Severus and Harry weren't the only ones disturbed by Snape's revelation.

Ron Weasley stood frozen within the boys' bedroom doorway, too horrified by what he'd overheard to move. He'd been on his way back from the loo when he'd heard Harry cry out. He'd popped his head in to make certain everything was okay, and was frozen in place by the sight of Severus Snape offering comfort to a distraught Harry. He knew he should have withdrawn then, but he'd been afraid to call attention to himself. And then once Severus had started speaking about his past, he'd been incapable of motion. Only when it seemed that both boys had drifted back to sleep was Ron able to find his feet and stumble back to the bedroom.

Hermione lay a warm, blanket-cocooned bump on the bed. The empty space at her side was tempting, but he couldn't lie down just yet, not with the fury raging within him.

He wanted to kill something. Not something. Someone. Specifically, Snape's grandparents.

Merlin's beard! Performing Cruciatus on a child was crime enough, but those other atrocities that Severus had voiced . . . just thinking about them made him want to puke. To think of an innocent child left in the hands of such heartless fiends! The Snapes made Harry's Muggle relatives look like the perfect family! Was it any wonder Severus had grown up to be the joyless bastard he was, Ron reflected.

Cruciatus on a child . . . .

He stumbled to the window and looked out over the lake. Normally, the beauty of the moonlit snow would have calmed him. He would have enjoyed watching the rippling trail that the giant squid's passage below the surface made on the water. Eventually, the peace of the familiar scene would have lulled his mind, but not tonight.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Severus had told Harry. Torture and murder, reported like it was a normal event.

How long he stood there shivering at the window, he didn't know. His next awareness was of the grey light of dawn filling the chamber. The magical grandfather clock against the wall chimed its wakeup call and Hermione began to rouse in the bed behind them.

"Ron?" she called in alarm when semi-coherent.

"Right here," he said, his voice sounding thick and gruff even to his own ears.

"Are you all right?" Her hair a wild, beautiful tangle around her sleepy face, Hermione blinked over at where he stood by the window.

All right? How could someone be all right after hearing what he'd heard last night?

"I couldn't sleep," that much was true, at least.

"Ah."

He watched as her bare, shapely legs emerged from under the covers. Attaining the vertical, she tugged down her purple flannel nightgown and crossed to give him a kiss.

That simple gesture was enough to remind him that there was still some good left in the world.

"Mumpf," she grunted as he pulled her into a tight hug. But bewildered as she clearly was, she returned his embrace.

"I love you, you know that, don't you?" he asked as she finally drew back.

"You'd better," she sassed. But then the smile faded from her face. "Something's bothering you. Can't you tell me what it is?"

It wasn't his secret to tell. He wanted to, but it was bad enough that he'd eavesdropped as Severus poured his heart out to Harry. He wanted to tell her so badly that it hurt, but he didn't know if it was right for him to do so.

He was still wrestling with his emotional demons when Hermione gave a surprised gasp.

"What is it?" Ron asked, his nerves shot to hell after his sleepless vigil.

"Did something happen between you and Severus last night?" Hermione asked slowly.

"Why do you ask?" Ron hedged, guilty as a first year caught out after curfew.

"Look at the clock, Ron," Hermione commanded.

Ron turned as requested and felt his jaw sag open. Hermione, his, and Harry's pictures had been on that mahogany clock since his parents had given it to them as a wedding present. Harry's picture had transformed into his child self around Christmas week, and the addition of such notations as AT PLAY, AT SCHOOL, AT QUIDDITCH PRACTICE, and NAPPING had joined the designations.

Now, their family clock showed a fourth picture hand. A young Severus stared uncertainly out of the picture on the hand beside Harry's, which read IN BED. Even in the photo, Severus looked as though he expected to be tossed out on his ear.

"Do you want to tell me what's happened?" Hermione gently questioned.

Hoping that she wouldn't hate him, Ron sat down on their bed and softly told her what he'd overheard last night.

"Oh, my God," Hermione whispered when he was done. "They really killed his father?"

"And performed the Cruciatus and a number of Unspeakables upon him. I always hated Harry's Muggle relatives for what they did to him, but this . . . . I want to kill the sadistic bastards, Hermy; I really do!"

"They're long dead, Ron," Hermione sighed. "Poor Severus."

"If we can't restore Harry and Severus, they're not going anywhere, neither of them. They'll stay here with us and we'll raise them as our own. Okay?" Ron begged, as though she'd planned on carting the boys off to the nearest orphanage.

"Of course, they'll both stay with us, Ron," Hermione hugged him tight. "We're a family now."

Of course. Hermione always knew the right thing to do. She'd been the one who'd insisted on bringing Severus here. He'd been the one who'd behaved like a selfish prat, unable to open either his heart or his home to a little boy who had no one. Trembling all over, he buried his face in her shoulder, hoping that he'd get the opportunity to make things up to Severus.

