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“Is something the matter, Severus?” asked Draco.
The boy was sitting under a tree with his knees drawn up to his chest. Draco noticed him on his way to visit Tom and couldn’t help checking what was wrong with his old Potions professor.
Sometimes it was really weird seeing old faces looking so young. Snape was so tiny!
“I wanted to know if I could stay at Hogwarts over the summer, but apparently it’s not allowed since there’s not enough staff to watch over students during the break and I’ll have to go back home,” answered Snape morosely with a sullen face.
“Is home not good?” asked Draco.
Snape simply shook his head.
A concerned look crossed Draco’s face. He told Severus to wait there for him and that he’d be back. When he returned Professor Riddle was with him.
“Severus Snape was it?” inquired Professor Riddle, looking him up and down.
“Yes, professor,” replied Snape, standing up to be more presentable in front of one of his teachers.
“If you can brew a Draught of Living Death before the school year ends, you can stay with us for the summer,” said Tom.
“Tom! That’s a sixth year N.E.W.T. level potion! He’s only a second year for Merlin’s sake! No, you don’t have to prove yourself to stay with us, of all the ridiculous-,“ exclaimed Draco, sending a glare at his husband.
“I’ll do it! I can do it!” insisted Snape, hopeful eyes full of determination.
“Then I look forward to seeing your work by the end of the school year. I will let Professor Slughorn know that you’ll be working on a personal project for me and to give you access to any extra potion ingredients you may need for your endeavor,” informed Professor Riddle.
“Thank you Professor,” said Snape, before hurriedly running off to make plans.
Draco’s face showed that he was very much not pleased with Tom.
“You’ve spoken so highly of his skills as a Potions Master in the future. I just want to see his potential when put to the test, which will be better if he feels there are real stakes involved,” said Tom, matter of factly.
Seeing that he’d genuinely upset Draco somehow, he made a move to hold Draco's hand to comfort him. Draco pulled away, crossing his arms across his chest and sending an unimpressed look toward his husband.
“Whether he succeeds or fails he will be able to stay with us,” reassured Tom.
“That’s not the point!” exclaimed Draco, throwing his arms up in the air.
Tom did not understand why Draco was still angry. He agreed to let the boy stay at their home over the summer with them regardless of the outcome of his potion. He was already letting a stranger into their shared space because his husband cared about the boy. He was being very generous in his opinion. It was more than Tom had ever been offered while at Hogwarts. He’d have killed for the same opportunity to stay at Hogwarts or anywhere else instead of that horrid orphanage.
“He shouldn’t have to prove himself at all to have a decent home for the summer,” said Draco.
Children shouldn’t need to prove their worth to receive the bare minimum of what they were owed.
“If he still needs a place to stay next year as well I won’t ask him to brew anything in exchange, but let him test his limits and find out where his skills are at. Give him room to see his full potential,” said Tom, trying to mollify him.
“Fine. But I’m holding you to your words,” acquiesced Draco with a heavy sigh.
When the end of the year came around, Severus Snape proudly presented his Draught of Living Death. His hair was even greasier than usual and he had dark circles under his eyes, but he was grinning from ear to ear as he showed off his potion.
They did have to sort out the paperwork of having Severus stay with them over the summer. Since his parents were technically still alive they needed them to sign a permission slip allowing for Severus to stay at their home.
Officially they would be framing it as Severus taking extra advanced practical lessons in Potions over the summer with Professor Riddle so that someone qualified would be able to supervise the boy’s learning because he was too ahead of the curriculum as evidenced by his Draught of Living Death. They argued that if Severus was going to be attempting N.E.W.T level Potions that could be dangerous if made incorrectly, it was necessary for a member of the staff to oversee his work. Though Potions would have been Slughorn’s area of expertise and he should have been the one supervising, Tom easily charmed the man into letting him take the reins on overseeing Severus’ lessons for the summer. Besides, Tom knew Slughorn would be planning to spend almost the entire summer schmoozing with people in the Ministry. Slughorn would be more relieved to hand over the work to someone else than have it impinge on his networking plans.
Though Tom was the Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, he did have the necessary N.E.W.T.s when it came to Potions and he could easily manage overseeing the boy’s work, so it wasn’t like anyone could say he wasn’t qualified for the job at hand.
When Severus was told that he’d have to have his parents’ permission to stay with them over the summer he had a crestfallen look. His father may have hated the sight of him, but he’d most likely refuse to sign the permission slip simply out of spite. When Severus mentioned it, Professor Riddle promised that he’d handle it.
Severus had looked doubtful, but nodded his head before heading to his next class. There were not that many days left until the last day of school and Severus’ parents would have to agree soon if Severus was to stay with them.
Draco insisted that he go instead of Tom to talk to Severus’ parents.
“Do you not trust me to not kill his useless Muggle father?” asked Tom, with an amused tone one would not expect from a discussion of casual murder.
Well most people wouldn’t expect it unless they were married to Tom Riddle. Draco was well aware of who he married.
“I trust you not to get caught doing it,” remarked Draco, with a pointed look.
They were lying in bed in their private room at Hogwarts. The sun had barely risen and breakfast and classes were still a couple hours away.
“Besides this requires a more delicate touch, just cause I can’t cast one of the Unforgivable Curses doesn’t mean I’m not perfectly capable of the other two. I am quite adept at the Imperious Curse which will be more than sufficient for the task at hand,” said Draco, still draped over Tom like a lazy cat.
