CHAPTER 4

Within a few days, Dobby and Severus had the Swiss Manor back in shape. It had been standing empty since the last house elves died, but not long enough for magical pests like doxies and boggarts to have moved in, as far as Severus could tell. However, he was being very careful to ensure that either he or Dobby had Harry in sight at all times, just in case. Severus had promised Dobby that he would employ more elves to maintain the Manor but he wanted to wait until after the blue moon, when his new identity would be recognised by magic. Dobby assured him that he was fine alone for now, although Gillie had popped over to help them a few times while the Potters were on holiday.

Severus was kept up-to-date on Dumbledore's doings with regard to the death of Severus Snape by Ironfist. As Severus had expected, Dumbledore had tried to have his will suppressed in order to maintain the proxy of the prestigious Prince seat on the Wizengamot, however, even though he had returned to Britain within hours of feeling the bond of the Unbreakable Vow snap, he was too late. Severus Snape's will was already a matter of record, much to Dumbledore's anger. Dumbledore had tried to persuade the Wizengamot that he should continue to hold the proxy but the elderly Griselda Marchbanks and her cronies, sticklers for protocol all, had blocked him.

A week after his supposed death, Severus wrote to the law firm of Tonks & Tonks and Andromeda tentatively agreed to be his proxy. To Dumbledore's dismay, she had marched into the Wizengamot with documentary evidence proving that she had been retained by the House of Prince.

"But your agreement is only temporary," Dumbledore had protested.

"That is correct. I will be meeting the new Head of House Prince at the end of this month and our agreement will be finalised then," stated Andromeda firmly. Up to that point, she had not been sure that she wanted to take on this responsibility but Dumbledore had angered her and she now resolved that if Rennard Prince seemed to be an honourable man whose politics and ideals lay in line with her own, then she would agree to act on his behalf on a more permanent basis.

"Where and when will this meeting be taking place, Madam Tonks, so that I may attend?" asked Dumbledore genially, fully expecting to be given the information he had requested.

"I don't believe you were invited, Mr Dumbledore. This is private House business and the presence of the Chief Warlock is neither wanted nor required," she replied firmly, to Dumbledore's great shock. The Chief Warlock was not used to people turning a deaf ear to him.

Andromeda Tonks may have been disowned by her family for marrying a Muggleborn but she had been born into the Ancient and Noble House of Black. Madam Tonks had therefore been educated throughout her childhood on Pure-blood protocols and how to play politics, which, of course, was one of the reasons why Severus had selected her to be his representative. The Head of the House of Prince had every confidence in her abilities to play the game and to stand up to people like Albus Dumbledore.

As far as Andromeda Black Tonks was concerned, the House of Dumbledore was a nouveau, upstart, minor House of little import. Albus, of course, knew this was how the House of Dumbledore was regarded by all of the Ancient and/or Noble Houses, which was why he was so determined to hold onto the proxy for the prestigious House of Prince. Although he held the proxy for several Houses — more than any single person ought to hold, many felt — they only gave him numbers; they had no real influence or sway. Even though the House of Prince was commonly regarded as impoverished and on its last legs, it still held the kind of respect that the House of Dumbledore could only dream of having.

Dumbledore had been blindsided by Severus Snape's will, something he had not been aware even existed. What made it worse was the fact that it had been witnessed by his own brother, a man with whom he did not get on. The old meddler then tried to have the Prince seat disqualified on the grounds that he had never heard of Rennard Prince. "The man didn't attend Hogwarts — his name doesn't even appear in the Book of Names. This man shouldn't have a seat on our Wizengamot."

Andromeda headed off that line of thought immediately. "Many Houses have secondary estates on the continent and elsewhere. It's not at all unknown for members of the House to be born on one of those estates. When that happens, the children's names don't automatically appear in the Hogwarts Book of Names, since the Founders created the book only to cover the British Isles and Ireland. This means that when a child is born outside the book's catchment area, their parents have to make sure the child's name is added to the book later — something that I would have thought the Headmaster of Hogwarts would be aware of," she said sarcastically.

"Rennard Prince was born in continental Europe and his parents chose to have him privately tutored, hence their not asking that his name be added to the Hogwarts Book of Names. Again, private education is not at all unknown; nor it is unknown for parents to choose to send their children to schools other than Hogwarts. Additionally, as Chief Warlock, I would have thought you would have been aware that it's not obligatory to have attended Hogwarts in order to take up a seat on the Wizengamot. Parents have the right to educate their children in whatever manner they choose, or do you intend to deny them that right, Headmaster? Houses also have the right to manage themselves and their lines of succession as they deem fit, or are you now claiming that the approval of the Chief Warlock must be received before a Head of House is permitted to nominate their heirs?" she asked scathingly.

