Harry was anxiously waiting for his Grandpa to finish the last necessary maintenance work on the school grounds. Toby had promised his grandson to take him to the pool for swimming lessons. While he had watched Dudley getting some years earlier the little boy felt foolish for not knowing how to swim. And swimming was something Grace could not do yet. Although a proud big brother overall he had expected to have more of his parents during the holidays. They always met with other grown-ups and were really busy, not telling him what this was all about. And one thing deeply ingrained from growing up in the Dursley household was the need to know as much as possible beforehand. Ah, there was Grandpa. For a while the little boy forgot his troubles.

Severus did not need Legilimancy to see that something was troubling his son. It did not seem to be the expected sibling jealousy due to Grace's birth. He talked to Val and Narcissa about it. Val meant, "I think he was left to his own devices at the Dursley's when they were not working him like a slave. Harry may have expected more of our attention during the holidays. We are absent quite a lot and even if we are home we are not as focused on him as he has come to expect."

"I think you are on to something. If only we had more time!"

Narcissa chimed in, "But Sev, not everything has to be done during the holidays. With Sinistra as new Head of House you can come home every weekend you have not patrolling duties. And it might be beneficial for you to go away as a family. I do not think Harry has seen a lot. He will be perfectly content with a few days somewhere near the sea or touring a city like York, with visits to the castle or a zoo."

Val liked the idea.

"Harry's learning to swim and Grace would be happy to sit in the sand. Why didn't we think of it yourselves?"

"Too busy to safe two worlds, maybe?"

"May I offer our seaside cottage on the Isle of Wight? You could stay there as a family and we could visit on the weekend. If Harry and Draco get along we then could hold our meetings at the Manor, there's plenty for two boys to do and Harry won't feel neglected."

"Val?"

"Thank you, Narcissa, I think that's a wonderful idea!"

Severus was not sure about it being wonderful, he had never talked with Val about the vast difference in wealth between the Malfoys and them. He knew his wife to be observant enough to notice Narcissa's jewellery and Lucius' handsewn shoes. But it was decided, they would go to the seaside.

Just then Harry and Toby arrived back from the pool. The child was running into the living room but stopped himself when he saw Narcissa. Sev stood to pick him up.

"How're the lessons going? Are you already faster than a shark?"

"I swum the whole length today! Miss Wilkens said I got talent! None of the other kids could do it!"

"Well done, Harry, very well done. Val and I have been talking about going on a holiday. Do you think you might want to try swimming in the sea?"

"With sharks?"

"I cannot promise sharks but when we go on the ferry there we might see dolphins."

"I do not want to swim with sharks, I am fast but not that fast."

"Well then, do you want to go?"

"Just you and Val and Grace?"

"Yes."

"And Grandpa? Won't he get lonely when we're all gone?"

"You could ask Toby if he wants to come."

Toby declined on behalf of having used up nearly all of his holidays. For Severus he offered another explanation, namely that as much as he enjoyed spending time with Harry, having a week of peace and quiet and tinkering around the primary before school starting again sounded just about right.

The Potions master had never seen the Malfoy's cottage on the Isle of Wight but expected the worst. He was pleasantly surprised. From the outside it looked like an ordinary, snug little cottage. Inside it had more rooms than to be expected and everything was of the finest quality but not of the pretentious indulgence of Malfoy Manor. A half-blood with working class background could relax here with his family. Harry was deliriously happy, running around the house as he was not yet permitted to venture down to the beach alone. Val looked a little green around the gills. For the way home Severus would Apparate her but for now they had had to take a Portkey as he had never been here. Grace was fine, her big dark eyes taking in the new surroundings.

On the table sat an envelope.

Dear Val and Severus,

I do hope you will enjoy your stay at Dune Cottage and that the weather is fine. One of our house-elfs has taken a shine to the sea. You would make him very happy if you use his services by calling for Dobby.

Best wishes

Narcissa

"House elf? That doesn't sound right." Val was still astonished by some aspects of the wizarding world.

