Chapter 8: A New Home

Severus had put a lot of thought into preparation for the journey. He had considered how to get his new charge away from Privet Drive, and the method of travel. He had decided how to explain things to Potter. He had prepared everything for the new arrival, to make sure there were no mistakes, interruptions, or complications. Things had to go exactly right. What he had not been prepared for was the look in the boy's eyes when he looked up at Severus, holding his hand with all his might as if his new protector would disappear at any moment.

Severus admonished himself fiercely. He was going to have to get used to those eyes in that face. The boy was somehow an exact miniature of his childhood enemy with her eyes. At his weakest moments, the combination was almost too much for Severus. He had to remind himself that the boy would not understand any of that. Brief and simple legilimency on Petunia had confirmed his suspicions that he knew next to nothing about his parents. What little he had been told was complete fabrication. Some damage control was needed there, but later.

"Mr. Potter, I realize you have not seen much magic. … Do you know anything about magic?" The boy's reaction to the word magic was so strong that he looked like he had been struck. Severus felt he had been right to proceed with caution.

Shaking his head slowly back and forth, young Harry Potter kept his eyes on the sidewalk. Severus noted that he kept his hand tightly clenched in Severus's, almost a fist.

"Well, then, let's see some, shall we?" Severus tried to keep his tone light and even. "We are going to disappear. It is sort of like the magicians you see on the telly. Have you seen that?" Really grasping at straws now, aren't you, Severus? He said to himself wryly.

The boy once again shook his head, but this time he gave Severus a calculating look as he did it.

"All right then. There's a first time for anything. Those magicians aren't real, but this is." Severus held out his elbow. "Grab ahold." The boy was still latched onto his hand, so it might have seemed like an extraneous request. The boy did as he was told, however. "You may feel a tug, but just don't let go and you will be fine," Severus assured the boy. With that, he apparated them both to their new home.

The house was in a muggle neighborhood. Severus had several houses scattered in different parts of Europe, America, and remote parts of Asia. He had been collecting safehouses since the early days of the first war. This happened to be one that he visited often enough to know the neighbors. One family had a little girl who was near Harry's age. There was a quiet older couple on the other side. The yard was large, and the wards were old and strong. Severus had visited the house often to strengthen them. Better yet, no one from either the Order or Voldemort's camp knew the place existed. The secret keeper was an old friend of Severus's that was completely remote and untouchable. Other than isolating Harry in some manor far removed from anywhere, this was the best he could do to keep the boy safe and give him a chance at a childhood.

Having established wards to prevent apparition inside the house for security purposes, Severus landed them in the backyard. Here, no one would see them appear out of thin air. He made sure to keep a firm hand on Harry so that the boy did not fall over. He also fully expected dizziness or vomiting. Of course, knowing where the boy had just come from, he may not have had anything to empty from his stomach. This would not prevent the journey from causing the boy discomfort though, so Severus studied him carefully. The boy was shaky on his feet and did appear green, but nothing else happened.

"All right there, Potter?" Severus asked him.

With a nod, the child took an uneasy step as if to steady himself. He looked around, taking it in. From the back, you could see all three stories of the gothic-style brick house. Lazy ivy covered about three quarters of the back of the house as well as the stone wall that encompassed the yard. Large leaded-glass windows peeked out, including several stained in decorative colors and shaped in half-circle or circular forms. The house dated from the early nineteenth century originally and had been updated with both muggle appliances and discreet magic inside. It was comfortably sized but not too large, and Severus felt that Harry would enjoy its lived-n grandeur.

"Come along."

Severus led the boy to the large oak door to the kitchen at the back of the house. The back of the house was split level, so that you could access the basement from part of the yard and the kitchen from another, even though the kitchen was on the first floor. Severus had installed a fully-stocked potions lab in the basement as soon as it had become clear that he would be spending significant amounts of time here.

It had not escaped his notice that little Harry had said nothing since leaving his relatives' house. Severus knew he could talk, so he was not concerned. He imagined that the boy was taking everything in. After all, his life had been turned upside down. It would take him time to get used to his new situation.

"I imagine you are tired," Severus led the boy into the kitchen, which had an eat-in dining area for informal meals as well. "However, I know you are likely also hungry. Let's try something light for now." He gestured to the table. The boy did not move.

"Potter … Harry, please sit down. Let's have something to eat."

