Chapter Text
After the initial visit with Anastasia things started to get better between Snape and Harry. Draco would come for visits almost every week and Severus could see that the boys were getting closer to each other, and that did actually make him quioe happy. He could see Harry changing the other young boy, and Severus knew it was for the better. He knew deep down that the way Draco was going he would become a death eater when he came of age, and his fathers views would be pressed down on the small boy until he simply learned to obey. He hoped Harry's rebellious side would stick with him.
And that rebellious side did start to show, more and more did it show. It was wearing Severus out to say the least. More than once he had been telling Harry to do specific things for him and getting a simple “no” from the boy in response, or Harry would run off and play hide and seek in the castle. Usually it would be a mixture of the two things. Now that Harry knew Severus wouldn’t be hurting him, he was getting bolder and Severus wasn’t sure he liked it.
He didn’t try to suppress it though, knowing the child would need that trait when he got older and had to prevent himself from conforming to the beliefs of his peers. He knew he would need that for when Dumbledore came to him and tried to force his way into little Harry’s head again trying to make him bend to his will. Harry would need to stay strong and stay his own person. Do as he had to do in his own way.
It was on one such occasion that Severus was hunting down both of the boys in the castle that the letter came, reminding him that the trial was in only a few days. He had breathed a sigh of frustration, knowing that though Anastasia had been helping Harry through the tough times and making him better as time went on, the young boy would regress as soon as he was reminded of seeing his old family. He went back to his office and laid the letter down on his desk, deciding he would tell Harry about it later. After Draco had left.
After that he continued his search of the castle for the boys, he chuckled as he saw them. Draco’s bright blonde hair sticking up from behind one of the beds in the hospital wing. He knocked on Poppy’s office, apologizing for their intrusion quickly before walking over and scooping them up.
“Why must you two continue to run off? All I did was ask you to put your things back in the box,” he said, shaking his head.
Harry laughed and held onto Severus’s cloak as the man began to walk. “Because we didn’t want to!” he said with a cheeky grin and Severus rolled his eyes.
“Daddy never makes me clean up, we have house elves for a reason,” he heard Draco say. Severus just shook his head again.
“But what shall you do when you come to school Draco? The house elves wont clean up after you when you are in class will they?” he asked, looking down at him.
Draco shook his head, letting out a soft sigh and an eye roll. “I guess not,” he said and held on tighter to the black haired Man’s robes as he walked.
“You two really must learn to be responsible for yourselves. I wont always be there, and nor will your mother and father Draco,” he said.
“Yeah my mommy left me ages ago,” Harry said and Severus winced.
“That’s not exactly what I meant Evan, I more meant that I wont be in class with you, and youre going to have to move into dorms when you start school. I wont be staying with you, but you’ll still see me,” he said to them both.
Harry simply nodded in understanding and Draco huffed. “I still don’t get why we have to do it when the school has house elves,” he said.
Severus just shook his head at the small boy. Lucius really did spoil him far too much. “Because we said so that’s why, now no more arguing,” he said and put the boys back on the ground as they entered his home.
He smiled softly as Harry went off and started to put the toys away, beckoning for Draco to come forward to help. It took a few moments of convincing from Harry, but
Draco soon moved forward and helped put the things away in the box. It wasn’t a perfect job, but it was as good as he could ask for from the two boys in front of him.
“We did it Severus!” Harry said with a bright grin on his face, obviously proud of himself and Draco for doing as asked.
“Thank you boys, now go clean up for lunch,” Severus responded with a small smile, watching as they both bounded to the bathroom to wash up. He leaned into the fire and ordered some lunch, and all was well for the rest of the day.
That is, until Draco did end up having to go home. Lucius showed up and took the boy home, not even giving Snape the time to think about how he was going to do this to poor Harry. When the door shut and the other boy was gone he sighed and turned around, looking at the black haired child before him.
“Come Harry I need to speak with you,” he said and lifted the still too light boy into his arms, carrying him to the living room and sitting on the couch with him in his lap.
“What’s wrong Severus?” asked the small child with a somber expression on his face.
Severus let out a small breath in a sigh and began rubbing the child’s back lightly, to soothe himself and the child.
“A letter came for us in the mail today, to remind us of the trial of your aunt and uncle in a few days,” he says carefully, wincing inwardly as he felt Harry tense up in his lap. “And I need to know a few things for you to prepare for it,” he said carefully. “First, would you like to have Anastasia there?” he asked.
Harry nodded. “Yes please,” he said and Severus nodded.
“Of course, she should be helpful when I cant be beside you.” He said.
Harry nodded. “Thank you ,” he said and Severus smiled.
“Next I k now you don’t want to but I think we’re going to address you as Evan. Everyone who needs to will know who you are, but in case any reporters are in the room you will be addressed as Evan. And Petunia and Vernon, as well as Dudley will have glamour put over them ok?” he said carefully.
Harry nodded. “How will I know who they are?” he asked.
“I will point them out to you. You understand why we are doing this correct?” he asked.
Harry shook his head. “Sort of?” he said, obviously unsure.
“It is because some very bad people are still looking for you Harry and we do not want them finding you. So by hiding the identity of the Dursley’s and by hiding your identity from people who might put you and them in the paper it will hide you from the bad people looking for you so they cant hurt you,” he said to him carefully. He had already told Lucius that ‘Evan’s’ mother had been abusive towards him (as much as it pained him to speak of lily like that) and the aunt and uncle had been in on it. The fact that the mother had died was what alerted the authorities to the abuse.
That was the story he would be sticking too, as flimsy as it sounded it was the best he could do when he was originally telling the story.
“Ok I think that will be okay,” Harry said, smiling a little bit. “I’ll have you and Ana there so it will be ok,” he said and Severus was slightly surprised by the small boy’s maturity. He squeezed the child’s shoulder.
“You’re right, it will be perfectly fine,” he said and looked at Harry with pride, “Now go and get ready for bed,” he said and put the child on the ground, watching as he ran off to the bathroom to change and put on his salve. He waited until he was called into the bedroom, and applied the rest of the salve needed on his back.
The next few days went by with mostly peace, Harry doing fine as Anastasia continued her visits with Harry. Dumbledore was strangely silent, and Severus was by far worried about all that was going on. Dumbledore had not gone this long without bothering him about Harry since he had taken him as his charge.
Something was definitely off, but he tried not to think of it as he tried to focus on the small boy he was looking after.