Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are staying in the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts. They do not want to loose sight of Ginny. They tremble any time that they remember all the danger she was in the last year. As the Little-red-headed-girl is asleep Molly leaves her husband sitting beside her bed and looks for Madam Pomfrey. The nurse is in her office, she was enjoying the peace an quiet of her infirmary, now that all the petrified students were well and in their own houses. She had a cup of warm tea and was reading from a magazine. She heard the movement before the plump woman walked in.

“Madam Pomfrey….”

“Something wrong Molly?” The efficient nurse was ready for action,

“No, thank you, Ginny is asleep still, I just wanted to ask you about Harry, how is he?”

Pomfrey though about the only other occupant of one of her beds.

“He has a lot of scraps and bumps, but nothing serious. The worst is the basilisk's bite, but it seams to be healed completely, phoenix tears are wonderful, any way I am keeping him here just for the night, after all that he went through, I can’t believe he is all right.”

“I am worried about him.” Poppy conjured a tea cup for her guest and Molly sat with the school nurse sipping her tea.

“Young kids, get well with enough sleep. I wont let him out of my sight until I am sure that the poison will not dissolve his body. He is well enough.”

“I do not worry for his health, not now, I mean, you would see that he is sound enough before releasing him, I worry because... I... Last summer he spent some weeks at the Burrow with us, Ron and the Twins practically broke him out of his relatives house. They said that they were starving him and had Harry locked up in a room with bars in the window, and were not going to allow him to come to Hogwarts any more. He never mentioned anything, poor thing, he was so happy to be with his friends, and he is always so polite, but...my mother's instinct tells me something is very wrong with that family. Haven't you noticed anything?”

The nurse shook her head, she had tended Harry from all his mishaps and may be had seen something, but she had not.

“Nothing that I can point my finger on, Molly. He has always been almost too thin, he is short for his age, and he is uncomfortable when he is injured or sick, like he wants to be left alone. And even if he is injured and hurt, he doesn't want to make a fuss. I thought it was just that he wanted to be stoic, you know that growing boys are too ‘Macho”, sometimes I have wondered….. I may do a history scan of his body, to determine if there are signs of mistreatment. That way we’ll both be sure.”

“You must know what to look for. I have talked with my husband and he agrees that we have to do something, not just now because of what he did for our girl. We have talked about his situation, we know that we doesn’t go home for Christmas… if he is no well taken cared of, we can not let him continue in that situation, we know that it would be very messy if we were to go to children services, as we all know how the Ministry would respond. After all, he is "Harry Potter" But I believe that he shouldn't go back to them again.”

Poppy Pomfrey knew when she had to intervene, and she shared some of Molly’s worries, so she said, finishing her tea cup.” I’ll do the scanning and then we'll see. I'll inform you about my findings.”

++

Professors Snape and McGonagall met at the door of the infirmary. They both had been required to meet with the school nurse. They went directly to her office and found that the small room was a little crowded. Professor Dumbledore, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Poppy were already drinking tea from a floating tray.

‘Minerva, Severus, it’s so good that you could join us! Albus Dumbledore exclaimed with his perpetual good humor.

“We were finishing with the end of term reports Headmaster.” Said Severus Snape. Once again wondering the reasons for this meeting. He hoped it would not take too long, he still had to write some comments about his students and wanted to owl them before the children arrived home for the Summer. He knew that the Nurse was the one calling for it, and she usually did not drone, she was always on the point. But the meeting was strange, why were not the other Head of Houses here? And why were the Weasley parents here also?

“Even if you cancelled the final exams, you did not cancel the paperwork Albus. We have to sent it for this year OWLS.” Cooperated Minerva also surprised by the people in the meeting, was something still wrong with Ginny?

“I know, I know, You have a lot of end of term responsibilities, but Poppy has something very important to tell us. And she promised to be quick about it. Won’t you Poppy?” Dumbledore was curious but his eyes twinkled merrily. Surely nothing too bad was happening.

“Of course Headmaster, we all have a busy day ahead of us”

“Well, we are here, you may proceed Madam... “Said Snape, already feeling claustrophobic between so many people in the small office.

“I want to talk to all of you because I have gathered some evidence of mistreatment of one of our students. The child has never talked about it, I just ran some tests, not the routine ones, as he presented some unusual injuries, and what I found disturbs me. The child had been hurt for a long time, it is not that he had several broken bones, those injuries are minimal, and may be explained by the normal accidents of a child, his magic help in the mending. But what I found is different, there are signs of malnutrition, and beatings.”

“Are you sure they are unusual?” asked Dumbledore. “Couldn’t there be other explanation? Why did you run them in the first place?”

Poppy knew that she should state her case completely before informing who the child was. “An overactive child may present twisted ankles and wrists or broken bones.” Explained the nurse. “I have not confronted the child in question, he may have a good explanation for them, but battered children do not talk about it. And if confronted would deny it, they believe that it was their fault or accept it as the way they live. Most of these injuries are the result of punches and strikes. Not really explainable as accidents.“ She started distributing some parchments. They started looking at it, “This is a detailed description of what I found. The scan that I did, is used by the Ministry, it is something like a previous incatantem in a magic wand, its magic works with the muscle and bones memory and the limbic system of the body, it shows the injuries in a chronological order, along with the age of the subject when they were received. I haven't removed the injuries sustained at Hogwarts, the child does get hurt a lot, but you may see that it looks like it started when this child was less than two years old, it got worse with the years, the worst was last summer, here are some lines that showed that he had been dehydrated on several occasions, and that his malnutrition is chronic. This last things are quite recent, but we know that was not caused by his relatives.”

All in the room fell silent.

“We should have detected it at the beginning of the year, I suppose that we have to remove him from his family.” Said McGonagall.

“We have to inform the ministry, formal charges should be presented for them to allow the removal.” Said Mr. Weasley.

Snape wondered again what were the Weasleys doing here. Arthur worked in the Ministry but not in child services…. Unless they already knew who the child was…

“Why are we learning this now? Who is the child?” Asked Snape. He had a feeling that he knew who he was.

“Harry Potter.” Said Molly Weasley quietly.

“Molly here expressed her worries because of last year happenings. And I have to share them now.”

“What happenings?” Asked Snape, “The scandal with the boy arriving in a flying car? His family did not even send a note after we informed them of the trouble the child caused.”

“Before that,” Explained Mr. Weasley “our children used said transportation to break him out of his relatives house. They were worried because Harry was not answering any owls. They had to pull bars from the window in his room with a car. He was locked up in the room and they were feeding him through a cat’s flap.”

“The poor child was thinner than ever. He stayed with us until the school term started, his relatives did not even look for him, or report his disappearance.” Continued Molly.

“Abduction, I would call it.” Said Snape.

Molly only gave him a look that made him feel like a teenager in disgrace and he closed his mouth.

“I told Poppy that we should do something before the end of the term. Arthur and I would like him to live with us. We wanted to talk to you before going to the ministry, we do not want to place the child at risk. But we do not want him in that house any more. “

“Molly and I trust that you would do the best for Harry. We could have taken him along with our children at the train station. But I told her it would create havoc if that particular child just were to disappear.”

“No one said anything last summer, Arthur, even his booklist was owled to the Burrow. We would take care of him.”

Having stated their argument the Weasleys sat back and allowed the teachers to arrive at a decision.

“Please Molly, there is no need to take Harry like that..!” Dumbledore said, “we will help Harry. But his relatives house is the safest place from the Magic world.“

“I guess that you would be able to conjure enough wards to keep him safe Albus, those Muggles should not be allowed to have him any more. You know our son is an expert in breaking curses, he can help you to test them around our house. Harry will be well with us. We may place the demand with the Ministry today.”

One of Albus Dumbledore’s worst nightmares was turning real. Losing control of the Child, the Ministry of Magic would not hesitate to remove the chilld from his muggle relatives and keeping the custody. He wanted Harry safe, but not living in the Magical world, there was still so much danger to come, and he was the only one that knew to expect it. Poppy continued.

“Albus, these are the medical records, we have to act accordingly. Child services should be involved.”

“The ministry would represent a bigger danger. Fudge would want to take him. We may talk to the relatives.“ The solution was not to remove the child from his house he wanted to shout… “We must allow them to change their ways…”

“Anything shorter than a curse would not make them change their ways.” Said McGonagall.

“You must understand I want the best for the child, I see that his relatives are a danger for him, but he needs his mother’s blood protection, that is what kept him alive as a baby and also last year with Quirrell, he is an unusual child. He needs to stay within the blood wards to keep his mother’s protection.”

“If he needs that house in particular, I know of some ways that we could get rid of the Muggles. They would not know what hit them.” Those present could not be sure that Snape was joking.

“He needs the House with his relatives there.” Said Dumbledore.

“I thought that was why you brought me to this meeting Madam. Otherwise I do not understand why do you need me here.”

“Severus please.” Said McGonagall.

“Severus, I called all the Head of Houses, Professors Flitwick and Pomona had been called out for family reasons, I will fill them later on what we decide. –Albus the child has survived for 12 years in that environment, I believe he deserves better.”

“We may find other ways to protect him there....the blood wards are…”

“The most powerful but they are not the only kind of wards.” Said Arthur Weasly.

“It won’t do to leave the boy there Albus. Harry received a notice for practicing under aged magic there last year. And has had accidental reactions. His magic is more in control now. I can not imagine that his magic won’t protect him, sooner or later it would react if they harm him. Do you want to wait until they kill him or he blows them up? The Ministry won’t stay out if that happens.” Continued Madam Pomfrey.

“We have to be sure that the mistreatment is real, may be Harry has a good explanation…. If what you suspect is real, we will have to think of something.…”

“As I told you before, only in rare cases the children accept the mistreatment, for them it is dangerous to do it and is their way of life. They have to keep living with the abusers.”

“He has asked several times to stay in Hogwarts for the Summer.” Said Prof. McGonagall. “He was really worried that we would have to close the school for the winter…”

“We have to get more than suspicion to remove a child from his family…”

“Some times it is easier to dismiss the suspicion Albus… What would make you believe? Fresh bruises? I know for a fact that you wouldn’t even act then… and there was not a ‘Blood Wards’ excuse then…”

“Severus I never meant that to happen…”

“We may ask, Mr. Potter, he would not try to hide it from us, he knows that we care for him.” Said Minerva, aware that Albus and Severus needed to focus back on the situation.

“We should talk with the child.” Accorded Madam Pomfrey. “I will bring him in.”

+++

Harry was brought to the reunion. He was still wearing the blue pyjama and slippers from the Hospital and was anxious to be in the middle of so many people. Was he so sick? If we was he would not be allowed out of bed... Would he?

“Mr. Potter, please take a seat.” Madam Pomfrey told him.

The only empty chair was beside Madam Pomfrey's desk. He sat down and looked around him, it was disquieting to have so many adults looking at him. He knew he was not in trouble as they all had passive faces. Professor Dumbledore's eyes were almost sad. Mrs. Weasley looked like she had cried. Her husband had his arm around her. Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall were also bright eyed. The only one that was as impassive as always was Snape. He looked at all their faces not knowing who would begin. He was sure that they would give him bad news. He had seen Ginny just a moment ago and she was fine. And the rest of his friends had visited him earlier, he braced himself for bad news anyway.

Mrs. Weasley saw that no one was ready to begin and the child was getting nervous.

“Harry dear... you know we care about you?”

“Yes. Ma'am.” Strange question he thought.

“We have to know about your family life Mr. Potter. How are you treated by your relatives? Asked Madam Pomfrey.

This was a trick question. One of the first things he learned with the Dursleys was not to talk about his family life. There was no problem. He was happy, all was fine, always.

He breathed deeply and started talking calmly, everything would be alright if he told the right answers. Interested in the floor he said. “They took me in as a baby,” he started carefully, biting his tongue, breathing carefully, they do not need to know, “they took care of me, I have to be... I mean, I am grateful, its hard and expensive too.. Money is not found in trees....”

“Hagrid told us that they were not giving you your admission letter. And we know that they do not handle magic well....” Started Professor McGonagall. May be the child would open up if he knew that they already knew of his situation….

“They do not like magic...”He admitted “Its understandable, after what happened with my parents, and then the accidental magic that I.... well this summer Dobby didn't help, I guess. The dinner with my uncle clients was a mess...and I....”

“Mr. Potter, we are not here for the tea and biscuits, we have medical records of what has been happening. You had been abused for a long period of time, we may stop it, if you just tell the truth.” Snape snarled and saw the truth sink in the boy.

“You know nothing...” Harry’s voice was small.

“Harry” Mrs. Weasley looking tenderly at him said. “Ron told me that this summer you were locked in that room and they were not feeding you....”

“Is that the truth, Harry?” Asked Professor Dumbledore

“They were upset about the dinner.... They feed me canned soup once a day.”

“I knew that those Muggles were of the worst kind, but I hoped they would take care of their family.” Said Minerva McGonagall to Albus quietly.

“I do try to behave as they want, they want me out of sight, but some times... They could have sent me to an orphanage... you know? A child is expensive... I have to earn my keep...I have chores and they do have their own child, they would not take things from him....I wouldn't want that. I deserve it when they punish me. Most of the time…”

“How do they punish you, child?” Mrs. Weasley.

“Well, the usual way I think, they send me to my room, or I have to go to bed with out dinner, or with out dessert….. some times a spanking…, I do deserve them…. They are raising me…. I have to learn to obey…. I am expensive enough…”

“They told you that?” Said Mr. Weasley.

Harry just nodded, this was getting really scary. He had not other place to go.

All look at Dumbledore, he had to take the decision.

“Harry, your parents left you provided for.” He stated.

“I know about their vault. Sir, I took money from there and bought my supplies for school. My Aunt and Uncle, would not allow me to come if they had to pay for it.”

“Not only that, Harry, a monthly allowance has been given to your relatives since the moment they took you in.” Cleared Dumbledore. “More than enough for your keep, your food and clothes. You were not an extra expense for them. They would only have to care for you.”

“I didn't know that! Nobody told me!” He said, exasperated with so much attention. “And your are acting like you just find out! You did know about it! My first letter from Hogwarts was directed to the cupboard under the stairs, you knew! that's where I slept all the time, it was my room until before the first year here. They changed me to my cousin's second bedroom after that! Just because they thought that someone over here knew and they would be in trouble for keeping me there. They had been paid to have me…?, and they had made me wear Dudley’s cast offs…. and they begrudge me a piece of fresh bread…? They had never liked me! I have always been a freak for them. They do not like to be my relatives. They said that my parents were good for nothing bumps and that they were killed in a car accident....!”

Mrs. Weasley, stood up and went near him, wanting to hug him. He move out of her reach and continued wiping his eyes hid his pyjama cuffs. “It doesn't matter now!! It's not like there is a lot of people who would have wanted to take me in, or you wouldn’t have left me there! Would you? I am used to them...

“That's why we are here Harry.” Said Madam Pomfrey “we can not let you go back there, they are not good for you, we care about you…”

“It would have been better if you had not placed me there in the first place….”

“That's spilled milk Potter...”Harry only looked at Snape... what was he doing here? he was not his head of house, nor his favorite teacher... Snape only sneered as if he had read his mind, and Harry looked at the floor. He felt a small flame of hope inside him, may be he wouldn't have to go back to the Dursley's.

“May I stay in Hogwarts then, professor?”

“That is not possible my boy, the rules of the school do not allow for any student to stay for the Summer.... And even if you could, you are a child you need to be taken care of, that is more than only a place to sleep...”

“He may come with us.”

“We would love to have you Harry....”

Harry hopes soared, he could go to Ron's family? that would be great, better than Hogwarts in Christmas!

“As we told you Albus, we are going to Egypt this summer, Harry is welcome to come. We have made the arrangements for the trip, his place is already....”

“I know that Molly, we have talked about it, and as much as it would be good for Harry to be with your family, we must not forget that he needs special precautions, there are still Voldemort followers that would take any chance to get him, and while traveling it would be almost impossible to keep him and your family safe.”

Harry felt his hopes break. It hurt. He exploded.

“THAT IS ALWAYS THE STORY!” said Harry standing up, “YOU ARE SORRY! YOU CARE FOR ME, BUT THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE MY LIFE! I CAN’T GO TO THE BURROW! I CAN’T STAY IN HOGWARTS! I WON’T GO TO AN ORPHANAGE! I AM A FREAK…. MAY BE A CIRCUS WOULD BUY ME….!” Harry recovered his breath. “Do not worry... I have survived the Dursley's for eleven years. As long as I could come back to school here, it does not matter. Three months once a year won’t kill me. I’ll stash some food or my friends will owl food to me, and now that I know about the money they receive for me I would ask them to buy me clothes, my cousin's clothes had never fit me. Harry left the room.

Harry felt full of air, about to burst, he ran out and ran around the castle until he felt that he was not bursting any more.

He sat in the floor and saw some birds fly by, he wished to fly away, far away where no one would know him. Would his broom be strong enough to fly south with the birds? He cried until he felt dry inside. It was a warm day but the air felt cold in the tower. He was only wearing the thin pajama…. He started to feel hungry, but he was not ready to go back yet.

+++

He was found one hour later in the astronomy tower by Snape. The black cloaked man saw the boy seated on the floor holding his knees. Snape always enjoyed the look from the tower, he walked pass Harry and asked with out looking at him.

 “Is your tantrum over, Mr. Potter?”

“It was not a tantrum. Sir.” Harry pouted, then he sighed and said "There are things that can not be changed. I have learned to live with that. I shouldn't have hoped for a change. It's always the same.”

“Did some one else try to help you with your relatives situation, Mr. Potter?” Harry was still too emotional to care to whom he was talking to. So he said.

“At school, a very long time ago, a teacher saw some welts, I didn’t say anything, I knew I shouldn't, but she called child services. My relatives talked to the school, they insisted that I was clumsy and that it had been an accident, they asked me and I had to say I had fallen down, she lost her job. Nothing changed, I was locked in the cupboard for a week, they feed me once a day and allowed me to go to the bathroom.”

Snape just looked at him impassive, but not sneering.

“All I ever wanted is a place to sleep, some food, time to play, clothes that fit! I do not mind the chores... There you have it, you thought that I had an easy life. Didn’t you? Well I don't, sir, you can laugh at me now.” Snape though it was good if Potter could return to being cheeky.

“It’s not laughing matter, Mr. Potter. Any child deserves better than what your relatives gave you. “

“I stopped hoping a long time ago, sir. I am sorry, I left the meeting like that. Ron's parents are really nice. I wish I could live with them, I know I am a risk for them...I will apologize to them and to Professor Dumbledore and the rest. I know your intentions were good even if there was no way out, sir.”

“If you have calmed down now you should look for them. They were worried about you, Mr. Potter. It took me almost an hour to find you here. They must still be looking.”

“I'm sorry. “

“Professor Dumbledore is going to communicate with your relatives, Mr. Potter.”

“Thanks, but I do not believe that it would make any difference, sir, just tell them that I know about the money my parents left them...”

“He would inform them not to pick you up at the train station tomorrow, Mr. Potter.” He continued ignoring the interruption.

“Where am I going, professor?”

“You should have stayed in the reunion, Mr. Potter, you must know that we were determined to help you, you won’t go back to your relatives this summer, you will go somewhere else where you would be safe, you will not know where until you get there for safety reasons. You will take the train with your schoolmates, Mr. Potter, but you should not discuss it with your little friends. You will be met at King’s Cross station by your temporary guardian.. ”

“Temporary, whom is he, sir?”

“Temporary until better arrangements could be secured. You'll know in time, Mr. Potter. Now go and get your things ready. I am sure Madam Pomfrey would appreciate it if you returned the infirmary’s pajama.”

+++

Harry didn’t know what to think. He was not going back to the Dursleys. That should be enough to be happy. He would like to see their faces when they learned about the money that wouldn't come any more, he knew they would regret that, but he knew he would be hurt to realize that his not coming back would be good news for them.

He packed his trunk with his books and clothes, he would take Hedwig’s cage to the owlery to pick her up. He was scared, who would be his new guardian? What if that someone didn’t like him? He guessed that this time he would be allowed to fly his broom.

He had apologized to Ron's parents first, as they were in the infirmary when he returned to give the pajama back to Madam Pomfrey. Mrs. Weasley hugged him and cried. He could only say ‘I’m sorry’. She cleaned the tears but they kept coming.

“Harry, you know that we love you. I wish you could come with us. But all will be right now. Owl us if you have any problem.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Madam Pomfrey had not been that easy to appease, she lectured him on leaving the meeting like that, and running bare footed through the castle. He didn’t tell her about being in the astronomy tower. She insisted on running a complete scan and then gave him some foul tasting vials to drink.

His Head of house only wished him a nice summer and reminded him to do his homework, she did not tell him who would be his guardian.

He saw Professor Dumbledore last, he felt ashamed for his outburst, but the old man accepted the apology and told him that he was also sorry, as he was the one who decided to leave him with his relatives.

“I though that as your family, they would take good care of you and give you a home. You do not have to worry now my child. You deserve a happy childhood.”

Harry accepted a lemon candy. “Can you tell me who is going to be my guardian now, Professor?” The old man looked at him while he took a lemon sherbet.

“No, Harry, your new guardian asked us to keep it a secret, for security sake. He will meet you at King-Cross, he will arrive once your friends have departed. Leave the terminal with them, but do not wander at the station. You will be able to write them later, once you are settled, but do not mention your change of dwellings until your guardian allows you to.”

“But If I don’t know… How will I be able to recognize him, sir?”

“He will find you, Harry. And…” Dumbledore’s eyes sparkled. “He will give you my chocolate frog card. That way you will know him. Promise me that you would not go looking for trouble, and we’ll make sure that trouble won’t find you.”

“I promise. You do know where he will take me, Sir,  don’t you?”

“Certainly, child, I will visit you there next Saturday, I may bring Professor McGonagall with me too. This is for your trip,”-the old man gave him a cardboard box, Harry opened it and saw it was full to the brim with goodies. ”You may share with your friends if you want. Now stop worrying, you will have a good summer, you will be well taken care of.”

“See you later, Headmaster. Thank you for the treats.”

+++

After a rather restless night, Harry got on the train with his friends, he wished he could stay in the castle and explore. At least he had to look forward to a summer away from the Dursleys. He shared the box with his friends and they played exploding snap. Hermione told him that she would go to France with her parents for the Summer, and asked him to write her. Ron asked him to write if he needed another rescue, he could arrange it with his brothers. Harry just smiled, happy to know that his friends cared for him, he had not told them about the change in his residence.

Dumbledore asked him not to look for trouble… Harry sighed, it seemed too good to be true, he was scared that the Dursleys would come to pick him up. He couldn't tell his friends about his new guardian, he didn't know who was him or where he was going. He did not like to keep secrets from them. They arrived too soon to London, and minutes later they were all in the station. Hermione left with her family. And Ron left with all his brothers and sister. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugged him and told him to write.

Harry pulled his trunk to a wall and sat on it. Hedwig was inside her cage and could feel that he was nervous.

He was worried, what if no one come? Would he be able to get to the platform and on the train back to Hogwarts? Should he send Hedwig to Professor Dumbledore asking him, how long should he wait? He emptied his pockets, he had some Muggle money, not enough for a taxi, may be some snacks.... He still had some chocolates in the box that Dumbledore gave him. He wished that he would not have long to wait.

Hedwig hooted quietly inside her cage beside him.

“I can only hope this is for the best girl, we won’t be stuck at Aunt Petunia’s house any more, maybe you will be able to fly around, and catch your food. This Summer I won’t have to stash food in my room for fear of being starved. If you don’t like it where I’m being taken, you can always go to Hogwarts, remember that Ron and his family are not going to be at their home this Summer. That’s a surprise for him, his parents are taking him and his brothers and sister to Egypt to visit Bill, the oldest Weasley. For a while I thought that we could go and live with them, it could have been fun, but… I am dangerous you see… people must be careful when I am near…

‘You are not dangerous, child, you are in danger…”

Harry turned to the familiar voice and tried to recognize the person standing beside him.

It had sounded like Professor Snape with out the sneer, but it did not look like him… this person was wearing black jeans and boots, also a white shirt with a leather jacket, his hair was tied behind. And he was wearing dark glasses.

Harry just stared open mouthed.

“I’m sure your bird will love the place where we are going. C’mon we have a train to catch…”

“Who are you?”

“Potter, I don’t have time for games….you know who I am…”

“You can’t be…Where are your robes? Professor Dumbledore said that whom ever came for me would give me… something….” It was not smart to say what. “I won’t move until you give it to me…” What if someone had drank polyjuice and was pretending to be Snape?

“Potter, we have a train to get on to, this is no place for antics….”

“I don’t know you….” Harry was scared, what if he was kidnapped? No one would know in at least a week. “Get close to me and I will cry for help…! Harry saw that there were station policemen near. He could shout and run to them.

Snape looked angry, Dumbledore’s stupid spy games, as if it was so difficult to abduct this child from a train station? He might spell him quiet and shrink his things, the owl could be donated to the Zoo… and then all trace will be lost of the annoying boy-that-lived. He put his hand inside his jacket pocket and produced a smiling card of Albus Dumbledore, he slapped it strongly in Harry’s hand.

“There, are you happy?”

Harry looked at the card carefully, it was one of the chocolate frogs, and he remembered that he had not asked for this specific card, we had only asked for what the Headmaster had sent. So it was all right. But…Snape….he hated him. He knew now what the phrase out of the frying pan and into the fire meant. This was a joke, how could they…? Knowing that resistance was futile he pocketed the card.

Harry stood up and got hold of the cage. “Where are we going?”

Snape got hold of the cart that had Harry’s trunk and started walking the station, he only looked back for a moment to be sure that the boy with the caged owl was following. It looked like he was looking for a platform, they arrived to the last one and there Snape asked a porter to help him place the trunk on the train. And after showing him the tickets, the porter escorted them to a carriage. Harry was speechless, he couldn’t believe it. The Greasy Git was out of his vampire’s clothes and still managed to look menacing. Deep inside Harry realized that he’d known that Snape was the one that was going to pick him up… In the meeting he was the only one that had not looked at him with pity. Harry knew that Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore stayed at Hogwarts and he was not supposed to stay there. The Weasleys were ruled out at the meeting. So the only one left was his hated potions professor.

Once in the carriage Harry looked outside the window for a while it was his second trainride of the day and he got bored. Snape had taken a book out of his jacket and was reading.

Harry wished that he had his quiditch books, but they were inside his trunk.

He tried to close his eyes and sleep. He didn’t know how long the train ride would take. The noise of the tracks accompanied by the silence inside the carriage were too much to let him sleep. He wondered if Ron knew by now that his family had won the wizard lottery and that he would go to Egypt to visit his brother? It was nice that nice things happen to nice people.

Ron was always very touchy about any reference to money and new things. Harry knew what it was to be dressed with hand me downs, at least Ron’s brothers were really nice and the clothes fit Ron, Harry didn’t have that luxury with his cousin clothes.

“Are you hungry, Potter?” Harry was startled out of his musings by Snape’s voice. He jumped and opened his eyes.

“Sir?”