***********

Although hardly surprising, the news from the Ministry and St. Mungo's was disheartening. The Wizarding World's most learned experts still couldn't even say how Professors Snape and Potter had been reverted to children, much less how to reverse the process. As Minerva McGonagall left her office to share the latest lack of news with her teaching staff, her heart was heavy. She couldn't help but wonder what Albus would do if he were here.

"I know who you are!" Filch's furious shout echoed down the corridor. "Don't even try to hide!"

Minerva sighed. Would the man never realize that when he shouted that, he clearly told the miscreants involved that he had no idea who was responsible for the latest offence and their only hope was to run for their lives?

Sure enough, she heard footsteps racing her way along the adjoining corridor.

"Hurry up! He's coming!" a youngster's voice urged.

"He knows who we are!" Another voice answered. "We're done for!"

"If he knew who we were, he'd be yelling our names, you dolt! Hurry up!"

Headmistress McGonagall drew herself up to her full height and pasted on her most stern expression, the one that would quell a rambunctious classroom in seconds. She positioned herself so that the light from the nearby window would fall at her back and cast her into shadow. Looking her most imperious, she waited.

Sure enough, the wrongdoers barrelled around the corner without looking and ground to a noisy halt at the unexpected obstacle in their path.

Minerva couldn't tell who was the more shocked, herself or the two boys before her. They were not students, as she'd thought.

"Mister Potter, Mister Snape," she nodded, caught off guard.

"Ah, hello, Headmistress McGonagall," Harry and Severus greeted.

"What have you been up to?" she asked, staring askance at the pair.

They looked like they had been dropped into a mud bath. Their faces and clothes were caked with wet muck and there was a clear trail of muddy prints leading up to where they stood. Severus was wearing a bright purple robe that was mostly black and brown now, while Harry's robe might have been blue at one point, but was now completely brown. They were both soaked to the skin from the look of them.

"We were building a snow fort," Harry said.

"Mr. Potter, there is next to no snow left," she said.

"See, I told you," Severus complained, rubbing his nose and depositing even more mud on his face.

Minerva's eyes flicked to Severus and stopped dead. Severus Snape was smiling.

As she watched, Harry reached up to remove the big gob of mud Severus' action had left on the tip of his long nose. She had never seen anyone touch Severus Snape in the thirty years she'd known him, certainly not so affectionately. What was even more astounding was the fact that Severus permitted the contact.

Potter's gesture set both boys to laughing.

"Yes, but Severus knows this really neat drying spell that we used on the mud to make a mud fort," Harry proudly related.

"And where did you make this fort?" she asked, still unable to remove her eyes from Severus. She'd never seen him so relaxed. Granted, she saw the boys every day at meals, but they sat far down the table, between the Weasleys, so she never really had an opportunity to interact with them. When she'd last spoken to the younger Severus months ago, he had seemed a smaller, carbon copy of his grim adult self.

Harry and Severus exchanged a guilty glance and then they giggled.

Severus Snape . . . giggling. Even when he'd been a boy here at Hogwarts, Severus had never laughed, not like this, where his entire face lit up and his body shook with mirth.

Finally, Potter blurted out, "We built it on the Quidditch Pitch."

"The Quidditch Pitch!" Her eyes turned towards the nearby window, which just so happened to overlook the playing field.

Sure enough, there in the centre of the snow-speckled, muddy field stood a mud coloured wall with impressive turrets. A smile pulled the corners of her mouth. Ronald Weasley was going to love this. Quidditch practice was scheduled to start up again this very week.

"I see," she suppressed her laughter as best she could.

A horrible cry of, "I'll get you, you little monsters!" sounded from way down the corridor.

"He's coming," Harry said, looking behind them.

"Are you going to punish us, Headmistress McGonagall?" Severus asked, his face no longer carefree.

"Why is Mr. Filch angry with you?" she questioned.

"He'd just finished mopping the main entrance hall when we tracked mud through it. We didn't mean to," Harry swore.

They both appeared braced for the worst.

Normally, she would have soundly reprimanded a pair of students for such reckless disregard of the rules, but . . . they weren't students. They were only seven year olds, having fun as she suspected neither of them had had when they were actually that age. And, she had never seen Severus Snape happy before in the thirty years she'd known him.

"Are you going to punish us?" Harry echoed Severus' concern.

"Not this time. But be sure to be more careful in the future. Understand?" she gazed down on their startled features.

"Yes, ma'm," they chorused, openly shocked.

"Oh, and one other thing. Stand still a moment," she commanded. Pulling out her wand, she performed a quick cleaning charm on the boys and their clothing. "This way, there will be no incriminating evidence if you meet a certain caretaker in the hall."

