Harry sat down with a huff in the dark room. His trunk to the side, Hedwig's cage on top; he leaned back on the bed closing his eyes. This past summer had been the worst out of all the years at the Dursleys'. As soon as he got off the train, one look at his Uncle, and Harry could tell the rest of the summer was going to be utter hell. The drive back to Number 4 Privet Drive had been quiet. It was as if someone dies, which really didn't help Harry since his thoughts were still too raw, too painful.

Cedric's face flashed before his eyes. Shock forever frozen in time as the dreadful green light of the killing curse stole his life force. Harry shook his head of the memories. Now was not the time. Later, when he was alone, away from any eyes and ears, he would let himself grieve.

Entering the house, Harry headed upstairs to his borrowed bedroom with his trunk. He was able to move quickly before his Uncle could say anything. Setting his trunk down, he glanced around the room. It was just the way he left it save for all the dust. Opening the window for some fresh air, Harry quickly dusted and cleaned the room. Just as he was about to sit down on the bed...

"BOY!!" bellowed Uncle Vernon "GET DOWN HERE NOW!!"

Sighing, Harry made his way downstairs. As soon as he reached the living room, he was thrust with a list of his chores. And so, the cycle and routine he knew for years began. He mowed the lawn, he cleaned the garage, watered the flowers and so on. Day in, day out, chores, chores, chores. Morning to night. With meagre food, Harry's mood soon became more depressing than before along with his anger. He was locked in his room when he wasn't doing chores for the Dursley's. He only was able to go out by himself when his Aunt and Uncle wanted him out of the house so they wouldn't deal with him. The only bright spot on the horizon seemed to be hearing from Ron and Hermione, his best friends.

That soon turned to disappointment when Harry didn't hear anything remotely useful from them within the first week. Anger soon followed as the third and fourth week went by. No owls from Ron, Hermione, Sirius or Dumbledore on any news. Just polite nothings. When the chance presented itself, Harry eavesdropped on the evening news hoping to gain some information, any strange unexplained event that couldn't be explained, that Voldemort may have had a hand in.

That soon was put to a stop when his Uncle caught him listening to the news. It hurt to walk for a good two weeks. The bruises made him wince when he moved doing whatever chores the Dursleys threw at him while Vernon went to work and Petunia and Dudley went out. Newspapers reported nothing out of the ordinary and the Daily Prophet reported no signs of attacks or mysterious disappearances. The Prophet was however making Harry's testimony of Voldemort's return into a circus show. The first time Harry noticed that was when he was as usual, looking for any headlines that stood out. One in particular caught his eye. It was a short article from the looks of it.

FALSE ALARM AT THE MEETING OF SAFETY BOARD

The annual meeting of the Department of Safety and Regulation was held yesterday evening to discuss the new regulations to be instated to control the imports and exports as well as other objects that may be harmful with the cooperation of the Department of Misuse of Muggle and Magical Objects. During the course of the meeting, one member suddenly seized up. Other members at the meeting tried to help one thumping on the victim's back. Said Department member who shall remain unnamed had apparently choked on a bite of Turkish delight and was not cursed as originally thought by a cursed tray. They made a big deal of this as much as Harry Potter does about the supposed return of You-Know-Who. This reporter hopes that there aren't anymore political dramas for big shots hoping for promotions.

Sally Giberick

Daily Prophet Reporter

Weekly News Column

 Harry blinked and read the article again. And again. Looking over the article, Harry could see nothing that even remotely connected to him. Sure he knew Ron's dad worked in the Department of Misuse of Magical Objects but he didn't think it was a deliberate jab. No, what bothered him was how his name was just put there in the middle of the article, like a joke. What disturbed him most was it specifically made a mockery of him telling people Voldemort was back.

Shifting through the paper with a foreboding feeling in his gut, Harry soon came across similar articles, some inconsequential, others more mainstream. Each had in some way or another mentioned his name or his testimony and made it a stand-in joke. Standing up, Harry moved across the room to his desk where he had placed the rest of the old newspaper and searched through all of them. By the end of his search, Harry found that since the beginning of the summer five weeks ago, the Daily Prophet had mentioned him in a total of two hundred and fifty-five irrelevant articles all which in one way or another discredited him. Harry's mind was reeling as he tried to process this knowledge.

‘They're making a joke out of it.' Harry thought. It would answer some questions that had been on the forefront of his mind. By making a mockery of Voldemort's return, Harry's word of his return in particular, the general public was unbelieving of it. ‘Just as Fudge was when he was told.' Harry thought grimly.

Abruptly, Harry stood up. He needed to get out. He headed out the door by passing his Aunt and Uncle and headed for the park. The weather was gloomy and storm clouds were gathering. Harry occupied an empty swing pushing himself back and forth, losing himself in the rhythm and his thoughts. Voices woke him out of his stupor. Looking up, Harry saw Dudley and his gang strutting down the road. ‘Great, just my luck' Harry thought bitterly.

Dudley and his friends still hadn't noticed Harry. Quietly as possible and as slowly as he was able, Harry slipped from the swings and headed around the other end of the park. He snuck around the bend, taking a short cut and began the trek back home. A slight breeze gently drifted down making his now shoulder length hair flutter. Originally Harry had no intention of keeping his hair long. He changed his mind when the mess he called hair actually began to tame and not look like the usual messy head of a rat's nest. Another reason Harry decided to grow out his hair was because it really got under the Dursley's skin.

If he were to be honest with himself deep down, Harry grew his hair because he wanted people to see him. Not James, his father but Harry, the son, his own person. Of course he would never admit that out loud but the length grew on him. He planned to actually keep it even when school started again.

Turning on Magnolia Crescent, Harry headed down the street passing the alley way when he felt it. The chill from the sudden drop in temperatures. Harry froze. He knew this chill. The icy cold feeling of despair. Dementors. In Little Whinging. Harry took out his wand, always having it close by since the Triwizard Tournament.

"What are you doing?" a whiny voice asked from behind him.

Harry spun, wand outstretched facing Dudley. His friends weren't around which was good considering he would have been hard put to explain a wand.

Dudley piggy eyes narrowed at the sight of Harry's wand even though he paled a bit.

"You're not supposed to show that around Potter." Dudley gloated while still looking around to see no one saw. "Put it away." He hissed.

As soon as the words escaped him, the air became colder than before. Dudley seemed to feel it to.

"I'm telling Dad." Dudley whined, while his voice started to shake. "I'll tell him you did the M word." His voice shook as Dudley wasn't able to keep his fear and uncertainty at bay.

Before Harry could reply, he saw them.

Three Dementors were making their way to them from across the alleyway, heading straight for them.

"We need to go. NOW!" Harry yelled and without waiting for an answer, grabbed Dudley by the arm and ran. They were almost at the end of the street when Dudley let go of Harry and ran the opposite direction, fear clouding his judgment.

"NO DUDLEY, YOU'RE HEADING RIGHT FOR THEM!" Harry shouted.

Harry ran after him. He wouldn't be able to make it. Dudley was too far away. He did the only thing he could do.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Harry lay on his bed, three days later still trying to wrap his mind around everything that happened. After casting the Patronus Charm, he was able to get Dudley away and drive the Dementors off. But not before Mrs. Figg came on the scene telling him to keep his wand out and escorting them back to Privet Drive. It was still shocking to learn that one of his neighbours, his babysitter when he was little was a squib. That she was suppose to keep an eye over him was more shocking yet at the same time, Harry couldn't help but feel angry that there was someone close by that knew what was going on in the Wizarding world but still kept him in the dark, knew Dumbledore no less.

Arriving back at Number 4 had not been pleasant. His Aunt and Uncle had been more than a little upset. The owls from the Ministry, Arthur Weasley, and Sirius had not helped. The first letters he receives from his family and friends and all they tell him is not to move. No explanations on what was going on, simply stay put. His Uncle would have thrown him out if it hadn't been for his Aunt saying he had to stay after the mysterious howler. Since that night, Harry had been confined to his room. The letters from the Ministry about the hearing worried him while the letters from his friends and Godfather infuriated him as they wouldn't explain what was going on.

In an attempt to distract himself, Harry tried being productive and managed to complete his summer assignments. Unfortunately that only lasted the first two days. Having a lot of time on his hands from the lack of sleep due to nightmares, Harry was able to get his readings and assignments done completely.

That still left him with too much time doing nothing. Doing nothing meant having time to think which led to brooding which led to worry about everything. Voldemort. School. Hearing.

Getting up from the bed, Harry rummaged through the closet trying to find something to occupy his time. Hedwig was out hunting so he couldn't even talk to her. Sorting through the closet, Harry came across an art kit. He pondered for a minute before he remembered. This had been a recent gift to Dudley for his birthday. Not that Dudley was artistic, he didn't have a creative bone in his body unless you counted tormenting and bullying. As soon as the gift giver left, a college of Uncle Vernon, Dudley chucked the gift in Harry's room without a second thought.

It was in fairly good condition, Harry thought examining it. There didn't seem to be any major dents. Opening it, Harry gasped in awe. The art kit box contained everything you could imagine. The box had four levels when opened initially. Each layer contained every color imaginable. One layer held color tubes of oil paint, the second acrylic paint, and the third water colors. The fourth row contained coloured charcoal sticks and pastels. On a closer look, each level was cleanly divided in the middle. Shifting each layer to the side showed another layer of supplies underneath. It contained color pencils, erasers, pencils coloured inks and primers and paint thinners. Beneath the last layer was a drawer. Opening that as well, Harry was greeted with brushes of all shapes and sizes. Small detail brushes to calligraphy brushes to water color brushes and oil paint brushes. Palette and knives included. There was a book included on the different styles of brush techniques and strokes. Looking back at the closet, Harry spotted two thick sketchbooks that came with the kit which included all kinds of paper in one and a plain black bound sketchbook in the other.

Harry had always enjoyed art as a child. It was one of the few things that brought him joy while growing up. He hadn't done much art since starting Hogwarts but it was something he was quite good at. Deciding that Dudley would never use it and wouldn't even miss it, Harry decided to keep the kit for himself. With that decision, he gathered the kit and books and headed towards the desk. Hedwig had returned while he was looking at the art kit. Harry smiled as she greeted him, stroking his fingers on her soft feathers.

"Could I draw you Hedwig?" he asked softly. She hooted an affirmative and flew to perch on top of her cage, chest proudly puffed out, and the light from the afternoon sun glistening on her snowy feathers making them look like diamonds. Picking the best angle and using a standard black charcoal medium, Harry began. He began with slow soft strokes. Then becoming more confident, deft sure strokes followed, softly smudging here and there. After two hours, Harry completed his sketch and rewarded Hedwig with some owl treats. She nipped his fingers in affectionate manner before flying to perch on his shoulder and looking down at her wizard's work.

For a first sketch after a four years hiatus, it wasn't bad, Harry surmised. The proportions were quite accurate though he thought he might have made the eyes a little too wide. The shading was quite balanced though he had a little trouble with the lighting for some of the brighter regions on Hedwig's wings. Hedwig though seemed to be quite pleased seeing as she nipped his ear and hooted at him in an affectionate manner. Harry laughed at her enthusiasm. It had been a while since he felt this happy.

It was then he heard a creak. Instantly alert, Harry drew his wand to his hand, straining to hear. Hedwig sensing his tension remained quiet and flew to the desk, seeming to understand something was going on that required silence.

Slowly, Harry got up from the desk and made his way to the door. Pressing his ear to the door, Harry listened. The pipes were gurgling while the house seemed quiet. The Dursleys were out so whatever he heard couldn't be them. ‘Burglars' he thought and pressed his ear harder against the door, listening for anything. He tightened his grip on his wand.

CRASH!

"Oww, stupid blasted table!" a high pitched voice groused

"Quiet, you'll wake the whole neighbourhood up." A gruff, harsh voice replied in annoyance

"There's nobody here. They're all gone out, remember?" the same voice, a female replied.

"Enough. Harry's upstairs." A third voice, a very familiar voice entered the fray. "Let's go get him and be on our way. We can't linger too long."

Harry reeled back from the door. He recognized that voice. But he hadn't heard it since his third year. The sounds of the door unlocking tightened Harry's grip on his wand. The door creaked open but no one entered. Cautiously, he crept towards the door; wand raised and slowly nudged it open. There outside his door were about five different wizards, one violet haired witch who had her wand held up giving a light source to the dark corridor. At the very front were two people he recognized, both having been his Professors once upon a time. Alastor Moody the real one it seemed and Remus Lupin, his third year Defense Professor.

"Put your wand down, boy. You'll poke someone's eye out." The gruff voice, now belonging to Moody spoke up.

"You just broke into my Uncle's house and I'm supposed to disarm myself?" Harry spoke with a mixture of irritation and incredulity. He blamed his Gryffindor tendencies for speaking without thinking. NO way was he going to disarm himself. He just spent the last year being taught by an imposter. He wasn't going to take any chances.

"Ohh, he's just as cute as I thought he'd be. Nice look with the hair. Wotcher Harry!" the violet haired witch said jovially.

"Humph. Looks like the boy's alert. Nice to know someone's not woolgathering. Can you be sure it's him Lupin?" Moody questioned, eyeing Harry with a look of approval and if Harry was reading his eyes right, respect.

"What form does your Patronus take Harry?" Remus questioned

"A Stag."

"It's him Mad-Eye." Remus turned back to Harry. "I know you have questions Harry but they will have to wait. We need to escort you out of here and we have limited time to do so. You already know Alastor," gesturing to Moody, "Nymphadora - "

"Don't call me Nymphadora, my mother's the only one who calls me that." The violet haired witch interrupted.

"Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be called by her surname," Remus continued as if without interruptions, "Kingsley Shacklebolt,"

"Harry Potter," a tall black man with a deep voice nodded at him.

"And Degulus Diggle," Lupin finished nodding to the brown haired wizard wearing a hat.

The next half hour was a flurry of activity. Tonks stayed back to help Harry pack while the rest of his ‘guard' made other preparations. He was awed by Tonks Metamorphmagus abilities when she turned her hair to bubble gum pink. Between the two of them, packing was done in fifteen minutes. His trunk was organized, his letters were sealed and the loose floorboard emptied out. He saved the art kit and sketchbooks for last. Tonks was impressed by his drawings of Hedwig and asked if Harry would mind drawing something for her sometime. He agreed. It would help brush up his skills.

They left Number 4 Privet Drive after Lupin explained to Harry that he left a letter behind to his relatives and flew to London. Moody gave him a piece of paper when they arrived at their destination.

The Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

As soon as he read that sentence mentally, a house appeared between Number 11 and Number 13. Harry was ushered in but had little time to take in the surroundings as Mrs. Weasley hugged him and ushered him up the stairs to Ron and Hermione and the other Weasleys while the rest went for the Order meeting.

Grilling Ron, Hermione and the other Weasleys after venting his frustrations and anger for the last six weeks, Harry was able to get the gist of what was going on though a part of him was still angry at Ron and Hermione for keeping him in the dark.

Grimmauld Place as quite big. Everyone had their own room according to Ron. Harry was showed to his and asked to be left alone to unpack. That brought him back to the present. He didn't have much to unpack. His clothes and books were put away. He placed Hedwig's cage by the window, opening it for some fresh air. Hedwig flew in as soon as it was opened and perched on his shoulder nibbling his ear.

He placed the art kit and sketchbooks on the desk. He planned to use it before the night was over. He turned to stroke Hedwig when a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." he called.

Mrs. Weasley stepped in. "Dinner's ready dear. The meeting's over."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Harry walked forward. Hedwig seemed content to continue to perch on his shoulder. Harry followed Mrs. Weasley to the kitchen. Looking at the house-elf heads on the wall, Harry couldn't help but be a little creped out.

Entering the kitchen, Harry saw Ron and Hermione and the other Weasleys were already there. It seemed most of the people from the Order meeting stayed behind. The table was practically full and there was only one seat available.

A tall man was dressed head to toe in black. His black shoulder length hair framed his long lean face. Deep set onyx eyes were sharp and held an unrivalled intelligence as well as scorn at the noise in the room. The light made his pale skin seem even paler, the blank expression on his face made him unreadable and gave a dangerous aura. Of course it would be too much to ask if anything went his way. Why should it? Harry sighed and schooled his face. He made his way over to Severus Snape, Potions Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and took the available seat.

Sitting down, Harry felt eyes on him. He turned and stared straight in the black eyes of his teacher.

"Professor Snape." Harry greeted with a nod.

Snape eyed him with a distasteful look. He seemed to be about to say something when his eyes changed. His expression became a blank slate and his eyes seemed to be burning looking at Harry with their intensity, a fierce piercing look. Harry fidgeted, squirming uncomfortably under the stare. What was going on? Snape eyed him for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes were unreadable. Harry couldn't tell what he was thinking. Snape seemed to be looking right inside him.

After a long moment, Snape returned the greeting. "Potter." He said quietly. His deep voice was strangely soothing. Tension Harry hadn't known he was carrying seemed to sweep out of him. It wasn't until then Harry realized he was expecting a scathing remark. He didn't want that.

Harry had done a lot of thinking over the holidays. Voldemort and Cedric aside, Snape had also been a thought for Harry. He couldn't help but remember the episode in the hospital wing where Snape had exposed his arm to the Minister to convince him of Voldemort's return. He remembered the penseive memory he saw of Snape being mentioned a Death Eater and turning spy at ‘great personal risk'. He recalled Dumbledore asking if Snape was ready to do as he asked. Harry had reflected a lot on these moments and even from previous years and came to one conclusion. Snape had returned to spying on Dumbledore's orders. Thinking back to first year and onward, Harry couldn't help but respect Snape. After seeing his actions from un-blind eyes, Snape, despite having an extremely strong dislike, borderline hatred of him, had always looked out for him.

He did his best to prevent Quirrell from getting the stone; he couldn't forget how Snape got rid of Lockhart from the staff meeting second year after the Chamber of Secrets message or how he tried to protect Harry and his friends from their Professor turned werewolf.

Harry underwent a paradigm shift regarding his long time Professor. Snape had earned a great deal of Harry's respect even though Harry had done little to actually show it. Knowing he was a spy in Voldemort's circle increased his respect more. He decided he would try not to antagonize the Professor. Granted, that was asking for a miracle but Harry felt he owed it to him to try. Though he doesn't say it, Harry was hoping that if he could be respectful, Snape might be more tolerable towards him and see him for whom he is and not his father. Sirius once mentioned pranking Snape into following Lupin on a night of a full moon. Though his father saved his life, Harry couldn't help but get the impression that Sirius and his Dad picked on Snape. He didn't like thinking that as it reminded him of when Dudley and his friends picked on him and ostracized him from everyone.

Dinner was delicious, despite some of the tension Harry felt in the room. There was casserole, chicken, salad, beans and pasta. Harry hadn't felt this full for a while though he had to be careful about how much he ate. He didn't have room for dessert, chocolate truffle cake with ice-cream. The tensions he felt marginally at the beginning of dinner returned tenfold once the dishes were cleared. Sirius, his Godfather took a seat across from him. Harry didn't have much chance to talk to him when arrived or during dinner as he seemed to be deep in discussion with Moody.

"How are you doing Harry?" Sirius asked with a smile, though it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"I'm ok." He responded. He wasn't sure if he hid the shaky quality of his voice well. He wasn't as angry as before but he was still annoyed at being kept in the dark. He wanted to burst with questions but forced himself to be calm.

"Alright kiddo, I know you have questions so out with it. I'll see what I can answer. I know you have questions about Voldemort."

The atmosphere dropped and all conversations stopped. Harry could literally hear everyone's breath. He considered the situation. He did have questions. He did want to know what Voldemort was doing at the same time; he remembered the isolation from everyone earlier in the summer except the letters from Ron and Hermione saying they couldn't tell him much because Dumbledore said not too and the letters after the Dementor attack. He wondered how much applied to the situation here. After a minute, he spoke.

"From what I can tell," he began slowly, gathering his thoughts, "Fudge is denying he's back despite what he's been told at the end of...last year." He brushed the memories aside. Now was not the time. "There doesn't seem to be any mysterious deaths or disappearances which I find odd. I would have thought he would take advantage of people's ignorance if that's the case. So what exactly is he doing if he's not attacking people and seems to have vanished into thin air? What is he trying to accomplish?"

The next half hour that followed was a fountain of information. Lupin, Sirius, Moody Tonks and Kingsley explained about Voldemort first rise to power, how he recruited his army, the current stand and how he's trying to rebuild his army. Sirius let it slip about Voldemort being after a weapon but before Harry could question that, Mrs. Weasley swooped in and put a halt to that.

"That's enough. You've answered enough of Harry's questions. It's time for him and the rest of the children to go to bed." She spoke in a tone that clearly stated ‘Defy me and pay'.

"One moment Molly, there is one more matter to discuss." This time it was Lupin who spoke up, looking distinctly uncomfortable. Sirius and everyone else seemed so as well. Harry felt weary and alert at the same time. He had a feeling he was not going to like this. Not one bit.

"Have you unpacked Harry?" Lupin asked after a pause.

This threw Harry in a loop. He had not been expecting that. "Yeah," he replied hesitantly. Wasn't he supposed to unpack?

A sigh was heard. This time it was from Sirius. He seemed to ponder for a moment before he spoke.

"Harry," he began "There's no easy way to say this but...Dumbledore doesn't seem to think it's a good idea for you to be out so much. Headquarters are well and good but even under the Fidelius Charm while the location can't be revealed by anyone other than the Secret-Keeper, the surrounding muggles can still notice odd happenings like people popping out of nowhere and disappearing between two houses where one supposedly doesn't exist." He paused to gather his thoughts before he continued.

"Too many people can't be seen coming and going; yet for someone needing a safe place, this is safest as Dumbledore is Secret-Keeper. For a mass murderer to be seen will raise the alarm and jeopardize everything," he said with a bitter smile.

Harry was trying to wrap his head around Sirius' words. He seemed to be beating around the bush which was only increasing his dread.

"What are you trying to tell me Sirius?" he asked looking apprehensive.

Sirius gazed at him with something similar to a grimace before speaking again. "I'm saying that Dumbledore wants you to stay in Grimmauld place until you're hearing and then if-" he cleared his throat but Harry caught the slip "- when you're cleared of all charges until September 1st."

Harry froze. He did not just hear that. There was no way he was back in the same distasteful situation as he was at the Dursleys. He was going to be locked up? His face must have betrayed some of his thoughts because Sirius began speaking again. "It's for your own good Harry," he said with a look of utmost patience. "While Voldemort isn't making any flashy moves out in the open, that doesn't change the fact that he's aware of who you associate with and could have someone tail them and that can risk leading them here, the general area."

"It'll only be for a while Harry," Lupin added "With the Ministry out to get you as well, it'll be safer if you keep a low profile. There will of course be Order members around to check in on you and ensure you have everything you need."