“I asked if you were hungry. We may go for tea to the eating carriage, unless you would prefer to stay here and keep pretending that you are asleep, Mr. Potter?

“I was not pretending, I was trying to sleep.”

“Well you were failing, Potter, it seemed that you had spiders in your pants.”

“I don’t…”

“Stop arguing, Mr. Potter, and do not forget to call me sir. ”

“No, Sir. Sorry, Sir.”

“Are you hungry, Potter?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Come with me.”

They were sat at a nice table in the carriage and were brought sandwiches and tea. Harry could observe that Snape was familiar with muggle money and customs. Who would have thought so? The dark bat of the dungeons drank tea with milk and sugar, Harry would have bet that he only drank blood…

“Stop staring and start eating, Mr. Potter, we will arrive at our destination in one hour. And then we would have to walk. I don’t want you fainting for lack of nourishment.”

“I may surprise you, Sir, with my relatives I could do chores all day after taking only a glass of milk and some old piece of bread.”

“We won’t discuss that over here, Mr. Potter. We will address your relatives later, when we get to the Manor. Pour more milk in your tea and have another sandwich.”

Harry poured the milk. This was surreal! To be seated across a table with Snape and having him telling Harry to have more milk in his tea! Harry pinched his leg to be sure it was not a dream. He looked at the door between the carriages sure that Alice or the Mad Hatter would come and join them for tea.

The sandwiches were good, but Harry was not very hungry, he felt like a big balloon was inside his stomach, he was wary of his companion, up to now the Potion Master had been civil, almost, he was afraid even to think it ‘nice’, but remembering their past, he was sure that Snape was going to turn nasty, maybe not until they arrive at their destination, but any way this was supposed to be better than the Dursleys! He didn’t know what to think.

“Where are we going?” Snape raised an eyebrow. “Sir?” completed the boy.

“You will know it as ‘The Manor’, it’s a 20 minute walk from the station we will be arriving to, Mr. Potter, it’s an ancient place, used as a retirement place for the family that owned it. It’s near a Muggle town and a forest, it’s supposed to be a very quiet place.”

Not suitable for noisy children. Harry completed in his mind.

“I guess Hedwig is going to be allowed to fly around, Sir, isn’t she?”

“Yes, your owl won’t be caged, Mr. Potter, although you won’t be able to send any messages to your friends, any letter you would want to send should go through Hogwarts.”

So he would be able to write to his friends. And Professor Dumbledore will visit him, well… at least he will see some one else.

At that moment the porter announced that they would arrive to the next station promptly, Snape stood up and indicated Harry to follow him.

“The train will stop for ten minutes, we have to pick up your trunk and your owl.

They went back to their cabin and felt like the train was slowing down.

“Be sure that you do not leave anything.”

“I didn’t…..”

“Just look around, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, Sir.” Well, thought Harry, here it was the usual Snape that he knew and hated…

The train stopped and a porter helped them with the trunk, the station was small, it was a small building with a waiting room, restrooms and the ticket booth.

Two more persons left the train with them, but they had left the platform when Harry looked around, may be they lived in the small town.

The station chief, got close to them. Harry was standing beside his trunk he had placed Hedwig’s cage over it. He felt the cold air surround him, he was tired. He had not slept well the night before dreading to meet his new Guardian, and now he only wanted a place to sleep.

“If you need a place to sleep the pub has rooms, it’s the third building on main street.” The old man saw that the boy was tired.

“Thank you, but we have a place to go, you may know about it, it’s property of the Prince family?”

“I know about it, Sir, but you would have to walk through the forest, and there is a full moon….”

“We’ll be there in 20 minutes. The moon would help us to see the way.”

“You may leave the trunk here and pick it up in the morning, if you are sure you want to go..., stay in the road, and go as fast as you can.” The man touched a crucifix on his neck.

“Thank you.” Snape walk toward Harry.

“Mr. Potter, take a jacket out of your trunk, don’t you feel the cold air?”

Not finding anything to say Harry opened the trunk and kneeled beside it, he didn’t have any jacket, he dug out the sweater that Ron’s Mother gave him last Christmas, and he put it on. He could felt Snape’s disapproval over the state of his trunk, he was not going to lecture him or make him arrange it in the middle of no where, would he? He closed the lid and saw that Snape was not looking at him, but at the road that got lost under the trees.

“Let your owl out, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, are we coming to get my trunk in the morning, Sir?”

“Of course not…”

“But it is heavy, unless you place a hovering charm on it, but it would look strange to have a floating trunk coming behind us…”

“Hovering charms are not the only ones we could use, Mr. Potter, do you have your wand on you?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Keep it on hand.” Snape took out his wand and murmured something that Harry couldn’t catch and with a movement his trunk shrunk to the size of a box of matches. Harry picked it up, and placed it in his pocket as Snape shrunk the cage.

“Wicked! Can you show me how to do that.. Sir?”

“Not now Potter, we must be on our way. It’s later that I wanted to arrive.”

“Why did the chief tell you to be aware of the moon, Sir?”

“Superstitious fools, Mr. Potter. Come along.” Even with out the man’s ever-present robes he billowed menacingly

They started walking off the platform, they saw some streets and arrived at the end of the village. They entered the forest, it was not as dense as the forbidden forest near Hogwarts, but it was creepy with the light of the moon filtering through the trees canopy. The moon lighted the road and it looked endless. Harry hoped that they would arrive soon, he felt tired, it had been a long day.

He was so tired that his imagination was running wild, he didn’t dismissed the comment of the station chief, he felt as if something was watching them walk through the forest. He was not cold anymore, but was glad of the jumper. He thought that something was moving near. Harry walked as close to Snape as he could. But one of the man steps translated to three for Harry. So he was practically running. And his big trainers were not helping, Harry was sure that he would have blisters once they arrived at the place where they were going. He had to look down, there were roots and stones and he had almost tripped several times.

“Be careful where you place your feet, Mr. Potter.”

Snape said this after Harry almost fell down. He twisted his ankle with the root of a tree. He tried to keep walking, but it hurt. So he sat down in the road.

Snape walked back to him and kneeled beside him.

“I will like to arrive before midnight, Mr. Potter...”

“I’m sorry… It hurts, Sir.”

Snape took Harry’s foot and softly turned it around. It was not broken… he couldn’t feel any swelling, but the boy claimed that he was in pain. Maybe they should rest for a moment. He saw that the trainers that Harry was wearing were at least two sizes too big for the kid.

“Your cousin’s I suppose?”

Harry only nodded.

Snape was adding one more thing to the list of what he wanted to do to those muggles, when he heard it.

The forest has constant noise, different depending of the time of the day, but there is always some insect chirping or rubbing it’s wings or legs or whatever they do, but there was always something to hear.

Snape noted that nothing was stirring anymore for a moment just before he realize that there was something big coming their way.

The noise was like some heavy paws running in the earth and crashing the branches of the trees, he and Harry looked at each other first and later at one side of the road from where the noise was coming.

Then the running stopped, but a piercing howl reached their ears. Harry felt Snape’s hands on his shoulders as he was stood up quickly, then the running started again and a big mass with yellow eyes was coming toward them. Harry could see big teeth in the middle and braced himself for the attack.

With closed eyes Harry felt as if his body passed through a very small hole. He felt the air was getting out of his lungs only to feel again a wave of air. But not a heavy body full of teeth over him.

He still had Snape’s hand on his shoulders. Harry opened his eyes and found himself in a completely different place. Instead of being in the middle of the road in the forest they were beside an ancient looking stone arch. Snape let him go and he stumbled on the earth beside the arch.

With out turning to look at the child beside him Snape touched his wand to the wall. The arch glowed blue, Harry heard Snape pronounce some incantation and saw him moving his wand. They heard the howl again, and again getting closer.

The arch glow change to green and Snape turned towards his charge and bent to get hold of him, Harry felt himself picked up not too gently and carried through the arch. A white bundle of feathers flew beside them. The arch turned blue again and then disappeared, the howling stopped as if a door had closed between them. Harry could not be sure but he thought that he saw the yellow eyes running toward them as Snape took him toward the building.

“What was that?” Snape had placed Harry on a sofa in what looked like a comfortable parlor. Snape was reclining beside the chimney arranging logs, he casted a spell that started a fire. With out turning he said:

“One would think that you had seen this before, Mr. Potter, it’s fire. It’s a cold night.” Harry felt the sneering tone.

“Not that! There…. Outside…!”

“Articulate as always… Would you be more specific, Mr. Potter?”

Harry breathed deeply and tried again, Snape made him feel foolish. “How.., what.., how did we arrive here?”

“It was side along apparition. It is a very fast way to move from one place to other for a wizard.”

“I had heard of that. Why didn’t you use it before? When we were at the station?”

“You would refer to me as sir or professor all the time, Mr. Potter.”

“Why, sir?” Harry was getting tired.

“Because it shows some respect for the person that is in charge of you, Mr. Potter.”

“Not why should I call you sir, Sir. Why didn’t you use the apparition before, Sir?”

“Mind your tone.... Because Mr. Potter. At the station and the village we could have been spotted by muggles, they are inquisitive and would not take well at looking us disappear, also aparating with some one else takes a lot of energy from the wizard doing it, as his magic is the only one used, and it is also disagreeable for the side along. I guess you understand that IT was an emergency, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir. I thought that… that thing was going to fell over us, do you know what it was? Was it really going to attack us Professor?”

“I was not able to see it well, it was moving too fast. I can only guess what it was, but it certainly would have harmed us, Mr. Potter.”

“It seemed that it was a big wolf.”

“It may have been a wolf, but it was too big, I could guess it was a Werewolf. You must remember that, in case you feel that you want to explore the forest and go outside the wards, Mr. Potter.”

“The wards? Was that blue thing under the arch. Sir?”

“Yes, they surround the property like a dome. The arch is the place where they can be crossed if you know the right words. They would recognize us now, so we may leave or enter from all around them, there is a stone wall around the propriety, the wards end there. It won’t allow anything else to cross them. They won’t bar you from leaving, but they would send me a signal. And believe me, Mr. Potter you would prefer to be caught by the werewolf than by me, if you go out of the wards.”

Harry shivered at this threat. “Yes, Sir. I won’t trespass the wards.”

“See that you don’t, Mr. Potter. We want to keep you safe from all, your Muggle world and Magic world, I advice you to be consent for once and do not go looking for trouble.”

“I do not go looking for trouble, Sir.”

“Trouble just finds you, child. As much as I would like to stay here and talk about your past follies and dumb luck, Mr. Potter, I do not have all night. Do not worry, we will talk about them. We will be here for all the Summer, I’m sure we’ll talk about your adventures eventually. For now I am tired so come with me I will show you to your rooms.”

Harry stood up, he felt like Jonathan Harker following Dracula, ‘He was going to show him to his rooms’, Harry only needed one room and a bed, and right now he felt so tired that the sofa in front of the fire would be enough. He was cold. He followed Snape up two flight of stairs to the first door. Snape opened it and the lights turned on.

“This is your room, Mr. Potter. I will show you the rest of the place later. Please refrain from night walking. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yes, Sir.” Harry entered and closed the door, then he opened it again. Snape was still near. “Professor?”

“What now, Mr. Potter?

“I need my trunk, Sir, it is still small” Harry was holding it in his hand.

“Place it in the floor, Mr. Potter.”

Snape used his wand and the trunk grew back to its size.

“Do you need anything else, Mr. Potter?”

Harry was a little hungry but he felt that Snape was at his edge. He only shook his head and said:

“No thank you, Sir. Good night.”

“Sleep well, Mr. Potter.”

Harry turned pushing his trunk in. The first thing he saw was that he was in a sitting room. It had some bookshelves around comfortable chairs and coffee tables.

May be Snape had been confused. Was this a bedroom? Was Harry supposed to transform the chairs into a bed? He knew that it was possible to transfigure things like that, but they had not progressed to beds last term. Harry saw that there were three doors in three different walls in the room and he realized that the room had five walls. He was curious, he walked toward the door at his left and opened it. There was the bedroom, it was decorated simply, the walls were painted clear blue and there was a full sized bed. The comforter over the bed looked very fluffy, he touched it and it was warm and soft. He pulled his trunk and placed it on the foot of the bed. There was a wardrobe and a window and counting the door he had used, it also had three doors.

This was getting interesting.

Harry tried again the left door and entered at what seemed a play room, it was a brilliant yellow with shelves all around, it had several toys and there were comfortable chairs and a lot of boxes in the floor. Some other child had own this rooms. Harry did not stop to investigate the boxes, he found the two doors and again opened the left one. This new room looked like a classroom with blackboard and desks, there were bookshelves with books. Harry thought that Hermione would love to study in that room.

Harry opened again the left door and found the sitting room again.

He had 4 rooms. He opened the middle door and found a square bathroom. It had 4 doors and Harry supposed that they went to each of the rooms. He went back to the bedroom.

Snape had been right saying that he would show him to his rooms.

Instead of rooms this was a big apartment, the only thing missing would be a kitchen.

He felt a little sad. It was foolish. He had never had such a nice place, but he felt lonely. He had always wanted his own room, and a big bathtub to soak all his chore soreness, but he needed someone to share it with. He felt tears in his eyes, it could have been so nice if his cousin had liked him and played with him…His relatives should have been nicer. He didn’t mind the chores, but he had always been alone. And now in this lovely big room he felt more alone than ever.

He opened his trunk and took out his picture book. Hagrid had given it to him. He lay in the bed to look at it. He knew the pictures by heart but he had no memory of his family. Looking at his parents pictures suddenly he felt angry, why hadn’t they tried to live their life calmly. Why had they angered that monster. They were foolish Gryffindors as Snape would surely say. Harry closed his tearful eyes and fell asleep. The picture album fell from the bed and landed open on the floor.

Snape heard the noise and went to look. The boy had no sense of survival.

The foolish boy was in bed, wearing his clothes. All the doors in his room were opened. And the windows were opened also, the place was very cold.

He sighed, he had asked for it, now he had to do it, and do it well. He was not someone who did things by halves.

He closed the windows and placed a warming charm on the room. He pulled the covers and placed them over the child. He closed the doors to the dormitory. He realized that the child had explored his rooms.

After learning that the child’s previous room had been literally a cupboard he chose to give Potter this adjacent rooms and prepared them to serve all along the child’s day. The toys in the playing room had been supplied by Albus and Minerva. He would allow him to choose one toy each day. The boy would be overwhelmed with 12 years of presents un-received.

He went back to the bedroom and uncovered the boy. He removed the glasses, shoes and pants, the t-shirt was big enough to serve as a nightshirt. He removed the sweater, Snape noticed that Potter was breathing through his mouth, he took out a small green vial and placing it in the boy’s mouth made him drink it. He bet that this was the first time that Potter had obeyed him with out protest. He saw the boy’s owl and remembered the shrunken cage in his pocket. He enlarged the cage, and placed it on a stand near the window. Then he conjured a rocking chair and sat beside the bed. He would stay there until the potion he gave the child worked.

He saw Harry sleep and remembered the meeting in the infirmary.

+++

When the child had left the meeting all the adults kept quiet.

He had sat in the infirmary numbed, first reviewing Pomfrey’s report. It was unbelievable that a child with all those injuries and signs of abuse, could have been in Hogwarts for two years and no one had noticed. The boy practically had a bed with his name in the infirmary! How could it be possible? Even more incredible, as the child was so important for the Wizard World. A lot of eyes were constantly on him and none of them had seen the battered child. And then after they confronted him with the facts, the child would not talk about his family life. Potter was an uncared for abused child, but he had not wanted to say it. He did not trusted the adults around him, he knew that they were not going to help him and that it would be worse to go back. He understood now the child’s need to be a Hero, the adults in his life were less than reliable, including all the ones with him in the infirmary.

Snape knew that Dumbledore had his hands tied, Pomfrey had orchestrated this to give him no way out, but to help the child. If she had gone alone to the Headmaster he would have seemed saddened by the news and he would have told Poppy to leave it all in his hands. And then he would proceed to do nothing. He might have asked that squib Mrs. Figgs to keep a closer eye on the boy.

If the Weasleys had approached him, he would have told them that he was worried about Potter’s safety and that the safest place was to leave him where he was. That he would arrange it all with the boy’s relatives. And would promise them to arrange for the child to visit them. That way he would appease their doubts.

But he knew that Minerva would not be so easily appeased, she would make him act, more now, that she felt guilty for not spotting the problem with the child herself. One of her charges was in danger and she was not known to be a passive woman.

And then there was Snape. Snape that would support Dumbledore on anything, everything, but the security of Harry Potter. The Headmaster knew that there was nothing he could do, but accept the change in Potter’s residence.

Snape knew about the blood wards that protected him in his relatives house, he was safe form evil wizards, but no one was protecting the boy from evil muggles.

Snape admired Molly Weasley she had seven children and did not hesitate to ask for one more, even threatening kidnapping the boy. The Weasleys were good for Potter, but he also realized the child could not be only one more. The child deserved undivided attention, more than a bed and a place at the table, although he knew how thankful Potter would be of getting just that. But it would throw suspicion to the child’s relatives. And even if they deserved to be drawn and quartered, it was no safe to let the wizarding world know.

Dumbledore was right about not wanting the Ministry of Magic meddling with Potter, that’s why the child couldn’t stay in Hogwarts either. So Snape stood to the chance, he would take the child, would provide a safe and stable environment. He broke the silence in the room and said:

“I can take Mr. Potter for the Summer, I would take him to my Grandparents house in Wales. No one knows of its whereabouts. The wards are more than enough to keep him safe. The floo is open only to and from Hogwarts. He would spend a safe summer for a change. Mean while you may think of a more permanent solution for him.”

“You do not like children Severus and you cannot stand this child.” Minerva was not happy with the solution.

“It’s true that I do not like children particularly, but I hate abuse. I believe that he could benefit from firm discipline and I think that he need rules to live by. I do not hate this child. I have done everything in my power to keep him safe, I am angered that everyone else thinks that his status keeps him above the rules. I would see that he sleeps enough, plays enough and eats enough.”

“He may need consulting to deal with the abuse.”

“I have helped children in that situation before.”

“Minerva and I would like to visit you on the weekends and we could take him on outings.”

“That would be fine I would appreciate Potter free time once a week.”

“Severus, you will treat Harry as himself and know him as that. You won’t consider whom is him son of.”

“I will treat him fairly”

Dumbledore’s eyes started shining again, as if this had been his plan all along.

“I think this will benefit  both of you.”

“I will pick up Mr. Potter at the train station, I would appreciate it if you do not inform him with whom he would stay.”

And then Snape had found the crying Harry up the Astronomy tower. He had not forgotten who was the boy’s father. He just remembered who was his mother.

Snape saw the open album beside the bed. He knew that Hagrid had compiled it for the boy during his first year. He saw the pictures and wished it had been different.

He did not want to sleep. He was not sure that what they had seen in the forest was a werewolf. The station chief had implied something, but he could not be sure. The muggle news from this place would not get to the Daily prophet… The woods had wolves, he knew that they were protected, even fed in winter. May be a Werewolf was living with them?

He knew that if he tried to sleep he would have nightmares from the moment he closed his eyes. Black’s attempted murder/prank would replay in his mind, and in his mind Potter was always too late.

He may drink a dreamless sleep potion, but he knew that he would be no good in case the child needed him, he hoped for the boy to sleep tight through the night, but knew that it was not unlikely that he could need something from Severus. The child could find trouble even in his sleep.

Snape made up his mind. He would sleep there. The position would prevent him from sleeping too soundly and that would help to keep away the nightmares. He turned the lights off with a movement of his wand. And closed his eyes.

Harry woke up in the dark room. First he was anxious, the place felt strange, then he remembered that he was in his rooms, as Snape had said. He had no memory of getting in the bed. He had been tired. He sat on the bed. He had been dreaming, he didn’t know what exactly, but he recalled a long line of doors he had opened looking for something.

He needed the bathroom.

He didn’t know how to turn the light on. He remembered that there was a bathroom near, it couldn’t be too far. He stood barefoot on the rug and liked the sensation. He walked toward the wall and found the door. He opened it and felt the cold tile under his feet. Through the skylight the full moon was bathing the room with pale light. Harry found what he was looking for, once relieved, he walked back to his bed, he left the door open and the light slither into his room, he felt a little cold. When he was close to the bed he saw something that made his heart stop. Harry froze. He didn’t know what could it be. Maybe it was a chair with blankets that he had not seen before. Maybe it was a wardrobe. But what ever it was it was too close to his bed…

Maybe it was the owner of the bright yellow eyes from the forest. Harry wasn’t even sure that it was there when he woke up…

Curiosity made him come closer and then he heard the breathing… it was alive! But he reasoned the breathing was too calm, it was asleep… One more step and he could almost touch it. He saw the white shirt and the pale face, surrounded again by the long greasy hair.

Professor Snape was asleep in a chair beside Harry’s bed!

Harry felt ashamed, had he misunderstood and taken the Professor’s bed?

Was he supposed to sleep in the sitting room?

Why was Snape there?

Was he guarding Harry from and unknown danger?

Harry placed his hand over the man’s hand and felt it cold as ice. It was a cold night. Snape did not move.

Should Harry wake him up and leave him the bed? He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to start his first Summer with out the Dursleys in detention because he had angered Snape.

Harry decided to let him sleep and ask in the morning about the sleeping accommodations. But the professor was cold. His bed was warm, but it only had one comforter. He remembered that in the bathroom he saw some big towels, he went to get them and realized that they were big enough to cover him, but not the tall professor.

So Harry took the comforter from his bed and covered the Potions Master as well as he could. The man was sleeping soundly but Harry saw that he relaxed even more once he felt the warm blanket.

Harry lay down in his bed and used two towels to cover himself. He fall asleep very fast hearing the silent breathing of the confusing adult beside him.

Harry felt the brightness of the day before opening his eyes. And he found that Professor Snape was still asleep in a chair beside his bed.

It had not been a dream at all. Harry felt oddly rested.

He tried to recall the events of the day before. He knew it had been very taxing for him.

He had not slept at all the night before, because his mind had been so full of anxiety. Every one had been so cryptic about whom would take him, he knew that anything could be better than what he had, but was nervous and full of curiosity. He was so glad that he would not go back to the Dursleys, he was sure that they would be angry because of Dobby and his escape with Ron and his brothers, and all the damages to the windows. And even angrier to have their peaceful ‘normal’ live altered by whom ever had contacted them about Harry. He knew that his anxiety would have duplicated if someone had told him that it would be Snape.

The train ride had been normal, but he had things that he could not discuss with his friends, like the fact that Ron and his family were going to visit Egypt or that he would have a new Guardian.

Then in the station, he had been worried when he was left to wait to be picked up. He didn’t know how much time to wait. Or what to do if no one come. Would he be able to go back to the magical platform? Could he go back in the train? Could he be allowed to stay and live in the train? He could help the old witch with the candy car, and the conductor, he could shovel the coal, o clean the cabin…Then Snape appeared looking like a muggle and had taken him.

That was scary.

It had been the usual Snape in strange clothes, well not the usual at all, he had not used the sneer and ridicule Harry at all. Like when he found Harry crying in the tower.

And then the arrival to the small village with the scary yellow-eyed creature in the forest. Harry wondered if the station chief knew that it was there?

Then being escorted to ‘his rooms’. And finding latter that the Potions Master was sleeping in his room.

Had Snape stayed to keep Harry from wandering in the night? He had not waken when Harry went to the bathroom or covered him.

If he was guarding Harry, it was weird that he was asleep. Or was he…?

Harry moved nearer to the side of the bed and sitting down moved his hand in front of the man.

No movement, the breathing kept its tranquility.

Harry lay down again.

Was the Greasy Git sick? He didn’t remember if Snape had said that Hedwig would be allowed to leave the wards and take a letter. Harry could write to the Headmaster.

He kept on looking at the man. Some minutes later the man moved. He stretched his legs and opened his eyes.

Harry closed his eyes immediately.

Snape saw the movement and stretched again. It was morning, he had slept in the boy’s room! He had planned to wake before the child and leave the room. His neck was a little stiff but in general he felt rested. He saw that the boy was awake.

The annoying child was covered with towels! Had he wet his bed?

He knew that some abused children had regressions in age, had they missed that too in their evaluation? Then he realized that a comforter was around him. The comforter that belonged to the bed!

“Why did you cover me, Mr. Potter?”

Harry kept still. He did not know what else to do.

“I know that you are awake, boy, open your eyes and answer my question.”

Harry obeyed. And opened his eyes.

“Do not pretend with me, Mr. Potter, you can not fool me.”

“I was… I… You were cold. I may have miss-understood, I thought that you said it was my room, is this your bed, Sir?

“My bed…? Why would you think that, Mr. Potter?”

“When I found you there… I had to go to the bathroom… I didn’t know if I was supposed to sleep in the sitting room, or some where else… I’m sorry. You were cold. Sir.”

Harry was biting his lower lip and looking at the towels in the bed.

Snape only looked at him trying to read him. The boy-that-lived, the child that he had thought so arrogant, so selfish… had removed his comforter and covered his most hated teacher with it. If he had fallen asleep at 50cm of the child’s father he knew he would have woke up covered in syrup and feathers. And the child was worried that he was using his bed.

“Why are you covered with the towels, Potter?”

“It was cold, Sir. And the towels… They wouldn’t have covered you that well, I’m not too tall, they kept me warm…”

Snape stood up and holding the comforter in his hands placed it over the sitting child.

“It’s you bed, young man. You had left all the windows opened and had a stuffy nose, I gave you a potion and sat to monitor the effect in you. I was more tired than I thought and fell asleep. Where would you have slept in the sitting room? You are small, but would not be comfortable in the sofas.”

“I thought that maybe I had to transfigure something… It was late in the night and I wanted to keep on sleeping, Should I have woke you up, Sir?”

“Maybe”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was my fault, Mr. Potter. Do you want to keep on sleeping or do you want to have breakfast?”

“Am I allowed to stay in bed still, Sir?

“Not every day, but you may today, Mr. Potter.”

“Do you want me to stay in bed, Sir?”

“I asked what do you want, can you not make your mind to that simple question, Mr. Potter?

“Sorry. Sir.”

“Well?”

“I am hungry. Do you want me to start with the breakfast, Sir? Just show me the kitchen.”

This boy was more annoying with each minute.

“You won’t be cooking, Potter”

“I know how to, Sir, really.”

“That’s not the point here, child, you won’t be responsible for the cooking here, Hogwarts house elves will bring us food as required. I have not seen to the rest of the manor, your rooms seem in order, so I will ask for the breakfast to be served in your sitting room. I am going to have a bath and a change of clothes and meet you in half an hour, you may stay in bed or do what ever you want. Mr. Potter.”

“I need a bath too. Sir.”

Harry felt reckless and soaked himself in the tub, it was like a dream come true. Warm clean water. Not cold two minutes bath like at the Dursley’s or the hurried showers that he took at school. They were nice but he could be late if he stayed too long under the hot water.

He wondered if he was dreaming and if it would turn into a nightmare.