"They are elves that are bound to certain families, usually rich ones. They like to serve and most of them love children. They look a bit like Yoda."

"Harry will like that."

"We are on holiday after all. If we want to go swimming with Harry while Grace is sleeping the elf can watch over her."

"Let's take the kids down to the beach, we can decide later."

Severus cast sun screen charms over his family and made Harry collect his little bucket and shovel. They spent two blissful hours on the beach until the tide came in. Grace was happy watching her toes vanish under the sand her daddy was sprinkling over them while Harry was busy building a sand castle with Val only to be annoyed with the waves destroying it a little later. The promise of lunch and an even bigger castle later made him smile again and had him running up to the cottage at full speed.

The introduction of Dobby went off without a hitch and by the fourth day Harry was happily anticipating the meeting with Draco, as he was looking forward to presenting his shell collection. The two boys got along fine. The young Malfoy heir had obviously been briefed by his parents to be on his best behaviour and the year at school without Dudley overshadowing everything had bolstered Harry's self-esteem sufficiently to overcome any insensitive remarks a nine year-old Draco was bound to make now and then.

Back home Severus immersed himself into preparation for the coming term. In the second to last week of August Val and he left the sleeping children with Toby and Dobby playing chess in the kitchen. They Apparated to Malfoy Manor for a planning session with the Malfoys, Andromeda, Dolohov and Filius Flitwick. The Head of Ravenclaw had officially become part of their council and had met Harry, too. It was sensible to have someone else besides Severus at Hogwarts. Minerva would be a formidable ally but could not act to save her life. She would be brought into the fold later on.

Severus soon relaxed. He had not interacted a lot with Antonin Dolohov during his own short stint as a real Death Eater, both being tasked with solitary missions – one brewing, the other designing wards. Therefor the Potions master could not know the Russians stance towards Muggles. While the wizard had been surprised to see a Muggle woman sitting in the Malfoy's conservatory he was soon in earnest discussion with Val about the finer differences between Muggle and wizarding financing and how to exploit that.

September 1st, 1989

Severus breathed more freely after the introduction of Aurora Sinistra as the new Head of House Slytherin had taken place. He would of course not abandon his pupils, but weekends at Cokeworth would be possible easier. While Filius sent him a conspiratory grin Albus seemed distracted. His standing both with the public and the Ministry had suffered as more and more details about Sirius Black surfaced. For once both sides of the conflict were in agreement – the old families were enraged about the injustice done to one them and the more modern thinking could not fathom why their figurehead had let one of his own suffer in Azkaban.

Black was said to be recuperating somewhere secret kept and the trial was to commence as soon as the defendant was healthy enough. If – or rather when – Black was declared innocent he presumably would want to get guardianship of his godson Harry Potter. Then it would come to light if Val and Severus had been good enough in covering their tracks. The Potions master resolutely shoved aside all worry about things to come. He knew full well that he was the most vulnerable of the conspirators. Even Antonin Dolohov, due to being from a prominent family in Russia, had more political and financial clout than Severus. One could only hope that by the time the proverbial shit hit the fan Albus Dumbledore would no longer be in a position to threaten Severus with Azkaban.

After the feast he accompanied Sinistra to the Slytherin common room. Keeping himself in the background he watched the students. As expected several of the older ones approached him when Aurora had gone to inspect the dorms of the first year students. He had helped some of them for years and did not expect them to open up to their new Head of House anytime soon. The Potions master made it clear that his door was still open to anyone, with any problem.

In the evening he eagerly went to his letter box. Harry had drawn him a picture of their garden with lots of animals from his Magical Beasts books in it and Val had written a short note, promising a mirror-call the next day. It came, along with another letter and a Muggle instant picture: Grace had tried pureed carrots for the first time, Harry had helped cooking them. Severus did not envy his wife the clean-up without magic. Her letter astonished him. Antonin had taken her and Grace to Gringotts to start preliminary negotiations. Grace had charmed the goblins who had been as grateful as they were likely to show to have their best wards master back. `We won't have saved the world by Christmas, my love, but Easter is a definite possibility,´ Val had written.