"Like they were around when I was attacked by the Dementors?" the acid response escaped him before he could bite his tongue.

Lupin and the others cringed at the vitriol in the question. The only one not showing any response was Snape who was oddly quiet, throughout the whole time.

Sirius spoke up "Granted you're angry, I get that but that was a mistake Harry."

"A mistake for which I'm paying the price for; a mistake for which I'm facing a trial where I might get expelled from school for defending myself and my cousin," Harry spat out coldly.

His Godfather opened his mouth to respond but Harry didn't care at the moment. His anger from before came back with a full force of cold fury. "If it wasn't for that mistake, exactly how long would it have been before I got an actual answer from any of you," he addressed the room in general, "about what was going on? How much longer would I have had to stay before I actually got out? Or did you plan to leave me there till September?" he asked angrily.

The question was meant to be hypothetical but one look at his godfather's face left Harry drained. He couldn't stay in here any longer. He needed to get out before he said something he would regret later. Abruptly, he stood up from his seat. "Dinner was delicious Mrs. Weasley. Thank you. Goodnight." He spoke cordially, trying to keep hold of his composure and made a bee line towards the door.

"Harry get back here, we haven't finished this discussion." Sirius snapped getting up from his seat as well.

"What is there to discuss Sirius?" Harry snapped turning to his Godfather from the door. "You've already made the decision and are simply telling me for formality's sake. I'm going to be stuck here just like I was in Little Whinging and what I say makes no difference." Opening the door, Hedwig flew out and Harry made to follow her.

"Potter," a deep baritone voice spoke.

Harry turned towards Snape. His face was unreadable while his black eyes glistened with...something, he couldn't tell what.

"Further instructions will follow in the morning. Make an attempt to actually come on time and show some decorum." The last bit was sneered but it seemed to lack the usual volatile tone he was used too. Harry nodded in acknowledgement after a moment and then left. He didn't notice the onyx eyes that seemed to watch him as the door closed behind him.

Harry headed up to his room and slammed the door shut. Locking it, Harry threw himself on the bed. This summer was getting worse by the minute. Hedwig hooted from her perch.

"I'll be fine Hedwig," he paused "I hope."

Harry sighed. The shadows in the room seemed to be mocking him. It did little to improve his mood. Harry hated the gloom he could feel in this house. Even with the lights on, it didn't improve the depressing darkness that the house seemed to be bathed in.

He sighed again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Moving to his trunk, Harry retrieved his pajamas and went to the adjoining bathroom. Ten minutes later, Harry sat on the bed, not wanting to sleep as it was only ten-thirty but not wanting to go back down either. He moved to the desk and after some deliberating, opened up the sketchbook and just drew. He was halfway through his sketch, a grassy hillside with mountains in the distance when a knock sounded at his door. He paused wondering if he should really answer it or not.

"Harry?" a voice whispered quietly, "Can we come in?" an identical voice asked.

Harry got up quietly and opened the door to Fred and George. He opened the door wider in a silent invitation to come in. They stepped through quickly and closed the door behind them. Making themselves comfortable, they flopped down on the bed. Fred turned to Harry.

"Are you ok Harry?" he asked quietly. George also looked at Harry with the same concern and serious look. It wasn't often Harry saw the twins so serious. He considered simply saying ‘I'm fine' but his voice wouldn't cooperate. He looked at them again. Both red-heads were genuinely concerned for him; their blue eyes searching for any signs of distress, trying to see what they could do to help. Harry couldn't lie to them. Fred and George always looked out for him like he was their little brother. He felt close to them as he did to Ron out of all of the Weasleys.

"I really don't know how to answer that." Harry said quietly. Fred and George scooted aside making room for Harry to sit between them on the bed. Harry moved to sit down and was promptly pulled in a head ruffle and tickle fight.

Harry laughed hysterically as Fred and George relentlessly attacked him. "Stop...stop..." he gasped "you win..." he laughed.

Finally, Fred and George released him and sat up. Harry slowly sat up clutching his sides. He looked up to see the twins with identical grins on their faces.  "I hate you." Harry groused good naturedly.

"Why dear ity bity -" George started

"Little Harrykins -" Fred continued

"We love you too." They chorused

Conflicted, Harry gave into the first childish impulse and stuck out his tongue to the twins. They laughed as they sprawled on the bed besides him. Turning serious, Harry asked, "How bad did I make things?"

Exchanging a look, they turned to him. "You didn't do a thing." Fred stated

Looking at them questioningly, George patted Harry's shoulder. "After you left, Sirius started to move to follow you but Lupin stopped him. He said you should be left alone for now since you needed to process things."

"He didn't listen really well, kept moving towards the door. They got in an argument and Mum started putting her piece in," Fred continued "Ron, Ginny and Hermione joined in. Don't ask us what they said, too loud even by our standards."

"Probably would have gone on longer if it wasn't for Snape."  George commented.

"SNAPE?" Harry asked incredulously

"Yup. Was a surprise to us too that he defended you. Though everyone else didn't see it as that." Fred said airily.

Harry made no effort to hide his confusion and incredulity at the turn of events. Snape defended him? The bane of his existence? The son of his school rival, his enemy? Sure, the man saved his life but only if he had to right? Harry pondered. Maybe, there was more to Snape then he gave him credit for but surely, that didn't mean he cared about Harry right?

Hell would freeze over before that happened surely.

Yes, Harry had said he would try and treat Snape with more respect but he never once thought Snape might reciprocate in kind.

Lost to his musings, Harry almost missed what Fred said next. "He said," he paused to do his best imitation "The one time Potter decides not be a dunderhead and use what little sense his pitiful brain conjures, curbing his reckless impulsiveness, more dunderheads feel the need to show their own stupidity and undo it. How quaint." Fred drawled with his best sneer.

Harry scowled, "That helped?" indignant.

"Don't you see Harry?" George asked. Harry shook his head. "Snape may have been his usual snarky self but Fred and I were watching him. He may not have shown it but from what we could see, he was getting annoyed at how everyone was disregarding what you needed or wanted for the matter."

"You sure he wasn't getting annoyed simply because the topic was me?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"Right after he said that, he caught our eye and moved his head to the door, subtly, I tell you." Fred said "Anyway, somehow, I'm not sure how but he seemed to know we wanted to check up on you and cheer you up if necessary. So as soon as Sirius started up with him Snape, we snuck out and came here."

"Snape can be a git and a bastard when he wants to be, no doubt about that but he does care even if he doesn't show it." George said quietly. "We should know, he caught us making one of our potions and gave us detention. When we went to the dungeons that night; he lectured us on the dangers of creating experimental potions and demanded we hand over our formulas and notes. Then he had us dissect toad and goat's spleen for two hours. When our time was up, he handed back our formulas and notes but he made comments on how to improve it and basically gave us the OK. Though he said that if he ever caught us experimenting again and use our stuff in his class; he'd make us regret coming to Hogwarts."

"Then he kicked us out after taking 20 points from Gryffindor." Fred finished with a dramatic sigh.

Harry's mind was in a whirl. This...was a lot to take in a short span of hours. Hell must definitely be frozen over or cold at the very least. He was going to have to think about this.

"Which reminds me," Fred suddenly stated, taking his wand out. He flicked it and a box appeared before his outstretched hand. "Here you go Harry." He placed the box in Harry's hands.

"What's this?" he asked wearily. Years of knowing the twins had taught him to be careful with anything they gave him. You never know what you might get.

"Why Harry," George said with a cheerful smile "Would we ever trick you?"

"Yes." Harry said deadpanned without hesitation.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Fred said with mocking chiding, "So young, so untrusting."

"This Harrykins," George said pointing at the box in Harry's hands "is our gift to you. Skiving Snackboxes. Consider it a birthday present."

Harry blinked. His birthday had come and gone and for the first time, Harry hadn't received any gifts from his friends. That had hurt more than he wanted to admit.

Feeling his eyes tearing, Harry choked out; "I thought..." he started, clearing his throat, "I thought you guys forgot." He didn't think he was able to keep the hurt out of his voice. Fred and George enveloped him in a hug.

"We didn't forget Harry," Fred said from his left. "We never forgot."

"Dumbledore was stingy with post and put a lockdown on all outgoing post when one Order post was intercepted." George explained. "Turned out to be by accident because the owl got confused but he wasn't taking any chances. When it was alright again, a week had passed and we weren't able to send it to you before Mum roped us into getting the house to be liveable for you and the meetings. Then the whole fiasco with the Dementors happened."

"Please forgive us Harry. We tried to get Dumbledore to let us go to you but he was adamant you remain with them. Said it was for your safety and no amount of bargaining from us was making him budge." Fred said rubbing circles on Harry's back.

Releasing him, the twins asked, "Are we ok Harry?"

Hearing the sincerity, Harry smiled at the twins and nodded. Receiving two smiles in return, they nodded towards the box. Harry slowly opened it. Harry recognized the extendable ears and the Ton-Tongue Toffee but the rest were foreign to him. The twins explained some of their candy assortment. Each candy was color coded to they wouldn't be mixed up. The candy was such that you would eat one half of the candy that would make you feel the effect of the candy as its name and the other half would reverse the effects. There were Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, Fainting Frizzbees, Canary Creams, Fainting Fancy and Fever Fudge worked the same. Among the candy were some of their fake wands as well.

"We're still developing more products but these we've tested ourselves and worked out all the kinks. We're gonna sell these once we get back to Hogwarts and we want you to have your own set." Fred told Harry. "Since you gave us our start, a third of all our profits go to you. Even when we open our own shop."

"I can't take that. It's your money." Harry argued.

"You're our silent partner Harry. We want you to have this. We're not taking no for an answer." George insisted.

It took another ten minutes before Harry gave in. The twins were insistent on this so Harry finally accepted.

Fred sighed after a while of companionable silence. "It sucks that we're leaving tomorrow."

"You're leaving?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yeah, Dumbledore's orders. Doesn't want to take a chance someone might question where we are."

"Don't worry Harry," George added. "Fred and I are of age, so we'll make sure to drop by."

Harry smiled. It would be nice if Fred and George were at least able to visit. It wouldn't be so lonely in this dark house. "What time are you guys leaving?"

"Probably around mid-morning. We're gonna have breakfast with you before we leave though."

Harry nodded. At least he'd be able to enjoy that with the Weasleys and Hermione. Pushing his hair back, Harry looked at the time. 11:45pm. Letting out a sigh, Harry mulled again on everything that he learned in the past twenty-four hours.

"Harry did you make this?" George voice broke through his musings. He didn't even notice him getting up. Looking at what George was holding, Harry felt his face flush red. In his hands was Harry's sketchbook opened at Hedwig's drawings. Fred moved to join his brother and see for himself.

"Umm..." he stuttered. "Y...Yea...Yeah, I did." He didn't know why he was stuttering. It was just the twins.

"It's BRILLANT!" They exclaimed in awe going over the rest of the drawings Harry had done so far. Like Tonks, they got a promise out of him for some drawings for them. The twins left at midnight when they heard the footsteps of their mother on the landing.

Putting his sketchbook on the table and tidying up, Harry slipped under the covers of his bed. This whole day had been exhausting. The Order, the hearing, everything was becoming too much. Harry didn't even want to start thinking of what he would do if he got expelled.

‘At least I got something to work on to keep my mind of things,' Harry thought thinking of how Tonks, Fred and George wanted him to make something for them. With that thought, Harry smiled and finally went to sleep.

Even though his nightmares would wake him before the dawn.

They were standing in the graveyard, their wands drawn. The fog made it difficult to see anything around them. There was a rustling in the distance. Someone was coming.

"Kill the Spare," a high cold cruel voice said.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" A flash of green light erupted from the fog, towards -

"CEDRIC!" Harry yelled waking up in a cold sweat. Breathing heavily, Harry looked around to gather his bearings. He flopped down on the bed and closed his eyes. The memory of the graveyard haunted him every time he went to sleep. Cedric's lifeless eyes staring back at him as he died. Looking at the clock, it read 5:45am. Knowing he wasn't going to get anymore sleep, Harry threw the covers off and went for a shower. The spray of the hot water relaxed his tense muscles, washing away the stress and pain. Stepping out, Harry dresses in a pair of dark blue jeans, one of the few clothes he had that actually fitted him and a long sleeved gray shirt, another one of the few clothes which fit him.

‘I need to buy clothes,' Harry thought putting on his worn trainers. ‘And shoes' he amended. His hair mostly dry now, Harry combed his now long shoulder length hair back in a low ponytail and let his bangs fall forward hiding his scar.

He was just about to head to the door down to the kitchen when he heard a tapping on the window. Turning around, Harry saw it was an owl. Puzzled, he opened the window and let the owl in. It dropped a letter on his desk before it flew out.

Picking up the letter, Harry felt his stomach get in knots as anxiety began to seep through him as he saw the official-looking envelope and ripped it open. Why was the Ministry sending him another letter? Did they change their minds on whether or not he was expelled? Was that why they sent a missive so early in the morning? Was this their decision?

Dear Mr. Potter

Further to our letter, The Ministry of Magic has changed the date of your disciplinary hearing from the previous date to the 18th of August at 8:00am at which time an official decision will be made. You are to present yourself at Courtroom 20 at said time.

With best wishes

Yours Sincerely,

Mafalda Hophirk

Improper Use of Magic Office

Ministry of Magic

Harry read the letter three times in rapid succession. His anxiety doubled in size and he could feel his breathing start to hitch. He was having a panic attack. Forcing himself to calm down, Harry took deep breaths and counted to ten. Once his heart rate was back to normal, Harry read the letter again.

‘The 18th,' looking at the calendar by the door, ‘That's today!' Harry eyes widened in realization.  Looking at the clock, Harry saw it was 6:00am. Moving quickly, Harry grabbed his wand from the desk as well as the letter and headed out the door.

‘I need to find Mr. Weasley.' Harry thought rapidly, hurrying down the stairs as quietly and quickly as possible. He headed for the kitchen, hoping someone was there.

Opening the door, Harry breathed a brief sigh of relief. The elder Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there along with Tonks, Sirius, Lupin and Snape. All of them were fully dressed except for Mrs. Weasley who was wearing a dressing gown. Mrs. Weasley jumped to her feet when he came in.

"Harry dear, you're up early. What can I get you?" she asked looking at him with a warm smile. His face must have shown something because her smile faded slightly. "Harry dear?" she asked

"How do I get to the Ministry of Magic?" Harry rushed out. His breathing was hitching up again and it took all of Harry's self-control to keep himself together.

"The Ministry of Magic? Arthur will take you when it's your hearing dear, but that's not for a while." Mrs. Weasley said putting a soothing hand on his shoulder. Harry handed the letter to her. "I just got this five minutes ago."

Mrs. Weasley took the letter and read it. Her face showed her alarm as she finished reading it. "Arthur," she called out. Mr. Weasley moved quickly behind his wife and wordlessly took the parchment from her. His face showed his disbelief before it morphed into anger. Harry had rarely seen such a livid look on the patriarch's face.

"Preposterous!" he spat out.

"Arthur, what is it?" Lupin asked with a sense of urgency.

"They've changed the date of the hearing. It's today. No hearing of any kind can be changed without forty-eight hour notification. This is a violation of policy." Arthur said bitingly.

"WHAT?" Sirius roared.

"What time is the hearing?" Tonks asked.

"Eight am." Arthur turned to Harry, "Harry, do you have your wand with you?" Harry nodded. He didn't trust his voice at the moment.

"Then come, I'll take you immediately. It's best if we arrive early, who knows what else they might change on short notice." Arthur smiled encouragingly at Harry. "It will be alright Harry. The law's on your side."

"Amelia Bones is Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she'll be the one questioning you. She's fair, she'll hear you out Harry." Tonks said earnestly.

"Don't lose your temper." Sirius said abruptly though he was still seething at the Ministry for their sudden time change.

"All under-age wizards are allowed to use magic in a life or death situation Harry. You'll be cleared soon." Lupin said quietly.

"You'll be alright Harry," Tonks said patting his arm.

Arthur turned to Snape, "Could you contact Dumbledore Severus? He'll need to know about this."

Snape nodded wordlessly and got up following Mr. Weasley and Harry as they left through the door and went along the hall. Snape made his way to the parlour as Harry and Mr. Weasley headed towards the door. Before Harry walked out the door, his eyes met Snape's for a brief moment. Snape was as always unreadable but he gave the barest hint of a nod before breaking eye contact.

Harry while bewildered could feel a calm sweep through him. Snape had not made any disparaging comments or even belittling ones at his expense. If anything, he seems to be encouraging him. It was food for thought as Harry and Mr. Weasley made their way through London. He hoped this day would be over soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When Dumbledore came to your defense, there's no way that you could have lost." Ron exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah," Harry agreed with a smile, Fred, George and Ginny were still singing that he got off, while Ron, Hermione and Harry were sitting at the table having lunch. The Weasleys extended their stay for another day so they could be sure everything went alright for Harry. Lupin, Moody, Kingsley and Sirius were in one corner talking in quiet voices. Tonks was with Mrs. Weasley while Bill, Charlie and Sirius were on the other side of the room. Mr. Weasley was in a conversation with Snape, who was still there surprisingly. Harry didn't think he'd be one to be around so many people, especially Gryffindors.

Harry frowned thinking of Dumbledore, "I just wish he would have talked to me at least. Or even looked at me."

Hermione patted his arm. She still seemed anxious and seemed to want to say something. Seeming to be at a loss of words, Hermione settled for smiling at Harry while patting him comfortingly.

The hearing went well if you didn't count the time being changed from eight in the morning to seven thirty in the morning. Good thing was that Mr. Weasley and Harry had arrived at the Ministry by seven am so Harry was able to get there on time.

Fudge had tried his hardest to get Harry expelled but Madam Bones had heard Harry's side of the story and when Dumbledore came to his defense, swayed opinions more to him. He was cleared of all charges though Fudge and the witch next to him, who had a toad like face and wore a disgusting shade of pink among three others, seemed to want to convict him.

The downside after the trial was over was that Dumbledore left without another word to Harry. He still didn't understand that, why did Dumbledore not speak to him? Running into Malfoy was still annoying but there wasn't much he could do on that front.

The only one who didn't seem all that happy about Harry getting off was Sirius. For the life of him, Harry couldn't understand why that was. Shouldn't Sirius be happy that he wasn't expelled?

Hogwarts letters had arrived later earlier in the day. Ron and Hermione had been made Prefect. Mrs. Weasley had combined the celebrations together, congratulating them on their new positions and Harry on being cleared of charges.

It wasn't until the table was cleared that Harry remembered the discussion from last night. He recalled Sirius had said even if he was cleared of all charges, he would have to stay indoors until September 1st. Releasing a sigh, Harry felt his happy mood deflate a bit. He wasn't expelled but he couldn't leave by himself.

As if sensing his thoughts, Sirius took the seat in front of him. "Congratulations Harry," He said with a smile, though it seemed forced to Harry. Harry smiled back.

"Hate to bring the mood down, but we need to talk." Sirius said seriously. Harry's smile faded but he kept his attention nevertheless on his Godfather. Conversation all around seemed to have stopped like before. ‘Déjà-vu anyone?' Harry thought sarcastically.

"You remember the conversation we had yesterday?" Sirius asked to start off. Both decided to not to mention the argument that followed shortly after though Harry could feel himself go red in embarrassment.

"I remember." Harry said quietly. He really wasn't looking forward to this conversation.

"You're going to have to stay in headquarters for safety reasons. While I know you don't think it's ideal, it's for the best." Sirius looked at him with a serious expression, trying to make sure Harry understood the necessity of this. Finding what he saw, he continued. "Originally the plan was that there would be various Order members who would drop in and check on you three times a day. There been a change however." He grimaced. It was obvious Sirius was not happy with this change. Harry felt anxious looking at him. This was not a good sign. "Rather than having different Order members drop by, Dumbledore has decided, one is sufficient." He spat out.

"That's...a bad thing?" Harry questioned anxiously, unsure of the reason of his Godfather's ire.

"Sirius," Lupin said warningly. "Don't start anything."

"I don't agree with Dumbledore's choice." Sirius spat out viciously.

"I didn't volunteer for the position Black." A cold voice acidly interrupted Sirius rant.

Harry froze. He slowly turned to the voice. ‘Don't be him, don't be him, don't be him,' he wished fervently. His green eyes met the cold black eyes of Severus Snape. ‘It's him,' he thought discouragingly. What the hell is Dumbledore thinking?

Harry's eyes met Hermione and Ron who figured it out too. Snape was going to be watching over him.

"As your dogfather is attempting to tell you Potter," Snape said in a quiet voice filled with vitriol, "the Headmaster, in is esteem wisdom," he sneered showing exactly what he thought of the Headmaster idea, "feels that you require constant supervision and has assigned me the deplorable duty to watch over your pathetic skin until the start of term."

"Severus," Mrs. Weasley admonished sternly.

"Watch your mouth Snivellus!" Sirius sneered at Snape. There was a crash as Snape suddenly stood up from his chair and whipped his wand out, his face contorted in fury. Harry had never seen Snape have such a look of loathing on his face. Even at himself. Sirius had drawn his wand too.

"Never call me that name again Black!" Snape spat out, dark eyes glaring murderously at him.

"Try and stop me!" Sirius goaded. There was a mad look in his eyes, one that Harry had never seen before. But Harry had seen this particular look before. Dudley always had a gleam in his eyes right before he humiliated Harry and mercilessly teased him. Harry felt like he was hit with a bludger. He felt a sense of empathy with Snape. ‘Snape was bullied?' That was a disturbing thought. What was more disturbing was that it looked like Sirius was Snape's tormentor. The incident of Sirius mentioning tricking Snape into following Lupin into the Shrieking Shack came to mind. It suddenly seemed much more cruel and vicious. ‘Was Dad a bully too?' he wondered, feeling a sense of dread within him. "You are arrogant just like your pathetic father. He never thought the rules applied to him either." Snape had once said that to him.

"ENOUGH!" Lupin suddenly shouted. With a wave of his wand, he disarmed both men and grabbed their wands in mid-air as it flew towards him.

"Lupin, give me my wand back!" Snape growled turning his death glare to him.

"Not until I'm certain there won't be a blood bath tonight." Lupin said firmly.

"Moony-" Sirius started but was interrupted as Lupin cut him off.

"NO, Sirius. I told you not to start anything and you did the exact opposite." Lupin spoke angrily. "You started this and you damn well know it."

"Oh come on-" Sirius started again but Remus cast a silencing charm on him. He had enough of this.

"I have had enough of your immaturity Sirius. You're an adult so start acting like it. This is not about you or whatever qualms you have with Severus. This is about telling Harry what he needs to know and what's best for him." Lupin turned to Snape. "I'm not going to say much on the matter Severus, you have every right to be angry at Sirius, and I don't blame you for that." Snape snorted at this. "However, I will have to ask you to try and calm down so we can finish this discussion in a mature manner."