He had a big collection of possible bad dreams, since he was very small he had dreamt about the woman crying and the bright green light. He now knew that it was from his memory of the night his parents died. Then he had the ones in which Dudley was playing Harry hunting, or in which his uncle was after him with a belt, and also the ones in where he burned the food and his aunt followed him with a pan, or the ones where that monstrous dog ‘Ripper’ was looking for him…

In his first year he had collected a three headed dog, a troll, a baby dragon that grew too fast, that thing that was killing unicorns in the forbidden forest, and professor Quirrell with two faces… Also just as scary, Professor Snape hexing his broom, even if he knew that he was saving him… but he woke from those dreams as he fell from the broom.

And last year…by now he had already dream about the disaster at his aunt’s dinner with Dobby, the feeling of being barred or expelled from Hogwarts, the flying car against the whomping willow, the voice in the walls, the spiders, even Professor Lockhart, that man was scary. He still had to dream of the Chamber of Secrets and Ginny, he knew he would get to them eventually. And he wondered how many bad dreams would he be able to collect in the summer..

He could add the creature with the yellow eyes in the forest.

He heard movement outside one of the bathroom doors, and a knock.

“Mr. Potter, the breakfast is ready” Snape voice said.

Harry stood up and took a towel, he realized that the big towels were in his bed. He dried up fast and went out to get dressed.

He arrived to the sitting room with his hair still wet.

On the coffee table were placed a well sorted collection of food. Several fruits in slices, cereal, a jug of milk, a jug of juice, eggs, pancakes, toast and even waffles. Snape was already seated with a cup on his hand.

He looked at the boy as he entered the room. “Pick up a plate and choose you breakfast, Mr. Potter.”

Severus noted that Harry was dressed with the previous day clothes. He had just changed the t-shirt.

Harry took fruit and cheese, then waffles with butter and strawberries. All in the same plate.

“There is no need to pile the food on your plate, Potter, you may take more once you finish what you take.” Snape saw that the boy was juggling with the fruit. After what he said he saw the boy cringe and freeze with the plate in his hand. He could kick himself, the last thing he needed was to frighten the boy into not eating.

He stood up and picked another plate. He levitated from Harry’s plate the waffles with the butter and strawberries and placed them in the new plate. Then he conjured a cover plate and placed it in a corner table. He also poured milk and juice in two glasses and placed them beside the covered dish.

“Sit over here, child”

Harry knew that he was placing too many things on the plate, but he was hungry, and everything looked delicious, he heard Snape’s rebuke and his stomach implode, he thought that he would be left with out food, ‘well done Harry, it’s just the first day!’ He saw Snape as he stood up and waited for the lecture to continue, but with out a word the Professor removed from his plate what was about to fall, arranged him another plate and even served him milk and juice, maybe he was still asleep.

He followed Snape and sat beside the corner table. Snape sat again. Harry was still watching him. He took the silence as permission to eat so he took a sip from the cold milk. Then he saw that Snape stood up again and went back with a fork and napkin. The man placed them in front of the boy and went back to his place.

Harry placed the napkin over his lap and took the fork, he turned and saw Snape drinking his tea so he started eating.

“During this week,” Started Snape “the elves are going to bring us different things for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner, note what we prefer and they will bring it the rest of the time. How do you like the waffle, Mr. Potter?

“It’s good, sir, thank you”

“It looks good the way that you are having it, with cream and strawberries”

“I had never had them like this, I saw a picture in a muggle magazine, that my aunt had. I decided to try. Sir.”

Snape picked up a waffle and poured cream and berries over it. He tried it and found it tasty.

“This is good, Mr. Potter.”

They didn’t talk much. Harry poured hot coffee in Snape’s cup. Both were careful with their words and actions, knowing that it was the first day of the Summer and not wanting to make it hard to live.

Once they finished Harry placed the plates on the table and looked around to find a tray to take them to the kitchen to wash. But the moment he turned the plates disappeared. A vase of fruits and juice was left.

Harry said, “I will tidy my room now, sir, what are going to be my chores?”

“Chores, Mr. Potter?” Snape was surprised that the boy had offered to do chores! Any teenager would hide from chores. He knew that the boy should have chores, Snape wanted to give him a complete schedule to have him occupied for the whole Summer, but he felt that they should have time to accommodate in the manor and to relate to each other.

“You’ll have some chores, Mr. Potter, but they won’t include any cooking or washing.” Snape saw the boy’s face fall, may be the child thought that he would have to work as in detention, cleaning cauldrons or preparing potion ingredients. So he continued. “You are not a house elf, child, you won’t do anything disagreeable unless you deserve it. For today you will have to settle into your room. You will unpack your trunk, discard all the items that you do not use anymore, and take note of what you need, including clothes.”

“Clothes, Sir?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter you must have grown out of your clothes and need some more, we’ll go shopping for them later. I couldn’t fail to observe that your trainers do not fit, or that the jeans you are wearing belonged to an elephant in their previous life. -Harry snickered remembering his cousin.- You will need clothes for the summer, also some school supplies.”

“School supplies, Sir? But school does….”

“I know when the next term should start, Potter, but you do need to do your Summer assignments and you will have remedial courses during the Summer.”

“I would have lessons….” Snape heard the dismay behind those words.

“The days are long, Mr. Potter you will have enough time to play with your broom and take naps. And study your lessons around them.”

“I don’t need naps…”

“We’ll see to that later, Mr. Potter. We’ll make a schedule for next week. You are responsible for your rooms, the house elves will dust and clean, but you must keep the rooms tidy. And the clothes and things in their proper place. Are we clear on that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go trough your trunk and explore the rest of your rooms, I will call you for lunch and I’ll show you the rest of the manor, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Harry went back to his room, he knew it was foolish to fight Snape, but he didn’t want to be trapped in the ‘rooms’ as big as they were and he didn’t want to study. He knew that he had to complete the Summer assignments but not yet, not before his birthday at least…. He felt foolish to sulk, this was way better than the Dursleys…, but he felt a little rebellious, the man was going to make him study!, he knew with out asking that he would make him do potions, and that thought alone made him shiver, he would have the Potions Master breathing down his neck all the time, here was where the nightmare begun.

He looked at his trunk and wanted to kick it, Snape wanted to buy him clothes!

He wanted Harry to make a list of what he needed!

Harry should have been happy, he didn’t know why he felt so angry? maybe it was the realization that even his most hated professor treated him better than his own family.

He went to the room beside his bedroom, he had seen that it was full of boxes. Now in the daylight he saw that the boxes had toys inside. The color on the walls was festive, so he realized that it really was a playroom, he wondered who had owned the toys? they looked new. There were some more on the shelves. He didn’t feel like going through his trunk just now, so he may as well move this boxes and clear the room. He went out of his room and found Snape in the hall.

“Professor?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter?”

“There are some boxes in the playroom, where should I place them, Sir?”

“Boxes? O yes, you must unpack the boxes and place the contents on the shelves or where ever you like, Mr. Potter.”

“But sir…? The boxes have toys and games…?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter, did you expect instruments of torture? you will need that to entertain yourself sometimes inside the house, as some days would be too wet to go out.”

“But Sir, I don’t…. I had never had any toys” Harry felt foolish tears coming to his eyes… and he had been angry at Snape! The dark man made as if he did not noticed the watering eyes. But he softened the tone of his voice.

“You are a child, Mr. Potter, a child made to grow up too fast, but a child in the end, it would do you good to remember it. Open the boxes and see what you find, all is yours, see that you do not get in too much mischief with them.” Snape’s idea about allowing him only one toy per day was forgotten.

“Yes, sir.”

Snape saw the child run back to his room, such a bundle of emotions! those Dursleys had a lot to pay for. He realized that he would like to see the child opening the boxes. So he went after him.

Harry was seated on the floor, a box was empty beside him, and he had some games around him. And was holding a book with moving pictures. Snape realized that the book would suit a younger kid, not the pre-teen on the floor, but he noticed that the boy was reading it and smiling a spontaneous un-aware smile. He turned around and left the room.

Snape couldn’t understand what he was feeling, he had to almost run from the room, to stop himself from kneeling beside the child and hugging him. He, the dungeons bat, wanted to hug the son of his enemy! But the boy was the picture of innocence!! And Lilly, his Lilly….. Snape went to his lab and looked for the nastiest potion to prepare, he needed to take his mind from the boy upstairs mesmerized by the picture book.

Snape recited the potion several times before he felt composed enough to start preparing it, it wouldn’t do to blow the cauldron like Longbottom.

He went up stairs again at lunchtime, he asked the elves to serve lunch in the sitting room.

He entered the boy’s room and saw with satisfaction that the bed was made and that there were no clothes scattered around, the boy was tidy, of course he couldn’t have guessed as he was always scruffy looking. He had a whole list of things he had to buy for the child to make him look presentable.

He entered the playroom and saw that almost all the boxes were empty and the contents were placed on the shelves, the boy was still on the floor, this time with several building blocks around him.

Harry felt someone beside him and stood up quickly, scared, the pieces scattering on the floor.

“Guilty conscience, Mr. Potter?”

“No, Sir”

“Pick up your blocks child, and wash yourself, lunch is ready.”

“I haven’t gone trough my trunk yet, Professor.”

“You’ll have time after lunch.”

“Yes, Sir”

Snape saw that the boy had a healthy appetite. He served himself some salad and a sandwich.

“Did you find anything interesting, Mr. Potter, did you get to your study room?”

“No, sir, I almost finished placing the toys away.”

“After lunch I would appreciate it if you would go trough your trunk. I want us to came back before dark.”

“Would we walk through the forest, Sir?

“Where is your Gryffindor recklessness, Mr. Potter? Don’t you want to investigate the creature habits…?”

“Not really, sir.”

“I am amazed! you do have some common sense, Mr. Potter, we may only have to improve it.”

Harry kept quiet, he had common sense! He finished his salad.

“We will use the floo connection to go to Hogwarts, from there we’ll walk to Hogsmead, I want to go early to avoid the afternoon shoppers, have you been to Hogsmead, Mr. Potter?”

“Not really, Sir, first year, only when the train arrived.”

“Oh! Yes, how could I forget? Your arrival last year was …. More spectacular. Third years are allowed on specific weekends to visit the place, an authorization slip would arrive with your book list. It have to be signed by your guardian and delivered to your Head of House prior to the first trip.”

“Would I be allowed to go, Sir?”

“If you show that you posses the common sense we were talking about earlier, Mr. Potter I would consider signing the authorization.”

“I have finished my lunch, Sir, may I go back to my room?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter, I’ll see you downstairs in half an hour with a list of what you require.”

Harry walk inside his bedroom and closed the door. He would consider it! How dare he! He clearly could predict that Snape would find any excuse to forbid him to go to Hogsmead with his friends! But… Harry thought, Snape would only be his Guardian for the Summer, surely Dumbledore would find someone more permanent before the term started, and the Headmaster would not forbid Harry to go.

++++

“Do you know what you need, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Do you have it written down?”

“No, Sir, I… I can remember.”

“Here is a list of what I want you to have, add what you need to it.”

Harry read the list:

3 jeans

2 grey trousers

2 blue trousers (dress)

5 polo shirts (neck)

5 t shirts (sorted colors)

3 dress shirts

4 short pants (blue, 2 grey, black)

2 sport short pants

1 Swimming trunks

8 knee socks (white with colored stripes red, grey, blue)

8 sport socks (white)

6 color socks (2 brown, 2 blue, 2 black)

12 underpants

12 undershirts

1 dress shoes

1 trainers

1 slippers

1 rubber slippers

4 pajama (2 pieces each)

1 bath robe

2 jackets

2 sweaters

1 rain coat

2 black all use robes

Snape saw Harry eyes as they went over the list.

“Any questions, Mr. Potter”

“Is there a Gringotts Branch in Hogsmead? Sir.”

“Yes, Mr. Potter.”

They arrived to Hogwarts, to Snape rooms in the dungeons.

Harry had to pick himself up from the floor, he couldn’t get hold of this kind of travel. Snape waited until he was standing up to say.

“Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall are out on a visit to the Ministry of Magic, they would be here by dinner time, although I would rather be back at the manor at that time, I would appreciate it if you cooperate to make this outing as painless as possible, Mr. Potter.”

Harry thought that what would be painful was going to be how to carry all that Snape wanted to buy.

Snape placed a disillusionment charm on both of them to avoid being recognized, and they walked out of the castle to the town of Hogsmead.

“May we go first to the bank, Professor?”

“Let’s see to your clothes first, child, you have to try them in order to get the correct size. That usually takes a lot of time….”

“But, Sir…”

“Yes, Mr. Potter?”

“Could I try the clothes and would they wait until after we get back to get paid?”

“Why would they have to wait?”

“I don’t have enough money with me, Professor, I need to go to the bank or I won’t be able to pay for all the things on your list.”

“Why would you pay for your things, Potter?”

“They must be very expensive, Sir…. I…. How am I going to pay for them?”

“You are not going to pay for them, Potter, do not worry about it.”

“I’ll pay you later, sir.”

“You won’t do anything like that, Mr. Potter. Now get into the store and be smart about it.”

Inside the store a young witch in purple robes greeted them.

“What can I do for you, Gentlemen?”

“We need several things for this young man.”

“Of course, Sir, come with me.”

She took them to a side of the store that had several shelves packed with clothes. Harry could not guess how to find all that was in his list.

“Mr. Kraft, would help you, Sir.”

Mr. Kraft was a middle aged, thin, tall wizard that received Snape instructions with out flinching, soon Harry found himself surrounded by clothes of different sizes, colors and textures, Snape insisted on Harry trying everything, once the size was determined some of the piles disappeared, then it was a decision of color and making. When everything was decided, Snape said:

“I have to place an order at the apothecary, Mr. Potter, it will take me only a few minutes, they need to pack it all and shrink it, please check it against the list and get the receipt. I will be back shortly, I trust that you won’t have any problem.”

“No, sir”

When Snape came back he found just what he expected. Several parcels ready for shrinking and a receipt. Potter was talking with the cashier and turned when he heard Snape.

“Ready, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good.” Snape went to the table where the parcels were being shrunk and placed them all in his pocket. He was glad it took less time than what he thought. “Would you have tea here, Mr. Potter or would you wait to have dinner at the Manor?”

“Dinner at the Manor, Sir. But could we walk a bit around the town? I wouldn’t buy anything else, Sir I just want to look around...”

“I guess we could do that, Mr. Potter”

They walked around and Harry felt the same amazement that he felt his first time in Diagon alley. Colorful stores with incredible things. There was a sports store, with a complete moving quidditch display in the window.

“Would you want to go into the store, Potter?” Asked Snape as he saw how interested the boy was.

“No thank you, Sir.”

“Are you leaving the best for when you come with your friends next term, Mr. Potter?”

“Maybe, Sir, it’s just that… I don’t have any money and I have already been very expensive to you.”

“As you wish, Potter. It’s time to go.”

They walked back to the castle and to Snape quarters with out finding anyone, even Hagrid’s hut looked deserted, with out friendly smoke rising from the chimney.

They arrived to the manor and Snape took the parcels out of his pocket and un-shrunk them.

“Take your things away, Mr. Potter and place them in your room, starting tomorrow I want you to look presentable. Dinner will be ready in half an hour, take your time.”

“Yes, Sir”

Harry went to his room and placed everything as neat as possible. He felt strange knowing that all those things were for him. And Snape had not even looked at the note. May be the man was loaded, but any way he would try to be as obedient as possible so he wouldn’t regret expending so much in him.

After dinner he went back to his playroom and kept placing the toys away. He felt tired after a while, but not having a watch to see the hour he kept at his task. The toys were so interesting, Harry had never been allowed a new toy, much less a room full of them, he played a little with some of the things he found and even placed some close on hand to play the next day. He felt tired and went to his bed, he was asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

Harry felt very warm and comfortable in his bed. He woke to a slow passing of pages, who was reading beside him? Was Hermione here? Where was he? He opened his eyes and was facing the stern professor sitting beside his bed. He was disoriented, the curtains were open, but the light entering through looked like it was late afternoon. Snape was reading a book, looking comfortable and as if he was prepared to be there for a long time. Harry moved and the movement made Snape look at him. Harry had not his glasses on, but he distinguished the emotions in Snape’s face. From worry to relieve to anger!

***

Snape had knocked at Potter’s door at 8 but had not had any response at all, he tried again and went to the bathroom in case the boy was in the shower and had not heard him, and after knocking again he entered the bedroom to find the child sleeping.

The boy was sleeping calmly and had not even stir after the professor called his name, Snape touched his forehead to check if the boy had any fever. The boy was fresh, warm for being in bed. Then, why was he still sleeping? He shook the boy saying his name, but the child kept sleeping… Severus fire called Madame Pomfrey.

The school nurse crossed the floo to Snape’s room.

“What is the problem?”

“Potter won’t wake up. I have tried everything short of pouring water to his head, and he is still sleeping. What can it be?”

“Several things Severus, a virus, something he ate, an insect could have stung him, has he gone out of the house, the forest is close enough?”

“He has not left the premises, Madam, we have eaten together at all times. We went shopping in Hogsmeade yesterday. He was fine, we ate here, he went to bed at 9.”

“He looks peaceful enough, just asleep.” She took out her wand. “Let me run a diagnostic…” A parchment with a quill floated beside the medi-witch. As the quill was writing she asked. “Have you been giving, Mr. Potter the supplement we discussed?”

“With his juice at breakfast… just yesterday. Could this be an allergic reaction to the vitamins?”

“Not likely, but it may be a secondary effect, you see, to be effective the supplement requires at least 8 hours of sleep, not necessary uninterrupted, but to be completed before the next dose. If the person taking it does not sleep enough the supplement accumulates the hours and forces the person to sleep until completion. Lets see the results….”She started reading.

“The results are normal, no disease, cerebral activity under the correct parameters, so he is not in a coma, no breathing problems, the level of oxygen in his brain is correct, no curse or dark magic present, his magical core is all right, you had already known that, but it shows that at this time the boy had been asleep for only 3 hours and a half. And he slept 7 hours the previous night, but only 4 two nights ago, so….. He started taking the supplement two days before the term ended, plus one here, he should have slept at least 24 hours in three days for the potion, and he had only slept 14 he will wake up in at least 10 more hours. As now it’s 9 he will wake at 7 or 8 in the evening.”

“How could that be? The boy went to bed last night at 9 the latest….”

“You will have to ask him when he wakes up, mean while his alert levels are low, so the best is to let him sleep. Feed him diner when he wakes up, but make it light. Allow him to stay awake for two or three hours, allow him to amuse himself, but nothing too physical, he must sleep 8 more hours at least this night to break the cycle. ”

“Should I keep on giving him the supplement?”

“Yes indeed, the boy needs to grow, he needs the supplement uninterruptedly for at least a month, good food and good sleep.”

“You say it as if I was the one keeping him awake at night….”

“May be you are… remember that you did not want to tell him that he was going to stay with you, that should have caused enough anxiety to have kept him awake, he was no longer in the infirmary, so I wasn’t able to monitor him. How are you getting along? Has he had any nightmares? Did you tell him he was taking the supplement…? He may need physical activity to help him sleep.”

“We have only been together for two days…! And one we spent traveling….!

Snape stared at her. He wanted to strangle her. How dare she…? It was not his fault that he brat had no sleeping discipline…. was he supposed to tuck him in bed and read him a story to ensure that he slept at least 8 hours…?

“Call me if he does not wake up in 11 hours, remember that he may be a little disoriented. Be gentle with him.”

“Thanks for your time, Madam.”

“He’ll be all right, Severus.”

Snape saw the medi-witch to the floo and went back to the boy’s room. He looked around and realized that all the boxes that were on the play room were empty, and that the toys were placed on the shelves, so that’s what had kept Potter up half the night?

Snape had his meals, and reviewed his stock for potions, he unpacked books that he had brought from Hogwarts and sorted through his mail, he was occupied, but his mind kept returning to the young man asleep up stairs, when he found that he had nothing else to do, he went and sat in the boy’s room. He took a book with him, but was surprised that when the boy started stirring he had not read more than one page.

“Well, Mr. Potter at last you decided to wake up.”

“Professor? What happened? What time is it?” Harry tried to sit up, but found his sheet and blanket tucked in the bed, like in Hogwarts infirmary. But he was at the Manor, with Snape…or was that a dream…

“7.30” Said the impassive Professor. Harry looked around and recognized the room that was his, but something was strange…

“Not enough light… ”

“What do you mean, Mr. Potter?”

“There is not enough light, for the morning, Sir, it doesn’t seem like it’s raining.”

“Not the morning, Potter. It’s the evening.”

Harry started panicking, evening? He had slept all day long, he was in trouble, but how? Why hadn’t Snape woke him up…?

“Evening, Sir? I’m sorry, I never… I didn’t realize, I didn’t hear anything, I’d  never….!” He fought the comforter and threw it to the floor.

Snape saw the fright in the boy’s attitude and tried to calm him.

“Take it easy, Mr. Potter. I’ll explain to you what happened later. Get out of bed, there is no need for you to change, dinner is ready, we’ll talk after dinner.”

“Yes, Sir”

Harry went to the bathroom and washed his face, he felt so ashamed! Snape had been waiting for him to wake up….! How could this happen? He was usually awake and alert minutes before his aunt knocked at his door, he never knew how, he just woke up…. And now… was he sick? He saw his reflection in the mirror, he looked fine, without circles under his eyes, and he felt really rested. His joints were a little stiff, but in general he had felt like this very few times in his life, always after a long stay in the infirmary, Snape had looked cross, but he had been more than civil to let him have dinner. He took his robe and went to his sitting room, there was a dinner spread. Broth, vegetables, chicken, salad and jelly. It was like the food that Madam Pomfrey made him eat in the hospital.

“Am I sick?” That would explain the sleeping and the food but… He didn’t felt sick.

“No, Mr. Potter. Take a little of everything, and some juice. Your stomach has not received food in almost 24 hrs, eat slowly”

“Yes, Sir, thank you.”

Snape also served himself. He was glad when he saw that the boy was eating.

When Harry finished his broth, Snape placed several pieces of chicken and salad with vegetables on a plate and passed it to the boy.

“During your last stay in the School Infirmary, Mr. Potter, Madam Pomfrey checked your health and she found that even if you were not anemic, you showed signs of malnutrition,” Snape saw that Harry had stopped eating, the boy was trying to remember if malnutrition caused people to fall asleep and not wake up, but if that was the case it should have happened to him with his relatives also… “Keep on eating Mr. Potter. You should increase your weight in a proportionate way, not stuffing yourself with sweets, once your weight is normal, you will start growing.”

“How much, Sir?

“I don’t really know, but your father was tall, Potter it’s normal for boys to be as tall as their parents.”

“Was he as tall as you, Sir?” Harry saw Snape’s face darken. “I have only seen him in photographs, Sir…”

Snape took a deep breath, it was not a moment to think of James Potter.

“As I was saying, Mr. Potter, Madam Pomfrey realized that you needed a supplement of vitamins and minerals, that along with healthy food and activity will help you reach the height and weight corresponding to a boy your age.” Snape looked at the boy and Harry was still eating and looking at him, he had no questions at that moment.

“You have been taking the supplement since the day she allowed you to leave the infirmary, you have been taking it with your juice, it does not change the flavor. The supplement is a little aggressive and for it to work properly you have to sleep at least 8 hours after taking it. If you fail to sleep the necessary time, the potion will make your body have the rest required. Madam Pomfrey was here and she discovered that in the last three nights you had slept a total of 14 hours, when you needed 24. So the supplement made you sleep the missing hours… And that is the reason why you woke up at this hour. And I expect a reasonable explanation as for the reasons of why if you were sent to bed at 9, you had slept only three hours by breakfast time this morning?”

Harry munched at the last piece of chicken in his mouth and felt it going to his stomach as if it weighted a ton.

“I…don’t know, Sir. I was not really tired last night when I went to bed, I… opened the packages and arranged the wardrobe and…”

“I have no intentions of punishing you for this situation, Mr. Potter, however I may be inclined to do it if you insist in not saying the truth. I want to know if you suffered any pain or nightmare or discomfort that kept you awake. ”

“No, sir. Everything was just fine. As I told you, I was not really tired. I only… I guess I got distracted with the toy room, Sir. I didn’t realize it was that late when I went to bed. It’s not a thing that I do usually.”

“Unless you count the times that you roam the castle at night looking for mischief, Potter.”

“I didn’t look for mischief Sir.”

“I know of your wanderings from the past years, Mr. Potter, do not have the audacity to tell me that you were not looking for mischief. You would rather stay put in your bed or at least in your room while you are here. You will keep taking the supplement during all the summer, Mr. Potter, and you will not like the consequences if the potion needs to make you sleep for another day.”

“No, Sir, I mean, yes, Sir, I will go to bed on time.”

“I also want to be informed if you had any problem, if you are in pain, in distress or discomfort. You are a child and I am here to assure your well being.”

Snape turned and picked up a cardboard box and gave it to Harry.

“Open it, Mr. Potter” Harry found a black square clock, the face was white with roman numerals and black hands.

“I trust that you know how to read it, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Do not make me implement other measures to assure your rest or your timeliness, Mr. Potter. You won’t like them.”

“No, Sir. At what time should I sleep today?” Harry imagined pins pricking his fingers every time that Snape mentioned consequences.

“You will go to bed at the same time as yesterday, I recommend that you go to sleep as soon as possible. If you have finished with your meal, go to your playroom and bring here the toys that interested you so much last night.”

Harry took the clock to his bedroom and then went into the playroom, he was thinking that Snape was going to take the toys away. That was mean, he didn’t know about the supplement or that he had to sleep 8 hours. That was too much sleeping! He could take any toy and give it to Snape. He didn’t want to part with the puzzles or the building blocks. But Snape would know, it was always as if he could read Harry’s mind. And he didn’t need an angry Snape to cope with. He could be brave and even cheeky with his friends at school, where he saw Snape only in class or in the halls, but here he had nowhere to hide.

Harry went back with a board, it was a puzzle game where pieces had to be slid to free a specific one. He placed it in the coffee table in front of Snape.

Snape looked at him and at the game, “is this all, Mr. Potter?” It looked too simple to have enchanted the boy to the point where he spent all night playing with it.

Harry saw the eyebrow go up and answered, “No, Sir, also building blocks, but I can not bring them with out destroying what I built yesterday.”

The boy looked sincere, he’d have to look at the construction later.

“Ok, Mr. Potter. Show me how do you play these.”

Harry didn’t expect that, he sat on a cushion in front of the table and explained the game to the black dressed man, this man was getting weirder. He hoped to have a picture of them sitting playing with a game in the sitting room, his classmates would think it was a hoax.

“Is there a time limit to solve the puzzle, child?”

“I don’t know, Sir. I…only browsed over the instructions.”

“Typical Gryffindor, no thinking before acting. We may place it at 5 minutes, if you haven’t solved it by then, it would be my turn.”

Snape conjured a small timer.

“Do you want to play with me, Professor?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter, it seems to be an intelligent game that teaches strategy and problem solving.”