This, of course, caused utmost outrage. The very idea that Dumbledore would take it upon himself either to mandate a Hogwarts education regardless of the parents' wishes, or to dictate lines of succession, was completely unacceptable to every member of the Wizengamot, regardless of whether they were allies or enemies of Dumbledore. The Chamber was in an uproar and Dumbledore's objections were very firmly quashed. When he heard about what had happened, an amused Severus felt that even if Andromeda chose not to continue as his proxy, this alone would have made retaining the Tonks & Tonks law firm for these few weeks worthwhile.

On the evening of the thirtieth of August, Severus and Harry portkeyed into Gringotts in London. Harry was again clutching his plush owl, which had been named Lumi. Harry adored the soft, cuddly toy and never went anywhere without it. Severus had suggested calling 'him' Bubo but Harry had crossly insisted that the owl was a girl. Lumi was a Finnish name meaning snow and Harry had liked the sound of the name. Over the last month, Harry had come on in leaps and bounds. His speech and development, both stunted by his upbringing until now, were improving daily. The little boy had indeed panicked when first presented with clothes but had soon become accustomed to them. Harry was even getting used to having his own bedroom and sleeping in a bed. Most of the time, anyway. There were still days when Severus came to wake Harry in the morning and found that the little boy had crept into the bedroom cupboard to sleep, but these were becoming rarer. Severus had deliberately avoided putting a mattress or cushioning charm on the cupboard floor and had forbidden Dobby from doing so either. This discouraged Harry from sleeping in the cupboard instead of his much more comfortable bed.

"Welcome, Mr Prince," said Ironfist.

"May your enemies decrease and your riches increase, Account Manager Ironfist," said Severus formally.

Greetings over, Severus turned to greet Healer Cutwell and Curse Breaker Sharpspike, who were both in the meeting room with Ironfist. As Severus sat down with Harry perched on his lap, Cutwell came over to speak to the little boy.

"Hello, Harry," he said, trying not to be intimidating, a natural bearing for goblins. "May I ask you some questions?"

Harry looked up at his father for reassurance and upon receipt of a smile from Severus, nodded at the goblin.

"Harry, when you lived in the cupboard, did your head hurt you?" asked Cutwell.

Harry thought for a moment then nodded again.

"Has it stopped hurting since you've been living with your Dad?"

Harry nodded a third time, a big smile on his face. Severus realised with an internal sigh that while Harry was now quite happy to talk to him, he was still conditioned to think that he could only talk around his primary care-givers and that he should be quiet and unheard around others.

Healer Cutwell had been surreptitiously running a diagnostic on Harry as he spoke to him and was glad to see that there were no traces of Dark magic lingering in the little boy after having been a host for part of the Dark Lord's soul. However, he had to agree with Severus' proposal that Harry enter the Sacred Blue Moon Fire with his father. Smiling with his mouth closed, in order not to frighten the boy with the sight of his sharp teeth, Cutwell produced a sugar quill from his pocket and, with a glance at Severus for his permission, gave it to Harry, because he was "Such a good boy." Harry beamed in response and happily sucked away at the treat while Severus talked to the goblins.

"Severus Snape's entire estate has now been transferred to Rennard Prince, much to Dumbledore's chagrin," Ironfist informed him with great satisfaction.

Severus shared a feral grin with the goblin and then handed over piece of parchment and three envelopes. "These are in case I don't survive the Sacred Blue Moon Fire," he explained. "It's my Will, making Harry my heir. I have also named Andromeda and Ted Tonks as guardians, with Filius Flitwick and Amelia Bones as godparents. There is a letter for each of them, explaining matters. Ideally, I would like Harry to be raised away from the UK but I don't know how practical that hope is. Should it be necessary to hand on those letters, I would appreciate it if you would show Filius the memory of him binding myself and Albus in the Unbreakable Vow and of Albus Obliviating him, which I left in your possession last month. My Will hasn't been witnessed as there was no one I dared ask prior to tonight's ceremony, so is Gringotts able to validate it instead?"

Ironfist took the parchment and waved a hand over it, muttering some words in his own tongue. "It has been validated," he assured Severus, much to his relief.

