McGonagall had cleared out a spare room in her quarters without running it by Dumbledore at all. But, she reasoned, they could not continue to keep Severus in a sitting room and the nephew cover story would not make sense if he was staying in the Headmaster's quarters during the school year.

When she did tell him, though, he did not seem surprised at all.

Severus, meanwhile, was pleased to finally be on the first floor. That was probably where the doors to Outside were. He was beginning to get restless, as most of his days were spent outside and Staying Out of the Way.

But, the adults did not seem to want to be Left Alone. They spoke more often than Severus had ever seen his own parents do, and his parents lived together. Unfortunately, they also talked about boring things, like stones and chess sets. To say that they had not anticipated the needs of a young child would be an understatement; although they had both purchased clothes (and Severus was dressed in yet another one of Albus' choices) neither of them had considered buying something to keep Severus entertained during the day. He had spent the morning under the desk of Minerva's study, poring over the book about fantastic beasts once again. He re-read the same page about the horned serpent, transfixed by the creature and keeping his voice barely a whisper so he wouldn't disturb the grown-ups.

But, he was restless. He often spent the day wandering the neighborhood or throwing stones and sticks into the foul-smelling river. That was very fun, because no two things sank at the same time; stones dropped quickly, sticks took their time, and leaves floated. With a very, very limited grasp on geography, he supposed the river wouldn't be far from the castle.

"And you're certain with your decision for the chamber?"

"There are plenty of talented wizards, but not all of them possess skills of strategy."

"You know, our Potions Master said something very similar."

"But don't tell me he also chose a chess set?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Dumbledore smiled. Behind them, the door opened and shut. A beat of silence fell between them, then both professors jumped to their feet and

Severus was already halfway down the hallway. He was not running, or even trying to sneak off. He was simply walking along, occasionally glancing at some of the tapestry or filigree. He had also taken one of McGonagall's quills, which he held in his right hand and was tracing along the wall as he walked.

"Severus!"

The boy froze in his tracks. His heart seized in his chest and suddenly, it felt like there was not enough air in the entire castle for him. He did not turn around, not until the adults had caught up with him.

"You cannot leave without asking permission!" McGonagall continued, using her best professor-voice.

Severus wanted to protest, to say that he didn't know there was a rule. He was always doing that; accidentally breaking rules that hadn't been told to him. It was something that made his father so, so angry.

Instead, he just began to cry. And, thinking that they would be upset with him for crying, he furiously scrubbed at his tears.

"I-I didn't know," he whimpered pitifully. Unlike at home, where crying didn't do any good, both Dumbledore and McGonagall softened.

"You're shaking," Minerva murmured, crouching down to his level. She tried to take his hands but the boy jerked away with a yelp. The witch frowned, unsure of what to do. "Come now, it's alright. I'm not upset. Let's go back to the study."

Severus did not move. He whimpered and sobbed and made pitiful mumbled apologies, but he had no desire to go back. The fact that he was not being yelled at had not confirmed that he wasn't in trouble, only that his punishment would be later.

"I am wondering what your plan was," said Dumbledore mildly. His tone was light, nonchalant. And although his hands were clasped behind his back in the perfect picture of calm, the boy's sharp eyes regarded him carefully. Severus pulled at the individual barbs of the feather quill and let them fall to his feet, unwilling to answer. Endlessly patient, the wizard tried again; "Were you just interested in a stroll? Because I think we could use some fresh air as well."

"The river," Severus muttered, which was an odd thing to say. Minerva blinked at him.

"There's no river here," she smiled and very carefully tried to take the quill from his hands before he ripped the entire thing apart. Severus held firm.

"Rivers are outside," he clarified, just in case the woman didn't know. Dumbledore very nearly did not stifle his laugh in time.

"But there is a lake," Dumbledore smiled, "is that what you meant? Perhaps you saw it through a window."

Severus had not seen the lake. He had simply assumed that every place on earth was within walking distance of the smelly river that ran along the edge of Cokeworth. He stripped the lower quarter of the quill of its barbs and shook his head. McGonagall once again tried to pull it from his grip, growing increasingly annoyed that he was absently destroying it.