They played for an hour and a half. Snape saw that Harry really liked to play, may be he would introduce him to chess, he saw how relaxed Harry was, moving the pieces with his fingers…. He had never seen the child like this. And he felt sorry for the child that had never been allowed to play.

“You said that your relatives did not allow you to play. Did they?”

“I didn’t have a lot of free time, Sir. I better finished with my chores, sometimes in the mornings before I had to start breakfast or in the afternoons after the kitchen was clean, and they wanted me out of the way. My cousin had so many things that, he didn’t miss something that I took, soldiers and a headless knight, and some other things, I played with them. I could also smuggle some of his books, he never read them, but Aunt Petunia did miss them, so I took them back. Any way I could not leave the light on for too long.”

“Is that why your summer assignments were so poorly done?”

Harry turned to look at Snape, it was a statement, not a reproach, but any way Harry felt stung by it.

“My uncle locked my trunk with all my things, and after Dobby ruined the dinner party… I was not even allowed out of my room, Sir.”

“I have heard about the Weasleys brave rescue in the flying contraption of their father, Mr. Potter.”

Harry smiled even though it felt like he was being lectured.

“Ron was worried because I hadn’t answered his owls. But I hadn’t received them. Sir.”

“How long did you stay with the Weasleys, Mr. Potter?”

Here was the tricky question, he had stayed with Ron and his family for three weeks before going to school, he’d had time to do his homework, but he had done it almost at the end of the holidays and the potions one had been the last one and his worst.

“I didn’t leave enough time for the potions homework, Sir.”

“I could tell. I guess you were busy with your friends, Potter.”

Harry could not hear the sneer. But it surely was there.

“I helped them with their chores, but we played quidditch and the food was great. Mrs. Weasley was angry with them because they sneaked out to get me, and took out the car, but she was very nice to me, Sir. ”

Snape was sure that Harry had not said that he would have preferred to go with them instead of him, but it was there. He already knew it, and it angered him. Not because the child wanted it, it was logic, more chance for fun and mischief with the Weasley brood. And they had never gotten along, but it angered him because he minded it, he was finding that he had a ‘Soft spot’ for a Potter. He had expected a tantrum at the station when the boy realized that he was the one taking him. And up to this moment the boy had behaved, he knew it was too early in the Summer to suppose that everything would go fine between them, up to this moment he had not even given the boy any rules, just that he had to sleep at least 8 hours and that was more the Medi-witch orders.

“I would like to know what disturbed your sleep on the last night of the term Mr. Potter? You only slept 4 hrs.”

If Harry was wary of the question he didn’t show it. He kept moving the pieces. “I am not sure, Sir, I kept waking up to look at the time. And I had several dreams…. In one of them Uncle Vernon had gone to Hogwarts to get me… and I told him that I had a new guardian, but as I didn’t know who he was…. Or know where I was going. I couldn’t tell him his name. He didn’t believe that I had someone, he said that he was glad to be rid of me …. Also that…. I belong to nobody, Sir.”

“I did not want to cause you anxiety by not telling you that you would come with me. I thought that you would throw a fit upon learning that I was to be your Guardian.”

“I tried not to think who would take me. I knew that you would try to place me in a better place than with my relatives. But I was nervous that there would be nobody at the station. I guess, I would have liked to know whom to expect, Sir.”

“Your uncle could never arrive at Hogwarts alone, Mr. Potter.”

“I know that, but what he said in my dream was so true, I belong to nobody, Sir,” Harry said it so plainly that it scared Snape, there was no regret, it was only a fact. “It’s not a feeling, it’s the truth, the only relatives I have, never wanted me. My parents are dead and there are no other relatives or even friends of my parents, a lot of people seem to remember them, but no one would claim me. And you have said that I am staying here for the summer, but another Guardian is going to be appointed. So I still belong to no one. Your turn, sir.”

Snape felt that the floor moved, maybe a dragon would come out and take him out, had he been at that age so resigned? He had his mother and Lily then. And the boy not even that. And he had been friends with his mother…

Harry finished his turn, he set the board for Snape and the time. Snape started solving it. He kept quiet. Harry had been surprised, they had had a polite conversation. They were getting along and Harry had not been left alone at all during the days. He felt that he had said too much. It was the truth but he didn’t want Snape to think he was ungrateful.

“I appreciate that you got all together and took me away from my relatives, Sir, its nice to be here and to have new clothes and my own room. And all these good things to eat. But I… I guess I just kept thinking what it would be like to belong in a family, Sir. What it would be like to have my parents and to live with them.”

Snape had wished many times to have had a family like Lilly’s, well with out Petunia, but with a father and a Mother to be there for him. But he had nothing to tell the boy. No way to make up for his lost parents. One so lovely… He could not even talk about her because it was so painful for him. He finished his puzzle and looking at the time he said.

“Last game, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry thought on his big mouth, he had to cross Snape after all the things that he had done for him! He saw that the man looked angry…

“I’m sorry, Sir.”

“Why Potter, have you finished?”

“No, Sir, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t complain. I guess it’s hard enough to get me a guardian in so short time, thank you for taking me for the summer.”

“How would you feel if I were to be appointed your guardian permanently, Mr. Potter?” Snape did not know where that had come from? He was going to do it only for the Summer, he understood that the boy needed somewhere to stay that was safe, but he was a busy person, he had no time to care for a Child permanently, not even Lilly’s child. But the boy was so lonely and resigned…. He saw that Harry was surprised. Was that hope? It was only a small glitter, would the child consider it…?

“But, Sir…. You have already… You do not have to…you do not like me.”

Snape turned around to leave the room. He had made the offer and expected not less than rejection from Potter’s son, not after their past relationship. But he was also Lilly’s and for her sake he should manage to care for her child….

“Think about it, Mr. Potter.” He said once out of the room.

Harry wished he had not said that. He put his game away and took it to the playroom. He had said the truth. He knew what it was like to live with someone that disliked him. But Snape was not like that, he had made in three days more than what his relatives had done in 11 years. But Snape was going to keep him just for the Summer. And If Snape were to be his Guardian he would have to study for Potions. And he wouldn’t want him breathing at his back all the time at school.

The next day entered brightly through Harry’s bedroom window, he had left the curtains opened. And he knew that he had woken because he had sensed the light. He look at the clock and it showed 7.30, he had time to take a bath and be ready for breakfast.

He was fighting to fix his hair when he heard Snape knocking at his door. He asked to enter.

“Good morning, Professor.”

“Good morning, Potter. We’ll have breakfast in the dinning room downstairs. You have been cooped up inside this room too much.”

Harry followed him out of the room. He looked curiously at the closed rooms they passed. Snape noticed and said.

“Those are my rooms, Potter, the first is my bedroom and the second my study, you are not allowed to enter them, unless I’m inside. Even then, I expect you to knock and wait for permission to enter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“This rooms are bedrooms” Snape walked by the corridor, they are empty, you may enter them, but not to cause any mischief. Down stairs you already know the parlor and the entrance, the kitchen and dinning room are together. There is a library that you may access when doing your homework. I will show it to you later, along with the books you are allowed to consult or read.”

At the table Harry found the usual spread, he felt hungry.

“Professor, do the vitamins I am drinking make me hungry?”

“Maybe, Mr. Potter, they make your body crave nutritional food, be careful with the sugar ingestion.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry finished as Snape was drinking his tea.

“I will show you to the yard, Mr. Potter, a boy your age needs sun and exercise to grow healthy.”

Harry followed Snape through a glass door to the yard. There were some one floor buildings on the side.

“This is the entrance to my potions Lab and stock room, they may not be accessed from the main house. You may enter only if I am with you. Round here is a pond, it's warm as it's feed by a warm water source.

They kept walking and Harry saw that the pond had a blue tint. He kneeled beside it and felt the warm water, it was nice. He had always envied his cousin taking swimming lessons.

“You may swim in it, Mr. Potter, there is a small shed that you may use as changing room, leave your swimming trunks and a towel there permanently, as well as your plastic slippers. I have to work in the garden several days a week, so I will be here to supervise you. You may not swim unsupervised ever. And as it is warm water you may not swim for more than an hour at a time or your muscles would be hurt.”

Harry suddenly paled. Snape noticed and asked.

“What is it, Mr. Potter? You do not have a problem with swimming, do you?”

“I don’t really know how to swim, Sir.”

“Well, we’ll have to remedy that, child, you’ll find it easy enough. If you feel like starting now…”

“Yes, Sir. I mean.. I don’t have swimming trunks, but...”

“You don’t? I’m sure they were on the list I gave you, Mr. Potter. Well, I may transfigure a sports short until we get the trunks.”

“Sir… I… don’t have short pants.”

“Did you not compare the list I gave you with the things we bought, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir, but… the list had too many things… And they were expensive… I didn’t really need all those things…. So I… I asked them to give me just some of the things in the list. I didn’t realize that I would be able to swim or I would have brought the swimming trunks.”

Harry saw as the anger crawled up Snape’s face. He had to make him see that he didn’t need all those clothes…!

“Mr. Potter, You are going to get inside the house and stand upstairs outside the door of my study. I’ll deal with you in a moment.”

Harry ran inside, he knew it had been too good to be true. Snape had realized that he didn’t want him any more. May be he would be able to go back to the station and live in the train…. He felt tears pricking his eyes. He had only been here for three days, he shook his head, he couldn’t be serious, did he really want to stay with Snape?

He stood by the door, should he stand with his nose to the wall? He had to stand like that when his Uncle was too busy to deal his punishment immediately. Or may be kneel holding a book on each hand… that would be torture, may be Snape wouldn’t be above doing that. He had only tried to save Snape some money. He knew that taking care of a boy was hard enough with out being expensive as well. What would Snape do to him before sending him back?

Snape found him there ten minutes later. How would he handle a boy that couldn’t even follow the simplest instructions? What was he doing with his nose to the wall?”

He opened the door and went inside.

“Come in, Mr. Potter. Stand still.” Harry was looking at the floor. “Look at me.”

Snape lean on the top of his desk, he was looking Harry in the eyes. With a dangerously soft voice Snape said:

“Would you explain to me, Mr. Potter, what part of ‘Buy everything in the list’ you did not understand? Explain the reasons that you had to contravene my orders and choose what to buy from the list I gave you? ”

Harry look up to Snape’s angry face. And wonder where was his famous Gryffindor courage when he needed it?

“There were too many pajamas and underwear and socks, Sir. I don’t really need them, they were… expensive, Sir.”

“Didn’t we talk about your need for appropriate garments…Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir, and I… But you wouldn’t let me pay for them. I…didn’t want you to regret having me, looking how expensive I was. You had already given me a safe place to stay and those great rooms and all the toys. I just wanted…I mean, Sir, the list was so long…”

Snape choose not to address Harry’s fears of being rejected.

“Mr. Potter, do you think I am so stupid as to give you a list to buy and regret the expense later? That list was practical. The house elves would do our laundry once a week. How do you plan to change your underwear daily?”

“I can wash my clothes, Sir.”

“This attitude Mr. Potter, is what has got you in so many problems. Thinking that you know more or better than the people who are in charge of you. And the notion that you can solve everything alone.” Snape paced in front of him. “Tell me, Mr. Potter, did you disobey your relatives? Did you ignore their instructions?”

“No, Sir.”

“Why not?”

“It was hard enough to get them to feed me, Sir, even when I obeyed.”

“You were made to obey out of fear, Potter, and that fear also made you try to fix your problems alone, disregarding your safety and the rules.”

“They didn’t care for my safety, Sir, and… and their rules were easy to follow, I had to do my work, stay out of their way and don’t do freakish things.”

“If it was so easy, Potter, why do you have all those marks on your back? and what is the reason of the broken bones that healed by themselves?”

It was not fair! Snape should send him packing not pick on his relatives treatment.

“I can’t stand this! I’m sorry I didn’t follow your list, Sir. I didn’t want to be and expensive nuisance, but you have no right to bring up my relatives treatment of me! You said…. You said that this was a safe place… I’m sorry I disobeyed and wanted to save your money! Now punish me and finish with this! The day is running and you surely have a lot of things to do after getting rid of me!”

“If you are going to throw a tantrum you may stand in the corner until it’s over, Mr. Potter.” Snape conjured a glass of water, as Harry was standing with his fists clutched by his side and his eyes closed, he didn’t see when the dark man put two drops of calming potion in it.

Snape got close to the trembling boy and touch his arm. Harry flinched. He expected a slap and maybe being taken to the corner by his ear…

Snape saw the scared eyes.

“Here, Mr. Potter, drink this and take deep breaths. Sit down.”

The child took the glass and drank, the water felt fresh and he felt the dread dissolve. He couldn’t understand why Snape was being so nice. He sat down and waited for Snape to continue.

“There is something I regret about this situation. Mr. Potter. I regret that we did not find out about your treatment with your relatives sooner. Even last Summer. They received an infant from their own blood and treated him as a drudge. You are a smart child and you seem to have survived them with cunning and ingenuity, but with a lack of self-value, you did not matter in their eyes and believe that you do not matter to anyone else. That is why you place yourself in harms way. But you deserve to have things, not only necessary things like everyday clothes but superfluous things like silk sheets or overcoats or swimming trunks. Just because you like them. That is no way to treat a child. I know you are old enough to understand that it was not your fault, you did not cause it, you have to trust that now you have a new life.”

Snape saw that Harry turned his eyes to the floor. Very gently he used his hand to make their eyes meet.

“I won’t explain the reasons behind what I ask you to do. You have to trust me and obey. Not choose to obey partially or not at all. And I won’t ask you to do anything that would harm or be bad for you. You are a child Potter. A child that must trust that he is being taken care of.”

Harry looked a Snape. He couldn’t understand. Snape continued.

“You have also to realize, Mr. Potter, that you will have to face consequences if you disobey. They won’t be agreeable, but you won’t be starved or degraded in any way.”

“I will follow your rules, Sir.”

“There won’t be too many rules, Potter.

First. You should be polite and respectful always with me and with any other adult that you relate with. In return I would not disrespect you or allow anyone else to.

Second. You should obey my instructions. Even if you do not like them. You may express your concerns and ask for clarification, but once you had been given an order there won’t be a good excuse for disobeying.

Third. You will be truthful. In every aspect. I want to trust you and I won’t be able if you lie. I want to know if you feel sick or in pain or if anything bothers you. And even if I may get angry if you disobey me I will be angrier if you try to cover it with a lie. I do not take it well if you suppress part of the truth either.

Fourth. You will be on time. You won’t skip any meal or sleeping hours. If you do not like the food it may be changed. I won’t starve you or allow you to starve yourself. If I sent you to your room as penalty for something I will expect you out for meals. If we can not be seated at the same table, you will eat in your rooms.

Starting next Monday we will follow a schedule, I will instruct you in the mornings. Your results for the last term are not ready yet, but I know for a fact that you almost did not make it in Potions, so we’ll go over the basics in Potion making, as well as the most relevant potions from the last two terms. I plan also to go over your books in defense and if you are not reckless some dueling, I know your latest teachers were nothing near good and knowing you, you will need to defend yourself. Also I guess that you could do with everyday charms, something your classmates grew up with, and that won’t be covered in your lessons. I expect you to be on time in the class and with any project or homework that I assign you.

Fifth. Your safety. You should not place yourself in harms way. Be it a monster or a cold air. It could be done easy if you listen to my instructions and do not follow your nose. This is the last rule but the most important one. It includes all the others and it's the reason we ended up together.”

Harry had seen the black cloaked man recite the rules, at the end Snape was standing in front him and looking at his eyes. So he said:

“And if I do not follow them I will be punished.”

“Yes, Potter, I will not send you away, it won’t be that easy for you to get rid of me.” Harry smiled it was nice to have a secure place for once.

“If you don’t, you may be sent to your room for a period of time. You may be restricted from some diversion, you may be sent to think in a corner for a while. Or you may be spanked.”

Harry’s eyes went out. This was not what he had bargained for.

“You said it was safe and you are going to beat me, Sir?”

“You faced a Basilisk, Mr. Potter, are you scared of a few smacks on your backside? If you do not place yourself deliberately in harms way you won’t feel my hand at all child. And if you manage to gain a trip over my knee, that is all you will feel. My hand on your rear, nothing else. Just for gross disobedience or endangering your life. Mr. Potter.”

Harry stood looking at Snape. He felt so many things inside his mind. He had so many things to think about… One thing was sure he was going to be punished for not following the list of clothes.

“Are you going to spank me now, Sir?”

“The possession of more or less underwear won’t endanger your life, Mr. Potter. For this misunderstanding you will have to review the list of what was really bought against what was in the one I gave you. Once you have it, we’ll go back to Hogsmeade and get what it’s missing. We’ll have lunch before leaving. And get tea at Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, I have to pick some things for my lab. You will go to bed as soon as we arrive back. Is that simple enough to follow, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m sorry.”

“It’s hard to trust some one when everyone has proved so untrustworthy, Mr. Potter. I understand that. Now go to your room and do as I told you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry retrieved the list that Snape had given him. At first it had seemed so foolish. So many things…. he took the recipe and compared them. He felt the tears coming out as he was reading. His punishment was to get more clothes! All these things were for him, and he was not going to pay for them, and Snape was … was so confusing! He had a good cry. He was not used to it. His uncle didn’t like him to make a fuss over his punishments, he had learned to keep quiet while being walloped, his uncle would punish him further it he cried too much or screamed, it would not be good if the neighbors heard. And now Harry was crying over a lecture, and it hadn’t even been a very hard one. Snape had not even shouted! He had been clear and understanding. He called his disobedience a misunderstanding! He wouldn’t be able to walk after his uncle finished with him if he had chosen not to follow the list of his chores at his relatives house…. He was being a baby.

He finished the comparison and washed his face. During lunch Snape asked him only if he was ready and asked him to bring a jacket, if he noticed Harry’s red eyes he did not comment on them. They used the floo to go to Hogwarts to Snape’s rooms and walked to Hogsmeade. Snape noticed that the boy was unusually subdued, he hoped that they could keep getting along with out any more trouble. In these four days they had run from a werewolf, gone shopping, slept for a whole day, gone through the rules and gone shopping…

Harry surprised Snape by asking for the items on the list efficiently. Any way it took them almost 2 hours to find all that was missing.

“Is that all, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Won’t you try them, Potter?”

“No, Sir. I guess I am the same size as the day before yesterday. Do you want me to try them, Sir?” Maybe here was the punishment that Harry felt missing.

“No, child. We may go now.”

They asked the store to shrunk the items and to keep them until they were back.

“I have to pick up some ingredients in the apothecary, Mr. Potter. It will take me a while and you may be bored, as I have to handpick them. Would you be able to amuse yourself alone or should I ask the clerk to mind you while I buy?”

“I can stay out of trouble, Sir.”

“You have still to prove it, Mr. Potter.”

Harry didn’t want to go near the potions ingredients, he asked. “May I go to the Quidditch store, Sir?”

Snape turned to look at him. Should he let the boy out of his sight? With the Glamour he would be safe enough.

“I’ll pick you up inside the store when I finish, Mr. Potter.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Snape placed a slight monitor charm without the boy noticing, he would be alerted if the boy was in danger or out of the store.

Half an hour later, Harry saw Snape as he entered the store. He had looked at almost everything by then. The Potion Master stood beside the boy.

“Did you find anything that you like, Mr. Potter?”

“A lot of things, Sir.” Snape couldn’t understand the need of so many things for a game that was played with brooms. But it make the boy happy to see them.

“Do they happen to sell helmets in this place, Mr. Potter?” Why would Snape need a helmet for?

“Yes, Sir. There is a whole section of safety implements over there.”

“Let’s go see them, child.”

Snape walked around the display. Harry stood looking at him. When Snape returned to his side he said:

“Pick one of each of this things that would fit you, Mr. Potter.”

“But Sir….?”

“I won’t have you breaking your neck when you fly, Potter.”

“But, Sir, I know how to fly….!

“I’ve seen you flying, Potter, now follow my instructions or instead of shrinking the packages you’ll wear the gear, on our way back.”

“Yes, Sir.” Reluctantly Harry choose a Helmet, elbow and knee pads and Snape even insisted on gloves, the gloves were great. Snape made his hair rise in his back when he asked the dependent about safety charms for toddler brooms and how they worked. It seemed that they could be used to regulate the height and speed of the broom, and they came with a cushion charm….! Harry felt relieved when Snape stop asking and said they had all they needed.

“Now you may choose one more thing, Mr. Potter.”

“What, Sir?”

“Any thing you want.”

Harry smiled and choose a book that explained the more daring seeker moves. Snape hope that he wouldn’t regret buying it.

“Thank you, Sir.”

They went to the ‘Three Broomsticks’ for tea and once more Harry was amazed about the magic place and the food and the people they found.

“Would we be allowed in here during the Hogsmead visits, Sir?”

“Certainly, Mr. Potter, third years are deemed mature enough for unsupervised visits to this place, there is a returning time that must be observed, but the town is secure enough. Some teachers like to come during those days just to be sure about the behavior of their charges.”

“Ron’s brothers say that Zonkos’ is the greatest place… May we…”

“Not today, Mr. Potter, you need some incentive to behave and gain your permission slip for Hogsmead visits.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“It’s time to go back.”

They returned to Snape’s rooms and Snape removed the disillusioning charm from both of them. Harry thought that if felt like a light breeze of water. Snape and Harry used the floo connection and went back to the Manor.

Snape took out the packages from his pocket and placed them in the sofa at the leaving room. Then he turned around to the expectant child and said.

“Well young man. It’s up to bed with you now.”

“Shouldn’t I unpack the new things, Sir?” Harry was not really tired.

“Tomorrow would be soon enough, Potter. Get ready for bed, I’ll show you the spell to un-shrink them tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Breakfast at 9.”

Harry was running through the forest, the light of the moon filtering through the trees showed only patches between tree trunks and bushes, he was tired but couldn’t stop to rest, something was after him, he could hear growling and felt the heavy footsteps. He kept looking around, he was sure it was near… he saw it, leaning against one of the trees, his broom. It was going to be hard to fly between the canopy of tree branches and leaves, but it would allow him to get out of the creature’s reach. He got on the broom and got ready to fly away. The broom flew but very low and slow. No more than three feet!

He recalled that the broom had the safety charms for toddlers! He pushed with his legs as if he were on water, the broom soared a little and took him up a tree, Harry hid between the branches. Just in time. The yellow eyed monster passed beside the tree, and stopped, smelling the air and moving his long ears around trying to catch his prey. Harry was not even sure that it was a Werewolf, but it did look like a gigantic Wolf. The creature’s ears stood up keenly and then ran away in the same direction it came. Harry let out his breath, he felt a little better... at least he was safe in the tree.... Then he heard barking, maybe that was why the Wolf went away.... He thought that he was going to be saved, the barking grew louder as it got closer to his tree, he could almost see the dog…. Then he froze… the barking was from ‘Ripper’ aunt Marge’s dog, he was terrified of that dog, well he thought, beside the Werewolf the dog was not so scary.... But the dog came with Uncle Vernon and even if Harry felt covered by the branches, both stood at the bottom of the tree. Uncle Vernon ordered him to come down, Harry did not want to go with him!, Harry tried to hide more and to untangle the broom..... At least he was out of their reach, he could stay there until someone else came, maybe the Werewolf would come back… then Uncle Vernon opened his briefcase and took out an axe and started hacking at the tree with it. At first Harry had thought that the tree would resist the assault, the trunk was wide, but it did not, he felt the shaking and then he lost his hold on a branch and fell down. No!

He woke in his soft warm bed. He couldn’t stop crying!

It had been a nightmare.

He tried to breath, glad that he was no longer at the Dursley’s, if he caused a racket and woke the family with his nightmares, his Uncle would give him a good beating, to teach him not to wake them.

Harry sat in his bed, he had stopped trembling but still felt shaken. He heard steps and looked up to see a dim light coming his way. Snape had a dark bathrobe but his pale face could be distinguished between his hair.

Harry started trembling again.

“I’m sorry, Sir…, I’m sorry, Sir…., I didn’t mean to…”

Snape heard the sobs and got closer.

“Are you all right child?”

“It was a nightmare… I’m sorry I woke you.”

Snape touched Harry’s forehead, and he flinched, but he couldn’t get away. Snape felt that he was sweating. He placed the light on the night table and it glowed a bit brighter. It was a small sphere.

“It’s all right, child. Take deep breaths. You are safe here. Nothing can harm you in your bed.”

Harry heard the soft voice and followed the instructions and a soft hand was patting his leg. After a few moments he felt better. He opened his eyes and saw Snape’s concern.

“I’m sorry I woke you up, Sir.”

“Do not be sorry for things out of your control, Mr. Potter. Do you feel better now?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry kept sitting in the bed, he was shaken but felt safe again.

“Do you want to talk about the nightmare, Mr. Potter?”

He was learning that the Potions Master had a calming voice.

“It was something foolish, professor.”

“Nightmares are very smart, child, they play with all your fears and leave you without a way out. What was it about?”

Harry felt that he needed to say it, he had to share his fears.

“That thing in the forest, it was after me, and I found my broom but it wouldn’t fly high, you had placed the safety charms… but I could hide up a tree, the creature left, but…. then Uncle Vernon arrived and wanted me to get down… he cut the tree!”

“Were you safe in that tree?”

“Yes, but only for a moment, it was away from the monster, but Uncle Vernon…. He had only an axe!”

Snape sat in the rocking chair, Harry had seem him there so many times that he was going to start thinking of it as Snape’s chair.

“There is a muggle technique, Mr. Potter, to deal with bad dreams and nightmares. You need to think in a way to change the story to your benefit.”

“How, Sir?”

“Think what you could do to stop your Uncle hacking at your tree”

“I could throw down some branches or… could I use magic, Sir?”

“It’s your dream, child.”

“I could remove the axe from his hands with an expelliarmus and then I could bind him and Ripper, Ripper is a dog, he looks small but his teeth are like pins! Then I would throw a cage over the creature of the forest. And I… I would use the broom to get down the tree and walk back home.”

“Beware of the Potions Professor, if you left the wards and placed yourself in danger, Mr. Potter.”

Harry looked at Snape thinking on a way to change that. He should have been very drowsy because he smiled and said.

“I guess that you would not be too happy, but you would take the broom away, tend to my scrapes and then give me some ice cream.”

“Do not count on the ice cream, Mr. Potter.”

“It’s my dream Professor.”

Harry thought that it was an effect of the light, but he thought that Snape smiled, then he messed Harry’s hair and said.

“It’s your dream, Mr. Potter. Do you feel better?”

“Yes, Sir. I need the bathroom.”

Snape parted the covers and Harry went to the bathroom. When he went back he found Snape still in his chair, beside the light there was a glass of milk. Harry sat on his bed and Snape said.

“Here, Mr. Potter, warm milk, it will help you to sleep.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Get back in bed. Do you want me to stay with you?”

“No, thank you, Sir.” Snape stood up and was about to take the sphere of light with him, when he saw Harry looking a it. He touched it and dimmed the light, leaving it at the night table. Then he left the room.

“Good night, Child”

****

Harry woke up refreshed, he did not had any more nightmares that night. He was up and ready when Snape knocked at his door.

