Chapter Twenty-five

"Thanks for the Potion, Professor," said Harry the next morning, yawning as he walked blearily to the couch, with Snape sitting in the armchair and writing on something. "What're you doing?"

Snape looked up from the papers at Harry's voice. "Signing the adoption papers. Making it official." Harry's eyes lit up and he plopped down in the cushion of the couch nearest the potions master.

"Really?" He said, smiling. "So…you're not, not going to adopt me?"

Snape furrowed his brow as he looked at the ten year old before resuming signing the papers. "What gave you that idea, Potter?"

Harry glared at the Potions master until Snape corrected himself and called Harry by what Harry thought was the proper name to call him: his real name, not his surname.

"I don't know," Harry finally said, shrugging. "I just…didn't think you were really being serious when you said you were adopting me."

"Well, since you see me sitting here signing the papers I suppose you know that I was being honest," responded Snape, and Harry nodded in reply. Snape turned back to the papers, his quill going swift over the paper as Snape guided it with his hand.

"Are we going anywhere today?" Harry asked. "After you finish the papers, that is."

"As you know," Snape started, "school will be resuming next month, and as you will be staying at Hogwarts with the rest of the staff and students I thought we could perhaps pick out some robes for you to wear in Diagon Alley." Harry smiled.

"Yeah, okay. When'll we go?" Harry asked. "We'll have to go after Slyther wakes up, too. We can't leave him."

"I'm quite aware of that," Snape started. "So we'll be going as soon as that snake wakes up."

Harry nodded, glancing back at the door which led into Harry's room, where Slyther was snoozing. Come on… wake up… Harry said with his mind, beginning to become anxious. He had never visited Diagon Alley for any reason, but remembered Remus going there to pick up some clothes for him one time. Though he wanted to stay and chat with Slyther in Snape's chambers, he never went with Remus.

"Is he ever going to wake up?" Harry suddenly asked, itching with anticipation. "I wanna go! Will there be ice cream?"

Snape looked up from the papers. "What?"

Harry sighed. "You know—ice cream! Will there be any in Diagon Alley?"

"Oh, I suppose so," Snape said, turning back to the papers and scribbling away.

"Can we get some?" asked Harry with a smile, and Snape nodded distractedly, almost as if he was getting tired of answering all of Harry's questions and just didn't care anymore. "Great! I wonder what kinds of ice cream there are. I'll probably get chocolate. Will you get something, Professor? Ooh, you know, you should get vanilla. I've never really had ice cream before, but Dudley always talked about it and always said how good it was. Do you think it'll be as good as he described, or what? Have you ever had ice cream before? Did you like it?—"

"Potter!" Snape exclaimed, looking up from the adoption papers and into Harry's eyes. "Will you please stop talking? You're beginning to give me a headache, and if you keep doing that I swear that I'll get rid of these papers faster than you can talk."

Harry's eyes widened before sitting up in the couch straighter and folding his hands on his lap before pretending to close a zipper over his mouth. Snape sighed, relieved.

"Thank you, Potter."

Harry opened his mouth to say, "Harry!" but received a glare from Snape, so Harry quickly shut his mouth and resumed his posture, while Snape went back to the papers.

Come on… come on… Harry urged Slyther with his mind.

"S—so are we going down to the Great Hall to have breakfast or not before we go?" Harry asked as quick as he could so Snape couldn't say anything about 'what did I tell you about not talking'? He didn't seem to mind, though.

"After I finish this next page," responded Snape, but paused and glanced up at Harry. "I didn't realize that your relatives had to sign this."

Harry's brow furrowed as he looked at Snape, then at the papers. "What? They have to sign it?"

Snape nodded. "Yes."

Harry shook his head, frowning. "They won't do it. I know they won't sign that piece of paper, Professor!"

"We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?" Snape said, putting his quill down and putting the papers back in order.

"You mean we're going to the Dursleys? Now?" Harry said, eyebrows arched.

"No, no," Snape said with a shake of his head. "No. After our trip to Diagon Alley."