"The lake is a far walk." Severus, if his previous reaction to being bathed was any indication, did not like water. The witch could not see how a river or lake would do anything but cause him to fall into hysterics again. And, with their luck, the giant squid would choose the moment they got to the water to say hello. "Why don't we walk to the courtyard?"

Severus blinked owlishly at her, his face still streaked with tears and his dark eyes shining. He had no idea what a courtyard was.

"Professor McGonagall, you are full of wonderful ideas. Don't you agree?" He offered the boy his hand, smiling kindly.

Although it looked as if Severus did not want to take Dumbledore's hand, he did so. And, within just a few steps, he had tightened his grip on the man's fingers and attached himself so closely to the man's leg, the wizard had to take care not to trip as they walked.

Although the child had screamed bloody murder at the sight of a bath, he had no fear of the fountain at the center of the courtyard. In fact, he ran right up to it, climbing carefully onto the built-in bench to peer into the water. He very intentionally dropped the quill into the water and watched it float on the surface with more fascination than McGonagall thought such a thing deserved.

"Now what did you do that for?" the witch sighed as she retrieved the dripping quill. She had intended to let Severus keep it, since he had ruined the lower half already, but instead she tucked it into her robes.

"To see it." Severus answered, and said nothing more. McGonagall, unsure of what else to say, nodded once and stepped back. Severus had decided during their walk to the courtyard that he was somehow not in trouble. Or, if he was, if he acted very good and didn't bother them they might forget that he was in trouble by nighttime. So, as soon as McGonagall stepped away, he darted to the other side of the courtyard to entertain himself. The grounds were kept clean, of course, but he still managed to find stray leaves and pebbles which he took back to the fountain and dropped in, one by one. This was more fun than dropping things into the river, because the water didn't smell at all, and he could even see the bottom where the pebbles fell.

"And what are you trying to do now?" Dumbledore took a seat on the thick edge of the fountain.

"Nothing," said Severus quickly, defensively. He dropped his remaining rocks and shifted away, keeping his eyes on Albus the entire time.

"It seems he is not interested in idle conversation," said Albus with a smile as he joined his colleague at the edge of the courtyard. He could take a hint; after several failed attempts to engage with the child, it was clear that Severus didn't understand that the man was being friendly. "It appears that some things do not change."

"If he keeps this up, he's going to have a terrible bath," the witch muttered as she watched the kid scrape moss out from between the stones with his fingernails. The moss was, of course, deposited into the fountain.

Severus could have done this for hours. He had done this for hours back home. But after only thirty minutes, the adults were wondering how his attention span had managed to find amusement in dropping things into water for so long. They had retired to a bench on the other side of the courtyard. Unable to discuss private matters, their conversation was more casual; the upcoming school term, the unfortunate lack of interest in open Hogwarts positions, and the rather strange fact that one Mister Harry Potter had not opened a single acceptance letter despite being sent multiple copies this far.

"I think I'll send Hagrid to investigate things." Dumbledore brushed his robes to remove an invisible piece of dust.

Minerva had no hatred for Hagrid, of course, but the statement still surprised her. "Are you sure?"

"I have him running another errand for me in London anyway," the wizard twinkled, "it would be a wonderfully efficient use of time, if you think about it."

"You ought to ask him to pick up toys as well, unless you want to do this for the rest of the summer," said the witch, using the toe of her boot to point to Severus, who was now ripping entire clumps of grass out of the ground.

"I think we can manage that on our own."

They were both unwilling to stop him, until hours had passed and they finally had enough of watching the poor fountain be filled with rocks.

They used the other half of the Draught of Peace. This reduced the ordeal to only sobbing and whimpering, but in the end his hair and fingernails were clean.

Buying clothing for children was much more fun than Dumbledore expected. He had not realized how cute the tiny clothes could be. And so, nearly every time he went into town, he came back with a parcel or two. Albus Dumbledore had opted for more pastel colors and more traditional robes with lovely, wizardy patterns like stars and moons, but (and he meant no ill intent by it) sometimes the robes had botanicals or cute little critters on them instead, which some wizards regarded as more contemporary even if they looked very old fashioned to Severus himself. The result was Severus sometimes dressed as a perfectly average boy and sometimes dressed like a miniature version of Albus Dumbledore, hats and all. Like a very pliant doll, Severus did not protest even once, although he did insist on dressing himself. Insist was a strong word for it, though; he simply would take whatever was offered to him and dress when he was told to. If he got buttons wrong or ties wrong (as he could not tie a knot at all) then a quick wave of the wand could solve that without him realizing.

