This is a COMPLETED story, and it will be published daily. Enjoy!

This story was written before the publication of The Deathly Hallows. In the timeline of this story, Albus Dumbledore was not killed in the Astronomy Tower.

This is a translation of myoriginal fanfic called "La familia Snape" Please, forgive any spelling and grammar mistakes.

Harry woke up to a loud snoring, and for a moment, he felt disoriented as he found himself surrounded by bright orange Quiddich posters.

He closed his eyes instinctively when a Bludger passed too close to his face, followed by a miniature player, and when he turned over to go back to sleep he found the figure of Ron, who was sleeping in another bed next to him. He still hadn't taken off the tuxedo he had worn the night before, at his brother's wedding.

The Burrow was eerily silent as everyone was sleeping off their hangovers, but Harry thought he heard some bustle in the kitchen, which meant Mrs. Weasley was already up.

A week ago, Harry had left his aunt and uncle's house for good, after turning seventeen, and had moved to the Burrow. It had taken him very little to adapt to his new life, since the Weasleys treated him as if he were one of the family, and Mrs. Weasley kept telling him that he could stay as long as he needed.

Knowing that he couldn't go back to sleep because of Ron's snoring, Harry got up and went quietly down to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was busy cleaning up the remains of the previous night's party.

"Harry, dear, how did you sleep?" she asked when she saw him.

"Not much," he replied, sitting down at the table.

"No wonder, after what you did last night, it seemed like the whole house was going to fall!" Mrs. Weasley protested, but Harry smiled knowing she wasn't upset. "Do you want breakfast?"

"In fact–"

"Of course," she interrupted, starting to cook a breakfast that could feed more than twenty people. Harry, whose head was worse than an alarm clock, his stomach really crushed and his mouth pasty, looked at her desperately, but did not dare to contradict her.

"I'm glad it's all over now," Mrs. Weasley commented as she paced back and forth. "I thought that wedding would never happen."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, you know that we mothers worry about stupid things," she played it down, and placed in front of him the pancakes, the toast, the juice, the milk, the fruit, the... "But in the end, everything worked out. Do you want bacon?" she asked suddenly.

"I–"

"Right now," she turned around, without giving him time to answer.

Harry stood there with a shocked face, unable to say anything, until suddenly, the fireplace expelled a green flare, the product of the floo powder, and the head of Albus Dumbledore appeared.

"Professor!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing serious, Molly, don't worry," he reassured her. "I just wanted to talk to Harry for a moment."

"Why? What's the matter?" Harry asked, jumping up.

"I can't tell you through the fireplace, you'll have to come to my office." Dumbledore looked at Mrs. Weasley with a smile. "It's been a pleasure, Molly."

Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley, confused and not knowing what to do, and she urged him to come as quickly as possible. Harry grabbed a piece of toast and went into the fireplace. Seconds later, he landed in Dumbledore's office, where the headmaster was waiting for him.

"What 's the matter, professor?"

"Sit down, please," Dumbledore pointed to one of the chairs that rested in front of his desk. "It's nothing about the search for Horcruxes, in case you were thinking about that," he commented, looking at him with bright eyes, and Harry thought he was suppressing a smile. It is true that the boy had secretly hoped to receive more information about those mysterious objects, and he felt a little disappointed.

"Oh, well, and then?" Harry asked, trying to suppress his discouragement.

"It's about you and your training."

"My training?"

"I know that you want to search for the Horcruxes yourself, and I respect that, but you may have to face Voldemort's creatures along the way, not to mention his death eaters," Dumbledore explained, "so, for that reason, I have decided that perhaps you should learn certain... rudiments of... the dark arts, so that you can defend yourself. I don't like the idea," he hastened to say, responding to Harry's expression," but I think it will be the best thing to do, so that you can be on equal terms with Voldemort and his followers."

"Does it mean that... Will you teach me?" Harry asked, amazed and excited at the same time. He could barely imagine the spells Dumbledore could show him.

"Actually, there is another one more suitable than me," Dumbledore continued, gently. "A teacher of yours–"

"Snape?" Harry interrupted, opening his eyes in disbelief.