"Okay," Harry said with a nod, and was pleasantly surprised as he heard a yawn—Slyther's yawn.

Ah… good mo—hey, where are you? Slyther demanded. I don't see you. Where have you gone to, Harry?

Harry let out a laugh. "In here, on the couch. Finally you're up! Do you want to come to Diagon Alley with the Professor and me? I'm getting new robes for school next month."

Diagon Alley, hmm? Well, can you help me down? I never realized the bed in which you sleep is so high up. Like a mountain!

Harry grinned, getting up from the couch and walking towards his room. "Not even," he said, walking over to the bed and scooping the snake up. "Now do you want to go, or do you want to stay here?"

I suppose I could come. When are we leaving?

"After breakfast," Harry explained, walking out of his bedroom and back to the couch. Harry lay Slyther on the cushion next to him as he sat down. "Then we're going to—" he shuddered, "—The Dursleys."

What! Why? Slyther exclaimed, sounding shocked. Hasn't the greasy human caused you enough misery? Why more? Does he like to see you in misery?

"Slyther," Harry said slowly, "We have to go to the Dursleys. We need them to sign the adoption papers, because without their signature Professor Snape can't—" Harry stopped, before looking up at Snape. "Can't you just forge their signature?" he asked.

Snape shook his head. "This is magical, Potter," he explained, waving the papers that he held in his hands. Harry muttered, "Harry!" before Snape continued. "I cannot forge their signature. The paper knows if it is really their hand signing it or not."

"Oh," Harry said, sounding hopeless. "Well then, I guess I'll be packing my things now. The Dursleys won't sign those papers, Professor, they just won't. It's useless to even try."

Cheer up, Slyther said as comfortingly as he could manage. All's not lost, you know. If you really do want to stay with the greasy human, I'm sure with a little persuading your relatives will sign the papers…

Harry frowned. "Persuading?"

That's right, Slyther confirmed, now talking to Snape. If they don't cooperate, threaten them.

Harry started to shake his head. "I really don't think that's a good idea. Threaten them with what, exactly, anyway?"

What do you think? Slyther demanded impatiently. The magic-thing of course! The… uh… stick…

"D'you mean a wand?" Harry said, uncertainly, as he glanced down at Slyther. "I always see Professor Snape have one on him…"

Snape narrowed his eyes at Harry.

Exactly! Slyther said. A wand. Threaten them with one of those.

"Why don't we just go down for some breakfast, hmm?" Snape suggested, interrupting Harry and Slyther's current conversation. He got up from the armchair to place the papers in a neat stack on the table in the interconnecting room—the kitchen, which Snape ever rarely used.

"Okay," Harry agreed, he too getting up. "Then we can go to Diagon Alley… and then the Dursleys." He gave a small shudder of disgust before picking his snake up and following Snape out of Snape's quarters.

-

"Floo powder," Harry groaned, "is horrible. We're never going to use that again, all right?"

Snape smirked. "Do you realize how many times you've told me that? About a million, counting when we were in Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions."

"I'm just reminding you," Harry said. "Because you'll probably forget."

"With the amount of times you've told me that already? I doubt that I'll forget that you never want to travel by Floo Powder again, Potter," Snape replied as he and Harry walked along the road of Diagon Alley.

Harry looked up at Snape. "Good." He was about to add more, but collided into someone else. "S—so sorry," Harry managed to say as he rubbed his head.

"Watch where you're going!" the boy he collided into exclaimed as Snape muttered a, 'clumsy aren't we?' to Harry. "You—" the blonde boy paused, squinting his grey eyes momentarily as he surveyed Harry. "You… you're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

Harry tentatively nodded his head as he collected himself and stood on his feet, politely extending his hand to help the other boy up. "Yes, I am. You are?"

"Draco. Draco Malfoy," Draco replied, accepting Harry's hand. As Draco dusted himself off, he gave Harry another look. "Nice to meet you."