They had breakfast in the dining room.

“How did you sleep, Mr. Potter?”

“Very well, thank you, Sir. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Don’t be, Mr. Potter. I’m glad that the nightmare technique worked. Have more raisins with your cereal....”

“Yes, Sir.” Harry poured milk in his bowl and started eating. He looked at Snape and decided to ask him.

“May I fly today, Sir?”

Snape had taken a Potion Magazine and was reading it, he looked up and said:

“Not this week, Mr. Potter.” Of course not Potter, Harry told himself, you can not go disobeying your guardian and hoping to be allowed to fly the very next day.

Snape almost read his words, for the way his face fall.

“The wards must be adapted, so you won’t be seen or be in danger. Mr. Potter, I have made arrangements, but you’ll have to wait until next week. You may go out to the yard if you want. I’ll be working on my plants.”

“May I help you, Professor?”

“If you feel like it, Mr. Potter.”

Harry helped him for a while, after almost two hours Snape saw that he was getting tired.

“Mr. Potter, beside the house there is a small shed, please go inside and bring out here the object that is in the middle of the room.”

“What is it, Sir?”

“You’ll know when you see it, Potter it’s the only thing that is not inside a box.”

Harry went to the shed and opened it, he waited until his eyes adjusted at the change of light. He saw something in the middle, it was bulky, he got close and found that it was a bicycle. What did Snape wanted with a bike? He rolled it out and took it to Snape.

Harry stood beside him quietly. Snape had felt him arrive and had waited for a comment. He turned and saw the boy looking at the bicycle.

“Well, Mr. Potter, what did you found?”

“It’s a bike, Sir.”

“I am amazed as always by your power of observation, Mr. Potter.” He did not turn but kept pruning the plants.

“What do you want me to do with it, Sir?” Harry was used to Snape comments. The bike looked well, not even dirty, should he place it somewhere else? Harry did not really like bikes, they brought him painful memories.

“It depends on what you want to do with it, Potter. Would you be able to ride it around the property and be back in time for lunch?”

Snape was expecting Harry to smile and disappear from his sight on the bike. Instead he saw the boy’s face fell.

“No, Sir.” The boy looked a little mortified.

“You can’t be back for lunch, Mr. Potter? In that case take some fruit from the kitchen with you and take your time coming back keep inside the stone walls.”

“I didn’t mean that ,Sir. I meant that I can’t ride the bike.” Harry couldn’t explain why he was so angry. Maybe dreaming about Uncle Vernon… Uncle Vernon would tempt him like that… leaving the bike on his way and then punishing him for even looking at it… and then his cousin and his friends laughing at him because he was a freak and couldn’t even ride a bike…!

“You cant? But you….” Snape did not finished the statement. Harry turned red and said.

“I don’t know how! I was not allowed near my cousin’s bike! My relatives would never waste their time teaching a freak like me! You may tell everyone in Hogwarts how warped I am, being 11 and not knowing how to ride a bike… I had never seen a flying broom either..!”

Harry ran inside the house, leaving the bike standing beside Snape.

Snape had been holding a small spade and felt like hitting himself in the head with it. He had planned to give the boy a treat. The child needed exercise and fresh air. He had never thought that he had never ridden a bike! Or that he had been traumatized by his relatives!

In normal circumstances he would have called the boy back and given him a thorough tongue lashing. Shouting and stamping his feet like a two year old! Potter would hope his ears would fall before the end. It was not something that he should permit. On the other hand, the brat looked hurt, it had not been rebellion nor cheek, what was this about a bike that made the child so… vulnerable?

Snape finished with his plants and watered them. He needed to give time to the child, to calm down and to simmer in his own juice. May be he could get some answers, then.

He took the leaves he cut to his lab and went inside the house. He cleaned his hands and was ready to look for his ward. He found Potter in his study room. Guilt all over his face. Biting on his quill.

Harry had two opened books in front of him, several crumpled parchments were scattered in the floor around him and was writing in an other.

“So you decided to start with your homework, Mr. Potter?” Snape could see Harry flinch.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Making progress?”

“Not much, Sir.”

Snape took one of the books and read the name, he placed it back opened on the table.

“History of Magic, Potter?”

“Yes, Sir.” Harry had chosen the most boring subject as self-punishment.

“Lunch will be ready in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Harry was glad that Snape did not looked angry and that he was going to be allowed to eat. He knew he would have to apologize for the outburst, Snape may make him wait until after lunch for the “talk”.

Snape sat in a nearby chair. He picked up one of the crumpled papers in the floor and un-crumpled it in front of him with his hand.

“You know, Mr. Potter, Professional ethics forbid me to speak bad about my colleagues, but in the case of History of Magic….. the history is so ancient that it could not even seem a fairy tale. It should be tied around Muggle History to be more…. Actual. If it were more actual you would learn that a lot of magical children do not know what a bicycle is. Consequently not many learn how to ride one.

It’s looked at as a muggle contraption and the few Wizard parents that know about them do not introduce them to their children lives, as they do not understand the mechanics involved and they are considered dangerous. Also they may only be acquired in muggle stores with muggle money. So even if I were interested in doing it, it would be ineffective to spread the news about your lack of knowledge in Hogwarts. Only the Muggle born would know what I would be talking about.” Snape stood up and paced in front of him. “Not that I would be inclined to discuss you or anything that transpires between us this summer.”

Snape continued, as he saw that Harry was digesting his words.

“I guess that I should have asked you before hand if you were familiar with bicycles and if you would like to ride it Mr. Potter. I am only starting to know you, as you are also getting acquainted with me. In no way was my intention to make you feel bad or humiliate you about it, or to bring you bad memories. I would never do anything to demean or humiliate you.

At this moment I understand that something related to the bicycle upsets you. And you have two options, you need to decide if you would like to try the bike, go around whatever upsets you and if you are interested, I may help you to learn how to ride it.

Or not, it may as well go back to its place in the shed with no harm done. You’ll find other entertainment outside until you can fly your broom. However I want you to remember the rules we discussed yesterday.”

He turned and placed himself in front Harry. He was looking him in the eye when he continued.

“As I told you yesterday, you should respect me. That involves being polite. If you do not think that you are old enough to stop throwing tantrums, I won’t deem you too old to be sent to a corner or to be given a smacking like I would do to a 5 year old after a behavior like yours in the garden, Potter. This is your first and only warning about it.”

Harry felt a cold shiver, he better take heed of this warning.

“I’m sorry, Sir. I shouldn’t have shouted. It’s just that… I’m sorry…”

“You may express your feelings, Potter, just do it in a controlled manner.”

Harry stop pretending that he was writing, he turned to the professor, he had bad memories and had thought that Snape was mocking him, he should expect different, he had always wanted to ride a bike so he said.

“Would you really teach me, Sir?”

At last, the sparkle that Snape was looking for.

“If that is what you want, Mr. Potter. Wash your hands, we will try it after lunch.”

***

Harry had seen his cousin learn how to ride a bike, so he thought that for him, with all his flying experience, it would be easy.

He was wrong, it was not only a matter of equilibrium, not very much like flying while pedaling. So many things happened at the same time, that he felt confused.

Harry stood up after falling for the umpteenth time, and felt thankful that Snape had insisted that he wore the protection that they bought at the Quidditch store, without them he would have at least knee and elbow scraps.

Snape had told him after lunch to go back to the yard. Snape took the bike and started explaining how the handlebars were used for the equilibrium, and that he should move them right or left to keep straight, then the brakes, and how he should be careful, and try to use them both at the same time. Then he explained that he had to pedal.

Harry knew that Dudley had learned without so much explanations, but stood quiet and paid attention, after being in Potion class with Snape for the last two years he knew better than to let his mind wander. He heard it all, and realized that the Sour Professor was making a real effort to explain the mechanics of bike riding, but just as in potions, at the end, he realized that he had not a clear idea about what he needed to do.

Snape un-shrunk the protection gear and insisted that Harry had to wear them. Harry felt foolish, how dangerous would it be to ride a bike? He started complaining that they were too tight and that he could hardly move.

“Mr. Potter, you are one whine away from a smacking. You either wear them or get back in the house to finish your homework!” After this Harry was convinced that he had no option and put the elbow and knee guards, as well as the helmet.

Now slapping his pants and legs to remove the dust he was thankful of Snape's foresight.

May be it was not foresight at all, may be he had just been realistic. Harry was too foolish to learn to ride a bike. Children usually learn being 5 or 6 years old…!

Snape walked closer and pulled the bike to rights.

“May I try one more time, Sir?” Harry had asked Snape that since his first fall.

“As many as necessary, Child.” Was Snape answer every time.

“But I do not want to stop you from what you have to do. I would understand if you need to do something else. I may keep practicing. Alone. Sir.”

“If the moment arrives where I need to do something else, I would inform you, Mr. Potter. For now this is all I have to do.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Climb back in the contraption and hold on to the steering handles. I will hold your seat while you pedal. We’ll start slowly.”

Snape had seen some parents do that while teaching young kids.

Harry had seen Uncle Vernon do it for Dudley.

None of them had thought it appropriate to mention this method, as it was some kind of father/son thing.

But after all the failures Snape thought that Harry needed to succeed. It was a last chance, at least until he thought of something else. He was not, after all, opposed to hexing muggle inventions.

He took the seat of the bike and felt Harry’s nervousness. The child was afraid of failing.

“I’m holding you now.” Harry pedaled and for the first time felt that the bike was obeying him, he felt that the movement of his legs was being responded to. Then he steered down the path, a slight weight on the bike reassured him that an adult hand was helping him to stay up. Then the weight disappeared and he felt free. He speeded a little and braked being able to place his feet in the path. Stopping without falling. Snape reached him instants latter. Harry looked at him beaming.

“I did it! I did it! Sir.”

“Indeed you did, Mr. Potter. Want to try again?”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

“Turn the bike around, Mr. Potter.” That was when Harry realized that they had gone at least 30 yards into the path, he felt like after his first fly on a broom.

Snape held to the seat again, but this time he let it go sooner. Harry had felt the bike respond and now was learning to use it. He found that it was not so difficult to maintain the equilibrium and speed with the pedals. He increased the speed, then he saw it, a big stone was in his way, he remembered that he had crashed it before and pulled at the brakes, he stopped before hitting it.

Snape had seen the stone and got his wand out to cushion Harry’s fall. He was glad to see that it was not necessary. Harry was a bit shaken but still smiling.

“Well, Mr. Potter, how do you like this bike?”

“Thank you for teaching me, Sir. I think that I can do it alone now.”

Snape felt a pang in his stomach, it took him a moment to realize that he regretted that the boy no longer needed his help.

“Keep cycling around here. Don’t go too far in case you need assistance, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Snape went to work in his lab, from the window he could see the boy pedaling on the path, he saw the confidence increase in the child. He had almost run out twice when he thought the boy was falling. But the boy kept on it until he looked like he was born knowing how to ride, just as he looked on a broom.

Harry felt starved by dinner time. Snape saw him take seconds, for the first time since staying at the Manor, that was healthy. Madam Pomfrey had asked to check on Potter in a fortnight. She said that the child was a little underweight but not really malnourished or anemic. Hogwarts food during the term had prevented that. Even though she asked him to feed him as well as possible. After the examination they would define if he needed to keep taking the supplement.

Snape watched the boy, they had not eaten together a week but he noticed changes, the boy was relaxed, not as if he was expecting to be shouted at, it was the first time that Harry had started eating before Snape. It was good that the boy had exercised.

“There is still daylight, Sir. May I ride the bike for another hour?”

“No, Mr. Potter, you had enough practice for today, there is no need for you to get over tired.”

Harry kept looking at his plate.

“May I ride the bike tomorrow, Sir?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter, after breakfast, you must keep wearing the protection.”

“But, Sir, I got the hang of it now….”

“You will also wear it if you want to fly your broom, Potter, so get used to the idea.”

“Yes, Sir.” Harry pouted a little. But it soon disappeared, he scolded himself, here was an adult caring for him, he had always wanted that.

After dinner, Harry took a bath, and went to bed, he was tired, he knew that he had dreamed but in the morning he did not remembered the dreams.

The next morning couldn’t come too soon, he woke up and was out of his room ready for breakfast, ten minutes before Snape appeared at the dinning room.

“Eat slowly, Mr. Potter, you don’t want indigestion.”

“Yes, Sir, Sorry, Sir. It’s just that I want to try the bike again.”

“Make some time before lunch to take a swim in the pond, your muscles would appreciate it.”

“I would need swimming classes also, Sir.”

“I am aware of that, Mr. Potter.”

Harry felt Snape eyes on him while he was riding the bike. As the day warmed up he felt like removing the protection gear, but every time he had looked around he had found Snape watching him. He was not fool enough to defy the precautions so soon. But he hoped that Snape would allow him to do with out them soon.

Almost an hour before lunch he went to his room and put on the swimming trunks, he looked very thin in them with the ribs showing. He knew he was 12 almost 13 but looked more like a ten year old. He took one of the big towels and his rubber slippers. Snape had said that he could leave them in the shed.

He took with him a change of clothes, he still thought that they were a lot, but it was nice to be able to change into well fitting clothes as many times as he wanted in the same day.

He loved the pond, the water was warm, and it was not too deep. Snape told him to wade around holding the rim, it was nice.

“Won’t you swim also, Professor?”

“Not today, Potter, I am finishing some potions that are required for the school Infirmary, I need to keep an eye on my cauldrons. Now get hold of the edge and paddle your feet until you stay horizontal to the water, Mr. Potter.”

By lunch time, Harry was able to float.

They had lunch. And Harry kept on the bike. Snape allowed him to go as far as the forest.

“Do not get near or over the wards Mr. Potter or you will find yourself too sore to sit on the bicycle.”

“Yes, Sir. No, Sir.”

“Be back before sundown, Mr. Potter”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry enjoyed the bike, he really liked the way this had turned out. He did not have to go to his relatives, He bet they were glad, he did not have innumerable tasks to do. He had an adult that was responsible for him, an adult that made him sleep and eat healthy and that allowed him to play. He was eating, and sleeping and enjoying himself as never before, even better than Hogwarts.

Snape was a bit stiff, and Harry knew that at the moment both were trying to get along. He felt that he had been lucky that Snape had been so understanding in the matter of the clothes and on the bike. He never thought that they could have been in each other’s company for almost a week.

Harry found a path into the forest and followed it for a while, the Manor house was out of sight and he removed the knee and elbow paths, they fitted in the bike’s cradle, he found a slop and used it, at first he was cautious, breaking all the way down, but he realized that he needed more speed, he tried again without using the breaks, this time his speed increased, he felt as if he was going to crash against the tree at the bottom of the slope, he used the brakes... he used the front one, the front wheel stopped but the rest of the bike went over his head.

The bike fell on Harry.

Harry had to move the bike to stand up. He sat on the forest floor inspecting the damage. The bike looked ok. Some scrapes but nothing more. He felt a bump on his head where the seat had hit him. He felt a scrap on his knee, he looked and had some blood dripping, the pants did not tear. His elbows and the heels of his hands were scraped also. He stood up behind the bike and pulled it up the slope.

He got on it once more but rode slowly. It hurt. Snape was going to be angry that he had removed the protection gear. He was glad that he had left the helmet on. At least he had not been knocked out by the bike.

Once he was out of the forest he realized that it was late, the sun was almost down and it was getting dark. He put on the protections and went as fast as he could to the Manor.

He placed the bike on the shed and washed himself, his hands hurt but there were no open cuts. He also tended his arms with water and they looked better, maybe Snape wouldn’t notice. Why did he had to disobey in something so simple?! The pants were dirty but covered the scraped knees, Harry knew that he would need to clean them well and maybe apply something, but would try after dinner. That is if... he was allowed to have dinner… He heard movement behind him and saw Snape’s shadow at the shed’s door.

“You took your time, Mr. Potter.”

“I’m sorry I’m late for dinner, Sir. I… lost track of the time.”

“Be careful not to do it in the future Potter. Dinner is ready.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Harry followed the dark cloaked man into the house and sat at the table. The dinner was delicious, Harry ate fast. He needed to remove himself from the table before his guardian started questioning his whereabouts.

“How far did you go, Potter?”

Harry was a very bad with lies, he looked at his plate and said, “Near the forest, Sir.”

“Just near the forest? You were supposed to stay within sight distance from the house. I couldn’t see you, Potter.” Snape’s voice was neutral but Harry knew that it could grow angry in a moment.

“I.. found a path, I just followed it for a short time, I… went back out almost immediately….” Harry turned to look at him and felt Snape’s eyes reading his mind.

“I do not want to hear lies, Mr. Potter, if you did not follow my instructions take responsibility, do not hide behind lies or half truths, do not take me for a fool.”

Harry looked up and told himself, well Potter you decided to go to the forest.

“I followed the path into the forest, Sir. I did not get to the boundaries or get close to the wards. That is the truth.”

“Was I not clear when I told you not to enter the forest?”

“You were clear, but it was not really dangerous…” Harry looked at his hands, the heels lightly scraped, well it may have been dangerous, he was not really hurt by the fall but he could have been. “I’m all right.”

Snape saw the scratches on the boy’s hand.

“Did you fall down, Potter?”

Harry shook his head, then felt Snape hand on his arm.

Harry couldn’t stop himself from flinching when the Professor’s hand touched the scrapes. He nodded.

“I used the brakes wrong, the front wheel stopped and the bike went over my head.”

Snape stood Harry up and used his hand to go over Harry’s body, he noticed the scraps on arms and hands and the child flinched when he touched his knees.

“Were you using the protections?”

“I was too hot, I removed them… Ouch!” Snape place a smack on Harry’s bottom, followed by another one on the other side.

“Ouch!” Snape was holding Harry's arms.

“Of all the foolish things you could do! Don’t you believe that you have to take care of yourself!?” Snape’s tone of voice went up without shouting.

“I’m sorry, I did not think…”

"Ouch" two more fast smacks. Then Snape released him.

“That is your problem Potter, you never think! Go to you room, get a bath and get ready for bed, you won’t be allowed to use the bicycle tomorrow.”

“But, Sir….”

“Now, Potter!”

Harry went to his room he closed the door hard but held it before it slammed. It was not fair! He was not going to be allowed to fly until the bloody wards were resettled, and now… It may had been his fault… but he wouldn't be able to use the bike…. And those smacks! Snape was… He was a big boy…. To old to be smacked like that! So much for getting along…

The warmth of the smacks disappeared slowly, even over the clothes Harry had felt the strong hands. He felt sore all around, his arms and legs were hurt, as well as his hands, he felt his bottom tender from the bike’s seat. It was too early to be his bedtime!

He filled the tub and brought some toys with him to the bathroom. He knew he was too old to play like a baby, but it was something he had not done before. He re-enacted a big ocean battle, all the ships sink after the imaginary sea monster attacked them. He felt that the water was getting cold, then he realized that the water had spilled over the tub and had flooded the bathroom.

Harry felt panic, he stood out of the tub. He needed to dry the floor. He had left his clothes beside the tub as he undressed to get in, they were dripping wet. Harry realized that he only had a small hands towel, having taken the other to the shed for the swimming, he knew there were more towels in his room, that’s when he realized that the water had gone under the doors and to the different rooms around. He pulled the plug from the tub and let it drain, he tried to use the small towel to dry the tiled floor, he would think about the rugs later.

He was so dead! Snape wouldn’t believe that it had been an accident. Harry felt like he was fighting an endless battle. There was too much water on the floor, and he felt that the one he was absorbing with the towel and placing in the tub, was no use. He started sobbing.

Snape had placed ‘Distress wards’ around Harry’s room, that was how he knew to come to the boy when he had had the nightmare. He was on his study when he felt them. The child was in distress.

Snape went to Harry’s room, entering through the sitting room he saw a big stain of water in the rug. He opened the door to the bathroom and saw the naked sobbing boy wringing the towel over the bathtub and placing it back on the floor.

“Harry James Potter! What is the meaning of this?!” He said in an exasperated tone.

Harry waited for the floor to open and swallow him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry….” Harry stood up and tried to turn around to face Snape, the towel in his hand dripping, he stood so fast that he slipped, he felt himself falling and braced for the impact that did not come, he fell over what felt like an air cushion and saw that Snape was pointing his wand to him. The Potion Master was beside him in two strides. And Harry felt that the time stopped. Before he felt the tiled floor with his bottom, Harry felt a hand holding his arms and helping him up. The other hand was applied loudly to his wet backside.

Smack!

“Do you want to break your neck?!”

Smack!

“Where are your slippers?”

Smack!

Where is your bathrobe?

Smack!

The bathtub was not yet drained, Snape pulled the boy up and seated him on the tub. The water felt cold to Harry’s smarting buttocks. Snape saw the toys and took them out. Then said, opening the water to fill the tub again.

“Finish with your bath, Potter.”

Harry felt the tub filling with warm water, he couldn’t stop sobbing. Through his teary eyes and wet fringe he saw Snape moving his wand several times around the bathroom and realized that he was drying it. He saw the water in the floor break apart in droplets that flew together and then disappeared in the air, he also felt a warm breeze indicating that all was dry.

Once having taken care of the flood Snape turned to his wet ward. The boy was sobbing in the tub having made no movement towards getting cleaned.

Harry felt so helpless that he couldn’t stop crying.

Snape kneeled beside him and asked in a normal un-Snapeish voice.

“Are you hurt, Mr. Potter?”

Harry shook his head.

Snape took the soap and a small towel from the tub, applied the soap until he got a lather and gave it to the boy. Harry started cleaning his knees.

Then Harry felt a hand in his head and through his hair. Snape was placing shampoo!

“Close your eyes” Snape washed Harry’s head and helped him rinse all over.

Then he accioed Harry’s bathrobe and slippers and helped him out of the tub.

Harry had calmed some, but still big tears kept dropping from his eyes. Snape saw his red handprints on the boy’s buttocks and legs as he helped with the bathrobe.

“There is no need to carry on so much child. There was no harm done. Now get dry and ready for bed. I’ll come back in a moment.”

Harry felt warm on the robe. He stayed in the bathroom to wash his teeth, then went to his room and put on his pajamas, he sat on the bed. He was stunned.

He couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Snape found him sitting there a few minutes later, he had a balm for the scrapes in his hand.

“I’m sorry, Sir, I….”

“You were playing in the tub, were you not, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir, I will never, ever do it again, Sir. I’m sorry I could have ruined the carpets...”

“You should be sorry for almost breaking your back, Mr. Potter! Even if magic couldn’t fix them, the carpets can be replaced, nothing can replace you.”

“I will never use the bathtub again, Sir.”

“You will remember to take your bathrobe and slippers in. It would be a good idea if you were to leave them in the bathroom. Also be sure that you have a towel for you to dry. Here put this over your scrapes it will help to heal them. And go to sleep we have had a tiring day. I’ll call you for breakfast tomorrow, Mr. Potter.”

Harry was left with the balm on his hand, and he saw Snape leaving the room. He had to stop him.

“But, Sir…”

“What now, Mr. Potter?”

“I would rather… I mean, Sir…. I… Would you punish me now, Sir? Please don’t make me wait until tomorrow… Sir.”

“Mr. Potter, you are more inarticulate than ever. What are you talking about?”

“I mean… You are going to give me a proper spanking, Sir, I know I deserve it, please do not make me wait for it.”

“Mr. Potter, you already had all the spanks you are getting. Now get in bed. You will catch a cold.”

“But, Sir, the spanks… they did not hurt at all…. I mean they still smart a little but…”

“Mr. Potter, I wanted your attention, that’s all, I did not want to hurt you.”

“But I don’t understand, Sir”

“Neither do I, Mr. Potter.” Snape sat beside Harry on the bed. With his hand he pulled Harry’s face until their eyes met. “Do you expect me to spank you more, Child?”

Harry nodded. “That was not a proper spanking, Sir.”

“Well it’s all you are going to get. I would never spank you until you are black and blue if that is what you expect. The spanks were meant to get your attention and as that, I guess they worked, I hope that they would deter you from trying to do anything else while you are wet, naked and barefooted. You must learn to keep yourself safe. You will be on restriction tomorrow, staying inside your room, going out just for meals. You may start your summer assignments, but I want two feet parchment on the security measures that you should follow while using the bike and taking a bath. If you ever find yourself in a position like that I want you to think first in your safety and then try to clean. Or not clean at all. Is that clear, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good night, Mr. Potter.”

Harry saw Snape leave the room. He opened the pot with the balm for his scrapes, it was like the end he had made up for his nightmare, well he did not get any ice-cream, but Snape wanted him to cure his scrapes, he applied the sticky balm to his knees, then to his elbows. The scrapes closed immediately. He got under the comforter. He felt a warm sensation and he knew that it was his body getting warm under the bedcovers and drifting to sleep, or the smacks disappearing from his skin, but he wanted it to be the fact that for the first time since he could remember someone was interested in him.

The next morning Snape knocked at Harry’s door at 8, he heard the boy’s voice acknowledging it and went down to the dining room. After 15 minutes to boy had not appeared. Snape went back up and after a brief knock entered the room.

Harry was dressed for the day, in a chair of the sitting room. He had been ready to go down when he remembered about the previous day happenings, he was not going to be able to face Snape.

He hardly heard Snape entering his room.

“Well, Mr. Potter. Are you planning to skip breakfast? Wasn’t I clear when I told you that you need to eat every meal?”

“I thought that you wouldn’t like to see me, sir.”

“Mr. Potter, we live in the same house, how do you think we could accomplish that?”

“I just…. I was going to have breakfast… I was going to wait until you were finished, sir.”

“That is not acceptable, Mr. Potter, you will eat while the food is warm, if you have to be in the same room as I for that, it’s too bad. Now move it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Snape followed the boy to the dinning room. He couldn’t understand children.

Snape waited until Harry was seated and in the middle of his breakfast to ask.

“What give you the “impression” that I wouldn’t like to see you today, Mr. Potter? I did tell you last night that I would see you at breakfast, didn’t I?”

Harry was about to answer.

“Do not talk with your mouth full, Potter.”

Harry drank some juice.

“You were angry with me yesterday. Sir.”

“And do you think that I had no reason to be angry, Potter?”

“Yes, sir, you had….”

“You disobeyed me about where you were permitted to roam with the bike, Potter, and you discarded the protection gear, in consequence, when you fell down in the forest, where you were not supposed to be, you hurt yourself….”

“It was only a scrape!”

“Don’t interrupt me, Potter! Or you’ll have lines in addition to the essays that you already have to deliver today.”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Keep eating. You may believe that scraping your arms and knees, and getting some bumps is no big consequence for your thoughtlessness. But it is. You should not disregard an injury or place yourself in danger just for fun. Your relatives were lousy guardians, they did not instill you with any sense of survival….”

“I survived them….! I survived the basilisk and Quirrell!”

“200 lines Potter. One more outburst and you’ll also spend the morning in the corner. You may talk in turn, just wait for me to finish.” Snape drank his coffee.

“You are good at disentangling yourself from harm's way, Potter, but you should learn to stay out of its way.”