Turning back to Sirius, "Padfoot, you owe Severus an apology. Can I trust you to do that or will I have to stun you?" he asked severely. Sirius looked mutinous. As Sirius didn't make an indication, Lupin took matters into his own hands. "Stupefy." The red blot hit Sirius as his face registered surprise. Levitating him, Lupin directed Sirius to a corner of the room and lowered him gently.

Turning back to Snape, he gave the man his wand back while placing Sirius' on the table.

No one spoke a word or moved an inch during the entire time. Harry however was feeling more than alarmed. The events of the last few moments were not something he would have ever expected from his Godfather. From Snape he could maybe understand, the man did have a bad temper when provoked and never hesitated to tell you what he thought. If anyone, Harry would have thought Snape would be the one to resort to name calling. But there seemed to be more to this than that. When Sirius called Snape that name, Harry saw the anger and loathing in his eyes. It was unmistakable. But he thought he also glimpsed something else...something akin to hurt, pain.

He turned to where Sirius was laying. Harry was no stranger to hurt and ridicule. He experienced enough of it at the hands of his cousin, especially when they went ‘Harry Hunting'. This side of Sirius disturbed him. What's more, he didn't seem to have any remorse. ‘Just like Dudley.' Harry thought with alarm.

His thoughts must have been expressed on his face though taken for something else, as Lupin turned to him and spoke in a quiet voice, raking his hand through his hair. "He'll be alright Harry." He said tiredly, mistaking Harry's alarm at the situation, unaware of his thoughts "I just don't have the energy to deal with his bullheadedness right now."

Harry nodded. He turned to look at Snape. He seemed to have calmed down as his face went back to being unreadable. That could mean anything but Harry was certain of what he saw before. He opened his mouth but then closed it before he said anything. He had the urge to ask Snape if he was alright but looking at the guarded eyes, Harry thought it would be best if he didn't say anything at all. His head was starting to hurt from everything that was going on.

"This was not how the conversation was to go but it seems there's nothing for it." Lupin said with a sigh.

"Potter," Snape suddenly spoke. Harry straightened up and turned his attention to his Professor. "Tuck in for the night."

Harry blinked. "But-" he started only to be abruptly cut off.

"But nothing." Snape said with a hard gleam in his eye. "All you need to know for now Potter is that I have been given the task of watching over you until the start of term. Whatever needed to be discussed can be discussed tomorrow morning as I will have to reside in this...hordeolum until then." He sneered. "I have no desire to be in this situation anymore than you do Potter, on that account, you and I can both agree."

Harry opened his mouth to argue but then changed his mind. It wouldn't get him anywhere. Besides, there would be plenty of time tomorrow to try and get answers.

"I'll be dropping by myself later in the week since I have a day off coming soon. But otherwise, the Professor will be here mostly." Tonks said to Harry kindly.

Harry smiled at her. At least Tonks would be dropping by so he wouldn't just have Snape for company.

"Oi, don't forget about us." Fred exclaimed from Harry's right.

"Yeah, we're dropping by to see Harry too." George added.

"That's not fair, why can't we come then too?" Ron asked gesturing to Hermione, Ginny and himself. Mrs. Weasley put a stop to any further arguments.

Fred and George argued some more and were able to convince their parents over but the rest weren't so lucky.

"Enough!" Snape's voice cut through the hubble. "I believe you all have a long day tomorrow, perhaps Molly, your brood should consider turning in as well along with Mr. Potter and Miss. Granger." It was not a suggestion.

Mrs. Weasley immediately ushered everyone upstairs for bed, taking the hint for what it was. As they were about to leave, Harry heard Mrs. Weasley turn to Snape. "Severus, as you're looking after Harry, I've prepared the room across from his for you. It's also closest to the potions lab upstairs."

Snape muttered his thanks while Harry groaned internally. He was sleeping across from Snape. He felt his headache get worse. Bidding the others goodnight and rushing to his room, not wanting to run into Snape, Harry changed into pajamas and slipped under the covers and fell asleep almost immediately as his head hit the pillow. He'd deal with everything tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Breakfast seemed very awkward next morning. The usual hustle and bustle with the Weasley family was subdued. Whether it was because they were leaving after breakfast or because Snape was present at the table and glowering at everybody, Harry didn't know. Either way, the noise level was greatly subdued. If Snape was even aware his presence might be putting a damper of things, he didn't show it.

They left shortly after nine in the morning. Ron and Hermione promised to write and be careful what they put in their letters, same with Ginny. They gave Harry their own belated birthday gifts before leaving. The twins would drop by later on in the week or when they had to go to Diagon Alley.

Lupin and Sirius left at the same time too. Remus had to start his mission for the Order and Sirius had some mission to do as well, though things seemed strained between them. It looked as if Sirius was still mad about last night. "If he gives you any grief Harry, let me know and I'll take care of him." He said seriously before leaving, patting Harry on the back, glaring at Lupin as if daring him to say something. Harry smiled. It was nice to have someone who cares. His smile faded as he left though. Harry still vividly remembered the gleam in his godfather's eyes from last night. He wasn't really sure what to think of him.

At the moment however, it's going to have to wait as he's sitting across from Snape after everyone left. Feeling eyes on him, Harry looked up and saw inscrutable black eyes watching him. It was unnerving. Harry looked everywhere but at Snape.

"Potter," Snape spoke softly. Harry turned his attention back to Snape. "As I stated last night, the Headmaster has deemed it necessary that I be your...keeper," he sneered. Harry glared at Snape in response. "Nevertheless," he continued as if Harry hadn't glared death at him, "I will do my duty. Be warned Potter," he said seriously with a hard gleam in his eye "There will be rules and you will obey them least you wish to incur my wrath. You may be able to get others to bend the rules for you but you will do no such thing with me. Or there will be consequences." He finished grimly. "Is that understood?"

Harry glared at Snape. If looks could kill, he'd be dead right now. Who did he think he was? Bend the rules. Hah. Harry never had anyone bend the rules for him, they did it themselves. But of course, Snape would think he bends the rules for himself.

‘If Dad was like that too and did the same thing, can you blame him?' a voice asked in his head.

‘I'm not Dad.' Harry argued back. ‘Besides, Dad was a good guy. He wouldn't do anything like that.'

‘Are you sure?' the voice countered.

‘Of course I'm sure.' Harry argued back. ‘Why wouldn't I be?'

‘Even if Dad bended the rules that let him get away with bullying?' the voice stated.

Harry paused. ‘Dad's not a bully.' Harry countered though it sounded uncertain, even to him.

‘Then what was last night?' the voice argued. ‘Sirius couldn't have hid that kind of behaviour from Dad and if Dad knew and Sirius still did it, it means he was in on it or a part of it. And he got away with it.'

Harry recalled last night again. Were his Dad and Godfather bullies? Was that why Snape hated them? Because they bullied him and got away with it? ‘Is that why he hates me too?' Harry wondered.

"I asked, is that understood Potter?" Snape's voice cut through Harry's thoughts and he startled. He'd been quiet too long and Snape seemed to not have taken that well judging by the scowl on his face.

Harry gritted his teeth, shaking his head from his thoughts. "Crystal." He bit out.

"Mind you tone with me Potter," Snape growled out. The boy would drive him to madness. Arrogant, thinks the world lies at his feet to answer his beck and call. ‘Just like his thrice damned father' Snape thought savagely. "Or I can make the next two weeks very miserable for you." He said threateningly.

Harry gulped. He didn't doubt that for a minute. ‘Control your blasted temper Harry and just try to get along with the man. It's two weeks and then he's out of your hair.' He scolded himself internally.

‘Until you're back at Hogwarts.' The voice from before pointed out.

‘We won't be under the same roof. Now shut up.' Harry said back.

Harry cleared his throat nervously. "You...," he hesitated before continuing, "You said there would be rules." He said uncertain whether this was a better change in topic but anything was better than continuing to debate with himself. The sooner he got Snape's rules out of the way, the sooner he could explore the house. Maybe even start on the twins and Tonks drawings.

Snape paused while looking at Harry. He seemed to be looking through Harry as if trying to find his soul. Harry hated the feeling of being so exposed. Snape then smirked. Harry felt decidedly more uncomfortable than before. This could not be good.

"Ahh yes, the rules." Snape smirked as if there was something amusing. He looked like Christmas had come early. "Granted that common sense is a foreign concept to you Potter but even you should be capable of following simple instructions." Snape said with an amused look in his eye. Harry glared at the man yet again. He was really getting tired of this.

"First and foremost Potter," Snape began, "It is my summer too. And while loathe as I am to spend it in your company, I refuse to allow you to ruin my own vacation. I refuse to put up my Professor persona even when I am stuck in this rundown house. If you ever repeat anything you see and hear; I will have you in detention until you graduate. Is that clear?" he paused to make sure Harry understood the message before continuing.

"The rules Potter are simple. You will report to me at every meal time so I may know you are alive. You will not touch anything in this house that has not been cleared by the Order and you will not go exploring." He grounded out as if he read Harry's mind on what he was going to do. "You will not leave the premises and if you require anything Potter, I expect you to bring it to my attention, understood?"

Harry nodded. He didn't trust his voice at the moment so he left it at that. "And Potter," Snape spoke in a slow and monotonous voice, "Failure to follow will result in a very unpleasant day."

Snape paused for a moment, making sure everything was registered. "You are allowed to go the parlour, the library wretched excuse of one though it may be and the kitchen and of course your room. Everywhere else is off limits."

Harry nodded his assent. No need to go looking for trouble especially with Snape less than a second away. Snape looked as if he was examining a potions ingredient at the moment, looking at Harry.

"Go do something constructive if you're able. Lunch will be at twelve." Snape said before storming out of the kitchen and heading presumably to the lab that was set up. Harry slowly got off and made his way down the hall and headed towards his own bedroom slowly. Harry entered his room and looked about. Despite the window, the room still looked gloomy. Making a quick decision, he grabbed his art and books and headed downstairs again this time heading to the library across the kitchen.

Opening the door cautiously, he breathed a sigh of relief. Snape wasn't here. He didn't want to run into the man at the moment. The library looked as if it had seen better days but nevertheless it was a comfortable space. The walls were lined with shelves of books while in between the north wall laid a fireplace. There was a comfortable couch to the side of the fireplace with a center table in front of it. An armchair lay closer to the fireplace with an ottoman placed underneath it. A large French window gave light from behind the sofa set framed by dark curtains.

There was a desk to the corner of the library but Harry decided to leave that alone. Taking a seat by the armchair, Harry placed his load down and made his way over to one of the bookshelves. Brushing his fingers along the spine of the books, Harry browsed the titles hoping to find something to give him inspiration. He wanted to try different subject matters but wanted something to help start it off first.

The books seemed to be of questionable topics. Most seem to center around philosophy of the pure-bloods while others seem to be books on dark curses. ‘Best to leave those alone.' He thought wearily. He finally seemed to come across something that sparked his interest. Creatures of the World by Hokins Hipplesnap. Feeling his curiosity peaked; Harry slowly pulled the book out, half expecting it to bite him. When he saw all his limbs intact, he proceeded to cautiously open the book and smiled. Here was something to work with. The book was an encyclopaedia of animals that were found around the world, some magical such as the Minotaurs of Greece and the Sphinx of Egypt while other were animals muggles were more familiar with such as the armadillo and lions.

Settling down, Harry browsed through the book and observed the pictures. Deciding to start with something small, Harry choose a picture of an arctic rabbit and began to draw. He did this with for a few reasons. One, animals; it was a subject matter he was planning to use to make the twins and Tonks pictures. Two, he got in practice with the shapes and structures of different animals to be familiar with their anatomy. Three, by practicing drawing the animals from the books, not only would he be brushing up his skills, he would sharpening his observation skills and be able to draw a picture of his own without the use of a visual aid.

Engrossed in his work, time flew Harry by. He was unaware of anything except his pencil, furs, claws and feathers. So unaware was he that he didn't even realize that lunch time flew by or that the door to the library opened. He startled badly when a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder. He yelped and met black eyes.

"Potter," Snape hissed dangerously. "What did I tell you this morning?" he demanded.

Harry shook his head and tried to calm his racing heart. What the hell was the matter with Snape? He was puzzled and annoyed at his anger.

"What time is it?" Snape curtly demanded, trying to rein in his temper. Harry looked at the clock. Twelve forty-five. Oh. He paled as he realized he missed lunch. And paled further when he realized Snape had said to report to him during meal times.

"What did I tell you just three hours ago?" he asked sternly. Harry gulped. "To...you said lunch was at twelve." Harry said hesitantly.

"What else Potter?" Snape threw out, glaring at Harry as if he would combust.

"To...to report to you," Harry said shakily "At meal times." He quickly amended.

"Four rules Potter." Snape spoke calmly though his voice went silkily low. Harry knew that tone. The calmer Snape was and the lower his tone, the more dangerous. "Four rules," he reiterated "and you could not even follow one of them. This is a record even for you."

"I'm sorry..." Harry began but Snape wouldn't hear of it.

"Sorry doesn't cut it you imbecile." Snape said irritatingly. "You're complete lack of regard for others is infuriating Potter. You've simply proven to me that you cannot be trusted to your own devices."

Harry snapped. "Look, it was an honest mistake. I'm sorry alright?"

"Mind your tone with me Potter." Snape snapped. "Until I say otherwise, you will be supervised everywhere you go by me. No where are you to be alone as you're likely to simply get yourself in a mess that'll I will eventually have to deal it."

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "I'm fifteen, not five. I don't need to be constantly supervised." He seethed out.

"Then start acting like it." Snape snapped. "Until then, you're on a short leash Potter. I suggest you start cleaning up your act. I warned you I won't put up with your attitude this summer. Don't push me." He hissed.

With that he marched Harry out of the library and into the kitchen forcibly pushing him down on a chair at the table and putting a plate of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables in front of him. Harry blinked. This was unexpected. Snape actually cooked?

"Eat Potter. I won't have the blasted Order accuse me of starving you." Snape said in a bored tone sitting across from him and picking up the newspaper. Harry flinched at ‘starving' but quickly schooled his face into an impassive mask. Lunch was a tense affair. Snape seemed to have already eaten judging by the clean plate by the sink as that wasn't there earlier. No other words were exchanged and the meal passed in silence. After clearing his plate, Harry put the dishes away and headed to the door.

"Forgotten already Potter?" Snape said in a bored voice folding his paper and getting up from his seat.

Harry glared back and wondered whether it would be worth it to flip Snape the bird. With a nod of his head, Snape indicated Harry leave and he would follow. Harry felt smothered and was trying to control his temper as he made his way back to the library.

The rest of the day passed similarly. Neither spoke to the other unless necessary and stayed on the other ends of the library. Snape made sure Harry was within his sights at all times and Harry made sure to stay away from Snape as humanly possible in the library.

Dinner passed the same as lunch only he ate with Snape this time. No conversation, no acknowledgment. Mrs. Weasley had left some food behind to last for two weeks most of which were his favourites among a few other choices. Harry couldn't even taste his dinner with his temper simmering below the surface which was his favourite, chicken fried rice.

"It is now ten o' clock." Snape said in a monotone voice.

Harry blinked, looking up confusedly. "Are...you giving me a bedtime?" he asked. "Sir?" he quickly amended seeing the look Snape gave him.

Snape snorted. "I'm doing nothing of the kind. I'm simply stating that I expect you to stay in your room doing whatever you do until you pass out." He said in a bored tone. "I'm well aware of your night time wandering habits Potter. You will not get away with such while I am here."

Harry simply sighed and nodded. He was too exhausted doing anything else. His migraine had come back and all he wanted was to feel the soft pillow under his head. Retiring to his room, Harry completed his business and changed into his baggy pyjamas. They were another hand me down from Dudley. ‘I really need to get new clothes.' He thought sleepily as his head hit the pillow. Before sleep overtook him, he thought he heard the door to his room creak open and a tall shadow enter and stood besides his bed. He felt his covers pulled up and tucked around him before the presence left. He passed it off as his imagination as he sunk back into his pillow and let sleep claim him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Harry woke up early again. Five-thirty in the morning. He really needed to get more sleep. He slowly got up and then slowed down and his head was spinning. The birds chirping outside were hurting his head. Slowly, he steadily made his way to the bathroom and turned the light on. He blinked at the harshness of the light hurt his head even more. Gritting his teeth, Harry slowly did his morning ablutions and splashed his face with cold water. Changing into the only other pair of light blue jeans and brown shirt that fit him, Harry slowly opened the door and crept down the stairs.

He entered the kitchen and sat down at the table, laying his head down on his arms hoping to control some of the spinning of his head. The light really hurt. The dark helped to relieve some of the pain so Harry took a few deep breaths to help with the pain. Slowly, he lifted his head on his elbows, burying his head in his hands just a little longer. ‘Snape better not make a mockery of this, the greasy bat.' He thought then immediately felt ashamed.

He raked his hand through his hair before tucking some of it behind his ear. Snape had actually been decent about everything. He was certainly more pleasant and even nice than he was at school. Well, nice for Snape anyway. Harry had to admit though the supervision things sucked but that was again his own fault for not being aware of the time. There were barely any disparaging remarks from him or even belittling ones except the lecture he received when he missed lunch.

Harry had been most uncooperative with Snape yesterday and the man was only doing his job. Well duty, he guessed. Still, Harry couldn't help but feel guilty. He didn't make things easier for Snape with his temper. And Dumbledore, Harry frowned at the thought of him. Dumbledore was another story. Harry didn't know what to think of him right now. Certainly he didn't think that Dumbledore would push him and Snape together knowing their volatile history. But then again, Dumbledore always did what he wanted. He felt bad for Snape though because he knew what it was like to be somewhere you didn't want to be.

He hated being a burden.

That was exactly what he was though. He was a burden to Snape. Unwanted. The same could be said to his friends. They liked him but it was too dangerous for him to be around them. It seemed all he did was make things harder for the people around him. The Dursleys certainly never hid the fact that's what they always thought of him as. Freak. Useless. Worthless. A burden.

Saying sorry seemed inadequate for the temper and Harry's unwillingness to cooperate with the dour Potions Professor yesterday. Getting up, Harry took out a frying pan and some eggs. He'll make breakfast for two. Maybe, it would be an adequate apology for yesterday. Letting the oil heat up, Harry took out some plates and set the table. Quietly as he could as even the slightest noise was causing him pain. He started making some toast while he fried the eggs and took out some orange juice from the icebox.

He had just finished putting the eggs on a plate when the door opened to admit Snape into the door. He paused in the doorway as he took in the scene. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the table and breakfast. "Cooking Potter?" he asked sardonically.

Harry shrugged in response and turned to place the pan in the sink. "I wasn't sure when you'd be up, so I thought I'd make enough for two anyways." He said quietly, not wanting to admit he was saying sorry as well. Hopefully, Snape would take it as a peace offering.

"Not attempting to poison me, are you Potter?" Snape said softly as he took a seat and Harry took the one opposite him.

Harry snorted, "I'm not suicidal." He blurted out before he could stop himself. He felt himself flush and busied himself with his food. "Sorry." He mumbled to his plate, not looking at Snape and missing his surprised expression as he heard the apology.

Snape said nothing as he schooled his expression into a passive mask. This was certainly unexpected. He looked at the prepared food and helped himself to some eggs and toast. There was some tea made as well next to the juice. Good. He could use some.

Breakfast passed as quietly as dinner last night though it wasn't as uncomfortable as before. Harry ate his breakfast slowly as his migraine, as he recognized it now still hurt. When he finished, he put gathered his plates and Snape's as well as he had finished his breakfast before Harry and pushed his plate back.

Harry leisurely cleaned the plates. He always found that cleaning dishes helped relax him. Putting the dishes away, Harry turned back to see Snape regarding him intently. Feeling like an open book, Harry asked, "Anything I should know?" in an attempt to distract Snape.

Snape simply raised an eyebrow at the change in topic and let it slip. He simply turned back to his paper. Harry slowly made his way to the door.

"Potter," Snape called in a bored tone. Harry turned back to face him. "Stay out of trouble when you wander around." He continued to read his paper without looking at him.

Harry blinked before he slowly smiled. Snape just basically told him he could be by himself as long as he didn't do anything stupid. Maybe the next two weeks wouldn't be so bad after all.

With a slight bounce in his step, Harry made his way to his room to grab his art supplies. His head still throbbed but it seems to have subsided for now. He made his way back downstairs and decided to head in the kitchen today. He had decided on what to make for the twins and Tonks and wanted to use the acrylic paints he had. Oil paint would take too long to dry and the watercolor paints while a good medium, would take a while to get the shades and textures he wanted in. So he settled for acrylic paints. And for that, he would need constant clean water to clean his brushes.

Harry reentered the kitchen and was surprised that Snape was still there. He certainly didn't expect him to stay in the kitchen. Harry shrugged. What Snape did on his own time was his business. Snape didn't look up as Harry passed him and sat on the other end of the table. Placing his load down, Harry turned to the closed French windows and went to draw the covers back gently to let some light stream in. The light was muted by the shades and shadows of the Blackthorn and White willow trees so it didn't hurt Harry's head.

Satisfied, Harry took some old newspaper and spread them on the table. Next, he tore out two pages suitable for acrylic paint from the second book which held a selection of various types of paper and pinned one of them down so everything would be even when he painted. He decided to do Tonks' picture first. Since she was an Auror and an Order member, Harry wasn't sure how often he would see her except maybe on her day off. He decided to go with animals for both of them, Tonks and the twins.

It was amazing to Harry how quickly he picked up all the details of the animals that were in the book. Sooner than he would have thought, Harry became familiar with the basic anatomy shapes of most of the animals in the book including the magical creatures. He was able to move on to human anatomy shortly after and was impressed himself with how quickly it became easy for him to draw them. The book that came with the kit gave a few more tips of human and animal structure along with hair and clothing.

For Tonks, Harry decided to draw a small cheetah cub with its head tilted to the side resting on its paws with its tail swishing gently in the background lying in an African plain. The twins, Harry reasoned he could work on later as well as they stayed in the same house at Hogwarts and he would see them. But he had in mind to draw two fox kits playing in a grassy field. It fit the twins' mischievous and sly natures.

Selecting some brushes, Harry picked out his colors for painting and began. He started out by lightly sketching his outline and then began painting. He started with a light purple background giving it a sunset look before adding a sap green with a hint of ochre yellow at the horizon line. He had finished with the basic background and was cleaning his brushes when he realized he was alone. Snape had left at some point. Shrugging, Harry went back to his painting. He had just finished painting the cheetah's body when he heard the door open.