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

Draco turned his head and glanced at another man, who Harry noticed resembled Draco Malfoy immensely, except for the fact that the other man was taller and had longer hair than Draco.

"I better go," Draco started, "maybe I'll run into you again another time." He smirked before turning around and walking back to, who Harry presumed, was Draco's father.

"Do you know… him?" Harry asked Snape as he walked over to the Potions master.

"I do," Snape replied briefly.

"I wonder what he was doing in Diagon Alley," Harry mused. "He was heading over towards the ice cream parlor. Maybe he was getting an ice cream…"

Does it matter? Slyther asked. He was in Diagon Alley… so are you!

"Well, we should go to the Dursleys now," Snape said. "I want to get this over with as soon as possible."

"So do I," Harry agreed. "Do you have the papers, Professor?"

Snape pulled the papers out of his robes. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Just checking," Harry replied, and couldn't help but wonder if he'd see Draco Malfoy again. "But first... before we go... let's get some ice cream!"

-

"Get out of my house!" Petunia screamed, backing up as far as she could into the wall, looking horrified as she looked at Snape, Harry and Slyther (who was settled comfortably on the top of Harry's head.) "Get out!" Thinking quickly, Petunia grabbed the nearest thing to her—a broom. She held it out in front of her, as if protecting her from them.

Snape clutched his wand in his right hand. "Just sign the papers, woman!"

"V—Vernon's not home," Petunia stuttered. "He's out. Now… shoo!"

"Please," Harry said, looking at his Aunt pleadingly, though he knew that pleading wouldn't get Petunia to sign the adoption papers. "Just sign the papers, Aunt Petunia, then I'll be out… and you don't have to worry about me anymore, and you can go on vacations for as long as you like!"

Petunia never took her eyes off Snape's wand. "W—why don't I make us some tea until Vernon comes home? H—he'll know what to do."

Snape narrowed his eyes at Petunia. "I don't think so. Now, just sign—these—papers!"

Petunia hesitantly set the broom on the floor, and fumbled for a pen.

"Don't do it," Dudley warned from the living room, where he was lazily watching the television. He never took his eyes off of the screen as he talked to his mother. "It's a trap, mummy. Don't do it."

Petunia gulped, but didn't listen. With a trembling hand, she started to write her name on the provided line. As soon as she finished signing her signature, the papers rolled up and vanished into thin air. Petunia let out a yelp.

"There, I did it! Now get out of my house!" Petunia held her breath until both Snape and Harry left, and when they did, she let it out.

-

"S—so it's really over?" Harry asked in disbelief as he and Snape settled into the couch (Snape sitting in the armchair to Harry's left.) "I don't have to go back to the Dursley's anymore? I can… stay here?"

"It seems that way," Snape said as he picked up his Potions book, which he was happy to say that he almost finished. "I am now officially your guardian."

"Are you happy about it?" Harry asked tentatively. "That you're my guardian? Or… what?"

"I honestly don't know what to say," Snape said, keeping his eyes glued on the pages of the book. "Other than to stop asking questions. But, I suppose I'll get used to your… company."

"I think I'll get used to your company, too!" Harry said with a smile. "But, I already am used to your company, Professor." He stopped, thinking of what to say next to keep their conversation flowing. "Can I… not call you Professor—er—Professor?"

Snape glanced up at Harry. "What do you mean?"

"Can I call you Severus or something?" Harry asked. "It's just… you're not my Professor yet. So, I think since I'll be living with you now that I should be calling you Severus or—or—"

Snape raised his eyebrows at Harry. "Or?" He pressed.

Harry looked up at Snape uncomfortably. "Or dad?"

There was an awkward silence between the two before Snape said, "I think Severus would… do."

Harry nodded quickly. "Me too… Severus." Harry smiled with a shrug. "Just testing it out."

Snape turned back to the book, while Harry faced the blank wall in front of him, with only a fireplace in front of the bare wall. Maybe people just got the wrong impression of Snape… he wasn't actually that bad, after all…

-