“Are you saying I can’t be delicate?” asked Tom, with an arched brow looking down at Draco whose head was still pillowed on his chest.
“Oh, I know you can,” purred Draco, sending a wicked grin Tom’s way before returning to the matter at hand.
“But Dumbledore is already suspicious of you on a good day, better for you to remain here with the entire castle as witness to your presence lest he think you did something nefarious to Severus’ parents. Besides, I have the day off today. I’ll take the Vanishing Cabinet out so no one suspects I have left the castle. I’ll be back before dinner,” reasoned Draco.
Draco had purchased the Vanishing Cabinet from Borgin and Burkes years ago. They currently left one in their home outside of Hogwarts and they moved the one from the Room of Requirement to their personal quarters in the castle. It allowed them to leave Hogwarts whenever they wanted without detection.
Though his reasoning was honest, Draco had another reason why he would prefer to handle this mission himself. In truth, Draco didn’t want Tom to be reminded of any painful memories that might hit too close to home. Though Severus and Tom’s circumstances were not exactly the same, there were some uncomfortable parallels that might pick at old wounds.
Though perhaps Severus might be better off with his father dead, he did not want his father’s mysterious death hanging over the head of the boy. Nor did he want any rumors about it to follow him casting a shadow over the boy’s future.
As Draco had promised earlier, he was back right before dinner. The trip was a success and soon an owl with a letter written by Severus’ parents in their own hand arrived with the necessary signatures addressed to the headmaster.
Draco didn’t show his anger on his face and made sure to keep his occlumency shields up as usual during dinner in the Great Hall, but something about the trip must have had him agitated despite the success. Something had greatly angered him from what Tom could observe and he doubted that it was the vegetables he was viciously stabbing as he ate to be the cause.
It was only when they were back in their quarters that Draco relayed what was bothering him. The wards that Tom had put up ensured that no prying ears could hear their discussion.
“I’ve never met such a vile man in my life. He won’t be a problem anymore,” said Draco, once they were back in the privacy of their rooms.
Draco was sitting in front of the vanity untying his hair and combing it out harder than he probably should have out of annoyance. He’d taken to wearing it long over the years.
“Let me, you’ll pull your hair out at this rate,” said Tom, catching his wrist and taking the comb out of his hand.
Draco let out a sigh as he leaned back into the gentle hands of his husband combing out his hair. Under the gentle ministrations of the repetitive motion and Tom’s hand running his fingers through his hair, it didn’t take long after that for Draco to recount the entire story of what occurred while he was out.
Initially he did try to talk with Severus’ parents politely at first, giving them the chance to resolve this matter amiably, but he knew it was unlikely that things would simply go so smoothly. He was proven right when Tobias Snape started hurling swear words and then glass bottles at Draco.
At the mention that the man had started throwing things at Draco and had tried to attack him, Tom’s hand stilled and he had a murderous look on his face.
“I am still a wizard you know, I wasn’t hurt. You can stop thinking of going back to murder him for the slight. I didn’t go through all that trouble to not have him die just for you to kill him and ruin all my work,” said Draco, meeting Tom’s eyes in the reflection of the mirror.
Despite his words, Draco did reach back to squeeze Tom’s hand, wordlessly reassuring him that he was fine and had returned unscathed.
“What happened after?” asked Tom, resuming his combing.
Well things only escalated from there.
Though he wasn’t a master at legilimency like Dumbledore or Tom, occlumency being more his strong suit, Draco was decent enough at it to look into a weak Muggle mind like Tobias Snape. He wanted to make sure that he was making the right decision in removing this man forever from his old Potions professor’s life.
Draco had used legilimency to see into Tobias Snape’s mind and he’d seen enough of how the man treated Severus to make Draco both disgusted and incensed.
Draco was glad that he’d made the decision to go instead of Tom. Though Draco knew he didn’t have it in himself to kill someone, Tom had no such reservations. If Draco felt himself bordering on wanting to kill Severus’ father, Tom definitely would have killed the man. If not for what he had done to Severus, then he’d have killed him based on the man’s utter rudeness and audacity alone.
He’d used the Imperious Curse to make the man sign the necessary papers, then had forced him into a chair with his wand. Draco summoned ropes to hold him there, the ropes perhaps digging into his arms and legs more tightly than necessary.
Eileen, Severus’ mother, had seemed horrified by the whole exchange. Though her husband had turned into a horrible monster throughout their marriage, they had once been in love early on. There were many moments when she hated her husband, but there were also parts of her that couldn’t let go of what they used to have. There was also the fear that shadowed everything as well. Fear of what her husband would do if they tried to leave and also fear of where they would go with no financial support. Her family was not an option.
Despite her mixed feelings toward her husband, she still tried to go for her broken wand to protect him. The broken parts hanging together by a thread were shoved into an old drawer in the house. Her husband, not liking the idea of his wife having magic, had snapped her wand and they were too poor for Eileen to get another one. Not that he would have let her. It was a miracle that her son was able to get one and it was only the threat that his powers could go out of control without proper training that Severus’ wand did not suffer the same fate as his mother’s wand. That and the knowledge that Severus was not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts or else he would risk expulsion.
Draco seeing the broken wand was quick to disarm her and took her broken wand from her hands. He then quickly sent a wordless immobilization charm to freeze her to the spot where she stood.