Looking up, he saw Snape entering with a pile of papers. He set them down and began scribbling across the parchments. Looking at the clock, Harry was surprised it showed that it was eleven. Looking back at the painting, Harry was pleased with his progress. He had been working on it since nine in the morning. The background was completed; he had painted most of the details of the cheetah cub. All that was left were some of the finer details such as adding the grass and giving a bit more fur to the cub and adding a few more details on the eyes and body. That would have to wait as he needed the paint to dry before he did that otherwise the colors wouldn't turn out right.

Cleaning his brushes, Harry put them back in the kit box along with his paints and put them off to the side. He carefully shifted his drying painting with the newspaper underneath to a small table by the counter. Straightening up, Harry rubbed his temples with his hand and then raked his hair back. His headache while subsided a while ago seemed to be coming back with a force if the throbbing was anything to go by. His stomach grumbling, Harry turned his attention to his stomach. He was hungry.

Looking in the icebox, Harry tried to find anything edible. There was some chicken breast, beef, lamb, turkey among a few other selections. Looking into the pantry, Harry came across some bread, lentils, rice, cheese, pasta and vegetables and fruits and spices. Deciding a stew would do with some French bread he found, Harry thought it would be a hearty meal. Harry was about to gather the ingredients when he paused. He's not the only one here.

Making his way out, he spotted Snape with his head still bent over the papers. "Sir?" he questioned softly, his voice carrying across the room.

"Mmm?" Snape questioned, not wanting to lose his train of thought.

"Is stew and bread alright for lunch?" Harry questioned softly not wanting to disturb the man more than necessary.

Snape didn't reply. He continued to scribble in red ink across the parchment. He finally stopped writing and picked up his parchment examining what he wrote before he turned to Harry.

"That would be fine." He said softly. "I'll make some in a while Potter, I need to finish this."

"I can do it." Harry said. Snape turned back to Harry from his parchment and looked at him intently. Harry squirmed. He really hated it when Snape did that. "It's not a problem. Really. It won't take that long." Harry tried to explain.

Snape started at Harry for a long moment. He gave Harry his assent with a nod of his head and turned back to his papers. Harry released as sigh of relief and went to get the ingredients. He tied his hair back with a leather strap and started to chop the vegetables and chicken while he heated the chicken broth.

Methodically, Harry chopped and sliced his ingredients and took out a frying pan. He sautéed some onions and then some chicken and potatoes stirring constantly. He was so engrossed in his task; he failed to notice the black eyes that looked up every few minutes to see what he was doing.

Harry had just added some garlic, thyme and sage to the stew and covered it to cook while he turned around to get the bread from the pantry and cut it up in slices. He turned around to see the table was already set and placed the bread on a plate. Checking on the stew, Harry was satisfied as it was almost done. The vegetables were all cooked and the meat was tender. Taking it off the stove, Harry poured the stew in a dish and placed it on the table. Snape had put his papers away and was watching him void of any emotion.

‘Does he have to do that?' Harry inwardly grumbled. It was annoying to feel like you were under a microscope twenty-four seven.

Seating himself down, Harry waited until Snape had served himself before he started his own meal. The meal passed in a strangely comfortable silence. Harry savoured the hearty stew and dipped some of the crusty bread to go with the meal. It was heaven. He hadn't cooked anything for a while but he enjoyed doing it when he wasn't pressured into making everything like at the Dursley's. ‘Not that I ever got to eat much with the two fat lugs around.' He thought glumly. He'd be lucky if he got a few bare scraps of their meal when they were done.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Snape asked suddenly.

Harry jumped in his seat. Looking up, he saw Snape raise an eyebrow and seem amused at his reaction and flushed. Shifting away from his embarrassment, Harry cleared his throat. "My Aunt." He said brusquely.

"When?" he asked in a monotone voice though he seemed slightly curious.

"It's just something I've helped her with for a while." Harry said gathering the crumbs in his plate so he wouldn't have to look at Snape. He didn't want to really answer that question since he'd been cooking for his relatives since he was five. He didn't need Snape to mock him for that.

Snape didn't say anything else after. Harry was confused by the small talk but brushed it off. Clearing the dishes away, Harry tidied up the kitchen. He set his paints and picture back up and they paint was now dry and decided to work on complete the painting for the rest of the afternoon.

Snape disappeared shortly after Harry tidied up and Harry heard him head upstairs. ‘He's probably making some potions,' Harry thought and focused on his painting. He used a pointed round brush to add the detail on the fur and the plains. He used a detail brush for the stray grass and eyes along with a few of the cheetah's spots. He finished the painting off by using a little titanium white making it a light gray and a dry bristle brush for soft clouds. Using a golden tan mix of color, Harry signed the picture with the initial of his first name.

Harry cleaned up his workspace and tools placing everything back before he discarded the newspapers. Taking his painting, Harry went upstairs with it first so he could place it on his desk to dry with the breeze from the slightly open window. He retrieved his kit and books and placed them in his trunk. He'd work on the twins' picture tomorrow. He had enough for today. Looking at the time, it was already four in the afternoon.

Deciding to write a letter to Ron and Hermione, Harry sent it off with Hedwig. That done, Harry headed to the library deciding to pick a book. That soon turned fruitless as many of the books were on Pureblood supremacy and other topics that were clearly dark in nature.

Dinner passed the same as yesterday but less oppressive. Snape cleared dishes and Harry was startled to see his Professor do something so...ordinary. It was a little disconcerting.

Harry kept to his room afterwards and started a light outline for the twins' picture. He stopped when his migraine came back. Feeling like his head was going to split; Harry slipped into bed and went out like a light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next three days passed similar to the second day. Harry and Snape didn't talk much though they had an occasional conversation on small things. But they seemed to have reached a sort of truce. Snape didn't give any mean and cold comments and Harry kept his temper and tried not to get on his bad side. They both however reached an unspoken understanding to try and stay away from conflicts. The atmosphere during mealtimes was quite comfortable now though occasionally there would be a little awkwardness for Harry which caused Snape quite a bit of amusement at his expense. Kreacher stayed out of both their ways which Harry was glad for as the house-elf gave him the shivers.

Harry had started the painting for the twins though it was taking him longer than Tonks. Mainly because there were two fox kits instead of one so there was more detail to be added. Harry decided to have the fox picture similar to the cheetah's with a few key differences; the foxes would be in an open hillside with the morning sky in the background and the beginnings of the woods in the distance.

Harry had completed the background and the woods and just had the foxes to paint before he could add the final details. Tonks had dropped by a day before to see Harry. Harry was thrilled with the visit. Tonks was an easy person to talk to and very open and funny. They spent the day getting to know one another better. Aside from being an Auror and clumsy, Harry learned Tonks was very good at Transfiguration and Defense. He learned she came from a mixed heritage. Her father Ted Tonks was a muggleborn wizard while her mother Andromeda came from the Black family and was a pureblood. Her mother was the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. Harry was surprised to hear that. He knew of both people. Bellatrix Lestrange Harry had heard of last year from Dumbledore.

She was the one responsible for the torture of the Longbottoms, Neville's parents and the reason he lived with his grandmother since his parents couldn't even recognize their own son. Harry alone knew this aside from the teachers at Hogwarts. Tonks' mother apparently bore a close resemblance to Bellatrix but Tonks said their personalities couldn't be more different. "The difference is as plain as black and white according to Mum. She really hates all the pureblood rubbish the Blacks are always spreading." She said keenly.

Narcissa Malfoy Harry had only seen in passing but he knew her to be the mother of Draco Malfoy, his rival at school. Narcissa Malfoy was a woman of pale skin and platinum blonde hair and cold blue eyes. Draco Malfoy had inherited features from both of his parents though he strongly resembled his father Lucius Malfoy.

Tonks, having a foot in both worlds, wizard and muggle alike, had many interests that Harry found he had in common with her. Tonks enjoyed playing billiards and though Harry had never had a chance to play, he always liked the game having seen how it was played on the telly one time when he was little. She could drive a car which she said she rarely did as it was easier to simply apparate.

They discussed some books that interested both of them. Harry liked fiction novels as did Tonks and both had discussed some of their favourite authors. Dell, King, Tolkien. Tonks even recommended a few for Harry. He planned to buy some books to read leisurely for himself before he went back to school. He added that mentally to his list of things to get before school started which included jeans, trousers, jumpers, shirt sleeves, dress shirts, a winter coat and shoes and gloves along with some muggle stationary supplies and notebooks. He remembered using some during primary school and it helped him to study better when he could colour code his notes. Many of the books he read as a child was from the school and public library as that was the one place Dudley would never willingly venture him. He never could take a book home as he feared Dudley would ruin it so he read what he could in the library.

Tonks and Harry found both liked Quidditch though Tonks preferred to watch rather than play. Tonks discussed a few of the places she had been to as a child for vacation that she liked.

"What about you Harry?" Tonks asked. "Where have you gone for vacation?"

"I haven't really ever been aboard for vacation. The furthest I've gone anywhere ever is Scotland and that's to Hogwarts." Harry answered softly.

"What about your relatives?" Tonks asked curiously.

Hearing a rustle from the corner, Harry nearly jumped seeing Snape. He almost forgot he was there. Snape was able to make himself as unnoticeable as a shadow when he wanted too. When Tonks had showed up, Snape had muttered about something along the lines of a "walking catastrophe" and "two left-feet hazard" with the need to "make a bloody nuisance" and "overactive imagination" and stayed put in the same room as Tonks and Harry. Tonks wasn't even put off by Snape's snarky manner and in fact even smiled and greeted him like she would everyone else with her "Wotcher, Professor!" and proceeded to start talking to Harry and even included Snape in occasionally when he decided to join the conversation though it was usually accompanied by a death glare that would make hell freeze.

Harry had been able to steer the conversation away from his relatives so he didn't have to talk much about them but he wasn't sure how to answer this question without giving something away. And Snape was listening too which was another reason Harry was careful in what he said. He didn't want Snape to be able to use anything that could mock or humiliate him. It didn't look like it but Harry was sure that Snape was listening to every word Tonks and he spoke. In the end, Harry decided to go with a bit of the truth but not the whole truth.

"They've been aboard." Harry began. "They went to Morocco a few years ago during Christmas, though I was at Hogwarts at the time."

"You didn't go with them?" she questioned.

"I wanted to spend the holiday with my friends. And it was my first Christmas at Hogwarts. They didn't mind." Harry said

Tonks wanted to question Harry more about that. It was obvious to her that Harry wasn't being completely honest about something. His voice while calm, his body language told something completely different. His muscles were tense and his hands were clenched tightly and were turning slightly white from lack of blood pressure. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she knew the Potions Professor knew that as well since he was giving Harry a meaningful look, like he was trying to solve something that didn't make sense to him.

Despite most people's opinion, Tonks didn't share their view on the harsh Professor. She knew he was not a pleasant man most of the time and was quite strict and severe. He could be cruel no doubt about that. But he was a man of honour and duty and gave his loyalty to few which was something most people missed. Potions were while a fascinating subject was also quite dangerous. Many ingredients that are used in potions alone or together can cause any number of problems if not handled correctly. Porcupine quills alone are quite harmless unless you cut yourself on them. In Potions however, adding them too early before they're needed in a Boil Cure Potion could form a vaporous gas that could cause breathing problems or adding them too late could cause a caustic reaction. She would know considering how clumsy she could be and the disasters she caused.

Tonks was certain that was why the man was so hard on his students in class. Being too lax would lead to a potential death. She didn't know what Snape did for the Order but there was no denying he was a force to reckon with. His skills and knowledge were irrefutable in spells and potions and there was no denying he was an extremely determined man who was always on guard and never missed a thing. And could blend in anywhere if he so chose.

That was probably why he was charged with being Harry's protector though she had to admit she was worried a tiny bit given what she had heard of their history. She was more than pleasantly surprised when she dropped by earlier this morning and saw both were still alive. No blood, no missing limbs. Harry was delighted to see her if his smile was anything to go by. Snape never was a very social person so his reaction was expected though him staying in the same room as them shouldn't have had her taken aback as he was quite cautious and observant of everything. His determination to see through his task was another reason she respected the man. His being a Slytherin could matter less to her. As far as she was concerned, it was your actions that defined you as a person not your house. Besides, there was nothing wrong with being ambitious or cunning or resourceful. Quite useful skills to have as long as they were not used for the wrong things. That could of course be the Hufflepuff in her talking.

"Where would you go for vacation then?" Tonks asked shifting the topic. She'd try and ask about Harry's relatives later. If she asked anything further, he would likely clam up as he would expect it. She noticed Harry relaxing and the tension sweeping out of him. She made a note to look into the matter and could see Snape having similar thoughts as his eyes sharpened as he took in Harry's reaction too though his face was pokerfaced as ever. She tucked her hair, shoulder length and sapphire blue today behind her ear and tugged the hem of her long sleeve tan shirt down. She wore black jeans and combat boots to complete the outfit as well as a black leather vest.

Harry mulled over his thoughts. "I'm not sure actually." He said hesitantly. "I think I'd like to go somewhere near the sea. Either that or a place where I could see the mountains. I always liked those kinds of places." He smiled.

Tonks smiled as well. She could see that. Harry seemed to be the kind of boy who would like to be near nature or the outdoors. Snape had gone back to his book looking uninterested but she knew that was an act. He was taking in every detail that went on, just very subtly.

The rest of the day passed similarly. Lunch wasn't as awkward an affair as the earlier days. Tonks anecdotes more than made up for any lack of conversation between Harry and Snape. Harry put in a few questions and comments here and there but otherwise was content to simply let Tonks talk. Tonks tried to get Snape involved as well but all that resulted in was a deadpan expression and possibly twitch of the eye.

The very same afternoon, Tonks coerced Harry to play a few rounds of cards before she left for the evening.

"I've got an early shift tomorrow, so I'm going to need to tuck in early tonight or I'll be too tired to begin tomorrow." She said

"Hang on a minute," Harry said. He hurried upstairs and grabbed the cheetah picture he made for Tonks. Not having anything to wrap it in, Harry hoped it would suffice the way it was and she wouldn't mind.

"Here," he said handing the picture to her. "Sorry it's not wrapped." He apologized, looking sheepish.

"That's alright Harry." Tonks smiled taking the picture from him. Her eyes widened in surprise which turned to delight as she beamed at Harry. Suddenly, he was grabbed in a bone-crushing hug with his vision obscured by blue hair which suddenly turned bubblegum pink as she squealed in glee.

"Harry, this is BRILLANT!" she said jubilantly, "I didn't think you would be done this early, that's why I didn't ask," still not letting go of him.

Harry blushed at Tonks elation. She finally let him go only to whoop in delight again. "It's sooo cute! This is incredible. How did you know I liked cheetahs?" she asked still jumping in joy.

"I didn't." Harry said embarrassed raking his fingers through his hair and chewing his lip but at the same time pleased. "I wasn't really sure what you liked so I went with the first thing that came to mind. Hope it's not too much."

"Too much? Harry, this is perfect!" Tonks was beaming. She loved the little cheetah cub. The amount of detail that Harry went into was simply amazing.

"There had better be a good reason as to why you've turned into a banshee Ms. Tonks," a silkily cold voice stated from the doorway.

Both Harry and Tonks turned to find Snape standing with his arms crossed over his chest and an annoyed look on his face. Snape had left them alone sometime after lunch saying he needed to get the infirmary stock of potions up to date. Personally, Harry thought he had enough of company and needed a break before he would resort to hexing the first living thing that crossed his path.

Tonks wasn't the least bit put off by Snape expression. If anything, she didn't even notice it. Or if she did, she chose to ignore it.

"Sorry if I bothered you Professor, Harry was just giving me the painting I requested of him." Tonks said with a smile.

Harry felt Snape's eyes bore on him, the Potions Master didn't give away any of his surprise if he was surprised at all.

Harry didn't think Snape knew he was painting. When he was present in the kitchen when he started, Snape had his entire attention focused on his own work. It was possible he supposed that he noticed but didn't say anything. ‘Chances are he did notice, otherwise he wouldn't be a very good spy.' Harry thought.

"Painting? Potter?" Snape asked dryly.

‘Then again, maybe he simply didn't bother more than he had too' Harry thought feeling annoyed.

"Yup," Tonks said cheerfully showing him the painting but unwilling to release it from her grasp.

Snape raised a cool eyebrow looking at it but otherwise said nothing. Turning back to Harry, "Harry, next time I need some new pictures decorating my wall, you're the first one I'm calling."

Harry felt if his face got any redder, he'd blend in well in a tomato patch. Snape seemed amused if the glint in his eye was anything to go by.

"Have you ever thought of doing this for a career?" Tonks asked curiously.

"Huh?" Harry asked surprised. "A career? I've never really thought of it." He said slowly "Besides, I'm not that good."

"Nonsense," Tonks argued "This is a great piece of work Harry. I'm sure if you choose to make a living of this, you'd be great at it." Tonks said sincerely.

Harry felt his face flush again. ‘This is really getting ridiculous. Get a grip Harry.' He scolded himself mentally.

Tonks headed out the door but not before giving Harry another hug and a promise to keep in touch even when school started and to keep up the good work.

A chuckle sounded behind him when Tonks left. Harry turned bug-eyed to Snape who seemed couldn't hold his amusement in further.

"So it takes a girl hugging you to get you to resemble your famous colours." He snorted. "I'll have to remember that next time I'm bored. It should prove quite entertaining to the staff."

"Oh shut up." Harry grumbled and headed up the stairs. The last thing he heard was Snape's roar of laughter at his expense before he shut the bedroom door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning after Tonks visit on the fourth day, Harry woke up in a world of pain. He'd been up late last night finishing the twins painting. He had a slight headache before going to sleep which didn't seem to have helped much however if this current pain was anything to go by.

The slightest movement caused Harry to ache. His head felt like it was splitting in two and the noise of chirping birds was making it worse. He knew without a doubt that he had a migraine, a bad one. Forcing himself, Harry got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, his stomach becoming more nauseous with every step. He made it just in time before he lost the remnants of his dinner last night. After a few moments of dry heaving, Harry slowly got up.

His head felt like it was being trampled by a herd of hippogriffs. Splashing his face with cold water, Harry slowly made his way out, leaning heavily against the wall. Nothing for it, he was going to have to get help from Snape. The dizziness was starting to become more prominent. Harry hoped Snape was in his room, he didn't think he was up to searching the entire house for him. Raising a hand, he knocked firmly on Snape's door three times. He flinched at the sound and leaned more on the doorframe.

He was about to go back to his own room when he finally heard footsteps. Snape opened the door looking tired at being woken at five in the morning but that changed when he took in Harry's appearance.

Before Harry could say anything, the nausea came back with greater force. Harry clapped his hand to his mouth to try and stall the bile but was unable to and lost the rest of last night's dinner. His head hurt worse with each passing minute and he would have collapsed to the floor if it wasn't for the strong hands clasped on his shoulders holding him up.

"Sorry," Harry coughed, "Mi...Migraine," he rasped out with difficulty, his head pounding.

Snape slipped his wand and cast a cleaning charm on Harry and the surrounding area while still supporting Harry with one hand. "Lean on me." Without waiting for a response, Snape threw Harry's arm over his shoulder and helped him back to his room.

With a flick of his wand, Snape transfigured Harry's pyjamas into a clean pair and helped him in bed.

"When did this begin?" Snape asked in a soft voice, pushing Harry down on the bed while conjuring a basin and a glass of water.

Harry sank back in the pillow, relieved his head could float. Struggling to keep his eyes open, Harry replied "Woke up like this." He rasped out quietly. "Threw up then too," he mumbled.

He heard Snape move to the restroom and came back a moment later with a damp towel and placed it on his head. He sighed at the relief of the cool cloth. It helped a little. All Harry wanted to do though was sleep and never wake up.

Looking at Potter, Snape knew it was going to be a long day. He was troubled with the severity of Potter's migraine though his expression didn't betray that. He knew migraines could be quite painful at times. And Potter seemed to have gotten a severe one from the looks of it, he mulled over manoeuvring Potter to uncurl himself and settle a bit more comfortably. His hands were already showing signs of being cold, a side-effect of migraines along with his feet. Tucking him in, ‘So he doesn't freeze,' he argued with himself, not because he cares; Snape tucked the blanket under Harry's feet to keep him warm and tucked the comforter around him.

"Have you had any attacks like this before?" Snape asked briskly in a calm manner while keeping his voice at a soft baritone level so as not to aggravate Potter's condition. He needed to know so he could determine whether he needed to make a Headache Relief Potion or a Migraine Relief Elixir. Both were for headaches however depending on the severity and frequency, the Headache Relief might not always work therefore the Migraine Elixir may be required.

"Not this bad," Potter said quietly wincing a little and tried to sink himself further into the mattress. So, he'd had migraine attacks before, Snape mused. He'd have to make sure he made enough of the Elixir for further medication as it seems to be recurring for Potter.

Knowing how agonizing migraines could be, Snape shut the curtains to give Potter a dark room. Light would only intensify the pain and make Potter more violently ill then before. He needed to get started on the potion however the potion couldn't be given on an empty stomach.

A rustle broke him out of his thoughts and he turned to spot Potter's owl perched on the headboard of Potter's bed. She looked down on him before turning her amber eyes to Snape.

She observed this human, the Dark Man. He was a strong one, Hedwig mused. Strong and powerful. There was a dangerous aura around him but she could feel something in the depth of his soul. She narrowed her eyes in consideration before she realized what she saw. He was like her Harry. A kind soul, gentle, when he was allowed to be but hurt too much to be open. But he was different from her Harry too. Her Harry was shy and insecure though he tried to hide it. This one however was confident and wise. He was the one who tried to always protect her Harry though she never could get her boy to see that until he saw it himself recently.

Hedwig hooted her approval and nodded at the Dark Man. He protected her Harry and was a healer. He was the one who would help her boy. And her boy needed him even if he didn't know it himself. Hedwig hooted again and nodded at the Dark Man and then at the door. ‘Go,' She hooted at him, ‘I'll watch my boy until you come back'

Snape was unnerved when the owl began to regard him. There was something about her that Snape felt was different from the other owls. As if she was searching him heart for any darkness. He reinforced his Occlumency shields and hid his unease. The owl perched on top of the bedpost, as if she were Potter's guardian protecting him, watching over him. She hooted in approval seeming to find what he was looking for.

Snape remained unmoved as she hadn't moved her gaze from him. He remained still even when she suddenly took flight and landed on his shoulder. Only when she settled down and began to preen his hair and nibble on his ear did he allow himself to marginally relax. He raised a gentle hand to stroke her breast. She hooted in pleasure before nipping his ear in, dare he say, an affectionate manner. She hooted at him again and shook her head to Potter, then him and the door.

"You will watch over Potter?" he inquired quietly, determining if he read her signals right. She gave a soft hoot in approval and confirmation in response. ‘I'm losing my mind. Talking to an owl like a human being to watch over the Boy-Who-Lived-to-Drive-Me-To-Drink. I've been around Potter too long.' He growled internally. The owl, Heather, was her name? nipped his ear one last time before she moved back to her post and watched over Potter.