"Professor Snape," Dumbledore corrected him. "And yes, he is the one who has agreed to train you," he explained, his eyes shining with suppressed laughter. It was obvious that Snape would never have willingly agreed to something like that.

"But–"

"Harry, he is a death eater, he knows better than anyone how his companions work and act," Dumbledore explained, with a calm voice, trying to sound logical.

"But how do we know...? Professor, how do you know that he won't... won't hand me over to Voldemort?"

Dumbledore remained very serious for a few moments, staring at him over his half-moon glasses.

"Harry, I am convinced that Professor Snape has strong reasons not to betray either of us, and you will probably discover them soon," he said, with a hint of mystery in his voice. "Besides, I'm not going to allow you to go searching for the Horcruxes without being properly prepared," he added seriously. His eyes were shining, but this time, Harry saw in them an expression of firmness that brooked no reply.

"Okay," he agreed, knowing he had no other option, although if he hadn't been hungover he would have argued a lot more. It was also true that, although he hated Snape above all things, his hatred of Voldemort surpassed all that.

"Very good," Dumbledore smiled. "Now we just have to wait for–"

Someone knocked on the office door and opened it. It was Snape, and he was followed by Draco Malfoy.

"Ah, Severus, very timely," Dumbledore greeted, with a small smile.

Snape and Draco got closer, but not too much, the professor with a serious face and Malfoy with a crooked expression. His gaze and Harry's met, and they glared at each other with hatred.

Dumbledore caught their attention with a clearing of his throat.

"Draco is here for the same reasons as you, Harry," Dumbledore explained. "You will both learn from Severus what he can teach you." Snape made a face that said "that is if they survive" but didn't respond. "Now, Harry, you better go to the Burrow and get your things."

"How long do I have to stay–?"

"As much as necessary," Dumbledore interrupted. "Hurry up."

Harry understood that Dumbledore intended to get rid of him to speak alone with Malfoy and Snape, but he obeyed and returned to the Burrow. He found Mr. Weasley, Ron and Hermione having breakfast, and he hurriedly told them what had happened, hoping that someone would give him the solution to avoid going with Snape and Malfoy.

All three had the same reaction of disbelief and surprise, but insisted that he must obey.

"Harry, if Dumbledore thinks it is necessary for you to train with Snape, it will be because he has everything under control," said Mr. Weasley. "You must go."

"Yes, and maybe then you'll find out what Snape is hiding to make Dumbledore trust him," Ron suggested, smiling. Hermione glared at him.

"Don't pay attention to him, Harry," she scolded him, although she looked worried. "But you should be careful with Malfoy, you know Snape turns a blind eye to him."

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry muttered, discouraged. He had hoped for more support from his friends. "I'm going to pick up my things."

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other and stood up at the same time.

"Wait, let's go with you."

Harry smiled, and the three of them walked up the stairs. Then they spotted Ginny, who was hiding in a corner.

"What are you doing there?" Ron asked her. She gestured for him to shut up.

"I don't want mom to find me," she whispered. "She's waiting for me to help her clean up after the wedding."

"Your mother has gone out into the garden," Hermione soothed her, and Ginny came out of hiding and regained her normal voice.

"Thanks Merlin, my back was starting to hurt," she stretched, but then her face became serious. "I've heard it all, is it true that you're going to train with Snape?" she asked Harry.

"Yes," he answered, discouraged. He told them the whole story again, more than anything to convince himself of what he had to do, while he gathered his things and clothes. Hermione had the brilliant idea of enchanting a backpack so that everything could fit inside without it weighing too much.

Harry tried to stall as long as possible, but in the end, he had everything ready, and he had to say goodbye to his friends.

"I hope to see you again soon."

"If you find out anything about Snape, write by all means," Ron insisted, shaking his hand.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "Don't do it, Harry, or maybe someone intercepts the letter. Be very careful," she said, hugging him. Ginny approached him.

"If you find yourself alone with Malfoy... give him a good beating," she smiled with an evil grin, before giving him a kiss on the lips. Ron cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Ginny glared at him.

Much more encouraged, Harry re-entered the fireplace and returned to Dumbledore's office, where the headmaster, Snape and Malfoy were waiting for him.