He knew how badly spells could backfire when using a broken wand. He had seen many cases treating those at St. Mungo’s Hospital. Though Draco had found it both kind of gross and also funny at the time, in hindsight Weasley was lucky that there was no lasting permanent damage back in his second year when he used his broken wand to cast that slug spell. An unfortunate period of spitting up slugs for a day was a lot better than some of the other outcomes that could occur from using a broken wand. Things like permanent comas, amnesia, lost limbs that couldn’t be regrown, or even death. He did not want to have to explain any of those outcomes if they happened to Severus’ mother.
As she stood there, he’d given her an ultimatum that might have been unfair to put on a woman who had been through enough suffering from what he had seen from Tobias Snape’s mind, but Draco’s heart could be hardened in the name of protecting those he considered important to him.
Professor Snape was practically family in his eyes. Though he’d parted with the man on negative terms in their last conversation before he woke up in the past, it didn’t mean he did not care about the man. He’d initially brushed off Professor Snape’s help in his task of killing Dumbledore with harsh words and reasoning that he was specially chosen. He’d done it partly out of pride, but mostly out of fear that it was possible that if he himself did not complete the mission of killing Dumbledore then the Dark Lord would see it as Draco failing in his mission. He was scared that if he didn’t do it with his own hand then his family would be killed regardless.
But with the gift of hindsight and time to reflect on things, he’d known deep down that Professor Snape had only been trying to protect him. He could appreciate the kindness the man had shown him now that he was more mature.
Short of killing, Draco was willing to do whatever was necessary to protect those he considered family. It was a Malfoy family trait to protect your own.
That was why he was being incredibly cruel to Severus’ mother.
He told her she could either pick her son or her husband, but Draco was not going to allow that man to stay in Severus’ life one way or the other.
He knew himself well enough to know that he’d be unable to kill the man when put to the test, but Eileen did not know that. He just needed her to believe that he’d easily kill the man if it came down to it. Besides, just because he couldn’t kill someone didn’t mean there weren’t a large number of painful spells at his disposal. He put on quite the show of pointing his wand and inflicting a hex on the man that caused pain to flare in the nerves of the man. If Draco purposely chose the areas in the body where Tobias had hit Severus to inflict the pain well Draco considered that as the man getting his comeuppance. Tobias Snape’s screams of pain echoed throughout the house, though they went unheard by anyone outside of the home because of the silencing spell he’d used around the room to block the sound. No help was coming.
The man was lucky he wasn’t using the Cruciatus Curse on him. Not that he used it very often these days, but Draco definitely had enough hatred to fuel it at the moment.
Eileen had yelled for him to stop and had agreed to his terms. Tobias Snape ultimately had his memory altered and was obliviated. Draco had gotten very good at altering memories and obliviating Muggles throughout the years. He had to do it frequently as part of work when Muggles needed to be healed due to some magical mishap or another and they needed their memory altered afterwards. Not only that, but he had a great tutor at home too who was very adept at memory altering magic.
Despite his inclination to just leave the man there in pain, he performed the necessary spells to heal Tobias Snape. He didn’t want to have anything traced back to him.
Snape’s father was then bewitched to never return to this town and never have contact with his wife or son ever again.
It was the last anyone in that town heard from Tobias Snape. Most assumed he was like any other deadbeat drunk who’d run out on his child and wife who never came back. Draco also ensured that the official paperwork for a formal divorce would be filed as well. He wanted to make sure that man was never coming back into their lives. He also forced Eileen to sign a binding contract that made her unable to speak about the true events that happened today. As far as anyone was concerned, Eileen and Tobias Snape divorced over irreconcilable differences and he had left afterwards.
He told Eileen it was fine if she hated and resented him for what he’d done, but not to blame her son who knew nothing of what was happening here.
He left a large pouch of money, enough to cover the entire summer’s worth of expenses. He also left a card with the contact information for St. Mungo’s Hospital where a job was available if she wanted it. Having worked there for many years gave him some seniority at the place to line up a job last minute. It was an entry level job of brewing the simpler medical potions and cleaning cauldrons, not exactly glamorous work, but it’d be enough to support herself and her son. He told her that the position would be open until the end of the summer so she had time to make a decision. She didn’t have to work there if she didn’t want to, but the job was there for her if she wanted it.
In response, she’d thrown one of the last remaining glass bottles in the house at his head. He dodged. Draco didn’t blame her for her reaction. He had upended this woman’s entire life and ended her marriage in no uncertain terms all in one day. Even if he thought it was for the best, he knew he was taking away her choice to choose for herself concerning matters of her life. It might have been cruel and unfair, but he never claimed to be a paragon of morality.
She was shouting about how he’d taken everything from her and now he was stealing her son too.
“Your son is brilliant, but he can’t thrive in such an unstable environment. I’m not trying to steal your son from you, but he needs to have a parent he can depend on. I can promise that he’ll be safe and treated well in our home, but I’ll never be able to replace his mother nor do I want to. Take the summer to figure things out, but he needs a real home to return to,” said Draco, before walking away out of the house.
It was an all around emotionally exhausting trip.
“You’re right,” admitted Tom, setting the comb down on the counter after he was finished with Draco’s hair.
“Oh?” asked Draco, turning his head slightly so that his eyes met the other’s gaze in question.
“I would have killed him,” said Tom dryly.
Draco let out a snort, Tom’s dry morbid sense of humor managing to pull a small smile out of him.
“I’m just glad to be home. It’s been a long day,” said Draco, sighing as he stood up and wound his hands around Tom’s waist and rested his head against his husband’s shoulder.