"Potter," Snape spoke barely above a whisper, leaning down so Harry could hear him. "Try to stay awake a while longer. The potion will take me half an hour to brew but it cannot be taken on an empty stomach. Can you attempt to eat something while I make the potion in that time?"

Harry opened his eyes to slits to peer at his Professor in acknowledgement and gave a weak nod.

Snape moved to the kitchen and heated some of the leftover stew and got a slice of dry toast before making his way back to Potter's room. Seeing him in the same position he left, Snape helped Harry sit up, propping him against a few pillows and set the tray in front of him.

"Eat what you can and leave the rest aside if you cannot," Snape said quietly, not unkindly. "I will return in half hour's time with your potion." Harry gave a slight nod and began to slowly eat. Satisfied, Snape turned from the room and headed to the lab. He had a few batches to make as Potter would need the elixir quite a bit given that a migraine could last anywhere from four to seventy-two hours and needed to be taken every four to six hours depending on the severity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry ate painstakingly slow as every bite he ate made his nausea return with a greater force. Every time he felt close to throwing up, he stopped and tried to take a few deep breaths. His migraine was getting worse. Whereas it began on one side, it now shifted to another and became a throbbing pain in his right temple. He hoped Snape came back with the potion soon; his head was going to kill him if he didn't take something for it soon.

Unable to eat more than a quarter of his breakfast, Harry set the tray aside on the table and shifted down the covers, closing his eyes. A sharp pain had Harry clutching his head and curling into himself. He whimpered as the pain as it increased in intensity. A few tears leaked out of his tightly shut eyes.

He didn't hear the door open and he didn't know someone had entered the room until he felt a hand on his back rubbing soothing circles. He startled and whipped his head but groaned at the action as it worsened his migraine. He opened his eyes slowly and saw a black blur above him.

"Drink Potter," Snape said in a low voice putting a vial to his lips. Harry drank without question, too far gone in pain to question anything. The potion tasted horrible but he felt the effects immediately as his migraine lessened considerably.

"Thanks," Harry murmured closing his eyes and resting back on the bed.

"Get some sleep Potter," Snape said pulling the covers over Harry. Harry mumbled incoherently before he fell asleep a minute later. His last thought before sleep claimed him was how soothingly nice and warm he was under the covers and he couldn't remember anyone doing that for him before. 

Snape observed Potter. The now long hair was ruffled from the tossing and turning he was doing when he came in. The grimace that dominated his face at the pain lessened considerably when he took the potion, his green eyes no longer as dull with pain before he gave in to the sleeping qualities the potion induced. Sleeping as he was now, he looked innocent. Childlike even. ‘Looks can be deceiving,' he thought to himself crossly though it lacked his usual bite. He conjured a plush black leather armchair and sat down, leaning back and his wand across his lap while the forefinger of his left hand tapped lightly against his thin lips. A habit for when he was deep in thought.

He released a sigh. While it was granted he despised teaching dunderheads especially when they didn't pay attention to the subject, he didn't hate teaching. And he did care about his students. He just hated the idiotic and in Potter's case life-threatening stunts they pulled.

Potter was one of the biggest sources of aggravation for Snape. From the first day the boy entered Hogwarts, he got into more trouble and life or death situations than anyone. The incident with the troll had him wishing he could bang someone's skull. His own or Potter's or someone else he wasn't sure. The stupid boy and his cohorts going after a fully grown mountain troll. The sheer stupidity of the action boggled his mind. The boy had a death wish or would drive someone around him to have one.  The debacle with the Philosopher's Stone and Quirrell was enough to make him want to hurl Potter by the ear and given him a sounding lecture for his stupidity. He had the situation under control before he came and threw everything into chaos.

Coming into school on a flying car nearly gave him a heart attack. The boy could have gotten killed. Or become paralyzed. He didn't have a license, didn't know the first thing about driving a car. Worse, he was seen. Though he did get a sense of righteousness when he found Potter and his miscreant sidekick. By all rights they should have been expelled that night but no Dumbledore had to throw the rules out for the Boy-Who-Lived yet again giving him more reason to think the rules didn't apply to him.

The Chamber of Secrets fiasco was an even bigger folly for the daft boy. Fighting a fully grown Basilisk! A Basilisk! A sixty-foot serpent that where the expression ‘Looks can kill' is justly defined and accurate. Dumbledore told him about what happened in the Chamber and he still couldn't believe how calmly the Headmaster took the situation. Basilisk venom was notoriously poisonous. A single drop of their venom could kill a fully grown man in less than five minutes. Potter was lucky that Fawkes was there and could get him out or he'd have been dead.

The debacle in Potter's third year with Black however made Snape seethe with fury. He had a score to settle with Black. The mongrel in the true essence of the word made his life at school completely and utterly hell. Snivellus, how he hated that loathsome name. Potter Senior and Black dubbed that name for him the first time they crossed wands and life was hell at Hogwarts since. He wanted to catch Black, to get some revenge at the scumbag for all he had done to him. But Potter interfered there as well. What's more, the brat and his cohorts had the nerve to stun him! He; who tried to protect them from a mad murderer and a loose werewolf. What did he get in return? A pounding headache, several bruises as well as the loss of an Order of Merlin.

The Triwizard Tournament last year however gave even Snape the chills. When Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, Snape was certain at first that it was a prank by Potter. As the tournament continued, Snape began to doubt the validity of Potter's name being put in as a prank. His Dark Mark which had faded since The Dark Lord's first downfall had begun to darken. For the first time in a very long time, Snape was afraid. He remembered the days when the Dark Lord was around the first time and he still had nightmares about it to this day. When Potter disappeared from the maze in the third task, his mark burned with a vengeance. The Dark Lord had returned.

He knew he would be called on soon. His return to duty was not something he was looking forward to but he would do it regardless. It was the only useful thing he could do, to atone for the sins of his past. When Potter returned clutching the Diggory boy's dead body, he truly for the first time sympathized with the boy. To see a class fellow die before your eyes was a cruel traumatic experience. Potter himself was bloodied and covered in cuts and bruises, his limbs trembling. Just from a glance, he could see that Potter had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse having been under the same Unforgivable himself in his years of service. Potter was numb with shock. He was surprised the boy lasted as long as he did especially considering that less than fifteen minutes later, the imposter Moody tried to take his life.

Fudge, the blundering fool didn't help matters with his cowardice. Even after Potter gave names of Death Eaters who were undoubtedly there and Snape himself showed his own proof of the Dark Lord's return, he refused to believe a word of it. Dumbledore expected it but nonetheless it was a problem to be dealt with later when possible. Working with Black however made Severus' skin crawl.

Snape felt a change come over him that night in regards to Potter. He still found the boy got on his nerves. He still thought he was foolhardy. He was a reckless, rash, impulsive idiot. But he didn't hate him. At least not as much as he did before. Denying it however didn't seem to work for him, especially when Dumbledore assigned him the task of being his baby-sitter.

He was surprised at Potter's behaviour in the time of his stay in Black's ancestral home. The boy was still defiant. ‘And he most certainly was angry' Snape contemplated evenly remembering Potter's angry shouts the first night from the landing above. He was also quite surprised at the boy's appearance when he first laid eyes on him since the school year ended. When Potter came in, Snape barely noticed it. He knew he was there but didn't pay much attention to it. When Potter seated himself next to him and for once greeted him with civility, to say he was surprised would be an understatement. He registered who was sitting next to him before he registered Potter's tone. He had opened his mouth to say a scathing comment when he fully saw Potter.

Only years of control of his emotions kept him from fully giving himself away though he was certain he wasn't entirely successful. Potter was...different. The first things he registered was his worn appearance. The boy looked tired. And he seemed paler than he remembered. His hair had grown out and looking at him like that, Potter looked profoundly different. His usual messy mop of hair seemed to have tamed down, looking straighter like Lily's. What stood out the most were his eyes. His green eyes which normally were a vibrant green like emeralds were dull. Involuntarily, Snape was drawn into Potter's mind. He felt Potter's emotions that were closest to the surface.  Many emotions were swirling behind those depths the most dominant of them being anger, pain, confusion and...hurt. He was drawn in further. There were flashes of him staring out the window, as if searching for something. Then came some vague flashes of memory going too quick for him to observe much. He did however feel Potter's emotional state and it was filled with nothing but agony. He tried searching for the cause of it but could not seem to find the source. The best way to describe it was that there was a web that seemed to prevented entrance surrounded by fog. As if there was more than one origin for the pain. It confused Snape and inwardly he began to wonder what had happened to the boy.

As abruptly as he was in Potter's mind, he was just as abruptly out. He was puzzled but what he saw and felt but kept that well hidden. He looked again at Potter and saw that he was beginning to look uncomfortable. No surprise seeing as he hadn't responded to his greeting. Looking at him now, Potter looked confused and very much like a child. He responded after he gained some semblance of himself though he didn't know what to make of the confusing knowledge. Potter had no idea what had occurred. Snape kept to himself during dinner, trying to make sense of everything. He was still alert and aware of the mutt starting to talk to the boy.

He noticed that the boy was surprisingly good at controlling his emotions. Though he was surprised at the boy's restraint. He clearly had questions especially after being isolated for so long but he seemed to mull over everything before he spoke. ‘A first for a Potter,' he thought cynically but lacking his usual bite. He was surprised at how well he took everything. At least until the discussion about his ‘protection', though ‘house arrest' would be more appropriate. He watched as the news was delivered to Potter who paled at hearing it. There was something strange about his reaction. Granted he expected that teenage boys did not like being locked in but there was something more to Potter's expression. He seemed shocked at first but being an observant man, Snape saw the fear that entered his eyes momentarily before defeat followed quickly with anger.

The argument with Black didn't hide the vulnerability in his eyes though one would have to look to see it as he hid it well enough. This was why he intervened and told Potter to come back in the morning so that he would have the night to absorb that piece of news before anything else. And as much as he abhorred Black, his chasing after his Godson was the last thing Potter needed, another reason why he riled the dog up though he had vindictive satisfaction seeing him get chewed out by the Weasley matriarch.

The morning after though led to unexpected surprises. The boy's change in his Hearing was unwarranted and as Weasley stated, "a violation." He had been in Grimmauld Place because he was originally going to be one of Potter's watchers among a select few others. When the boy entered the kitchen at 6:00 in the morning, the first thing Snape noticed was how pale his face was. Potter's face was drawn and pinched; there were dark circles under his eyes as if he didn't sleep much.

The rushed question of how to get to the Ministry sent alarm bells in Severus' head. When the Weasley patriarch read the letter that had been tightly clenched in Potter's hands moments earlier, he himself was surprised at the livid anger visible of the usually passive man. The Ministry was filled with incompetent fools but even this went beyond their usual operations. There was no denying the fear that was emanating from Potter as he and Weasley left for the Hearing. The boy was terrified. More than that, he seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack.

He saw that as they were leaving Potter was incredibly insecure and searching for any reassurance. For reasons he still was unable to phantom, when the boy's eyes met his, he couldn't help but give Potter a nod of encouragement. He seemed so...small. He looked nothing like his fifteen years but looked like a lost boy who didn't know what to do or who to turn to. He saw the surprise when he acknowledged him and the gratitude that followed even when he had a bewildered expression on his face.

The talk with Dumbledore when he informed him of the changes shortly after however had left him gritting his teeth.

Heading to the parlour, Snape made his way to the fireplace. Throwing in some floo powder, he called out, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office."

Putting his head in, he was met with the sight of the Headmaster's office with all the trinkets but no Headmaster.

"Albus," he called out.

A door to the right of him opened and the Headmaster was striding through wearing a purple dressing gown. He kneeled down in front of the fireplace so he was at eye-level with the Potions Master.

"Severus?" he questioned inquiringly. His blue eyes sharp and alert, absent of their customary twinkle. He seemed to have woken up some time ago and was preparing for the day when the Severus called.

"Potter received a missive from the Ministry this morning. His Hearing date has been changed to today and commences in two hours." Snape said tersely.

The change in the Headmaster was enormous. The blue eyes while serious a moment ago were now a blaze of blue inferno. His wizened face hardened and his calm benevolent expression became that of an enraged general. A powerful enraged general. Snape was for a moment afraid of his friend and mentor though he knew the anger was not directed at him.

"Fudge is truly his abusing his power too much." Albus said tightly, his tone losing all gentleness. The harsh look faded for a moment as he looked at Severus. "Forgive me Severus. My anger is not directed at you."

"I am aware." Snape said reverently though he was certain the Headmaster knew that he was scared momentarily even if his voice was even.

"I will be in Grimmauld Place within moments Severus. Wait for me. I'll step through." Albus said getting up and heading to his bedroom. With a nod, Snape pulled back and stood from the fireplace and waited for the Headmaster to step through. Within five minutes, the fireplace roared again and Dumbledore stepped through dressed in midnight blue robes with silver stars, his wand at ready, his blue cloak billowing behind him.

In step, they together made their way to the kitchen, where they could hear loud voices of the occupants within. They stopped once they saw Dumbledore enter. He raised a hand to forestall anyone speaking, namely Black, who looked ready to have a seizure.

"Severus has informed to the change in the situation. I will be heading to the Ministry myself momentarily. However, I have decided in a change of plans."

Questions were fired and Dumbledore once again raised his hand to continue speaking.

"Molly," he turned to the Mrs. Weasley, "I don't think I need to say this but perhaps you and your family should stay back another day."

"Of course you don't have to say it." Molly spoke incensed, insulted that Albus would think she and her family were going to leave at a time like this. They weren't leaving until they heard the news from Harry himself. If she had her way, Harry would be coming with her family but even she could only bend Dumbledore so far.

Dumbledore nodded with a small twinkle before turning to the rest of the room. "I am aware that I said there would be shifts on who would watch and check in with Harry." He spoke calmly. "However, I do believe that it may cause too much of a hassle and draw unnecessary attention on our watchers. Therefore," he said turning to Snape, "I would like you Severus to be Harry's guardian until September 1st."

"WHAT?" Snape and Sirius cried outraged.

"Albus, you can't possible-"Sirius sputtered incensed.

"Headmaster, I must protest-"Snape argued at the same time.

"Silence!" Dumbledore thundered. More gently, Dumbledore continued turning to Sirius first. "I asked you before Sirius to put aside your differences with Severus. Please do not make me ask again." Turning to Snape, "Severus, I have my reasons for wanting you to be the one looking after Harry. Will you do this?"

"Are you seriously asking me this Headmaster? The boy loathes me and it most certainly is mutual." Snape said derisively. "No good will come of this if that is what you're hoping for. The boy's nothing but a troublemaker."

"Like you're a bloody saint Snape." Sirius said bitterly. "He's my Godson Albus. Why can't I be the one to look after him?"

"You know why Harry cannot stay with you Sirius." Dumbledore said calmly. "Severus, I need your answer." His eyes met Snape, piercing him. Snape glared right back, his eyes hard as stone.

"As if I can refuse," Snape spat out, barely civil. Dumbledore had many fool and crazy ideas before, this one was the most insane he had come up with to date. Arguing would get him nowhere with the old man. ‘Stubborn old coot,' he thought spitefully.

"Good." Dumbledore said placidly. "I will take my leave now. Severus, I will return to speak with you later tomorrow. Around midnight." Without further ado, he left with another word.

Snape was fuming at Dumbledore's underhanded tactics of putting him in such a position. He had to endure Black threatening him if he hurt his precious godson and his hand kept twitching to hex the mutt to oblivion. The only thing that stopped him was the fact Molly Weasley tore into him and threatened to the unmentionable to him if he didn't control his mouth and start treating Severus with respect and act his age. Not that he needed anyone to defend him. He was more than capable of handling his own problems and holding his own in a fight.

He was nauseated at the reception when Potter returned declaring he got off. Of course he got off. He was Harry bloody Potter, Boy-Who-Lived-to-have-his-own-way. He did notice with some deliberation that Black, for all his exuberance did not seem all that happy for his godson. If anything, he seemed disappointed with the outcome. He wondered ideally if Potter noticed.

The discussion afterward left a sour taste in Snape's mouth. Black explained to Potter the reason he was going to be isolated and who had the esteemed honour of watching his hide. Snape still fumed at being given the task by the headmaster. Not that there was much he or Black could do about it. He wasn't planning on saying more than necessary. But his blood boiled when Black started hurling insults especially, that name.

Snivellus, Snape glowered. He despised that name. Potter Senior and his cohorts had given him that name unwillingly back in his first year. He had been minding his own business with Lily, trying to cheer her up when Potter and Black entered their compartment and began making fun having overheard their conversation. Lily had no tolerance for their immaturity and grabbed Severus by the hand and left together to find another compartment. Potter and Black's parting remarks had given him that repulsive nickname.

Lily. It still hurt sometimes to think of Lily. She had been everything to him. The only light in the hell that had been his life even as a child. If it hadn't been for her, he was certain he would have died when he was younger. Whether by his father's hand or his own, he wasn't sure.

When Black called him that name again, even after nearly twenty years, it still brought with the same loathsome, hurt, and hate it did when he was a student. In a way it was a good thing that Lupin diffused the situation when he did because he was ready to use the Cutting Curse on Black. Or an Unforgivable.

He had noticed absently while he was trying to gain back his iron control that Potter had seemed alarmed at the situation. Or rather, the brat was alarmed at his Godfather as he was staring at the mutt as if he'd never seen him before. He turned his expression into a blank mask but Snape had already caught the look the boy gave his godfather. It was a mixture of unease and dare he say it, fear and unease. He caught the brat giving him a concerned look before he masked it. But it was enough for Severus to wonder.

He may have been furious at Black and at himself for losing control but he was still aware of his surroundings. Potter looked as if he wanted to say something before he thought better of it. A good thing as even if the concern was genuine he would have most likely snapped at the boy.

The day after had been not been as horrible as Severus thought it might have been. Potter had despite his usual attitude listened to the rules that Snape had laid down. ‘For all the good it did,' he thought annoyed remembering back to when lunch time came around and Potter failed to show up at the appointed time. He relinquished waiting for the boy and ate his meal, wanting to enjoy it while it was hot. He began to worry after fifteen minutes passed by and was actually worried that something had happened to the boy. He searched all over the confounded place for him and finally found the brat in the library bent over some book.

Snape had been relieved when he found the boy intact and well. And just as quickly, he grew furious at the little monster for disobeying his rules with no regard. He grabbed Potter and was surprised at the reaction he received though he didn't show it. The boy was startled clearly but there was more to it than that. He looked...terrified, Snape deliberated recalling the memory. The expression on Potter's face, Snape reflected going over the memory was disconcerting. He looked as if he was going to be attacked.

He had been too angry at the time to really pay attention but looking back on it later, he pondered why Potter would have such a severe reaction. He noticed that the boy was tense but he looked more like he had seen death himself. His face had been pale and his eyes if he recalled correctly had been slightly dilated before he began to get angry when Snape mentioned he would be supervised. He recalled as he marched Potter to lunch, one particular reaction which set him on edge. Potter had flinched. He flinched when he said starved. It was that more than anything else that made Snape keep quiet and observe him.

Lunch had been tense though for his part it was because he was refraining himself from saying biting as that might do more harm than good as he watched Potter. What little he observed gave him an uneasy feeling and brought back the glimpses from Potter's mind to the fore. Potter with his head bent over his plate didn't notice his Potions Professor was observing him. His long hair which Snape had been surprised to see when he saw him with the look at dinner the first night as he didn't look so much like Potter senior, covered his view. As if hiding the boy. The boy was skinny. Not that he wasn't always but his skinniness seemed more pronounced this time that any other. There were black bags under his eyes which told Snape he hadn't slept well. He decided he would observe Potter a little longer and see how things turned out in a few days. Then he would decide if he needed to take further action and if his fears were correct or unfounded.

The rest of that day had passed well, for him at least. It was amusing seeing Potter seethe at being in treated like a five year old. Potter remained well behaved, for Potter anyway, the rest of the day. He was in his room by ten which was good because it meant that he could have his meeting with the Headmaster uninterrupted. He recalled the meeting with Dumbledore with a frown. There was something odd about that meeting. Not to mention disturbing as well.  

Leaning back on the armchair, Severus tried again to read the Potions Monthly Digest but was having no luck. He could find no relaxation. His mind kept wandering in circles. Potter's disrespect which had him fuming to his strange reaction in the library which confused him. His eyes moved to the grandfather clock. It read 11:59. The Headmaster should be arriving momentarily. At the stroke of midnight, the fire flared and Dumbledore stepped out from the floo.

"Please remain seated Severus," Dumbledore said softly when Severus made to stand up to greet him. Taking a seat opposite him, Dumbledore sat down in one of the armchairs and took out his wand to conjure a tea service with butter scones. 

He made two cups, one black with one sugar and milk for Severus who accepted his cup graciously while the headmaster made his own cup of tea with a slice of lemon. Dumbledore leaned back comfortably and sipped his tea while munching on a scone. He gestured to Severus to help himself to some scones who declined wordlessly.

The passed the time in relatively peaceful silence though there was a hint of tension underneath. Severus took the time while drinking his tea to observe the Headmaster. He looked well though there were hints of small bags under his eyes. His face that was drawn and pinched when he stepped out of the floo, now relaxed as he slipped his tea, his shoulders losing their tension.

"You need rest." Severus remarked quietly as he drained his cup.

Dumbledore chuckled quietly at the concern from his trusted friend. "I will rest when I am able Severus. There is still much to be done."

He straightened slightly in his chair and placed his empty cup back on the tray having finished his tea and scones. Stapling his fingers at the tips with his elbows resting on the arms of the chair, Albus looked intently on Severus simply leaned back in his chair.

"How are things Severus?" he asked quietly.

"As well as can be expected." came the reply equally softly though there was a hint of annoyance in it at the situation.

"And Harry?"  Albus asked, his eyes shined in concern.

"How do you think Albus?" Severus growled slightly. "You are well aware of the history between us and yet despite that you still pair the two of us together. What are you trying to accomplish?"

"How has Harry been taking this?" Dumbledore asked, ignoring the man's last question.

"He's been aggravating as always. The first day and he already breaks the rules I gave him. A record even for Potter."

"Oh?" Dumbledore looked curiously at Severus. "What happened?"

Snape recounted the episode from the earlier venting his frustration out. As he recounted getting Potter from the library, his mind yet again pondered over the boy's reaction when he came up behind him. The more he thought about it, the more the memory nagged him. The details standing out sharply in comparison to before as he went over it in his mind. The hitch of his breath as he held him up, the dilated eyes that searched the room wide with panic while his face turns if he remembers correctly, slightly pale.

