Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable. And yes, I am aware this probably isn't how it worked in reality but hey, this isn't reality. Plus I wanted to do it.

To Tonks-is-cool: remember, most of Moody's characterization was the fake Moody (even if he did fool everyone), and that the real Moody might have been still messed up from the nine months in a magical trunk even in Harry's fifth & sixth years. Plus in the books hardly anyone saw Harry in a context that would have revealed his past. Put another way, I didn't realize that Harry was being abused until I read a fanfic by marauders716.

PS: I've decided the Accio spell worked on Peter because he was in rat form in case anyone was wondering.

PPS: How did I put the wrong full moon year yet get the other dates correct? I am baffled.

Chapter Six: Every day his time with the Dursleys seemed further and further away.

That weekend with Black's money Lupin bought a small TV with a bunny ears antennae to celebrate the confirmation of Potter's living at Spinner's End. Snape still wasn't sure whether he agreed or not that Potter staying was reason to celebrate. Plus the kitchen walls and ceiling were still a tad damp from the mop incident from the day of the Aurors' visit.

With an amused Potter watching on Black and Lupin tinkered with the TV and the antennae, Snape occasionally poking his head up from the basement where he was brewing a batch of Pepper-up potions to make sure they hadn't electrocuted themselves. Both Snape and Potter could have told Black and Lupin how to go about the matter, having been raised in Muggle homes, but both had opted to let the pair struggle through it themselves. Furthermore, each was aware of the other's decision not to get involved.

At last they got the TV working on a channel where an explosion had just occurred onscreen, making the two wizards jump. Pressing his nose flat against the screen Black complained, "I can't see anything except dots!"

"I can't see anything either," Lupin noted wryly. "I think you need to be farther back."

"Oh." So Black scooted back a foot or two before sitting down on the floor. He tilted his head at the screen.

"What is that?"

"I think it's a robot, but I've never seen one before with such… vivid colors."

Intently the pair watched the remainder of the episode which wasn't much. But then another one came on, making Potter groan.

"It's an afternoon of reruns, Padfoot and Moony. Nothing new will be on."

Waiting until the commercial break Lupin pointed out, "They're all new to us."

"These Muggles talk oddly," Black frowned. "I never heard any other Muggles talk like this."

"I think they're American," Lupin offered. "It would explain the clothes."

"Ah."

A couple of episodes later a Potter tired of reruns of what seemed to be a kids' show made his way down into the basement where Snape was making a potion, occasionally glancing over to an open book. Sitting on a stool on the opposite side of the table Potter peered at the text.

"That looks like a school book."

"It was my sixth year Potions text," Snape acknowledged as he continued making the potion. "Everything that happened at the end of the term made me think of it so I brought it back with me. I'm fine-tuning a few of the potions I had earlier modified since I'm done with the Pepper up potions."

"Can I see?"

"As long as you don't ruin it and let me have it when I need to double-check anything, I don't see why not," Snape shrugged as he cut up a pair of ginger roots Curiously Potter skimmed through the book, finally looking at the inside of the front cover.

"Why does it say 'property of the Half-Blood Prince' if it's yours?"

"I was young and vain at the time-"

The bemused look Potter was giving him cut Snape short. Adding in an extra teaspoon of armadillo bile Snape modified his statement. "All right then. I was young and vainer at the time, and not exactly proud of my Muggle father. My mother was a pure-blood, with the maiden name of Prince. I thought I was being clever at the time, especially since by then your mother and I had had our falling-out."

"Oh."

There was silence for a few minutes, Potter replacing the textbook back to its original position. Snape had to break it in the end. "During your narration about your earlier adventures, I did see the parallel between myself and the Dark Lord- choosing new names because we viewed our Muggle fathers poorly, clinging to the status our mothers' blood had given us."

"You ended up loads better than Voldemort," Potter told Snape in a way he clearly intended to be comforting. Snape noted sardonically, "That's not saying much though, now is it?"

"It's better than nothing," Potter shrugged. Eying the bubbling potion he asked, "What kind of potion is that?"