Tom led them to their bed laying them down with Draco still wrapped in his arms.
“Go to sleep and don’t overthink it. Everything will work itself out,” Tom said gently, tucking a strand of hair behind Draco’s ear.
“Goodnight, I love you,” mumbled Draco, his eyes already drooping and his face snuggled against Tom.
Tom did not say it back, but he placed a small kiss on Draco's temple as the other drifted off to sleep.
When the last day of school arrived Severus left Platform 9 ¾ with Professor Riddle and his husband to their home.
Draco and Tom lived together at Hogwarts during the school year, but also had their own manor home in Little Hangleton. During the summer they often stayed there.
Tom had hated the house, initially not wanting anything to do with the place, but partially loathed to completely rid himself of it. His link to his father was in some ways one of the only claims he had to a class in society far above the station of a lowly orphan.
He at first wanted nothing to do with his Muggle father and heritage. Draco was the one to suggest they keep the house and renovate it.
Over the years they had made the home their own. Tom had left most of the interior decorating to Draco who looked ecstatic about getting to renovate a large manor. Should it have bothered Draco that he knew Tom had murdered his own father and paternal grandparents in this very house. Probably, but how Tom chose to resolve his familial issues with his Muggle side of the family was his own business. Besides, they were already dead, it’s not like Draco could do anything about that. There was no reason to let such a large property go to waste. Moreover, like he had said to Tom, what better revenge than taking everything that belonged to his father and making it his own. Waste not want not.
The manor’s interior design after the renovations were similar to Malfoy Manor in a lot of ways, but there were also touches of Tom’s preferences in terms of design scattered throughout the manor. They’d made it a proper wizarding home as Draco often remarked. It barely resembled how it used to look.
There was a large room for potions work, a dueling area, a large library, as well as a few secret rooms constructed and spelled to hold dark artifacts that were on the less than legal side of things. There were multiple bedrooms throughout the house as well. Draco and Tom shared the Master bedroom. Each of them also had their own personal study. It was quite large for just them, but Tom preferred it that way. Though they sometimes had a few visitors stay at their home, it was usually limited to a very select few.
There was also that ridiculous ballroom that Draco insisted on keeping. And of course the dining room which Draco had spent hours debating the perfect curtains to put in.
They were just curtains, Tom didn’t see what the fuss was about. He could understand not using cheap curtains so thin that it barely kept any light out when drawn, but as long as they did the job and didn’t look completely hideous just choose any. Did it really matter how well the textures matched the chairs? He told Draco as much, and Draco had clutched his chest gasping in horror at the very idea.
Tom Riddle had married a very silly man and he was ridiculously fond of him.
It’s not that Tom couldn’t survive without Draco. He knew he could. He’d seen it with his own eyes. It’s just that life didn’t seem right without him there. It was the same feeling of wrongness of things being out of place. Where items seemed to be shifted all in the wrong spots until it slowly drove one mad. It was a very hollow life. It wasn’t the kind of life Tom wanted for himself. He’d made a decision years ago regarding the life he wanted to live and he had never regretted it since.
When they arrived at the manor, Severus looked up at the large building in awe. Professor Riddle welcomed him into his home but left soon after to take care of some business, leaving Mister Riddle to show him to his room.
“This will be your room Severus,” said Mister Riddle, opening the door to let him into the room he’d be staying in for the summer.
The room was large and spacious. It had a finely carved wooden desk situated along one of the walls and a large four poster bed with emerald green curtains, the sheets were black with green embroidery. There was a personal bathroom connected to the bedroom as well as a walk-in closet. There was also a bookshelf along the other wall. There were a few books on the shelf though sections of it were empty so that Severus could fill it with any of his own. It was the nicest room Severus had ever been in.
“I know it’s late so I’ll have Pansy bring your dinner here tonight so you can get settled in and unpack. I know you’ll probably want some time to yourself after all that time on the train and to sleep after such a long trip,” said Mister Riddle.
“We’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow morning. If you need anything feel free to let us know. We’ll give you a tour of the place after you’ve settled in,” said Mister Riddle, smiling down at Severus.
“Thank you,” responded Severus.
Mister Riddle had cold gray eyes and held himself in a way that initially intimidated Severus, but in some ways he reminded Severus of Lucius Malfoy. When he had first been sorted into Slytherin, Severus was very nervous on the inside. Not only did he not know anyone in Slytherin, but his only friend Lily had been sorted into another house. However, Lucius turned his cold gray gaze on him and had actually been very welcoming to him, patting him on the back and congratulating him on making it into Slytherin. Lucius had turned a smug look toward him assuring him that he’d do well in their house claiming only the best ended up in Slytherin. The older prefect had seemed intimidating, but he had looked out for Severus on occasion as he got used to his new environment at Hogwarts. Mister Riddle’s demeanor toward him bore a striking resemblance.
With that he was left to his own devices to unpack. Though the first thing Severus did was flop on the bed staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t believe that he had actually done it. He’d successfully made a Draught of Living Death and was now staying at Professor Riddle’s home for the summer.
Severus wondered who Pansy was. His question was soon answered as if his thoughts had summoned her.
Crack!
Pansy it turned out was a house elf.
She delivered his dinner laying the tray on the table.
She was also the most well paid and well dressed house elf Severus had ever met.
The flower embroidered dress she wore was probably worth more than Severus’ entire trunk of clothes.