His brow frowned in thought and deeply hidden underneath, concern as he finished his recounting. Being startled his one thing but there seemed to be more to it with Potter. Was he reading too much into this? The Ministry letter was understandable to be panicked with given the sudden change in the situation but surely after the ordeal there was no need to worry. Was it an aftershock maybe?

"Severus?" came a concerned voice.

"How did the hearing go?" The words escaped his mouth before he could stop himself. That was not what he wanted to do.

Eyes slightly widening at the question, Albus eyed him closely before sighing. "I arrived in time. Had I arrived any later, Harry would not be returning to Hogwarts."

Severus straightened at hearing that, looking sharply. "I gave you the message well before the time for his hearing. What happened to delay you?"

"It was not I who was delayed Severus." Dumbledore said. "When I arrived at the Ministry and asked for the courtroom, I discovered that Fudge interfered with proper procedure yet again. He changed the timing for Harry's hearing." 

"More than before?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. On top on that, he summoned the entire Wizardgamot. And tried Harry in front of a full criminal court." Here, the old wizard eyes held a spark on fury as he recalled the discovery of that fact. Once he learned what Fudge intended he rushed as quickly as he could to the child's defence.

Snape sat back. Though his face remained stoic, he was reeling with shock inwardly. A full criminal court. For underage magic?! Granted he wanted Potter to be held responsible for his actions but being tried for underage magic for defending yourself was not something even Potter should have had to go through. Being treated like a criminal for such minor offence, no wonder Potter was relieved when he came back, off the hook. That brought the memory of the conversation Potter had with Weasley. Eyes slightly narrowed, he looked back at his mentor.

"Potter must have been relieved when it was over." He spoke carefully observing the man opposite him.

"Yes, he seemed so. Arthur waited outside for him to take him back to Headquarters." Dumbledore said softly. "I worry whether he will be alright with everything that is going on. He is a resilient young man but he is still young. This cannot be easy for him."

"Why don't you speak to him then?"

"No." The sharp reply came so quickly and unexpectedly Severus was surprised he didn't bang his head against his chair. That was the last thing he expected to hear from the Headmaster.

"I cannot speak to Harry." Dumbledore said lowering his voice but there was something indescribable in his voice.

Severus looked closely at the Headmaster. His shoulders were tense while his hands clenched slightly on the armchair. There was a hint of steel in his eyes that Severus was certain he would never have imagined there, especially in regards to Potter. As well as another unnamed emotion.  

 "What do you mean you cannot speak to him?" He looked directly at Albus, questioningly. Potter was Dumbledore golden boy. This sudden callousness was alarming. Dumbledore had always cared about the boy regardless to what he had done or his faults. What could possibly have happened to change his opinion in such a daunting way?

"There is more at play here than you know Severus. More forces at work. I simply cannot speak to Harry at the time." There was resolve in his voice at those words.

Severus looked at the aged wizard for a long moment. This turn of events was something he had not foreseen. The words of ‘other forces at play' sending all his instincts as a spy in overdrive. He was missing something. A piece of the puzzle. What was it?

"He noticed you wouldn't even look at him." He said simply, his deep voice seemingly loud in the stillness of the room. Dumbledore's eyes flattered after the words were spoken. His blue eyes filling with sorrow. For a second time that day, the Headmaster looked his age, the lines in his face deepening in pain.

After a moment of gathering his composure, he spoke again. "It is for the best." His voice whispered, being barely audible.

"You care for him. That has been evident from the beginning. Why are you so determined now after all this time to pretend he doesn't exist?" he questioned steadily, his keen eyes looking for any signs of answers in the Headmaster's body language.

"I am doing no such thing, Severus." Dumbledore retorted deliberately though there was a pained emotion glistening in his eyes. "There are reasons for my actions. Now, however is not the time to question them.  For now, I am not able to speak to Harry at the time."

Severus considered probing more but the look in the headmaster's eyes stopped him. He would not get anything out of Albus at the present. It did give him something to work with however. He clearly cared about the boy still. The pain in his eyes was a testimony to that. So why was he so adamant about ignoring the brat?

"Will you look after him?"

Severus' eyes widened slightly at the unexpected question. "I beg your pardon?"

"Will you look after Harry?" Dumbledore repeated the question calmly as if he did not notice the incredulous look his Potions' Master was giving him.

"Do I not do that already? Or was I mistaken and looking after a baboon for the last four and a half years?" he said, sarcasm heavy in each word.

"Harry is an incredible young man who has proven time and time again to be resilient in whatever comes his way. But I fear for him still." A deep sigh was released at this.

"Then why not speak to him yourself?" he countered.

"I will not repeat this again Severus." Resolve and annoyance beginning to colour the wizard's tone.

Snape conceded at the look he received but he refused to give in to this. Of all the hair-brained schemes the old coot had come up with in the past years, he went along with them despite his discomfort or irritation. This however was over the line. Look after the brat, indeed. What had he been doing since he arrived at school? Playing hopscotch?

Snape scowled at his thoughts on the matter. Scotch however seemed very tempting at the moment.

"He has plenty of people looking after him. Or have you forgotten the Weasleys?" He said glaringly. 

"The Weasley's while a remarkable family with great hearts, Molly and Arthur have their own brood to worry and look after. And while they love and care for Harry deeply, they cannot look after him at Hogwarts. As well as that all their children who attend are still that. Children, despite the twins being of age. And while Minerva will do her best, an extra pair of eyes and ears never goes amiss."  

 "I already look after him." Snape said with great restraint on his annoyance at the doubt of his ability.

"More than you do now? Severus," Here, Dumbledore expression looked imploringly at him. "I need to know someone is watching out for him at a more personal level."

"And you expect me to do that?" he said disbelievingly.

"I'm asking you too. I need to know that should anything happen, someone will be there for him."

"Isn't that what the mutt is for?" Snape snarled out.

"You know very well that Sirius is a wanted criminal for crime he never committed making it difficult for him to be there for Harry as he would have wished." Dumbledore looked sternly at Snape, reproach in his tone. "Given the states of current affairs at the moment, it is more than likely communication between Harry and Sirius will be difficult as owls may be intercepted."

"What precisely does that have to do with me?" Snape snapped.

"Nothing, I suppose." Dumbledore looked calmly at Snape who was seething silently in his chair. "However, given the Ministry's current status towards anything to do with Harry, he will be watched with a keen eye. I need to know that should anything happen, someone will be there for Harry as I cannot look after him due to circumstances. I need to know that someone I trust will be there for him."

Snape gritted his teeth at this. He could see no way out of this. And he very much doubted if Albus would really allow him to refuse. His eyes narrowed as he considered Albus' words.

"What do you mean ‘should anything happen'?" Snape questioned calmly, concern underlying his tone once he processed everything. "Do you know of something to occur?"

Albus closed his eyes briefly before looking back at Snape. "I have my suspicions. But until I learn more I cannot say much else on the matter. As I have been removed from my seat from the Wizardgamot, it will take some time for me to confirm any suspicions." The look on his face was thoughtful and tired.

Snape nodded at that. Inwardly, he mulled over everything said since the meeting began. He did not understand Albus' adamant avoidance of Potter and what his suspicions were that he was hiding but he would have to let it go for now. That however brought back Albus' request.

He looked up at him employer and saw steady eyes look back at him, awaiting his decision.

"What do you want me to do for him?" Snape intoned, releasing a sigh.

"Be there for him." Dumbledore said simply. "Look after him."

Snape stared back at the old wizard. It was official.

The old coot had gone senile.

Like it was ever that bloody simple.

"It is late." Dumbledore stated, startling Snape from his reprieve as he got up. "I will leave you to your rest." He made his way over to the fireplace, picking a pinch of floo powder from the top resting on top of the fireplace. Before throwing the powder to the flames, Dumbledore turned back to look at Snape who also stood to see the Headmaster off.

"I worry greatly for what is to come and whether Harry will be able to handle it." His eyes spoke volumes of sadness that only held a quiver in his tone. "Look after him Severus. I trust you." Before Snape could open his mouth to say anything, he threw the floo into the flames and vanished from sight.

Snape stared at the fireplace after the Headmaster was gone before he pinched himself across the bridge of his nose. That scotch looked absolutely delightful.

Taking out his wand, he banished the tea service and cleaned the surrounding area of any crumbs before making his way up the stairs. He was tired and all he wanted right now was his bed. He'd think about everything in the morning.

As he stepped onto the landing heading towards his room, he paused before Potter's door. He debated for a moment with himself before his feet made their way outside the boy's door, good sense having gone to sleep. At least, that's what he told himself. Silently, he turned the handle to see whether the brat was asleep or slacking off.

There was no light from the hallway but the moon shined through the boy's window as the curtains were open, giving a soft glow. Taking a moment to adjust to the light in the darkened room, his dark eyes looked around. The desk under the window was neat, surprisingly for a Gryffindor with the only occupant being a box tucked into the top right corner of the desk. There was no dust or litter anywhere, not even by the closet. Even the shoes were neatly tucked in the corner of the room. A movement from his right caught his eye. He spotted Potter curled up in his bed, the comforters sweeping the floor. Quietly, stepping in, he made his way over and stood looking down at his charge momentarily.

The change in Potter was startling compared to when he was awake. When he was awake, the boy looked rigid. As if he couldn't let his guard down. His brow usually seemed to have a faint frown while looking defiantly at everything. The contrast was astounding now. His muscles were lax and limp. His hair, at its current length was all over his pillow and rumpled giving him a case of severe bed hair. In sleep, the tense lines smoothed themselves out making him look younger than his fifteen years especially with the absence of his glasses.

As if aware of Snape's regard somehow, Potter shivered slightly but enough to be noticeable and burrowed deeper into the bed searching for warmth, curling up on himself before shifting on his side with his face digging into the pillow. Snape almost snorted at the sight. He was about to leave when he turned back. Picking up the comforter, he smoothly pulled it over Potter and tucked the edges in around him lightly. For a moment, he thought he saw sleepy green eyes open to look at him before they were gone.

He left as quietly as he came and made his way to his room. As he entered his room, the image of Potter, sleeping and looking so vulnerable seemed to haunt him. He kept hearing Dumbledore's parting words. ‘Look after him.' He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming. ‘I'll deal with everything in the morning.' Was his last thought before an uneasy sleep claimed him.

Snape sighed deeply as he recalled that memory. He still did not understand why the Headmaster refused to speak to Potter himself and was no closer to finding out himself even now.

The morning after that first night, Snape had woken up and entered the kitchen to see Potter setting breakfast at the table. To say he was surprised would be a bit of an understatement. Of all the sights to greet him in the morning, Potter cooking for two was not one of them. He recalled observing Potter in the short conversation that followed. He was back to being tense and guarded. However, his eyes seemed wary, yet imploring with a bit of lightness when he spoke to him. Snape recognized the Potter's gesture for what it was, even if he didn't say the words.

An apology, even a silent one was something that he never expected to receive from the brat. It made him wonder if he was still sleeping or if he just never bothered to notice this side of Potter. The side that quietly cleaned up after himself, seemingly at ease and relaxed. For reasons he still denied internally, at least that's what he told himself, Snape allowed Potter to go back to wandering on his own making it clear he not do anything stupid.

As Snape read the paper, he pondered on the events of the past few days, especially last night and earlier in the morning, not really reading the words. He admitted if only to himself, he might not know everything as he thought in regards to Potter and made his resolve to look after Potter. ‘Only to make sure the idiot doesn't do something stupid' he groused inwardly. Not because he had an inkling of concern for the boy. Nope, he wasn't concerned for his welfare at all.

As he was arguing with himself, he saw from the corner of his eye, Potter had re-entered the room with the box he saw that took residence at his table last night. Unobtrusively, Snape observed as Potter went about setting himself up, curious as to what the boy was doing. When he opened the box, he was surprised to see it filled with art supplies. He watched slightly amazed at how Potter began to deftly stroke his sketches with sure fingers and became engrossed in his work completely oblivious to scrutiny.

The level of concentration Potter showed was again something astounding to Snape. He didn't think he'd ever seen the boy show such dedication to anything apart from perhaps Quidditch. There was something else different about Potter to as he painted. He seemed...peaceful. Yes, that was it. Potter seemed more at ease as he painted. As if he forgot about the outside world. He was more contented.

Silently, Snape got up and retreated to his room. Yet again, he found himself questioning, not for the first time, did he really know all there was to Potter? Setting his newspaper down at his desk, he spied the pile of paperwork he had to complete before the beginning of the school year. ‘Look after him.' Those words echoed his head yet again. A spark suddenly lighted in his onyx eyes. Dumbledore wanted him to look after the boy. He had paperwork to complete. And Potter was in the kitchen doing his creative activity. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Do his paperwork, hopefully without strangling someone and observe Potter at the same time. The incident in the library came to the forefront of his mind. He admitted to himself, the small tiny part of his conscious at least, that there was some part of him that was concerned over the boy.

Making his decision, he grabbed what he needed and returned silently to the kitchen. Potter had looked up briefly before he returned to what he was doing. And Snape began his marking and syllabus changes as he periodically looked up to see what Potter was doing.

After some time, he began absorbed in his own work. It was amazing how well he was able to work even with Potter in the same room. The silence seemed peaceful as opposed to uncomfortable. He didn't look up from his work until Potter offered lunch. He remembered Potter's fumbling as he went about making lunch, unhinged by his intent look on him. After a while he seemed to have lost his nervousness and moved about in a manner of someone with long practise in the kitchen.

‘Where did he learn such skills?' he wondered as he set aside his work and set the table while watching Potter from the corner of his eyes. ‘When did he learn to cook? How long since he learned?' He found himself questioning this as he had never seen the boy show any such skills before. Not even in his Potions class.

He questioned Potter himself and was surprised when he said his Aunt had taught him though he didn't show that outwardly. If he remembered Petunia correctly, the woman learned how to cook only after her mother had forced her too. She hated stepping into the kitchen. There was something in Potter's face when he said that. His expression seemed to have closed off. He filed that expression away to look at later. The remainder of the day passed in relative ease, he was amazed to note. He mused at how quiet the boy was around him and how self-sufficient he seemed. ‘You learn something new I suppose.' He said wryly to himself.

He was amused at Potter's look when he saw him cleaning dishes. He would need to remember that when he needed a laugh.

Over the next few days, he observed Potter without him knowing and found himself becoming perturbed at some of what he saw in the boy. While they seemed to be getting along without killing one another, the boy always looked tired when he saw him in the mornings. The dark bags under his eyes seemed to fade and then become prominent again. At times, he appeared twitchy, as if he expected someone to jump him. He had checked on the boy during the nights and he always seemed to be curled up in a fetal position as if protecting himself. He couldn't count the number of times he had to cover the boy so he didn't catch his death of the cold. Despite that Potter, still seemed tired even though he had not seen signs of anything that could have disturbed his sleep.

He became more enlightened to aspects of the boy when that spunky (albeit clumsy, irritating, annoying, walking catastrophe) girl Tonks came to visit him. Concern was also something he began to feel grow increasingly towards the boy.

He had quirked an eyebrow when he heard some of the authors Potter liked and was interested in. Some were his favourites as well especially Tolkien. He however had burrowed a frown when the topic changed to something as mundane as vacations and Potter said that he hadn't been anywhere.

Surely, he would have gone on vacation with his family. When Dumbledore had placed Potter with the Dursleys, he had given everyone involved in the order a brief rundown on the family and their occupations even amongst protests. Dursley senior if he remembered correctly was the manager of a drilling company. Surely, he could afford a vacation every now and then even if he was the only breadwinner so to speak?

Potter's answer to Tonks question had him narrowing his eyes at the boy. There was something else going on here. At first he hadn't been certain as he didn't have enough to go on but after that conversation; he knew in his gut that Potter was hiding something about his relatives. And he didn't like the foreboding feeling that was filling his gut. There was something the boy was afraid to talk about. His body language gave him away and he wasn't the only one to notice, he saw Tonks eye him as well before looking at him discreetly.

She had shifted the conversation away without problems but he knew as an Auror, her mind was filing the little details away just as his were. He had observed further but found that once the conversation shifted from his relatives, Potter relaxed. The rest of that day had passed well given the trouble magnet for company (though he couldn't decide who was a bigger trouble magnet between Bubblehead and Potter). He had nearly cursed said bubblehead when he heard her screech towards the end of her visit. He growled about experimental ingredients for fertilizer as he made his way towards the entrance.

The daft girl was squealing. Over what, Snape didn't want to guess much. He just wanted the nuisance to be quiet though his glare seems to have had no effect on her.

He was amazed when she showed him Potter's painting that the boy had apparently made for her as a gift at her request. The level of detail was astounding to say the least though the stoic man didn't show that openly. He was amazed at how alive Potter's painting looked despite not being charmed like most paintings in the magical world. The cool backgrounds, the details in the fur, the eyes and the lightening were incredible. Of course, he would not admit it aloud so he reverted to being his usual self. The conversation that followed left him greatly amused.

That brought him back to this morning when he arose from his sleep by a knock on his door. ‘This had better be a damn emergency or I swear heads will roll.' He growled as he put his robe on. His sleepiness vanished as took in Potter's appearance. He shifted in action and cleaned Potter up as he helped him back to his room while questioning him. He was reluctant to leave Potter on his own until his owl gathered his attention. He felt slightly unnerved as his owl had regarded him. There was something different about this owl. She seemed more aware than most owls. As he gave Potter the Migraine Relief Elixir, he was disturbed at how vulnerable the boy looked. More so than when he had seen him before. The potion took most of the pain away but it would be a while before his health recovered. It was starling at how his features changed once the potion took effect. 

He was brought out of his musings when he heard a creak coming from downstairs. He turned sharply at the sound and slowly but quietly stood up and made his way to the door. He discreetly put up some protection wards on Potter as a safety precaution. Even though order members were the only ones able to come in, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He silently made his way downstairs, his wand in front of him and made his way to the landing. There was a shadow at the entrance. The figure was wiping their feet on the entrance mat; their back was turned to him. While they were busy, Snape snuck down and behind the intruder covering their mouth with one hand swiftly, pulling them towards him and held his wand to the intruder's temple.

"Didn't anyone teach you to knock?" he said in a deadly, cold voice.

The figure startled when they felt a hand covering them and the wand pointed at its temple. The intruder turned out to be a she who twisted in his grasp but Snape was unrelenting. She tried again and this time Snape let her go but had his wand still pointed at her. The figure turned and brought out her wand with a swift speed that nearly surprised Snape. The intruder turned out to be someone he didn't expect.

Minerva McGonagall.

"Heavens above, Severus. You nearly gave me a heart attack." The aged witch spat out at her colleague while she tried to calm herself down. She hadn't expected anyone to be up yet which was why she came early. Severus sneaking up behind her was something she should have expected. The man was nothing if not paranoid about safety. ‘That'll teach me to let my guard down.' She thought disparagingly to herself.

Despite the revelation of his unexpected guest, Snape didn't lower his wand. He had to make certain this wasn't an imposter.

"What was the first thing Minerva McGonagall said to me when I first took the position of Potions Master at Hogwarts?" he questioned steely.

Minerva looked at him steadily before she replied. "I told you congratulations and to come to my office for tea and biscuits."

Snape smirked in recollection as he finally lowered his wand. Minerva always enjoyed her tea and biscuits in the company of others. She especially enjoyed verbal spars during said tea times. The first day Minerva invited him, he was amazed at how accepting she had been of him and how she tried to coerce him into conversation. She finally succeeded after a few tries as Snape was very closed off at the time he came to Hogwarts. Something Minerva knew from his time as a student. From then on, they had become friends, something Snape privately revelled in as he did not have many friends after Lily and missed the companionship that came with friendship.

Minerva also lowered her wand once she saw Snape satisfied. She was wearing a dark green skirt and ivory blouse and had a matching shawl wrapped around her and wore long dark boots. She brushed some lint of her shawl and tucked her wand back up her sleeve.

"Was that really necessary?" She asked as they made their way to the kitchen.

"I was not expecting company Minerva and I received no notification that anyone would be coming. Surely, you did not expect me to simply laze about like a dunderhead and not make certain now did you?" he asked rhetorically as he went about making tea. "Breakfast?"

"Something light will do Severus." She set the table and then took her seat. Snape followed shortly after with some toast and fried eggs and a pot of tea.

"So what brings you here this early in the morning Minerva?" Snape questioned curiously as he offered his colleague some eggs before helping himself.

"Albus wanted me to bring you up to date about some situations. But it is best to save them for after the meal."

He eyed her curiously wondering at her tone. She seemed angry at something. He nodded in acceptance and they ate their meals in comfortable silence.

They cleaned up and then retired to the sitting room with the warm mugs of tea.

"Well, what is it?" Snape questioned once they were seated in armchairs by the fire.

"Patience, Severus. You should respect your elders." She said in a patronizing, teasing tone.

"You are deliberately being annoying Minerva." Snape teased back with a snarl.

McGonagall tilted her head, as if listening for something. She looked very reminiscent of her feline counterpart that Snape was almost tempted to laugh. Almost.

"Where is Mr. Potter Severus?" she questioned her younger colleague while narrowing her eyes slightly at the silence of the house.

Snape breathed out and retold the events of the morning to her. She was concerned for her lion as he expected.

"Is he well now?" she questioned setting her mug down.

"He is sleeping at the moment. The potions will most likely make him sleep on an off during the day. I don't expect him to be coherent until tomorrow morning however." He surmised.

"What caused his migraine?"

"It could be anything really." He said. "Migraines have a number of triggers. It could be anything from food to fatigue to physical activity. My guess is fatigue as he has been showing signs of a light sleeping disorder."

"He hasn't been sleeping well?"

"I have observed him having slight bags under his eyes but when I checked on him during the night, he seemed to be sleeping heavily."

She raised an eyebrow at hearing Severus checking on one of her Gryffindors before the amused light went out to be replaced by deep concern.

"Could it be he is having nightmares?" she questioned quietly, the lines in her face burrowing deeper. "About what happened at the end of last year?"

Snape frowned in thought before he answered. "It is...quite possible." He spoke with deliberate slowness as he gathered his thoughts. "In fact, it's more than probable. One doesn't get over something like that simply because they don't talk about it. It's more than likely his memories have been haunting him."

"Has he been talking about what happened? To anyone, even his friends?" she fired rapidly.

Snape eyed Minerva before he answered. "As far as I know, he hasn't spoken to anyone. But then again, Minerva, I'm the ‘dungeon bat of Hogwarts.' I would be the last one he'd speak to of something like this despite our recent cordial pleasantries."

Minerva brow furrowed in thought as she thought over what he friend said. Severus would be the last one Harry would speak to of something so personal. And yet Severus knows better than anyone what Mr. Potter is going through. However, given their histories, she shouldn't ask for the impossible. The day Severus and Harry Potter have a heart to heart conversation will be the day of the apocalypse. Speaking of conversations however...

