AN: Merry Christmas!

Oh my gosh, it's been too long! Idk if anyone is even still interested in this story, but just in case, here's chapter 4. Hopefully, I'll get back to updating regularly soon. It finally seems like things are starting to slow down now so fingers crossed that it stays that way. I'm really hoping to spend 2023 focusing on my writing for all three of my WIPs. Which is this, The Reaper's Bargain, which can be read on Kindle Vella right now, and on the third book in my Crossing Midian Series, which is about 85% through the first draft stage.

Anyway, thank you to anyone who is still reading this story. It means the world to me. And I hope everyone has Happy Holidays!

Chapter 4

Snape and Harry arrived at the little cottage by the sea around lunchtime the next day. Harry had slept in, but when he had awoken, Snape had made sure that he ate something before they took the floo to the cottage.

As soon as they put their bags away, Snape began walking around the cottage to set up the wards while Harry trailed behind him, asking questions about each of the spells he was using.

The cottage had only two bedrooms, a small living room that connected with the kitchen, and a bathroom. There was a door in Harry's room that opened out to the back of the cottage, and from there, it was only a short walk down the hill to the beach.

"I could come in and out of this door whenever I wanted," Harry said, smirking up at his dad.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the teenager. "You most certainly can not. You do not leave this cabin without me knowing, young man."

Harry huffed as he lay back on his bed. He spread his arms out and stretched up toward his headboard. "When are we going to the beach though?" he asked.

Snape finished up the spell he was concentrating on before turning back to face Harry. He pointed his wand at Harry's trunk and it opened, then a moment later, a pair of blue and gray swim trunks flew out of it and landed neatly on Harry's bed.

"Whenever you're ready," Snape said.

Harry grinned as he scooped up the trunks and moved toward the bedroom door. He turned back before walking out and asked, "You're not going to wear that are you?"

Snape looked down at his usual robes, then back up to Harry. "What's wrong with them?"

Harry's eyes widened. "You can't be serious. We're at a Muggle beach, Dad, don't–"

Snape pointed toward the hallway. "Just go change, Harry. I'll meet you in the living room in five minutes."

With a sigh, Harry turned and walked away.


When Harry came into the living room exactly five minutes later, he found Snape standing beside the chair, wearing a pair of black swim trunks and a long sleeved, black water shirt.

"You don't have to wear the shirt, you know," Harry commented.

Snape looked up with a raised eyebrow. "I burn," he said drily.

Harry grinned as he moved past him toward the front door. "Not like you're a wizard or anything," he mumbled.

"Cheeky brat," Snape said as he followed him outside.

They walked down to the beach, both carrying everything they needed for the day. A picnic lunch of sandwiches and drinks, an umbrella, a blanket, and a book for Snape.

"It's more crowded than I expected," Snape said quietly as he stuck the umbrella in the sand.

Harry spread out the blanket before looking around. He wasn't sure what he had expected since he'd never been to the beach before. There were several families with small children who were all playing together, laughing and running around. A group of teenagers were playing volleyball on the other side of Harry and Snape, and still more people were swimming in the water. Or at least, they were trying to. It looked to Harry like they were mostly getting pushed around by the waves that crashed onto the shore.

Harry sat down on the edge of the blanket, letting his toes curl in the sand as he propped his arms up behind him.

"They all look like they're having fun though," he said.

A moment later, Snape sat down beside him. "They are. They're making memories."

Harry smiled. He reached out and scooped up a handful of sand and let it trickle out between his fingers. "Have you ever built a sandcastle?" he asked quietly without looking up at Snape.

He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks but he hoped that Snape would just think it was from the sun. He didn't think he could handle it if his dad thought he was being childish for wanting to build one.

Snape nodded and said, "I once built a sandcastle that was so big you could walk inside it."

Harry whipped his head around to stare wide-eyed at him. "No, you didn't."

"Ask Mum when you see her next. I'm sure she's got pictures of it. Do you want to give it a go?" he asked.

Harry nodded enthusiastically and stood up.


Several hours later, Harry and Snape stepped back to look at their castle. It was true that it was big, far bigger than any Harry had ever seen before, but it wasn't big enough to walk inside. It had towers, a wall that surrounded the entire thing, a mote, and even a drawbridge.

"It's perfect," Snape said proudly as he dusted sand from his hands.

"Yeah, but it's not big enough to walk inside," Harry said with a mild glare, as if the sandcastle had purposefully remained small simply to spite him.

"Well, no," Snape replied, "but it's also not magically made either."

Harry turned his glare toward Snape. "You mean that you built yours with magic?" he accused.

Snape nodded. "Of course."

Harry groaned while Snape turned away, hiding a smile.

Snape began gathering up their things, tucking his book beneath his arm as he said, "Alright, I think it's time we head back. It's nearly time for dinner."

"I'm not ready," Harry said quickly. "Can I stay out a while longer?"

Snape looked around. The beach was nearly empty at this point. Only one other family was left and they were packing up as well.

"I'll be fine," Harry went on. "Please, dad. Just a little while longer?"