Albus had not gone to Hogsmeade for clothes, although he had found and purchased an absolutely charming bonnet. He had been on the hunt for something to keep Severus entertained during the day, as they had no desire to continue watching him throw rocks and quills into fountains. McGonagall, a rather practical woman, had transfigured several items in her quarters into classic children's toys; blocks and balls, mostly. Although Severus appeared interested in them at first, he did not play. More accurately, he did not seem to know what he was meant to do. He would arrange the blocks or turn the ball over in his hand, but more than half the time he would watch the adults suspiciously, as if he was searching for some indication that he was in trouble. In fact, he appeared newly surprised every time he realized the adults were going to be somewhat in his vicinity all day.

It was decided that Dumbledore would have a better chance at finding an actual toy that Severus would not look so painfully awkward around. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had a century of time between his childhood and the current day, and so he had been unable to resist buying something comparatively frivolous for the boy.

And the frivolous thing in question? A large plush recreation of a phoenix.

A bird was an odd thing in general to make a soft toy out of, and the strangeness of it was too much for Albus to resist. That, and it was his favorite animal. Dumbledore had no use for stuffed toys (it wasn't as though he didn't want them, but he was running out of space as it was) but children were drawn to them like moths to flames. Upon entering his office, where Severus and Minerva were sitting on opposite chairs with the aire of an awkward doctor's waiting room. Like passing a baton, Dumbledore became the Responsible Adult and McGonagall regained her free time.

"I'll see you later tonight," the witch promised and gave Severus her best smile. The boy, in return, knit his brows together in a puzzled sort of look. Whether he was confused by the statement or by the fact that she was telling him, she couldn't be sure. As she descended the stairs, Dumbledore presented the parcel to the boy, who did not make any move to open it.

Fawkes, from his perch, let out an indignant squawk at the doppelgänger as Dumbledore unwrapped it from the parcel himself.

"I thought you might like this. Here you are, take it."

Severus hesitated for just a moment before taking the toy. He held it like a babydoll, with both arms wrapped around and the plush bird's head resting against his chest. He loved it instantly. It was soft and beautiful and it was his.

And his Da wouldn't let him keep it.

"I'm not a sissy," he whimpered, with the toy still clutched in his tight grip.

This is not at all what Albus thought he was going to say. He had half-expected a protest because a phoenix was clearly magical and even still, Severus would insist that his father would be upset if he did something particularly magical while at Hogwarts.

Actually, Albus was surprised Severus even knew the word sissy. It was the sort of thing, he supposed, that certain boys would hear from their peers.

"Da says it's for sissies," he mumbled, clearly nervous, "having toys like this."

Something flashed in Albus' eyes for a moment before he quelled it. It was pure luck that Severus missed it entirely, as his gaze was focused on the toy. If he had seen it, he would have recognized the look as anger.

"But do you like it?" The man asked. Clearly, the boy was conflicted; he very much did like the toy, but at the same time he thought admitting that would make Dumbledore upset with him. Finally, he whispered;

"Yes, but—"

"Good. If your dad says anything about it," said the wizard casually, "well, I'll just turn him into a frog."

Severus' mount fell open into a perfect little O. For the past few days, every time he mentioned Ma or Da, the adults would assure him that everything was fine and he didn't need to worry. This was the first time he had heard anything even slightly negative about his father.

He found it incredibly funny. The boy let out a bright, startled sort of laugh. And then he laughed again. He bounced on his toes, the laughter threatening to bubble over like an unattended cauldron; it wasn't quite a fit of giggles, but it was close.

"Da will be mad," he said, but without much worry this time. He had thought, very, very secretively, that sometimes he wished he could cast a spell on Da and just make him Stop.

"What can he do about it, if he's a frog?" Dumbledore asked mildly.

"Nothing!" Said Severus, delighted by the idea. He would love it if his dad could Do Nothing. And that thought came to the front of his mind every time he looked at the toy, which brought a strange feeling of delight.