Chapter Text
If one were to look at the blue Ford driving rather recklessly down the country lane one late Sunday afternoon, they would not find the sight too unusual. A large walrus of a man, a thin wispy woman and their large pudgy son. An ordinary family. Their car was ordinary, their clothes were ordinary, and even their reckless driving (although inadvisable!) was ordinary. But if one were to look closer, they would soon realise this family was far from ordinary. The large man driving the car seemed much too sweaty for the cool Sunday weather. A closer look would reveal his wild muttering.
“Shake ‘em off, shake ‘em off,” The large man would mutter throwing looks over his shoulder. Every so often, he would make a wild turn, making the car change its course, as his wife turned pale and his son screeched.
“Vernon, stop that! I’m going to be sick!” His wife snapped. Vernon didn’t listen as he turned violently around yet another corner. There was a large thump from the boot of the car. “Vernon!”
“Got to lose them, Pet. Got to throw them off the trail.” Vernon replied, as his eyes scanned, not the road ahead but the sky above.
“Daddy! I want to go home!” His son wailed, his eyes brimming with tears. Vernon frowned, something within his face softened for his darling boy’s distress before hardening again.
“I can't do that Dudley; I won’t let them get the better of us!” Vernon snapped, before turning wildly around yet another corner.
“STOP!” His wife screeched. “If you don’t stop right now, I’ll be sick!” Vernon frowned fiercely but seeing how pale his wife now looked, nodded.
“I’ll pull over under that tree canopy, that should block THEM from seeing us for a few minutes at least,” Vernon muttered pulling the car over. “We can't stop for too long Petunia,” His wife nodded and then bolted from the car, obviously desperate for some fresh air. Dudley followed at a much slower pace, clearly not much happier in the fresh country air than he had been in the car. Vernon stood to one side checking his watch, then the trees above in rapid succession. Petunia sat on the car’s hood breathing deeply, knowing this stop wouldn’t last long, while Dudley kicked rocks and whacked trees in frustration.
“Mummy, when can we go back home? I’m sick of being in the car!” Dudley complained to his mother.
Petunia gave a strained smile, trying to look happy for her son’s sake. “Yes, I know darling but just think of it like an adventure!”
Her son sighed. “Pretty lousy adventure! I miss my room and my toys! My favourite show will be on in 2 hours and I’m probably going to miss that too!” Dudley sat down on the floor in a huff before springing back up rapidly. “And now my bum’s wet! I want to go home!!” Dudley burst into tears again.
Petunia spang up and hugged her son tight. “I know Diddums, I know, I’m so sorry!” Petunia looked at her husband who was still staring at the trees above them. “Vernon!” Petunia snapped making his eyes snap to hers. “I know why we have to do this but I demand we stay in a hotel tonight! It’s been a long day for us and our son. We deserve somewhere nice to sleep!”
Vernon looked at his distressed wife and son and scanned the sky once more before reluctantly nodding. “Yes, you're right Pet.”
Dudley perked up at the thought of staying at a nice hotel before frowning. “But what about my show?! It’s on in 2 hours!!”
Petunia frowned before a thought crossed through her mind. “I saw Cokeworth on that sign we passed. It’s less than 10 miles away. There are plenty of hotels there, I’m sure one will have space for our family and we should get there in time for Dudley’s show.”
Dudley was now beaming with delight. He wouldn’t miss his show after all?! Plus, with tomorrow being Monday if they stayed at a hotel that meant he would miss school! Maybe this adventure wouldn’t turn out to be so bad! Vernon however, was frowning.
“Cokeworth? Isn’t that where you grew up? It’s precisely the type of place THEY would expect us to go!” Vernon snapped as his son’s face fell once again.
“But Daddy!” Dudley wailed as Petunia desperately tried to comfort her son while glaring at her husband.
“Everyone knows I couldn’t wait to leave that dump.” Petunia finally said once Dudley was slightly calmer. “It’s the last place I ever would want to go back to. Meaning it’s the last place anyone would think to look for me.” Vernon checked the trees once more, seeing they were still empty he seemed to relax a bit and nodded once more.
“Very well, but we must go now before they spot us!” Vernon said. Dudley didn’t need any prompting, getting happily back in the car.
“Come on, quickly!” Dudley said, sounding like a young version of his father. Petunia sighed, looking longingly at the countryside before getting into the car as well. Vernon beamed and happily started their journey once more. And somewhere in the boot of the car, a pair of green eyes opened. In 2 hours, the Dursleys would stop. In 2 hours, he could escape.