"It's a Wit-Sharpening Potion; I think I'll need it with Black and Lupin around. Fourth years learn it."

"Oh," Potter nodded. Ruefully he observed, "Padfoot and Moony are obsessed with that American kids' show- I think they like all the explosions."

"Of course they do."

Potter smiled. "Just curious- did they ever blow up anything on purpose during your Hogwarts days?"

Snape smirked. "Yes."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"One condition- you help me with my potions. If you can cook, maybe it's not impossible for you to manage a decent potion. Especially since I can focus on you and you alone."

"If I can survive Voldemort three times, I can survive you," Potter retorted. Snape observed, "We'll see about that."

As it turned out, Potter could survive and even thrive in Snape's presence as long as Snape wasn't actively trying to tear him down. While Black and Lupin whiled away the afternoons playing wizard chess and watching various TV reruns Potter actually learned Potions. The mornings varied although a few minor chores always had to be done and three regular meals were a must with a teenager and a werewolf in the house.

A comfortable compromise had been made unconsciously between Snape and the other three, all of them realizing that the opposing House might not be so bad after all. On the two intervening Sunday afternoons the quartet would go to a vast park where Potter would fly about while the three adult wizards could talk. It was during these times that they planned a surprise birthday party for Potter as well as formalized their truce.

On the last Tuesday of the month over a breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs Lupin, fully recovered from the recent full moon, told Potter, "Harry, we'll be going out shopping this morning. Um, do you want to stay here?"

"By myself? You guys trust me in the house alone?" puzzled Potter. Snape snapped, "You're almost fourteen. You better be able to be trusted home alone for a few hours."

"Plus Dobby will here with you," Black pointed out.

"I guess… um, sure." Potter looked oddly pleased by the idea of being trusted to stay home alone as he continued eating. He was less jumpy but still tended to fade into the background whenever he thought he could.

Forty minutes later Snape and Lupin were dressed to go- Snape in a black turtleneck sweater and black slacks, Lupin in a grey blue long-sleeved shirt and jeans- but Black was still upstairs in his room. Potter was lurking in the front hallway as Snape cast a Sonorus charm again.

"YOU MANGY MUTT, GET DOWN HERE ALREADY!"

"I thought he said he was planning to accompany us as a dog so that he wouldn't attract too much attention," Lupin sighed. Potter nodded, "He did."

Black scrambled down the stairs a few minutes later, his Muggle clothes under a black trench coat and matching fedora. Lupin looked his friend up and down.

"Again, I thought you were going to be in dog mode once we're at the store?"

"I am. Er, I will be."

"Then why the fedora?"

"It looks wicked," Sirius beamed, tilting the hat to a jaunty angle. "But I still don't know how it got under my bed… took me forever to find it."

"All right, Padfoot, let's go," Lupin sighed, waving his hand towards the front door. "Potter, if we're not back by noon feel free to make yourself lunch. If we're not back by seven- unlikely but still- use the Floo Network to go to the Burrow. Try not to leave the house otherwise."

"Right," Potter nodded. Snape additionally requested, "No potion making while I'm gone. That way we don't risk any explosions. I still don't completely trust you alone with a cauldron."

Potter nodded. "Anything else? Should I do any extra chores or what?"

"No, other than any common sense-"

"This is Potter, he got neither parent's commons sense," Snape interjected but Lupin overrode him. "Other than any common sense you have more or less free range. Just make sure the house is roughly in the same condition it was when we left by the time we get back."

"All right. Bye!"

"Bye, Harry," Lupin smiled as he pulled on his brown woolen jacket.

"Bye, Prongslet, see you later," Padfoot beamed, tousling Potter's eternally messy hair on his way to the front door. As he left Snape nodded, "Goodbye, Potter."

"Bye, Snape," Potter nodded back moments before the front door shut and locked. He looked around. It was the first time he had been alone in Spinner's End. Well, Dobby was somewhere in the house which gave Potter an idea. First he went upstairs to his room and dug through his stuff until he found what he was looking for. Then he went and found Dobby scouring out Snape's cauldrons in the basement.