She gave them a conspiratory smile. No one here would probably believe it these days, but she'd been young once herself.

"Thank you," Severus said.

Harry echoed the sentiment, and then went one better and threw his little arms around her waist to give her a quick hug.

Goodness! She felt the heat of her blush straight down her neck.

"Well, you'd best run along," she smiled as she drew back from Harry.

"Yes, ma'm."

"Thank you, ma'm."

They said before barrelling past her.

As she watched the two dark heads disappear down the hall, and heard their boyish laughter echoing back to her, she knew exactly what Albus would have done.

He would have enjoyed the boys to the fullest and allowed them to enjoy themselves.

Her burdens much lighter than they'd been in months, the now smiling headmistress made her way to her staff meeting.

***********

Another night, another curse book. That was Hermione's life these days. Her research since Christmas had probably made her the most erudite Dark Arts expert in the Wizarding World. She knew spells that would kill, spells that would hurt or heal, spells that would cleanse, spells that would make a person hate or love . . . she knew more spells and charms than was healthy for any single wizard to know. The only thing she didn't know was how to turn Harry and Severus back into adults.

And, as she watched Harry and Ron rough-housing on the sitting room floor in front of her, Hermione wasn't even certain anymore that she wanted to find the cure.

Harry and Severus seemed so happy. Neither of them had ever really had a chance to enjoy a normal childhood the first time around, but they both were making up for lost time now.

"I've got you," Ron crowed, rolling on top of Harry and attempting to hold the squiggling boy to the floor.

It was impossible. Like a little eel Harry squirmed free and scurried on hands and knees away, crawling behind the armchair across from hers in which Severus sat reading another Dickens novel.

"Save me, save me!" Harry laughed up at Severus.

Severus lowered his book, and gestured Harry behind his chair.

Normally, Ron would have followed Harry around the chair, but tonight Ron reached up and grabbed Severus by the ankle. A tug, and the other boy landed on the floor.

Taking in Severus' stunned expression, Hermione tensed.

"I've got a prisoner now," Ron laughed at Harry.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Harry shouted back and launched himself at Ron. "Come on, Severus! Help! We've got to get him down!"

It was clear that no one had ever played with Severus like this in his life. Hermione felt bad for him. She was on the verge of breaking it up and rescuing Severus from the awkward position when Severus once again startled her.

Still appearing extremely uncertain, Severus reached out and tugged Ron's supporting knee out from under him. Ron went down like a ton of bricks and groaned as a victoriously howling Harry landed on his stomach.

"Come on, Severus! Help hold him down!" Harry encouraged.

She had to smile at the tentative way Severus settled himself on top of Ron. When he wasn't immediately thrust off, Severus seemed to trust more of his weight to Ron. Then he reached down to help pin the big redhead to the floor.

"We win, we win!" Harry announced.

"Dream on," Ron grinned, and put his strength to work.

Hermione smiled at the expressions on the boys' faces when Ron's long arms came up to surround them both in a move that was part wrestling hold and part hug. She could see the care Ron took as he held both boys safe as he rolled them over.

Shouts of outrage and laughter filled the room.

Unable to resist, Hermione called, "Unfair advantage!"

Putting her book aside, she dropped to the floor, slid her arms around her husband's chest and pulled backwards. Harry and Severus pushed at the same time, and they ended up with an hysterically laughing Ron pinned beneath all three of them.

"No fair, no fair!" Ron cried.

"All's fair in love and war," Hermione announced.

"Oh, really?" Ron challenged with a familiar glint in his eye.

She squealed as the world moved. Before she knew what was happening, Ron was rolling them all over again and had all three of them trapped beneath him. All four of them were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

They tumbled and rolled until everyone seemed tired out.

Harry and Severus had temporarily gotten Ron flat on his back again when Harry challenged, "Do you give up?"

Hermione knew that Ron could have reversed their positions again and quite probably kept the wrestling up all night if necessary, but Ron gave the boys a grin and said, "What are the terms of surrender?"

Harry thought for a while. "You let us try your broom tomorrow?"

"You're too young to fly alone," Ron denied.

"Then you give us each a ride," Harry insisted.

"All right," Ron conceded.

"Great!" Harry enthused, and then with the determination of a seven year old intent on cramming as much fun into his day as possible, he said to Severus, "Come on. Let's go check on your experiment."

And then they were off like a miniature tornado, tearing off into their bedroom.

"Do I even want to know what kind of experiment they're doing in there?" Ron asked, still flat out on the floor.

Hermione giggled and shook her head. "Probably not. They borrowed some seeds and pots from Neville this afternoon."

"Oh, God," Ron groaned. "We'll have Devil's Snare in the guestroom!"

She laughed, but wouldn't bet against it. After a moment, she asked, "Did you ever get that fort out of the quidditch field?"