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Severus Snape was a man of routine. His teaching life demanded it. Every day he had to make sure he had the day planned so it would run smoothly. From 7 am to 9 am, ingredients had to be prepared and instructions had to be written. Classes would start at 9.00 am and finish at 5.00 pm. From 6.00 pm till 10 pm he had to oversee Slytherin house and grade papers. 10 pm-11 pm was brewing time as Snape made various potions for the infirmary. Then to bed only to rise and repeat. Every day the same routine, as students napped, doodled and slacked their way through Severus’s hard work and preparation. There was the odd break in this routine here and there. There were his days ‘off’. These days were meant to be spent relaxing. Snape’s were spent brewing, marking and preparing future lessons. Another break from his routine was when he had to patrol Hogwarts at night to catch any would-be troublemakers. So, Snape had to spend the whole night awake, and then do his long and dull routine. It was those days when he would be particularly snappy with the students. It was those days that earned him the nickname the bat of the dungeons.
However, despite the long dull hours of Hogwarts, the nights he went without sleep, the degrading nicknames the students gave him and the pathetic amount he was paid, he preferred being at Hogwarts to being at Spinner’s End. Because being at Hogwarts meant routine, it meant purpose. Being at Spinner’s End had no purpose except Severus’s misery. Outside Hogwarts, he felt like a clock that had stopped ticking. He tried to keep himself busy mostly. Despite what the students thought, he was still a man and needed to buy himself food. He brewed what could be saved for Hogwarts’ infirmary. He read the paper. But most of these tasks did not take very long. He was bored. He was tired. He was lonely.
Severus Snape sighed as he looked around his crumbling childhood home. Maybe he should check if he needed anything. The fridge was disappointingly full, but when he opened the cupboards, he noticed he was running low on canned food. It was a pathetic reason to leave the house but it was a reason. It would give him something to do for at least an hour before he had to go back to the hell of monotony. Severus quickly pulled on his coat and pulled open the door. It was raining fiercely, causing him to pause before he stepped outside. If he had to spend one more minute in that house, he might burn it down. Putting out the fire would give him something to do and if he had to spend time replacing floorboards that would be even better. It’s not like fire damage would make Spinner’s End any worse after all.
It was then that he noticed the green eyes staring at him. Severus Snape’s days of monotony came to an end at that moment.
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The world was big, noisy and scary. That didn’t feel too unusual. But somehow today of all days, it felt bigger, noisier and scarier than normal. But that was strange, wasn’t it? Why did he feel like the metal monsters speeding down the road used to be smaller? Why did it feel strange to be climbing over the wooden walls instead of walking around? Why did everything smell so much and feel so loud?
It had started with the large two-legged creature. Everything felt strange and different but that creature he knew. He had been waiting in the darkness, filled with pain but ready. He knew the creature would come. Sure enough, there was a click, then light, screaming as the creature grabbed his… his… shirt? But that was silly, cats didn’t wear shirts. Then a tearing sound and suddenly he was too small, too quick to be caught. But he had always been small and quick.
“Freak,” The creature had often said. The cat wasn’t sure what that meant but it was probably nothing good. The creature had hurt him, many times, so the cat had bolted, there was nothing strange about that. He had run away from the two-legs, away from Yelpers trapped within wooden walls, he even ran from animals he should be hunting, animals that normally looked so small looked too big. But the two-legs had hurt him too much, too badly. Now his small body screamed and protested with every step he took. Now the world didn’t look right. Even his water-self didn’t look right. The cat had been startled when he had seen it. Why? Why? Why?
The sky rumbled and the cat looked to it in alarm. That sound meant bad things. Like getting locked in too small, too dark rooms. Sure enough, water began falling from the sky. The cat hissed. Why was water so mean to him? First his strange water-self, now water falling from the sky. It was making the small injured cat, cold and wet. He needed to find shelter from the cold, cruel water. The cat looked around and quickly spotted a wood pile he could hide under. Too small for the nasty loud Yelpers and the strange two-legs but perfect size for a cat. The cat squeezed under and shivered as the wind blew. His fur was now soaked, he should clean it. Something about that didn’t feel right and the cat felt frustrated. Why did nothing feel like something he should be doing? The cat started licking himself anyway, he was a cat after all. This was what cats were meant to do. The funny feeling started to disappear and the cat felt a bit better. Clearly, the two-legs had just shaken him up. There was no other reason why he should be feeling strange for doing cat things. A slight bang made the cat freeze as he scanned for danger. He looked out into the rain, his ears twitching, trying to locate the source of the noise. There! Another two-legs, although this one looked nothing like the one he’d seen before. It seemed taller and leaner than the one he had seen before. Dark fur covered the two-legs with patches of pink and white at certain points. It was also staring directly at him.