"Hey, Dobby?"

"Yes, Master Harry Potter?" The house elf poked his head out of the cauldron he was currently scouring, his massive ears protruding out from either side of his head.

Potter held up the deck of cards. "Want to play Wizard Snap with me?"

"Oh, yes, Master Harry Potter! As soon as Dobby finishes cleaning this cauldron."

"Great," Potter smiled. "I'll help."

The party supplies Disillusioned to keep Potter from spotting them, when the trio of adult wizards returned midafternoon they found the wizard boy and the house elf building a house of cards in the middle of the library cum sitting room, leftover fire-popped popcorn in a big bowl next to them.

"Hi, Harry," Lupin interjected. Potter looked up. "Oh, hello!"

"Hello masters!" Dobby added. Snape requested, "Potter, could you leave off playing for a minute to help us bring in the groceries?"

"Oh sure," he responded, jumping up. This caused the house of cards to explode, sending Dobby flying into the couch. Stricken Potter went over to the dazed house elf. "Dobby! I'm sorry!"

"Dobby is all right, Master Harry Potter," the house elf assured the wizard as he stood up. "Now let Dobby and Master Harry Potter go unload the car!"

"Actually, Prongslet, how about you clean up the exploded card house?" Black suggested, giving Snape a dour look. "Dobby, you can help unload though if you want."

"Dobby wants to!"

Sheepishly Potter began to collect the scattered cards. As he put away the can of tomato sauce Black grumbled at Snape, who was putting away the jug of milk in the fridge. Sunlight was streaming through the sink window, brightening the tired room and the two wizards dressed in dark hues.

"What if Harry had spotted or accidentally touched any of the party supplies? Usually you're smarter than that, Snape."

"Did you just imply that I'm intelligent?" Snape inquired, peering over at Black from over the fridge door. Black sniffed, "Not tonight."

Lupin staggered through the kitchen door, his arms full of brown paper bags. Hastily Black helped him dump them all onto the kitchen table. In the interim Snape used a silent Wingardium Leviosa spell to levitate Black's fedora from Black's head to his own. Before either of the other wizards could notice Snape left to get more groceries. As the pair put away the various groceries, Black placed a hand on his now bare head.

"Oy! Where's my fedora?"

"I have no idea," Lupin replied as he tucked away a container of maple syrup that he had insisted on buying for Harry. "Maybe Snape took it."

Black looked horrified. "He wouldn't."

"You had just insulted his intelligence," Lupin recalled. Black sulked, "I think we're a bad influence on Snape."

Lupin just eyed his best friend. "I think you mean that you're a bad influence on Snape."

Snape reentered the kitchen with two bags of groceries in one hand and a mop in the other as well as Black's fedora on his head. With a cold stare Black reclaimed his fedora and stuck it firmly back onto his head. Snape just informed him while waving the new mop in the other black-haired wizard's face, "Now, Black, NEVER ever cast another spell on my mop again."

"I said I was sorry."

"But did you mean it?" Snape demanded skeptically. Black rolled his eyes, stating, "There are eight house elf sized mops locked inside the laundry room which want to take over the world. I think I meant it!"

"Or they could become your minions in your conquest to take over the world," Lupin suggested mildly. Snape gave him a glower. "Don't go giving Black ideas!"

"It was already too late," Lupin shrugged while Black tried to enchant the egg carton into the open fridge but just crashed it through the sink window due to his aggravation with Snape and/or the idea of having mop minions. This made Potter poke his head into the kitchen.

"Is everything all right?"

"Reparo," cast Black, fixing the window. Then he turned to Potter. "Yes."

"Keep an eye on my godfather, please. He's the only one I have," Potter requested of Lupin and Snape before retreating back into the library.

Wednesday was quiet, with Lupin doing laundry with Black's "assistance" against the devious animated mops while Snape continued to tutor Potter how to really make potions. After dinner they cleaned up the house a bit as Tonks (and probably Moody) would be returning the next day.

