A/N: Again, any technical mistakes, feel free to correct me, but I'm taking creative license based on the little bit that I do know.

Chapter 4

Harry looked at him, receiving more confirmation before turning the handle and walking in. It was a large room, the same size as the potions master's. The walls were a light blue, with dark blue window treatments and cream bedding and bed hangings. The floor was hardwood, but there was a large blue, tan and green rug covering the majority of the floor. There was a large wardrobe and a matching dresser made of a gorgeous dark cherry wood with antique silver hardware. His trunk was at the foot of his bed, where he always kept it at school. It was propped open and the clothing was missing, indicating that it had been put away already. He walked slowly over to the bed where he brushed a hand lightly over the navy blue down comforter on top, with a velvet blanket, cream, matching the bed hangings, draped over the foot of the bed. There were 5 pillows piled at the top of the queen sized bed, which gave quite a bit under the light pressure of his hand. He smiled slightly as he pictured himself hiding among the blankets and pillows as he went to sleep at night. He pictured them as creating a fort around him, keeping the night terrors at bay. He glanced quickly at the bathroom, which was identical to Severus's except for the fact that everything was flipped around. It was decorated in colors matching his room, only with a grey slate floor instead of the cherry hardwood. He went back over to the door and hugged the older man tightly once more. "Thank you, Sev."

"You're welcome, phoenix," he said softly reciprocating the affection that he so very rarely showed anyone. "If you would like, you can get cleaned up and dressed then we will go into town after lunch."

"Thank you, sir."

"I will be in my lab if you need anything. I will leave the door open; I'm just making some potions for Madame Pomfrey."

"Thank you, Severus." With that he left the room. Harry walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers before crossing to the bathroom to take a shower. He was amazed at how much energy the small amount of potion, well, nutrition, gave him. He was always very lethargic, so any bit of help he could get was amazing. The brunet boy took a long hot shower, just enjoying the knowledge that he didn't have to rush for the other boys in the dorm to take a shower. He froze. This was his shower, connected to his bedroom. A wide grin broke out across his face. He had never had those things before. Before he had only been allowed quick, cold showers at the Dursleys, or quick warm showers in the dorm, and he stayed in the boy's dorm in Gryffindor Tower, and in Dudley's second bedroom, or the cupboard under the stairs at his relatives.

After nearly half an hour in the shower, he dried off and pulled on his boxers before heading back out into his bedroom. He searched through his meager pile of clothing, until he decided to pull on a pair of his school slacks and a button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, that he wore for his uniform, knowing that it was probably the nicest things he owned. He walked across to the potions lab, where he could see Severus working. He had even seen him as he was getting dressed from his bedroom. He never closed his door. Ever. Only closed doors could be locked. Even in the bathroom, he kept the door slightly open, just short of the lock clicking shut, so that he couldn't possibly be locked in against his will. He stood in the open doorway for 30 seconds before Severus said, "The door is open, you may come in, just don't touch anything." He glanced at the door. "If you give me another 5 minutes, I'll have this second batch ready to bottle and label. You may help with that if you would like."

The small boy nodded and sat on the stool next to him. It was so easy to keep his masks down when he was alone with the potions master, though he kept his glamour charms firmly in place, since he had caught them down this morning when he awoke.

"Can you tell me what I am making?"

"Um…" he glanced in the first of the three cauldrons closest to him. "This one is, um…the concussion one." He looked into the next cauldron and without a second thought quickly said, "Pepper-up." He glanced into the 3rd cauldron. It took a moment, then he said, "Nutrition."

"Very good. I believe you know them from experience?"

The brunette nodded with a look on his face that Severus could not interpret. "I can always tell when they are yours rather than when someone else made them."

"Oh? How so?"

"Yours don't leave a bitter after taste, despite the fact that some of them will always taste bad, just because of the ingredients and the importance of not adding any flavoring additives. And they tend to work better," he said as if it were a simple matter.

Severus smiled softly. "Do you get mine most often?"

"If I'm awake, I always request to, so yes then. Other times, I don't know. I'm not usually conscious if I'm in the Hospital Wing," he answered easily again, as if it was an everyday occurrence, which it very nearly was some years, and was not something that should be concerning. "When I need a sleeping potion, though, I refuse to drink one that you didn't brew. It gives me an extra 2 hours of sleep, which I am usually needing."

"I'm glad my potions work like they are supposed to." He made a mental note to talk to the boy later about his health and seeming disregard for his personal wellbeing. "Will you please get the box of vials off the bottom shelf of the cupboard?"

"Yes, sir."

Severus watched the boy as he walked over and back, just hoping he didn't stumble again. He noticed something odd. "Harry, are you in your school uniform?"

"Yes, sir."

"You do know you don't need to wear it outside of class correct?"

He nodded as a blush colored his cheeks. At the professors raised eyebrow he muttered, "It's the only thing I have that fits."

"We will remedy that situation this afternoon." He could feel the need to change the topic. "Would you like to help bottle?"

His eyes brightened, excited about working with the man with whom he was quickly becoming attached to. "Yes, sir!"