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Severus Snape stared at the small creature under a wood pile. It was clearly a cat, a kitten to be more precise. It was hard to get a good look at it as it hid under the wood pile but Severus could see black fur and green eyes. Something about those eyes made his heart twist and he swallowed. It was a cat for Merlin’s sake, no need to get so twisted up about it! No one would believe it if you told them but Severus Snape had always had a soft spot for cats. One of the few good memories from his childhood was the two weeks when his father left on a work trip and he found a stray cat. It had been an ugly thing, brown with mattered fur and missing an eye but Severus had loved it all the same. He nursed it to health in secret, but when his mother had inevitably found out she had taken the cat to a shelter. It had been one of the few times his mother had made him cry instead of his father, but deep down he knew she was right. Tobias would’ve killed the cat as soon as he saw it. Since then, he had always secretly wanted to get a cat but it had never been the right time. He couldn’t get one while his father was still alive. He couldn’t get one while he was busy being a Death Eater and then a spy. He couldn’t get one when Lily died and he could barely look after himself, never mind a pet.
He wasn’t sure what to do. The kitten was so young and the weather was awful. Wasn’t there some rule about not touching kittens in case their mother didn’t come back? Maybe the mother couldn’t come back in this sort of weather. It looked so small and helpless. Severus slowly knelt down in front of the wood pile, trying to get a better look at the creature. A small-clawed paw immediately tried to swipe at his nose as Snape smirked. Maybe not entirely helpless then. Severus stood back up and headed slowly back into his house, trying to not make too much noise or move too quickly in case he startled the small kitten. Luckily, he still had some cans of tuna in the cupboard. He put some in one of the bowls and headed back outside. The cat was still there, still watching his every move. He put the tuna nearby. The cat seemed to lean forwards, clearly interested by the food but it didn’t take it, probably too nervous. Severus looked around quickly but seeing no one got out his wand. He cast a few spells to help keep the kitten warm and dry and a charm to alert him if any other cats came by. He would observe the cat tonight, if no mother came by tomorrow, he would get the small kitten some more help. And so began Severus Snape’s long night of staring out the window at the small cat who spent most of its night staring back (with a small break to gobble its food). After a few hours, the rain stopped. There was no sign of the mother. Severus put out another bowl of food and secretly re-cast his spells. Still no mother. The food was gobbled up when Severus had a slight doze but the mother didn’t appear. By dawn, Severus was forced to face reality. The cat’s mother was probably dead or had abandoned its kitten. Whatever the case, the mother was gone but the kitten was still here, still alive, still fighting. But if Severus didn’t act fast the kitten would be gone too.
Severus stood up and headed back outside, his bones and muscles aching after the long restless night in his armchair. He knelt again in front of the woodpile. There was no sign of the cat. Severus swallowed nervously. Had it run off and he hadn’t noticed? How would it survive all alone? There was a slight rustle as Severus breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the kitten. It was there, still under the wood pile only now it was curled up into a ball, fast asleep. He simply hadn’t spotted it with the kitten’s dark fur. Severus hesitated. Maybe he should wait just a little longer for the cat’s mother. It was then that he noticed the cat’s breathing. It was slow and raspy. If Severus didn’t act now there wouldn’t be a kitten left. No time for hesitation. Severus wiggled his hand under the small gap. It was a tight fit, with lots of splinters, sharp rocks and dirt but Severus persevered, his hand inching closer and closer to the kitten’s body. His hands touched fur and the next thing he knew his fingers were being bitten. Snape smirked. The kitten’s teeth were nothing compared to the horrors he had endured during the war. He apparated quickly to Hogwarts’s grounds. The kitten needed potions and medical attention, things that couldn’t be given at Spinner’s End. The cat scratched and bit him every step towards the castle as Severus cursed the anti-apparition wards.