"I have not been there much for Mr. Potter over the years." She began quietly. Snape looked at her questioningly. "It wasn't until recently I realized how much I have been neglecting Mr. Potter. After the events of first year, he should have been speaking to someone about what happened."

Snape eyed her steadily as she continued. "The events with the Philosopher's Stone were nearly fatal as they were. On top of that, Quirrell attacked Mr. Potter in collaboration with You-Know-Who. Mr. Potter defeated him but Quirrell still died by his hand even if he passed out shortly after. He should have spoken to someone after that. I should have made sure he did."

"I should have made sure he spoke to a counsellor or at least let him know that I was available if he wanted to talk to someone. I didn't. Just as I didn't help him when he was ostracized in his second year for being a parselmouth and accused of attacking his fellow classmates. I didn't help him then. I didn't help him after I learned he faced a basilisk. I didn't help him when I learned how the Dementors affected him."

"What about the Dementors?" Snape interrupted softly.

McGonagall looked up when he spoke. "Remus spoke to me later that year. He told me when he was giving Mr. Potter the extra Patronus lessons, Mr. Potter confessed that he heard his parent's last moments right before they were killed." She eyes moistened in remembrance.

Snape paled when he heard McGonagall's words. He was aware that Potter fainted around Dementors but he thought it had been simply due to their oppressing presence. He had no idea that Potter heard his parent's last moments when he came near those beasts.

He felt a pang in his chest at some emotion he couldn't entirely identify. Life gave its own painful memories as it was. But for the Dementors to bring out the earliest and most likely only memories the boy would ever remember of his parents, right before they died. He couldn't imagine how tortured Potter must have felt at that once he realized what he remembered.

Minerva eyes Severus closely before the man put up his stoic mask. She was almost certain she saw pain and compassion for Mr. Potter before he closed himself off. Searching but finding nothing, she continued but filed his reaction at the back of her mind.

"Then with last year, the entire Tournament. I should have been there for him after what happened at the third task. I should have spoken to him before he left for the summer holidays. But I didn't. And that fault lies with me and me alone."

Snape was quiet for some time before he spoke again. "What do you intend to do then?"

McGonagall sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "I intend to see if he would consent to speaking to a counsellor. If not that, than at least myself or one of the teachers if he doesn't feel comfortable talking to me. Every teacher at school is versed in psychology as part of the requirement as you well know."

Snape nodded at that. He did know. It was a requirement for everyone of the staff had to go through to be able to better understand the students as well as teach and be able to spot anything out of the ordinary in their behaviour. Seminars were held at least once or twice every month in order to update on any new method or study that had come out as well as help teachers identify students that may have learning disabilities or suffer from something else. It was also to bring to the table any concerns teachers might have regarding students.

"Who do you have in mind?" he asked quietly.

Here, Minerva let out a growl. Snape raised an eyebrow at the reaction. This was unexpected.

"It seems," she began with barely restrained fury, "that every counsellor I have spoken to so far are currently unavailable."

Snape blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"I have been to St. Mungo's and tried speaking to some of the counsellors there. It seems they either are booked solid or are suddenly called away."

Snape frowned at that. "I fail to see why you are frustrated Minerva. It is not entirely strange if the counsellors are booked. Some are unable to take patients simply because of the number patients they already deal with are too high. And it is St. Mungo's. They deal with thousands of patients every day."

"I am aware of that Severus. That is why I asked for the counsellors who would be able to take in new patients. And all of them gave me the same response. "I cannot help you at the moment, there is too much going on." Or "I'm sorry but could we perhaps speak another time. The other time never coming. If it was simply two or three counsellors I could understand. But twenty-five counsellors all of them having the same response Severus? Word-for-word?"

Snape straightened as he heard that, his eyes narrowing. "You spoke to twenty-five counsellors? And this was their response? The exact same wording?"

"Yes, Severus it was." She sighed in frustration. "At first I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until I received the same response from the seventh person I spoke too that I tried to understand what was going on."

"What did you find?" he asked, his eyes glinting fiercely. He would bet his best cauldron someone spoke to those counsellors to keep away.

Minerva McGonagall let out a string of curses in her native Gallic that made Severus Snape's eyebrows recedes into his hairline. While he did not speak the language, it didn't take a genius to figure out she was cussing up a storm. It was rare that the Gryffindor lioness ever spoke like this but if she did, nothing good would come of it. Of this, he was absolutely certain.

She looked at him once she calmed down enough to say "Fudge." She spat out the name as one would poison.

"He has been getting his dogs to go behind the scenes and dissuaded anyone from giving any help to Mr. Potter under the pretence that the boy is a compulsive liar and fabricating the entire story as he has been leaning heavily on the Daily Prophet."

"And let me guess, there is nothing that can be done as they have in one way or another been threatened with their jobs or something else personal?" Snape enquired leaning back on his chair.

"Indeed." McGonagall said tightly. "I never gave away the student's name for confidentiality purposes until I was certain that whoever I spoke to would take the student on. However, that has not been the case."

Snape sat up and brought the tips of his fingers and rested his chin on them. "If you are so concerned about Potter's mental state Minerva, the staff is more than capable of speaking to him and everyone has the essential training." He said calmly.

"I know Severus. But I still wanted to see if a counsellor would consent to speaking with him and give their assessment." She sighed and sat back warily in her chair. "I will speak to Mr. Potter myself regarding this matter."

"I take it this was what you wanted to bring to my attention." Snape said quietly.

"This was one of the things yes. The other was our new staff member."

"Pray tell Minerva," Snape spoke with deliberation at the vitriol in her tone. "Who is our new member that brought such you to such a happy state?"

"Umbridge." The name was delivered in the same tone as Fudge's.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the name. It sounded familiar. "The Ministry hag?" he spoke disbelievingly.

"The very same." Minerva said as her lips thinned in fury. "Albus suspected that Fudge would try something like this but wasn't certain until last night. She is now our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."  

They were quiet for a moment as each became lost in their thoughts. Snape brooded internally. Fudge planting one of his own people would be bad news all around. The Umbridge wench was known to be extremely radical is her views. Especially towards anyone she considers part human such as werewolves or half giants. She was also someone who believed every word that came out of the Ministry's mouth even if there was evidence to the contrary.

He would have continued with his dark thoughts and their implications if Minerva speaking again hadn't brought him out of his brooding.

"Albus suspects Fudge planted her to keep an eye on him and the rest of the staff to be certain that Hogwarts wasn't doing anything against the Ministry." She paused for a moment before she continued. "He also believes that she was sent to keep a close eye on Mr. Potter."

Snape looked up at that. It was more than likely the main reason she was planted at Hogwarts. To ensure Mr. Potter did not cause anything problematic for the Ministry.

"I'm worried Severus." Minerva said quietly. "With everything that has happened and now this, I fear Mr. Potter will not be able to cope with whatever that vile woman may do."

Snape looked at her piercingly before he spoke softly. "If it puts your mind at ease Minerva, Potter has been coping."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow in question. "How do you know that?"

"Creative Expression." He said dryly.

She looked questioningly at him at that statement.

"Mr. Potter has recently taken up painting." He said softly. "He probably doesn't even realize what he is doing on a conscious level. Unconsciously, however he has turned to art as a way of dealing with the emotional trauma last year brought."

"Has he, now?" Minerva smiled for the first time since she arrived. "I'm glad then. At least, something is helping him with the events of last year. I will still speak to him still however about talking to someone."

Snape simply nodded. They spoke for another half hour about staff meeting and other mundane things before McGonagall got up to take her leave. As she was about to leave, she turned back to look at Snape intently.

"You will inform me if anything changes with Mr. Potter?" she asked inquiringly.

Snape raised an eyebrow at that.

Seeing this, McGonagall elaborated. "In his health or otherwise."

Snape nodded in agreement. He would inform her if any alarming changes took place that she needed to know about.

"You know Severus, when Albus told me that he had you looking after Mr. Potter I was concerned giving both your histories." McGonagall spoke softly while looking intently at him. "I think however, I see now why he insisted on you looking after the boy."

"Oh?" he questioned curiously. "Do tell Minerva, what the old coot's reasons were for putting us together under the same roof in such close confinement?"

"Tell me Severus, what do you think of Mr. Potter now since the time you two have spent living under the same roof? And do not lie to me young man." She said sternly.

Snape pondered how to answer that question while Minerva looked at him unwaveringly. In the end, he decided to tell a bit of his thoughts based on what he had observed as Minerva would be relentless until she received a satisfactory answer.

"He is not what I expected." He began slowly. "In my class, he would always be the one who is defiant and never seemed to pay attention to his work. Yet since I began living here with him, he is...not unpleasant company."

Minerva gave him a look that said ‘elaborate'.

"He is quiet, more so than I would have believed him to be possible. Yet, he cleans up after himself and during the rather limited but small conversations we've had, he has been... engaging in some intellectual conversations. More thoughtful and reflective than I knew him to be."

"Do you still think him to be arrogant and spoiled?" She asked intently.

Snape reflected back to the first night when Potter came to Grimmauld Place. He thought back to what he gleaned from the boy's mind and his haggard and worn appearance. He thought to everything that happened after that and up to this morning.

If he was to be brutally honest with himself, he would have to say no. He didn't think Potter to be arrogant and spoiled. Reckless, most certainly. Impulsive, definitely. Stubborn, no doubt about it. Spoiled and arrogant? No, Potter most certainly wasn't those. Which brought him back to his suspicions of his relatives and his growing concern. No, the boy was many things but spoiled and arrogant wasn't them. He wondered if he should tell Minerva his suspicions concerning her lion but decided against it for now. He'd tell her when he had something concrete.

He looked up to see her watching him closely, waiting for an answer.

"No." He said simply though it took a lot for him to admit that out loud even if it was only to himself and his friend.

Minerva quirked her lips at seeing the honest and sincere answer in Severus' eyes. "I believe he put you together so you could see Harry as he truly is, without your preconceptions blinding you. And more than likely, he thought that given the recent situation, it would be the perfect opportunity for you to see the truth for what it is." Minerva expression turned stern again. "I don't agree with him taking advantage of Mr. Potter's situation but I understand the reasoning. But I gave him a good talking to when he told me his reasoning, meddlesome old coot."

Snape gritted his teeth at hearing that. While he agreed (if only to himself) that he was...mistaken, he also did not appreciate Dumbledore using Potter's situation as he did. If his plan backfired, there would have been more than one person hurt. And with growing realization, it would have been Potter who took a brunt of the pain.

"Perhaps Severus, you should consider helping Mr. Potter more once the school year begins." McGonagall's voice brought him back to reality.

Snape narrowed his eyes at that. He had a feeling he knew where she was going with this.

"Minerva," he began slowly, his baritone voice lowering to a silky quality. "Even if I have admitted I have mistaken Mr. Potter, it does not mean he would be willing to accept anything from me." Snape narrowed his eyes looking at her intently. "Regardless of us being cordial with one another since I have been looking after him, it does not mean he would speak to me about his problems or his issues whatever they may be. So you can forget about me speaking to him about last year or anything else. I guarantee you; he would vehemently refuse even if we have been civil recently."

"Perhaps," McGonagall said after a pause. "Or perhaps, Mr. Potter's opinion has also changed as yours has and he may not regard you as he did previously."

"You're starting to sound like our barmy employer Minerva." Snape said sardonically.

Minerva conceded and let it go. She'd think about how to help Harry when she returned to her office. 

"Before I forget, Albus asked you to take Mr. Potter to Diagon Alley this week to get his supplies."

"Wonderful," Snape said sarcastically. "Any other surprises?"

"The Weasley twins will be dropping by to visit Mr. Potter. Molly spoke to Albus and cleared the visit. Expect them soon. Other than that, there is nothing."

‘Great,' Snape thought. The biggest menaces to society coming to visit. What joy. ‘I really need to get some scotch.'  He groused.

Minerva turned to leave and looked back at him one more time.

"At least think about it Severus." She said steadily. "You yourself admitted you were wrong and blinded. Don't fall back into old habits." And with that, she left.

He was surrounded by fog and mist. It was impossible to see anything in the haze. There were voices being carried upon the wind, but it was difficult to tell from where and whom. The howling wind began to die down. He could make out some words, but they were still a jumble. Slowly, the voices began to clear and visions began to flash before his eyes.

He heard thunder and screams. His mother's pleas that fell to deaf ears. A cold, cruel laugh resonated through the night before it abruptly died and he was enveloped by darkness. The dark veil started clearing but the visions blurred into one another. He saw things, felt things. He felt the warmth of his baby blanket. He saw the years of his life at the Dursleys pass by, the endless darkness of his cupboard. His first day at school, his Aunt and Uncle showering Dudley with presents. His exhilaration the first time he flew on a broom at Hogwarts.

He saw his years at Hogwarts blurring together into a kaleidoscope of images before they began to distinct themselves from one another. The Philosopher's Stone, the Basilisk, the Dementors at the end of his third year. The scenes from the visions began to sharpen. The Triwizard Tournament. He felt himself shiver in remembrance. He could see it clearly now. The Third Task. The creatures from the maze surrounding him before he saw the cup in the path before him.

He saw a movement from his peripheral vision. He turned and saw Cedric standing next to him, smiling.

"Together." He said firmly.

He tried to move his head, to say no. He tried to say it was dangerous. His mouth moved but no sound escaped him. It was like his voice was trapped. He felt his body move, towards the cup with his hand outstretched and saw Cedric moving with him.

'No, we can't. Don't touch it. You'll die.' He tried to scream but found himself unable to.

The scene shifted suddenly. He looked around and found himself standing in the graveyard with Cedric lying on the ground, eyes wide open. Movement from his right caused him to shift into a guarded position, his wand ready, a spell on the tip of his tongue but it was too late. The green light of the killing curse came towards him, striking him-

"You disappoint me." A cold voice spoke into a deadly silent room.

The scene altered again but this time felt different from the previous ones. He looked around and found himself standing in a large ornamented room about half the size of the Great Hall. Once upon a time, it must have been splendid. Now, the plush Persian rugs that decorated the floor were worn and ragged while the decorative tables and mahogany furniture showed wear and age. The deep curtains that may have been a shade of deep maroon were now lank and gray with filth making it look a sickly gray and there was a layer of dust on all the surroundings.

A large chandelier hung from the ceiling giving a soft glow from the candles but illuminating the small cobwebs that rested on its surface. The large French windows filtered the moonlight in slowly through its planes.

There were people in the room as well. A small crowd of five, all wearing black robes who kneeled before him. Their heads were bowed down making it difficult to see their faces.

A smooth, lithe body of a serpent slithered out silently from the darkness of the room behind the kneeling men. It raised itself on his haunches, circling them, waiting in anticipation.

"You had but one task. To find one of them. Yet, you could not even do that." The chilling voice spoke again. He moved pacing sedately before he stopped before the kneeling men.

"Crucio."

Screams rang through the chamber, the only sign of life within the desolate walls. The screams seemed to go on forever before they finally quieted. The kneeling men trembled yet they didn't dare move from the kneeling positions in fear.

"The only source is with Dumbledore." The cold voice began speaking again. He made his way to the large chair and seated himself before the voice continued. "I do not want to be caught off guard. You have two weeks. Find them." A hint of anger escaped from the voice, boiling its blood before it settled.

"Yes Master." Chorused the kneeling men before they gathered themselves and hastily exited the chamber. Silence reined. The serpent slithered across the hall towards him, hissing soothingly before the voice spoke again.

"Pearson."

A slim figure emerged from the shadows making its way towards him. The moonlight shone on the shadowed man allowing him to see his features. The figure was nearly six feet tall, with dirty blond hair cropped short and neatly. He had a square jaw that was accented by the low light in the room and bouncing off his tanned skin. His thin lips were set in a straight line while his hazel eyes shone with a cruel light. He bowed down before him, kissing the hems of his robes. "My Lord." He spoke reverently.

"Rise," he commanded. "You know your task. Are you prepared?"

"Yes, My Lord. I will begin immediately." The man spoke in a cool tone with a gleam of predatory anticipation and a cruel smile upon his thin lips.

"You will report your progress to me at all times Pearson." The cold tone from him demanded.

"Of course, My Lord." Pearson agreed amiably as if there was any doubt.

"You are dismissed." He turned away and looked out the window at the night grounds. Pearson rose and quickly left the chamber. He stared out at the night for some time. His serpent companion made her way to him softly and nudged his hand. He caressed her head gently before he turned and spoke to her.

"Come. I have had enough for the night."

He exited the chambers and began to walk down the hall when the scene shifted as abruptly as before. He was in a long corridor with multiple locked doors on either side of him. A door appeared in front of him at the end of the corridor. He felt gleeful. Yes, this was his door. He walked and then slowly started running to it. This was the key. Just a little further. The door unlocked as he got closer. He reached out his hand, his fingers brushing the doorknob when-

Harry woke up gasping with a start as he felt someone shake him. He looked around wildly, disorientated before his eyes found the form of his Professor hovering above him, looking down. He looked up, squinting and could just barely make out Snape's concerned features. 'Concerned?' Harry thought confusingly, slowly coming to awareness.

"Potter?" Snape inquired softly, his brows furrowed as he looked at Harry intently.

Harry blinked up at him before he felt his glasses placed gently on his face allowing him to see. Harry sat up slightly before he groaned, feeling the pounding in his head and lay back down.

"Pro-Professor?" he questioned tiredly looking up.

"You seemed to be having a nightmare Mr. Potter." He said softly for which Harry was grateful since his head felt like it was going to split.

"Nightmare?" he questioned. He thought back to his dream. Could it be qualified as a nightmare? It was certainly confusing. He could recall hearing his mother's screams and then flashes of his years from Hogwarts. After that however, the dream didn't make any sense to him. He remembered himself standing in an ornament hall. An abandoned manor maybe? He had no idea where it came from though. There were other people there as well including that man that came after the others left. What had Harry feeling uneasy though was the Cruciatus Curse. He was certain he had used it in his dream. Where had that come from though? Harry hated anything to do with the Unforgivable Curses. He vaguely recalled the dream he had last summer before he began his fourth year. Was this dream similar to that?

"Potter?" Snape voice broke Harry out of his musings and he turned to face him. Snape's face had an unreadable expression though his eyes never left Harry's.

Harry shook his head. "It wasn't a nightmare." He said in answer to Snape's previous question. Snape expression didn't change and he continued to look at Harry. Harry squirmed, uncomfortably. "Really. It wasn't." He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. Himself or Snape.

Snape continued to look at him so Harry decided to give a little of the truth to get Snape off his back.

"Memories." He said after taking a deep breath.

There was a flicker of emotion in Snape's eyes before it was gone and Harry wasn't sure whether he had actually seen it or not. Snape leaned back and sat back in the armchair, which Harry just noticed, all the while still not taking his eyes of him.

"I see." He said softly.

Harry looked around for a clock but remembered his room didn't have one. "What time is it?"

"Half past noon."

Harry's eyed widened at that. Half past noon? He never slept that late.

"How are you feeling, Potter?" Snape enquired as he set the newspaper that rested in his lap aside and turned his attention back to Harry.

"A little better." Harry said after a minute. "Head still hurts though." He grimaced as he felt a sharp pain punctuated in his temple.

"I will bring your lunch. After that, Potter, you will take your potion again and rest the remainder of the day." Snape said as he rose from his armchair.

"I have to stay in bed the whole day?" Harry asked incredulously. "I've been in bed to long already. It's not that bad anymore."

"Potter." Snape said sternly turning to him, his voice never raising a decibel. "You have a migraine. A severe one. It can take anywhere from four hours to seventy-two hours for a migraine to be negated. Even if you think you feel better, I am not going to allow you to gallivant about before I have ensured you make a complete and full recovery."

Harry sat up and opened his mouth to argue again when the pain in his temple sharpened. Snape noticed immediately and pushed Harry down firmly. "Lie down."

Harry's head hurt too much for him to argue anymore. The pillow beneath him was a much desired luxury at the moment.

"Could I have my sketchbook at least?" he asked a little timidly, not wanting to speak to loudly in case his head got worse.

Snape looked at Harry with a look that clearly said 'What-part-of-you-need-to-rest-do-you-not-get?' a small frown starting to form between his eyes. He was certain Snape was about to give him a snarky comment. Instead, he was surprised when Snape took a deep breath and released a small, almost inaudible sigh.

"Potter," Snape began mildly, a picture of the utmost patience, "You have a migraine. In order for you to recover, you need complete, absolute rest." There was a heavy emphasis on rest. "Which means," his eyes piercing him as he spoke "no outside stimuli that may excite your condition."

"Come on, I'm stuck in bed with nothing to do. Sir." Harry started, amending his sentence quickly after a look from Snape. "I don't even need to look at anything specific to draw, just a blank page to...doodle." He finished softly, not really wanting to say more but trying to plead his case. He didn't want to come out and admit the real reason he wanted his sketchbook. When Harry was little, drawing was his main past time when he was stuck in his cupboard, especially when he was sick. He could forget the rest of the world, forget his pain and focus on something else other than the fact that his relatives would rather lock him up in his cupboard than take the time to take care of him. Drawing brought him peace and was his escape. He could depict his dreams and wish silently they would come true. He was also hoping to draw some of what he remembered vividly from his dream down on paper. It would help to clear his mind and he used to do that when he was little and had the odd dream of what he now knew to be his life with his parents.

Snape looked at Harry for a long moment, assessing. Harry couldn't read anything from the man's facial expression. He may as well be looking at a brick wall. Again, there was some flicker in Snape's eyes before he nodded.

"Very well," Snape said and moved to retrieve Harry's sketchbook and pencil from his table. Harry reached out to take it until Snape pulled it out of reach. Harry was about to protest but Snape cut him off before he could say anything. "Understand this, Mr. Potter," he said, looking directly at Harry and silencing his protests by raising his hand to forestall any arguments. "This goes against my better judgement. However, I am willing to compromise on this matter. If you can keep yourself from drawing until I have assessed your condition after lunch and I believe it will not cause undue stress, you may draw to your heart's content." He looked at Harry as he said this who nodded his understanding. "However," Harry felt he should have expected a 'but' to Snape's condition "If I believe that your pastime will be counterproductive to your health, you will not draw in your sketchbook until such a time that it is no longer an issue. Is that amendable?" Snape finished softly.

Harry looked at Snape in shock. Granted, they were getting along better but he still didn't expect a compromise like this from him. Harry thought the offer over. There was really no reason he could think of to refute it. Snape was being quite reasonable and allowing Harry his sketchbook as long as he didn't stress himself. And he hadn't said that he would confiscate his sketchbook if he didn't meet Snape's expectations; just that Harry couldn't draw until his health wasn't an issue. He nodded his agreement from his position in bed. Snape placed the sketchbook and pencil in Harry's hand who gave a small tentative smile in gratitude.