Ron chuckled. "Not yet. We're flying over it, so I thought I'd leave it there for a while." He was quiet for a time before he tentatively questioned, "Do you think I was too rough with Severus? He's so reserved."

Hermione smiled. Two months ago Severus wouldn't have been 'reserved.' He would have been a 'stuck up prig.'

"I think he was fine," she assured. "Whatever made you do that?"

Ron sat up and moved until he was sitting beside her, with both their backs pressed against the couch. Then he said in a low voice, "I heard him tell Harry once that the only time people used to touch him was to hurt him. Harry's the only one who has any real contact with him and I just thought that . . . well, he shouldn't feel that way. He's always watching Harry and me horse around, even when he seems to be doing something else, and I thought he might enjoy joining in."

"Ronald Weasley, I think you are the most wonderful man on this planet," Hermione whispered, kissing her husband's blushing cheek.

"You're prejudiced," he ducked his head.

"Am I, now? Should we take a survey in the next room?"

The howls of laughter coming from the boys' room indicated that someone of adult age should stick their head in there fairly soon to check on things.

"What if we just hold our own little caucus right here?" Ron suggested with a wink, moving in for a kiss.

A loud crash and abrupt silence from the other room separated them a few minutes later.

"You or me?" Ron checked.

"You've already conceded defeat tonight. Let me handle it," Hermione offered.

"Brave, very brave."

"Hardly," Hermione smiled. "That leaves you free to run the night check on the Gryffindor dorms."

She made sure that she was up and moving before he could react.

************

The sun shone brightly down out of a crystal clear March sky. The trees were still bare and the wind still cruel and biting, but there was a hint of spring in the air. But just a hint. Despite the cheerful sunlight, the day was as cold as winter.

The class was gathered at the end of the school's quidditch pitch, shivering as the wind tried to rip their robes from them.

"Okay, class," Professor Allen said. "I want you to divide up into two groups of nine. Crater and Winchester, you'll be team captains. Those of you not chosen today will play on tomorrow's teams. The rules are the same as in adult quidditch," Allen briefly explained the rules of the game, ending with, "No brooms, of course."

Severus tensed his jaw and tried to look unaffected as that most loathed of ignominies, the choosing of teams, began around him. He glanced at Harry, who was standing beside him practically vibrating with excitement over his first quidditch game.

There was a time when Severus would have voiced a cutting remark to quell the other boy's enthusiasm, but he really couldn't blame Harry for enjoying his life. But he couldn't help being envious. It wasn't as though the Cannon's most successful Seeker of the century would be standing on the sidelines for long, Severus unkindly reflected, even if Potter were only seven and had no memory of his success. The other boys knew, even if Harry didn't.

Sure enough, Crater came their way. The muscular blond boy in his flashy blue robes could almost have been a walking advertisement for the perfect quidditch captain. Even if Crater hadn't been the one to start all that Death Eater garbage, Severus would have hated him. As it was, they could barely stand the sight of each other. Whenever Crater, Williams, and Soloman came near him, Severus found his fingers twitching for his wand.

Today was no different. Crater pretended not to notice him standing there as he stopped in front of Potter.

"We still have a Seeker position open, Potter. You interested?" Crater smiled invitingly.

"What position do you have for Severus?" Harry asked, looking wary.

"Team's full, other than Seeker," Crater said.

"How surprising," Snape drawled.

"I'll wait for tomorrow to play, then," Harry declined.

"Come on, Potter," Crater urged. "You're not going to sideline yourself for – "

"Severus is my friend," Harry cut in, his eyes hard as diamonds.

He still wasn't used to such loyalty. Every time Harry refused anything for his sake, it still turned his world upside down.

"Oh, for . . . ." Crater glared at them both.

While the flustered blond was standing there emoting, Adam Winchester, the captain of the other team, approached. With his fiery hair and big brown eyes, Winchester could have been a Weasley, except he was a little too shy for that honour. Adam was one of the boys that Harry and he played with on a daily basis at breaks.

"Hi, Severus, Harry," Winchester greeted. His brown eyes turned towards Crater, his disappointment obvious. "Am I too late? I've got a Seeker and two Beater positions left if you're not taken."

Harry glanced at him, a question in his eyes. Severus gave the slightest inclination of his head, assenting.

"Not anymore, you don't," Harry accepted for them. "Sorry, Jonathan."

They walked away from Crater without a backwards glance. Even Severus managed to refrain from gloating; he was so caught up in the excitement of actually being asked.

"So which do you want?" Harry asked him. "Seeker or Beater?"

Severus could see Adam's surprise at Harry's question.

Knowing what position Winchester undoubtedly wanted Potter to assume, Severus graciously suggested, "I'm too big to be an effective Seeker. Perhaps the Beater position, if that is agreeable?"