Harry realized that he was allowed to talk. He recalled the last thing that Snape said.

“Do you think I’m good, sir?”

“If you were not good, Mr. Potter, we wouldn’t be here having this conversation. You have survived three encounters with the Dark Lord, no one has done that before. Your parents died defending you, the least you should do is to keep yourself out of danger.”

“Do you know why did he want to kill me, sir?”

“You were instrument of his demise, Mr. Potter. You were between him and the Philosopher’ stone.”

“I don’t mean last year, Professor, I mean… Why would he want to kill a baby?”

Snape was not the correct person to explain this to Potter. But was the only one here.

“Mad melomaniacs do not have ethical problems with killing an infant, Mr. Potter. It’s clear that his intentions were to kill everyone in that house, regardless of the age. That kind of display of power help to create terror. He never thought that, that would prove fatal for him.”

“But how…? I mean, sir, He is not dead. How can that be?”

“I do not have all the answers, Mr. Potter. Even though I can speculate as of the possibility that you would keep on being his target. If for nothing else, because you did damage his reputation. And keep on doing it.”

“So you think that He’ll come back for me, sir?”

“I’m sure He will, Mr. Potter. And I am not the only one.”

“Does Professor Dumbledore think that too?”

“Yes, he does. Mr. Potter. Your mother’s act of defending you made it possible that you survive the attack. Her blood kept you safe then and kept you safe with Quirrell, but it needs to be sustained, that is why you had to live with your relatives. To keep the protection you had to live within your mother’s blood relatives. Professor Dumbledore never thought that you would be mistreated there. I for my part thought that you would be a spoiled, insufferable brat. As it turned out, we were wrong.”

Snape pointed to a piece of strawberry left in Harry’s plate. Harry ate it.

“What brings us back to our conversation, Mr. Potter. I have no problem in having you in my sight, today or everyday. In fact, I am inclined to think that if I will accomplish keeping you out of harm, I should keep you in my sight permanently. Should I do that, Mr. Potter?”

“No, sir.”

“Should I allow you to go biking again, Mr. Potter? To take a bath alone, without worrying that you will use the first chance to risk your skinny neck?”

“I’m not that skinny…., Sir”

“You may go back to your room now. Mr. Potter. Think about my concern as you write your essay, we’ll address it later. I’ll see you at exactly 5 to 12 for lunch, Potter. You have a watch and no excuse, so be on time. Do you understand, Mr. Potter?

“Yes, sir.”

“See you at lunch then, Potter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Harry entered his room and went to the study room. He had his parchment there. He felt numb. It had been a very strange breakfast/lecture, after last night misadventures.

He had been ashamed to be with Snape. He didn’t know what to tell him, the man had washed his hair! How weirder could it turn? And now…

He found written on the board a line in Snape’s hand that read ‘I should NOT interrupt while someone else is talking. I should wait for MY turn to speak’

He wouldn’t be able to finish the essays or the lines on time. He started with the lines. When he had completed around 50 lines, his hand started to hurt. He moved it and decided to start on the essay about the bike. After a while he looked at the watch and it was 15 before 12. So he went to the bathroom and washed for lunch. His hands were smeared with ink that couldn’t be removed easily. He scrubbed and decided to let it be. He would have to return to write after lunch. He wished he had stayed out of the forest.

Lunch was a quieter affair.

Snape and Harry arrived at the same time to the diningroom. There were several plates with vegetables and cold chicken. Harry fixed a salad and he also had a bowl of broth. Snape choices were similar.

When Harry finished his food, he sat pondering to eat an apple, he was full now but knew that before dinner he would be hungry. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate on an empty stomach.

Snape had not mentioned any rule about not eating in the bedroom, they have even eaten in his sitting room. But now he was on restriction…. He turned to look at Snape. He was going to ask him if he was allowed to take some fruit to his room.

Snape had watched him closely and saw the internal struggle. The boy was going to ask for something!

“Sir?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter.”

“May I take some apples to eat latter?” The boy looked scared, and as if he was bracing for a lecture.

“Certainly. As many as you wish, Potter. I’ll ask the elves to place a pitcher of milk and one of pumpkin juice in your sitting room, also something else for you to eat at mid-afternoon.”

“Thank you, Sir. I’ll go now.” Harry bolted out of the room.

Harry felt foolish. He knew that Snape was not going to deny him food. He knew it. Why did he feel like crying then?

He entered his bathroom and washed his face. Why was he crying!? He was such a baby. It was like…. Like that first Christmas at Hogwarts, when he found the presents and realized that they were for him.

Before that he knew that there were no presents for him, no matter how ‘good’ he had tried to be. He had felt so grateful to Ron’s mother. Hers was the first pullover that was his, only his. He had felt like crying then, but Ron was there, so he had stopped the tears, and then he had unwrapped the invisibility cloak! He was so exited… But now he was crying over a couple of apples! He splashed more water on his face.

Being punished at the Dursley’s was so different!

First he would be sore, hard to walk sore, then he would be hungry. He was always hungry there, but if his aunt or uncle were displeased, he could go a whole day or more with out food. Just some bread or left over that he would be able to sneak. He did not go thirsty, because he could steal a drink from the hose in the garden or from the bathroom. And now….!

And now, he was not sore, Snape smacks had been hurtful at first but the smart had disappeared before Harry fell asleep. He’d had two meals. Complete healthy meals and was allowed more nourishment and even a mid-afternoon snack!

He kept on wetting his face. Did he really deserve to be treated like this?

He took a towel and dried his face. He realized that water had splashed from the sink to the floor. Looking at it he felt new tears coming. Snape had been very nice even after he flooded the bathroom….

“Do you know, Mr. Potter, there are some anti-spilling charms that are used in sinks and bathtubs?” A voice said from the door.

“Sir…. I’m sorry.”

“What is the problem, Mr. Potter, are you hurt?”

Snape looked at the boy that was shaking his head and hiding behind the towel, from head to feet, he even used his wand for a quick diagnose spell. But everything was fine. Even though the boy kept crying. Snape step closer and looked if there was something broken in the sink that could cause the boy some regret.

“What is it, child?”

Harry did not think about it, he turned to the professor ashamed of his tears and hid them on the man’s chest. He kept on crying.

Snape held him. He was thinking to ‘accio’ a calming draught when he felt that the boy stopped crying.

“I’m such a baby.”

“No, you are not, Mr. Potter.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“I splashed the floor again and got your clothes wet.”

Snape moved his wand and Harry felt himself within a small whirlwind, and everything was dry, even his tears.

“Why are you so upset, Child?”

“I’m not sure, sir. I… you said that I could bring food to my room…”

“Was that good or bad, Mr. Potter?”

“Will you ever call me, Harry?”

Harry hugged the man again. Snape walked with the boy attached to his chest to the sitting room, they may as well sit down to talk.

“What is the problem, Harry?” The name felt strange on his mouth but it made the child look at him.

“I don’t know, there is no problem at all, sir. I… have a lot of new things, these rooms, a lot of food and even when I’m in disgrace I am not hurt or hungry. I don’t know if I deserve all this, because… because if I don’t… this won’t last. I guess I… you have been so good to me. And… I…. did not follow your instructions….I don’t want to… to like it here, because… because… it will end at the same time as the Summer and… and back in school you won’t like me again.”

Snape accioed a calming draught and placed some drops in a glass of water.

“Here, Harry, drink this, and take deep breaths.”

When Harry calmed down he said:

“It is normal that you feel confused. You have gone through some hard years with your relatives, it will take you some time getting used to it, but be sure that you deserve this. You deserved better than what they gave you. And before your relatives took you in, you had it. Your parents would have given you nothing less.” Snape waited as the information entered Harry’s mind. He could see the boy understanding but doubting. “And you will keep on having it, with me or with anyone else, but we won’t let you down again, Harry.” The boy hugged him again.

“I will draft our schedule for the rest of the summer. Starting on Monday I will schedule time for us to talk about your relatives and about your feelings, we may talk about it any time you need, but a scheduled time would give it structure. This doesn’t mean that you are weak, and it would worry me, if you just try to forget it and pretended it did not happen. The treatment that you went through left scars, not only on your rump and back, also inside you, child, we have to find them and cure them.”

Harry only looked at him, not crying any more.

“Are you better now, Harry?

“Yes, sir. I had never cried this much with out a good reason.”

“You had a good reason, Child. Can you go back to your work or do you want to take a nap?”

“I’ll go back to my work now, sir.”

Harry felt strangely calmed. But he couldn’t concentrate so he continued with the lines. After finishing them he went to his sitting room and found the juice and milk that Snape had mentioned. He drank a glass of juice and saw that the house elves had left apples and some mini-apple pies. He got a glass of milk and one of the pies, it was delicious.

He finished with the essays and wished for Hermione to be there, she knew a great charm that would remove the ink stains of the parchment.

He had to copy it very carefully and was tired. Dinner would be one hour and a half later so he went to his bedroom and lay down on his bed.

He was such a baby having to take a nap! He woke one hour later and went back to the study room, he had not done any homework. Just the essays and the lines. Snape had said that he should begin with his homework. Would he be angry if Harry had not started?

Harry went down to dinner. He found the table ready, but Snape was not waiting for him. Harry saw the grandfather clock in the wall and realized that there were 10 more minutes until dinnertime. He walked toward the parlor and heard voices, one was definitively Snape’s, the other sound familiar, like Professor Dumbledore, but far away… As he got near he heard the conversation.

“…. yes Headmaster, I’ll see that he is ready when you arrive.”

“I know Severus, sorry for the inconvenience, but I had reserved seats at the Knight bus, and we do have a long journey ahead of us, so I would rather start early. I trust that you have supplied Harry with adequate clothing?”

“Yes, Headmaster, he will be properly attired.”

“Have him pack and have an extra change of clothes on hand just in case.”

“Just keep him away from sinks, bathtubs and fountains.”

“C’mon on Severus, it couldn’t be that bad.”

“The boy is a bundle of emotions, Headmaster, I think that he will need something more, some professional counseling, I’m not sure that I’m the right person for this job.”

“You are my friend, you are… Tomorrow you may rest, and plan how to handle it.”

“Rest!? Old man, have you read Madam Pomfrey’s prescriptions requirements? I already started brewing but that woman would have me working day and night for the rest of the summer.”

“Would you have time for my… request?”

“I have all the ingredients and will start with the preparation tomorrow after you leave. Explain to me again why am I doing it….”

“Because you are the best Potion Master that I know. And I trust you.”

“You do not know a lot of Potions Masters, Old man, and you are known to trust everyone. I am not comfortable with what you plan to do.”

“There is pleasure in helping a friend….”

“That…. Creature is not my friend.”

“I understand, that is what makes it better. Well I have to go. Please tell Mr. Potter about tomorrow… No need, He already heard it, Mr. Potter I’ll pick you up at 8.30. See you both later.”

Harry had looked around the corner and saw Snape’s back, he did not count on Dumbledore’s head looking at him. He hid behind the wall.

“Mr. Potter?”

Harry sat in the hall, could this day be a little bit longer?

“Mr. Potter, show yourself, stop lurking behind the wall.”

Harry stood up and entered the parlor.

“It’s not good manners to eavesdrop, Mr. Potter.”

“I’m sorry. I…. was looking for you. Dinner is ready… and… I just followed your voice.”

“You should have stopped and turned around the moment that you realized I was having a private conversation.”

“Were you talking with Professor Dumbledore in the chimney..?”

“Indeed. The floo can be used as means of communication as well as transportation, the powder you need is less for this. Well, you heard him, you must be ready to go tomorrow at 8.30 so I’ll wake you up at 7.30 for breakfast. Now lets eat.”

Harry walked behind Snape to the dinning room.

With more questions than answers Harry couldn’t eat. He kept moving his food around the plate.

“Don’t play with your food, Mr. Potter.” Harry took a bite.

As Snape saw that he did not take any more he said:

“How many apple-pies did you eat, Mr. Potter?”

“Only one, sir. Almost 2 hours ago.”

“Why then are you not hungry, Potter?”

“Professor Dumbledore is going to take me away. Is he not?”

“He’ll be here at 8.30 tomorrow. You heard him, Mr. Potter. You’ll have to be ready and packed. He is very punctual.”

“But I thought that… that we were getting along, sir. You… you even talked about next week schedule, Why is he taking me now…?”

“I thought that you were aware of this, Potter, you should know….”

Harry’s mind filled in, he should know that no one wanted him….

“I don’t… I’m sorry to be such a burden… Sir. I’ll pack my things now, sir.” He stood up and walked fast to the door, he wanted to run.

“Harry, come back here!” That stopped him. He hesitated but turned back and sat on the table.

“You called me, Harry…”

“You said I could earlier. No tell me, ‘Harry’. What do you think is the reason why professor Dumbledore is coming tomorrow?”

“He will take me away because I’m too much trouble and too disobedient and too sloppy, you don’t want me here any more. I’m sorry.”

“Harry… look at me, Didn’t professor Dumbledore tell you that he was going to visit?”

Snape saw how the hope brightened the child’s eyes.

“Yes, when I bid him good bye at school, he said he would visit on Saturday.”

“Tomorrow is Saturday, Harry, he’ll pick you up and will take you on an outing. He will bring you in time for dinner. You’ll sleep in your bed. You’ll stay here until it’s time to go back to school.”

“Why do you want me to pack then, sir?”

“He wants you to have a change of clothes in case you need them, Mr. Potter.”

“I’m not a baby to need to carry a change of clothes!” He said indignantly. Then he understood. “You are not going to send me away. Thank you.”

“No, Mr. Potter, I am not going to send you away. I’m just going to send you to that corner. Face the wall for 5 minutes and think of the naughtiness of eavesdropping. If you had not followed your nose to the parlor, I would have told you about Professor Dumbledore intentions for tomorrow and we would both had gone with out the angst. After the 5 minutes you will sit back in your chair and finish your dinner.”

Harry stood in the corner.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Not talking while you are in the corner, Harry.”

Five minutes later Snape placed his arm over the boy’s shoulder and turned him around. He saw that the boy had sobered up and look calmer.

“Well, Mr. Potter, are you ready to finish your dinner?”

“Yes, sir.” Suddenly Harry felt that he was hungry. He felt his food an realized that it was still warm. He ate it with out looking at his stern guardian. He was too happy to stop smiling. Ron would think that he was crazy, he had been upset thinking that he would be taken away from Snape!

“Have you finished with your impositions, Mr. Potter? I want you to go to bed as early as possible, if you had not, you’ll finish on Sunday.”

“I’ve finished, sir, I… I have not started with my homework, though.”

“You’ll start in earnest next week, Harry, why are your hands stained with ink?”

“It smeared as I write, sir.”

“Don’t you know how to use a quill, Potter?” Harry felt his ears turn red. This was the man that he wanted to keep on living with.

“That would hardly be my relatives fault, sir, Muggles do not use quills.” Harry answered quietly.

“I know that, Mr. Potter, mind your cheek, but it would be your Head of house business to ensure that all her charges are instructed in the correct art of writing. We will have to address it next week also.”

Harry finished his food. He saw that he was not given any dessert. But the platter of pies was near Snape. He turned to look at his guardian and said:

“May I eat one apple-pie, sir?”

“I should send you to bed with out dessert, Harry, after your abominable behavior, but as you have finished with your punishment essays and lines, you may, just one with a glass of milk.”

Harry smiled at Snape.

“Where is Professor Dumbledore going to take me, sir?” He asked as he licked his fingers, Snape gave him a napkin but Harry had already cleaned his hands.

“I have no idea, Mr. Potter. If you have finished go to your room and bring me your lines and essays. Then you may get ready for bed.”

Harry returned after some minutes and delivered his parchments.

“Good night, Professor.”

“Good night, Harry.”

Harry felt exhausted, he fell asleep the moment his head was placed on the pillow, he woke up three hours later to check the watch, and he didn’t want to oversleep.

He kept on waking almost every hour, he even dreamt that he woke up when Dumbledore had left.

He woke up when he felt a hand shaking him. He should know that Snape would not allow him to be late. Harry stood up and went to the bathroom.

“Would I wear a glamour, Sir?”

“You and Professor Dumbledore will pass as tourists, Mr. Potter, so dress casual, remember a jacket or pullover, at this time of the year the rains are frequent, but light. I am not sure if you are going to walk in the sun or not, you’ll find in your bathroom a pot of sun block potion apply it to your legs, arms and face, you should also wear this cap, we do not want you to be recognized, it will keep your scar covered.”

Harry moved automatically, it still seemed too good to be true, and Snape was sounding like Aunt Petunia when Dudley went on a school outing. He was almost 13 years old! Why should he apply that smelly cream?

“Mr. Potter, have you heard what I said?”

“Yes, sir, I have to wear a cap…”

“Apply the cream.”

“It smells strange… Sir.”

“The smell will evaporate, it will protect you from sunburns.”

Harry thought he was being paranoid, but well, it was Snape.

The picky man made Harry change his clothes, he said that Harry’s t-shirt was too red.

“But I like this color. sir.”

“Wear a more discreet color, every one will remember a green eyed child with the red t-shirt.”

“What is wrong with that? We are not going to rob a bank!”

“Change it, Mr. Potter.”

How could the man do that? Finish the discussion with his scary glares…?

Harry had eggs, ham and sausages, juice and milk for breakfast, Snape made sure that he ate every small piece, Harry was finishing when they heard a chime, like a doorbell. Snape stood up from the table and went to the living room, Harry wanted to follow, but again a stare made him stay put and keep on eating.

Snape returned moments later with Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. The couple was dressed very strange Harry almost chocked with his toast.

Professor Dumbledore had blue pants, pink shirt and a yellow jacket, a straw hat and dark eyeglasses, his beard seamed to have been shrunken to a small goatee.

Professor McGonagall wore a plaid skirt and a jacket, with a red scarf that almost reached the floor, she also had a straw hat and dark eyeglasses.

If Snape did not want anyone remembering them, they should use his invisibility cloak.

“Harry, are you ready?”

“Yes, professor, where are we going?”

“Get your teeth washed, Mr. Potter”

“Yes, sir.” Harry went out and back in less than two minutes.

“We have a hat for you, Mr. Potter”

“Thank you, sir, but I have a cap.”

“Good child.”

“We are going to explore London, Mr. Potter.” Minerva informed him. “Is there any place that you would like to visit?”

“The Tower, and the Dungeons, and the Wax Museum, and…. And the Zoo?”

“I want to see the Haunted Buildings, may be we’ll find some one we know there.”

“Albus!”

“C’mon on, Minerva, just relax, this is supposed to be fun!”

“I’m not sure of where we are going, Severus, but we’ll bring him back at 7, the latest.”

“We’ll take the floo back to Hogwarts, from there we’ll take the knight-bus to the Leaky Cauldron, we’ll walk in London from there.”

“We’ll go back the same way.”

“He is taking a supplement Minerva, he needs three healthy meals, he had already breakfasted so just be sure he had an appropriate lunch and tea or dinner. Please do not stuff him with candy.”

“We will. Severus, but a candy or two never harmed anyone.”

“But 50 would.” Mumbled Snape. “Do not bring me a sugar-high, overactive pre-teen please. Mr. Potter this is a treat for you, be sensible and enjoy your outing.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Shall we go…? The Knightbus is arriving soon.” They walked toward the chimney in the sitting room.

“A word with you, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, sir?”

Snape held Harry outside the parlor.

Snape gave Harry a backpack.

“Here is your change of clothes, a pullover, some apples and juice. You would find also the sun block cream, re-apply it if you feel your skin get dry. Also here is some muggle money, in case you need it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“See you later, Harry.”

Snape saw the party go and had mixed feelings. He was glad of the ward-free time, he needed to keep on brewing and needed time to prepare ingredients. But Potter had looked so exited and he felt… envious, Albus and Minerva would enjoy the boy, they would allow him to eat and do everything.

The last week had been an emotional rollercoaster. He had had literally to fight with the child to make him accept that he needed clothes, that he could swim or use a bike. He was the responsible adult that had to make him eat healthy and sleep on time.

And today they would enjoy themselves regardless of the boy’s behavior, and they would eat what ever crossed their path. He would have liked to go with them!

He placed his thoughts in the back of his mind to study later and started chopping ingredients and brewing his potions.

By 5 he had 8 different cauldrons boiling and the potions were about to be ready. He went to the kitchen for a cup of tea, he had had a light lunch, he felt hungry and decided to have a sandwich, he would wait until Harry arrived to have dinner with the boy.

At 9,  when dinner time arrived and passed without news he was worried. He was about to go to Hogwarts when the floo chimed and he found Dumbledore and McGonagall in his living room. He felt bile rising from his stomach as panic started to invade him, he could not manage to ask where his ward was. A moment latter Harry stood at his feet. Well Harry was not standing, he was splayed in the floor, as was his custom when floo traveling. Why didn’t Dumbledore or Minerva travel along with him? Why was he not sent first?

“Harry, my boy! I’m glad you decided to join us at last.” Dumbledore was smiling as if it was usual to lose the youngest party member.

“At last? Did you part company?”

“Not at all Severus. Just this last leg of the ride. Mr. Potter traveled first, but was not clear enough about his destination.”

“Where had you been, Mr. Potter?” McGonagall asked.

“I don’t know professor, as soon as I get out of the floo I realized it was not home, I mean Prince Manor, I… found some floo powder beside the chimney and… came back here….”

“Well done, my child.” Beamed Dumbledore.

Snape was livid, he couldn’t talk. Harry saw his face and stood up beside him. He was also pretty shaken.

“Well Severus, Harry, we’ll see you next week. Please keep me posted about the potion, Severus. I wish to give the good news to our mutual friend as soon as possible.”

Mutual friend indeed thought Snape. “Would you care for some tea?” He knew he would never dare to poison the old man, but it did not hurt to think about it.

“Thank you, Severus, but we have to go.” Dumbledore said. “I saw half a dozen owls waiting for me at my office. “But we may stay for tea next week.”

Harry was quiet, but he remembered his manners.

“Thanks a lot for taking me, Professors, it was really fun.”

“I am glad you enjoyed it, Harry, we will do something else next week.”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir.”

“We’ll goodbye, after you, Minerva…?”

“I’ll stay for a moment more, Albus, Severus do you remember that paste that you made for me last Winter, I need to ask you for a refill…”

“Of course…”

“In that case I’ll see you later, Minerva.”

Dumbledore disappeared in the chimney.

“Mr. Potter, your dinner is served, go ahead and start eating.”

“But, Professor I’m…”

“Now, Mr. Potter..”

“Yes, sir.”

Minerva and Severus saw him leave.

“Do not press him to eat Severus, he ate twice his weight in sweets, he had everything, from popcorn to pretzels, to fish and chips, to cake and ice-cream.”

“Couldn’t you stop him?”

“It was not really his idea….Have you tried to say no to Albus…? He just wanted to gave Harry a taste….”

“At least he is in one piece… I presume he behaved himself, did he not?”

“Yes, he did, he was obedient and eager. May be a little afraid of crowded places. He stood by us all the time. We got separated for a while as we were walking out of the Museum, it was just a few minutes, but he was sensible enough to stay put in a visible out of the way place, until we found him. He did not want to eat that many sweets, he barely asked for anything. Just look at the souvenir stores. But you know Albus, he insisted that Harry should try the sugar cotton and the ice-cream, and the apples with chocolate….It seemed that we were walking through London just to find all the nice things to eat. Harry got to see the Zoo and the Tower and Albus was amazed by the food courts. Next time I will insist on visiting just one place. I’m too old to walk this much.

Snape had opened a cupboard and was looking for Minerva’s’ paste, he asked “Did he had fun?” He wanted to make it pass as an after thought, he couldn’t see her face.

“Yes, of course. He enjoyed everything with marvelous ingenuity. He had never had a real outing in his life! He told us that it was in the Zoo where he first talked with a snake, a Boa. He was a little shaken after we got separated at the museum, or maybe he was tired, he kept quiet all the way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Albus decided that it would be faster to use the floo there and we got to Hogsmeade. He apologized profusely for getting lost. It really was no more that five minutes, but he was very sorry. Albus told him not to worry. And then he got confused in the floo. We come through Albus office, you know he couldn’t be in danger.”

“Here is the paste you wanted, remember to clean the surface before using it and keep it away from your eyes.” Minerva placed it in her carpetbag.

“Thanks a lot.”

“I would appreciate it if you hold on to, Mr. Potter while floo traveling. He still has to get the hang of it.”

“We’ll do that.. You should come next week with us.”

“I’m busy.”

“Well, think about it. You could do with some leisure time. I’ll see you later,” She took out some packages from her carpetbag. “Here, these are Potter’s souvenirs, Albus bought everything he saw. Harry just said that he wanted to bring you something.”

Severus saw the older witch out on the floo, he couldn’t believe the quantity of packages in his sitting room. He left them there for later inspection and went to the dinning room. Harry was not there but arrived a moment later.

“I went to wash, sir. I got very dirty in the floo. I should have spoken clearer, but I had a candy in my mouth...”

“Sit down, Mr. Potter.”

“I am not really hungry, sir.” Snape could see that Harry looked a little green. Harry’s stomach was upset, he smelled a little of the fish soup in his plate and bolted to the nearest bathroom.

Snape went after him. He could hear the retching from the hall.

Harry saw his boots and dark clad figure on the door. He sat in the tile floor.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Snape helped him up.

“Hush. Mr. Potter, here rinse clean your mouth with some water.” He gave him a glass of water. And saw the boy at the sink cleaning his mouth. “Is that better?”

“Yes, sir… I’m sorry.”

“You ate more that what your stomach is used to processing, Mr. Potter and then you shook it well.”

“I was so frightened when I left the floo…. The first time that I used it.. I was with Ron’s family, I arrived in Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley, I…did not know how to go back…. Hagrid found me. I thought I was lost…”

“You were in no danger at all, Harry.” Snape walked out of the bathroom with the boy.

Harry did not understand. He just looked at Snape.

“Come with me, Mr. Potter.”

Harry followed Snape upstairs and to his study. He wondered if he was in trouble. Snape opened the door and showed him in, he did not stop in the study, he opened a door that took them to a room with chairs in front of a chimney. There was some floo power and dust in the rug.

“Does this place look familiar, Mr. Potter?”

Harry looked around then stood in the chimney.

“This is the place I came out in the floo, but… I don’t understand….Sir.”

“Prince Manor was isolated, there was no connection to the floo at all, we wanted to keep it safe but able to communicate and go to Hogwarts, so we established the connection. It only goes from the Manor, in two chimneys this one in my room and the one in the living room. And it only goes to Professor Dumbledore’s Office in Hogwarts, or my rooms in the school. As you were not clear about the destination it brought you to my room.”

“I thought I was lost! I thought that no one would find me! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I do not have to tell you about every little detail, Mr. Potter, you have to follow instructions…..”

“But I should have known….!”

“If you are going to throw a tantrum, Mr. Potter, It’s better that you go to your room and get ready for bed….”

Snape saw him run out to his room and heard the door slam. ‘Merlin protect him from emotional pre-teens!’ He went back to the diningroom and vanished the food.