Finally, Snape nodded. "Alright. But only another half-hour, Harry."

Harry grinned as he sat back down in front of the sand castle. "I promise."

With a shake of his head, Snape began to walk back toward their cottage.


Harry sat alone on the beach. He let his arms rest across his knees as he stared out at the waves, listening as they hit the shore, Harry felt certain that he would be content to spend the rest of his life right here.

He could watch the sun as it set over the sea every night and never have to worry about school or dark wizards trying to kill him ever again. Snape could work on his potions and read all the books he liked, and Hermione and Ron could come visit them over breaks and they could build enormous sand castles that they could walk inside of. Then at night, when it wasn't too cold, they could sleep outside on the beach, beneath the stars as a balmy breeze blew to keep them cool.

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the figure approaching him from behind until it was too late. When he felt something brush against his arm, Harry jumped up, pulling his wand from the invisible holster on his arm, and aiming it only to let the spell die on his lips.

Harry let out a nervous laugh as he shook his head. "Oh, hello," he said as he dropped back to his knees on the sand. He reached a hand out slowly and said, "Come here, boy."

Tentatively, the dog approached Harry.

"Where'd you come from?" Harry asked as he ruffled the dog's ears and looked around the empty beach.

The dog had matted gray fur and was so skinny that Harry could see his ribs. Harry didn't have a lot of experience with dogs, apart from Aunt Marge's and the black dog that had turned out to be Sirius last year.

"I don't suppose you're really an animagus, are you?" When the dog's only response was a heartfelt wag of his tail, Harry laughed. "I didn't think so, but you can't be too careful, you know."

Harry stood up and began to walk down the beach. He thought that surely if the dog belonged to someone, they would be looking for him.

The dog seemed happy enough to come along, though he never stayed by Harry's side. Instead, he ran ahead, moving up the length of the beach by running back and forth between the waves and the dryer sand. Sometimes he would run back to Harry and get an affectionate pet from him before running back ahead and resuming his chasing of the waves.

It made Harry laugh because it reminded him of the Rook on a chessboard; always going back and forth in whichever direction he chose.

"Maybe that's what I'll call you if we don't find your family," Harry said with a grin when the dog ran back to him again. He stopped to turn around as he looked for somewhere the dog might have come from. But there was no one. Not another soul in sight and Harry had already walked quite a ways from where he started. He couldn't even see the cottage anymore and he was sure that he was getting close to his half-hour mark. Snape would murder him if he had to come find him.

Harry looked down at the dog. "I wonder how he'd feel about you?"

The dog looked up at Harry with his big brown eyes and nuzzled his head beneath Harry's hand, asking for more pets.

Harry stooped down and looked between the dog and the direction of the cottage. "Well," he said finally, "I can keep a secret if you can."

The dog barked his agreement and that was good enough for Harry.

"Alright, Rook," he said with a grin, "let's go."


Very quietly, Harry opened the back door to his bedroom. He was suddenly even more grateful that he got the room that led straight down to the beach as he was sure that he would have no chance of sneaking a dog into the house if he had to go through the front door.

He glanced down at Rook who was wagging his tail happily. "Be quiet," Harry whispered before moving aside and letting the dog walk past him and into the room.

That instruction was quickly lost on Rook, who immediately bounded onto the bed before jumping heavily back down to the floor.

Harry's eyes widened as he lunged for the dog to stop him from running around.

"Harry? Is that you?"

Harry froze when he heard Snape's voice from the kitchen. He looked between Rook and the door before rushing toward it and opening it just a crack. Harry could see Snape walking his way and he said, "Yes, Dad. I'm just, er, changing."

Rook was sniffing at the door and Harry was doing his best to push him back.

Snape paused. "Well, do it more quietly then. There's no need to be jumping around like a herd of Hippogriffs."

"Yes, sir," Harry answered immediately before closing the door with a snap. He leaned his back against it and glared at Rook, who now sat quietly in front of him.

"Are you trying to get his chopped up into potions ingredients?" he hissed.

Rook only tilted his head to the side and looked up at him.

Harry went to his trunk and opened it before pulling out clothes to change into. Then, he opened the small wardrobe on the far wall and searched for something that he could use to make Rook a bed. Spotting an extra blanket, he quickly pulled it down and spread it out on the other side of his bed, opposite the door that led out into the house.

"Okay," he said as Rook came over to see what he was doing. "You stay here, and I'll bring you some food back." He pointed to the makeshift bed but Rook only glanced at it before looking back up to Harry. "You'll be fine," Harry assured him. "I'll be back soon."

Harry gave the dog another scratch behind the ears before leaving the room, being sure to close the door behind him.

"Dinner's almost ready," Snape said as Harry entered the kitchen. "Set the table, please."

Harry began opening cabinets in search of dinnerware and asked, "What're you making?"

"Chicken and rice."

Snape brought the food over to the table and they both sat down.

"So," Snape said as he unfolded his napkin and placed it on his lap, "how did you like the beach?"

