Severus had explained that the protective charms on the castle and grounds surrounding it made it impossible to Apparate directly into the castle ground, much less the castle. But he could Apparate, and Harry with him, just outside this area. From there, as Severus had promised, they would take a quick walk to the castle.
"Dad?" he asked, carefully. The word still felt strange to say. He alternated between calling him "Severus" and "Dad," and the latter just felt more right. A kid shouldn't call an adult by their first name. Still, in his mind, Harry often thought of him by just that, or his new guardian, or even the Potions teacher who had taken him in. Severus had said that Harry could call him whatever felt comfortable, and it was bound to feel strange in the meantime.
"Yes, Harry?" he asked, waiting patiently for Harry to continue.
Harry felt his face redden. "S-sorry...uh, Dad, what keeps muggles from finding the castle?"
Severus chuckled. "Enchantments." At what must have been Harry's blank look, he explained, "In the case of Hogwarts, they just see a sign warning them of ruins. I expect," he continued, reflectively, "that is someone was foolhardy enough to attempt to enter, other protective charms would emerge. It would be impossible for a muggle to enter the castle, except if they were parents of a witch or wizard, and extended special permission from the board. This almost never occurs, certainly not since I have been teaching or a student."
"Oh. I guess that's good, because they'd need their memories removed if they got in?" Harry asked, walking more quickly to keep up with him.
"Not their entire memory, just that particular one," Severus corrected, slowing his pace. "Now, are you ready to Apparate?"
Harry grimaced, but nodded, taking a deep breath.
Severus held his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze before beginning the spell, or whatever it was he did. Harry felt the dreadful feeling of being pushed into a tiny hole-worse than anything Dudley and his gang ever did to him-then, it was over. He took a deep breath, feeling that he was starting to get used to it.
His guardian waited until Harry nodded. "You sure you are all right, Harry?"
Harry nodded again. Severus placed an arm around him, squeezed his shoulders a bit, and they began to walk.
Walking actually made him feel better, and soon, they were right outside the castle. It was even larger than Harry remembered! Harry froze in front of the entrance, wanting to take it in. Severus chuckled, waiting until Harry had finished gazing at it, and then opened the door to the main entrance. Once again, it was hard not to pause and look around.
"I'll give you a brief tour a bit later," Severus promised, still smiling at him. "Once we're both unpacked and settled in a bit. There's a few days remaining before the other students arrive." At Harry's nod, Severus went on, smiling, "Mind, it would be impossible to see the entire castle in one afternoon, or even a day. It's a popular pastime for new students to explore the castle during their free time. Often, entire wings go undiscovered, as some don't have lessons within them."
It sounded incredible, but a bit scary. "Do students ever get lost?"
"The first years, primarily, during the start of term," Severus answered. "The teachers help when they can, as do the prefects and older students. And we have numerous ghosts on the premises, and many are happy to point first years in the right direction. Mind, Peeves is a menace, but as he's not really a ghost...not that you need worry, Harry," he added, quickly. "I'll have words with him, and he won't do anything to harm or frighten you. Much, anyway. If he upsets you, just tell me."
Harry nodded, taking care to keep up. His guardian walked far faster than him without meaning to, being an adult. It seemed that for every step Severus took, Harry had to take at least two. But his mind was on what he'd heard. As exciting as exploring sounded, ghosts still sounded scary, and he really didn't want to get lost. Besides, with lessons starting soon, he reckoned he wouldn't see his new guardian nearly as much, and he wanted to spend every moment he could with him.
It wasn't long before they arrived outside of Severus's quarters. He pressed his wand into the lock, and it opened. Then, he turned to Harry.
"Once you're officially a student, I shall need to change the security so it responds to your wand," he cautioned, "as you ought to always have it on you. For now, your hand will be sufficient. Place your right hand there-like that, good. Now, Harry, if you ever need to enter without me, it will let you in. The door locks behind you, Harry, so we don't need to worry about that. Yes, here we are."
Harry saw the room that must be the sitting room, first. It was large, rather like it had been on Spinner's End, and there was a rich brown couch in the center, two small tables with lamps on either side of them. Two roomy armchairs, also brown, sat on the other side of the couch. A small table sat in front of the couch, and a fireplace in the wall in front of that. Harry smiled. The Dursleys had had a fireplace, but it was electric, and he was never allowed to enjoy it. Perhaps, when the months became colder, Severus would have it lit and he could sit by it.
"Here's the kitchen," Severus said, gently prodding Harry to the smaller, attached room.
When Harry nodded, they turned around, and Severus opened one door to reveal his Potions laboratory, which, of course, Harry couldn't go in without him (although, if for some reason Harry was in search of his guardian, he could check there).
The door farthest away was Severus's bedroom, the one to the side of it would be his.
