"Can you think of one?" Harry asked as he turned and looked at Draco with a smirk.

Draco thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, how about this: a potion that can turn someone into an animal?"

"Cool!" Harry said. "Or a spell that could do the same thing."

"Okay so..." Draco cleared his throat. "Two pureblood wizards are walking through a dark forest and set up camp, using magic of course" He invented.

"Why do they have to be pureblood?" Harry wondered.

"Because they are" Draco huffed while Snape raised a corner of his mouth in amusement but remained unnoticed and continued to listen, intrigued.

"So they brew the potion until dark and then take it, but of course it has a different effect on them both" Draco said. "The first wizard is a dragon and the second a..." He glanced at Harry for an idea.

"Why do you always get to be the dragon?" Harry sighed and thought about it. "A giant eagle, that way we can both fly."

"My name means “dragon”, remember?" Draco rolled his eyes. "Alright so a dragon and eagle..." He was silent for a moment but the rest of the story never came.

"What happens next?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, it's not having the usual effect" Draco sighed and stared at the books that were laid out on the floor in front of them.

"I just...I don't understand. Why does this happen to us? I mean did we do something wrong when we were younger to make them hate us so much?" He frowned and kept his gaze fixated at a spot on the floor. "My godfather, my aunt...your RJL, they don't want us either do they? Or even if they can't...the Dursleys certainly hate us."

"I don't know" Harry gazed downwards as well, forgetting about their story that was often used to take their mind off current situations. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself as he remembered the incident in which he had been struck numerous times with the belt; the lashing and the shouting fueling by hatred and anger.

"And then we were saved by someone who hates us" Harry added bitterly.

"But he said...he said he won't hit us" Draco said hopefully while Snape listened in, not sure what to feel about what he was overhearing but there was certainly anger at the Dursleys which was increasing the more he heard about them or remembered what they had done to them. Although he was surprised that RJL aka Remus Lupin had contacted Harry, even if he didn't really reveal anything to the boy. But then again, hadn't he done the same thing to Draco?

"He said he won't but can we trust him?" Harry asked and Draco slumped his posture with a defeated sigh.

"No, of course not" He said. "We can't trust anyone but each other...it's always been that way."

"No one cares" Harry added glumly. "Are we bad people?"

"My parents were" Draco piped up angrily but still in a soft, dejected tone. "I bet they did really bad things working for Voldemort" He shuddered.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the name, finding it further unusual that Draco said the name whereas any other Death Eater child (regardless of it they wanted to join the Dark Lord or not), wouldn't dare speak the name.

The boy sat in silence so Snape raised his hand and knocked on the door before pushing it open, keeping his expression neutral and tone even.

"A presume you have completed your schoolwork?" He raised an eyebrow while they quickly turned to look at him, their eyes radiating distrust and a level of child curiosity. Snape didn't like the looks he received because he reminded him how their parents had been taken from them before they had the chance to know them of be coddled, and of how he could  have taken them in (The logical part of his brain reminded him that it wouldn't have been possible back then though)...but the worst part was that he had ignored the signs during their first year, consumed in his own doubt, desire to distance himself and certainty that he was not the one they needed.

"Sorry" Harry said. "But we're not used to doing schoolwork during the summer and..." He struggled for an explanation. Although Snape would have been really impressed if they had managed to finish all their work in time.

"We're a bit confused" Draco added and looked cautiously at Snape.

"Very well" Snape nodded. "Show me."

"What?" Harry looked startled, causing Snape to roll his eyes.

"You say that you are confused" He explained. "Show me exactly what confuses you. As a teacher I believe I could be of assistance."

"Oh" Draco hurriedly grabbed several of his books and Harry sorted through his own. They held up the sections that were giving them trouble and Snape helped them out, even though he bit back several comments about how they should already know that stuff and how simple it is to understand if they actually read it over rather than giving it a fleeting glance.

"It is time for lunch" Snape informed them, looking down as they still sat on the ground surrounded by their schoolwork. "Clean up and wash you hands" He instructed as he turned to leave the room.

The boys came downstairs several minutes later and sat at the table. Draco was eagerly eying his plate of sandwiches while Harry bit his lip anxiously. Snape scowled inwardly about how little the boys received to eat under the Dursleys “care” and how they had become accustomed to fighting for their food like some sort of savaging animal.