That morning Snape was making blueberry pancakes with the overhead lamp on since it wasn't quite dawn, trying to figure out why Black was sleeping in dog form on the heath rug. The wizard had gone up to bed the previous night, Snape was sure of it. Plus the fire had died down to embers. It would seem that Potter wasn't the only one holding back.

Snape sighed as he flipped a pancake to cook the other side. As usual he was dressed in black slacks and a black high collar, long-sleeved shirt. Something was wrong about having an Auror check in on Potter to make sure they're good guardians. It clearly hadn't happened with his Muggle relatives- nor with any other underage wizard living with non-relatives that Snape had heard of. And surely Dumbledore would have spoken for them if the Ministry had doubts about putting Potter in his, Black's, and Lupin's care- Dumbledore.

Snape swore softly and at length under his breath, remembering the headmaster's reluctance at letting Potter come and live with them. Despite Fudge's ballooning ego Dumbledore still had great sway at the Ministry; a few choice words dropped in certain locations and voila. The blood bonds might be a sure-fire way to have protected the young Potter from dark forces but they had also exposed him to forces that even if mundane were just as damaging. Snape's mouth thinned. He would not let Lily's son go back to that sort of life. For that matter, he wouldn't let James' son go back to that sort of life whether or not he was half Lily's.

Plopping the pancake down onto the growing stack of blueberry pancakes Snape took a deep breath. Maybe it was just the Ministry, maybe Dumbledore had nothing to do with the matter. After all, the Ministry could be using Potter as an excuse to keep Black in line. That was it, nothing more or less. Dumbledore couldn't be that much of a chess master.

Fifteen minutes later Potter sleepily made his way into the kitchen in an apple green T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Stretching he asked, "Pancakes for breakfast?"

"Yes- and this time there's maple syrup in the cupboard."

"Thanks!" beamed Potter. Not sure why he was reluctant to say the truth Snape refuted, "It was Lupin's idea."

"But it's your house," Potter countered as he poked through the cupboards for the maple syrup. Snape just drizzled a ladle of batter into the frying pan to start a new pancake. "I suppose you have a point."

In easy silence Snape wrapped up that pancake before pausing the pancake making process to eat a pair of pancakes in comfortable silence with Potter who was eating three pancakes- for once without prompting. Finally he was starting to act a bit more like he did at Hogwarts, but more and more Snape realized that Potter's crossness in his presence had originated with Snape's treatment of Potter rather than with Potter himself. The boy had Lily's eyes after all; Snape had forgotten the adage of eyes being the windows to the soul.

Ten minutes later a tousled-haired Black strolled into the kitchen from the library, still in his indigo pajamas. Yawning he questioned, "Breakfast?"

"On the counter," Snape nodded in the direction of the stack of pancakes by the stove. Blearily Black went over and got himself a pair of pancakes to eat before sinking into the chair between Snape and Potter. Looking around he wondered, "Where's Lupin?"

"Still in bed?" shrugged Potter after swallowing. Accepting this answer Black liberally coated his pancakes with maple syrup. It took another ten minutes, but Lupin made his way downstairs in khaki pants and a beige V-neck sweater. Quietly he got himself a quartet of blueberry pancakes to eat, taking the last seat. As he sliced them up he reminded the others, "Tonks will be coming over today. So no 'debates', Padfoot and Snape."

"It was his fault!" argued the pair in unison, making Potter duck his head in order to hide his smile. Lupin just shook his head, opting to fill his mouth with pancake rather than answering. True to what he had said, a knock came at the front door five minutes to twelve. Opening the door, Lupin smiled at the young, lovely Auror.

"Hello, Tonks."

"Wotcher, Lupin," she beamed at him as she entered the house, winking at him with vivid violet eyes. "How have things been going?"