"There is no need to be so formal when it is just us. I will have you bottle the nutrition potion. On the bottle please write 'Nutrition 500' and the date in a column. Yes, just like that, very good." He could practically see the boy glowing from the small praise. They worked in silence for 20 minutes. Harry finished slightly before Severus and waited quietly for him to put the last little bit of Pepper-Up Potion in a vial. "Half of those are yours if you would like to go put them on your shelf. You can leave the other half here and I will box them up for Poppy."

Harry nodded and counted out half of the neat rows, scooting them a little farther to the side so the potions master could get to the other vials more easily. He grabbed a few at a time and slowly carried them to the shelf in the hall.

Watching him struggle out of the classroom, his energy waning, he called, "Harry, please take one of them now, then you may finish up and we will be heading out."

"Yes, sir." He quickly drank one of the vials. "Hey! It tastes like fresh strawberries! The one this morning was…cherry, I think."

"It was. Which do you prefer?"

Harry flushed, glad they were in separate rooms. "I don't mind either of them."

"You must have a preference."

"I…I guess, I like the strawberry a little bit better," he said softly, uncomfortable about voicing his opinion. He never got to do so at the Dursleys. When he was at the Burrow, there was always so much going on, Mrs. Weasley always just took charge of everything, not asking anyone. And even at school, he never really got a say in what they did, Ron or Hermione always took over the task of choosing the activity.

Severus sighed inwardly, a little frustrated by the boy's lack of confidence. "Will you bring the cherry ones in here please?" Harry did so silently. "I saw your shudder this morning with the cherry one. If you don't like something, let me know and we can adapt. I made the strawberry because you see to prefer them over any other food, judging by your excitement over them at breakfast." Sure that excitement may have simply been that it was the first thing he grabbed, but still. That had to count for something, especially at this point.

"Yes, sir."

"Speaking of, I will ask the house elves to leave a bowls of strawberries in your bedroom, in the livingroom, and in on the dining table. They will have cooling charms to keep them fresh. Don't hesitate to snack on them throughout the day."

"Really?" he was not usually allowed snacks. At school, they just ate during meals, and, unless he snuck to the kitchens or had candy in his pockets, he didn't eat outside of that. At the Dursleys, why would he get a snack when even a meal was, apparently, too much?

"Would you like that?" Severus asked wanting to hear it directly from the boy, rather than just judging by his shining eyes, bright with excitement.

"Very much so, sir, thank you!" Harry hugged him tightly on impulse.

Severus hugged him back. "You're welcome. Anything to get you to eat, you know," he teased lightly.

The brunet clung closer to him as he blushed again, hiding his face in the dark robes. Severus rubbed his back gently. Showing affection was not something he did often, but he was quickly learning that the teenager, who had the emotional mentality of a child of about 5 years, along with the size of a 10 or small 11-year-old, was starved for love from an adult. The potions master kissed his head softly and pulled away slightly to look at his face. "Are you ready to go?"

He nodded.

"Go put on something warm. It is rather cold today."

He nodded again and head back to his bedroom to dig through his closet for something warm. He rolled down the sleeves of his top, pulled on his green Weasley sweater from second year, despite the fact that it was worn out. Vernon had not managed to find it and burn it along with his others. He also pulled out his winter cloak, though it too was definitely showing signs of wear, and fastened it quickly. He laced up his school shoes and met the older man back in the lab. "Ready."

Snape could sense his embarrassment over his clothing. "We're going to Floo directly to Madame Malkin's shop then we will go to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch."

"Yes, sir."

"You've Flooed before, yes?" At the boy's nod he spoke again. "Good, let's go."He threw the Floo Powder into the flames and they both stepped in, at Snape's insistence. "Madame Malkin's Robe Shop!" he said clearly, wrapping his arms around the boy to keep him upright as they travelled. As they reached their destination, he caught he boy before he fell on his face. He brushed them both off and rang the bell on the counter. The small child backed quickly into Severus as the old, cheerful witch came bustling out. "Madame Malkin, we are here to get a full new wardrobe for the young man. 5 full school uniforms, a heavy winter cloak, 7 pairs of basic trousers, whichever colors you choose. 10 sets of undergarments, 10 button-up shirts, different colors, 3 winter jackets, fleece preferably, all with the strongest protection charms you can muster." He picked Harry up and sat him on the elevated stand, as it appeared he was not going to move himself to that position. "Harry, are there any colors that you prefer?"

He shook his head quickly, not even processing the question.

"Remember what I said this morning?"

"I like darker colors better," he muttered, cheeks flaming.

"Let's stick with darker shades of blues, greens, and reds, grey and black. He will also be growing approximately 9 inches in the next 7 or 8 months, so if you could, add a charm to have them grow with him. We will be back at the end of his growth spurt for an official wardrobe as well. Oh, a pair of emerald and black dress robes as well," Severus ordered politely. "It can all be charged to my own account."

She finished the measurements. "They will be done in 3 hours." The matron was used to the potion's master's gruff exterior. Though, seeing him with the small boy, whom she recognized easily as Harry Potter, made her see that, under his harsh, cold exterior, he really was a very caring man. She wondered what had happened. The boy had barely grown since his first, and last, visit.