"Eat" He instructed and they did not hesitate. "I will be attending to several potions. I do not wish to be interrupted for that required amount of time. Find something to do but keep your hands off my belongings and remain indoors" Snape said to the boys firmly. "I expect this place to be clean when I return" He nodded and headed down to his lab, hoping that they would retreat upstairs to their schoolwork but as twelve-year-old boys he highly doubted that they would.

The boys finished eating and sighed in unison.

"Told you it wouldn't last" Harry growled softly and gathered their plates as well as the empty glasses so that he could wash them in the kitchen.

"Wait!" Draco grabbed his sleeve. "Can I wash and you dust? This place is full of it and I...you know how I am with dust."

Harry cast the living room a glance and nodded. "Sure" He said and Draco took the plates from him while Harry searched a cupboard for cleaning supplies. He found a few rags and brushes along with a bucket and some liquid soap (which was a labeled cleaning potion, otherwise he won't dare use it).

While Snape brew silently in his downstairs lab, the boys wiped every surface, object and area they could find. The floor was vacuumed, the bookcase sorted alphabetically after they'd removed each book to wipe the shelf space and then dusted the books down. Occasionally they were tempted to read some of the books but forced that aside and continued to work through the afternoon.

Exhausted, Harry sank into the couch while Draco slid to the floor in front of him. Dropping their cleaning supplies lightly while leaning back, they drifted to sleep even though they tried to fight it and finish their work in time to prepare dinner.

-------

Snape clutched several potion vials and left the others in his warded storage before walking up the stairs and leaving the lab. He halted on the spot and looked around what he had assumed to be his house, only it looked nothing like the house he'd lived in at any point of his life.

"What...?" He gasped and narrowed his eyes, taking in each detail of the place. From what he could see, the kitchen was actually white and sparkling while clean plates sat piled in neat lines inside the partially ajar cupboard that sat attached to the wall. The table was more polished than he remembered, along with each chair. The couch had its blankets folded on one end, and the pillows were no longer flat, useless things but instead had been puffed and neatly placed against the back. He noticed the boys sleeping there, still lightly holding rags and a brush while a bucket sat dangerously close to Draco's foot. Worriedly, he turned to look at his bookcase and saw that his specific order was entirely gone, replaced with a odd mix of unlinked books until he realized that they were in alphabetical order. Even the ceiling looked cleaner than he recalled. In fact, the room wasn't only sparkling but also lighter. He glanced at the windows and saw...well he could actually see out of them for once!

"GET UP!" He bellowed at the boys, startling them each awake which caused Draco to kick the bucket and send soapy, brown water all over the carpet.

"Sorry!" Draco yelped instantly and tried to soak the water up with his rags.

"Stop" Snape said in a low growl. Each boy froze while he raised his wand and in a simple flick, the water was gone and the bucket dry.

"Explain to me why you decided to disregard each rule I plainly stated should not be broken without consequences?" He snarled, too shocked and furious to notice the way they recoiled further away from him when he took a step closer or the fearful, trembling look in their eyes as they waited for the impact they expected to follow.

"W-we're sorry!" Harry said loudly but his voice cracked as he prepared to defend himself.

Snape loomed over them now, the potions in his hands were gone (hovered back to the lab) and his wand was place back in his pocket to free both of his hands. He grabbed Harry by the scruff of his neck and Draco by his back to pull him upright.

"I did not give either of you permission to touch my belongings" Snape growled at them as he partially carried them by his hold on their clothes towards the stairs.

"And I certainly DID NOT allow you to re-order my library! Do you have any idea of the curses I could have warded on several of them? Do you understand that this is not your home in which you may do as you please? Surely there was another way in which you could occupy your time without intruding upon my private things or breaking the rules. Although I expect it comes natural for a Gryffindor to see themselves above such primitive respect?" His voice was quite loud by the time he reached their room and shoved them inside, causing each to stumble lightly but eagerly moved away from him, so fast that Draco kicked his toe on the end of his bed.

"You will both remain here while I put the house back in order and each of you are to remain here until I return" Snape turned and left the room, marching back downstairs to fix his book collection and asses the damage the boys had caused to his schedule and sanity.

Draco sank to the floor, shuddering at the sight of the fuming man and Harry's eyes widened, staring at the slammed door as though he was expecting him to return with a whip. Vernon couldn't hit either of them more than his energy allowed although his rage was endless and often continued to build. But now they had just realized it wouldn't be an issue for Snape since he had magic and could probably hex something to hit them for hours.

