jharad17 - Whelp

Harry gave him a quick glance, not really believing him, and Father amended, "I'm not angry with you ."

Only then could Harry relax.

A few minutes later, they were riding stairs that moved! Down to a long, corridor with a high ceiling and shiny wooden floors that Harry thought he might like to try flying his broom around in. Two ugly statues were at the bottom of the stairs, and someone who looked like Dappin, only shorter and with yellowish eyes instead of green.

"I is Nelli, sirs," the house elf said. "And I is showing youse to your chambers, Master Snape, Master Harry."

"Thank you, Nelli," Father said, and Harry echoed him.

The house elf bowed, smiling happily, and led them down the corridor to a wide set of stone stairs with banisters that would be just brilliant for sliding down. Above their heads, more stairs jutted from walls and even as Harry watched, several of them moved, swinging away from one connection and creating a new one.

"Father, did you see?" Harry asked, pointing.

"Yes, Harry. I told you about the stairs."

It was true, he had, but Harry hadn't been sure what he meant . Stairs just didn't move . "Yes, sir, but did you see it?!"

Father's lips twitched in his half-way smile and he nodded, taking hold of Harry's hand and following the house elf around the back of the grand staircase to a narrower corridor that slanted downwards. They followed the long hallway down to another set of stairs, and past many doors until they came to a blank wall.

Nelli stopped and pointed. "Here is being youse rooms, Master Snape and Master Harry. Master Dumbledore is saying the password is for your changing to whatevers you want. Now the passwords is Chocolate Frog."

At her words, the wall moved, like the stairs, swinging inward. A secret door! Harry clapped his hands together. "Father, did you--"

"I see it, Harry," Father said, but he sounded happy, not irritated, and led the way into their new home.

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TBC . . .

A/N: Next chappie will have more Hogwarts, some visitors, and some Harry magic. Thanks for all my reviewers. Over 400! How's that for awesome? I should have a new chapter out on Monday or Tuesday, at the latest.

*Chapter 15*: Chapter 15

Whelp -- Chapter 15

By jharad17

Disclaimer: I'm not blond, nor rich. 'Nuff said.

A/Nat end.

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Severus watched Harry explore his new room. Albus had done well by the boy; the room was of a decent size, and airy, with a magical window in one wall that showed the Hogwarts grounds. Harry stared at it for long moments before turning round.

"Father, is that . . . ? I thought we went down a long way."

"Yes, we're underground here. It's a magical window. That's the Quidditch pitch you can see there."

"They play Quidditch here? On real brooms, sir?" They had – much to Severus' dismay – read a book about Quidditch (a gift from Albus, the Old Meddler) together one evening, and the boy had thought of almost nothing else, as far as he could tell, since learning it was played on brooms. Harry seemed to have a fascination with flying that went beyond anything Severus had ever heard of, and he despaired of keeping the boy's feet on the ground.

But for now, Severus nodded, and the boy grinned and went back to his explorations. The wardrobe was already hung with his clothes, and the full sized bed was draped in blue and gold curtains. A trunk at the end of the bed held extra quilts, and Harry used a shelf on the wall to arrange his collection of dragons, as well as his Gobstones, which Dappin had taught him how to play with. The house elf had become very fond of Harry, Severus knew, and was most upset to be left behind at Spinner's End.

This room even had its own bathroom, and though not as grand as the master bath, it was large enough for a sunken tub, basin and toilet. Rather than looked pleased, however, Harry stood in the door of the bathroom and stared, lip between his teeth.

With a frown, Severus surveyed the room, and the boy, before he realized what was wrong. "Move back a bit, Harry," he said, and Harry startled, but did as he was told. Severus drew his wand and in a few swishes and one flick, he transfigured the tub into a wide shower instead, the glass paneling covered with brooms chasing after golden snitches.

"Thank you, sir," Harry breathed.

Severus nodded again. They were going to have to discuss this particular fear of Harry's one day. But not now. Today, they had other things to address. One that he'd been putting off for some time, and another, newer development.

"Come out to the sitting room. We need to talk," he said, and the boy obeyed, looking suddenly fearful. To reassure him, he said, "You're not in trouble. We just have to . . . I have some things I need to discuss with you."

Looking slightly less nervous, but not at ease by any means, Harry stood in the sitting room, in front of the chair Severus settled into, until Severus waved him into a seat on the davenport. Putting up a privacy charm, to prevent any eavesdropping by Meddling Old Codgers, he peered around the room again.

The accommodations here were quite nice, really. The furniture was in neutral tones, and of a comfortable level of plushness for one's back. The walls were lined with built-in bookshelves, and there was plenty of space for more bookcases, should he need them. He probably would. A small private potions lab lay at the end of the hall, opposite his own bedroom, which was next to Harry's. There was a study as well as this sitting room and a small kitchen. For the most part, they would avail themselves of the house elves' cooking, but every once in a while, he liked to make his own tea, thank you very much.

Once his gaze returned to Harry, sitting with his hands neatly folded in his lap, still looking for all the world as if he were about to be chastised, Severus sighed a little. "Harry, look at me, please."

The boy lifted his gaze, but not his head, and Severus found himself staring at Lily's eyes, through shaggy bangs the color of coal. He was very glad after the adoption ritual that the boy still had her eyes, even though every time he saw them, he felt a pang for the chance he'd lost so long ago.

Choosing his words carefully, Severus said, "We talked very briefly before, about your parents and how they died, do you remember?"

Harry nodded. "You said they lied, my Aunt and Uncle did. That my Mum and Dad weren't really in a car accident."

"Correct." Severus unclenched his hands and made himself take a deep breath. If this was hard for him, he could only imagine how it must be for Harry! "The dreams you have . . . the lady you see in them is Lily. Your mother."

Harry's face paled as if he'd been slapped. "I hear her screaming . . ."

"Yes, child. Your parents – James and Lily – died when you were just a baby. The green light you see in your dream, that is called the Killing Curse. It's magic, but the very worst kind of magic. A Dark Wizard used that curse to kill them."

His mouth a little O, Harry stared at Severus as if he'd never seen him before. Severus waited, as Harry's brows drew down into a scowl reminiscent of his own. A few minutes later, the boy said slowly, "Aunt Petunia always said I . . . that I should've died with them. Did . . . did the Dark Wizard try to kill me, too?"

As gently as he could, Severus said, "Yes, Harry. But he didn't succeed. He vanished instead, and you ended up with just that scar on your forehead."

Harry clapped a hand to his scar. "I thought I got it . . ."

"In the car accident?" Severus tried hard not to sneer at the very idea. But Harry only nodded, and so he continued, "No. It's a curse scar, and will likely never fade. And many people in the Wizarding world know you survived the killing curse. They will know you by that scar."