An hour later, Severus stood clad in only a cloak in a cave deep below Gringotts, with a drowsy Harry in his arms. In front of him was the fire which would shortly burn blue. Circled around the fire were several goblin druid priests dressed in their white druidic robes, Ironfist, Cutwell and Sharpspike. The holy men were chanting and beating on drums, the beat gradually increasing to a crescendo and stirring a fire within Severus' veins. The drums and the chanting ceased abruptly at the exact moment the moon appeared through the crevice and the fire turned blue. Ironfist, as Severus' sponsor for this ceremony removed the cloak and, naked and unashamed, Severus stepped into the fire, protectively cradling an equally naked Harry.

As the blue flames washed over him, Severus thought intensely of his purpose for entering the Sacred Blue Moon Fire. As his body tingled from the flames, he cried out, unaware, from the depths of his soul. "I am Rennard Benedict Prince and this is my son, Theodore Henry Prince, who I love and cherish, and whose health and well-being I value above all. I beseech Magick and the Powers here tonight to cleanse and purify him from the evil that was once housed within him, through no choice of his own. I beseech Magick and the Powers to cleanse and purify me of the evil still within me and to free me from the bonds that shackle me, so that I may be the father that my son needs and deserves, so that I may champion him and protect him from those who would use him or try to do him harm."

The tingling in Severus' body became focused on his Dark Mark, even as Harry giggled. "Tickles," the little boy whispered sleepily. Severus smiled and kissed his son's head lovingly. Severus felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his arm as a flash of light encircled them both and when it faded, he saw that his Dark Mark was gone. Severus stepped out of the Sacred Blue Moon Fire. Moment later, the moon completed its passage over the crevice and the fire returned to its normal golden flames.

Ironfist came to cover him again with the cloak, a wide smile on his face. "Well met, Mr Prince. It seems that you have found favour with the Powers That Be."

"Well met, Ironfist. I'm sure it's Harry who found favour with the Powers That Be. He deserves it far more than I do."

With a smile of approval, Ironfist covered Severus in his cloak and led him back to the chamber where he had disrobed. Severus first dressed Harry and then got dressed himself. As he did so, he catalogued the changes in them both. Severus himself still had his black eyes and black hair but his hair was now, impossibly, even blacker. Instead of hanging limply and greasily, it shone with glossy blue highlights. His skin was no longer pale and sallow but a healthy pink. All his scars — from his father's abuse, from the abuse of his schoolmates and from his time as a Death Eater — were now gone. His teeth were white and straight. Magic seemed to have acted upon his subconscious desires and his nose was no longer a disproportionately overlarge, hooked beak but a more balanced, patrician, Roman nose. Severus was taller now, what he assumed his height should naturally have been had he not suffered malnutrition in his childhood due to his family's poverty. He also looked younger. The miseries of his life to date had made him a twenty-five year old man who looked forty; now he was a twenty-five year old man who looked twenty. Although he told himself that he was being fanciful, his soul felt infinitely lighter than it had before. As Severus examined his reflection in the dressing room mirror, he was pleased to see that he no longer looked like a cartoon caricature of evil. Anyone who had known him previously would see the 'cousinly' resemblance between Severus Snape and Rennard Prince, however, they would not look at him and think that he might actually be Severus Snape.

When Severus had finished cataloguing the changes in himself, he turned his attention back to Harry, who was now asleep on a padded bench, holding tightly onto the ever-present Lumi. Harry had already changed much when he took the blood adoption potion and so there were few differences now. His hair had also become darker with the same blue-black glossy sheen as his new father and Severus had seen while dressing him that as he had hoped, Harry's eyes, which had retained Lily Potter's green colour even after taking the blood adoption potion, were now black like his own. Severus was also delighted to note that the distinctive lightning bolt scar that had been on Harry's forehead was no more.

Picking up his son and holding him in a loving embrace, Severus exited the robing chamber, with a shrunken Lumi safely in his pocket. Harry would be devastated if he lost his cuddly owl while they were portkeying home. The goblin priests had already gone but Ironfist, Cutwell and Sharpspike were all waiting for them.

"I thank you for all you have done for my son and myself," he said formally, surprised to hear that although his voice still retained its velvety tones, it was now a couple of registers deeper than previously. "I would thank your holy priests but I know that they do not talk to outsiders. Please would you pass on my thanks to them."

Cutwell stretched out a hand in the human greeting. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Mr Prince," he said.

"And with you," Severus replied, shaking his hand. Turning to Sharpspike and Ironfist, he continued. "I will be back tomorrow to meet with Andromeda Tonks here. Either before or after, I would like to meet with you regarding any further Horcruxes that the piece of the Dark Lord's soul you removed from Harry have led you to. I would rather not do so tonight, as it's late and I want to put Harry to bed. He is still very young and needs a proper night's sleep."

