Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter 8

Harry awoke suddenly due to a pointy elbow getting him in the stomach. It was not the first elbow, knee or outstretched finger that got prodded him during the night, however Harry felt he had rested about as well as he could by now.

He charmed the window blind up a few inches to look at Severus sleep. All he saw was a boy. His nose was not so pronounced when his long, black hair was fanned over his face.

Harry touched the tip of the nose and the black eyes opened.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Severus sniffed, then replied, "It's all right. At least it's light out."

"I got to buy you some clothes, and um, some pajamas too, and take you for a haircut."

The boy suddenly looked upset, and complained, "I don't want my hair cut."

"Why not?"

"If I die, my mother won't recognize me."

Harry thought that sounded rather morbid. Perhaps talk of death was common in an orphanage.

"Good idea," Harry agreed. He remembered how his hair kept growing back after aunt Petunia hacked it off with a pair of scissors. Severus could probably do the same thing.

"So um … we should get up, and I can get the wrinkles out of your robe, and then we can take turns in the loo, and I'll get dressed and we can go downstairs for breakfast."

"All right," Severus replied. It was so hard, even this early, not to sneer at the Boy Who Lived's ability to ramble on. Perhaps he should save his sneers for Weasley or Granger. Potter was too easy.

When they arrived downstairs, Arthur Weasley was already seated at head of the table. Severus's appearance earned a 'Merlin's beard' from him, based on what his wife had told him last night. The boy certainly looked like a miniature Severus Snape, except for that horrid-colored robe.

"Uh yeah, um, good morning, Mr. Weasley. This is Severus. I … well, yeah well um, adopted him."

Severus wondered if Potter would develop a bit more eloquence to express his major life events such as marriage and children. Undoubtedly Potter could spend hours recounting his every move in a quidditch match.

When Ron arrived in the kitchen, he sat across from Severus, and stared at him for the entire meal. The little git was still as gittish-looking as a boy. Perhaps less greasy, but still as ugly. Perhaps uglier. Black must really be his color because that robe looked like rubbish on him. The little freak kept looking at him too with those creepy black eyes. Merlin, he must have been an evil-looking baby.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry ventured.

"Yes, Harry?"

"It's all right if Severus helps you here? I can get him some things while we're on lunch break and have them flooed."

"No rush, dear. I have a few things around he can wear."

Severus allowed that to pass him by without a grimace of horror. As a child, he wore horrendous things, and he ranked this lilac robe as one of them. Would Weasley cast-offs be any worse than his parents' economical fashion sense?

His new parent and his sidekick flooed to wherever they went, and Mr. Weasley left also. Severus was not precisely sure if Mrs. Weasley had a purpose to make sure he was not idle between feeding chickens, assisting with laundry, sweeping the dirt yard with a different broom than was used in the kitchen. She may have tried this with all her children, but Severus recalled only one was industrious with performing tasks – Percy. And now he slept in Percy's room with Harry Potter. Potter was a slacker, as was Ronald.

In London, Harry received an owl during a break at auror training, and he swooned at what he read.

Ron propped him up, and demanded, "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm dead. So dead."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Look."

Ron's eyes looked over the official document, and he also paled at what some bureaucrat did. Harry was right. He was dead, yet his body didn't know it.

Harry read it aloud, "Severus Harry Potter." It sounded so wrong.

"Burn the evidence," Ron suggested, "and act dumb."

"This has got to get fixed."

"To what? Isn't he supposed to have your last name?"

"This is a disaster," Harry admitted.

"I can't argue with ya, mate. Wait till Hermione finds out. She'll have a whole list of how you were stupid."

"Thanks, Ron."

That evening, Severus was pleased with his new clothing. Potter did not take advantage of his position as his guardian. There was some black clothing, but also dark green, blue and brown. All normal colors that a young boy might wear. He didn't even receive white underwear.

Mrs. Weasley did not like him in the house, and let him know as soon as they were alone earlier today. That didn't prevent her from giving him chores though. Soon, Potter would have to decide whether to send him back to the orphanage, or move out of here.