The distress wards were not going off, so he decided to leave the child alone.

He needed to add more ingredients to his potions, so he went to the lab. He concentrated bottling his work, he would go to the green-eyed child before going to bed, just to check on him.

A little after midnight He felt the presence of his ward at the door of the potion’s lab.

“Do not stay lurking in the shadows, Mr. Potter. Come inside.”

He saw that the child was wearing slippers and robe with his pajamas.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, Mr. Potter?”

“I can’t sleep, Professor.”

“Come and sit here.” He placed a stool beside the table. The boy obeyed, looking around to the boiling cauldrons.

“Is something bothering you, Mr. Potter?” Asked Snape as he chopped some roots. There were only two cauldrons in the fire. Three were empty beside multicolored vials and there were three more on a sink nearby.

“Did you make potions all day, sir?”

“I have to re-stock the infirmary, a lot of these potions need time to simmer to gain their properties, I had to start with some of them if I wanted to have them before the term begins.” Snape let the chopped root fall into one of the cauldrons. “You also had an interesting long day, didn’t you, Mr. Potter?”

“It was great. I had never visited London like that, Professor Dumbledore wanted to see it all. It was really fun…. Have you ever traveled in the Knightbus? That was the craziest…. And we walked a lot, Professor Dumbledore liked the automatic doors… and the food courts! He wanted to try everything…! Professor McGonagall has the souvenirs we bought for you…”

“To much excitement to let you sleep, Mr. Potter? Or to much junk food?”

“I feel a little nausea still… Sir”

“Open the cupboard behind you, third shelf, in the middle, white vial, it is a digestive potion, drink half of it, wait 5 minutes and then drink the other half. You’ll feel better... Mr. Potter, you’ll find glasses in the lower shelf.” He saw Harry trying to drink from the glass vial.

Harry placed down the potion and found the glass, he poured half the content and he drank it, it had a mint flavor. He felt the freshness going down to his stomach and felt better.

“I bet that Madam Pomfrey is glad that you prepare the potions for the Infirmary, Sir, they work very well.”

“I am sure that you have experienced them more than enough times. Mr. Potter”

“Yes, sir.” Harry drank the other half.

“I bet that she wouldn’t ask for so many small doses if she were to help bottling them.”

“How many vials are filled from a cauldron, sir?”

“It all depends on the consistency of the potion. Mr. Potter, but it’s too late in the night for you to try to calculate the formula, if your stomach is better, you may go back to bed.”

“May I help you, sir.” Snape look incredulous at him. “I can pour the potion in the vials or I can cut and chop if you tell me what to do.”

Snape thought that Harry was trying to makeup for his little tantrum, but it was not the moment to talk about that.

“Not tonight, Mr. Potter, I appreciate your offer, but the only thing left to finish these potions is to let them boil a little longer. It’s a boring task, get back to bed.”

“May I stay here with you for a while, sir?”

“Did you have a nightmare, Mr. Potter?” Snape had not felt the wards go off, but… maybe the nightmare had been mild…

“No, sir, I… I don’t want to fall asleep…”

“As I explained, you were in no danger in the floo, Mr. Potter. I would have preferred if you had used it with Albus or Minerva, I guess it upset you, I thought that with your little outburst up in my room and the slammed door you had gotten it out of your system.” Harry placed the glass in the table and started looking at the floor. “Get back to bed, Potter, and try counting brooms.”

“Brooms, sir? The usual is to count sheep.”

“You may count whatever you want, Harry, sheep, kittens, snakes… brooms are quieter and stay put.”

“Unless you want them to fill a tank of water… Sir”

“What are you talking about, Mr. Potter?”

Harry explained about a movie he once saw about the Sorcerer Apprentice. Snape could see that the boy was tired, he heard the story, and was reminded again that this child was 12, and he was telling him the story to prevent being sent to bed. Why was the boy scared?

“Did you talk to the snakes in the Zoo, Mr. Potter?

“No, sir. Since the Boa escaped the Serpentaire, it’s very popular, I visited it, but I couldn’t speak with them. They look fine.”

“Did the serpents make you remember the Basilisk? Are you afraid of dreaming about it?”

“No, sir. I have not dreamt about it…” Yet, though Harry as he turned and tried to look interested as he looked at the cauldrons. Snape allowed the silence to spread. Harry released a sigh, Snape was not sure if it was a sign that the child was going to speak or if he was going to go back to bed. The boy did not move.

“Clearly you are upset about something, Mr. Potter, is it related to your outing? Or is there something else in your conscience that prevents you from sleeping?

Harry did look guilty. What was the child hiding?

Harry look at his professor, he knew that the man did not like to play games or loose his time, he had to tell him, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

“I… I…I saw them… when I got lost in the Museum… I…”

“Could you be more specific as to whom did you see Mr. Potter, a Pack of Wolves, a Murder of Crows… a Pride of Lions?” Snape liked to use his words.

“My relatives… Sir, they were in the store…, at the Museum…, my cousin wanted to buy something big and my aunt was calling for help to the assistant, I didn’t see Uncle Vernon, but I heard him….”

“Where were Albus and Minerva?”

“They were…. We left the presentation together, but I wanted to buy something, so I let them walk ahead… I thought I would find something for you… But… I saw them and I froze, sir.” The boy was shivering with the memory.

“Did they see you, Potter?” Snape did not want to panic, not just yet.

“No, sir, I don’t think so, I ran to the lavatories and hid in one of the stalls, I left after I didn’t hear any noise outside. I found Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall looking for me outside the door. I didn’t tell them.”

“And why is that, Mr. Potter? Don’t you think they are able to defend you?” Dumbledore and Snape had thought that Muggle London would be safe for Harry, he never thought that they would have to monitor his family’s whereabouts.

“Not that, sir, Is that…. I was told to stay close. And…I was scared.”

“Your recklessness placed you in danger, Potter, once again….”

“Yes, sir.”

“Were you scared that they were going to scold you, Mr. Potter?”

“Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall? No, sir, I mean… I thought they would, I didn’t want to be scolded, they would have been right to lecture me…, I had to stay close to them and they thought I was lost and said it was good I had stayed in the lavatory, I was ashamed …. I couldn’t tell them, sir.

“And now you cant sleep….”

“I am sorry, sir. I was scared of them seeing me, and now… every time I close my eyes I think I’m in the cupboard and this is only a dream. Do you think I should have faced them?”

“Of course not, child, you know them better than I do, but I do think that they would have made a spectacle in the middle of the Museum, no one was supposed to know where you were and a scandal wouldn’t have been a good idea. You took yourself out of their range, that is always wise. You hid until it was safe to go out. You met with your party as soon as possible. Potter, I do think that you handle it better than your usual way.”

“I was such a coward! I don’t want to be scared of them….”

“They can’t hurt you now, Harry, and you will be able to face them. There will be a moment when you will be able to look them in the eye and say ‘I’m not scared, you can’t hurt me any more’ until then, my advice is that you stay close to your companions and stop tempting luck.” Snape took the empty glass and placed it in the sink a little too hard, so it smashed. Harry heard a reparo and with out looking at him asked:

“Are you angry with me, sir?”

“Yes, I am. We want you to be safe, Harry, the least you can do is cooperate with your safety.”

“I’m sorry.” The boy looked penitent enough, and judging for all that he went through…

“You will apologize to Professor Dumbledore and to Professor McGonagall, Mr. Potter, you will write them a letter explaining your doings. I will ask them to place a toddler’s charm to your shoes on your next outing, your shoes won’t let you get away from them, if you try, you’ll get stuck to the floor until the caster is back in range.”

“That doesn’t sound like fun, sir.”

“It’s not fun, Potter, but it’s worst to lose a child, any child. And I can assure you, Harry, we do not want to loose you.”

“Do you think they would want to take me out again, sir?”

“Yes, they would, you will apologize and you will have served your punishment by next week, Mr. Potter, you may mention it in you letter.”

“Punishment… Sir?”

“Do not tell me you did not expect to be punished young man, actions got reactions. That is why you came to see me this late, didn’t you?”

Harry just nodded, Snape could see that he was not so nervous any more.

“No dessert or sweets for you tomorrow, Mr. Potter. You will write your letters, I will review them and I want you to explain to them what you did. Then I want a 2 foot essay relating all the things that you did today, all the places and all that you saw, you’ll have an early bedtime so you’ll have to finish it before dinner. And for your little tantrum and the slamming of the door… you’ll stay in the corner for 15 minutes after breakfast. Do you think that you can go back to bed now, Mr. Potter? Or should I keep on being creative?”

“No need to be creative, sir.”

“Get going, I won’t allow you to stay late in bed tomorrow.”

Harry stood from the chair and walked toward the door. Once there he said:

“Sir…”

“Good night, Mr. Potter.”

“Would you teach me how to do a light sphere like the one you left in my room the night I had the nightmare, sir?

How could he say no to the child that owned those green bright eyes? Snape turned off the fire from his cauldrons. And went out with Harry.

“It’s easy, Mr. Potter, you create a bubble and place a lumos inside, it will stay lighted for one hour. I’ll show you.”

Snape walked the boy to his room, he placed the sphere on the night table, as the boy lay down on the bed and was covered under the comforter, then he turned to leave, Harry was asleep before he arrived to the door.

The next day, after breakfast Harry stood facing the corner in the living room.

He woke up at almost 9, he hurried to the bathroom and heard Snape’s voice outside.

“Breakfast is ready Mr. Potter.”

Harry opened the bathroom door.

“I just need to change, Sir.”

“It’s Sunday Mr. Potter, you may have breakfast in your night clothes.”

Harry went down to the dinning room.

Breakfast was porridge, Snape let him pour some cream almost no sugar. Harry drank his juice and a glass of milk. He also had a scrambled egg.

Both eat without hurry.

“Did you slept well Mr. Potter? Did your stomach settle?”

“Yes sir. I… am sorry, I… shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“It was no bother, Mr. Potter, it is always interesting to hear of your latest escapades.”

Harry kept on eating, he knew it had been foolish what he did, it was not necessary for Snape to be sarcastic.

Snape put pieces of fruit in a plate and placed it in front of Harry.

“Finish your fruit and milk child, there is a corner waiting for you in the living room.”

“Will you stay with me, Sir?” Up to that moment Harry had only stayed in the corner in the same room as Snape.

“You will have to be quiet in the corner Mr. Potter, why would you want me around?” Harry just look at him.

“I need to review some journals, so I may be near, to ensure that your nose stays close to the corner.”

Snape did sit near him with a bunch of papers. He sorted thru them and read some things aloud. After a while Harry felt a little bored so he started talking.

“You are mean, Sir.”

“Have you just realized that Potter? We met two years ago.”

“You could have told me about the floo connection. Sir.”

“I could have. You could have spoken clearly while entering the fire-place, you should learn Mr. Potter, that you must focus your mind on what you are doing, I have not seen you in the rest of your classes, but that is the reason why your potions failed.”

“You are always unfair with me in potions, Sir!”

“Yes, I am a mean bastard, Mr. Potter, but not just to you. Why would Miss Granger’s potions be successful?”

“And you never give her points….”

“No I don’t, and any way she always pays attention and her potions and essays are always good, regardless of the points I do not give her.”

“You are always breathing down my neck! I will never be good in potions!”

“If you keep on being disrespectful Potter, you wont leave that corner soon, keep quiet now.”

After 6 more minutes of silence Snape said:

“Turn around Potter, your time out is over. Now satisfy my curiosity, Mr. Potter. What is you favorite subject in school?”

“My favorite…?I don’t know... I enjoy doing magic like in charms and transfiguration… Sir” Fancy wand waving thought Snape.

“You are good in Defense against the Dark Arts, are you not?”

“I guess so, Sir.”

“Your grades are good at least, your past two teachers have been little less than useless, and did try to kill you at the end of the year. You not only managed to learn enough to have good grades, you managed to survive dark creatures, How did you do it?” Harry sat in a sofa facing Snape.

“I had to do it, Sir. To defend myself and my friends. I learned alone.”

“And how did you manage to learn alone, Mr. Potter?”

“Well, Sir… The school books had information, and they did… I mean they were terrible in class, but the essays they assigned… I read the books for the homework and… I also learned from what my classmates said and… thought on my feet…..”

“Thinking on your feet makes you reckless child. So you find it interesting to learn by yourself?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And you are able to learn alone, Mr. Potter, while doing your homework, with the school books and also, from your classmates.”

“Is that wrong?.... Sir.” He said the Sir as an afterthought. Thing that did not go unnoticed to Snape.

“Quit the attitude or go back to the corner, Mr. Potter.”

“I’m sorry, Sir.”

“As I was saying, it seems that you may learn, regardless of the teacher, Harry, why then don’t you do that for Potions? You have the same material and tools, why don’t you try to learn by yourself, like Defense?”

“I don’t know, Sir.”

“C’mon on, you can give better answers, Mr. Potter.

Harry kept quiet.

“In Potions class. You always pick on me, Sir. Nothing I do is good enough for you.”

“Have you at least tried, Harry?” Harry did not like the direction this conversation was taking.

“At first I did, I was interested in potions, Sir. I could relate to them because I liked chemistry and cooking, I was writing down all that you were saying that first class….!”

“And a mean dungeon-bat shattered your illusions, Potter! After you had paid attention less than 2 minutes…. And since then you spend the class feeling offended and chatting with your friends about how unfair I am….”

“You do not allow us to talk. Sir.”

“You do manage anyway. Mr. Potter”

“What do you want me to say, Sir?” Harry knew when he had lost.

“I want a commitment from you, Mr. Potter. Tomorrow when I start the classes I want your attention and your assurance that you are going to make an effort to learn, in class as well as by yourself. As you have stated you can learn while researching and doing homework. Can you do it?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“You may go now, Mr. Potter. Get started with the apology letters, if you finish them by lunch time you will be allowed to ride your bike for a while.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Two hours latter, Snape was satisfied with the letters.

“Do you plan to use the protection gear, Mr. Potter?”

 Harry was standing beside him, he had been made to write them several times, his hand was tired and he dreaded that he would be sent back to write them again. So his eyes sparkled   at this question.

“Yes, Sir, I will. I promise.”

“Do not go into the forest, be back one hour before dinner, you still have to write your essay. And remember that you have an early bedtime today.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

“And Harry….”

“Yes, Sir…”

“Be careful.”

.XXX 

Harry was clean and at the table by dinner time. Snape could see that he was unusually quiet. He finished his soup and was playing with his salad.

“Did you enjoy yourself, Mr. Potter?

“Yes, Sir.”

“Have you finished your essay?”

“Yes, Sir….Do I have to go to bed after dinner?”

“Do you have to ask me that, Mr. Potter? You did finish with the essay, didn’t you?

“Yes. But Sir…. We’ll start studying tomorrow, and… I… I thought… this seems like my last chance to have fun…. I don’t want to go out… just… maybe… play a game.”

“We are not going to study from sunup to sundown, Harry. You’ll have time to ride the bike, even fly, once the wards are reset. Finish your meal, we’ll go over the schedule for tomorrow and the rest of the Summer.”

Once the dinner table was cleared Snape brought some papers.

“This is the draft,” Snape showed Harry a parchment.

8.30 Wake up

9.00 Breakfast

10.00 Study

12.30 Lunch

13.00 Free time

14.30 Study

17.00 Free time

18.30 Dinner

19.30 Free time

21.30 Bed time

22.30 Lights out

“As you can see, Mr. Potter, you’ll have 5 hours to do what ever you want. 2.30 for meals. Half an hour to get ready for breakfast and class, one hour to get ready for bed. 10 hours for sleep. And 5 hours to learn, practice and homework. Do you think it's enough?”

“I don’t know, Sir. It looks pretty full.”

“We may adapt it as need arises. Harry.”

“You said that… that you would schedule time to talk… about… you know… my problems… Sir” Harry remember the conversation he eavesdrop with Albus, Snape said something about counseling…

“Yes, Harry, we can use the time after dinner, before your bedtime. We may talk about anything you want.”

Harry stay looking at the paper.

“What would we study tomorrow. Sir?”

“I think that we may start with charms.”

.XXX 

Next morning, they started. Harry thought that it was not going to be a good beginning when Snape appeared in the schoolroom wearing his dark school robes. Harry had been seated looking through his papers when he heard the footsteps, he turned to look and felt a cold shiver in his spine at the sight. This was Scary Snape.

Snape had been wearing black all the past week, but not his teacher’s robes. Harry hoped that he would not transform back into ‘the dreaded bat of the dungeons’.

“Good morning, todays class is going to be Charms.” He took his wand and using it as a chalk, turned his back to Harry.

Snape started by writing three words in the blackboard, “Theory”, “Wand Movements” and “Words” then he turned and talk to Harry as if the room contained a multitude instead of only one student.

“As you should know by now, the intent is what makes a charm work. The wand projects the magic inside you to do your will. For this you will study the meaning of the words, the books in your desk should contain enough theory for you to get an idea, not only about the charms, we’ll learn, but also about their modifications. We will discuss them, you will notice that some charms are not that different from each other as they share the same roots. Wand movements must be practiced, until you stop thinking and they become second nature. The words focus your intent and that is Magic…”

Harry had never heard a more passionate lecture about charms.

Snape was about to continue when he saw that the boy had his hand up.

“Yes, Mr. Potter?”

“I have a doubt Professor… Would I… I mean… the Wand… I know I shouldn’t but…”

“Mr. Potter, organize your thoughts before putting your hand up.”

“Sorry, Sir.” Harry looked down. Snape did not really want to scare him.

“What is worrying you, Mr. Potter?” He said in a more neutral voice. And sat on the other side of the desk.

Harry looked at him and said.

“Last year, when Dobby crashed my relatives Dinner Party…I received a warning, I know about the restriction of underage use of magic…. Would I only learn the movements? Or would I be able to use my wand? I do not want to be expelled.”

“The wards around the property make it impossible for the ministry to detect your use of magic. The restriction is imposed because of the secrecy we maintain with the muggles. Magical children in Muggle neighborhoods have to cease all use of magic. In Magical households their use of magic wouldn’t be noticed at all by the ministry, as there would be certified wizards in that location. Although magical parents should not encourage the indiscriminate use of magic by their children. Here, you may use your wand only for class and practice purpose though, always with me supervising. If I find out that you have been using it on your own I will confiscate it and you will have it back until we go back to Hogwarts. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Well, Mr. Potter, I have made a list of common house-hold charms, tell me if you know about them.” Snape moved his wand and a list appeared in the black-board.

Summon/Send away

Repair/Break

Warm/Cool

Dry/Wet

Press/Clean

Cushion/Pull

Backward/Forward

Bend/Straighten

Below/Above

Blunt/Sharp

Bitter/Sweet

Build/Destroy

Bright/Dull

Broad/Narrow

Clear/Cloudy

Ebb/Flow

East/West

Empty/Full

Expand/Contract

External/Internal

Fast/ Slow

Few/Many

Fat/Thin

First/Last

Fold/unfold

Fresh/Stale

Gather/Distribute

Hard/Soft

Here/There

Heavy/Light

Height/Depth

Include/Exclude

Horizontal/Vertical

Increase/Decrease

Inferior/Superior

Inside/Outside

Interior/Exterior

Join/Separate

Land/Sea

Large/Little, small

Left/Right

Lengthen/Shorten

Less/more

Long/short

Loud/soft

Loss/find

Low/high

Maximum/minimum

Narrow/wide

Noisy/quiet

North/South

Odd/even

Open/shut

Out/in

Plentiful/scarce

Rapid/slow

Regularly/irregularly

Rigid/pliable, soft

Rough/smooth

Scatter/collect

Slim/thick, stout

Solid/liquid

Sour/sweet

Straight/crooked

Strong/weak

Take/give

Tall/short

Thick/thin

Tight/slack, loose

Top/bottom

Up/down

Transparent/opaque

Visible/invisible

Pack/Unpack

Shrink/Enlarge

As Harry started reading he thought he was not going to be able to learn them all.

Then Snape explained the movements of the wand and how learning it correctly could be used for all of them. He insisted that the intent in Harry’s mind would get the desired results.

Then they went through the list and Harry was told to imagine the words, almost tasting them.

Snape brought several things and placed them on the table, then he allowed Harry to practice the charms.

At the end of the class Harry realized that Snape used a totally different approach from Flitwick, but he had learned some useful charms. Now he could remove stains, repair objects, clean and press his clothes and shrink and un-shrink things. Snape even taught him how to do the Lumos-Spheres!

“Could this be used as Christmas trees ornaments, Sir? I mean if you can change the colors, or not?” Harry had a small collection of spheres in several sizes.

Snape just looked at the boy, had he ever been so eager in his classes? Had he been like this before he berated him in that first potions class?

Harry was looking at him. Snape looked confused. Then he realized that he had mentioned Christmas and that would be long after the end of this Temporal thing…

“I’m sorry, Sir…I’m sorry..”

“Stop apologizing, Harry, coming this Christmas, you will have a tree to place the spheres onto. You can be sure of that. I doesn’t matter where we’ll spend Christmas, or if I am still your guardian or not.

Harry liked when Snape talked to him like that. All serious and sober, he knew that it was better that a promise.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Well, that’s all for today, it’s time for lunch, leave your things here. And wash your hands.”

“When would be the next class, Sir?”

“Next week. You may practice what you learn, if I am near, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

After lunch Harry went to ride his bike and later swam in the pond, Snape watched him from his lab. After swimming he took a fast shower and went to the study room, Snape was already there.

“Do you have a Summer assignment for Charms, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Start with it, if you need to research anything I’ll be in the library.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Harry realized that he could answer the assignment with the course books he had, so he did not went to research in the library, Snape found him writing one hour later.

“Have you finished, Mr. Potter?”

“Almost, may I use the charm you taught me to remove the ink stains?”

Snape couldn’t believe that James Potter’ son was asking that!

“Yes, Harry, you may, remember the intention behind the wand movement… that’s it.”

Harry was beaming. This knowledge would help him a lot next term.

He arranged his papers, glad that he had finished with school work for the day.

Snape was looking at the discarded parchments, he looked at his ward and realized that his hands were stained with ink and he was massaging his wrist.

“You have time to practice your writing, Mr. Potter, some simple exercises would improve the quality of your work.”

Harry knew that this time was still destined to school things so, not too happy he sat again and paid attention.

Snape showed him how to prepare a Quill and gave him some writing exercises.

“Those would help you to loosen your wrist muscles and make writing easier, Harry, I have noticed that you have wrist pain after you write for a while. You do not have to do them all, every time that you are going to write, but they would warm the muscles and help with the pain.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Tomorrow we’ll review Defense, Mr. Potter.”

Harry smiled, he hoped that Potions Class would never arrive.

“When would I be able to fly, Sir?”

“Professor Dumbledore and Flickwick will come tomorrow morning to set the new wards, you may fly then.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

On Tuesday Snape was really surprised. Harry did know defense, He knew about several dark creatures and the way to fend them off. It was with ease that they went through the first year book.

At the end of the class both were feeling good with each other. Harry was chatty at lunch and again went for a ride on his bike and a dip in the pond.

He finished his assignment and presented it to his Professor. Snape keep on being surprised.

After dinner he asked Harry to bring to the living room his construction blocks. Harry brought the box and sat on the floor.

Snape placed the box over the coffee table and start piling them.

“Tell me, Mr. Potter, what is the first thing you remember from your relatives house.”

Harry couldn’t believe it, he had never talked about that. He saw the construction and started helping Snape, he placed the blocks as he started talking, that make it easier, he did not have to look at Snape and he started recalling… He talked about preparing breakfast and cleaning the kitchen… and even about his cupboard, he found himself relived at having an adult knowing about his past. He did not tell him all. Just random things. Snape kept building until there were no more pieces in the box. So they started moving around the ones already used, when Harry’s bedtime hour arrive they had built a wall and a tower. Harry was enchanted to use one of his recent learned charms to hover the construction back to his room.

With Math Snape used a different approach.

“We are going to start today with some tests, Mr. Potter.”

“Tests? Why? No, sir. I have not studied math in a long time…”

“This test are to determine your knowledge, Mr. Potter, you do not have to know them all, but you still have to read them completely and to answer what you know. If you do not know the answer leave it blank, that way I will know where to start. I want you to do your best, Potter.

“Yes, sir.”

Snape left the room, he said that he would be back shortly, that Harry could take his time.

Harry had some doubts about the tests he did not want to fail. He read the papers and realized that he knew some of the questions. He started writing numbers on the extra pages. Snape did not give him a determined time to answer, Snape returned at 11.30 Harry finished at 11.47.

Snape took the papers to his desk and told Harry it was over for the morning, as he couldn’t define the class until after he had reviewed the test. So he said:

“I will review your answers, Mr. Potter, we will have an earlier lunch and after it you may do what you want. The wards are ready so you may use your broom.”

“Really…?! That’s great.” It took all of Snape’s willpower to suppress his smile, it was going to be as big as the child’s.

Sitting at the dinner table Snape saw that Harry was eating too fast.

“Slow down, Mr. Potter and chew your food, it wouldn’t be good for you to have an indigestion while flying.

Harry try to eat slowly, but he felt that the day was running and he wanted to be on his broom.

“Before you run outside, Mr. Potter let’s go over some rules.”

Harry knew that it was for his own good so he kept quiet, hoping that Snape was not going to mention the safety charms for brooms.

“First of all, you are always to tell me when you are going to fly.”

“Are you going to watch me every time, sir?” If Snape was on site he may object to Harry’s daring flying….

“No, Mr. Potter, I just want to know where to look for you in case I need you or if you are in danger.” Harry could not comment on that as he knew he attracted danger.

“Second, As well as with the bike, you have to stay between the wards, I will show you how to detect the wards in the air, as long as you are under them, you won't be seen from the outside. I do not need to remind you that we are close to a Muggle Village….”

“No, sir.”

“And third, you must wear the protection gear….”

“But, sir, I have been flying since two years ago!”

“I did not ask you that, Mr. Potter, I told you the rules if you are not able to follow them your broom will stay in the shed.”

“But sir…I promise I will be careful, it would be awkward to try to fly with knee and elbow pads, please sir.”

They compromise with the use of the protection gear, Harry accepted to use the helmet and the gloves. But also agreed that if he had any injury after a flight he would use the knee and elbow pads without a fuss.

Snape went out to see Harry fly. He had told the child to fly as high as he could first and to realize that if he felt a tingling in his skin it meant that he was approaching the wards and to fly down.

Then he told Harry to stay near the Manor and to be down in one hour.

“Only one hour, sir, I haven’t flown in ages....!”

“You must feel comfortable enough with me child as you think it’s safe for you to question my instructions.” Snape gave him his scariest look.

Harry quieted down and looked at the floor, he might kiss his broom goodbye, It was Snape! He should know better…

“I want you to report back down with me in one hour, Mr. Potter, if you are late by a minute, you would spend the rest of the afternoon cleaning cauldrons, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Get going then I will see you at 2 o’clock.”

Harry kicked the broom and soar the sky, he felt the wind around him and the endless sky. He practiced some stunts and flew around, he felt tired before the hour was completed, he flew down and went into the house. He looked for Snape and found him in his study.

