Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Severus was about to head home to begin packing for his move to Hogwarts when he remembered his promise to Potter. With a resigned sigh, he returned to the infirmary. He walked in, noticing that Potter looked better, his bruise already faded and the marks on his neck gone. He was wearing a hospital gown and fiddling with the spoon that was next to a bowl of soup.

Poppy was looking over a parchment. "You have had a lot of burns," She commented in an even tone. "On your hands and arms."

"Oh, most of that was from cooking," Harry said with a shrug.

Poppy stared. "You're only five and you cook?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"How else did you get burned?" Poppy continued, her eyes dark yet tone soft.

"Um," Harry looked down at his untouched soup.

"It is okay to tell me, Harry," Poppy said softly. "They won't hurt you again."

"Sometimes my aunt would hold my hand to the stove if I accidentally burnt dinner or was too slow in making it," Harry finally said.

Severus clenched his fists as he listened.

"How else did they punish you?"

"Mainly no food and locking me in my cupboard," Harry said matter-of-fact voice. "Adding to my chores."

"What were your chores?"

"Cooking, doing the dishes, dusting, sweeping, mopping, gardening -"

"All right," Poppy interrupted, her voice furious as she stood up.

Harry scooted back on his cot, his eyes wary. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He said automatically.

"Oh no, you didn't dear," Poppy said with a shake of her head. "I just...they shouldn't have..." She sighed. "Eat your soup, dear. I just need a moment." She headed to the door, where Severus was still standing. She paused when she saw him. "Would you stay with him? I need a few minutes with the Headmaster."

"I'll stay," Severus said, his eyes on Harry who was slowly trying a spoonful of soup. He watched the boy's eyes light up and quickly take another spoonful.

"Do you like it?"

Harry's face broke into a relieved smile when he saw him. "You came back!"

"I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yes, Perfessor Snape," Harry said, still smiling.

"Professor," Severus corrected him. "Are you enjoying your soup?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "It's so good! And Madame Pom, um Pom..."

"Pomfrey."

"Madame Pomfrey said the whole bowl was mine to eat! But to eat slowly." Harry said.

Severus nodded his understanding. The boy's stomach wasn't used to full meals and would slowly have to grow accustomed to eating. "Have you tried the pumpkin juice?"

Harry gave the glass full of orange liquid a doubtful look. "I've never had juice from a pumpkin before."

Severus felt a small smile tugging on his lips. "Give it a try."

Harry looked at him and with trust in his eyes, took a small sip. His eyes widened. "Yum!" He took a large gulp.

"Slowly Potter," Severus warned. "You don't want to give yourself a stomachache."

"Kay," Harry nodded and set down the glass, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Honestly," He muttered, conjuring a handkerchief and handing it to the boy. "Do not use your sleeve to clean your face."

Harry was staring at him. "Wow, how did you do that?" He fingered the handkerchief in awe.

"Magic. I told you it was real."

"Wow."

"Finish your meal," Severus instructed. "And then you should probably take a nap." At Potter's affronted look, he amended, "I mean, take a small rest."

Harry looked around the infirmary. "Is this where I'm gonna live now?"

"Going to," Severus corrected. "And no, this is the infirmary. The Headmaster is looking for a home for you."

"Oh," Harry said, looking a little sad. What if no one wanted him? "If he can't find no one, do I have to go back?"

Severus looked straight into the child's emerald green eyes. "You will not go back."

"What if no one wants me?"

"Who wouldn't want you? You're the boy-who-lived," Severus said a touch snidely. He sighed at Potter's confused look. "I promise you, Potter. We will find you a home."

Harry looked wistful. "I would love a real home."

Severus felt something in him tighten at that expression. This small, five year old child who had been treated deplorably by his own relatives, Lily would be heartbroken. He remembered the boy holding onto him that night when Voldemort was killed, refusing to let go and falling asleep in his arms. Something in him softened at the memory. "You will have one."

Harry still looked worried. "But what if -"

"Potter, if there is no one else able to then I will become your guardian," Severus said, surprised to hear himself say it. Thank Merlin that Albus wasn't here or else he -

"What a wonderful idea!" Dumbledore beamed as he entered the infirmary, Poppy following him. "Hello Harry, we met a few times when you were a baby."

Harry's eyes widened at the blue and silver robes he was wearing. "You're a wizard too," He breathed. "Merlin?"

