The Nice School of Magic
by Healer Pomfrey

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.

Severus Snape stared at the house in Godric's Hollow in shock. His former wife dead, her second husband too, and his child was being brought away by Hagrid.

'No,' his unconsciousness shouted. 'He belongs to me.' But he was so deep in shock that not a word left his mouth as he stood there, mourning about the love of his life. Wrapped up in dark thoughts, he returned to Hogwarts.

HP

Back in the solace of his quarters, Severus spent the night mourning, unable to prevent himself from crying. However, early in the morning, he decided that he had to get a grip on himself and be strong - for his son.

As soon as he could assume that the headmaster had to be up and about, he found himself on his way to the old wizard's office.

"How nice of you to visit me on this happy day," Albus greeted him, offering a lemon drop - a gesture that used to drive Severus nuts, considering that the headmaster should have comprehended by now that Severus greatly disliked such kind of sweets.

"For me, this day is everything else than happy," Severus replied, grumpier than he usually conversed with the headmaster. "I know that the Dark Lord is gone for now, but Lily was my former wife. I only let her go because I thought she'd be safer with Potter," he blurted out. "Where is Harry by the way?" he then queried. "He's my son, and I wish to take him in."

"No my boy," that's not possible," Dumbledore replied in a stern voice. "It's adamant that he stays with his relatives, as Petunia will be able to keep the boy safe."

Severus let out a snort. "She hates magic with a passion." He pulled a copy of his copy of Lily's and James' will out of his robe pocket and handed it to the headmaster.

"Harry is supposed to live with his father, Severus Snape, or if that's impossible for some reason, with his godparents Alice Longbottom or Sirius Black. Under no circumstances is he to be placed with Petunia Dursley," he cited from the will.

"Severus," Albus replied in a strict voice. "I know about the circumstances better than Lily and James did, and it is absolutely necessary for the boy to live with his relatives. You better remember this if you wish to remain at Hogwarts."

"Yes sir," Severus replied, clearly feeling himself dismissed. 'You're not going to play with me, old man,' he thought, grimly, as he returned to the dungeons. 'Especially not on the cost of my son.'

Glad that it was the weekend, he spent the whole day pondering what to do. Finally, he had an idea, which he considered during the following weeks, before he spoke with Minerva and Poppy, his best friends, about it. They were the only people, who had known about his marriage with Lily and about the fact that little Harry was his son.

"I'm considering leaving Hogwarts and claiming Harry as my son," he told his friends, when the three of them had tea in his quarters on New Year's Eve.

"What?" Minerva blurted out, seemingly shocked.

"Severus, don't make any rushed decisions," Poppy advised him.

Severus rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Apart from the fact that both of you should know me better, if I wanted to make rushed decisions, I'd already have collected Harry from his atrocious relatives. In fact, I'm making a plan..." He slowly trailed off, not one hundred percent certain if he was ready to already share his idea with his colleagues.

Seeing his friends stare at him in expectation, he explained, "When Lily married Potter, he gave her a huge Manor that his family owned in the South of France. I have once been there together with Lily, James and Harry. I don't know if you're aware of the fact that Lily was a Seer. Anyway, she knew that she and James were going to die, which is why she gave me a copy of their will, and which is also why she gave the Manor to Harry and me."

"Don't tell me you're going to live far away, just with Harry," Minerva replied, giving him a confused look.

Severus smirked. "Well," he said, thoughtfully. "Not exactly. I was rather thinking of using the Manor to found a new, magical school. Maybe even some British students would prefer a school right on the Mediterranean sea to Hogwarts, which is controlled by an old coot?"

Minerva and Poppy exchanged a glance.

"Very well, headmaster Snape, are you still in need of a healer and a Transfiguration professor?" Minerva queried, apparently highly amused.

"Rolanda will join us in any case. Let's plan everything in detail over the next few months," Poppy suggested. "Maybe we can go and have a look sometime during the summer holidays."

"That's a good idea," Minerva agreed immediately, giving Severus a questioning look.