They remained still for several minutes, feeling the silence as though it was a solid object pressing against them. Draco slowly moved from the floor and joined Harry where he had sunk onto the nearest bed, which was also Draco's since it was furtherest from the door. Their shoulders touched as they sat closely for comfort and security, still fixated on the door since Snape had said he would return.

"I...kicked the bucket" Draco whispered.

"It's not your fault" Harry answered. "It's probably because we didn't finish?"

"I dunno, maybe we did the books wrong?" Draco then went quiet again and just remained motionless on the bed apart from an occasional shudder at the thought of how Snape was going to punish them since he had said there would be consequences.

Downstairs Snape paced back and forth, trying to understand why they had gone and moved everything around and unsettled his comfort zone since he did not think anything had changed within the house since he had lived there with his parents and that was only replacing dishes since his father had a habit of throwing them or the fact that none of his books had been cluttering inside the house prior to their deaths.

Although however reluctantly, Snape had to admit that the house did look in better condition than he had ever seen it, once he had put his books back in order and returned several things into a more scattered stance rather than neat, perfect little rows. He remembered Petunia's house having a similar appearance with the flawless lines of useless things, each forbidden to a single spec of dust or contact.

Glancing at the clock, Snape decided that he had better prepare a meal for the boys and then get their little conversation over with since he had to instill some obedience in them before his entire house was turned white, so clean that it would appear to sparkle like glitter; that thought caused him to shudder. He had liked his gloomy house and now they've turned it into a normal, almost inviting place to be in. Why couldn't they just play with toys like average children?

Snape swished his wand to have vegetables being chopped, gravy being stirred, rice cooked and the fish nicely baked. He struggled to figure out why they had chosen cleaning of all activities to spend the afternoon with. It didn't make sense, surely his house wasn't so filthy that they were unable to handle it otherwise? No, his house had been dusty and unused, but not otherwise unclean or disgusting. Or maybe they were just used to the household the Dursleys...

Snape narrowed his eyes as he recalled the boys thinking they had to perform chores to “earn their way” or how they'd requested a list of tasks to perform. Slowly he put the hints together and realized that perhaps the house had been so tidy for the muggles because the boys had been the ones to clean it? Wincing slightly, he recalled the way he had reacted and how they'd obviously been resting because of exhaustion from all the work they put into making his house tidy.

But hadn't he specifically said they didn't have to do chores? What motivated them to clean his house without instruction after he had made it clear they didn't have to? All he asked was for them to behave and leave his things alone. When he had gone to brew his potions he had told them to keep their hands off his belongings, even though technically they'd used rags and not their hands. He'd also told them to stay indoors, which they had thankfully otherwise he may have had pruned potions ingredients (more like, useless would-be ingredients if they did that) and also the boys would have contracted a rash from some and worst from others. After that he'd simply told them to keep the place clean and...oh.

He had stated he expected the place clean when he came back! Not realizing that to anyone else this meant “don't create a mess, or if you do clean it up before I come back” but to them it meant “Get to work!”.

Snape filled the boys plates more than necessary, knowing that they needed and appreciated a good meal before he selected the largest glasses for their juice. He hovered them towards the table and then made his way upstairs, scowling slightly at the polished wood and the way the tiles gleamed beneath his feet when he left the kitchen.

Being cautious, Snape opened the bedroom door and was unprepared for the way the boys straightened up, clutched to each others hands and eyed him fearfully. Great, he had just erupted any chance of reassurance they had in being in his company.

"Supper is on the table, I expect you to wash your hands and then proceed downstairs to eat. Afterwards we need to have a little talk" He said as calmly as he could but nicer tones was quite difficult for him to use because he was so unaccustomed to them.

The boys glance at each other in surprise but nodded and cautiously got to their feet. Snape saw their distrust increasing so turned and wandered down the corridor, turning right into his bedroom. He had no purpose to be there but was simply leaving the boys to indicate that his words had been no trap.

After hearing them walking out of their rooms and down the stairs while whispering hurriedly to each other, Snape left his bedroom and intended to follow. Instead he paused when he was about to pass their bedroom, or at least the room that he had come to consider their room for the duration of their stay.

Even he had to admit that it was in a rather poor state. Sighing, he pulled out his wand and felt the need to repay the boys for making his house so tidy (despite how he did not want it that way because of how nice it appeared instead of being dark and shadowy, similar to his dungeon labs and private quarters).

"I don't know" Draco was saying when Snape came downstairs. The boys tensed with his presence and remained silent. He sat across from them with his own food and ate in silence until they had eaten all they could and their juice was gone.

