AN: Hey, I'm not going to make excuses but I do feel bad for leaving this dangling without a word for years. Thanks to all the reviewers and alerters, especially Anne and PheonixDragonSphinx, you all spurred me into picking this back up. I haven't written like this in a long time, I mainly write essays now, so I am sorry if this is a little rusty. Bit embarrassing that my writing might've gone down hill from middle school. Anyway, thank you for waiting, patiently or no, I appreciate it if you stuck to this story.

Severus, Remus and Harry were sitting outside Florence Fortescue's, a brightly decorated ice cream parlour which Remus had recommended. Harry had already finished his ice-cream; it had been the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted, far superior to the occasional muggle ice-cream he'd salvaged from Dudley's left-lovers. It was then that he decided that he loved magic and would learn everything about it he possibly could. After all his first ever friend was a wizard, and it seemed that maybe his second ever friend would be a wizard too!

Remus was a quiet boy but he already knew a lot about the wizarding world and seemed eager to share it with his new found companions. Harry could understand that; he knew what it was to be lonely and the quiet, unsure boy reminded him of himself before he'd found himself transported into this entirely different world. Severus and Remus were talking animatedly about stuff that was going totally over his head despite his recent crash course on the wizarding world. Resolving to read his books as soon as possible, Harry tuned back into the conversation.

"Do you really think they'll start us transfiguring matchsticks?" Severus was saying indignantly, scrunching his noise a little.

"That's what my mother told me. Apparently it helps us learn the basic theory of visual transfiguration by starting with similar objects", said Remus, sounding confident now that the conversation had turned more academic.

"Still…" Severus muttered, "I do wish we'd learn something more practical"

Despite his disgruntled tone, Harry could tell that Severus had a newfound respect for the sandy haired boy.

"Where is your mother?" Harry piped up. He had become used to relative independence but he knew other families rarely let their young ones out of their sight.

"She's a healer, on call you know. Didn't want to leave me but I know my way around the alley pretty well, I'm supposed to floo home soon" Remus didn't seem particularly comfortable with the subject so Harry let it drop before Severus could let his sometimes quite insensitive nature out and upset Remus.

"Floo?" Harry queried instead.

"You don't know what floo is?" Remus relpied, looking pretty confused. "You can't be muggleborn or you'd be with one of the Hogwarts professors and you'd not know so much about magic besides."

"We're not" assured Severus quickly, "we just, uh, are living in a muggle orphanage right now"

Severus's face appeared impassive but Harry knew him well enough to tell by the slight reddening of his ears that Severus was quite ashamed of their situation and was waiting for their new friend's reaction with trepidation.

Remus's brows had furrowed slightly but he didn't seem upset or, worse, pitying. Instead he just appeared confused.

"If you're wizard born then why did you end up with muggles. My, uh, father was a muggle and from what I can remember he didn't like wizards much, and wizards didn't much like him. Bit like oil and water, he used to say", pain shone in Remus's eyes but he seemed genuinely bewildered why neither of their wizarding relations had taken them in.

Severus looked seriously uncomfortable with this question and made desperate eye contact with Harry clearly indicating: 'distract him or else' in a way that only Harry caught. That was easy, Harry thought. He certainly had a weird enough back story-false or no-.

"Well, look, please don't tell anyone but I don't know! I've been obliviated. Professor Dumbledore said he'd get someone to look at me but as I'm sure you know...that kind of thing is almost impossible to undo even by specialists."

Remus paled and looked sorry he'd asked, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of-", he began before being cut off by Harry. "Don't worry about it, you have nothing to be sorry for.", and how true that was Harry thought as Severus and Remus once again began conversing about Hogwarts. It was he who was lying to his friend and it made him sick to his stomach but really, what choice did Harry have? If there was one thing living with the Dursley's had taught him it was that one should always keep their cards close to his chest. He'd seen a show on the telly once that Dudley had been watching before Aunt Petunia had made him turn it off because it had 'funny business'. In it a man had travelled back in time and had been discovered and then locked up and experimented on while used for his future knowledge, all by the government. Harry didn't want that, and besides Harry didn't want to go back. He liked this strange, new life he was leading. He didn't even know if Hogwarts still existed in his time, although Petunia's dislike for the abnormal made him suspect it did. But even then, Harry liked Severus, he was his best friend and Harry didn't want to leave him. Ever. Harry would do everything he could to make sure he could stay with new friends, even if it meant he had to lie to them.