Severus realized he was going to have to get used to thinking of the boy as Harry, and he certainly was going to have to call the child by his first name. He was, after all, the boy's legal guardian now. Although wrapping his head around that fact was proving next to impossible, he had jumped into this situation and they were both going to have to make the best of it. In the meantime, he had decided to take things aaaone step at a time.

Harry slowly pulled out a chair and sat at the table. He was still moving deliberately, never taking his eyes off Severus, as if he were not sure what he was about to do. Severus realized that Harry was used to adults behaving with unpredictability at best and violence at worst. He needed to take things slow and earn this boy's trust.

"Good. Thank you." Severus tried to keep his voice even. He hardly wanted to sound like a dolt and give the boy effusive praise for following the smallest command. The child was nine, not two. Sometimes it was hard for Severus to remember that the boy was even that old, considering how small he was. All it took to remember was looking in the boy's eyes though. They were full of intelligence and wariness. If anything, the boy looked too old when you looked in his eyes.

Keeping magic to a minimum, Severus went to the cupboards and removed a pot, put it on the stove, and turned the stove on, aware that Harry was still watching his every move. The boy continued to watch as the soup and sandwiches were made. Severus poured the boy a glass of milk to drink as he waited. After looking at it for a few minutes, the child drank it greedily. Severus refilled it and placed a stone bowl of soup and plate of sandwiches in front of the child. Harry didn't begin to eat the soup until Severus was sitting across from him, eating as well.

The meal was quiet. Severus did not want to say anything that would interrupt the boy's eating or might upset him. He knew that Harry had not eaten recently. He had seen this in his reading of the thoughts of his relatives, but it would have been clear enough from the boys' actions. He ate so quickly that he finished long before Severus, and then he looked down at his hands. Severus was not sure if he was embarrassed or worried that he would be punished.

"Did you get enough to eat, Harry?" Severus asked in what he hoped was a gentle tone. "There is more soup, or I can make you another sandwich if you like."

He got another shake of the head in return. These nonverbal responses were starting to bother him. He was not sure at what point he should push it, but decided that for now, he would let it lie.

"Very good. I am pleased that you are such a good eater." Severus praised the boy again. He was aware again of a look of confusion passing over Harry's face. "I am sure you are tired. Let's get you ready for bed. I know it is a little earlier than you are used to, most likely, but our method of travel and the excitement of the day has probably made you tired."

Without waiting for confirmation, which would have probably been only a nod anyway, he stood up and picked up his dishes. He placed his bowl on top of the plate from his sandwiches, then walked it over to put it in the sink. Behind him, Harry stood up and did the same without prompting.

"Why thank you, Harry, that is very helpful. I will clean these dishes later. Right now, let's go upstairs and see your room."

Severus walked to the staircase at the end of the hall and Harry followed him, still wary. As they walked, Severus pointed out a few features of the house and promised a more thorough tour the next day. Once they reached the second floor, Harry's eyes took in the large loft at the top of the stairs.

"This is the library. You have a desk in your room, but you may also study at the tables in here. I will explain tomorrow about which books you are allowed to read and which ones you aren't. Some of the books in here are dangerous, so please do not come in here without me for now. Do you understand?"

When the boy nodded, Severus decided that in this case, it would not be enough. "Harry, can you answer me aloud, verbally, please?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Harry."

The two continued down the hall. They passed two open doors. "These are a guest bedroom and guest bath, and," Severus told him as they passed them, "Harry, this is your room."

Opening the door so that Harry could go in first, Severus waited. Harry finally got the message and slowly stepped into the room. He took small, dreamlike steps, taking in the room by touch like a small child. While he walked around the room, he stopped at various points to take it in.

"It is quite plain now, Harry, but we will personalize it to your taste later. I wasn't sure which colors you would like, so I left it like this for now." Severus wasn't sure if the boy was even hearing what he said. He was still staring at the room as if he wasn't really seeing it. His fingers were stroking the duvet on his bed, caressing it. Like everything else in the room, it was beige now. Desperate to get a reaction out of the child, Severus asked him, "Harry, what is your favorite color?"

"Green."

He barely heard the word, but it made him smile, nonetheless. With a flourish that wasn't wholly necessary, Severus took out his wand and changed the duvet and the throw rug in the room to an emerald green, like the color of the boy's eyes. "How's that?"

Harry looked at him as if seeing him for the first time and smiled. "That's great, Sir!"