"Now that you're all here, it's time to leave," Dumbledore seemed strangely amused by something. His expression contrasted with the professor's sour grimace. "By the way, Severus, tell Astrid to apologize for the inconvenience about all this. I am aware that it is a very sudden change of plans."

Snape made a strange gesture, as if he didn't want Draco and Harry to hear the name.

"She was already warned," he mumbled, barely moving his lips.

Harry thought that Snape was the most reluctant to be there, and he wondered what Dumbledore had told him to make him agree to participate in this plan.

"Well, then I wish you luck."

Instead of using the fireplace, Snape left the office, followed by the boys, and hurried through the deserted corridors of the castle. Draco and Harry almost had to run to keep up with him. He didn't stop until they were out of the castle and its grounds, where the magic that protected Hogwarts couldn't reach them.

He ordered them to hold on to him, and Harry and Draco obeyed, although reluctantly, and in a few seconds they disappeared and appeared on the outskirts of a small village made up of a few scattered houses.

Fog covered the landscape, but Snape walked safely down the road, toward the buildings, with the boys a short distance behind him.

Draco turned to Harry and gave him a sneer.

"What 's wrong, Potter, do you need special classes?" he asked sarcastically.

"And why are you here, Malfoy?" Harry asked in turn. "Do you need a babysitter?"

Draco's face contorted with fury, and he prepared to retort.

"Shut up, both of you," Snape ordered, stopping suddenly. He glared at them with his dark eyes, and Harry wondered if he was going to curse them right there. "I want you to look at the house behind me," he said, hissing the words through clenched teeth.

Harry looked bewildered at the empty space, where there was absolutely nothing, but suddenly, as if it had appeared out of the fog, a particularly large house materialized in front of them. It was surrounded by a fence and behind it the trees spread out, forming a forest.

Harry understood that Snape must be the secret keeper of that building.

"Now, listen to me carefully. Nothing you see or hear in this place should be known outside of here. Understood?" he asked in a threatening voice, boring them with his gaze. They nodded, wondering what was inside that house for Snape to protect it like that.

Snape turned, opened the gate with a flick of his wand, and led them to the front door. He ushered them in, then closing the door behind him. Inside, the building was much larger than it appeared from the outside, as the boys were amazed when they arrived at the large hall.

Harry had the impression that there was a spell protecting the secrets of the house, as he could perceive out of the corner of his eye subtle signs of the existence of paintings and photographs that disappeared when he tried to look at them straight on.

The building seemed deserted and eerily quiet, but the shine of the furniture and the faint scent of lemon indicated that someone lived there.

"What place is this?" Draco asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"My house," Snape replied dryly. He looked around, as if he were looking for someone.

"But didn't you live in–?"

"Here too," Snape interrupted, turning to him. He hated having to explain himself about his private life, and even more so to those two. If it had been in his power, he would not have taken them there. "That is one of the things that must remain a secret," he growled, fixing his eyes on them again, as if he wanted to petrify them or make them disappear.

"Or you will be tortured without mercy," said a female voice behind them, startling them.

A woman had just entered the living room, from the door that led to the street. However, her wide smile indicated that she was joking.

Harry and Draco turned to her, surprised by her presence, and appraised her carefully. She may have been in her thirties, but her freckled face looked young and cheerful. Her bright greenish eyes smiled sincerely, complementing her cheerful smile. She had brown hair tied at the nape of her neck, and was dressed in muggle sports clothes, and when she passed by him, Harry could notice that she was the origin off that lemon scent that floated through the room.

"It took you no time at all," the woman commented, looking at Snape.

"They hurried," he answered, briefly.

She smiled even more, as if she had heard a very funny joke, approached him with a happy and determined step and with all the naturalness in the world she kissed him on the lips.

Harry and Draco made the same faces of disbelief and surprise, but their mouths almost collided with the floor when, after that greeting, Snape grabbed the woman by the waist familiarly, as he proceeded to introduce them.

"Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter," he pointed out dryly, shaking his chin.

She, who had made no gesture to move away from the wizard, greeted them by bowing her head, giving them a radiant smile that contrasted with the wizard's furious grimace.

"This is Astrid Lowel ," Snape pointed to the woman. "My wife."