His speech patterns always seemed to surprise Adam, but the redhead nodded and looked to Harry. "That all right with you. Harry?"

"Sure," Harry agreed.

Feeling strangely content, Severus accepted the red team robe Adam handed him. Crater's team would be in blue today.

And then they were off.

Children's quidditch wasn't nearly as exciting as the adult version, as it was played on the ground, but it was fun all the same. Were they Muggle children, the game probably would have been spent in fumbled attempts to catch quaffles or direct bludgers, but their magic was already in effect. Although no spells were cast, each player was unconsciously influencing the game, using a bit of magic to nudge a quaffle of bludger where intended when motor skills alone would have left the game piece spinning inexpertly off in the wrong direction.

To his utter shock, Severus was having the time of his life as he raced around the field, using his bat to keep the bludgers off his team. The fact that their team quickly assumed the lead helped add to his enjoyment.

It was about twenty minutes into the game when the first bludger hit him on the side of the head. Severus fell at the impact, but no sooner did he hit the ground than Harry was there.

"You all right?" Harry asked, helping him up.

"Yes," he said, although he wasn't sure. His left eye was stinging as he gingerly touched it.

"That Soloman is one sore loser. I swear he sent that at your head on purpose."

"It's a fast game. I'm sure it was unintentional," Severus dismissed. He knew he was lying, but he didn't want Harry to fuss. This was his first game and he should enjoy it to the fullest. They'd been watching the Hogwarts' teams practice for months now and Harry had been biting at the bit to give quidditch a try.

"That eye is going to turn black and blue. Do you want to keep playing?" Harry checked.

"Of course," Severus said and raced to intercept the nearest bludger.

They scored another ten points in the next few minutes.

Less than three minutes later, another bludger flew straight into Severus' side. The wind knocked out of him, he was on the brink of falling again. And then a second bludger hit him in the same spot. Doubled over with the pain, Severus glanced up to see Soloman grinning evilly at him.

Harry appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the bat out of Severus' hand, picked the first bludger up and batted it straight into Soloman's solar plexis and then repeated the process with the second bludger. His accuracy was unerring, especially coming from one so small.

The brown haired Soloman doubled over, clutching his gut.

Harry gave him a smile, handed him back his bat, and raced off after a sliver of gold that shot right by them.

Moving carefully due to his aching side, Severus ran towards where one of his red-robed team-mates was being harried by two of the larger blue-robed opponents.

When the bludger hit his side this time, Severus saw stars. He also heard a distinct cracking sound before a blinding pain pierced his side.

This time when he turned in the direction of his attack, it was to see another bludger coming straight for his face.

Everything went wrong in that instant. Harry's head appeared between Severus and the oncoming projectile - obviously Harry had failed to notice the second danger in his concern over him.

The sound made as the bludger hit the side of Harry's head was sickening.

Harry's eyes widened in shock and then rolled up in his head. A second later, Harry tumbled to the frozen mud below their feet.

Sever caught him and followed him down. Frantically, he scrabbled for Harry's throat. There was a steady pulse beneath his fingers and Harry was breathing steadily. Knocked out cold, then.

Hearing laughter, Severus glanced ten feet away to see Crater and Soloman enjoying their handiwork.

"Some hotshot Seeker he is," Crater crowed.

Somewhere there was a whistle blowing and an adult voice shouting "Time out!", but the world had narrowed down to Harry's pale face and those two laughing hyenas for Severus. His wand was in his hand before he even gave it a conscious thought and the spell falling from his lips, "Petrificus Totalus!"

And then Carter and Soloman stopped laughing. Severus kept his eyes on them long enough to watch them fall. He hardly noticed the utter silence that had claimed the pitch. After his opponents toppled, he had eyes only for Harry.

"Harry!" he called, afraid to shake or move him. He looked so small and still on the muddy earth.

Around him, Severus could hear the field exploding in chaos. Dozens of voices seemed to be screaming different versions of "Did you see what he just did!!!???"

Adult sized boots appeared beside Harry's head.

"Give me that wand, Snape," Professor Allen demanded, his face tight with fury. Behind his teacher, he could see the stunned looking, but standing, Crater and Soloman being helped over to the centre of the fracas by a couple of their classmates.

Severus realized that his teacher must have unfrozen them.

He was in such pain from his own bludger hits that he wasn't thinking clearly. At that moment, it seemed to Severus that the entire class was against him and that he was all that stood between his fallen friend and total destruction. So, he did something he probably wouldn't have done on a normal day. He pointed his wand at Allen and shouted, "Stay back, all of you!"

Everyone froze, including his teacher.

"You're not seriously threatening me, are you, Mister Snape?" Professor Allen asked, his hand inching towards the pocket of his black teachers' robe.