She was also a bit mean-spirited, critical, and had a tendency for name calling. She was also obsessed with flowers. Though she did seem to dote on those she cared for, speaking fondly of Mister Riddle and Professor Riddle by extension. Apparently Mister Riddle became initially fond of her because she reminded him of an old friend. Severus would later learn that she had known both Professor Riddle and Mister Riddle when they were both still Hogwarts students. She used to work at Hogwarts before Mister Riddle had later bargained to free her so that she could live with them when they moved into the manor after they had graduated. While the Riddles were away, Pansy essentially ran the estate and maintained its upkeep. When she wasn’t tending to her expansive garden on the grounds she was traveling the world for exotic flowers to add to her greenhouse. She also had a permanent set of private rooms in the household.
Though she was technically employed by the Riddles, she was essentially part of the family. She could have retired years ago with the amount of money she had earned, but as she put it someone had to make sure those two knuckleheads took care of themselves and didn’t die an early death.
When Mister Riddle saw Severus’ ill-fitting clothing at breakfast the next morning he wrinkled his nose in distaste looking distinctly like Narcissa when she saw something that displeased her.
Severus, seeing his expression, self consciously fiddled with the too long sleeves of his fraying sweater.
“We’ll need to go to Diagon Alley to get you some new clothes,” declared Mister Riddle.
“I don’t have money for new clothes,” admitted Severus quietly as he gazed at the ground, his cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll be covering the cost,” said Mister Riddle, with a casual wave of his hand.
“Myrtle and I were planning to head to Diagon Alley today anyway to pick up my new broom. Will you be joining us Tom?” asked Mister Riddle, turning to his husband.
“I can’t, I’ve got some business to handle with Avery today,” replied Professor Riddle.
“Is that today? Take Romulus with you,” insisted Mister Riddle.
“We’ll be fine with just the two of us,” said Professor Riddle.
“And I want to make sure you’ll be able to be home in time for dinner,” said Draco, sending him a pointed look.
“Fine, I’ll floo call the Lestrange household before I leave,” acquiesced Professor Riddle.
“Severus, this will be your schedule for your Potions lessons with me,” said Professor Riddle, handing him a schedule with the breakdown of the summer.
“Don’t worry I made sure to have Tom space out a good number of free days for you to relax. You are technically supposed to be on break. A child should get to enjoy his summer,” said Mister Riddle, sending a wink to Severus.
Severus excitedly took a look at the well organized schedule reviewing the types of potions he’d get to work on when the doorbell rang.
“That’ll be Myrtle,” said Mister Riddle.
Myrtle Warren-Llewellyn was a name Severus recognized from the papers, though he had never actually met the woman before today. She wore round glasses and had a kind face as she introduced herself to Severus. They left for Diagon Alley soon after Severus had finished his breakfast.
After they picked up Mister Riddle’s new broom, Mister Riddle took them to Madam Malkin’s so that Severus could get a new set of school robes. They also had a set of basic everyday wear ordered as well.
Severus was then dragged to Twilfitt and Tattings to get a set of formal dress robes. Severus did not understand why he would even need dress robes, but he didn’t want to argue with Professor Riddle’s husband.
“Do you think one is enough, maybe we should also get him one in lighter colors too?” asked Mister Riddle, contemplating between two different designs.
“Didn’t Tom tell you not to go overboard?” asked Mrs. Warren-Llewellyn amused, looking at the shopping bags Mister Riddle had amassed.
“This isn’t overboard,” said Mister Riddle defensively.
“Well if we’re already going this far we might as well go all out. If he lives in a mostly Muggle town, you should probably get him some Muggle clothes as well,” suggested Mrs. Warren-Llewellyn.
Severus looked a bit bug eyed at the prospect of shopping for even more clothes.
Mister Riddle let Mrs. Warren-Llewellyn take the lead in choosing stores for Muggle clothing.
“If you see anything you like, feel free to pick it out and we’ll get it for you Severus,” reminded Mister Riddle.
“Don’t forget Rubeus is arriving tomorrow,” said Mrs. Warren-Llewellyn as she browsed the clothing rack in front of her.
“If Hagrid tries to bring another Blast Ended Skrewt into my home again, I’m kicking him out,” complained Mister Riddle.
“Who’s Hagrid?” asked Severus.
“He’s a friend of ours. We went to Hogwarts together. He really likes magical creatures,” explained Mrs. Warren-Llewellyn with amusement.
“That’s an understatement,” scoffed Mister Riddle.
“You’ll get to meet him tomorrow, he usually stays at Riddle Manor when he’s in town,” said Mrs. Warren-Llewellyn.
When they got back from their shopping trip, Mrs. Warren-Llewellyn left to meet up with her husband.
Professor Riddle did in fact make it back in time for dinner.
“Are Avery and Romulus staying for dinner?” asked Mister Riddle.
“No, their families are expecting them back,” replied Professor Riddle, hanging up his cloak.
Dinner with the Riddles was interesting to say the least. When he had arrived for breakfast this morning they had already started eating. Lunch had been had at a cafe in Diagon Alley. It was technically the first time Severus had joined both of them at the beginning of a meal.
Pansy set the table and snapped her fingers, the food appearing in front of them. She sat down next to Severus at the table, while Professor Riddle sat beside his husband.
Severus watched as Mister Riddle reached over to his husband’s plate taking a bite out of it and a sip out of the goblet in front of the other.