"Have a look inside," Severus pressed, and Harry felt oddly nervous as he walked inside, his guardian behind him. "If anything is amiss, we can have it fixed."
But Harry saw nothing wrong, and grinned. That room, his bedroom, was quite similar to the one at Spinner's End. He set down his trunk at the side of the bed, but his two stuffed animals already sat on top of the pillows. How had that happened? Magic, of course! All the same...
His bedroom contained sets of windows on two sides, with his bed against one of them. The other wall contained a bookshelf filled with books. The other set of windows contained a soft seated area, and curtains to hide him from the world. Harry could already see himself nestled in that area, reading a book, perhaps (if his guardian permitted it) wrapped in a blanket. Several feet in front of his bed was a fireplace.
"It's wonderful," Harry murmured. "I love it, Dad."
His guardian smiled broadly, then opened one of the doors. "Oh, there's an attached bathroom, I see." He looked around again. "I'm glad the castle provided you with a fireplace. My bedroom has one as well. Being in the coldest part of the castle, it serves for some chilly nights."
Harry grinned. "I love the fireplace. And the window seat, too," he added. "Dad...I'd love to read there. Could I, when it's cold, use a blanket?"
"Of course you may," Severus replied, seeming surprised to be asked. "You may use more than one, if you like." He placed a hand around Harry's shoulders. "That does sound like a good way to spend a chilly afternoon or evening. And, as long as you are careful, you may eat and drink in this area. Just not in the presence of library books. I know you're careful, but I do believe Madam Pince would have her ways of finding out."
He said the last part with a bit of a laugh. Harry smiled, and nodded his agreement.
"There's just one last room for you to be aware of," Severus told him.
The final room was Severus's study, where he graded papers and would meet with students during the term.
"My office hours, that is, the time students are permitted to go to my study for questions, are typically the hour after dinner. I believe that it would be better to change them to the hour before," he reflected. "As these meetings are private, Harry, I must emphasize that you must not enter the room unless you are sick or injured. In all other cases, you must wait. Do you understand?"
He spoke with more sternness, even severity, than Harry was used to.
"Y-yes, s-sir," he stammered, not looking up.
Then, his guardian's arms were around him. "I did not mean to scare you, child. Only to explain why you cannot just enter at these times."
"I understand," Harry murmured, his voice slightly muffled by the man's robes. He clung tightly to him, though, and didn't let go right away. "I-I don't-I get scared when you..."
He let the sentence go unfinished, but his guardian seemed to understand. Harry was used to the Dursleys hating him, treating him like he was less than nothing, and of Dudley trying to hit him when he got bored. So, Severus raising his voice on occasion, even if it was just to make a point, shouldn't scare him so much.
But it did.
Severus guided him into the sitting room.
"I don't wish to scare you, Harry," he said softly, taking a seat on the couch, and gently patting the seat next to him. Harry obeyed, and when Severus wrapped an arm around him, he leaned in close to his guardian. "I am not used to caring for children," he explained, "and because of the danger of the Potions field, I find myself having to raise my voice in class. But I know how your relatives hurt you, and I promise, I will try to be as gentle as I can. If you are scared, as you were before, simply tell me, and I will try to...to make it better." He gently placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, then around his frame. "Do you understand?"
Harry nodded, leaning into him. How nice it felt to be hugged like this. By a parent, too. "Yes, Dad. Thank you for explaining it. I understand."
"You're most welcome."
They stayed like that for several moments, until Harry's stomach began to growl.
"Ah, I expect it's time for lunch." Harry's dad gave his shoulders another squeeze. "Afterwards, we can explore for a bit, but we ought to unpack before dinner."
That's what they did. Lunch was quite good, as always, but Harry was more excited about being able to explore. Today, they remained in the immediate area, including the Potions classroom. Those lessons were held in a large room that had once been the dungeons, and the surrounding hallway.
"Go ahead, feel free to look around," Harry's dad urged, as Harry hovered outside.
Cautiously, Harry stepped inside, then walked around. It didn't look terribly different from those at Harry's former primary school. Long rows of desks occupied most of the space, and there were even blackboards. The Potions classroom was not particularly scary, given it was in the dungeons, but now that Harry thought about it, the classroom was larger than any he'd been in. Did eleven year old students get scared when they first entered the room? Harry thought it was only because his dad was there that he was not entirely. Eleven sounded very old, though, so perhaps what scared him now wouldn't when he was older.
Severus showed Harry where he stood, and how he made Potions instructions appear on the blackboard.
"It's far simpler than consulting a book," he explained. He opened his mouth as though to say more, but seemed to change his mind.
Harry sat down and pretended to brew. His dad tousled his hair.
"Very well done, Mr. Potter," he said, in what Harry assumed was his teaching voice. "Full marks, today."
Harry was still smiling when they left the classroom.