"Of course," the Potions Master concurred, inwardly feeling very much relieved by his friends' reactions.

"I'll carefully speak with Pomona and Filius," Poppy promised, causing Minerva to nod, eagerly.

"Albus won't know what happened," she threw in, grinning. "But he really deserves it for leaving Harry at the Dursleys'. I'm very much upset with him, too."

HP

The three friends planned their stunt very carefully. During the following five years, they visited the Manor, which was situated on the outskirts of Nice just beside a large, white beach, at every opportunity - sometimes even during the weekends. First, they planned the school in detail. The Manor was a three-storey building facing the sea. The first floor was supposed to house an entrance hall, equipped with a large fireplace, suitable for international Floo travel, a huge dining hall, an enormous library that could well rival the one at Hogwarts as well as study rooms for each year, while all the classrooms should be situated on the second floor, facing the back garden. On the sea side of the second floor were the teachers' offices. The third floor was going to contain the common rooms for each year, the dormitories and on the other side of the floor the teachers' private quarters as well as the hospital wing.

Thirty house-elves were living at the Manor, and Severus, Minerva and Poppy instructed them in detail what changes they wanted to be done before they were going to come back to the Manor the next time.

HP

While being at Hogwarts, Minerva used her connections to contact several people, who she deemed suitable as teachers for the new school, and of whom she knew that they were not overly close to Albus Dumbledore. She also made an exact copy of the book of magical children in Britain.

Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick immediately decided to join their colleagues. However, Severus and his friends decided to wait a few years and only open the school, when Harry was eight years old. The school was going to take students from the age of eight, so that the boy could become a first-year student right away.

However, in the summer before Harry was going to become six, something happened that made Severus spontaneously change his plan.

HP

Since the headmaster had forbidden him to maintain any contact whatsoever to Harry, Severus did not go to openly visit his son. However, he made it a habit to travel to the Dursleys' residence during the nights from Saturday to Sunday. Knowing that the headmaster usually went to bed at midnight at the latest, he apparated to Little Whinging around that time and entered the small cupboard, where his son was residing, in his Animagus form. Reaching the cupboard, he transformed into his human form and magically checked on his child.

Soon after Harry had been taken to his atrocious relatives, he had already noticed that they obviously neglected him, which was why he spelled a strong nutrient potion into the boy's system every time he went to check on the child.

Sometimes, the boy was ill - in fact much too often for Severus' liking - and was in dire need of potions, of which Severus always carried a small assortment with him when he visited his son.

One night, when Severus transformed into his human form, the boy was awake and spoke to him.

"Hello," Harry addressed him in a small voice. "Who are you? Are you the kind person who always makes me feel well overnight?"

"Hello Harry," Severus whispered back. "I'm your daddy, Harry, and in two more years, I'm going to take you away from here," he promised the boy.

"But you can't be my daddy," Harry replied, incredulously. "I'm only Harry, a freak and a burden to all the good people."

Severus stared at the boy, incredulously, however, his disbelief turned into rage when the child continued.

"I had hoped that you'd come tonight, because my head and my eyes hurt so much."

"What happened?" Severus asked, alarmed, unsure if the boy would panic upon seeing him pointing his wand at him, as he surely was not used to magic. He listened, impatiently, when the boy mumbled something about accidentally burning dinner and having been hit with the hot fry pan.

"Harry," he interrupted the boy. "I'm going to take my wand and check on you now. Then I'll see what I can do to make you better. All right?"

Apparently, the boy felt too miserable to care and merely nodded, before he gripped his head at the pain, which the small movement had caused. Severus carefully cast a diagnostic spell that revealed that the boy was suffering from a concussion, light burns on his head and a moderate fever.

Severus' decision was spontaneous but firm. After spelling a few potions straight into the boy's system, he whispered to his son in determination. "Harry, do you want to come with me and live with me?"

"Yes," Harry replied, giving him a hopeful look.

"All right, son. Hold on tightly," Severus said in a soft voice and apparated away, cradling the child close.

tbc... (if there is enough positive interest, otherwise I will only continue it on FB)