"Of course," agreed Ironfist amiably. "Madam Tonks has been given a portkey to bring her to the meeting room at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Professor Dumbledore has been determined to join in this meeting and so we felt it would be better than having her walk in the main doors. This way, Dumbledore will not be able to follow Madam Tonks to your meeting. We will both be at your disposal after that."

Ironfist escorted Severus to the room from which he could portkey home. With another expression of his gratitude, he portkeyed himself and Harry back to Switzerland and put Harry to bed. Setting the nightly monitoring charm to alert him if Harry awoke or had bad dreams, though he did not expect the latter this evening after the cleansing and purification they had undergone, Severus sat down in his study with a glass of firewhisky and called Dobby.

"Master Prince!" the elf squeaked. "Bad magic is gone," he cheeped happily.

"Yes, the bad magic is gone, Dobby," Severus confirmed kindly.

"And Master Prince is now truly Dobby's Master's father. Dobby can feel the bond."

Severus smiled. "Yes, Harry is now truly my son and no one can take him from me. His name is now Theodore Henry Prince."

Dobby bounced up and down in excitement. Although the elf still had tendencies to be hyper, he had calmed down considerably since being able to take care of Harry full-time. Severus speculated that Dobby's previous jittery behaviour had been due to the elf being unable to fulfil his bond to Harry.

"Dobby, now that the goblin ritual has been successfully completed, it's time for us to organise ourselves more. We need more elves to help maintain the house and grounds. Do you know of any who need a new home and family? I was hoping for two couples, who would be very welcome to have elf babies if they want. Additionally, if there is a lady elf who you would like to make your mate and have babies with, that would also be acceptable. The elves would all be bound to the House of Prince rather than to me personally, and when Harry is grown, your mate can bond with Harry's wife, assuming she doesn't have a personal elf already."

"Master Prince is too good," Dobby yelped, tears in his eyes. Not even the Potters, who were considerably better Masters than the Malfoys, were this kind or generous to their elves.

"I'm thinking two of the elves can work in the house and two can be responsible for maintaining the grounds. I also want to repair the greenhouses so that they can be used to cultivate potions ingredients. The fifth elf would be responsible for that."

"Master Prince needs a personal elf," said Dobby.

"I really would rather not," said Severus, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew that in the eyes of the elves, the Head of a respected Ancient and Noble House should have a personal elf but he was quite happy as he was.

"Master Prince needs a personal elf," repeated Dobby firmly.

"All right," Severus capitulated with a sigh, knowing that if he did not agree, the elves would just designate one of themselves as his personal elf regardless. "However, the primary responsibility of the elf who becomes my personal elf will be the greenhouses with the potions ingredients."

Dobby nodded, agreeing that this was an acceptable duty for the personal elf of a Potions Master.

"I do not want any elves who have worked at Hogwarts or for the Potters or Sirius Black. They will undoubtedly be spies for Headmaster Whiskers and I won't have them in my home. I also want you to tell me if the bond with any of the elves doesn't take properly, especially if they were once the elves of Death Eaters. For the sake of Harry's safety, I need to be assured that all elves are fully bound to the House of Prince and are completely loyal."

Dobby nodded fervently. "Dobby will do that," he said.

"Good. Now, are there any wards we can install which will keep out all elves who aren't bound to the House of Prince or to invited guests? You were able to get into Hogwarts and Malfoy Manor unnoticed, and I don't want that to happen here."

"Goblins might be able to do that," said Dobby, his ears twitching as he thought.

"I'll ask Sharpspike," Severus agreed, thinking that he would also need an anti-phoenix ward against Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. "Dobby, I don't want my elves to be overworked so if at any time you, or any of the other elves, feel there's a need for more elves, I want to be informed. This isn't a reflection on you; rather, I want my elves to be happy and healthy, and not collapsing from illness or weariness. Apart from that, there's one final rule: I don't want the elves bound to the House of Prince, or to Harry or myself personally, to punish themselves. That means no shutting their hands in a door, banging their heads on a wall, ironing their hands or anything else of that nature. I will set out guidelines for punishment and my personal elf will decide if punishment is warranted or not. Only if he feels it is necessary can an elf be punished."

"Dobby understands," said the little elf happily. Master Prince was a very good Master indeed to be so concerned about his elves. "Dobby will start looking for suitable elveses right away."