“Not poisoned,” declared Mister Riddle looking fondly at Professor Riddle.
Severus saw Professor Riddle’s lip quirk into a small smile at the declaration.
Severus looked down at his own plate with worry. He didn’t think the food was poisoned before, but now that it was brought up he looked at his food with wariness.
“Is everything alright Severus?” asked Mister Riddle, seeing the change in his expression.
“Should I be checking my food for poison?” asked Severus, incredulously.
“Are you worried dear Pansy has poisoned you?” asked Pansy with a saccharine smile beside him in what he hoped was a teasing tone.
“Or that one of us has?” asked Professor Riddle, sounding equally as amused.
Was this a test?
“Oh stop scaring the poor boy,” chastised Mister Riddle, sending an exasperated look to both Pansy and Professor Riddle.
“Your food is not poisoned,” reassured Mister Riddle.
“Though it’s not a bad idea to be wary of consuming food or drinks from unknown sources,” advised Professor Riddle.
“Don’t encourage him to be as paranoid as you,” said Mister Riddle.
“Reasonably cautious,” replied Professor Riddle calmly.
“Of course, you never know when I’ll decide to poison you,” said Mister Riddle, nodding sagely.
“You know that if I die I’d take you down with me,” responded Professor Riddle.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Mister Riddle with a smile heavy with some type of implication as he fiddled with his wedding ring, the black stone of the ring catching the light.
“Are they threatening each other?” asked Severus discreetly to Pansy leaning over to whisper to her.
“No dearie, they’re flirting,” replied Pansy, with a fond roll of her eyes.
Severus felt he was missing some hidden meaning behind their words, but he did not see how this was flirting. Maybe he just didn’t understand adult romance. Professor Riddle did end up teaching him a few spells to check for poison though, which Severus did find intriguing.
The next day Hagrid arrived.
“Draco! It’s been too long,” said Hagrid tearfully, rushing over to give Draco a bear hug and lifting him clear off the ground while doing so.
“It’s good to see you too, Hagrid,” said Draco, with a laugh.
“Alright now let me down before you drop me,” drawled Draco in mock complaint.
Hagrid, Severus learned, was extremely tall.
That was the first thought Severus had about the man as he towered over him.
“Oh who’s this little fella?” asked Hagrid, bending down to take a better look at Severus.
“I leave for one year and you two have a whole kid,” said Hagrid, shaking his head and smiling.
“You should have sent me an owl that you two adopted a little one, I would have brought him a gift if I’d known. Maybe an easy pet to raise to keep him company at Hogwarts,” said Hagrid.
Draco had dubious confidence in what Hagrid categorized as ‘an easy pet’. No doubt the thing would be more likely to eat Severus than keep him company.
“He’s not ours, he’s only spending the summer here. He needed a place to stay and is doing Advanced Potions lessons under our supervision,” explained Draco.
“Advanced Potions lessons? He must be a smart little bugger,” said Hagrid.
“What House are you in?” asked Hagrid, with a friendly grin.
“Slytherin,” answered Severus.
“Are you sure he’s not your guys’ kid?” asked Hagrid, leveling Draco with a look.
“I’m sure I’d remember adopting a child,” answered Tom, who had just entered the room.
“Tom! Nice to see you,” exclaimed Hagrid, smiling and patting him on the shoulder with enough force to make the man stumble.
If it were anyone else, Tom would have considered removing their hand from their wrist. This was Hagrid though and Tom knew the man was just like that. He was unfortunately used to the man’s personality after so many years. A bit oblivious to his own physical strength, a total oaf, and sometimes useful. At least the information he knew about certain magical creatures could be intriguing at times.
“I got you something. One of the dragons recently passed from old age and I thought you might appreciate one of these for your research,” said Hagrid with a grin, handing Tom a box with a golden latch.
Inside the box was a preserved dragon heart. Very rare and hard to obtain one.
“Thank you Rubeus,” said Tom, already thinking of ways he could use this for various experiments.
“For you Myrtle, I had this fashioned for you,” said Hagrid, handing her a black velvet box containing a necklace with a dragon scale centerpiece encased in silver thread.
“Oh it’s lovely, thank you!” exclaimed Myrtle admiring the iridescent shine of the dragon scale.
“Now this one's for you Draco. I know you usually like to make your own designs so I didn’t have it sent to the tailors myself,” said Hagrid, handing him a bundle of dragon hide that could be used for clothing.
“Thank you Hagrid! Your rooms are still in the same place as always,” said Draco, with a grin.
Hagrid had been away for a year working on a dragon reserve in Romania. He often traveled around the world working with all sorts of magical creatures. They spent most of the day together with Hagrid recounting what he’d been up to since he’d been away.
It was a few days later that Hagrid came back from Diagon Alley with a boxed gift.
Tom, Draco, Myrtle, Severus and Pansy were sitting around the table for lunch when Hagrid walked in.
“Severus! I got a gift for you! Sorry I didn’t have anything prepared earlier for you, didn’t know you’d be staying here. However, I saw this at Flourish and Blotts and thought it’d be great for you to own. Now I know you’re all about Potions, but I thought I’d give you a book that’s one of my favorites! Very useful if you plan on taking Care of Magical Creatures next year,” said Hagrid, excitedly.
Severus opened the box curious about what the man had given him.
Inside was a copy of the Monster Book of Monsters.
Seeing as this was the Monster Book of Monsters, it immediately leapt out of the box trying to bite the closest thing around it.