He nodded. "Come along, Harry. We will go get lunch now." He noticed that the two nutrition potions seemed to have given the boy a lot more energy than he had this morning, though he was still slightly shaky. He sighed softly inward. He could not believe that they had gone so long without realizing what was wrong with the boy, no, not the boy. His boy. When Harry got over to him, he crouched down to look closely at him. Deep in his eyes, he could see the fear of leaving the shop, as well as trust for the man with him. "I want you to stick close to me, okay? Nothing's going to happen; I just don't want to chance anything."

He nodded, trembling slightly. He hadn't been in public, except in a big group at the busiest times of the year, since the war. While Severus would protect him, the idea of large amounts of people was comforting. It was easy to make oneself unnoticed in a crowd.

Severus brushed his hair off the formerly scarred forehead lightly. "What do you say about going by 'Jaime' while we are in town? It will call less attention that way." At the boy's nod, he glanced to Madame Malkin. "I am assuming that I do not need to stress to you the importance of discression on this matter."

"It is not my information to tell, Professor," she answered in her round about way of saying she would not speak about it.

"Good." He looked back to the boy who had shifted closer to him as they stood. Severus brushed a hand through the messy raven locks. "Ready?"

Jamie nodded shakily, this time from fear rather than lack of energy.

Having learned the younger's tells fairly quickly, he realized the boy was terrified. Without a second though, he picked the teen up, holding him to his chest. Like a small child, Jamie clung to his robes, his face hidden in his neck. He flipped the boy's hood over his head to hide his hair and left the shop, gently rubbing small circles on his back. Ignoring the looks he was getting from everyone, he walked quickly down the street toward the Leaky Cauldron. He walked to a back, corner table where he could see the entire room with ease. Tom came over. "Good afternoon, Tom."

"Professor Snape," he inclined his head to the pair. "What can I get for you?"

"Would you like some juice?" he asked Harry softly. Normally, he had water at lunch, but he wanted the boy to say one way or another.

He nodded. "Can I have carrot or grape?"

He turned back to the owner of the pub. "A carrot juice, a grape juice, a Butterbeer, a small plate of vegetables and a Shepherd's Pie. Along with an extra plate."

"It will be out momentarily."

Sure enough, the food appeared about a minute later, with asked for extra plate. Severus put a small piece of the pie on the plate with Harry's usual lunch. "I would like you to take at least one bit of the pie."

"Yes, sir," he muttered, tearing the crust off the piece of bread that came with the meal.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, in the end, the young boy ate five, albeit tiny, bites of Shepherd's Pie, along with his usual food, and half of each of his juices. That alone gave him about 300 calories more than usual, which was good. "Ready to go into London?" At the boy's nod, he left money on the table then Transfigured their clothing. His own consisted of dark, fitted jeans, and black shoes, with a grey turtleneck sweater with a black leather coat. Harry's clothing was changed into jeans, slightly baggy, in a medium wash, a navy blue t-shirt under a light blue zip up jacket which was under a slightly dressier dark grey wool coat buttoned up the front. On his head, he added a matching dark grey brim beanie hat, set at an angle, to keep his ears warm and keep vital heat in, as his body didn't seem to make enough of it as it was. He paused for a moment then added a navy scarf and gloves to the ensemble. He paused then changed the boy's shoes to more appropriate snow boots, that resembled hiking boots, before looking over the boy. He smiled slightly at the boy as he looked over his own clothing, with a wide smile, liking the outfit. If he hadn't known better, he'd say the boy was about ten years old. "Ready to go?"

The boy nodded.

"While we are out, we're going to be relatives. I will let you choose, either I can be your uncle," Harry flinched back at the word. "Or your father."

"What would I call you?" he asked in a small voice.

"Father, or Dad if you would prefer." He strained his ears to listen to what the brunet boy muttered, though he couldn't hear, even with his perfect hearing. "What was that?"

Jamie swallowed hard and spoke softly. "Can I keep calling you that when we are alone? I've never had a dad before." He was bright red, staring at his shoes.

Severus knelt in front of him once more before lifting his chin so their eyes met. Harry's eyes were misty, holding back tears he knew would come if he was rejected. "I'm okay with that. I'm your guardian now, and I see you as my son, Jamie." He was cut off as the boy slammed into his chest, hugging him tightly. Severus held him for a minute before moving. He kept a hold of his tiny Gryffindor, keeping him close as they head out into Muggle London. "Where would you like to go first?"

He shrugged. "I've never been before."

He spotted a clothing store that looked promising, starting towards it. It was a children's store, but didn't look too babyish, as he knew Harry wouldn't appreciate that. "How may I help you today?"a young sales clerk asked as they came in.

"I'm looking for jeans for my son," he felt Jamie squeeze him in excitement as he said those words.

"How old is he? Ten?"

Severus inwardly flinched at the assumption, though he had been thinking much the same thing all day. "He is," he answered knowing that difficult questions would arise otherwise and they continued with their shopping.