"Would you like to see more?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, please!"

Looking around, Severus turned the curtains on both windows, the lamp by Harry's bed, and a neutrally colored armchair all complementary shades of green. He enjoyed the look on Harry's face as he did so immensely.

"Well, we will continue this tomorrow, I should think. We can go shopping or use your imagination to see what you want to do." At the boy's emphatic nodding, Severus smiled and walked to a dresser under one of the windows. He opened a couple of drawers and took out underwear and a pair of pajamas that he thought would fit Harry. Before giving them to the child, he changed the pajamas from blue polka dots to green ones. "Let me show you your washroom."

He led Harry into the adjoining washroom. "We can decorate this later. Do you prefer a bath or a shower?"

Harry looked around the room in wonder. There was no other way to describe it. Severus had seen the boy's previous living quarters. He knew that the boy was still getting over the shock of having a large bedroom with a comfortable bed. His own bathroom was probably something he never dreamed of.

"Let me draw you a bath for tonight," Severus decided for him. "Here are the towels. Here is shampoo and soap, and a washcloth. I am going to leave this door open, in case you need me. I will be down the hall in the library. I will hear you if you call. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good boy. Please just leave your current clothes on the floor when you are done. You will have new clothes now, so we will be disposing of these ones. They don't quite … fit." Severus was trying not to embarrass the boy by showing his disgust at the three-size two big, ripped hand-me-downs the Dursleys had forced him to wear. "There is a robe hanging here on the back of the door, and slippers here. He pointed them out. I had to somewhat guess at sizes, but they are charmed and will resize when you put them on so that they fit you. Do not be alarmed by that."

After making sure that the boy understood by receiving his customary nod, Severus left, leaving the door ajar so that not too much warm air would escape. He wasn't comfortable leaving the boy alone with the door closed and also didn't want to watch him bathe. The boy should be old enough to handle it himself, hopefully. Severus wasn't really sure what his upbringing had consisted of, but if anything, the boy seemed more self-sufficient than not. He didn't want to embarrass him by hovering.

In the library, Severus let out a huge breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in. The first and hardest stage was done.

"Lily, I never thought it would come to this."

Hmm. Now I am talking to the dead out loud.

Nonetheless, Severus was determined to make this work. He had never intended to become Harry Potter's guardian when he made the vow to protect the boy. Those dreams had changed everything. At first, it had seemed so simple. He had thought that the boy had been kidnapped from the Dursleys and kept in horrible conditions. He had never dreamed that the Dursleys themselves were the ones mistreating the boy. The question that remained in his mind was why? Why had the dreams come now? Clearly, Harry's childhood had never been pleasant. The child was too small, and the cupboard under the stairs was not new.

What had changed? Why did Harry need rescue now? If Severus could determine that factor, perhaps he could convince Albus that he had acted justly, not rashly, and save himself from the old wizard's wrath. One thing was for sure. It would not be long before Albus Dumbledore found out that Harry Potter was missing, and he was going to wonder where he was. Severus was going to have to tell him eventually. This was not something he could, or should, hide for long.

"I'm done, Sir."

The small voice pulled him out of his reverie. Severus looked up and smiled.

"So you are. Did you enjoy your bath?"

"Yes, Sir. It was great. Thanks, Sir."

This was probably the most the boy had spoken since Severus had taken him in. Maybe he was growing more confident in Severus's company. "Excellent. Let's get you into bed then. I expect you are tired."

Severus walked the boy back to his room. He pulled back the covers and the boy climbed into bed. As with the bath, he seemed to be savoring the experience. Severus tried not to be angry. His anger was not directed at the boy, after all, but at his good-for-nothing relatives. He was going to have to find some way to make them pay for what they had done.

"Would you like a nightlight?"

Harry seemed to think about this, and then nodded. With his wand, Severus tapped a small egg-shaped device on the nightstand, and it glowed with a faint green light. He was rewarded again with a little smile.

"If you need me for anything, just tap this three times. I will come. If you have a nightmare, or you need me for anything else, do not hesitate to call me. I will not mind." Severus pointed to the washroom. "There is a cup in there if you are thirsty."

The boy nodded. Severus doubted that he would call, but it seemed important to tell him anyway. He walked out and closed the door, surreptitiously casting a monitoring charm in case Harry did have a nightmare and did not call him.

"Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Sir."

It was a beginning.