Harry wasn't scared of meeting Professor Snape, although he hoped that he would be able to pronounce "professor" correctly. Everyone he had met since Sirius had come to take him from away from the Dursleys had been kind. There was Uncle Remus, who had a nice smile and laugh, and never held his head under the water when he gave him a bath. There had been the Healer, who hadn't hurt him at all, and spoke in a nice voice. And, of course, there was Sirius, his guardian. Sirius never yelled at him or threatened to hit him. He, like Uncle Remus, smiled and laughed a lot, and let Harry sit in his lap, and wrapped his arms around him when they slept at night. And during the day, when Harry was tired and took a nap or two, Sirius would tuck the blankets around him so he was extra warm and comfortable. Harry was happier here than he had ever been before.
So, he thought that if Sirius and Uncle Remus would allow someone into their house, and have Harry take a kind of protection potion that he made, this Professor must be all right.
Except, as Sirius set him down after he finished walking down the very long flight of stairs, he set Harry on the floor and then kneeled next to him. Sirius was much taller than Harry, and even on his knees, his head was well above his.
"Harry," he began, speaking slower than usual, then stopped.
Harry raised his eyebrows, but didn't speak. He thought that Sirius still wanted to say something.
"He-the Professor-he might not be very nice," Sirius began, slowly, "but you must be very polite and do what he says. Do you understand?"
Harry felt it a little harder to breathe. "W-will he hit me?"
Sirius' face darkened, and Harry stared at the floor.
He felt Sirius lift up his chin to face him, and Sirius' face was normal again. "Did they hit you, puppy?"
Harry shrugged. "Dudley did. M-my aunt and uncle said they would, but they usually didn't."
Sirius' hands tightened on his shoulders, but they didn't hurt. "No, the professor won't hit you. No one in this house will ever hit you. If anyone tried, they would be very, very sorry. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded, then shook his head. "What will he do, then?"
Sirius shrugged a bit. "He...he isn't very nice, is all. He has a bit of a...temper. He can be rude, too."
"Like Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked, picturing the professor as Uncle Vernon, but wearing the same sort of robes as Sirius and Uncle Remus.
And himself, of course, but he wasn't nearly as tall as they were.
"Perhaps, about half as bad as your uncle," Sirius amended. "He might say unkind things to you, is all."
Oh.
Harry nodded. He was used to this from the Dursleys. "What should I do if he does?"
Sirius shrugged again. "If he tells you to do something and you don't know if you should, look at me. If I nod, like this-" He gave a slight nod. "-Then do it. Otherwise, just...well, I will do something, then."
It didn't make much sense, but Sirius seemed as confused as Harry was. Didn't adults know almost everything? Especially adult wizards? Well, maybe not.
"Okay," Harry answered, slowly.
Sirius chuckled and gave him a pat on the head. "It won't be very long, anyhow."
They walked into the sitting room, where Uncle Remus was standing, and in front of him, a man a bit shorter than him. He wore black robes and his hair was a bit shorter than Sirius', reaching his shoulders. Harry saw that he had just come from the fireplace, because there was soot on his robes. He moved his wand at them, and the soot disappeared.
Harry couldn't help it-he gasped.
The professor turned his gaze towards Harry. His eyes were black and his nose was rather large, but he looked a lot nicer than Uncle Vernon.
"Ah, and there is the Potter boy," the professor said, fixing his gaze on Harry. "Come forward, Potter."
Harry obeyed, wondering why the professor called him "Potter" and not "Harry," but not feeling brave enough to ask.
Or even to speak.
Harry stopped when the professor held out a hand, and there was still a few feet between them. He stared at Harry for several moments.
"The headmaster was correct. The child has his father's hair and face, but Lily's eyes," he said in a low voice.
Sirius stepped forward and put both hands on Harry's shoulders.
"He does have Lily's eyes," Sirius agreed, his tone strange.
The professor opened his mouth, then closed it. After staring at Harry for what seemed like a long time, he turned towards Uncle Remus.