"All right; Snape took Harry shopping and he's been adjusting really well to living here," Lupin informed her, trying to keep his heart rate steady. Now he remembered on the odd occasion when he had babysat her as a young girl Tonks had wrapped him around her pinky finger. Apparently her ability to do so to him had only grown in the intervening dozen years. He kept his eyes trained on her swishing ponytail as he walked behind her- today her hair was platinum blonde and tightly curled. Her lavender shirt had three-quarter sleeves and a scooped neckline that went well with her tight jeans. Lupin jerked his eyes back onto the ponytail.

Snape had cooked a pepperoni Stromboli for luncheon, which was currently cooling on the stove while he flipped through an advanced Potions text at the table. Entering Tonks commented, "Hello, Professor Snape. Well, you're not my professor anymore but still."

"Hello, Tonks."

"So how's Potter been doing?"

"All right- he's upstairs in his room right now. He thought he could manage to write a letter to his friend Granger before your arrival," Snape explained. "Apparently he was wrong."

"Snape," Lupin warned him, leaning against the doorframe. "I think Sirius is off trying to subdue the mop minions."

"Mop minions?" Tonks' eyes were wide. Lupin grinned mischievously. "It's a long story."

"Clearly," Tonks shook her head. Snape shut his book, inquiring, "Tonks, do you know who gave the order for there to be an Auror to check in on Potter regularly?"

"I think it was Fudge… probably Dumbledore was involved since Potter is a Hogwarts student," Tonks observed. Snape's face closed up. "I see."

Curiously Tonks said, "I could go visit Potter up in his room if you want."

"I'll take you over," Lupin offered, hastily ensuring that he would be first this time in order to evade temptation. Bouncily Tonks followed the werewolf. Snape rubbed his temples. Matters just weren't adding up. The puzzle pieces weren't fitting together… or not least in a way he wished they would.

Just then Sirius entered the kitchen, soaking wet. Grumpily he stated, "Those mops are pure evil."

"That makes sense- you created them after all."

"Shut up, just shut up." An annoyed Black shook his head rapidly, sending water droplets flying every which way. Grateful that he had closed his book Snape gave the other wizard a very dark look. "Do that again and I'll take you to the vet."

"OY!" Black yelled, outraged at the implication. Snape just smirked as Lupin reentered the kitchen. Upon seeing the scene before him- a drenched Black giving a death stare to a smirking Snape- he promptly turned around and retreated back to the library.

Leaving Harry's chambers Tonks tripped on the second stair from the top, tumbling all the way down to the library. With the shelf still away from the entrance, Lupin hurriedly caught her. Staring into her eyes, which had shifted to brown only tinged with violet, Lupin realized that if he wasn't careful he would fall in love Tonks as easily as she had just fallen down the stairs. Helping her to her feet he asked worriedly, "Are you all right?"

"Oh sure, I trip all the time- I'm dead clumsy, see. Luckily me being a Metamorphmagus made up for it in my finals for my Auror training."

"Ah," Lupin smiled, still holding her close. She smelled so sweet… blushing, Tonks stepped back. Biting her lower lip she rambled, "Harry seems really happy here… you three are doing a great job as his guardians it seems… he's not at all stuck-up for being so famous… I really ought to be getting back to the Ministry…"

"Yes. Well, I suppose we'll be seeing you on August 11th then?" Lupin inquired mildly. Her hair now tipped with neon pink Tonks nodded. "Yes- in another fortnight. Well, bye then."

"Bye then," Lupin echoed as Tonks hastily made her way to the front door. Once on the other side of it she leaned against it, her eyes wide. Collecting herself she Apparated back to the Ministry to get back to her usual work.

Slightly dazed Lupin returned to the kitchen where Black was spraying water out of his wand at Snape who was shooting small flares back at him from his wand. Smacking his palm against his forehead Lupin turned around to leave. Hopefully Potter's birthday in three days would go better.

Up in his bedroom Potter was leaning his forearms against the windowsill, staring out at the urban sprawl contrasting against the cloudless blue sky. He exhaled happily. Every day his time with the Dursleys seemed further and further away.