Dumbledore laughed. "Not quite. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the Headmaster here at Hogwarts. And I am very sorry to hear that your relatives were so unkind to you, Harry." He said somberly.

Harry shrugged his tiny shoulders. "They just don't like me cause I'm a freak."

"You are not a freak, Potter!" Severus snapped. "You are a child and a wizard."

"Sometimes I made strange things happen," Harry whispered. "I don't know how I did, though."

"Accidental magic is expected when you are a child," Severus said a little impatiently. "Your Aunt knew this, she would have remembered it from your mother."

"Oh."

"But that is in the past Harry, you have a new guardian now," Dumbledore said happily. "My newly appointed Potion's Professor will be a wonderful guardian for you. He was friends with your mother, you know." He ignored the glowering look Severus was giving him.

Harry perked up. "You knew my Mum?"

"Yes," Severus admitted. He turned to Dumbledore. "However, I only said that I would be his guardian if you couldn't find someone more suitable."

"And I can't," Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "I think you are the most suitable, so it all works out, doesn't it?" He turned to Harry, once again ignoring Severus's glare. "Now my boy, do you like lemon drops?"

HP

"So I get to go to your house?" Harry asked hopefully after Dumbledore left. He would much rather stay with the perfessor than go back to the Dursley's. He wouldn't even mind doing the cooking and cleaning, at least the perfessor wanted him to eat and not feel pain. He didn't know where he would be sleeping but he would be happy with any cupboard, no matter how small. He couldn't believe how much better his life was getting and hoped that if he did his chores well enough, that the perfessor would tell him more about magic.

"Yes," Severus said curtly, still unsure about being guardian to the young boy. He had no clue how to be one and had never thought about having children before. He was sure he would botch this up somehow. "Are you ready to go?" He suddenly realized that the boy didn't have any clothes except the over-sized rags he had been wearing when brought to the infirmary. He had taken a look in the bag packed with the few items from Potter's cupboard and promptly burned them. They were like what he was wearing – rags. He didn't have shoes, or a toothbrush or even toys...Severus shut his eyes for a moment. He would have to go shopping, which is the last thing he wanted to do. And he couldn't take the boy with him so he would have to find someone to mind the child and make sure he rested...

"Oh Severus?" The Headmaster walked back into the infirmary holding a large duffel bag. "This should help Harry get started until you are able to take him shopping."

Severus peered into the bag and saw clothes, pajamas, a hairbrush and toothbrush, even some toys. He looked at the Dumbledore suspiciously. "Where did these come from?"

"I contacted Molly Weasley and -"

"Molly Weasley! If she knows I have Potter, that blasted woman won't be able to stop herself from infringing on our lives!" Severus exclaimed in panic. He would have to move, change his name and -

"Now Severus," Dumbledore had a small smirk on his face. "She does not know who the clothes are for. I simply contacted her and asked if I could borrow some things for a five year old boy who didn't have anything of his own. She was more than happy to pack a bag for me. She was curious though, and concerned but I told her I could not reveal who it was for at the moment. So do not worry, you are safe." Dumbledore smiled brightly. "For now, anyway."

Severus was so relieved he didn't hear the Headmaster's last words. The last thing he or the boy needed was the Weasley family descending on them. "Good. She would no doubt want to take over where Potter is concerned, as if several children aren't enough for her."

"Actually, she has seven," Dumbledore corrected. "She has a son Harry's age and a daughter a year younger as well as older twin boys and three more sons before them. Her two oldest you'll meet when school starts up."

"Merlin," Severus breathed in horror. Who in their right mind would want to deal with seven children?

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I sent a couple of house elves to your home in Spinner's End, just to make up a room for Harry," Dumbledore said quickly as Severus's face darkened in anger. "Your old childhood bedroom would need a bit of sprucing up, wouldn't it?"

"A bit," Severus said grudgingly. Actually, the whole house could use it. He rarely spent time there, he usually slept in the backroom of his small store that was in Diagon Alley. However, he could hardly have a child live there so he would have to make Spinner's End his home again. He didn't have many happy memories of the house and though he would now have a room at Hogwarts, he understood the boy should have a home away from the school. An alarming thought entered his mind. "If you told them to decorate the boy's room in red and gold I will -"

Dumbledore held his hand up. "No, in fact I told them to avoid those two colors. I am only trying to help you Severus, not make this situation more difficult."