"Lest I forget, here is the potion for your, ah, infirmity," he said, holding out a large bottle and offering it to his uncle.
"Thank you very much, Severus," Uncle Remus answered, taking it and smiling. "It's very good of you to brew it for me."
The professor made a sound that reminded Harry of when Aunt Petunia snorted.
"Store it safely, as soon as I depart, or it will spoil," the professor commanded. "As I've told you before."
Uncle Remus nodded, still smiling, and set it on the table before standing next to Harry. "I will take great care of it, I assure you. Now, Severus, can I offer you something to drink? Tea, perhaps?"
The professor shook his head. "Not today, Lupin," he said, quickly. "I have other important business to attend to. Let us get to the matter at hand."
Sirius and Uncle Remus said something Harry couldn't quite make out, but it sounded like they agreed. Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulders in a reassuring manner.
"The potion," the professor began, removing his gaze from Harry long enough to remove a much smaller bottle from the other pocket of his robes. "Which is, as you no doubt know, Mr. Potter, is the reason I am here today."
"Y-yes pro-professor," Harry managed to get out.
His face seemed to change a little. "You may call me 'sir' if 'Professor' is too hard for you to say."
Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulders again.
"Yes, sir," he answered, then smiled.
The professor simply nodded. "Now, Mr. Potter, you are to drink this to ensure that you are protected here, by your new guardians." He held out the bottle, and Harry stepped forward a few feet to take it, but the older man held up a hand. "Wait. Let me unscrew it, first." After doing so, he handed Harry the bottle. "Very well. You may drink."
Remus stood next to Harry, now holding a glass of water. "For afterwards, puppy."
Harry nodded, then brought the bottle up to his lips. It smelled like toast...well, burnt toast, really. He took a tentative sip, and discovered it tasted like that as well. Knowing he had to drink it all, he swallowed and sipped, over and over, until the bottle was empty. Uncle Remus handed him the glass of water, which he drank quickly, gratefully.
"How was it?" Sirius asked, now standing to Harry's side, hand still on his shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He looked down at his hands, then his feet, wondering if he should feel different.
The professor made a noise that sounded like he was trying not to laugh.
"How was the taste?" Sirius smiled. "When we had the potion, it tasted like different things to each of us. Nothing very good, but not too bad."
"Oh. Well, it tasted like burnt toast to me," Harry answered, truthfully.
The professor nodded, and he didn't seem angry at Harry's response. "I'm hardly surprised, Mr. Potter. I must say, though, that as far as potions go, that taste is more pleasant than most."
Harry wrinkled his nose. "I hope I don't have to take many other ones, sir."
The professor gave him a small smile. "As so the rest of us, I'm sure." He glanced at Uncle Remus and Sirius. "With the new protection in place, I will see you in six months. You will let me know if the child reacts aversely to the potion in any way, and immediately. Am I understood?"
Uncle Remus and Sirius paled.
"Is that likely?" Uncle Remus asked.
"It is possible, although unlikely, given that none of us had adverse reactions. That being said, he is a child..."
"We'll keep a close eye on him," Sirius promised. Turning to Harry, he added, "Harry, if you don't feel well, you must let us know."
"I will," Harry promised, although he felt fine at the moment.
The professor gave him a nod, then turned his gaze back to his guardians. "Lupin, I shall give you the next goblet your potion through the usual method. See that you store this one immediately."
"I will," Uncle Remus promised. "Thank you, Severus, for preparing it for me."
He nodded, briefly. "Mr. Potter," he nodded, then extended a hand, and Harry shook it. "I shall see you in six months."
He disappeared through the fireplace, and then Sirius lifted Harry up into his arms.
"You did great, puppy. Now, how about some pumpkin juice? And maybe a snack? Fruit and crackers sound good?" he asked, speaking gently.
Harry nodded, suddenly feeling very hungry. "Yes, please!"
Author's note:
Next up: Sirius and Remus realize that Harry's going to have to learn about his new uncle's lycanthropy.
As always, constructive feedback is most welcome!