"Don't do it," Severus warned, totally cornered. There were too many of them for him to take them all down at once, but maybe if he concentrated on the teacher, the others would stay back. "I'll petrify you, too. Just . . . get back! Get away from him!"

"Come on, now, boy, be reasonable," Allen said in a tone that was anything but.

"I won't let any of you hurt him again," Severus hissed. The hand holding his wand was shaking and he could barely keep his feet, but he wasn't leaving Harry unprotected.

Behind Allen, he could see the class parting as the school's white robed mediwitch moved through the mob of excited children.

"What's going on here?" she demanded. She was young, with black hair, rosy cheeks, and brown eyes that looked like Hermione's. Severus saw the genuine horror in her face when she took in Harry's unconscious form.

"He won't let us near the boy," Allen explained to the mediwitch.

"Great stars, are you daft? The boy's hurt himself. Call off this mob and give him some room," the woman commanded.

Allen belatedly seemed to realize that having the class gawking at the scene was hardly conducive to either his control over his class or the situation as a whole. "All of you, back to the classroom!"

In slow dribs and drabs, their classmates turned to leave the field.

As soon as the crowd thinned out, Severus immediately felt less threatened.

"What's his name?" the witch asked Allen.

"The fallen boy is Harry Potter. The boy with the wand is Severus Snape."

She nodded, seeming not to recognize either of their names.

"Severus, dear, my name is Amalia Rodgers. I'm here to help your friend. Will you let me see if he's all right?"

Severus stared into her brown eyes, wishing he were older. She seemed harmless and sincere in her concern, but Harry was hurt and he was the only one here to defend him.

"It will be all right, Severus, I promise. Can I please come closer?" she asked in a soft, lulling voice.

"Just you," Severus decided.

"Thank you." She approached slowly, keeping her wandless hands in full view the whole time.

Severus moved out of her reach as she knelt beside Harry.

"I don't know why they insist on letting you little ones play this horrid game," Mediwitch Rodgers muttered as she examined Harry.

Too concerned to resist, he glanced her way. "Is he going to be all right?" Dismayed, he heard the sob in his voice. And at that exact instant, he recognized his mistake.

The second Severus' attention had been diverted, Professor Allen's hand had reached into his pocket. Severus turned just in time to see his teacher's wand flicking in his direction, and then . . . then the world blacked out around him. His last conscious awareness was of toppling over right on top of Harry.

Severus didn't know how long he was out. When he came to, all he could hear was shouting. He was lying on something soft with his head pillowed on something warm, but hard.

Recognizing the after-effects of a spell, Severus opened his eyes.

He was lying on a couch with his head on Harry's lap in what had to be the school's Headmaster's office. Severus thought that because the grey-haired, affable looking headmaster, Dorin Forrest, was sitting behind the desk. Aside from Harry and himself, Headmaster Forrest was the only quiet person in the room. Professor Allen was on the left side of the desk, red-faced and shouting at an equally livid Hermione and Ron Weasley, who were positioned on the other side of the desk.

"Hello," Harry said, looking down at him and running a hand over his hair. "Are you all right?"

"Are you?" that was all that mattered.

Harry nodded. "Mediwitch Rodgers fixed my head."

Severus released a relieved breath. From the shouting, he knew that he was probably going to be expelled or worse, but he couldn't really care at the moment. Harry was okay.

"And I'm telling you, Snape is a menace. He petrified two of my students!" Professor Allen yelled.

"And what were they doing to Severus?" Hermione demanded in the angriest tone Severus had ever heard her use.

"How long has that been going on?" Severus asked.

"Not long," Harry whispered. "Hermione and Ron just got here. Headmaster Forrest called them."

That settled it. He was certainly going to be expelled, if not turned over to the Ministry for the use of Underage Magic. He wondered if they sent seven year olds to Azkaban.

Hermione glanced their way and reached out to touch Ron on the sleeve of his green robe. "He's awake."

Severus struggled to sit up as they rushed over to the couch. Their tense, anger hardened faces frightened him. He was really in big trouble. He knew that they probably wouldn't hurt him the way his grandparents would have done, but he knew for sure that they were going to send him away. He'd frozen those boys and caused all this fuss . . . .

Hermione was barely a foot from him when her entire visage changed, softening like she might cry. She sank down on the couch beside him and reached out to pull him into her arms. All he could see at that point was her grey robe, in which his face was squashed.

"Are you all right?" she whispered, holding him tight.

Severus felt Ron ease into the space between him and Harry. A large, strong hand settled on his black while Hermione hugged him.

"I'm fine," Severus mumbled, stunned.

"Fine, he says," Ron muttered behind him.

Hermione gave him one last squeeze, which made him wince as it hurt his injured side, and then sat far enough back to look at him. "What happened?"