There were a great deal of interesting things in the hallways. Status sat in rather odd areas, or so it seemed, and there were a great deal of paintings. As soon as Harry saw a girl wearing a long dress-not robes-began to move, he gasped.
"Dad, she's moving!" he whispered.
"Oh yes, they all do," his dad answered, sounding amused. "They can speak, too. You remember what I said about ghosts being able to help students when they get lost? It's the same for paintings. Also," he added, "the Gryffindor tower's entrance is guarded by a portrait. They call her the Fat Lady."
"That isn't very nice to call someone. Don't they hurt her feelings?" Harry wondered.
"Oh, I doubt it, as she'd have protested by now. But you're right," Severus amended. "It's generally impolite to call someone fat."
When they returned, it was later than they had expected, already past time for dinner. Afterwards, they unpacked. Harry didn't need much help, although he certainly had a lot more clothes than he'd come to Spinner's End with. Six pairs of everyday robes, plus a pair of dress ones, had to be hung up. He put his sleeping shirts in a chest of drawers, though, along with the new underwear and socks Severus had purchased. The winter cloak got hung up as well. The thought of his muggle relatives seeing his new wardrobe made him smile. Uncle Vernon would have been furious to see Harry in traditional wizarding garb, and Aunt Petunia just as much. But they were dead, now, and couldn't yell at him, or lock him in his cupboard, or anything else. They couldn't hurt him anymore.
Besides, Harry found he really liked the feel of his robes. Not only had no one ever worn them before him, they felt much nicer and softer than Dudley's shirts and trousers. Severus had said that no traditional wizard wore muggle clothes unless they absolutely had to, and he knew how to disguise his robes so that, when they went grocery shopping or anywhere else with muggles, they would look like muggle clothes. He did the same with Harry's robes, too. Harry thought his parents would be proud of how he looked.
No sooner had Harry placed his last pair of socks in the drawer than he began to yawn. Try as he might to hide them, he couldn't. His dad, who must have just been walking the corridor, looked at him with a smile.
"Time for your bath and bed, I dare say," he laughed. "You can manage on your own?"
"Yes sir-Dad," Harry self corrected.
"I'll be in the sitting room. Shall I come by in a half an hour?" Severus asked.
Harry nodded, then gave him an impromptu hug.
"Thank you, Dad."
Severus hugged him tightly. "I love you, Harry."
Some time later, he made his way into bed, expecting to feel nice and toasty, the way he always felt in his bedroom at Severus's house. But he could not get warm. There was a chill in the air that he hadn't noticed before, and the two blankets around him, even tucked tightly around his frame, did little to bring him warmth. Harry couldn't remember feeling so cold since the winter months in his cupboard with the Dursleys, until he'd finally got Aunt Petunia to let him have a discarded blanket from Dudley's second bedroom. He was considering putting on his dressing gown when his dad arrived.
"Dad? I'm cold," he admitted.
Severus frowned slightly, placed a hand over Harry's forehead, and then the wall behind it. He took a sharp breath, then his features relaxed.
"I'll fix that," he promised.
A wave of his wand, and two more blankets emerged from within the wardrobe before settling around Harry. One was the blanket Severus had given him for his birthday, which landed on top. Warmth filled him, but Severus waved his wand again, and a powerful heat filled him, radiating from the blankets, warming him from his toes to his neck. It was neither suffocatingly warm nor chilly in the least. Harry took a deep breath, drinking it in, savoring it.
"Oh, thank you, Dad!" he exclaimed. "That's much better."
Severus sat down next to Harry, and placed his arms around his blanketed body, holding him close.
"It was my fault. I didn't realize your room shared a wall with the dungeons, unlike mine, and I did not compensate the chill with extra blankets and a Heating Charm. I expect you will need more come the colder months, or a more powerful charm. This one will fade by tomorrow afternoon, but I will cast it again before you go to bed," he explained. "Are you warmer now?"
"Thank you. It's a lot better," Harry assured him. "I-I don't think I will have trouble falling asleep."
"Not too tired for a bedtime story, I hope?" Severus asked, raising his eyebrows.
Harry grinned, happy that his dad would still be reading to him. It had been a busy day for both of them, and he wouldn't have minded if Severus had been too tired.
Severus pushed the covers back, but quickly tucked them around himself, preventing the cold from reaching him. Once his guardian's arms were around his frame Harry felt even warmer, and so comfortable. He yawned, turning his head towards Severus, who began to alternate between carding his hair and gently kneading his head with one hand as he read to him from "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." The children had just entered Narnia, as a group, for the first time.
He read until they received the gifts from Father Christmas, then set the book aside. But, Harry noticed in his sleepy state, his dad made no move to leave his side.
When he woke up, his dad was still there.
Author's note:
Up next: Dumbledore has a surprise for Severus, and by extension, Harry. While it initially brings up sour memories for the former, he realizes it could turn into a fun and educational experience for both of them.