In the wee hours of September 1st , Harry was sitting on his bed at Sunnyvale Orphanage, twirling his wand absently in his hands as he remembered the thrill of receiving it barely a month ago. It was holly with phoenix feather. Only 11" long and yet it felt perfect in his grip. It'd just been Severus in the store with him, Remus had had to rush home with promises to write after Severus and Harry, who saw no need not to share, had purchased a regal black owl from Eyelops Emporium. Severus and Harry had then headed towards Olivanders to make their last, and certainly most important, purchase.

The, quite frankly rather creepy, old man had begun with inquiring after Severus's mother and more importantly her wand, because apparently Olivander's 'omniscience' didn't let him spot a sensitive subject from a mile away. Still Severus had appeared pleased to hear of his mother's willow wand and predisposition towards potions. Olivander had sensed his Potter blood and inquired after his parentage to which Harry had just shrugged and muttered something about 'being here for wands not an interrogation'. Harry knew he needed to get over the fact that he'd have to pretend he was an unwanted bastard, which for all he knew could be true, but something stung in Harry at having to once again go along with the Dursley's stories of his no good,irresponsible father. Olivander, apparently oblivious to their discomfort has asked one of them to step forward and be chose by a wand. Always the more confident in wizarding matters, Severus had gone first and found his wand within 20 minutes. It was made of ebony and unicorn hair; dark on the outside yet pure inside, it was perfect for Severus. Harry however had taken far longer to find his wand. So long in fact, that Harry had began to doubt he really was a wizard. Olivander however had appeared delighted, gleeful clucking, "Tricky customer,eh?" as Harry tried wand after wand. Finally the old man had placed a thin light wand in his hand and he had suddenly known. It had felt like the world had suddenly clicked into place, as if the whole world made sense. He felt a sense of connection, of rightness that he had never experienced before. The wand must've felt it too for it had glowed and tingled in his hand. Harry Potter had finally found his wand.

Holding it now he still felt that connection, though it was no longer as bright and jarring. I was the connection he felt to the wand and to magic itself, that had spurred him, even more than keeping up with Severus, to learn as much about magic as he could. After he and Severus had exited the shop they had finally meet Professor McGonagall who was scanning the street looking quite flustered and anxious until she'd spotted the two boys. She hadn't been able to find them in the crowded pre Hogwarts rush and had feared they'd gotten lost and wandered into places they shouldn't. Harry hadn't even cared when she'd insisted they return to the orphanage at once, even though Severus appeared quite disgruntled at being ordered out of the Alley.

August had passed quickly with the duo frantically studying for Hogwarts which had Harry joking that despite Severus's Slytherin ambitions he'd be sent to Ravenclaw. Sev had merely sneered at Harry but the quick flash of uncertainty had shown that Severus was worried he wouldn't make it into his mother's house. Houses too worried Harry, but for different reasons. He had no clue what house his parent's had been in, if they'd even gone to Hogwarts .To his shock he'd realized that they might already be at Hogwarts but he had no idea what year they'd been born. In a moment of idle curiousity he'd figured they should be at least 3rd or 4th years but he honestly didn't care; he'd never known his parents and he'd already resolved to immerse himself in this new life with his best friend Severus. It was the thought of being separated from Severus that had kept him up late into the night. He wondered if this made him weak and needy, he'd never needed anyone before but back then he hadn't known what it was to have a best friend or dare he say it—a brother. Little did he know that in his own bed, Severus Snape was having similar thoughts.

Please Review, I'd love any and all criticism and/or comments that you might have. Reviews spurred me to pick this story up again. I read them all and welcome your feedback.