Finally, after a long walk, Severus was within his quarters. He finally had a chance to observe the cat properly. It was thin, too thin, its fur was dirty, scraggly and uneven and it was covered in cuts and scars. Maybe it had encountered a wild animal of some kind? Severus couldn’t think of how else a kitten that was clearly so young had gained so many injuries. He carefully put cleaned and bandged the cuts as the cat yowled and bit. Then he fed the feline a few drops of healing potion, one made specifically for animals. The cat’s wounds were slowly healing thanks to the potion’s influence. Now to do something about that fur.
If Severus thought the cat’s yowling was bad when he was feeding it potions it was nothing compared to how the cat reacted when it was being washed. Severus’s ears were still ringing an hour later. But finally, the result of all his hard work was paying off. The cat was clean, its wounds were healing. It would need at least a few more days with him until it was healthy, probably at least a week. Then he could decide what to do with the skittish animal.
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The cat wasn’t sure where he was now. He knew he had fallen asleep under the logs but then the dark two-legs had taken him here to this… cave. He thought it was a cave anyway. There certainly was a lot of stone. What had followed was hours of torture as the nasty two-legs fed him yucky liquids and then plunged him into nasty water! The two-legs were horrible the cat was certain about that!
The dark two-legs seemed content to leave him be for now. The cat gave him a fierce hiss every time he saw the creature. He was certain the creature wouldn’t have any further ideas about putting him in water after a good hiss and scratch! Strangely the two-legs mouth seemed to do something funny after the cat’s fiercest hiss. Probably the two-legs was scared of him. The cat felt proud about that thought. Suddenly there was a familiar smell in the air. Food! The cat looked at the two-legs. It had food and it was not putting it in its mouth but on a bit of... stone? Why was it doing that? The cat blinked having sudden images of himself eating from the stone. But the way he was eating seemed strange and the cat banished it from his mind. How would he even move those pink fleshy things? They were nothing like his paws. The cat narrowed its eyes. How could he get the food without the two-legs noticing? Suddenly the two-legs turned and then the food was in front of him! What was going on? Had he scared the two-legs so much that it was giving him food?!
“Go on, eat up, I know you’re hungry.” The creature spoke for the first time. It sounded very different from the other two-legs the cat had seen. The cat still had no idea what the creature was trying to say but its voice sounded relaxed, soft. There wasn’t any fear in its tone, the cat noticed. He definitely hadn’t scared it, then. So why was it giving him food? Maybe it was a trick. The cat remembered the first two-legs tricking him with food. He remembered food being presented, only to have it yanked away again. Well, he was a smart cat. He wouldn’t be falling for the two-legs tricks again. The creature seemed to understand that the cat wouldn’t trust its tricks. It backed away so far, that there was no way it could reach the food. Why was this two-legs so strange? He knew the two leg-legs creatures. They hit, pinched and whispered. Why was this one acting odd?
“Why?” The cat asked. Instantly he regretted it. He knew the rules! He was meant to stay quiet! Noise meant attention! Noise meant pain, anger and death. Oddly though, this two-legs didn’t seem angry. Its posture and scent didn’t change. The two-legs mouth seemed to do something funny again but he didn’t answer instead leaving the room only to quickly return with fur of various colours.
“Here, you can sleep in these.” He placed the furs near the cat, still speaking in that same tone. “Your wounds...” Suddenly the creature's pink flesh was close. Too close for comfort. The cat hissed and immediately swiped at it. His claws sunk into the creature’s pink flesh and the cat froze. Now he was in for it. Now the two-legs would hurt him just like the others did. But all that happened was the creature’s fur on his face moved slightly. The cat sensed the creature was not very impressed by his attack. “Well, you seem to be healing nicely in any case. I’ll feed you more potions tomorrow.” The creature's tone had not changed at all. There was no anger or fear whatsoever. Then he backed off again leaving the cat, the food and the furs together while he sat in the corner on a fur-wood thing. A chair, some part of his mind whispered.
The cat eyed the food, then eyed the creature. It was a trick, his mind screamed! But he was so hungry. The creature seemed so far away. Maybe just a bite or two would be ok? The cat looked at the creature once more but now the creature seemed to be looking at… leaves? Paper! It was called paper! The cat snuck toward the food and took a bite. Oh, it was so glorious! Before the cat knew it the whole thing was gone. He hoped the two-legs would be foolish enough to give him some more! The cat burrowed into the furs he was warm, dry and full for the first time in forever and his eyes suddenly felt very heavy. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
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Living with another living creature was very unusual for Severus Snape. Most living creatures could not stand his presence. The cat was not so unusual in that regard. He (because Severus knew now it was a he) hissed, spat and hid every time he was nearby. However, there were times when the cat did not seem to mind his presence. When he provided food was undoubtedly one of them. When he was reading the kitten seemed to forget about hiding and would often spend his time staring at him. He found himself trying to talk to the cat, trying to get it more used to his presence. He was being ridiculous. As soon as the cat was healed it would undoubtedly want to leave, just like everyone else did. After all, it did hate him, just like everyone else did.
