like Harry's.
'Pleased to meet you,' Flitwick squeaked in his high voice and beamed at the two boys.
'Pleased to meet you, Professor Flitwick,' Draco said with a tiny nod, and after a moment's hesitation, Harry copied him, words, intonation and the nod.
'I recall your mother,' Flitwick said and leaned practically onto the table so he could catch Harry's eye, where he sat between Severus and Draco. 'Very talented in Charms, Lily was. One of my best students.'
'My Mum?' Harry asked, scooting forward in his seat, curiosity overcoming his inherent wariness. 'Really?'
Flitwick grinned and nodded. 'You have her eyes, Mr. Potter. I hear you also have a certain talent for Charms.'
Harry bit his lip. 'I don't think so, sir.'
'But I've heard you can send a Patronus message already? And wandless, too, I might add.'
Harry leaned into Severus and looked up with worried eyes. 'Father?'
'He's right, Harry. The white message you send when you need help is called a Patronus. It's not a spell just anyone can learn, especially when they're young.' He curled his arm around Harry's shoulders and gave him a quick squeeze. 'The professor is giving you a compliment.'
Harry gave the diminutive man a half smile. 'Oh, er, thank you, sir.'
On his other side, Draco gaped at him. 'A Patronus? Is that what the bright light was when the squid attacked us?'
'I guess so,' Harry admitted, even as Severus said, 'Yes.'
'Wow. I mean, my Father's said that's a fifth year spell.'
'Indeed,' said Severus.
Harry just shrugged and poked at the food on his plate, and Severus noted his shrinking posture and hunched shoulders. The boy really hated having attention drawn to him. 'Draco, why don't you tell the professor about your book of logic puzzles?'
'You enjoy puzzles, young man?' Flitwick asked, and Draco perked right up and went off on a fairly in depth account of some of the brain teasers in the book he'd brought from home. Harry seemed to enjoy the puzzles as much as Draco, but Draco's chattering took the pressure off his son so he could actually eat. By the time pudding was served, Harry was eating normally -- for him, which meant he picked at small portions from a carefully guarded plate -- and listening intently to Flitwick's high pitched voice with a tiny smile.
Still, when Minerva came round to meet him a few minutes later, Harry pressed against Severus' side, trying to hide behind his robes. Severus quietly tutted his disapproval, and encouraged Harry to display proper manners after introducing her. With a wary air, Harry finally whispered, 'Pleased to meet you, ma'am,' to the stern looking matron, but ducked his head as he did so.
Minerva smiled benignly in response. 'Not quite as extroverted as his father, is he?'
Severus frowned, but this was neither the time nor place to let the staff know that Harry was his true son, as well as his adopted heir. He still had not revealed that particular truth to Harry!
'No,' he agreed instead, for it was true that Harry was not even as outgoing as Severus was. Not with adults, at least, he thought, having watched the boy with Draco -- as well as Ron and Charlie -- the past week. He gave the boy a little wink as he continued, 'But he's quite capable of answering questions
