Chapter 13 – The Round Tour I

Please remember this story is AU! Severus parents are not canon-complaint.

Chapter 13 – The Round Tour I

Harry looked around the living room curiously. Eathan had taken his hand and was looking expectantly up at him. It was obvious that he was very proud of his home and hoped that Harry liked it as well.

"This is the main room of the quarters because from this room you can reach every other room, including our offices," Severus explained.

Harry was still standing near the fireplace through which they had entered his new home only a few minutes before. Or was it more than a few minutes? Harry couldn't remember. He seemed to have lost track of the time completely. Everything was so exciting and also a little scary. Harry was worried that he would do or say something wrong. He didn't want them to realize what a freak he was.

Living in a family and really being included in it must be something totally different from my 'slave' life with the Dursleys. Professor Snape had already made clear that there would be rules here as well, and Harry hoped he wouldn't break them. From his experiences with the Dursleys, he knew that it was hard for him to avoid this, and he often didn't even know why he broke a rule. What will happen when I break them? Will they beat me or send me away again? Before he could wander too far with his thoughts, he was interrupted by Professor Snape's deep voice.

"We have several portraits in this room. Here is Phineas, who is guarding the entrance to Albus' office." Severus pointed at the portrait beside the door on the right side of the big U-shaped living room.

"I saw his portrait in the headmaster's office," Harry said, glad that there was at least something he could say.

"Yes, exactly, Harry," Albus said. "So when you want to speak with me or if you just have to give me a message, you can use this portrait. You can tell Phineas when you want to visit me in my office, and he will tell you if I'm available and let you through. If I'm not able to speak with you at the moment, he will inform me about your request and tell you to wait until I contact you. That's exactly how all the other portraits here, who are leading to one of our offices, work." Albus gestured through the room.

"This one here, next to the entrance door, leads to Minerva's office." Albus pointed at a portrait with a chubby and friendly looking woman in it. She was smiling at Harry, which reminded him that the portraits were listening to the conversation as well.

On the left wall, Harry could see two portraits hanging side by side. Albus led the small group past the couch and a group of armchairs in front of the fireplace, then past the big dinner table opposite it, in the direction of the portraits.

"This is Mary, who leads to my office, Harry," Ivy said, smiling at the young lady in the portrait on the right.

"Nice to meet you, young man," Mary said, giving Harry a friendly smile.

"It's my pleasure," Harry replied politely.

"She is very funny and can tell a lot of stories," Eathan told Harry enthusiastically.

A groan could be heard from the portrait next to Mary's. When Harry looked at the man on the canvas, he could see him rolling his eyes. The man looked a little bit like Filch. "Oh, please, spare me. Every time these little monsters nag her into telling a story, she won't stop for hours, even when they have long left. Really, Severus, how often do I have to beg you to place my portrait somewhere else?"

"How often do I have to tell you, Tiberius, that you shall not call my kids monsters?" Severus spat but ended in a coughing fit. That immediately brought him the worried looks of his family members.

"Tiberius, as in Tiberius McMannon? The great Potions master?" Harry said, his eyes big with awe.

Now all eyes were on him, and Tiberius raised his eyebrow in interest. "Oh, please, can it be that your new addition to this family is at least decent in Potions, Severus?"

"Stop this, Tiberius, I have a headache. Just shut up, or I will make you shut up," Severus said, angry about the behavior of his portrait. He had often thought about replacing the portrait with a more friendly, or at least more discreet, portrait, but Tiberius was indeed one of the greatest Potions Masters and the only portrait he could tolerate in his office. Too bad that he had to cope with him privately in the family quarters' side as well.

Thinking about Tiberius' knowledge in Potions made Severus remember Harry's statement, and he faced him. "Yes, it is Tiberius McMannon, and I don't even want to think about why you know him because I fear I will have to give you detention before you have even properly moved in with us."

"Detention?" Harry said, shocked.

"All the books Tiberius has written are only allowed to the advanced classes, and I can't remember any potion of his that you should have even heard about so far," Severus said while eyeing Harry closely.

Oh, fantastic, I already got myself in trouble. Bad start for me, Harry thought desperately while trying to find a decent reply. All he could come up with was, "Oh."

"Yes, oh, indeed, but we will speak about this later and also about the influence those red-haired twins have on you," Severus said and shook his head disapprovingly. "Over there is my private lab," Severus stated while gesturing to the door at the end of the small corridor that was at the left end of the U-shaped living room. "We can speak about sharing it on special conditions, after we have spoken about your growing interest in potions," Severus said. He started to grin when he saw Harry's jaw drop open.

