"Gryffindor!" the boy cried out angrily as soon as the door slammed behind them.

"Calm down, Harry."

"But bloody Gryffindor!" he repeated. "I don't want to fucking be in Gryffindor!"

"What did I say about using profanities?" Severus replied fiercely.

Breathing hard, Harry seemed to be biting back a retort.

"All right. I'm sorry," he said throwing himself onto Severus' plush, green sofa. "But I'm still pissed off!"

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The brat didn't even seem to register what he was saying half the time, a fact aptly demonstrated by the little outburst he'd just thrown in the middle of the Great Hall during the Sorting Ceremony. If he hadn't already known the boy, he'd have assumed that the child was mentally deficient in some manner from the way he was unable to control his mouth and emotions; but no, he was just the rash, thoughtless offspring of James Potter and the bane of Severus' life.

It had been over seven weeks since he had brought Harry to live at Hogwarts, early in the Summer holidays, and at first they had all hoped that the boy could be guided to adopt more acceptable manners and habits. Alas, they had all ended up realising how hopelessly over-optimistic this had been.

It was now the evening of the first night of term and Harry was no more ready to begin his school career than the other students were to encounter him.

Or the staff for that matter. Only last week Harry had spent a long period of time in conversation with the Headmaster, which he had assured Severus went 'really good'. If the Headmaster's pained and exhausted expression had been anything to go by, he'd found the experience altogether more challenging the boy'd realised, but guilt was a heavy affliction, and perhaps it did Albus some good to recognise the enormity of his decision about Harry's upbringing.

The boy was still notoriously light-fingered, despite Severus throwing a fit whenever he discovered evidence of his thievery. The habit seemed to be ingrained within Harry, after years of growing up in an environment of 'finders keepers'. The 'finding', Severus had discovered often seemed to involve Harry trespassing into rooms where he had no right to be, to borrow items which he had no cause to need.

The one highlight to an otherwise exasperating situation had been the look on Dumbledore's face during his first proper 'chat' with Harry. Allowing students to 'help themselves' to his lemondrops had never previously resulted in them pocketing the whole dishful.

The wise, old wizard had been forced to admit privately that Harry wasn't quite what he'd expected Lily and James' son to be like. Although he still persisted in declaring that the boy would get along splendidly at Hogwarts, after a little time to settle in.

However, time was one thing that they did not have, and the summer had passed quickly. Between explaining the basics of the wizarding world to Harry, spending a proportion of each day teaching the rudimentary facts of reading and writing, and giving him the a very scant knowledge of essential potions knowledge, Severus had fallen hopelessly behind in the research articles that he usually published each summer. That was to say nothing of the time he'd needed to spend remonstrating with the boy for his many misdemeanours; what with playing 'chicken' with the Whomping Willow, wandering off to Hogsmeade whenever the urge took him, and 'tasting' Severus' firewhiskey, it was clear that Harry was completely impervious to any sense of personal safety or well-being.

"I won't go in Gryffindor." The child was proclaiming now, as if he had any choice in the matter.

"And why not?" Severus demanded. Actually he could see quite easily why any sane person might object to being in Gryffindor, but he was a Potter, destined for Gryffindor in the same way as Lucius' son had been placed in Slytherin. There was no getting around the sorting hat.

"Can't you just talk to the Mug- get him to change it, he listens to you." Allowing that nickname had been a mistake from the beginning, Severus realised. And although Harry been sorted into Gryffindor he'd certainly been no sloth at picking up the Slytherin arts of flattery and cajolery.

"Why this reluctance to be placed in Gryffindor?" he asked again.

"I'm not an idiot or a dunderhead, I want to be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw." Harry scowled.

Oh. The only houses he hadn't demeaned.

"This is because of the things I've said?"

The boy just looked at him.

"Harry, you have to go in Gryffindor, the Hat's made it's decision."

"So you think I'm an annoying, gormless little twerp?" Harry declared heatedly.

"Of course not," Severus snapped. "And I'm beginning to question the sagacity of being forthright with you if you're going to quote my words back at me in that virulent manner!"

"I don't fucking understand when you talk like that!" Harry shouted back at him, his eyes glistening with tears. "You know that."

"Language, Harry!" Severus had raised his voice as well now.

They glared at each other for a moment, before Severus sighed and sat down beside the boy.

"Do you realise that both your parents were in Gryffindor?"

"I don't care about them!" Having grown up without any knowledge of who his parents really were, it was taking Harry some time to adjust to the idea that he might actually have a legacy which could mean something to him.

"No," Severus sighed again thoughtfully. "But you will one day, once you have learnt a little more about them."

Feeling uncomfortable, Severus forced himself to continue. "The things I've said to you about Gryffindor are only my opinions..." Mentally Severus grit his teeth, Harry was staring at him, he had to do this. "And may not have been entirely accurate."

Dammit, that was painful.

"You understand what I'm saying? There's a traditional amount of rivalry- one-upmanship- between all the houses, and although I do maintain that the average Slytherin will be more cunning and successful than most Gryffindors, there are exceptions. I will not think any less of you for being in Gryffindor, Harry."

In fact, if anything, I'll probably end up admiring your endurance around all those infuriating Weasleys.

The boy still didn't look very happy.

He was toying with the seam on the seat of the sofa now, seemingly doing his best to tear the material apart with his fingers.

Severus stilled the movement with his hand.

"What is it?" he asked seriously.

Harry gave a sniff and shrugged. "Nothing. I just won't get to see you much any more."

"Of course you will," Severus said immediately.

"I won't; you'll be too busy with all your snakes."

"And who do you think will be spending time in the evenings helping you with your reading? And your writing? Or having to deal with you when you get yourself into more of your ridiculously harebrained trouble?" Severus demanded. "Although it would actually be beneficial if you could endeavour to behave yourself occasionally so that we could spend a little of our time in the labs," he added as an afterthought.

"Really?" The boy seemed so solemn, looking at him with those huge emerald green eyes. If you didn't know him, it would have been impossible to tell his capacity for trouble.

"Really," Severus repeated, pushing him gently in the direction of the door.

The feast would have almost finished by now, but he was determined to see the child eat something and at least try to fit in a little on the first night, even if he had made a complete spectacle of himself earlier.