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The two-legs was definitely evil. One minute it kept trying to feed him smelly liquid, the next it was feeding him. It was baffling. The two-legs kept talking to him as well. The cat wouldn’t make the mistake of replying again. As soon as he could escape, he would.
“Stupid dunderhead,” The two-legs suddenly said and then it dropped the paper to the ground. “This is your toilet. Make sure you use it this time.” It said, before disappearing into the room the cat knew contained the smelly water the two-legs liked feeding him. Every day it was a battle between creature and cat, as the creature wanted him to drink that vile water. The liquid meant it was time for the cat to disappear, so far, he hadn’t been too successful but this time he would give the two-legs the slip!
Part of the cat was curious, however. Why did the two-legs like the paper so much? He only had a few minutes before the creature returned, but he couldn’t resist looking at the paper. On the front was a picture of a bunch of two-legs together. So many two-legs that they might be an eight-legs or even bigger! The cat looked at the paper. The paper’s squiggles seemed to transform before the cat’s eyes and he was able to make out the word ‘Minister’ before he blinked again and the words were meaningless. Then the picture moved and the cat panicked.
“Freak,” A familiar voice echoed within the cat's mind and before he knew it, he was tearing up the paper, desperate to destroy it before the dark two-legs could see. It was then that the door opened and the cat knew he might be in even more trouble. There were shards of paper everywhere and the cat was the obvious culprit. The two-legs stared at him and he stared back, too scared to do anything. Then the two-legs’ mouth did the funny thing again and the next thing the cat knew the paper was fixed.
“Feel free to tear up that dunderhead’s face as many times as you like, I assure you. No one will mind.” The cat was shocked. Why wasn’t he getting punished? If the two-legs was evil, shouldn’t he be getting hurt? The cat eyed the picture once again. It was still moving but the two-legs didn’t seem upset. Now that he thought about it hadn’t the two-legs done several strange things? He hadn’t noticed at first with his injuries and the wonderful feeling of being full but the two-legs regularly made objects fly and other unusual things. Therefore, this must be normal for a two-legs and not the cat’s fault. The cat relaxed slightly at this logic. He now had time to think. The picture was undoubtedly of many two-legs. It was still difficult to understand the two-legs but the cat knew it had said the same word ‘Dunderhead’ twice. If the dark two-legs had used the word twice while looking at the picture that must mean two-legs were Dunderheads! The cat felt very proud of this logic.
The dark Dunderhead got him some more food and the cat gobbled it up happily. Maybe... just maybe the Dunderhead wasn’t so bad. There was no doubting despite the horrible liquids the Dunderhead fed him he was getting healthier and stronger. Plus, the cave they lived in was warm, bright and spacious. Nothing like the cold wet logs, nothing like the small cramped cupboard. The cat’s happiness overtook him and suddenly he was rumbling. What was this sound he was making? He couldn’t remember making it before. The Dunderhead’s face seemed to change again and the pink flesh was reaching towards him again, slowly and carefully. The Dunderhead had tried to do this before, the cat remembered. The cat stayed very, very still. This was it. If he got hurt now he’d know the Dunderhead was evil and he’d put every effort into escaping, regardless of how good the food was. The pink flesh touched his head and… oh. Oh. This didn’t hurt. This was amazing. The pink flesh rubbed over his fur, carefully avoiding the places which were still sore. The cat’s rumbling overtook him and he was filled with an emotion he felt like he’d never experienced before- Joy. This Dunderhead wasn’t bad, the cat decided. It was kind, fed him food and kept him warm. It was his. His Dunderhead would need a name. One to distinguish it. The cat would think about it. After he finished being petted.
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Severus tried not to sigh as he noticed the kitten had done his business yet again on the blankets. Such a thing was normal when you had an animal underfoot. Severus wondered how many times today he would have to rescue the kitten from a high shelf or other situation he had got himself in. After 5 days together the kitten was finally more comfortable with him, no longer hissing and spitting, but accepting affection and exploring the room outside its small corner. Severus found himself smirking as he thought of the kitten’s various antics. He was getting himself stuck in robes, trapped in potions’ bottles and napping in cauldrons to name a few. After days of being silent (except for the yowls of protest when it came time for potions) the kitten was meowing at him. Instead of hiding it would now follow him around the room.