Tom wandlessly immobilized the book before it could take a chunk out of Severus.
“How do you even read the thing without it biting your hand off?!” asked Snape wide eyed, leaning away from the book.
“You stroke the spine,” responded Hagrid and Draco, surprisingly in unison.
Everyone in the room shot Hagrid and Draco incredulous looks.
“Rubeus, I understand. Draco, how do you know how that book works?” asked Myrtle with a raised brow.
“I had an old Care of Magical Creatures Professor who assigned us the book. He just expected all of us to intuitively guess how to open it. You can imagine how well that went,” said Draco sarcastically, sending a quick knowing glance to Tom.
“Is this the same Care of Magical Creatures Professor with the hippogriff?” asked Tom, with a teasing look.
“Hippogriffs are magnificent creatures!” praised Hagrid.
“One previous bad interaction in your youth doesn’t mean you have to write it off entirely. Are you sure I can’t convince you to ride one Draco? ” asked Hagrid, sending Draco a hopeful look.
“Absolutely not,” Draco rejected vehemently, going so far as to shake his head to emphasize his point.
“What about you Severus, would you want to try riding a hippogriff?” asked Hagrid.
“If you die trying, I’ll write you a stunning obituary in the papers,” added Myrtle.
“There will be no hippogriff riding for Severus as long as I am alive and he is still a child. If he chooses to risk his life riding one of those beasts after he comes of age that’s up to him,” said Draco pointedly.
“If it’s anything like riding a broom, I think I’ll pass,” said Severus.
“Riding a broom is far more sensible,” stated Draco.
“I find both hippogriff and broom to be nonsensical modes of air transportation. I’d rather just stick to flying on my own power instead of relying on some object or creature to hold my life up in the air,” said Tom.
“My love, you are an outlier and should not be counted. There’s a reason so few manage it even if you tried showing them,” said Draco.
“I still think it’s the far superior way of flying, don’t you agree Severus?” asked Tom, turning to the boy.
Severus looked between Draco and Tom not sure who he was supposed to side with without angering anyone.
“We’re not going to bite if you side with one or the other,” reassured Draco, a gentle smile directed at Severus.
“I think I have to agree with Professor Riddle,” replied Severus.
Tom sent a smug look toward his husband at the answer.
“So other people can learn to fly unsupported?” asked Severus, brightening up at the idea of being able to fly without having to use a stupid broom.
“If they have the aptitude and skill for it. Perhaps if you show promise in your studies, I’ll consider teaching you in the future,” replied Tom.
“Not until you’re at least a seventh year,” expressed Draco firmly.
“You’re coddling the boy. We were doing far more dangerous things before seventh year. If I was teaching him it would be in a safe and controlled environment,” argued Tom.
“I’m not coddling and we probably shouldn’t have been doing half the things we did before seventh year,” replied Draco.
“You say that as if half of those things weren’t your idea,” said Tom with amusement.
“Alright sixth year the earliest, but I’ll be there on my broom for every lesson to catch him in case anything goes wrong,” conceded Draco.
“You’re sure Severus isn’t secretly your son?” asked Hagrid for the second time watching this exchange.
“Yes, we’re sure,” answered both Tom and Draco at the same time.
Though the Advanced Potions lessons were an excuse for Severus to be able to stay with them, the lessons themselves were real enough. Professor Riddle did not want any accusations that he was lacking in his ability to teach Potions.
Severus greatly looked forward to his lessons with Professor Riddle. He already liked the man’s Defense Against the Dark Arts classes a lot.
Not only that, but because Severus was here under official school business for his lessons he was allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts for the duration of his stay. The Potions Room was also well stocked and finely built. It felt like a dream come true, getting to spend the entire summer away from his father doing magic and making potions. A part of him wished he could bring his mother to hide away with him, but he understood they couldn’t infringe anymore on the Riddles’ generosity. He was lucky he’d been able to stay here himself.
“You’re modifying the recipe,” observed Professor Riddle, watching Severus add the roots to the cauldron for the potion they were working on.
“I’m sorry. I know I should have been following the book’s instructions, but I thought the potion would be more effective if I added five roots instead of three,” said Severus in a quiet voice, afraid he’d angered the other somehow.
“Don’t apologize for being right. Nor should you apologize for creativity,” said Professor Riddle.
“When I was a student I found that adding a dash of silverweed made it much more effective in addition to adding extra roots. Why don’t you try it out and see what happens,” suggested Professor Riddle.
Severus followed Professor Riddle’s advice and added a dash of silverweed to his cauldron. The potion turned a brighter shade of orange than before. For this potion, the brighter the color, the more effective the potion was supposed to be.
“That’s amazing!” exclaimed Severus.
“If you want to try something new or experiment a bit I won’t be opposed. I am in charge of your safety so I will ask you to inform me of what you plan to do before you do it, but I do like my students to push the boundaries of their potential,” said Professor Riddle.
“Do you think we can try this,” asked Severus, turning his personal notes toward Professor Riddle to see.
“I don’t see why not,” replied Professor Riddle with a grin.
It was nice when his students were actively engaged in wanting to pursue knowledge and thinking outside the box.
When Mister Riddle arrived home, he did not find Severus or Professor Riddle in their usual place, so he went to check the Potions room where they were supposed to have their lesson earlier in the day.
The two were both still looking at the completed potion in the cauldron in front of them. Severus was writing down observations in his notebook.