"I told you what happened," Allen said from across the room. "Mister Potter here was unavoidably injured by a bludger and Mister Snape petrified the boy who threw it, as well as another student who was standing nearby."

"Is that what happened, Harry?" Ron asked from Severus' other side.

"Not really. Crater and Soloman were aiming their bludgers to hurt Severus through the whole game. Just like they do in Bobo Ball. One of the bludgers hit him in the eye . . . Mediwitch Rodgers healed it while he was asleep. Two of them hit his side at once and I threw them back and hit Soloman with them. Then they hit Severus in the same place a few minutes later. I ran over to help and . . . I don't know what happened after that," Harry explained.

"Another bludger was coming at me and Harry stepped right in front of it," Severus finished.

"I didn't see it," Harry said.

"After that . . . " Severus faltered. His memories of the aftermath were sketchy in the extreme. All he could remember was his pain and fear.

"After that he petrified two of my students and threatened me with the same," Professor Allen snapped. "I want him charged."

"Now, there, Sorus," Headmaster Forrest said to Professor Allen, "he's just a boy."

"A boy? He's Severus Snape, for Merlin's sake! Dark wizard, Death Eater -"

"That's enough!" Ron shouted, shooting to his feet beside Severus. "He's a seven year old boy."

"Ron, please sit down. Severus," Hermione said softly, "did Mediwitch Rodgers heal your side?"

Ron did not resume his seat. He moved to stand closer to Hermione and him, looking chastened, but resolute as he glared at Allen.

"I don't know," Severus answered, still unable to get over the fact that the Weasleys did not appear to be angry with him. "It still hurts."

"No, she didn't heal it," Harry said, appearing stricken. "I-I forgot to tell her about it. Sorry."

"May I see your side?" Hermione requested.

"Players get hurt in quidditch games," Professor Allen said in a far more reasonable voice. "We can't have students petrifying each other every time one gets in the way of a bludger.

Severus stood up and removed his red quidditch robe. Even that was nearly more than he could manage. The pain was intense, not as bad as Cruciatus, but extreme in its own way all the same. Hermione helped him to pull up the purple jumper he was wearing beneath his robe and then she peeled up the white shirt beneath that. She gasped as his side was revealed. Looking down, Severus saw that the left side of his ribcage was already mottled with darkening bruises.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, bending down for a closer look. Severus saw him bite his lower lip, stare for a moment. Then he asked in a low, unmenacing tone, "Can I feel the bruise, Severus? It might hurt. I want to check your ribs, make certain they're not cracked."

"All right," Severus allowed, standing stock-still. The instant Ron applied the slightest pressure, he saw stars. A moan escaped him in spite of himself.

"I'm sorry," Ron said and the pain stopped immediately. He trembled a little as Ron's hands moved towards him again, but Ron only pulled his shirt and jumper back into place. When the big redhead turned back towards the teacher and headmaster, Ron was fully as furious as Severus had ever seen him. "I teach quidditch, so I've seen my share of qudditch injuries. Those bruises aren't the result of a single hit. And two of his ribs are broken. I thought you said you were refereeing this game, Allen! Where the hell were you when this happened?"

"I can't be everywhere at once!" Allen protested, his eyes moving to Severus' side. His expression made Severus think that his teacher really hadn't known about his previous injuries.

"These are seven year olds. They need supervision," Hermione said.

"They were supervised," Allen insisted.

"Then how the blazes did this happen to him?" Ron yelled. "Harry says that the same thing has happened before. Is that true, Severus?"

Severus looked at Harry. Left to his own devices, he would never have mentioned the previous incidents. He was just happy they weren't going to expel him or make him leave the Weasleys. Under Harry's encouraging gaze, Severus gave a tight, affirming nod.

When he didn't say anything, Harry filled in the details, "Crater and his friends don't like Severus because of . . . well, that Death Eater stuff. They're always throwing the ball too hard at him during sports, hurting him on purpose."

"Is this true, Sorus?" Headmaster Forrest questioned, his round, affable face grim and concerned.

"What if it is?" Allen snapped. His face turned ugly with hatred. The way he was looking at Severus reminded him of the way his grandmother used to look at him just before she'd punish him. "You know what he is! We all know what he did!"

Shivering, Severus unconsciously sidled closer to Hermione. He relaxed as her arm came up around his shoulders.

"That's enough!" Headmaster Forrest raised his voice for the first time. "Mister and Mrs. Weasley, I'm terribly sorry for this. Obviously, the problem is not with Severus. I hope you can all accept my apologies. This will never happen again."

"Your apologies!" Professor Allen sneered. "I'm calling the Ministry. I want the little bastard charged for the use of Underage Magic. He tried to petrify me!"

