Bright and early on Saturday morning found Harry at the table along with Professor Snape the next morning for breakfast. He had woken up early and decided to get breakfast prepared for the two of them. Not really up to making it himself, he had called down for Dobby, who had been more than happy to make up a delightful breakfast for his Harry Potter.

Now, the two sat in companionable silence, each eating their food quietly so as not to disturb the other. Severus could tell something was disturbing Harry, but was hoping the boy would discuss it with him before he’d have to ask. And he didn’t even know if Harry would want to talk to him on the matter bothering him. He had sensed a falling out of sorts with his friend Ron, and even some of the other Gryffindors. He had watched from the head table in the Great Hall this past week, as Harry sat willingly by himself, intentionally coming in only after his friends had seated themselves at the table. Harry would then sit down at the end of the table by himself. The only person he would allow next to him was Fred Weasley. Severus thought this odd, but didn’t comment on it last night.

Now, he hoped Harry would open up to him, since they were in what Harry was quickly considering his second rooms. Gryffindor tower would always be considered first, he knew, but he knew things would eventually change. Harry hadn’t even spent but a weekend at his country home, and even then he hadn’t experienced the joys of the land there. He hoped Harry would consider Snape Manor his home, soon. They would be going there soon, for Christmas Holiday.

Bringing his mind back to the matter at hand, he cleared his voice, attempting to get Harry’s attention. The boy looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I’ve noticed that you and your friends seem to have had a disagreement this past week. Do you have anything you wish to discuss with me?” he asked, trying not to sound too forceful.

He carefully watched Harry for his reaction, but none were forthcoming. He merely sighed.

“They’re just suspicious.” he said.

Severus raised an eyebrow this time. “Suspicious? Of what?”

“Ron and his big mouth decided he would tell the twins and, Neville of all people, about the bruises on my body!” he yelled, incensed as he still hadn’t discussed the situation with his friends, even though Fred had been trying to convince him to for the past week or so. “As if he had the right!”

Snape grimaced. That was incredibly stupid on Weasley’s account. “Did he now?”

“Yes! And then they tried to pull some kind of stupid intervention! I was completely unprepared to deal with that. They think it’s my Uncle. I can’t believe they were actually that close to the truth. Have I really been that obvious?” he wondered, forgetting that Snape was still even in the room.

“Considering most of us, myself included, knew not of what happened at your relatives, I’d say not. However, perhaps you’re defenses aren’t as strong as they once were. You’re not alone any longer…you feel safe?” Snape wasn’t really sure what he was getting at, but hoped he was spewing out some kind of wisdom, otherwise Harry would just think he’d gone nutters.

But Harry merely nodded. “I guess you’re right, in a way.” he agreed with the older man.

Severus sat back in his chair, thinking back on what the child had said. “An intervention?” he asked. “That was actually a rather good idea, especially coming from the Weasley boy.” he said more to himself than to Harry. He chose to ignore the scowl he received.

“You think it was a good idea?” asked Harry angrily. “It was none of their damn business! What right did Ron have by telling all of my friends something so personal? I thought I could trust him! And you think it’s a good idea! Are you going to go spout off to the staff too? Why not just make a bloody announcement tonight at dinner!”

Snape scowled at his charge. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” he said, just as angrily. “Think about it Harry, they care for you, otherwise they wouldn’t have put out the effort of forming an intervention. You’re lucky to have them as friends, most don’t. They were trying to give you a way to speak with them about the subject, as they obviously know you would never bring it up yourself.” he said flatly.

Harry sat silently in his chair, smarting slightly from the tone Severus had used with him. “I don’t want to talk to them.” he answered.

“Then don’t.” remarked Snape. “Keep your feelings locked up inside yourself, as it’s always worked so well for you in the past.” he said, his sarcasm evident.

Harry growled. “What would you know, you’ve only been in my life as a caring adult for six months. And sometimes the caring part is questionable!” he yelled, letting his anger get the better of him. He knew Snape cared about him and immediately regretted saying those words. He slammed his hand down on the table and stood up. “Just ignore me, I’m too upset to talk rationally, so I’m just not going to say anything at all.” he murmured, and turned to leave the room.

“Harry.” Snape said softly, causing Harry to glance back at him.

“Yeah?” he whispered, suddenly tired.

“I do care about you. Do you realize that?” he asked, keeping eye contact with the younger boy.

Harry stood rooted to the spot. Somehow, he was actually surprised to hear those words, even though he suspected before that they were true. He supposed somewhere in the back of his mind, he had been wondering how the man felt about him.

Severus saw the surprise in Harry’s eyes and sighed. He regretted not telling the boy how he felt about him. He knew he needed to, but just assumed the boy had figured it out. He should have known better.

“I do, Harry, care about you.” he said, feeling awkward. It had been so long since he had even uttered those words that he honestly couldn’t remember when he had. Perhaps he never did…until now.

Harry smiled shyly. “I’m sorry I said that you didn’t.” he murmured. He wasn’t sure if he could say the words back, having never said them before. He shrugged, not knowing what else to do. Wordlessly, he quickly reclaimed the distance between them and gave the man a hasty hug before immediately pulling back. “I’ve got to go talk to my friends.” he said, briefly meeting Severus’ gaze.

Snape nodded, and Harry bolted out the door. The Potions Professor laughed lightly. He knew what Harry was doing, knew that was the only way he knew how to say he cared as well.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Harry’s determined stride kept most people at bay, as he hastily made his way to Gryffindor Tower. If he was going to do this, he knew he’d have to do it now, while he still had the courage. And it helped that he was still extremely giddy after his talk with Severus. He muttered the password to the Fat Lady and entered as the portrait swung open. He saw that Fred and George were sitting at a table in the corner talking amongst themselves, and that Ron and Hermione were sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. He started when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Harry.” said a familiar voice from behind him. Harry briefly smiled upon recognizing Neville.

“Hey, Nev.” he returned.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Harry sighed, not really wanting to interrupt his determination to have a conversation with Neville, but when he saw the desperation in the boy’s eyes, he knew he wouldn’t be able to say no. Throwing a despairing glance back towards the common room, he followed Neville back into the hallway. He didn’t figure he’d get the courage to face them again.

“What is it, Neville?” he asked, leaning up against the wall.

Neville paced nervously in front of him. “Harry..” he began, then stopped abruptly.

Harry watched his dorm mate curiously. “Neville, is something wrong?” he asked, worried about the boy’s behavior.

“It wasn’t Ron.” he suddenly blurted out, and then flushed embarrassed.

Harry was confused. “What wasn’t Ron?”

“He didn’t tell about your, well… you know.” he said, and motioned covertly at his body, and mouthed the word ‘bruises’ to the other boy.

Harry’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying, Neville?” he asked, getting frustrated with his friend.

Neville sighed in resignation. “Harry, I overheard Ron and Hermione talking that first night back.” He began, and understanding began to dawn on Harry’s face. “Yeah…I knew about the bruises then, but didn’t know if you would appreciate it much if I approached you about them. So, I kept quiet. Then, I heard Fred and George talking about something, and I took it out of context. I thought Ron had told them about the bruises, but he hadn’t, and then I opened my huge mouth and let out your secret. That’s why they all know, Harry. It was my fault, not Ron’s.” he said dejectedly. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me?” he asked.

Harry sighed. The damage was done, no use holding a grudge over it. “Don’t worry, Neville. No hard feelings. I think you might have actually done me a favor. I was about to talk to them about all of this anyways. If you hadn’t spilled the beans, I’d probably have never told anyone about it. And, well…I think I need to.” he replied quietly.

Neville’s eyes grew large. “Oh!” he said, not sure what else to say. “Now?” he asked when neither had made a move to go into the Common Room.

Harry closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. “I think so.” he said, still not moving for the portrait.

The clumsy Gryffindor smiled encouragingly. “Come on Harry, it’ll be okay.” He said, and whispered the password to the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open once more and Neville waited patiently in front of it. “You can do this, Harry. You don’t need to be afraid, we’ll be there for you, no matter what.” He implored the other boy, trying to convince him to unload some of his burden on his friends.

Harry finally nodded and followed the teen into the Common Room. He stood silently on the lavish maroon rug that sat in the middle of the floor, getting a hold of himself. He noticed that all of his friends were staring at him expectantly. Their concern for him was almost overwhelming, but he was able to control his desire to flee from the room. “Come on, I need to talk to you.” he finally rasped out.

He watched as the others immediately jumped up from their seated positions and followed him out of the Common Room and into the hallways. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but knew they had to find a place where no one would overhear their conversation. He was suddenly struck with an idea and without checking to see if the others were following him, made his way up a few flights of stairs. He walked back a forth a few times and then a door appeared. He had discovered this little secret place earlier on accident. He turned when he heard a surprised gasp from behind.

He smirked. “Found it once a while back.” he explained. “I just remembered it, and thought it would come in handy. The room pretty much develops into a room that fits your requirements.” He shrugged at their surprised expressions and opened the door. He wasn’t surprised to find that the room looked a lot like their own Common Room. He felt comfortable there, and the only reason he hadn’t stayed there in the first place was because of all the others that had been occupying the room at the time.

He watched apprehensively as the others quickly took their seats. Hermione and Ron were on the couch in front of the fireplace, while Fred plopped himself into the large chair, George at his feet. Neville took the seat opposite the twins. Harry remained standing in front of them. He wasn’t sure how to start and fidgeted nervously in front of his friends. He ended up sitting down carefully onto the coffee table facing the others.

“This isn’t easy for me, guys, so please don’t interrupt, okay?” he asked, drawing his knees up to his chest. He was unconsciously trying to hide.

“We won’t Harry, we promise.” said George, and the rest nodded their agreement as well.

“Okay.” said Harry, weakly. He took a deep breath and began his torturous tale. He began with Professor Snape saving him from his Uncle, which came to no big surprise to the other Gryffindors. They knew Harry’s Uncle was a bastard. Harry told them of their guide onto the mountain, how he had tried to steal his money, and then how he had become violent towards him. He had to pause to let the other’s gain control over their anger when he explained how Jeb had attempted to drown him. But, they kept their promise and didn’t interrupt his flow of rushed words.

“It’ll get worse.” He warned, ducking his head in shame. He pulled his hand roughly through his hair and began once more. “Jeb kidnapped me after we destroyed…well, I can’t really talk about that, I don’t think. But, he took me to this underground hidey-hole thing that he referred to as a shack, and…” he paused and shook his head. “He beat me up, basically.”

Ron couldn’t hold in his anger any longer. “I’m sorry Harry, but I’ve got to say something before I burst!” he was furious. “I swear, If I ever meet that man, I’ll kill him!” he exclaimed, and Harry sighed as he watched everyone else nod in agreement, anger clearly shown on all their faces.

“He’s already dead.” Harry stated flatly.

“What?” asked Hermione, shocked. “What…what happened?”

Harry grimaced, knowing this story was just getting worse and worse. “Severus cursed him and he ended up flying into a tree. A branch impaled his heart and he died.” he stated.

“Why was Professor Snape cursing him, Harry?” asked Fred, sensing that Harry had left out a vital part of that story.

Harry shot a glare at his red-haired friend. He sighed and spoke quickly. “He had been strangling me at the time, and Severus wasn’t close enough to throw him off, so he cursed him.”

A muttered curse caused him to lift his lowered head, and he was pleased to notice there was only concern and worry shining in his friend’s eyes. “You aren’t still hurt or anything, are you? I mean, I know quite a few months have passed, but I noticed you seemed sore for quite a while.” Asked Hermione, ever worried about her friend’s well being.

“The bruises were really bad, Hermione.” stated Ron, realizing that Harry didn’t want to talk about that.

Harry smiled gratefully at Ron. He sighed once more, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted. “Surprisingly, I’m kind of glad I finally told someone. It’s been hard keeping it all to myself.” he murmured, not really caring if they heard him or not.

Fred stood and clapped Harry gently on the shoulder. “I’m glad you decided to tell us, Har.”

“Me too.”

Neville stood from the armchair he had dropped into when they had first arrived. “Well, I’m really glad you told us Harry. I told you it wouldn’t be that bad.” He whispered into his ear. Louder, he said. “I’ve really got to get back, I’ve got to finish my Potions assignment or I’ll never get it done.” He said, frowning at the thought. I’ll see you guys later?” he asked.

“Sure thing, Nev. See you later.” They all waved at the departing boy as the door shut behind him.

“It is getting late.” remarked Ron. “It’s almost time for dinner. I don’t know about you all, but I’m starved.” he said, his stomach growling almost in time with his words.

Fred and George laughed at their younger brother. “You’re always hungry, little brother.”

Ron shrugged. “Yeah, so?” he asked.

“Let’s go then, before he starves to death.” said Harry, shoving them towards the door. He was glad they had let the subject go when he did, he didn’t think he could stand to talk about it anymore.

Fred and George ended up on either side of Harry, each with an arm draped over Harry’s shoulders. He was really glad he had talked to someone. Maybe things were going to turn out all right after all.

……………………………………………………………….

Severus Snape finished scolding the Ravenclaw who had stupidly started a fight with an older Slytherin, sending the Ravenclaw boy to detention with Filch later that night. He was casually walking down the corridor when he saw Harry and his friends heading down the stairs. He was pleased to see that they were all talking companionably. He could tell just by looking at the boy that he had told them. He was glad Harry had confided in them, maybe now he’d be able to relax, no longer having to hide that terrible secret.

Turning in the opposite direction, he headed for the dungeons, wanting to change robes before heading down to the Great Hall. The Ravenclaw had managed to spill some unknown substance all over his robes. Disgusting.

“Professor Snape.”

Severus turned around, expecting to see one of his colleagues. It was…but not the one he was expecting.

“Professor Dillard.” he said. “Is there something you needed?”

Oddly, this was the first time he had really even talked to the man, let alone look at him closely. He looked really familiar. “Have we met before?” he asked.

The other man glared at him, surprising Snape.

“Can I take that as a yes?” he asked, returning the glare with full force. He smirked when the other man took a step away from him.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” spat Dillard.

“What are you talking about? Have we met, then?” he asked.

Professor Dillard gave Severus a look of disgust. “If you can’t seem to pull my face out of your memories, I’m not going to help you with it. Figure it out yourself!” he hissed venomously, and spun away from him, stalking back down the corridor.

Severus watched the younger Professor until he was out of sight. That was a strange encounter if there ever was one. He honestly couldn’t remember who he was. But his face had seemed familiar to him. Hopefully, it would come to him. He made a mental note to speak with Dumbledore about the man. Perhaps he could shed some light on the matter.

Mumbling to himself about annoying teachers, he strode once more down to the dungeons, robes billowing menacingly behind him.

………………………………………………………………………

“Well, I’m gonna go talk to Professor Snape for a bit before I head back up to the tower, okay?” said Harry, wanting to tell his guardian what had happened.

“All right Harry, we’ll see you later then.” said Ron and Hermione.

Fred placed a hand on Harry’s back, “Don’t be too late getting back, okay?” he said, acting the part of the over protective brother. Harry was secretly happy about the way Fred had been acting towards him lately.

“Yes, Fred. I’ll be back before curfew, I promise.” he said, smiling.

He watched his friends heading up the stairs before turning down to the dungeons. He was actually concerned. Professor Snape hadn’t been at dinner, and he wanted to make sure he was okay.

He had just turned a corner when arms grabbed him from behind and swung him into the air. He was so shocked, he let out a startled scream. His first thought was that it was Professor Dillard. “Stop it!” he screamed. He was immediately put down and strong arms turned him around.

“Harry, it’s just us!” exclaimed Sirius, worried he had scared Harry so badly. “I’m so sorry, are you alright?” he asked. Remus placed a calming hand on his shoulder as well.

“Harry!” a voice yelled from down the corridor. He could hear running footsteps and knew whom the voice belonged to.

His friends rounded the corner, looking worried and absolutely ready to defend their friend from whatever had made him scream. They stopped short when they saw Sirius and Remus.

“Harry?” asked Fred. “You okay?”

Harry smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, Sirius just kinda freaked me out just then, but I’m fine.”

“Good, we were really worried for a minute there.” said Hermione, still breathing hard from running.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” he muttered, feeling incredibly foolish for reacting like that.

“It’s okay, Harry. We’ll, I guess we really will be leaving you this time. See you in the Common Room. Bye Sirius, Remus.” Said George, leading the others back down the hallway.

“Yeah, bye.” said Harry, knowing they hadn’t heard him.

Sirius slowly lowered his arm across Harry’s shoulders, not wanting to frighten him again. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, still looking concerned.

Harry smiled. “Yes, you just really had me surprised. I didn’t even hear you behind me.” he explained.

“We’re you going to Professor Snape’s?” asked Remus.

Harry nodded.

“We’ll escort you, how about that?” asked Sirius.

“Sure.”

They walked him to Severus’ quarters, making idle chit chat on the way.

“Where have you two been lately?” he asked.

Sirius and Remus both shrugged, neither giving out too much information. “Nothing much, Dumbledore needed us to do something for him, and otherwise, we’ve just been hanging around at my home.” explained Sirius. “How’s school coming along?”

Harry shrugged. “Fine.”

Sirius knocked on Severus’ door. “Well kiddo, we’re going to be around for a while, so we’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked. The door opened then, and Severus watched the scene curiously.

“Coming in?” he asked.

“Just Harry, we’ve got to speak with Albus.” explained Remus. “Have a good night, Harry.” he said. Sirius gave Harry a quick hug before they too disappeared down the corridor.

Harry walked in and closed the door behind him.