"No, Dobby. That won't be necessary, unless you know any elves who are homeless and need immediate accommodation. Otherwise it can wait until morning. In fact, the day after tomorrow will be better. I'll be at a meeting in London for much of the day tomorrow, so you'll need to be here to look after Harry. That's even more important than finding new elves."

"Yes, Master Prince," said Dobby, as he popped away.

Severus sat sipping his firewhisky as he considered the future. He was teaching Harry at present but the little boy — his son! — needed more than just him. Harry needed to interact with other people, both adults and children, and he would need a proper education once he had caught up on the overall development he had missed. As for Severus himself, he needed to regain his Mastery in the name of Rennard Prince, but that could wait until he was able to entrust Harry's education to a tutor. Realising that none of these issues could be solved overnight, he headed off to bed, to prepare himself for the next day's meetings.

Severus was up and about early in the morning. Instructing Dobby to care for Harry for the day, Severus apparated to wizarding Geneva, having previously checked with Gringotts the whereabouts of the wizarding district and how to enter it.

"Good day," Severus politely greeted the wandmaker, when he entered the shop. "I need a new wand, please."

"Of course, sir. Has something happened to your wand?"

Severus sighed inwardly. He knew the wandmaker had to ask, as it was not common for adults to need new wands. He could be a criminal who had to ditch his old wand after having used it to commit a crime or one who wanted a second wand for nefarious purposes. However, he had been hoping to avoid this question. Oh well, he would be honest but stick only to the bare bones of the story.

"I recently underwent an enormous emotional upheaval and it has affected my magic. My previous wand no longer works for me," Severus explained. This was true in essence but short on details.

"I see. Did you bring your previous wand with you?" asked the wandmaker.

"I'm afraid not. I don't want to trade it, merely to get a new wand; it's a family tradition to keep old wands." Severus did not want the wandmaker to see it because she would instantly recognise it as an Ollivander wand and Ollivander would know that he had never sold a wand to one Rennard Benedict Prince. Besides, he actually intended to destroy it, not to save it.

"I see. Well, let's get started, shall we?" replied the wandmaker.

Thirty-five minutes later, Severus was in possession of a new wand, made from red oak and dragon heartstring. It was eleven and a half inches long and was what Severus was sure Ollivander would probably describe as swishy or whippy or something like that, he thought in amusement. On trying out the wand in the shop, he had cast a Patronus and had been very pleased to see that, as he had hoped, it had changed and was now a fox instead of his previous doe Patronus, which had matched that of Lily Potter. He was delighted with his new wand and felt confident that the young woman who had made this wand could easily surpass Garrick Ollivander, who was commonly regarded — in parochial Britain, anyway — as the foremost wandmaker in the world... provided, of course, that she continued working after she married and had children, something which was uncommon in the wizarding world.

He spent the rest of the time until his portkey was due to go off browsing through the wizarding district. He purchased a toy training broom for Harry and a junior potions kit, together with some wizarding children's books, all of which he shrank and tucked into his pocket.

When Severus arrived at Gringotts in London, he felt very reassured to know that there was no chance of anyone who caught sight of him identifying him as Severus Snape. He had even changed his style of dress and was wearing tasteful robes in an elegant grey silk, instead of Severus Snape's trademark, functional black wool. With his new appearance, his altered voice, his changed aura and his new wand, he was ready for Andromeda Tonks to meet Rennard Prince.

Severus had arrived in Gringotts a few minutes before Andromeda and took the time to greet Ironfist. "You look as though the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders, Mr Prince," observed Ironfist.

"It feels like it has!" agreed Severus with a laugh.

A moment later, Andromeda's portkey arrived. "Madam Tonks, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Severus, striding towards her. Andromeda held out her hand and raised one eyebrow when he kissed it instead of shaking it.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr Prince," she said graciously, the epitome of the Pure-blood noblewoman she had been raised as.

Severus ushered her into a seat and then sat opposite her, so they could talk comfortably.

"I'm curious as to why you approached Tonks & Tonks, Mr Prince?" she inquired, coming straight to the point, in a most unSlytherin like manner.

"It was on the advice of my cousin, Madam Tonks," he explained affably.

"You mean Severus Snape, I presume?" she asked.

"Yes, Madam Tonks. We did not know each other well but there was a connection between us. We were family, after all."

Andromeda nodded understandingly. Although she had been disowned by the Blacks, she understood family ties. Severus withdrew an envelope from his pocket and gave it to her.

"You should probably read this; it explains much," he said.