"I appreciate that Albus," Severus sighed. "I suppose the boy and I should go."

"Do let me know if you should need anything or want to borrow the house elves," Dumbledore said with a smile.

HP

"Well, here we are," Severus said unenthusiastically as he looked around his dusty old house. The house wasn't big, there was a tiny sitting room where the walls were covered with bookshelves. There was a gray sofa and armchair with a table in front of it. The room was lit by a candle-filled lamp that hung from the ceiling.

"The kitchen is through there," Severus said, pointing to a doorway. There wasn't much to see, a old stove, small table for eating, a stone fireplace. "There is a backyard but it is quite small and the grass is probably overgrown by now. Upstairs are two bedrooms and a bathroom."

Harry looked around with interested eyes. The furniture was rather worn looking and the bookshelves could use a good dusting. But there was a homey feeling that Harry had never felt at the Dursley's. In fact, he like it a lot that the perfessor's home wasn't anything like his aunt and uncle's. He didn't see a cupboard under the stairs but he was sure there was one somewhere. He was startled when he was handed a duffel bag.

"Go ahead to your room and unpack," Severus said. "Then I want you to lay down and take a rest. We'll have dinner when you wake up."

Harry looked down at the bag in confusion. "What's in here?"

"Some clothes and toys for you," Severus said absently as he looked through his mail. "We'll get you more in a few days. These are borrowed so take good care of them."

Harry bit his lip and hugged the bag closer to himself. Clothes for him? Toys? And he would get more? "Um, perfessor? Where is my room?"

"Upstairs," Severus said. "The bedroom on the right. It's been fixed up for you."

"A bedroom? Really? For me?"

"Obviously. Where did you think you would -" Severus glanced down and inwardly winced at the excitement in those emerald green eyes. Of course, the child wasn't used to having an actual bedroom. Had he been expecting to sleep in a cupboard here too? From the look on Harry's face, the answer was yes.

"I don't need a whole room to myself perfessor," Harry said earnestly. "A cupboard or closet would -"

"Not be in any way appropriate," Severus said firmly. "You deserve a bedroom Potter. Come, let's go see your new room."

He led Harry up the creaky stairs and turned to the right. He opened the door and when they entered, he was struck by how different his old bedroom looked. The room was now bright, the new curtains pulled back to let the sun in. The walls alternated in green and blue, with circles of green on the blue and circles of blue on the green wall, looking like a splash of bubbles. The bedspread was light blue with green and orange pillows piled up by the headboard. There was now a child size desk with a chair, a dresser and the bookshelf that had been Severus's as a child was painted a rich dark brown. There was also a soft looking orange sofa chair with a pattern of little brooms that moved around, a small table next to the chair.

"Well, this is certainly different from how it looked when I slept in here," Severus remarked.

Harry's eyes were wide as he took in the colorful room. He blinked up at the perfessor. "This was your room? When you were a kid?"

"Yes," Severus leaned against the door frame. "Although I assure you, it didn't look anywhere near as nice as this. Go ahead and unpack and then I want you to take a nap."

Harry made a face. He didn't want to take a nap, he wanted to explore his new room and the house! "But I've been resting all day in the infamy." He couldn't help but whine.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "The infirmary. And you will rest some more," He said firmly. "And then we will have dinner once you wake up."

Harry sighed but nodded. "Yes sir," He said. Actually, it was quite nice of the perfessor to let him sleep a little more before making dinner. It would probably take Harry longer to make something since he wasn't used to the kitchen but he was sure he could make a nice dinner for his new guardian. He was left alone and unpacked the duffel bag, grinning as he saw they were clothes his size! And they didn't have holes or anything in them. And there were blocks that once he put them on the shelf, they began rearranging themselves and then tumbling down all on their own! Harry watched in amazement. Magic, he thought dreamily. He vaguely remembered being told he was a wizard but he knew that couldn't be true. He was abnormal, he knew that. But somehow he had lucked out and got to stay where it was magical and work for the perfessor. It was more than he could have hoped for. He put the crayons and coloring book, a puzzle, and a small broom that zoomed out of his hand and flew around the room before landing back on his palm, on his shelf as well. He sighed happily as he lay on the comfortable bed. Yes, all of this was more than he could have hoped for.

TBC: