And so Harry's new life began.

It really wasn't so different from the first weeks he'd lived with Severus, except that then he'd known the situation was only temporary...they'd always planned for him to go back to classes once his arms had been healed. Now that wasn't an option.

The other main difference was that before Harry had studied alone while Severus had been teaching, and now Severus was with him all day. But that was a good difference. He enjoyed Severus' company, and the professor was a very good tutor.

Severus was skilled in all other magical subjects, except for Divination, but as Harry had dropped that subject, it didn't really matter. Besides being talented and knowledgeable, Severus also seemed to be making a great effort to explain things well and to be patient and encouraging. Harry sometimes wondered in amazement if this were the same Professor Snape who had been infamous for ridiculing and taunting students.

Harry was surprised at how quickly the days settled into a comfortable routine, and at how content he was. He missed being free to roam the school, but Severus' rooms were really his now, too, and having his own home after so many lonely years was a great gift. Harry didn't take it for granted.

They woke at the usual early hour, ate breakfast together, and then began work, following Harry's previous class schedule...Herbology, Defense, and Potions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and double Transfiguration, double Charms, and History of Magic on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

They finished studying in the mid-afternoon, and Harry's friends usually Flooed down soon afterwards. Ron and Hermione came almost every day, sometimes staying on for dinner as well, and Ginny, Luna, and Neville came fairly often too, though they went back up to the Great Hall to eat. And then in the evenings, Severus and Harry worked on Occlumency together.

To Harry's dismay, Occlumency was not progressing well. He had mastered the first step of relaxing and clearing his mind, but he just couldn't seem to build an adequate wall around his secret thoughts. Severus could break through his defenses without any trouble at all. The professor kept reassuring him that it would just take time, but it was frustrating all the same, especially since Harry's nightmares continued to plague him.

Potions wasn't going particularly well, either. With Severus' help, Harry was learning to figure out Golpalott's Laws, and he could answer questions and write decent essays on the topic. But his practical work was a mess. He'd never realized before how much he depended on Hermione in Potions, but now that she wasn't around to work with, he found himself bungling the simplest steps. He kept waiting nervously for Severus to get angry, but the professor managed to remain calm, and kept telling Harry to relax, but that was easier said than done. Harry had always hated Potions and he doubted that would ever change.

Fortunately, everything else was going great. In Transfiguration, Charms, and especially in Defense, he made fantastic progress. With one on one attention from Severus and being able to learn at his own pace, Harry was flying through the textbooks, and Severus said that they would likely begin work on seventh-year material after the Christmas holidays.

One afternoon, a few days into the new routine, Severus had gone back to his office to look over an essay Harry had written, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were alone in the living room.

Ron cast the Muffliato spell so they wouldn't be overheard and leaned closer to Harry, saying in a low voice, "So, Harry, are you really all right with this? Being here all the time, I mean?"

Harry bit his lip. "Well, I do wish I could go to class and eat in the Great Hall and hang out in our common room sometimes, but I like living here. I really do. It's..." he hesitated. "It's kind of like my first real home. I guess that sounds crazy to you guys, but..."

Hermione shook her head. "It doesn't sound crazy, Harry. We know that Privet Drive has never been a home for you, and if you're happy here, then we're happy for you."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "We just want to make sure you're okay with things. Cause if you were really unhappy, we could go to Dumbledore and maybe..."

"No," Harry stopped him. "Thanks, but no. I do miss all the other stuff, but I'm glad Severus has let me stay here, and I think if I sent you off to Dumbledore to complain, that that would really hurt him. I won't do that. Besides, Severus and Dumbledore do have a point. I am safer here, with Severus with me all the time. Ever since I woke up and learned about that necklace, I keep thinking, what if it had been a Portkey? What if it had taken me back to Voldemort?"

His nightmares about being captured and tortured had grown even worse too, but he didn't mention that.

"But I thought Professor Snape said it couldn't have been a Portkey," Hermione said quietly, for once his initial fear and anger over Harry being harmed had passed, Severus had reassured them all that there were strong anti-Portkey spells around Hogwarts.

"Yeah, I know, but the necklace wasn't supposed to be inside Hogwarts at all, and if someone figured out a way to smuggle it in, who's to say they couldn't make a Portkey work, too?" Harry asked. "After what happened to me in the summer, I know I have to be more careful. I couldn't survive anything like that again."

Ron and Hermione were quiet a moment, both looking a little unsettled. Finally they nodded.

"We miss you, Harry, but I guess you do need to stay here," Hermione said.

Harry tried to smile. "At least Severus lets you come down every day. If I couldn't see you at all, I don't think I could survive that either."

"Professor Snape has turned out to be pretty nice this year," Hermione remarked, sounding slightly puzzled. "I am really happy, for your sake, especially, Harry. But doesn't it seem a little odd, sometimes? You're living here, and the two of you are actually fond of one another." She shook her head in amazement. "Who'd have ever thought that could happen?"

"Dumbledore," Harry answered. "He's always thought that we could learn to get along. It's why he kept trying to push us together."

"I guess he was right," Ron said. "But it does seem a bit surreal at times."

"Well, Severus used to think I was spoiled and arrogant," Harry explained. "I think he imagined the Dursleys waiting on me hand and foot."

Ron snorted.

"Yeah, that's rich, isn't it?" Harry agreed with a wry grin. "But once he found out that I really wasn't like that, things started getting better. It's like we got to know each other, and found out we weren't so bad after all."

"He used to blame you for everything just cause he didn't like your dad, too," Ron pointed out.

Harry sighed, and ignored the little stab of hurt that Ron's words caused. It was true, wasn't it? And it did still hurt when he remembered how Severus had once treated him. But that was all over and done with, and everything was different now. He and Severus were really close. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

"Well, he did actually have a good reason for not liking my dad. I can't tell you about it...it's not my secret to share. But I can't blame Severus for how he feels about my dad."

"Maybe, but it was still rotten for him to take things out on you." Ron refused to budge from his point.

"It was, but it's over, and Severus is sorry for how he treated me then. We're all right now, Ron. You know we are," Harry said.

Ron slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. And if you've forgiven him, that's all that matters to us."

Hermione nodded as well.

Harry looked at both of them and smiled. "Thanks," he said softly. "You know, I was worried at first, about how you would react when Severus and I started getting along better. You both hated him, too, and I thought you might not handle it well."

"We didn't actually hate..." Hermione began.

Ron interrupted. "Yeah, we did. But the main reason we hated him, Harry, was because he hurt you. But if you and Sn...Professor Snape have got everything worked out, and obviously you have, then we can deal with it."

Hermione reached to take Harry's hand. "We're glad you've found someone who cares for you, Harry. Someone like a father, I mean."

The three of them smiled at one another, and then Ron and Hermione began telling Harry about how Seamus had repeatedly caused glass goblets to explode in Transfiguration and had so exasperated Professor McGonagall that she'd ended up taking ten points from her own House.

***

Dumbledore's Army met for the first time that year on a Thursday evening in mid-November. Their planned October meeting had, of course, been cancelled when Harry had been injured so badly by the opal necklace.

They met in the Room of Requirement at eight o'clock. Harry and Severus had Flooed up to a small room across the hall, and Harry was so excited at the chance to see his old classmates and they were so excited to see him that the first ten minutes was spent in animated chatter as everyone crowded around. Severus was surprisingly tolerant, though he watched intently, almost anxiously, as if he worried that something might happen to Harry even among trusted comrades.

Finally Severus cleared his throat and announced sternly, "Enough babbling. We'll spend the evening reviewing some of the more common hexes and counter spells. Those of you in sixth- and seventh-years should attempt to cast nonverbally, of course."

There was a low groan from many of the students at those words; nonverbal magic wasn't coming easily for most of them. Harry and Hermione could cast many of the simpler spells nonverbally now, and Ron was coming along, but most of their classmates still had to whisper the words.

Severus ignored the moans and continued, "Which spells are you most familiar with?"

There was a pause; then Parvati Patil raised her hand. "The Jelly-Legs jinx, sir."

"Very well. Pair up and begin with the Jelly-Legs jinx," Severus said.

The meeting went well, to Harry's relief. He hadn't been entirely sure how the other kids would react to having a faculty advisor, especially after being on their own last year. But they'd been able to get away with it then, since the meetings were clandestine anyway. Now they were an official club, and as such were required to have a staff member present.

But no one seemed to mind. Severus walked among them, observing and correcting mistakes, sometimes demonstrating a move, but he didn't really have much to correct. The DA members had worked hard and were quite capable for their age.

Harry was glad to see, too, that Severus continued to instruct in his improved manner, not mocking or sneering at anyone even when he caught students whispering the spells instead of trying to use nonverbal magic. He just reminded them to concentrate and had them do it again.

All the students dueled intently and once their initial enthusiasm at seeing Harry again had settled, there was little joking or playing around. Everyone was taking the session very seriously.

"Well, there's a lot in the Prophet now about the war," Ginny said, when they had paused for a short break and Harry had commented on the intense mood. She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in a corner, sipping cups of water they had conjured for themselves.

"Every day you read about something terrible happening...Death Eaters attacking, missing people, that poor little Montgomery boy being killed by a werewolf." Ginny shook her head. "There's this hush in the Great Hall every morning now, when the post comes in. You never know if you're going to read about your neighbor, or even your own family." She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"We're kind of isolated from it here," Ron said quietly. "As long as we've got Dumbledore we're safe at Hogwarts, but it's terrible worrying about what's happening outside. I think a lot of people have realised that the war's real, and one day, sooner or later, we're gonna be fighting for real, too."

Hermione dropped her cup and jumped up from the floor. Harry was surprised to see how pale she was and that her dark eyes were unusually bright. He started to go to her, but Ron had already hurried after her, and after a second, Hermione seemed more in control of herself. She and Ron spoke softly together, and just as Harry was trying to decide if he should join them or leave them alone, they stepped apart and raised their wands to begin dueling again.

"Come on, Harry," Ginny said softly. "Work with me on the Ricktusempra spell, will you?"

As if it were a signal to begin work again, the other kids stood and joined in once Harry and his friends begin working again. Severus guided them through several more common hexes and counter-spells before calling the meeting to an end.

"When can we meet again, sir?" Anthony Goldstein asked.

Severus considered. "When is Quidditch practice scheduled for next week?"

"There are no more Quidditch practices til after the holidays, sir," Katie Bell said.

Harry had missed the first match, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw, when he'd been unconscious, and there wasn't another game until the end of January.

Katie went on, "But even if there were, we'd re-schedule it. I think we all know this is more important now than Quidditch." Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

Severus looked pleased. "Shall we meet again on Monday then?"

There was general agreement, and the kids began to leave. Harry's friends said good-bye, promising to see him the next afternoon, and then Harry and Severus went back across the hall to Floo home.

Back in their dungeon rooms, Harry headed off to his bathroom to shower and put on his warm flannel pajamas. Then he headed to the living room and lay down on the sofa, waiting for Severus to finish his own shower and join him.

He'd intended to look over the next chapter in History of Magic, but he hadn't been sleeping well, and he just couldn't bring himself to be terribly interested in the wizard-goblin peace treaty of 1328. His eyelids were so heavy and the sofa so comfortable...Harry's eyes slowly closed and he fell asleep.

Sirius and Bellatrix were dueling, dodging jets of lights. Sirius avoided one curse, and laughed as he baited his cousin, his face lit with feverish excitement.

Bellatrix's next curse hit him directly in the chest.

Harry tried to scream, but his voice was frozen. He leaped past Neville, trying to catch his godfather, but it was no use. It was never any use.

Sirius fell through the veil and disappeared.

The ice in Harry's throat melted and his screams mingled with Bellatrix's triumphant, hysterical laughter.

"Harry, wake up!" Severus was shaking him. Harry's eyes flew open, and he realised from his sore throat that he must have screamed aloud, too.

"Sorry," he whispered, before his throat closed up and he clamped his mouth shut tight, determined not to cry anymore. Severus never seemed to mind, but Harry was beginning to feel a little ashamed. It was almost a nightly occurrence, him waking sobbing and yelling from nightmares.

"Don't apologise, child," Severus soothed, sitting on the sofa and pulling Harry close. "You've suffered more horrible experiences than most people ever have to, and you have every right to feel hurt and frightened and angry. I'm sorry you have to endure these nightmares, but I want to be here with you. I want to help you. You don't ever have to apologise to me. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded, still fighting tears.

"Cry if you need to, Harry. It's all right." Severus bowed his head to rest his lips against the top of Harry's head, and Harry couldn't hold back his sobs any longer.

When he'd calmed down, Severus asked, "Was it Voldemort?"

"No. Sirius," Harry told him.

"It wasn't your fault."

When Harry didn't say anything, Severus took his face between his hands. "It wasn't, Harry."

"I hope not," Harry mumbled.

Severus carded his fingers through Harry's hair and hugged him close for a few more minutes before sitting back and pulling a small vial of violet liquid from his robe pocket.

"Drink this, Harry. It will help you sleep."

Harry took the vial and eyed it. "I thought sleeping potions were addictive."

"They can be," Severus said. "You can't take one every night, and we'll have to monitor it carefully. But you aren't getting enough sleep, and that's not good for your health either."

"I wish I could learn Occlumency, and maybe that would help," Harry remarked.

"It'll come," Severus assured him. "Now go on and drink the potion, child. I'll stay with you."

Harry tipped the vial up and swallowed, grimacing at the taste. Severus Summoned a pillow and placed it across his lap. Harry smiled and curled up beside him, laying his head on the pillow.

Severus began carding through his hair again. "You know, Harry, I was very impressed at the meeting tonight. Those students have a solid grasp on Defense techniques, and they certainly didn't learn it from Umbridge. You did well teaching them last year."

Harry was growing sleepy, but he could feel himself turning red at Severus' praise.

"Well, they did all the work, really," he replied.

"No," Severus answered. "I'm sure they worked diligently, but they needed someone to instruct them first. I know you want to be an Auror, but if you should change your mind, you'd make a good Defense professor someday."

Harry shook his head and closed his eyes. As Severus slid his glasses off, he thought, Me? Professor Potter? Wouldn't that be something? He fell asleep imagining himself, Ron, and Hermione all as Hogwarts professors. He taught Defense; Ron taught Divination; and he never found out what Hermione taught because he lost awareness while she scolded Ron after he said he'd just make up lesson plans as class went along.

"It doesn't matter," Ron kept insisting. "Divination is a bunch of rubbish, anyway."

***

Even in his fairly isolated existence, Harry couldn't escape the fact that the war was growing increasingly grim. Dumbledore left the school once again for several weeks before the Christmas holidays, though he did tell Harry and Severus that they needed to have another lesson as soon as he returned.

Harry began reading through the Daily Prophet every morning, and the news was as bleak as Ginny had said. Severus had a subscription ("I might as well know what garbage they're reporting," he said dryly), and when Harry had asked to see it, he'd hesitated, then sighed and handed it over.

"I wish I could shield you from all of this, Harry, but I suppose I just can't," Severus had actually looked a bit upset at those words, but he'd quickly regained his equilibrium. "You have fifteen minutes, and then I want you practicing the Invisibility Charm."

The DA continued to meet often, two or three times a week, and though it was enjoyable, it was also intense. Everyone was training hard, trying to prepare for whatever the future might bring.

Worst of all, Ron and Hermione came early one day, both of them looking stricken. Herbology had been cancelled. Hannah Abbott's mother had been killed, and as her Head of House, Professor Sprout was staying with her until her father could come.

For a while all three sat in silence. Severus had gone back to his office when Ron and Hermione had Flooed down, as he usually did, so he had missed the news.

"We need to do something for Hannah," Harry said eventually.

"Yeah, send a card or something, I guess, but that doesn't seem like enough," Ron agreed.

"Just make sure you guys include her in stuff when she comes back," Harry told them. "It's terrible to feel alone."

"We will. The other Puffs'll stick close to her, too. They're all pretty tight," Ron remarked.

They were quiet again until Hermione suddenly surprised both boys by bursting into tears. Ron and Harry looked at each other, rather helplessly, before going to her, awkwardly placing their arms about her.

"Don't cry, Hermione. It'll be all right. Well, I mean..." Ron's voice trailed off uncertainly, and he settled for hesitantly patting her shoulder.

Hermione shook her head and struggled to speak. "No, it's not all right, Ron. It's not Hannah. Oh, that sounds horrible, and I didn't mean it to. I do feel really, really bad for Hannah and her family. But..."

Hermione's face crumpled and she finished in a wail. "I have to leave you! I have to leave Hogwarts!"