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~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +18 this weekend!
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Severus gave the password and entered his private quarters. Harry was stretched out on the couch and Severus was pleased to see he'd taken off his trainers first. He looked up from the textbook he was reading and smiled. "Guess what, Professor?"
"What, Harry?" Severus asked sitting down in his favorite recliner next to the couch.
"I found a name for my owl and I asked her if it was okay to call her that and she seems happy with it. I was looking through my History of Magic book and I found the name Hedwig. I thought it was a neat name for her."
"Yes, the name does have a long honorable history both in Wizarding and Muggle worlds," Severus nodded approvingly. "Speaking of owls; there is an opening in my office for them to leave and come back. I will show it to you so you can show it to Hedwig or possibly my owl, Aesculapius can show her where it is located."
"Can I…may I see your owl, Professor?"
"Well, he is probably asleep right now, but he wakes around dinner time so you can see him then. What are you reading?"
Harry held up the book entitled, Magical Drafts and Potions. "Do you think I could try to do a potion before school starts, Professor?"
Severus smiled. "I think we could do that, Harry."
During the next three weeks before school started Severus oversaw Harry in brewing some of the simpler potions such as the Boil Cure potion. He helped him with the proper wand movement for Charms, and put him to work attempting to transfigure a match into a needle for Transfiguration. Severus noticed how often Harry was squinting and how reading too long seem to tire him and made an appointment with a child oculist in Diagon Alley. He figured the Dursley's wouldn't spend the money to get the child's eyes checked regularly. When Harry walked out of the office with his new glasses he was amazed out how clearly and how far he could see. Severus also showed Harry all the photos he had of Lily that were taken before and during their time at Hogwarts.
"My mum sure was pretty. I wish I could remember her better," Harry said a bit wistfully.
"I am sorry I do not have any of photos of your father, but I was not friends with him, just your mum. Possibly one of your parent's housemates might have some photos."
"It's okay, Professor. I'm just glad to see these pictures of mum. Aunt Petunia would always say nasty things about my parents and if I asked about them, she'd tell me to shut up."
"That is not a surprise at all," Severus replied.
A few days before school was to start, Harry brought up the subject of adoption.
"If you did adopt me, Professor what would my name be?"
"It would be Harry James Snape, but if you would like to keep your original name, we could hyphenate it to Potter-Snape."
Harry mouthed the name Potter-Snape a few times and then smiled. "I think I like that one best."
"Good. I will send off Aesculapius to Mrs. Mullings and inform her of our decision so she can schedule a home visit prior to our signing the adoption papers."
Sarah Mullings owled back that she would be there at ten o'clock the next morning. She flooed over at exactly ten and began her inspection of Severus quarters. She looked into Harry's room and noticed it had its own bathroom; she noted that Severus private potions lab was kept securely locked and Harry was not allowed to go in there unless he was with Severus. She inspected the living room and kitchen and even inspected the yard outside.
"Harry is responsible for keeping his room straightened up, his clothing put away and the soiled ones left out for the laundry elves to pick up." Severus responded when Sarah asked about Harry's household duties."
"How do you feel about this, Harry?"
"It's great, Mrs. Mullings. It doesn't take me any time at all to straighten up my room and I like helping Professor Snape cook dinner. He promised me I could help him plant his gardens next spring. At the Dursley's I spent practically all my time doing chores."
"What do you do for fun, Harry?" Sarah asked.
"I have a lot of books to read and we play games like Wizard's Chess and Gobstones. The professor's takes me flying on his broom around the Quidditch pitch here and once a week we go into Muggle London and visit different places like museums and stuff and then we eat lunch out."
Severus smiled. "It is a learning experience for me as well."
"What about rules, Harry?"
"I have to be in bed by nine o'clock because I'm getting up at 7:30 now in preparation for school. I can't go into Professor Snape's potion lab unless he's with me. I can't wander around the castle by myself because I could get lost and there's some dangerous stuff like moving stairs. When school starts I have to study and do my best. He said it's okay if I get an A as long as I did my best. Oh! I have to keep my room tidy even when I'm in the dorm."
"Do you think Professor Snape's rules are fair?"
"Heck yes, Mrs. Mullings. You should have seen the list of rules I had at the Dursley's and breaking even one of them meant being locked in my cupboard without any food for a week."
"How about punishments?"
"Well, Professor Snape told me if I do something that puts me or somebody else in danger, he'll spank me, but he'll only give me ten smacks at the most, but otherwise I'll have to write lines or have timeouts in my room and I can't do anything while I'm in there either."
"I do not believe in corporal punishment except as I told Harry in a case where he would put himself or somebody else in danger of serious injury or death," Severus explained.
"I'm glad to hear your views on punishment, Severus," Sarah nodded approvingly. "Everything is satisfactory as far as living arrangements here and my talks with Harry and you. I don't see why we cannot go ahead with the adoption. She took the papers out of her bag that she had filled out a few weeks ago. "These are the forms for adoption. I'll need both your signatures on the places I've marked with an X."
"My name's going to be Harry James Potter-Snape now," Harry announced as he signed is new name on each of the four sheets of parchment. He had been practicing writing with a quill and could write fairly decent now.
Once both were done signing Sarah smiled and said, "I now pronounce you father and son. I'll file these with the Ministry and with Gringotts as soon as I return." She flooed back, leaving Harry and Severus alone.
"I can call you dad now," Harry said giving Severus a tight hug.
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