A/N: Another Severus chapter. Had to write it from his POV, or else have him read the article to Harry, which felt OOC. Rest assured, Harry's POV coming up soon!

Severus was glad he'd taken Harry to Diagon Alley the previous day, as the article concerning his adoption came out in the Daily Prophet the very next morning.

Esteemed Potions Master and Professor at Hogwarts Receives Permanent Guardianship of The Boy Who Lived

By Rebecca Bagshot

The day after Harry Potter, best known to our world as The Boy Who Lived, celebrated his eighth birthday, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore alerted the offices of the Daily Prophet to inform me of a change in his living arrangements.

"Prior to the end of June, young Harry was under the care of his aunt and uncle," Dumbledore explained, "but their sudden death by a muggle gas known as 'carbon monoxide' made it necessary for me to find new living arrangements for the boy. Severus Snape kindly stepped forward to provide temporary guardianship while I sought out a suitable replacement family. But," the man added, with a chuckle, "the two quickly became quite fond of each other. Less than a month after Severus began to care for the boy, he asked me to make these living arrangements permanent. Harry, too, very much wished to remain in the care of Professor Snape.

"With that in mind," the headmaster continued, with a kind smile, "I thought it would be cruel to go against their express wishes. Severus will, of course, remain our Potions teacher and head of Slytherin house during the year, and arrangements will be made so that Harry will live with him at the castle. Something that, I rather imagine, many children would wish to do!"

When asked how young Harry Potter will manage while his new guardian is involved in the myriad of duties involved with his position at school, Albus Dumbledore was nonplussed.

"Our staff of teachers will take turns caring for Harry, and seeing that the boy stays cared for and out of trouble! There are also numerous house elves who will serve the same purpose. After lessons go underway, there has been discussion of allowing Harry to observe, as he will be a student at Hogwarts in no less than three years. You must remember, my dear Rebecca, that the school has been in existence for over a thousand years, and within that time, existed a great number of teachers and even headmasters and headmistresses with families and young children to care for. Rest assured that Harry, Severus, and the staff at Hogwarts are not only up to the task, but hardly embarking on a journey previously never undertaken. Rather, I hope that it will serve as a means of encouragement to our staff that it is quite possible to have a family as well as be a respected teacher." Albus Dumbledore paused to offer me a lemon drop, which I happily accepted.

While it is true that the best laid plans can go awry, I join Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, young Harry Potter, and the rest of the staff at Hogwarts at wishing the best for them during this time before The Boy Who Lives officially attends school.

Severus read the article twice. Yes, Albus's manipulation and influence was all at work. The fact that Severus hadn't been contacted by Rebecca Bagshot had likely been due to Albus heavily urging her not to. Not that he would have responded to any owls she sent. He was very glad that his security could not be breached by even the Death Eaters, much less a mere reporter for the Daily Prophet. And if Albus had exaggerated his willingness to be of service, well, was that not the better for him in the long run? The headmaster could hardly say, "Yes, Rebecca dear, because Severus Snape hated James Potter and as good as killed him and his lovely wife, I decided to implement a test which would ultimately make Severus fond of their son, and seek out guardianship in less than a month."

No, better to present Severus as a man willing to help a poor, twice again orphaned child, and then who had formed a fatherly connection with the boy, and the boy with him. Those were stories the public liked to hear, and at any rate, the second part was true. Severus's fondness for Harry had developed into paternal love, and he rather felt that it was growing by the day. Likewise with Harry.

Severus finally put down the paper. "Well, Harry, the Daily Prophet has run an article about my becoming your guardian. While it was official before, it was certainly official now."

Harry nodded. "Is that...a good thing, Dad?"

"I'm very happy to be your guardian," Severus stressed, "but as to the entire wizarding world knowing it, while an inevitable piece of information that they would have needed to know sooner or later...we shall wait and see. At any rate, it is for the public to think what it will."

Harry seemed content with that answer.

Severus did not doubt that owls would be coming to his residence shortly, either of people telling him that he was entirely unfit to be a parent, and those asking for Harry to meet their children. No doubt, the Malfoy family would fall into the latter. Severus had been on reasonably good terms with Lucius during his Death Eater days, even if the somewhat older man (by five years) believed himself to be superior due to his family's wealth. Severus had kept his half blood status a secret during his time at Hogwarts, and certainly, a fair few number of Death Eaters had been half blood. But it wasn't something one boasted about...

The day that followed was a refreshing return to normalcy. The handwriting lessons resumed for Harry while Severus brewed a particularly complex potion, and after a half hour of practice, the boy was allowed to spend the remainder of Severus's brewing time experimenting with his new Potions kit. They ate their lunch, after which Harry was allowed to go outside and play, or ride on his new broomstick, or both, while Severus continued to brew. A few hours after that, and they enjoyed some leisure time together, reading side by side on the couch.

"Dad?" Harry asked, after Severus had turned a page. "D'you mind if I ask you something?"

There was a note of fear in Harry's voice, or, if not outright fear, certainly apprehension. Severus put his book down, and squeezed the child's shoulders.

"Certainly."

"Y-you knew my parents fairly well? My mum and my dad?" Harry asked.

This was two questions, and both Harry already knew the answers to.

"Yes, I did. They were both in Gryffindor, and I was in Slytherin, so I did not know them as well as those in my own house," Severus said, patiently, "but your mother and I were close friends for several years."

"Can I ask-what did they look like?" Harry asked, rather in a rush.

"What did they look like?" Severus repeated. At Harry's recoiling, perhaps expecting to be shouted at or slapped, Severus gave him a gentle smile. "I'm not angry, Harry. Only surprised. Your aunt...she never spoke about her own sister?"

Certainly, jealousy and envy had cut through the deceased woman's heart, but Severus would have thought that she'd have kept pictures of their family from childhood. Or spoken about her sister, in generic terms.

But Harry just shook his head. "All they ever told me was that they died in a car crash, and that's how I got my scar. Maybe it's better that they didn't say anything else, because now I know that both were lies."

His voice hitched a bit at this, and Severus immediately took Harry into his arms, holding him on his lap. Harry nestled against him, and Severus summoned a blanket to cover them both. Not that the day was particularly chilly, but it seemed like a good way to provide comfort.

"You look nearly exactly like your father, down to his hair," Severus began. "The way yours sticks up in the back? His was like that as well. But your eyes-Harry, you have your mother's green eyes. They were so expressive, too, just like yours are. You could almost tell what she was thinking, sometimes, by the way she'd look at you. She had red hair, very straight, but not in a limp way. It was vibrant."

"Did she have freckles?" Harry asked, his voice longing. "There was a girl in my year with red hair, and she had loads of freckles."

Severus chuckled. "No, Lily didn't have any freckles. I-I don't have any pictures of your father, but I might have one of your mum when she was young. I'd have to search it out, though," he cautioned. "Would you like me to try to find it now?"

But Harry shook his head, letting his head rest against Severus's chest. "Will you tell me more about her?"

Severus held the child a bit more securely. "Certainly. Let's see, when I first met her, she and her awful sister, who she called Tuney, were on the swings..."

They spent the few hours before dinner in this manner, with Severus reliving childhood memories he'd long since attempted to bury, and Harry listening avidly, curled up close to him, occasionally asking questions.

Severus planned to send a letter to Dumbledore the following day, asking him to contact all of Lily and James Potter's friends and secure old photographs of them. Perhaps, he could create a photo album in time for Christmas.

Author's note:

Up next: Everyone in the wizarding world with kids, it seems, wants their offspring to meet and become friends with Harry Potter.