Harry speared a piece of chicken on his fork and said, "I liked it a lot actually. I wasn't sure at first, but I'm glad we came."

Snape smiled. "I'm happy to hear that."

They ate in silence for a few minutes until a small whining noise came from the direction of Harry's bedroom.

"Did you hear that?" Snape asked.

Harry glanced towards his bedroom door, shook his head and said, "I didn't hear anything."

Snape continued to listen for another moment before turning back to his food. "Have you heard from Draco or any of your other friends yet?" he asked.

"I got a letter from Ron yesterday. He and the twins have been working on some prank against Percy apparently. Hermione wrote as well. She's already starting on her summer homework."

"Smart girl." Even though it happened occasionally now that Snape wasn't pretending to be a Death Eater, it was still odd for Harry to hear him give compliments to anyone, especially Hermione. "Nothing from Draco?"

"No," Harry said with a sigh. He took a drink of his water and said, "I know it's only been a few days, but I thought I would have heard from him by now. What do you think is keeping him?"

"I'm sure everything is fine, Harry," Snape assured him. "There could be plenty of reasons why he hasn't written yet."

"What if his father is stopping him from writing?"

Snape put down his fork and said, "Harry, you have to accept that it very well may be what is happening. Lucius knows everything now and though he can't control Draco at Hogwarts, during the Summer, Draco has to abide by his rules."

"But he—"

Snape held his hand up. "I know. It's not a situation that any of us are happy about, but we don't have any proof that Lucius has done anything. We have suspicions, of course, but if we act on them, and come up empty, it could just make things worse."

"So we're just supposed to leave him there all summer?" Harry asked, pushing his plate away and crossing his arms over his chest. "How bad does it have to be before someone does something? I suppose as long as Mr. Malfoy isn't as bad as Uncle Vernon then Draco can just handle it on his own?"

"Harry," Snape said sternly, "that's not true and you know it. I know it's not easy for you, but for once, you've got to trust the adults to handle this. Do not assume that simply because you don't know what's going on, then it means we're not taking care of it. There are certain things in place to assure Draco's safety, and the moment that something happens, Malfoy Manor will be swarming with Aurors who will deal with it."

"Mr. Malfoy's got the Ministry in his pocket, Dad! What if something happens and then he weasels out of it and Draco has to go back to him?"

"That won't happen."

"You don't know that."

"What I do know, is that I along with Uncle Remus, Grandad, and a select handful of other trusted individuals, have talked with Draco and come up with the only plan we can be sure of working. We've done everything we know to do for the moment, and Merlin forbid, if something happens, I'll know immediately."

"How?"

"Draco's Phoenix bracelet for one. If Draco feels unsafe, all he has to do is tap it and it will portkey him straight to wherever I am."

Harry groaned and pushed himself away from the table and stood up. "Have you met Draco? As if he would ever admit to feeling unsafe. And even if he did, what if Mr. Malfoy takes it from him."

Snape shook his head. "It can not be taken away from him. The only way that bracelet can come off of Draco's wrist is if he takes it off himself."

"But—"

"No, Harry," Snape said more firmly. "I know you're worried, but you have to trust us. We are looking out for Draco. Now, please, finish your dinner."

Snape gestured toward Harry's discarded plate and with a defeated sigh, Harry sat back down.

"What would you like to do tomorrow?" Snape asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and took another bite of his food. "Can I explore a bit?" he asked after a moment.

"Alone?" Snape questioned, raising a brow.

"I'm nearly fourteen, Dad."

"I know how old you are. I'm just not certain that—"

"I'll be fine," Harry said quickly. "I promise not to go far. I just want to have a look at some of the shops in the town."

"I don't know. I could go with you."

Harry shook his head. "Dad, I'll be fine. Remember last year, I was on my own in Diagon Alley for a whole day."

Snape seemed to consider it. As much as he wanted to say no, a part of him really wanted to give Harry the chance to be a normal teenager for once. And a normal teenager would be allowed to explore a bit during Holiday.

"Alright," Snape finally relented, "but I don't want you going to far. Only to the shops in town, and you don't go anywhere that you know I wouldn't approve of."

"I promise," Harry agreed.

"Okay, then, finish your dinner."

Harry quickly ate the rest of his food and when Snape stood to take his plate to the kitchen, he tucked a piece of chicken and a roll inside his napkin and stuffed it into his pocket.

Once the table had been cleared and the dishes were washed, Harry went back to his bedroom and closed the door quietly behind him. When he looked around, he saw Rook laying on the foot of his bed.

"Oh, no," Harry said as he pointed to the bed he had made for the dog, "you have to sleep here."

Rook only looked up at Harry with his head tilted to the side until Harry pulled the food from his pocket and lured him down to the floor by waving it in front of his face.

"There you go," he praised the dog as he gave him the chicken. "Sorry I couldn't get you any more, but I'll find you some dog food at the store tomorrow."

Rook only continued eating and when he was finished, he allowed Harry to give him a scratch behind the ears.

"We're going to have to do a better job at hiding you, boy," Harry said. "If Dad catches you in here, he might kick us both out."