October 15th, 1989

Sirius Black was a free man at last. And an even richer one than before as the Ministry had to pay damages for unlawful imprisonment. The `Daily Prophet´ printed only a short statement from his barrister, stating that Black was recuperating still and that legal proceedings had been started to get guardianship of Harry Potter. Right after the closed session of the Wizengamot Albus Dumbledore had called for a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix in a room in the Hog's Head. Black had been there, glowering in a corner, ungracefully accepting apologies from Molly Weasley. His and the headmaster's eyes never met. Arthur had let it slip that some very harsh words had been exchanged between Albus and the former marauder after the verdict. Remus Lupin was hoovering like a mother-hen. The werewolf had obviously spent the last weeks with Black.

Dumbledore tried to convince the Order of letting Harry Potter remain in the Muggle world but was losing ground quickly. Black did not participate in the discussion, only shaking his head now and then in disdain, until he addressed Severus, "Snape, you know Petunia best. Do you think she would rejoice raising a magical child alongside her own, unmagical son?"

Thinking fast he replied, "I cannot say as I have never seen Harry Potter's name in Hogwarts' registry. If he is a squib Tuney just might treat him right, gleeful that her sister's son has no magic."

Shouts of "Preposterous! The Boy-who-lived a squib! What are you talking about, Snape? Albus, is Potter a wizard?" resounded in the room.

Shooting his Potions master an irritated look the headmaster replied, "Harry Potter is down for Hogwarts, I have seen it myself. And I am sure that Petunia will treat her nephew just as Lily would have treated her son had fortunes be reversed."

"Have you proof of that?" McGonagall called out.

"I have put someone near the family and I get reports. They tell me that all is well."

"When did you last see my godson with your own eyes?"

"Petunia asked for as little contact as possible."

"You need not invite yourself to dinner. Watching him at the playground would be enough."

If he could not sit at home dreaming of his family Severus would begin to enjoy this Order meeting. Black asked him again, "Snape, would you put your sworn enemy's son with Petunia Dursley?"

Time for the kill, the cat was nearly out of the bag anyway.

"I would not even put any child of the Dark Lord with her. As a child she was envious of her sister's magic, later on magic took that sister and her parents from her. Petunia has every reason to hate magic. The best possible outcome is that she cares genuinely for the child and tries to beat the magic out of him."

Molly Weasley's spittle was flying at Severus, "And why have you never said so? Are you really so spiteful to let a little child suffer for some childhood grievances of yours?"

Minerva intervened, "Molly, Severus is not at fault here. He has made his opinion of Petunia clear numerous times."

Everyone was now looking at the so-called Leader of the Light, who was doing his best to look mournful.

"Even if Petunia does not love Harry as she should, there are the blood wards of Lily's sacrifice to consider. As long as he calls a place home where his mother's blood lives Voldemort or any of his followers cannot harm the child."

Black raised a sardonic eyebrow, "That is a problem for an hour at most, as long as it takes for me to blood-adopt Harry. The Black family wards are among the nastiest in the wizarding world."

Having visited Regulus one time during the summer before his seventh year Severus could attest to that personally. Albus opted for discontinuing this vein of arguments.

"My friends, I cannot tell you everything, but please believe me, Voldemort will come back. And then we will rue every action that makes Harry more vulnerable. For he will come after the child, he will!"

Only a third of the members looked sufficiently cowed, most were sceptic and Black snorted in disdain before taking his leave.

"I will take over Harry's guardianship, just as James and Lily wanted to. And I will make sure he grows up as happy and as carefree as possible even if I have to move to the other end of the world with him. Voldemort is but a wraith, if he is even that. He is no consideration to me at the moment, Harry is."

Lupin followed in Black's wake and the meeting dissolved soon after.