to stow the rare bracelets in his trunk. They clinked together, making a pure ringing sound, as he wrapped them in a scarf. He thought he would use a bit of his clout with the ministry and ask Fudge if he could keep the rare artifacts. They represented all that he had overcome.

As he continued stowing the last bit of his stuff, he came across his photo album. He lifted it out of the trunk unsure if he was emotionally strong enough to face his past. He took a deep breath before he flipped the album open to the page where both his parents were holding him when he was a baby. His heart twisted a bit, thinking about the lives they had never had a chance to live. What dreams did they have when that picture was taken? Did they have any idea that they wouldn't be around to see their baby grow up?

When his throat became tight with emotion he looked to the next picture. It was the newspaper picture of him giving his dad a hug.

He traced a finger over the moving picture, grateful beyond belief. He couldn't have asked for a better dad. Who else could understand all that he had been through? Who else could understand the horror that went along with Voldemort's powers or Uncle Vernon's fists? Who else could understood the night terrors he still had on occasion, and come sweeping into the bedroom to sit with him until he went back to sleep? Or the bouts of depression he still felt, although they were becoming fewer and far between. He was grateful for never having to explain his tear stained face or the need to sleep on the floor of his dad's small bedroom.

He closed the photo album and tucked it away on the bottom of his trunk. His hand touched upon the piece of broken mirror that had once been his last connection to Sirius. He held the broken glass in his open hand, wondering what that gift was that Remus had said Sirius had left for him? The mirror warmed up for a moment before a whoosh of power went through him!

He laughed out loud when a sudden thought popped into his mind. No, it couldn't be, could it? He dropped the piece of mirror into his trunk, before squeezing his eyes shut tight and concentrated with every last fiber in his body. A ripple of a powerful spell shot through his body, washing over every part of his being.

He felt his body begin to transform as he thought about the shape and feel of the animal. When he opened his eyes he could see much better but in a different way. His hearing and sense of smell was incredible.

He took a few tentative steps, trying to get used to walking on four legs. He jumped up on the bed, thrilled at how good his balance was now. His tail began to wag, causing his rear to sway side to side.

Just then he heard his dad call to him, "Harry, are you ready to leave? The train will be leaving within the hour." Severus opened his son's bedroom door, when the boy didn't answer. He was taken aback by the mangy black dog standing on his son's bed and he whipped out his wand.

"Harry!" Severus called in a worried voice as he scanned the bedroom. The mangy dog continued to stare at him, wagging its ridiculous tail.

"You there, get down, you mangy mutt!" Severus commanded.

Severus thought about hexing the dog but just then, it rolled over and laid on its back. He scowled at the abnormal behavior, and then froze as a sudden thought struck him.

"Harry James Potter, is that you!?"

The dog rolled over and jumped off the bed. It whined and barked as it wagged its tail in a frenzy of happiness.

"Merlin, preserve me," Severus groaned, in a most put upon voice. "He reached out and brushed the dog's paws from his clean black trousers, "You best be house broken, although, I wouldn't count on it considering whom you acquired this gift from."

The dog barked loudly before standing on its back legs and jumping in a circle. Severus couldn't hold his grin back when the dog rolled over at his feet. He knelt down on one knee and scratched the dog on its belly before abruptly pulling his hand back when he realized it really wasn't appropriate.

Harry took that moment to turn back into himself. He laughed so hard he had tears streaking down his face. "You should have seen your face …!"

Severus couldn't hold back his own laughter and sat down on the floor next to his son.

When they both settled down a bit, Severus said, "I suppose, Black and your father, are out there in the great beyond," Severus motioned with his hand through the air, "laughing harder then we are. Not only did I adopt a Gryffindor of all things, but a mangy mutt as well!"

Harry leaned over and gave his dad a one armed hug, "Just look at the bright side…"

His dad's look of skepticism and raised eyebrow made him smile even bigger, "you'll only have to pay for one ticket on the train ride home."

The End

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Would you like an epilogue of :

1. Harry and Snape return to Hogwarts OR

2. Summer at Snape Manor

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