Severus just hoped it wouldn’t take too long to train the cat. Then he shook his head. What was he thinking, he couldn’t keep the kitten, could he? He had so many other responsibilities as Head of Slytherin, not to mention the philosopher's stone was meant to come to Hogwarts next term along with the Potter brat. Plus, what if the students took out their grievances about him on his cat? Severus would never forgive himself if that happened. The cat looked up at him with large green eyes, purred and rubbed his leg. Its coat was finally starting to look luscious and shiny; it was starting to approach a healthy weight and its wounds were nearly all gone. For once, it seemed like Severus had finally made something better instead of worse. Severus’s heart twisted for the millionth time since he found the cat. The responsible thing would be to give the cat to a shelter. He didn’t have time a for cat. But the cat could be trained, his mind whispered. There were still 4 weeks before term began. Severus wasn’t sure how long it took to train cats but maybe they could at least get the basics down like learning to stick close to Severus and going to the toilet in the right place. He shook his head. This was insanity! He couldn’t do this! He shouldn’t. The cat needed someone better than a bitter busy man.
The cat was now attempting to climb up the bookshelf and Severus had to fight down a smile. It had successfully managed to reach the third highest shelf by jumping on the chair and then climbing up his robes but it seemed to be stuck now, glaring above at the very highest shelf.
“You know you’re just going to get stuck again,” Severus said pointlessly. It’s not like the cat understood him. But over the past few days, he had gotten used to speaking to it. He would have to break that habit when the students arrived. Assuming he kept the cat. Which he wouldn’t.
The cat eyed the shelf above it, and Severus could see it trying to figure out how to climb up, after a moment of eyeballing the shelf, he lay down as Severus sighed in relief. Good, at least the creature had some common sense. Suddenly the cat leapt and Severus's heart did the same. The cat’s jump did allow it to gain lots of height but it was in vain, the angle was too awkward and now the cat was on the edge of the shelf. The cat desperately sunk its claws into a nearby book, trying to pull itself back up but it was slipping fast. Severus quickly cast a spell to slow the falling objects as the cat and several books came crashing towards the ground. Severus’s heart felt like it had stopped. Was the cat ok?
"Ouch,” The cat miaowed, not that Severus understood him.
“Oh, thank Merlin,” Severus breathed in relief. He quickly scooped up the cat and checked it over for injuries. He’d hate it if after all that work the cat had gotten injured again. Luckily everything seemed to be ok. Severus looked down at the black cat in his arms. It looked back up, its green eyes filled with trust and love. Severus’s heart felt heavy. He couldn’t remember the last time any living being had looked at him in that way. He had never been a good liar, especially to himself. There was no way he was going to give up this cat. He would find a way to make it work. Other heads of houses had had familiars over the years there was no reason why he shouldn’t as well!
Severus eyed the book that the cat had made fall. ‘Great Slytherins of the Ages’ was the book and Severus felt it was very appropriate. If the cat was going to stay with him, he would need a name. Severus picked up the book, silently repairing the damage the cat’s claws had made in the cover and sat on the nearby chair with the book and cat in his arms. Severus flipped it open. “Agatha, Winifred and Ethel, all great women, but I can’t give you a female name.” Severus mused, flipping through the book as the cat looked at the pages. “Tobias, no,” Severus gave the book a disgusted look and rather forcibly turned the page. “Bernard?” Severus questioned, looking at the discoverer of the Moon drop flower. This time the cat was giving him a disgusted look, as Severus chuckled. “That’s a no, then. Hmm…” Severus flipped a few more pages, eyes scanning the names and entries. Suddenly the cat’s paw landed on one of the pages, stopping Severus in his tracks. On the page was Emrys, more commonly known as Merlin, one of the greatest wizards of all time. “Emrys?” Severus questioned. The cat miaowed back. “Emrys,” Severus said again, and the cat- Emrys, started purring. “Emrys. That’s settled it.”
“Protector,” Emrys miaowed happily, safe and warm in Snape’s arms.
The two of them, man and cat, spent the rest of the evening in that chair. It was the first of many evenings to come. It was also the start of something better, though the two had no idea of what was ahead. That day their family began.