“Weren’t your lessons supposed to end three hours ago?” asked Mister Riddle, taking in the scene before him.
“We lost track of time,” said Professor Riddle with a casual wave of his hand.
“Are you overworking him?” asked Mister Riddle with narrowed eyes.
“Please don’t be angry at Professor Riddle, we were having fun,” interjected Severus, looking up at Mister Riddle with big round eyes.
“Well how am I supposed to be angry at that,” said Draco, his face softening.
“How was work?” asked Professor Riddle.
“Merlin, do I have a story to tell you, but I’ll share it during dinner so Pansy can hear it too. I’m going to go get changed and I’ll meet you two in the dining room for dinner once I’m done,” said Mister Riddle, giving his husband a quick kiss on the cheek before walking out the door.
“He’s a bit of a mother hen isn’t he?” commented Professor Riddle with exasperated fondness.
“We probably shouldn’t tell him about that cauldron we blew up and melted,” said Professor Riddle with a considering look.
Severus nodded his head in agreement.
When it reached the first weekend since Severus had started staying at Riddle Manor, Severus returned to Spinner’s End escorted by Professor Riddle so that Eileen could see her son.
“Severus!” exclaimed Eileen, rushing over to him and looking him over to make sure he wasn’t injured anywhere before pulling him into a big hug.
“I’m alright mother,” said Severus, hugging her back just as tightly.
“I was half expecting your husband to be visiting,” said Eileen a bit waspishly.
“He thought it more prudent that I visit given the less than ideal circumstances of your first meeting,” explained Professor Riddle.
“Where’s father?” asked Severus, nervously looking around the house.
“Your father’s not here,” said Eileen.
Severus sent her a questioning look.
“Can I have a moment alone with my son?” asked Eileen.
“Of course. I’ll wait outside to give you some privacy,” said Professor Riddle, politely.
“Mother, what's going on?” asked Severus.
“Let’s sit down to talk,” said Eileen, conjuring another chair for Severus to sit on before sitting down at the table herself.
“You have a new wand?” asked Severus, his eyes widening at the sight of his mother performing magic.
“Only just recently,” said Eileen.
It was the first thing she purchased with the money Mister Riddle had left. Although she loathed taking it, she knew that there was no chance of confronting another wizard without one.
“Your father left and we’re getting divorced. The paperwork has already gone through. He’s not coming back,” explained Eileen frankly, gently holding onto Severus’ hand in an attempt to soften the blow.
“He’s gone? Forever?” asked Severus in disbelief.
Upon seeing the relief in Severus’ eyes, Eileen knew that ultimately it was the right choice for Tobias Snape to leave.
“Are they treating you well? Are you hurt anywhere?” asked Eileen.
“I’m perfectly okay,” said Severus.
“If anything has happened you’ll tell me the truth. Don’t try to hide it from me,” insisted Eileen.
“I have a wand now. I'm your mother. I can protect you. I should have been protecting you! I know it’s all my fault, but I promise I’ll be there for you now Severus! I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better! I’m sorry Severus! I'm so sorry!” cried Eileen, all the pent up emotions crashing down on her all at once.
“It’s not your fault, mother, it’s his fault,” said Severus angrily, referring to his father.
“Father’s gone now and things will get better,” said Severus, hugging his mother to comfort her.
“I should be the one reassuring you. I need to figure some things out this summer, but I’ll see you again before the school year starts,” Eileen reassured, wiping away the tears on her face.
“Take this,” said Eileen, placing a pouch of money into Severus’ hands that contained a fair chunk of the funds Draco had left her.
“Where did you get this money?” asked Severus, wide eyed.
“It doesn’t matter where. Now I want you to listen carefully to me, Severus. If anything goes wrong or you feel unsafe or they treat you badly you come straight home. Use the money in the pouch to pay for transportation if you need it or send an owl if you can reach one and I’ll come for you immediately. Do you understand?” asked Eileen sternly.
“Mother, what do you think is going to happen? Professor Riddle and his husband have been really nice so far,” said Severus.
“That’s wonderful to hear and I’m glad. But I can’t risk losing you. I want to know you’ll have a way to reach safety outside of someone else’s whims. Do you understand?” asked Eileen.
“I understand mother,” replied Severus.
“You’re such a good kid Severus. Know that I love you very much.”
“Now tell me what you’ve been up to this summer?” asked Eileen, trying to pull a smile on for her child’s benefit.
Severus recounted what had occurred since he had arrived at the Riddle’s home. He told her about the shopping trip, the new book he had gotten from Hagrid as a gift, the potions he’d gotten to brew, and the new ones he’d be working on over the rest of the summer.
Seeing Severus’ happy demeanor as he talked lightened a weight in Eileen’s heart a bit.
When it was time to go, Eileen hugged her son and promised to see him again soon. She thanked Professor Riddle for bringing her son here, trusting him far more than his husband. Her son’s teacher seemed far less volatile. Though begrudgingly she did have to admit that he made some valid points in their last talk.
She pulled out the business card Mister Riddle had left with the contact information for St. Mungo’s again. She sat at the table turning it around in her hand taking a deep breath. She had until the end of the summer to decide, but part of her already knew that she would be taking that job offer. She did not have to decide today though, she would leave tomorrow’s problems for another day.
When Severus returned home during the Christmas holidays it was a lot quieter now with just him and his mother, but it was also a lot warmer and a lot happier.