Chapter Three: Settling In:

While Harry was getting Max Severus took the floo to Godric's hallow. He shielded Sirius's head so he did not get any ash in his eyes mouth or nose and he tried to put the child down when they exited in the main hall of Godric's hallow. Severus was expecting a small cottage but what he saw was a very nice hall with cool marble floors and rich purple-brown wood wainscoting and cream walls in the hall. He saw close to him the front door was made of steel and was a dark brown in color with a window in the upper half. Two long windows framed the door and when he looked to his left he saw the stairs that led up to the upper floor. There was a pop and Harry's head house elf Dobby appeared before him. He was clad as most elves were now in a tunic and hose of brown with soft leather shoes and belt and a cap with a red feather in it on his head. He had the Potter crest on his tunic and he bowed low to Severus, yet when he looked at Sirius the boy cowered and hid his face in Severus's robes.

"Hello Dobby, Harry told you we would be coming?" Severus asked.

"Yes potions master Snape, master Harry did, he wishes Dobby to show potions master Snape the house along with young master Sirius." Dobby said, "Dobby knows what happened to lord Black as lord Black is now young master Sirius."

"Yes he is, I will care for him until he grows back up." Severus said hoping that was not another ten years but just a few days at the most.

"Very well sir, Dobby will show you the house."

Sirius did not see much of the house at this time as he spent most of his time clinging to Severus and trying to hide in his robes. Yet Severus did and he liked the house, it was nowhere near as large as Malfoy Manor or even Black Manor but it was charming and well laid out. On this floor, between the long main hall that went from front to back of the house were the sitting room and family room on one side and the kitchen, a bathroom and dining room on the other. Down a hall between the family room and the sitting room was the large one story library and the unfinished potions lab, another hall led to the four car garage forming an L shape at the front of the house. Upstairs were five bedrooms, four over the main part of the house, the master suit over the library/potions lab.

Severus took two bedrooms with the larger of the bathrooms and across from him, next to the master suit with a bathroom next to it he would put Sirius. He saw that the rooms had large queen sized four poster beds with velvet draperies and matching curtains. It was easy for him to change his son's temporary room to have navy curtains and bronze accents and turn his room into a Slytherin room. He asked Sirius what colors he liked and the boy was stunned but after a bit of coaxing he said red and purple and he was surprised that his room was set up exactly as he liked. He yawned and though fighting it he started to fall asleep. Severus took off his shoes and tucked him into bed and put up a charm to monitor him before he headed down to greet Harry and his son who had just arrived by floo.

"How is Sirius?" Harry asked.

"Tired, I will let him sleep a bit." Severus replied scooping up his son to give him a large hug, "hello Max, how has your day been?"

"I nearly beat Ron at chess and uncle Moony got me M&Ms, they were really good." Max said grinning.

"I bet they were." Severus said putting his son down and letting him walk, "I set up your room in your favorite colors."

"And your room in Slytherin green." Harry said grinning as Severus smirked, "they are not bad colors."

"I hope and pray you end up with a child in Slytherin, let's see how you deal with that." Severus said to Harry.

"Well one of the coolest and most brilliant wizards from Slytherin is my friend." Harry said, "and head of Slytherin to boot."

"You see me as a friend?" Severus said.

"Well friend, mentor I mean if I am not over stepping my bounds sir." Harry said.

"No, friends, I like that, even if you are an insufferable brat." Severus said.

Harry grinned and went up to see Sirius while Severus and Max settled in. He walked in to see Sirius awake and a bit confused. He felt for him and sat by him taking out a small stuff teddy bear, Sirius had found it cleaning out Grimmauld place. The fact his teddy bear from his childhood had survived his parents and the following years really helped heal him. Sirius's face lit up and he took the green bear and hugged it tight to himself. He had managed to keep his parents from finding out he still had this and for Harry to find it made being here all the better. So far the adults were so nice to him and he had not been beat once! He was wary of the house elf, what if the little creature was required to punish him? Was that why no-one beat him?

He followed Harry down to the kitchen, surprised they would eat here but he sat at the table and saw Max and shyly said hi. Harry sat by him and served Sirius his dinner and watching as Sirius ate very neatly. This was very different than what the adult Sirius had done for the first year out of Azkaban, he had wolfed down his food as if he would not get much of anything and only recently remembered the manners of his youth. Here Sirius was so neat, quite and respectful, clearly he had been taught not to speak at the table as he concentrated on his food. He was surprised when he was given a slice of chocolate sponge cake with whipped cream frosting. Harry had made the cake as he loved to cook and he was quite good at it too. When Sirius was done he sat quietly at the table waiting to be excused, Severus saw this and wondered where the cocky boy he knew in school had gone.

"You may go and play with Max." Severus said, "until it is time for bed that is."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Sirius said getting up and running to the family room where Max was already, "Hello, I am Sirius Orion Black the third, heir to the most noble and ancient house of Black."

" I am Maxmillan Severus Tobias Snape, heir to the most noble house of Snape." Max said shaking Sirius's hand, "everyone just calls me Max, you play chess?"

"Yes, my cousin taught me." Sirius said grinning.

"Good, let's play!"

They played until it was time for bed, Severus noticed that Sirius was a bit nervous around the bath but when he saw it was safe he relaxed and played with the bath toys a bit. Once finished both boys scrambled into pajamas, this was new for Sirius who nearly always wore a nightshirt to bed. He rather liked the blue ones he got with little puppies all over them. He went to bed clutching his teddy bear, something he did even as an adult (and Harry never dared tease him about it, he liked his ears on his head thank you not chasing him down the hall). Harry tucked Sirius in and followed Severus out to talk about their day and how long it might be until Sirius turned human.

"You really are an old softie." Harry said grinning at Severus who glared at him, "oh come on there is nothing wrong with that, I figured that out in my fifth year."

"Oh did you, what made you decide that?" Severus asked opening up a bottle of beer and taking a swing, "as I recall you were absolutely horrible that year."

"Yea I was, it was when you saved me from Umbridge and then when you took Draco and I to hand when we got into that fight. You held back with the ruler, I mean yea it hurt but you were holding back."

"Well there is an art to good discipline Potter, too much and a child will be scarred and will not learn, too little the same problem. I am not soft, I never have been, I am nice to Sirius because now he is just a little boy and no longer will I hold a grudge, you could say I grew up."

"All the way? Come on Severus there has to be some child left in you." Harry said grinning.

"As if!" Severus growled.

Harry just grinned and took a swig of his Butterbeer, he respected and loved Severus now. Sure he was tough as nails to students, but he was fair, well fairer than he had been. The two wizards sat up and talked and finally late they went to bed. Severus changed for bed, got in bed and was not alone long, his son had a hard time at nights, not all the time and Padfoot came to sleep with him when he did have bad nights. Max was not going to bother Sirius and ask him to change so Severus ended up with his son snuggled up to him in bed. He allowed it as he knew why his son had his fears and he was working through that with him. He fell asleep on his back with one of his son's little hands clutching his night shirt the boy curled up and fell asleep to his father's soft snores.

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So yes, it does seem that Severus is OOC, however we do know from canon he can be a very emotional man, he is not Spock no matter how many wish he acted like him! Here, far from students he can be himself and he is good with children, in fact if he were real I would trust him with my nieces and nephews. He has the same since of humor as I do, dark and sarcastic, I liked him from the first book with his speech to the students, he reminds me strongly of one of my favorite teachers who taught much like him, then again he was an old solder himself, he served in Vietnam. Anyway I digress, sorry about that!