The next day, Snape and Lupin were at something of a loss. Harry was clearly very scared and confused. After eating hardly anything at breakfast, Harry had quietly excused himself and disappeared behind an armchair in the den, clutching his ragged baby blanket and staring around with huge green eyes.

Trying not to scare him more, Snape and Lupin both sat in the den, Lupin reading the Daily Prophet and Snape the latest Potions journal.

After a while, Snape felt Harry brush against his legs. Pretending not to notice, he felt Harry slowly and carefully settle next to his feet, gradually pressing himself against Snape's legs. Allowing Harry time to relax and get comfortable, Snape waited for a bit before lightly stroking Harry's hair with his fingertips.

Even that small touch made the child stiffen, but as Snape continued the gentle massage, Harry slowly relaxed into the touch, letting out an unconscious sigh. At that, Snape felt it was safe to scoop Harry up onto his lap. Snape ignored the surprised reaction and just continued reading, still gently stroking Harry's hair.

Harry stared at Mr. Snape, who was still reading, and Harry could see his eyes moving back and forth, which meant he really was reading, not pretending like his Aunt Petunia did sometimes when she was really mad. And Mr. Snape was still touching his hair, which felt nice, because he was being so gentle, not hurting him like Aunt Petunia used to when she washed his hair when he was really little. He watched the man for a little longer, but the gently touch was starting to lull him to sleep, and he leaned into Mr. Snape's chest, enjoying the warmth, and the sounds of his breathing and the gentle thumping of his heart.

Snape glanced at Harry when he felt the boy settle against him, and was surprised to the see that Harry had fallen into a doze, still holding his blanket very tight. Snape smiled softly, and continued reading about the latest potions developments for mental health.

About an hour later, Lupin had finished reading the Prophet, and glanced up to see Harry watching him. Smiling, Lupin pulled out his wand and flicked it at the radio. Snape looked up at surprise as a song started playing halfway through. When it finished, both men smiled widely as the next song started up.

"You remind me of the babe.

What babe?

The babe with the power.

What power?

The power of voo doo.

Who do?

You do.

Do what?

Remind me of the babe!"

Still holding Harry, Snape stood and began to sway to the music. At first, Harry clutched his shirt, looking worried. But as the song continued, he started to smile, and then squealed with laughter when Snape tossed him in the air and caught him.

Grinning, Lupin flicked his wand at objects around the room, making books and lamps and even Harry's blanket dance around the room.

"Dance magic dance!

Dance magic dance!

Put that baby spell on me!"

Harry put out his hand in wonder to touch a book as it flapped next to him.

"Jump magic jump!"

There was another burst of laughter as Snape tossed Harry into the air again.

"Put that magic spell on me…"

Once the song ended, Snape sank back into his chair, winded, but pleased. Harry's eyes were shining with joy, and he threw his arms around Snape's neck in a tight hug. Scrambling off Snape's lap, Harry ran to Lupin and hugged him as well.

"That was so fun! Can we do it all the time? I LOVE magic! Why don't my aunt and uncle? It's so fun!"

Lupin smiled at Harry's burst of enthusiasm.

"Of course we can do it again. But today, we need to go shopping to get you some clothes and toys."

Harry stared at him, a shadow of mistrust and doubt flying across his face.

"Ok. But I don't have money. I could earn some first…"

Snape felt a stab of annoyance at the Dursley's. They had made Harry feel obligated to repay them for every small, ill-intentioned thing. Squelching his feelings so Harry wouldn't think his ire was directed at him, Snape explained things to the child.

"Don't worry about doing that, little one. Remus and I will take care of it. You live with us now, and we want to take care of you. Before we leave, I'm going to fix your clothes just for today. Hold still, I promise it won't hurt."

Snape scurgified Harry's clothes, siphoning off the layer of dust and grime. A quick repairo knitted the holes in his shirt and pants back together. Finally, Snape cast a shrinking charm that caused the once baggy clothes to fit perfectly.

Harry looked down at himself, amazed. His shirt was the right size, and had no holes! His pants didn't need to be cuffed or tied around his waist, and his shoes! His shoes didn't fall off or wobble when he moved! He wouldn't fall down so much now!

Remus chuckled at Harry's delighted expression, and on that happier note, the three of them left the house. Lupin and Snape had already decided to shop for Harry in exclusively muggle stores, but to be sure, Lupin hid his scar with a glamour, and Snape spelled his eyes from green to brown.

Did you know that the reason why Remus and I knew the song "Magic Dance" by David Bowie? A few years before he wrote that song, David Bowie stumbled upon that nitwit Gilderoy Lockhart in a hotel. Lockhart, for reasons only he knows, was attempting to make a coat dance around the room with him. Lockhart tried to obliviate Bowie, but didn't do the best job, because Bowie had some memory of the encounter, which inspired the song.