"You'd let me use your private lab? I..." He was at a loss of words. The twins will faint when I tell them. The feeling he had right now was something totally new. It felt so good. He hadn't felt so happy since the first time he flew with a broom. Using Professor Snape's private lab, and maybe learning more from him outside classes, made Harry grin like crazy. "That's great."

Severus couldn't suppress a proud smile. He had watched Harry with interest as he became better and better in Potions at the end of last year. With a little supervision and a close look at the Weasley twins, Harry could become a very good potions brewer. His little sons hadn't shown much interest in Potions so far. I had my first Potions kit when I was three, even though I couldn't do much with it. He had wanted to be like his father, Thadeus Snape, the great Potions master, and would have done anything to gain his respect.

Eathan and Ly have too many role models in their surroundings to just concentrate on my passion. Eathan is more the active type, who loves to go flying, and he loves Hagrid, with his creatures, and Alastor, with all his mysterious instruments. Lysander is more the thinker. He loves to sit for hours and let people tell him stories or read to him. He's started to show interest in Potions, but Ivy doesn't want me to give him a Potions kit. She thinks it is too dangerous. How dangerous can a kit for a four-year-old boy be? They will soon be five, and then I will try my luck with Ivy again, Severus thought. But now I have another son to share my passion with. Maybe that's a way to get to know him better and hopefully gain his trust.

"Maybe we can brew some potions for the hospital wing together, Harry," Severus said.

Before he could add anything more, Ivy was at his side again and said warningly, "Or maybe you will think on what James said and stay out of the potions lab for a week."

Severus just rolled his eyes while looking at Harry. When he turned to Ivy, he added, "I didn't say when we might brew the potions, did I?" He cocked his eyebrow challengingly.

"No, you didn't, but I could see it in your eyes. If I don't watch you two closely, you will disappear into the lab and never come out again. I know how much you are looking forward to brewing with Harry."

That made Harry's heart jump. When Professor Snape just groaned and didn't complain, Harry said happily, "I'm also looking forward to learning more from you very much, Professor!" Harry had the suspicion that he was smiling from one ear to the other and that it must look very stupid. But he couldn't stop because the feeling that someone was looking forward to spending time with him was so amazing. He felt very special. And this time in a positive way.

"It's Severus in private, Harry. I know it will be a little hard for you, the first time, but you should try to get used to it. We are a family now..." He stumbled when he realized what he had said. "I mean we want to act like a family as long as you live with us. Of course you are still free to choose another family to live with. The guardianship can be canceled from your side whenever you feel the need for it, but we already see you as a son, Harry. So please try to accept our house rules and family habits."

"Yes, sir... ehm... Severus," Harry said while looking at the ground. It felt very odd to call the professors by their first names, but he also felt a lovely warm feeling in his stomach by the words Severus had just said. They saw him as a son, like a part of their family.

Harry didn't know what more to say, and so Ivy said, "Maybe we should go on with our tour," to break the uncomfortable silence. She motioned to the two doors, opposite to each other, at both sides of the small corridor. "These are Albus' and Minerva's bedroom and bathroom." She linked her arm with Harry and led him to the other side of the room again. "Up the stairs is Severus' and my bedroom and bathroom. We are hardly there, just to sleep, but when we are, you are free to come up. You just have to knock at the door and wait until we call you in. This rule counts for all the private rooms, yours as well, Harry. We will accept your privacy, and we also told the twins to do so. I don't know how much experience you have with small children, but they sometimes have problems remembering rules," she said and looked sharply at the twins. "So please be patient, and remind them of the rules when they break them."

"This room is the one which would cause your girlfriend, Ms. Granger, to faint with excitement," Severus said while opening the door next to the portrait of Phineas.

"Hermione isn't my girlfriend," Harry said, shocked, and blushed deeply.

As Ivy maneuvered Harry towards the doorframe, so that he could look inside, she boxed Severus on his arm and glared at him.

Severus just grinned. She couldn't expect me to resist the opportunity to mock Harry on this one.

"Girlfriend or not, she will pester you until you let her in. Just take care that you and she, or any other child you come in here with, don't touch the books from row four onwards. They are not warded, but we expect that you won't look at them because they are for adults. You can be sure that I will find out if you look at any of them without our permission," Severus said warningly.

Harry tried to memorize this rule by adding it to the list he had made in his mind.

"You can use the library as a work-place if you like. Many of the books will be helpful for your homework," Ivy explained and pointed at the big table with four chairs around it. "And you have much more space here than on your desk in your room, so when you want to study with your friends, this will be the best place for it."

"Okay," Harry said and moved out of the doorframe, back into the living room.

"Now, let's have a look at the most important part for you, Harry," Ivy said, smiling.