"Perhaps you have forgotten" Snape began and they both swallowed nervously while watching him with extreme attention. "But I recall stating that I would never raise my hand or an object to either of you" He noted their surprise. "I do not break my word over a simple misunderstanding nor would I allow my temper to cause myself to lash out at mere children such as yourselves."

"But..." Harry frowned in confusion.

"We broke the rules" Draco added with a puzzled frown of his own.

"The fault is mine" Snape admitted rather bitterly as he hated to admit it when he was wrong or to accumulate something of an apology and to children, no less.

"I informed you that I wished the place to be clean when I returned. I should have realized that as a consequence to your unacceptable upbringing that you would misunderstand my request."

"Well, I'm confused" Draco sighed softly.

"Precisely" Snape nodded. "Having the place clean when I returned merely indicated that any mess you create is to be tidied up afterwards. However you each saw this as a command to wipe each surface clean, scrub the floors until they shine and ensure that everything is in perfect place until you tire. That was not my intention.. Each of these tasks can be completed in mere seconds with magic; it would be pointless to expect each of you to do the tasks by hand instead. Even as punishment" He explained.

"Oh" Draco bowed his head and blushed slightly. "Sorry."

"There is no need for your apology" Snape repeated. "As I stated; the fault is mine."

"Yes sir" Was all Harry could think of to say.

"But you said there would be...consequences?" Draco glanced up while Harry frowned at him for bringing that up.

"Such as being confined to your room, neglected privileges such as watching TV and so forth. Never, under any circumstance will I intentionally cause you harm...is this understood?" Snape narrowed his eyes, determined to get this point across to them.

"Yes sir" Harry lightly smiled while Draco nodded in relief.

"Good" Snape crossed his arms. "Now I expect you clean and resting in bed within an hour" He added while moving to retrieve his potions from the lab and go about his usual business of checking the wards and he still needed to send an owl to Dumbledore involving the situation: he was most dreading that aspect.

Harry and Draco slowly stood from the table and made their way upstairs, surprised and unsure about what had just happened.

"I can't believe we did all that for nothing" Draco grumbled while pushing open the bedroom door but stopped and his eyed widened for it appeared to be very different.

The once dusty, broken and aged room had changed. The wardrobe was fixed and appeared brand new, even with a doorknob this time and a full-length mirror shone on the exterior of each door. The floor was no longer a old carpet but instead it was polished wood, unmarred by age. The window was clean and they could see a fence along with a distant street of houses and a road with nearly no cars. There were also dark sliver curtains magically moving as though there was a wind coming through the non-operable window. Their beds appeared new and slightly larger, each with puffy pillows and snug-looking blankets. Harry had a scarlet red comforter on top decorated with golden snitches. Draco's was deep blue with emerald green stars. They each also had matching pillow cases. The once-brown walls were a light creme and the ceiling matched with an even lighter shade. The bedside table was polished oak and smooth, it also had a broomstick-patterned lamp that caused the ceiling to shine with projected stars when turned on; muggle mixed with magic, it seemed. There were also two small drawers on the bedside table and upon inspection they noticed the top one was for Harry (the handles matched the colour of their bed comforters) and the bottom for Draco. They were empty so far but implied that they could be used. Their trunks sat at the end of theirs beds also with their spotlessly clean owl cages. Hedwig and Draco's owl were perched on the back of their owner's beds, contently sleeping although they peaked occasionally to eye their masters.

"Wow" Harry stared at it all and stroked Hedwig while Draco continued to look around in astonishment before he grinned and sat on his bed.

"This is wicked" Draco added. "Snape did this for us?"

"I guess he was telling the truth" Harry added.

"Does that mean we can trust him?" Draco pondered aloud. "But at least we know he won't hit us or anything, I hope."

"This is almost like..." Harry lowered his tone and looked around with a sigh. "...what a real home is supposed to be like."

"Yeah" Draco agreed. "Too bad it's not. But hey, let's enjoy it while we can?"

"Of course" Harry smiled and checked the comfort of his bed. "I can't wait to sleep tonight."

Snape paused on his way towards the kitchen when he heard laughter upstairs, raising an eyebrow as he suspected they had discovered his embarrassing handiwork with the room. Honestly, he hadn't considered it too big a deal but to hear their joyous sounds, he had to bite down to prevent a smile from covering his features.

Why should a simple thing such as laughter make him feel warmer? He found no humor in the situation at all, and yet when they apparently liked something he had done for them (no matter the guilty reason for it), Snape felt...different.