"You're lucky that's all he did!" Ron said, moving for Allen. Hermione shot off the couch and grabbed him around the arms before he could take his second step. "You want some charges pressed with the Ministry, I'll be happy to oblige you! How does negligence and reckless endangerment of minors sound for starters? I leave my two boys in your care for a few hours a day and they end up having to be patched back together because you can't contain your pathetic prejudices!"

"Your boys?" Professor Allen challenged. "It was my understanding that their unfortunate accident left them both orphans, wards of the Ministry."

"Last month we petitioned and received temporary custody of both Harry and Severus until they are restored to their adult selves," Hermione said in a cold voice. She was obviously just as furious as her husband, but better at controlling it.

Severus and Harry exchanged a look at Hermione's statement. Hermione and Ron had adopted them?

"And even if we hadn't, they're still our friends," Ron said.

"Professor Allen," Headmaster Forrest said, "I think you should leave now. I want to see you in my office at eight a.m. tomorrow morning. We will be discussing your resignation, so I suggest you have it ready."

Allen opened his mouth to respond.

Before he could speak, Forrest cut him off, "I will not have you disgracing this school. Severus Snape is a hero of both battles against Voldemort. No member of this faculty is going to condone the mistreatment of a war hero while I am headmaster. Now, kindly leave, before I forget myself."

His face as red as the zigzagging scar on Harry's forehead, Allen stormed out of the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Severus, Harry, once again, I apologize. I will not ask that you do not press charges against the school, for it is fully within your right. I only ask that you please believe that Professor Allen's negligence was not condoned by me or the rest of the staff," Forrest said.

Hermione returned to the couch. Putting an arm over each of them and pulling them close, she said, "I really don't think that any charges need to be filed against the school, Headmaster. That is, if Severus agrees?"

Severus winced as all eyes turned to him. "No charges. Please, can we just go home?"

"I think we should allow Mediwitch Rodgers to treat your ribs first, young man," Headmaster Forrest said in a kindly voice. "If that's all right with you, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley?"

"Please," Hermione said.

It was another forty minutes before his treatment was finished and all the excitement died down.

"Should we floo back?" Ron asked when it finally seemed to be over.

"I don't know, Ron," Hermione said. "Harry's just had a head injury healed and Severus' ribs are still healing. Flooing can be very hard on the traveller."

"You mean landing can," Ron said. "Okay, so we walk then. How about it, boys, are you up to it? Or should we get Hagrid to bring a carriage round?"

"It's dinnertime at Hogwarts now, Ron," Hermione reminded.

Harry met Severus' eyes and then said to Hermione, "We'll be fine."

It seemed to him that Hermione spent an inordinate amount of effort fussing over them while she got them into their winter cloaks and gloves. She took hold of each of their hands in a grip so tight a mountain troll couldn't have gotten them away from her.

Severus felt great relief as they set off down the moonlit road and put the school at their backs. The sun had set while they were in Forrest's office and it was fully dark now.

"He's out on his feet," Ron said, gesturing towards Harry.

"Severus isn't much better," Hermione said. He could feel her gazing down at him, but was too tired to look up. "Maybe we should have called Hagrid, after all."

"If you can handle Harry, I'll take Severus," Ron said.

What he meant by that was a mystery, but Severus didn't have the curiosity to explore it.

"I can take Harry," Hermione assured.

And then they were stopping in the middle of the road, halfway home to Hogwarts. Confused, Severus looked up at Hermione, and gasped as Ron came up beside him and carefully lifted him into his arms. Severus saw Hermione bend to do the same to Harry.

"You all right there?" Ron checked, adjusting him onto a hip like he was a two year old.

There was a part of Severus that was outraged and knew he should be deeply embarrassed to be treated like a baby. But the larger part of him was just so cold and tired that all he could do was nod and press closer to the warmth.

"Good," Ron said. "You gave us quite a scare today. The both of you."

Not knowing what to do with his arms, he cautiously wrapped them around Ron's neck. When there was no outburst at that, he slowly lowered his head to rest on that broad shoulder that was temptingly nearby.

To his unending shock, Ron's right hand moved to rub his back.

"It's all right now. It's all over. You're safe," Ron assured.

Releasing a deep, shuddery breath, Severus softly asked, "Ron?"

"Yes?"

"Did you really adopt us?" Severus asked, still thinking that must have been a dream.

"Yes."

"Both of us?" he whispered.

"Both of you," Ron answered in a gruff tone.

The sob escaped before he could stop it. Squeezing his eyes tightly closed, he pressed his face into Ron's shoulder and held on as tight as he could. It seemed like those big arms held him back just as tight. After a minute, Severus felt Ron brush a light kiss onto the top of his head.

"You're home now, Severus. Stop worrying."

Somehow, he knew Ron didn't mean just physically. Never having felt so safe or wanted in his life, Severus gave into exhaustion and allowed sleep to claim him.

**********