“Are you done, Mr. Potter? you still had almost 15 more minutes.”

“I know sir, but… I got a little tired. At what time are we going to study again?”

“At 2.30, Mr. Potter just like yesterday, you have time for a swim if you want, I have to see about something in my lab. Get changed we’ll meet at the pond.”

“Would you let me fly again before dinner, sir?”

“Maybe, Mr. Potter.”

It was a windblown child that sat at the dinner table that evening. Snape saw him and considered asking the boy to use the sun-block lotion, but he realized that the tan on his face gave him a healthy look. That and Harry’s healthy eating would have the child growing before the summer’s end.

Harry’s results on the tests were good. Snape had used Math text books to prepare them and was sure that Harry had reached more than a Grammar school level. He had a head for figures, he decided to start with Algebra on the next day.

“You should take Arithmancy as a subject next year, Mr. Potter, you will find it very interesting.”

“Hermione wants to take it, sir. But it sounds hard.”

“You should start with the hard things when you are young, Harry. It is not easy, but you have a head for numbers, you will find the challenge good for your mind.”

“Ron said that Divination is easy, sir.”

“I wouldn’t call it easy, Mr. Potter, Divination is…. Very unreliable. If you toss a coin and guess the result you’ll be 50% of the times correct, that is more accurate than what you can guess looking at tea leaves or hands or a crystal balls.”

“Do you want me to take Arithmacy instead of Divination, sir?”

“Yes, Harry, I believe that for your future, you would be better prepared if you do not take Divination.”

“But I want to be a professional Quidditch player, sir”

“It wont make you heavier to have your head full of useful things, Mr. Potter.”

After dinner Harry brought some table games and they played for an hour, then Snape said that he had to talk to Professor Dumbledore and Harry went to his room early. He had started reading some books from his play room.

The next day, Snape started in earnest with math and in the afternoon he allowed Harry to go flying after solving some math problems and doing writing exercises. Harry felt that every time he looked around he saw numbers. He liked the solving of problems, and enjoyed his broom, it was not like last summer where he could play with his friends, but he was getting good training.

The week classes ended with History.

“Have you read Hogwarts a History, Mr. Potter?”

“No, sir, Hermione knows it by heart, she is always quoting from it.”

“Do you like History, Potter?”

“I don’t think so, sir, I… do not like memorizing dates and names. And professor Binns is very boring.”

“History is not just names and dates, Mr. Potter, let me tell you a story.”

Harry was mesmerized by the Potions Professor, Snape started talking about kings and wars and battles. He said how the war started and how the different persons involved reacted. There were conspiracies and doubts. Harry had never enjoyed more a History class. He was sad when lunch time arrived and they had to leave the room.

Snape told him that they would have a discussion, that afternoon. He used his free time to read the history book and by that afternoon he asked Snape to keep on where they had left that morning.

Snape thought that maybe he should change his profession and teach History instead of potions.

They sat talking about Medieval History.

Snape told Harry to go to bed earlier as the next day Dumbledore was planning to leave at 9.

Harry went to bed with his head full of battles and castles. And it turned out that he visited a Medieval fair with Dumbledore and McGonagall.

“You may wear wizard clothing today, Mr. Potter.”

“Where are we going, Professor?”

“I do not know where exactly, Mr. Potter, but it’s a fair, so it wouldn’t matter how you are dressed.”

“Is it in a Wizarding Village, sir?”

“You’ll know soon enough, Potter. Remember what I told you, keep close to Professor Dumbledore, and watch what you eat.”

“Yes, sir.”

As it turned our it was not a Wizard Village but wizards live there and as it was a fair no one cared how they were dressed. Harry had a very good time, there were pageants and fencing contests. People in all kinds of disguise, he and professor McGonagall invented a game where they had to guess if the person was Muggle or Wizard. They lost count of the Wizards. The place was filled with food booths and Harry practically kept on eating all day. He tried not to eat too much, but everything was delicious. They flooed back from Hogwarts to the Manor in time for dinner.

Harry only had a glass of milk and went to bed.

He woke at 4 in the morning with a stomach ache. Snape found him walking around his rooms.

“Pray tell me, Mr. Potter what in Merlin’s name are you doing?”

“I… walking helps with the pain, sir.”

“What is hurting you, Potter?

“My stomach, but I did not want to wake you, sir, I was waiting until the sun came up. It hurts less in the morning.”

“You do not have to suffer the pain, Potter, drink this,” Snape had the white digestive vial in his hand. “Mr. Potter I do not mind being awakened.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Harry drifted to sleep immediately.

On Sunday Snape allowed him to sleep late and to have breakfast wearing his pajamas.

All day the food was bland, and it helped Harry’s stomach. Snape made him take a nap at mid-afternoon and after it told him to keep on reading his History books. Snape told him that for their next class they would start with the Goblins history. Harry fell asleep in the living room, after dinner, he did not remember going to his bed, but he woke up there the next morning.

On Monday Snape continued with charms. The boy recalled the class from last week and had practiced enough, Snape started teaching him some hexes, and jinxes, also he taught him some defensive spells, he said that they would come handy for the Duel sessions they would have later.

Tuesday, and the course was Defense.

“Well, Mr. Potter, we have gone through first year Defense, now take out your books from second year and lets start reviewing.”

Harry’s face fell.

“I don’t have the second year books, Sir…”

“Why not, Mr. Potter?”

“We… I… I burned them in the common room fireplace at the end of the term… Sir”

“But why?! Mr. Potter that is the most preposterous prank I ever heard of!”

“I can explain…. Sir, I…” Snape was furious! He saw red.

“There is no good explanation for defiling books. Potter! No child of mine would even dare to think about that!”

Harry was surprised about Snape calling him, his child. He couldn’t react at all.

“Go to your room this moment and stay there until dinner, Potter! And do not make plans for the following days you won't be able to leave your room for the rest of the week. And you won't be able to sit comfortably at all. And I will let Professor Dumbledore know not to come here this weekend!”

“But Sir….”

“Your room now!”

Snape saw the boy as he went to his room.

He was furious. Of all the stupid pranks…! How dare he burn books?!

Books were burned by scared people, people scared of what books may teach.

He was not going to remember having to save his books from the fire-place, where his drunken father had placed them!

He went to his study and opened his liquor cupboard, it was early in the day to drink, but he was about to burst. How dare he? That boy was in for serious punishment. He had to calm down, the fire-whisky helped him to sort his thoughts.

He was going to make him copy the second year defense books with out magic, he would not be allowed free time until he finished! And he would give him a proper spanking this time… defiling and burning books! Snape went to his desk and looked for last year’s courses.

Dumbledore insisted that all staff send each other the text books and programs. He had not read Lockhart’s program, he couldn’t stand the man. He found the parchment and started reading it:

Wandering with Werewolves?

Break with a Banshee?

Gadding with Ghouls?

Holidays with Hags?

Travels with Trolls?

Voyages with Vampires?

Year with the Yeti???

Was this a joke? Where was the Basic Defense Book 2?

Were this the books that Harry had burned? These books were a waste of good paper!

Suddenly Snape felt like hexing himself. He should have allowed the child to explain.

He went to his bookshelves, his books from school were there. He found the place and took his second year book of Defense Against the Dark Arts, the book was old, it had been old when his mother gave it to him…. It should be enough to study with Harry.

He went to the child’s room. He knocked and waited until the Green-eyed-child opened it. The boy looked pale but composed. Snape was glad of that. He felt enough guilt with out the kid's tears.

“May I come in, Harry?”

“Yes, sir.” Harry noticed that Snape was using his name, did this mean that he was no longer angry with him?

Snape entered and sat on his rocking chair.

“I have reviewed your program for second year Defense class, Harry, I am sorry. I realize that Lockhart was using his own books for the lessons. I do not condone the burning of books, but I understand that the trash was too good for them. Here is the book you should have learned from. Study it until lunch time Harry. We’ll discuss it later.”

Harry took the book.

“Yes, sir….” Harry opened the book and read a little of the table of contents. Snape was looking at him. “Are you going to spank me after dinner, sir?”

Snape felt like hitting his head against the wall.

“No, Harry. I wont spank you, nor will you be on restriction for the rest of the week. I should have let you explain. I got angry. The burning of books is like the Muggle custom of witch burning. Every book may teach you something. I understand that those books were useless, and I understand that you had no good memories of that man. Even though I do not want to hear you talking ever again about burning books or a spanking would be the least of your problems.”

“No, sir, I’m sorry….”

“Study the book, we’ll talk about it latter.” Snape stood up from the rocking chair. He was stopped by Harry saying:

“I did read the books, sir. They were like a journal explaining how his wardrobe was maintained or the products he had to apply to his hair to keep it nice and clean… He talked about his favorite colors and his wishes to save the world, one beast at a time. He made me act his favorite parts…!!”

“What I don’t understand, Mr. Potter is how come everyone complains about me and my classes, where you could learn if you tried, and you accept these nonsense from ignorants like Lockhart…?”

“I had never complained about you… Sir.”

“Your head of House and Professor Dumbledore are always complaining about my treatment of students, principally her precious Gryffindors….”

“I had to worry about the voice I was hearing in the walls and the people getting petrified….”

“I told you, it’s not your place to save everyone, Mr. Potter, you should have told someone about the voices.”

“Ron said that even in the wizarding world it was not normal to hear voices…” Harry felt that he needed to explain…

“The books were too bulky, sir, they did not fit in my trunk. It was a last minute thing. A lot of us burn things that don’t fit in the trunks. Usually shoes or clothes, no one questions what… This term one of the older girls tried to burn a chess board. It had been a gift from a boyfriend, but they broke up. The pieces kept getting out of the fire and carried the board upon their heads, until she decided to leave it in the common room.”

Snape would have to investigate that end of term tradition.

“Tell me, Mr. Potter, what else did you burn?”

“I was going to burn my Potions Notebook, Sir… but… you had been nice to me on the tower and…”

“It was already packed in your trunk…”

“Yes, sir.” Harry smiled, that seemed so impossible that morning.

“The burning of books is the most uncivilized act that a man can perform, Mr. Potter. It not only brings him back to the caverns, it shows a complete lack of humanity. The only reason that the human race, and I am talking about Muggles and Wizards, has progressed and advanced is because of writing. It allows them to be and to build. It makes the progress. Books are a link that go through time and distance. Only barbarians burn books. People so ignorant that are scared of them. Killing a human being ends with a life and it’s potential, burning a book kills the potential of many lives.”

“Lockhart stole the stories…”

“Any way, Potter, some one could have been inspired by them.”

“I am sorry, sir. I do appreciate them, it was not usual for my relatives to let me have books.”

“Well you know what I think, Mr. Potter, please act accordingly.”

“Yes, sir. As you said no child of yours would burn any book, sir.

Snape left the room and went to his lab to brew. What had the child said? He tried to remember his words from earlier, he had said it, he considered Harry James Potter his child. What was more surprising, it seemed that the same son of James Potter considered himself his child!”

Lunch was calm and Harry asked to use his broom. Snape went out to see him fly, the potions were piling in his lab, and he knew that he had to take them to Hogwarts soon. This weekend he planned to brew some more and he needed the space. He felt his heart going out each time that Harry flew down, he knew he should have placed those safety charms to the broom!

After Dinner and between a puzzle game Snape asked Harry about his Defense classes with Lockhart. They both laugh as Harry explained how he had to act the parts from the books.

“I'm sorry to say it but it fell so good to burn those books, Sir… But I promise I would never do it again.”

“Have you willfully destroyed any other book, Mr. Potter?”

“Yes, Sir” Snape was not waiting for that answer!

“Tom Riddle’s Diary... I used the Basilisk tooth… I took it out of my arm and…. The book bled ink….

“You stopped it child, that was well done.”

The rest of the week passed with out any major incident, Wednesday they started again with Defense from second year and Snape decided to end it on Thursday. Harry used the bike and broom everyday, he also swam. On Friday Harry was already seated in the study room after a hearty breakfast when Snape entered.

“What are we going to do today, Professor?”

Snape turned to look at the changed child, was this the same Potter that had requested Dumbledore’s frog card at the station? Was this the same child trusting him? He had so many things to do…

“Today I need you to start on your pending assignments, Mr. Potter.”

“You won’t be here with me. Do you need to brew? May I help? Sir”

“One question at a time, Mr. Potter. I won’t be here with you, but I trust that you can work on your own, if you have any doubt you may ask me later. I do not need to brew anything just now, but my lab cupboards are full with Madam Pomfrey’s requests. So I have to prepare them for transportation and take them to Hogwarts.”

“I can help you with that, sir. I have finished with Charms, Defense and Transfiguration homework, I have plenty of time to do the rest… later. I will be very careful…”

Snape look at the child, was this the ‘bonding’ that Albus talked about constantly? The shameless child questioning his decisions, and he thinking that it was reasonable?

“I need to make some arrangements first, Mr. Potter, stay studying until lunch time. After lunch we’ll get the potions vials ready and we’ll take them to Hogwarts.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want to see good work when I review it, Mr. Potter or you will have to repeat the assignments.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Lunch they went to the Laboratory.

The tables were full with vials of different sizes and colors.

“We have to place the vials in these containers first, Mr. Potter.”

The containers were like serving trays full of little holes. Each vial fit in one hole with out matter of the size. The trays then were stacked five deep in, boxes.

When they finished, they had 10 full boxes.

“Should I take the boxes to the parlor, sir?”

“Yes, but we are not going to use the floo for this, Harry. Potions are not stable enough to go through the floo. They may mix and explode and the results would be terrible.”

“Are you apparating with them then, sir?”

“No. I could only take one tray each time, I would be exhausted by the end. No, Mr. Potter we are going to take this boxes to Hogwarts the Muggle way. We are going to use a cart and horse method to take them to town and from there we will take a train to Hogsmeade.”

“Are we going to go all the way to London, sir?”

“No. Potter, there is a small station one hour from here, the Hogwarts Express has a connection there. It’s going to be a long excursion, Mr. Potter, you may decide to stay here instead.”

“I want to go, sir. If I stay I wouldn’t be able to fly or ride the bike would I?”

“Certainly not, Potter.”

“I’ll go then, sir.”

“I’m glad to see that you prefer my company over a boring afternoon here, Mr. Potter. If you want I may arrange for Minerva to come here to watch you, you would be able to fly with her here.”

“I don’t need a baby sitter, Professor. I can amuse myself alone, thank you very much, I have books and games. But I want to go with you.”

Snape was glad to hear that.

The carriage arrived at one. A cart, two horses and an old Muggle. The man remained seated in the cart while Harry and Snape carried the boxes. They were bulky, but not heavy. The cart’s bed was filled with the 10 boxes. Snape said that they shouldn’t be stacked. When they finished there was only one place left to sit and it was beside the driver. Harry’s face fell when he realized that.

“You said I could go…”

“I know, Potter, but there is no place. I will call Minerva…”

“Couldn’t you make some wizard space, sir?”

“No, Child, I can’t. I’ll come for you once I’m in Hogwarts we may have dinner at Hogsmeade…”

“The towns isn’t far, sir, I could walk or go on my bike… Please, I want to go…”

“Mister, if you want to bring your boy, I can enlarge this seat...”

Harry smiled and looked expectantly at his Guardian. The boy was worst than the weather!

Snape only nodded, the man got down and fiddled with the wood plank and then there was place for three.

Harry was so happy, he would go with Snape and the driver had said he was Snape’s kid! Maybe he needed to see a shrink!

Harry enjoyed the forest during the day. He and Snape were silent, glad to be together, but confused by the gladness, the driver did talk.

He said that the Manor had always been a mystery for the town. It had always been inhabited, they thought it was there before the town. But the Driver didn’t believe it. They get provisions in town, but they would never mingle with the town’s people. (Snape had the funniest picture of his pure blood Grand parents mingling with a town full of Muggles!) The Driver wasn’t sure what happened, it was only hearsay, but almost 15 years ago something happened it was not a fire, but a lot of people said that they heard an explosion, the place didn’t looked ruined, but people just come during Summer or Winter, he said that he hoped than Snape and his son would stay for a while, he said that the town was a nice place to raise a family.

“We are only staying for the summer, Sir, I work in a Boarding School and we are here only during the Holidays.” He didn’t correct the man about Harry not being his son. Their relationship was nobody’s business, least of all not this old busybody’s.

“In that case you should come also in winter, to spend Christmas… the forest is beautiful with the snow, we have a Christmas fair in the town and a big tree in the middle of the village, in Center Hall. You’ll see that we are simple, welcoming people.”

“We still have not made plans for the Holidays. Thank you for giving us options.” Snape felt Harry scoot closer.

It seemed that the old man liked to hear the sound of his own voice and the boy had nothing to say.

He even talked about the monster of the forest as Harry was starting to call it. The village thought it was a bear. They had tried to hunt it and had followed the footprints for a while, but they couldn’t find it. It must have a very big hunting territory, but it usually return to these parts once a month, in time for the full moon. Cattle and sheep were guarded heavier during those nights.

He told them that he had really liked their company when they arrived at the station, and that he would gladly take them back to the Manor once they returned.

They didn’t have to wait long for the train to arrive. Snape had good timing the boxes were placed in one of the train cars and they left.

Harry was chatting happily in the train, a complete different child from the one that came with Snape almost three weeks ago, he talked about the fields and the trees, and the sun and his owl. And even speculate about the monster/werewolf/bear in the forest. Snape hoped he was not getting the crazy idea to hunt it down to discover what it really was. He even asked Snape to tell him more about the potions they were taking to Hogwarts.

They changed trains and arrived at Hogwarts at almost 5 in the afternoon. Hagrid was waiting for them in carriages that moved alone. Harry thought that it was magic, even though Hagrid talked to them.

Madam Pomfrey was glad to see them, she had a lot of stocking to do and this was the fist shipment.

Usually Snape stayed to brew at Hogwarts, so all this boxing and unpacking was not necessary.

She asked Harry to sit on the examination table, she would check his progress. She ran a lot of diagnostics and congratulated them on how well he was. She said that Harry had gained three pounds and he looked healthier than ever. She asked him to keep on taking the supplement until the end of the month. Then they would change it for another one. Snape was moving the boxes to Madam Pomfrey’ stock room.

“Your are gaining muscles also child. Are you exercising?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m riding a bike and swimming and also, I started flying…”

“That is great child, do not overtax yourself.”

“Professor Snape doesn’t allow me to get overly tired, Ma’am, he asks me to rest and some times I have to take naps.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Well child, you are fine, just take this cream for your scrapes, keep them clean and apply it every day… They will be ok in a couple of days.”

“Scrapes?” Harry had not heard when Snape went back to the room.

“Scrapes, Mr. Potter?”

“I was sliding beside the pond, Professor, it’s nothing…”

“We have talked about scrapes and nothing, Mr. Potter. Let me see. Turn around.”

“But I’m fine, sir…”

“Now. Potter.”

Snape examined the scrapes, they were not too deep, he placed the salve over them and then he smacked the child lightly telling him to get dressed.

In that moment Professor Dumbledore entered the infirmary.

“Oh my boys! I’m glad you are here, have you finished? Will you join us for Dinner?”

“That was the plan, Albus.”

“Splendid, I will let the elves know about setting two more places. That’s splendid!”

***

Seated in the Great Hall on the Staff table, Dumbledore watch their interaction.

“How has your week been? I see that you look healthy, Harry.”

“That is an improvement. Considering that the last time you saw him he was green. I do expect that after this week’s outing, Mr. Potter won’t end having to take anti-vomiting potions and bland meals…”

“Were you sick, Harry?”

“A little… Sir”

“Mr. Potter” Snape gave him one of his scary looks, he could not disguise the truth.

“More that a little, sir, I had a terrible stomach ache. It lasted for part of the next day.”

“May be the chicken was not well cooked, didn’t you find it a little too spicy Minerva?”

“The chicken was all right Albus, it must have been the combination, of the chili meat and the three chocolate cake…”

“But the cake was great! I’m sorry you were sick, my boy. Perhaps Madam Pomfrey, you could give Harry a digestive potion to drink before meals? That way Harry’s stomach will stay settled.”

“I do not condone eating up to indigestion, Albus…”

“C’mon, Poppy, it was just a little too much.”

“Severus, we might combine something, at least that way the child wouldn’t have to suffer through emptying his stomach.”

“We’ll see, Poppy, thank you, maybe, Mr. Potter, would learn to stop eating on time.” He removed a platter of chocolate-chip cookies that was too close to Harry. The boy had already eaten 3.

Harry felt indignant and happy at the same time. He had this adult caring for him 24/7.

Harry was very tired, the boxes had not been heavy but he had to carry them long distances. Snape was opposed to levitating them. Hagrid, Snape and Harry had carried them inside the school and then up to the Hospital. He finished eating and heard the adults talking, he was comfortable with them, and he placed his arms over the table, laid his head on them and closed his eyes, only for a moment. He may count before opening his eyes, he would count to 10, he was asleep before reaching number 4.

“It seems that, Mr. Potter, decided that our conversation was boring.”

Minerva moved her wand and Harry’s chair transformed into a comfortable couch. Snape looked at his watch.

“It’s almost his bed time and we had a tiring day. I guess it’s time for us to go home. May we use your floo, Albus?” It was closer than the dungeons.

“It will be extremely disagreeable for the child to floo while asleep, even if you hold him tight, Severus. You should leave him here. He will be coming back tomorrow for our outing any way.”

“We may transform his clothes for the night and you may bring him a change tomorrow morning.” Continued Minerva.

“I won’t leave him asleep in that couch, Albus.”

“Of course not, Severus, I meant that he may sleep in the Tower, on his bed.”

“I do not want the child waking up alone in a strange place.”

“I would not call his room in the Tower a strange place, Severus, it has been his room since two years ago.”

“I know he is used to sleep there, but he is not supposed to wake there during the Holidays…”

“If it would make you feel better, Severus, he may sleep in the infirmary. I will be there, I can watch him.” Poppy was finding Snape’s reactions funny.

“I won’t go while the child is asleep, I won’t leave him.”

“If you want you may sleep with him in the Tower…” Said Minerva.

“Or choose a bed in the infirmary…”

“For crying aloud people! If you are so insistent, we’ll stay in my quarters. I would appreciate it if you lend him some pajamas, Madam.”

“Then that is settled. I’ll help you carry Harry to bed and we can have a small game of poker, we have missed you, Severus.” Albus stood up.

“I am perfectly capable of carrying my ward to bed, thank you very much, Albus. I will come back shortly, and you better have cash, I am not in the mood for receiving your notes of charge.”

Snape carried the boy. The child felt heavier now. He was glad, maybe by the end of the Summer Harry would be too tall and heavy to be carried like this. Those meddling crazy people. Didn’t they realize how traumatic would be for the boy to wake up in a strange room? How long would it take his mind to realize that he was in Gryffindor tower? Or the infirmary? And after that to realize he was alone and that Snape had abandoned him? Fulfilling his nightmares!

Snape placed the boy on his own bed. The dungeon was not ready for any guest. He did have a guest room, but it did not even have a bed. It was used as additional storage place for potions ingredients and books. Snape had never had a guest here. He had a comfortable sofa on his sitting room. And had allowed some homesick first years to sleep there, once or twice. No one else.

Snape was far too tall to sleep on the sofa. So he transfigured an additional bed in his room.

He sat the boy in the bed. Harry opened his eyes.

“Harry, let me take your clothes away, here… put your arm here, that’s it. Now go back to sleep, we are at Hogwarts, you are safe, we are here. I’m with you.”

Potter looked around with lost eyes, looked at the bed and allowed the Potion Master to tuck him in without protest.

Snape stood a little longer, but the boy did not even stirred. He placed the distress wards over the room and went back to his colleagues. He would be able to come back if the boy needed him.

They played poker and then dominos. He drank a little too much Fire-whiskey. The lunatics started planning Harry’s birthday party for next Saturday. Snape said that he and Harry had somewhere to go on the 31st.

Snape took the longest way back to his quarters. All in all Snape didn’t regret having to stay in the castle. He had been surprised of how adamant he had been about not leaving the child for one night. When had this happened?

He had accepted to keep the child from danger for the summer. Just for the summer. Until other arrangements were made. He knew he was doing a good job. Madam Pomfrey was saying so, the boy was healthy and gaining weight. The child was learning and doing his summer assignments. He had been good for the boy. He would only have to do it for 5 more weeks.

But when he thought that at the start of the new term he would be ward free he felt a blow in his stomach. He should feel relieved. After only 3 weeks he had felt like a Crocodile defending her babies… his baby! He was not leaving Harry alone at the castle!

In two months time it would be like cutting a limb.

He reminded himself that he had done it for his love of Lilly.

But her child was so lovable! Mischief and all.

Snape felt so drunk.

But what about the child? Harry had rejection issues and had attached to Snape as a last resort. But did he really like his Potions Professor? Given a chance would he stay with him?

Now he was like a kitten that did not want to stay alone. He was afraid of being rejected, that was why he had not really gotten into trouble. He was comfortable talking back in jest and questioning his flying time and his chores. But at the first sign of anger from Snape he was scared of being send away. The boy had not consciously disobeyed knowing that the consequences would not be rejection.

He should do that soon and know with out doubt that regardless of the punishment, Snape would not send him away. How would each of them react?

Snape knew that he wouldn’t find any wandering students, as the only one in the castle was asleep in his bed in the dungeons. But he needed to walk and to think. He needed to talk to Albus and find out who were the man’s candidates to keep Harry. He would have to help the Old man in that task or the boy would be sent to live with the Witch that owned the candy and chocolate house. At least he would be fattened up before being eaten.

Who could the candidates be? Snape recalled the integrants of the Order of the Phoenix, the ones alive at least. Most of the members were single, and were Aurors, he could imagine Mad Eye Moody as guardian, and he would turn the child paranoid with his ‘Constant Vigilance’… Shakelbolt, the man was married and had a small brood not unlike the Weasleys, but his wife schooled them at home. Harry wouldn’t adapt to that kind of life. The Weasleys were already out of the equation. Lupin?

Would Dumbledore consider him for Harry? The ministry would never approve… The ministry was not being informed about Harry’s change of guardians.

Lupin had been talking with Dumbledore, he even know that Dumbledore would offer him a place at Hogwarts. What better place for him to watch over Harry if he was going to be the child’s new guardian.

Lupin had been a quiet studious child, Snape could have liked him with out Potter and Black. Even with his furry little problem. He could be good for Harry, if he got a steady work and a place to live, he had tales about the child’s father to tell.

Was Lupin going to be Dumbledore’s choice?

Why should they leave that choice to the Old man when he had placed Harry with the Dursleys in the first place?

Choosing between the Dungeon Bat and one of his father’s friends… The boy wouldn’t hesitate. The child would be all right.

Snape knew it was temporary, since the beginning, that was why he had appointed himself, why did it make his heart ache? He was a grown man with a dark past and a dangerous future.

He was a grown man that did not need a guest room.

He went back to his Dungeon. Albus had said that they would leave at 10, they would take a train at Kings Cross. Harry would have time to choose the colors he wanted in his new room and to have a good breakfast.