Snape simply nodded his head. "Anything else you wish to bring to my attention?" he asked dryly. Harry shook his head. "Very well. Stay in bed Potter while I go and get you your potion and some food." And he left before Harry could say another word.

He stared at the door Snape left through for a long moment before he blinked. Despite his resolve to try to understand and respect Snape, Harry still sometimes couldn't believe that his efforts, whatever they were, weren't in vain since it seemed Snape at some level reciprocated. It was nearing the end of summer and soon Harry would have to go back to Hogwarts. In that time, he had seen a very different side of Snape. There were no sneers, no disparaging looks except for the first day or so. His perception of the potions master had undergone a strong metamorphosis. Before, he saw a snarky, unfair greasy git. Now he still snarky, still a git (he hadn't forgotten the Tonks incident) but he was also someone who had a sarcastic, dry humor. He was strict but from what he had seen it was because of wanting the best results in whatever he set out to do and an expert in his field and highly knowledgeable. Oddly enough, the small talks they had during their stay here the most were...nice. Snape also had a few surprises with him.

Like the fact he was a fan of the Beatles, liked doing the crosswords in the newspapers and mutter some choice words he didn't think he would ever hear from his professor when he was reading the politics section and that his favourite color aside from black was dark blue.

Harry, in his own musings, could admit to himself after everything he had seen, even now with everything that things had changed. The small respect that he had for Snape since the end of fourth year had grown a great deal. And with the onslaught of his migraine attack, Harry was grateful and touched by Snape's actions deep down. His relatives never cared one way or another about him no matter what happened unless he somehow made them look bad. Snape however, didn't have to take care of him like this and he was touched deep inside that he would and that he tried to make Harry feel comfortable when he didn't have too. It was a profound difference in comparison to the Durlseys. There if he was sick, he was to be out of sight so he couldn't contaminate the rest of the family as his aunt once said. Dudley however, if he got sick was to stay in bed the whole time and got to watch plenty of shows on the telly while Aunt Petunia served him soup and chocolate ice-cream in bed and Uncle Vernon set up his game console so Dudley could play a few of his dozen games.

Being told to stay in bed and rest from Snape of all people, when he was sick felt...nice. He was unused to it, but there was no denying the small glow of warmth he felt that someone was concerned about his health in this manner. Even if it was from Snape of all people. Would his parents have behaved similarly like his aunt and uncle if he was sick if they were alive? Or would they follow more of Snape's style of Harry staying in bed and not exerting himself? At the thought of his parents, he remembered their faces from the graveyard and he felt a deep, painful longing for having someone to care for him the way they would if they had lived.

So lost in his musings, that Harry wasn't even aware that he wasn't alone anymore.

OoOoOoOoO

Severus made his way down to the kitchens. There was some beef stew and some lentil soup leftover from before along with some bread and chicken. He began to heat the food up, though his mind was occupied with what he had seen and heard from Potter.

After Minerva had left earlier that morning, Severus had spent the rest of the time staying with Potter to ensure his condition didn't get worse. While his charge slept, he had mostly finished his marking and preparing his syllabus for the coming year for his classes. Afterwards, he simply spent his time reading the newspaper, rag that it was; it never hurt to know what one was saying given the current situation. He had been doing the daily crossword when he saw a movement in his peripheral vision.

Potter started twitching in his sleep. He had been about to go back to his crossword when he didn't see any other movement when Potter began gasping.

Severus moved swiftly to his side, to check for signs of distress when Potter began trashing his head side to side. He was gasping and moaning as if he was running from something and in pain. Severus had never seen signs of such a distressing nightmare from Potter, let alone one as vivid as this one seemed to be and was shocked. Potter was twitching and then he began whimpering and curling up in his sleep. The pitiful whimpers tightened something in his chest as he heard them, though he didn't want to identify what at the moment. First thing was to deal with Potter. Everything else could wait.

"Potter." He called softly, trying to not startle the boy awake too quickly as that would leave him disorientated. It didn't help, his whimpers only increased in volume.

"Potter, you need to wake up." He slightly shook the child to bring him to some sense of awareness while he at the same time began rubbing small circles on his back in an attempt to calm him down. It seemed to work as his whimpers decreased and he didn't seem to be moving as much as before. Potter subconsciously seemed to lean into the touch at his back as well, drawing more comfort from it. He continued rubbing small circles on the child and called out to him more firmly one more time and shook him.

That seemed to do the trick as Potter woke in the next instant as if he ran a marathon. He seemed confused to his whereabouts so Severus quickly handed him his glasses so he could get his bearings straight and moved back to his seat in the armchair. He didn't think Potter was even aware that Severus' hand had been rubbing circles to calm him.

Potter himself seemed confused when he questioned him about his dream. He did seem to be thinking it over and finally gave him an answer. It wasn't a nightmare as far as Potter was concerned. His answer however gave him cause for more concern. Potter tried switching the topic and for a moment it was interesting to see his disbelieving look when he told him the time. He didn't however appreciate the boy's gall to wanting to get out of bed so soon. He still suffered from the migraine; he could still see the signs of it yet the boy wanted to move about when he needed to rest more before anything else. He managed to get his way but not before Potter made a request for his sketchbook.

He had been sorely tempted to give a scathing comment when he looked more closely at the boy. There was something almost vulnerable and pleading in the boy's expression though he tried to hide it and his pain that was evident in his eyes. He remembered Potter's painting for Bubblehead and though he hadn't seen anything else that boy had done, he did remember his serene and peaceful expression when he was drawing. As if he could forget the outside world.

Could Potter's hobby be more than a mere way of passing time? A coping mechanism, perhaps? Was it also like therapy for him? A way for him to express himself and unburden himself, like one would in a journal? Or was it that Potter wanted to record what he could remember of his dream, like a dream journal? If that was the case, it would be beneficial for Potter to have that outlet. It was for that reason, that he allowed Potter to have his sketchbook close at hand. However, he still was concerned about Potter stressing himself which was why he brought forth his proposition. Once Potter was given his potion and some of his symptoms were alleviated, then he could determine if Potter would be able to stay awake for sometime without causing himself more harm. If he could, then fine, it would be good for the boy to do something productive. If not, Potter would sleep until his migraine disappeared. The smile that boy gave him when he handed him his sketchbook was a surprise. Though if he were to be honest to himself, the gesture of gratitude was not unwelcome and had not gone unnoticed.

He came to as he was getting some plates by a flash of fire. He whipped his wand in the direction of the flash but saw nothing except a stack of parchment where Fawkes had arrived momentarily to deliver his parcel before he left in the same instant he came. 'Meddlesome, irritating feather duster.' Snape groused internally before he retrieved the stack of parchment from where the table they were placed and pocketed them for the time being and turned back to what he was doing. He'd read the missives later after he ensured Potter was taken care of. The food was ready now and Severus placed the nourishment on a tray. He paused for a moment before he prepared another tray for himself. He hadn't had his own lunch either so he may as well have it now at the same time as Potter. He flicked his wand and levitated both trays and navigated them up the stairs to Potter's room.

He was about to enter Potter's room when he paused. Potter wasn't aware of his presence and it seemed as he was lost in thought. The potions master observed him for a moment unnoticed. There were many emotions crossing the boy's face. He could make out a look that he could only think of as grateful. Then there was astonishment along with other emotions such as, if he was reading him right, respect before the child's expressions became melancholy. The change in his thought pattern was evident and rather startling. What garnered Severus attention however was the look on the boy's face, a look he could only describe as deep longing or pain. It was...tormented. The only way he could describe it. Potter eyes had taken on the same look he had seen briefly before when he first came to Grimmauld Place.

'What are you thinking about, Potter, that is causing you so much pain?' Snape wondered, the small seed of concern for his charge growing. It brought back his conversation with Minerva that morning as well. He would have to speak to her. Something was troubling the boy and he had a feeling there was more to it than last year's events. He got a hold of himself. Act normally. Get him to eat than figure out how to get him to talk.

"Daydreaming Potter?" he enquired in a wry tone.

Potter started a little. He'd been unaware that he was being observed for the past five minutes, but Severus had no intention of telling him that. Not at the moment at least.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there, sir." Harry offered while trying to hide how much the Professor startled him. Severus said nothing to his explanation except raising a slight eyebrow. He helped Harry sit up, another thing that confused Harry, before he placed his lunch tray in front of him. Once Harry was situated, Severus took his seat in his armchair and began to eat his own lunch.

Harry looked at his selection before he decided to start with the beef stew with some bread. After the first day, Snape had taken over most cooking duties, though Harry did help with the little things like setting the table. Snape was a surprisingly good cook.

They passed the time in the odd comfortable silence they had established since they began living together. Harry was halfway through his stew when the silence was broken.

"What subject matter do you focus on?" Snape suddenly asked casually out of the blue.

Harry turned to Snape, not expecting the question. Snape wasn't looking at him. He looked bored as he ate his lentil soup though he was looking relaxed as he sat in his chair.

"Subject matter, sir?" Harry looked curiously at him.

Snape raised a slight eyebrow as he looked at Harry. "For your extra-curricular activity."

"Oh." Harry said looking slightly flushed at not understanding the first time. "Well, it varies, really."

"On what?" Snape asked as he speared his chicken. He indicated for Harry to continue eating when he saw he stopped when they started their conversation.

Harry picked up his spoon again and stirred his stew. Their previous meal time conversations normally were centred on what they were going to do for the day or something else mundane. The few personal titbits that Harry learned about his professor were through observations. The rest from occasionally picking something out that was mentioned in talk. Or from coming across the professor unexpectedly. Like how Harry was crossing the Professor's room heading down to the library to find a reference book when he heard a Beatles song coming from Snape's room. He recognized the tune from something Aunt Petunia used to play from time to time when he was little. He remembered being shocked at hearing something so...muggle-like from Snape; he was strongly tempted to ask Snape about it but thought that might be suicidal on his part. He didn't get long to contemplate it as at lunch that day Snape threatened, albeit calmly, for Snape almost nicely to never mention he liked listening to the Beatles while he was marking fifth year homework assignments. Harry remembered later giggling at the image of Snape tapping his foot and dancing to a Beatles tune when no one was looking in the sanctuary of his own room.

He looked at Snape out of the corner of his eye. He seemed genuinely curious about what Harry drew. And the other times when they talked or something happened such as when Snape made fun of him when Tonks was over, there was an amused glint in his eye but he never outright mentioned it. Just kept it to himself and Harry could later see the amusement though he kept that to himself.

"Well," Harry began slowly, gathering his thoughts. Snape had been quite decent here. And whatever they talked about, he did keep it to himself. So Harry thought, why not?

He helped himself with a spoonful of stew before he began talking again. "I don't usually have a particular subject as a focus per say. I just pick a random topic and start on that."

"And what topics have you explored, Mr. Potter?" Snape enquired curiously though he made no outward change.

"Well," Harry started. "I'm done mostly animals at the moment. You know, starting small like with rabbits or birds."

"Or cheetah cubs?" Snape said with a deadpanned expression though there was a small twitch of his lips.

Harry coloured but gave a small hint of a smile at that. They spent the rest of the meal with Harry talking about the types of techniques he'd used so far and what he would like to try next. Snape surprisingly gave some suggestions that Harry thoughts might be interesting to do.

Lunch polished off, Snape flicked his wand and banished the dishes to the kitchen.

"How are you feeling now Potter?" Snape asked once the dishes had vanished.

Harry pondered, silently assessing. He felt a little tired and his head still throbbed. Despite eating just now, he felt slightly dizzy and nauseous. It wasn't as bad as before but it still was a problem. He had a feeling he wasn't going to be able to draw like he wanted to. He wondered if he should try to pass it off that he's better and didn't need any more rest.

Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face because Snape suddenly wore a foreboding expression.

"Do not attempt to lie to me, Potter. I will not be pleased." Snape said silkily.

"Heads pounding a bit." Harry said quietly after slumping his shoulders. He was suddenly too tired to argue with Snape.

"Any pain?" Snape said as he retrieved Harry's potion from his robes and set it on the table while he looked Harry over.

"Umm...it's not as bad as before." Not entirely certain how to answer. He didn't think it was chronic though, as he wasn't in blinding pain.

"Are there any flashes or blind spots?" Harry shook his head in the negative. "Nausea? Dizziness?"

"A little." Snape handed Harry his potion after running his own diagnostic confirming the symptoms. Harry drank it down, grimacing a little. He was a bit more aware than the first time he took it so he hadn't noticed the taste then.

"Sleep, Potter." Snape intoned. Harry looked at him blearily, his eyes already drooping. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Snape looked at Harry for a moment before he moved his sketchbook to the boy's desk but still within his reach. He turned back to his charge before he set a monitoring charm on him and quietly made his way out the door. He had some work to do.

OoOoOoOoO

Two days later, Harry was looking at himself in a mirror preparing to leave for Diagon Alley. He wondered if he could hex Snape to hell without getting killed in the process. Snape, with McGonagall had informed him yesterday when his migraine finally abated that they were going to Diagon Alley to get Harry's school supplies. There was just one catch. They were going incognito and Snape was going to be with him the whole time. Snape had put his disguise on earlier using a combination of illusion charms and what he said was 'human transfiguration'. Currently, Harry was sporting a dark brown hair styled with a slight wave, a few freckles dusted across his nose and cheeks. His eyes had been charmed to be temporarily blue. His scar, which most of the Wizarding world recognized him by was hidden with; Harry grimaced at the thought, muggle make-up. He didn't even want to know why Snape had that with him.

He looked like somewhere between a hybrid of an ordinary boy and a dark mini-Lockhart, which was what really irked him at the moment along with the make-up. In his opinion, at the very least. Snape however, had vindictive pleasure doing this to him and told him to quit being so melodramatic. The only good thing about this trip was that the twins would be joining them at Diagon Alley so Harry would be able to have some fun.

"Potter, get down here already." Snape called impatiently.

Harry gritted his teeth in irritation. This was going to be a really trying day. It didn't help that Harry was already in a bad mood. Two days ago, he spent the day the same as the first night he had his migraine though a bit more active. He had managed to sketch some of the sequences he remembered from his dreams hoping to make sense of it. All he really remembered though was the man who Harry was able to vaguely recall and the corridor. He wondered what the whole thing had been about but could make no sense of it no matter what he tried. It didn't help that the talk with McGonagall and Snape from yesterday was still on his mind.

Harry woke up slowly to the world around him. His migraine was barely there anymore for which he was thankful. Coming to, Harry could dimly hear voices that seemed to be coming from somewhere nearby but his mind was still in too much of a haze to make much out except that there were two voices outside his door perhaps.

"...should be fine...available...later..."

"...discuss..."

"...there...concerns...uneasy..."

"...may be more...pain..."

"...address...skills...boy..."

Harry felt a pickle of curiosity through his sleep ridden mind. What was he hearing? Who were they talking about? What boy? He slowly started to sit up letting out a small groan. Maybe he could sleep longer. He still felt tired. The voices stopped abruptly and Harry heard the door to his room open. He looked up and could make out the black blur to be Snape who handed Harry his glasses while he was trying to make out the other blur next to Snape. His vision came into focus and he saw the concerned features of his Head of House.

"Professor?" Harry said, his voice slightly slurred from sleep.

"Good morning Mr. Potter. How do you feel?" The Scottish woman asked sitting at the edge of Harry's bed.

"Better, Professor." He said clearing his throat.

"No nausea or dizziness?" The question came from Snape this time.

Harry turned to face Snape. Despite learning a few new things about him, it was still a little difficult to comprehend that this was the same man who hated him. The concern from him was something he was unused to. If it could be called concern, since he didn't show anything and just looked bored.

"No."

"The light doesn't hurt?" McGonagall asked.

Harry noticed for the first time since he woke up, that his curtains were slightly drawn. Not much but enough for some light to brighten the room considerably.

Harry shook his head. McGonagall showed relief while Snape remained unreadable as ever.

"You joined us just in time Mr. Potter. It`s lunchtime."

Harry widened his eyes slight at that. He never slept in this late.

"Lunch will be served in fifteen minutes Potter. Wash up and join us downstairs." Snape said and with that, strode out of the room.

"Freshen up and come join us downstairs, Mr. Potter. I believe there's fish on the menu today." McGonagall said as she stood up as well but peered over her square spectacles at Harry, giving him a small smile before she too left the room.

Harry stared after her momentarily dazed before he got up and started moving. He washed and dressed in ten minutes and made his way downstairs. He entered the kitchen to find Snape and McGonagall already seated waiting for him. He willed himself not to squirm when their attention suddenly shifted to him from their conversation and took his seat.

It was very odd, he decided, having lunch with your teachers. Lunch was decidedly an awkward affair for Harry at least. While he'd gotten use to eating with Snape, he felt extremely out of sorts with McGonagall present. Therefore, he didn't speak much even though there was enough conversation between the two professors that his input wasn't needed even though he had no idea what they were speaking off. Something regarding 'budgets' and meetings with the Board of Governors. McGonagall did try to include him as surprisingly did Snape.

After the dishes were cleared, McGonagall conjured a tea service with a flick of her wand.

"Tea, Potter?" McGonagall asked flicking her wand again summoning pastries from the pantry and a few cream scones.

"Yes Professor." Harry accepted as she passed him his cup. He wrapped his hands around the warm ceramic, ideally watching as his Head of House served Snape some tea as well.

"Do have some of the pastries, Mr. Potter. There're quite good." McGonagall said as she served herself.

Harry helped himself to some. Pastries were one of his favourite sweet dishes next to treacle tart.

"Do have some yourself as well, Severus." McGonagall said directing a pointed look at the Potions Professor.

Snape threw a cool look at McGonagall before helping himself to some fruit instead. He threw another look at her, as if daring her to say something.

McGonagall simply looked back unflinchingly, though if he looked closely enough, Harry could have sworn he saw her lips twitching, as if she was trying hard not to smile.

Harry wasn't sure what to think. He'd never really seen this side of either of his professors before. At school, the only time he saw them together was at the head table in the Great Hall or if they were maybe walking down the corridors heading for the staff room. Otherwise, they always seemed to keep to their own domain. McGonagall in the towers while Snape in the dungeons. It was...different, he decided for the lack of a better word, seeing them like this. He was actually beginning to wonder if he had stepped into an alternate reality like in so many fantasy books.

"Do you need your eyes examined Potter? Or are you waiting for an epiphany to reveal itself to you, that you staring at me like a primate?" Snape said blandly, looking Harry in the eye who was startled out of his musings.

Harry realized that he was so engrossed in his ponderings that he had been staring at Snape since McGonagall offered him the pastry. He bristled at the insult and narrowed his eyes at Snape automatically in response to the condescending tone. He was very tempted to say something but remembered last minute, McGonagall was present.

He was saved the trouble as McGonagall spoke before him. "That's quite enough. No sparring. Severus, do remember what we discussed." The Transfiguration Professor said giving him a look that Harry couldn't make out. Snape, amazingly simply nodded after a minute. Harry had no idea what that was about. He absently thought to himself to figure it out later as McGonagall now turned to him.

"Though, Professor Snape does raise a good point, however unorthodoxly Mr. Potter." McGonagall said, turning to him. "When was the last time you had your eyes examined?" She looked at him closely, as if suddenly noticing something. "If memory serves me well, you are wearing the same pair you had on when you first arrived to Hogwarts as a first-year."

Harry was taken aback at the sudden change in conversation. Truth was that he was wearing the same pair of glasses he had since first year. When he first got them with Aunt Petunia, they were already a little big for him but it still worked well enough for him that he could see without squinting. When he came to Hogwarts, he was so used to his glasses by then that, he hardly ever remembered their poor condition.

While he was well aware that it was necessary for him to have regular eye exams, he could hardly bring the subject up to the Dursleys. They barely tolerated him and even that was a generous view of their attitude and behaviour in his opinion. Vernon and Petunia had only begrudgingly paid for the glasses when he first needed them. Getting them to take him to an eye exam and attaining another pair was out of the question.

"My eyes are fine, Professor." Harry said after a moment, seeing that both teachers were looking expectedly at him.

Harry saw both Professors narrow their eyes slightly at him. It was slightly eerie how similar their actions were. Harry saw that, McGonagall at least was not satisfied with his answer. Snape kept giving him an odd look he couldn't make out otherwise; he had no other sign to his thoughts.

"That does not answer my question, Mr. Potter." McGonagall said looking at him over her own square spectacles. "When did you last have an eye exam?"

"I had one done a while ago Professor." Harry said, as nonchalantly as possible. It wasn't technically a lie. He did have an eye exam done a while ago. If you consider having an eye exam back in primary school a while ago. Harry simply neglected to mention he hadn't had one since because the Dursleys would rather splurge on themselves than let him have an eye exam.

"And there has been no change in your prescription?" McGonagall asked with the same pointed look. "No blurring of vision? No headaches? You have no difficulty reading material or doing tasks? Because you seem to be squinting a great deal Mr. Potter. And that to me Mr. Potter is one of the many signs of requiring new spectacles." She said giving him a stern look, silently demanding an explanation. Harry forced himself not to squirm in his chair at the look while trying to hide the slowly growing ball of dread that was making itself known in his stomach.

He was unused to anyone really asking him about things like this. In fact, he couldn't really remember when anyone had asked him about the small things like this.

"Indeed, you do seem to be doing that a great deal." Snape said quietly, almost as if he was musing to himself. Harry saw he was looking at him with the same unreadable look as before but his onyx eyes were as sharp as blades as even he seemed to now be waiting for an answer from Harry.

'Great, now Snape is on my case? Is the apocalypse coming?' Harry growled internally. At that moment, he blinked rapidly to clear his vision. Now that he thought about it, he had been having some trouble lately. He had been peering at his sketchbook closely a lot when he woke up the first day after his migraine. Even after. And some time before that. But surely, that didn't mean he needed new glasses, did it? He had been having a few headaches on and off even when he was at Privet Drive, but that was because of the heat. Wasn't it? Whatever, he was fine. But maybe he should look into seeing if he could get an eye exam done discreetly. He couldn't deny he more than likely needed new glasses though he really didn't want to have the Dursleys, Dudley especially wreck it like he did with his current glasses. But his resources were limited at the moment, so he'll have to make the most of what was available to him.

He felt very reluctant bringing this subject up with his Professors though. McGonagall wanted to help, he could see that but he still was hesitant in asking for help. Previous experience from the Dursleys taught him to not ask for anything. Snape, though he had no clue about him. He definitely wasn't all Harry thought him to be and he couldn't deny he had seen another side to the stoic Professor which before he would have said didn't exist. But Snape was bloody difficult to read. Harry found it impossible to tell what the man was thinking and even now, the fact he was acting as cool as a cucumber while at the same time producing a calm demeanour that also silently radiated authority and make it clear that he wanted answers as well like McGonagall was if possible, more unnerving.

"I did have an eye exam done." Harry said calmly as possible, praying that the Professors couldn't hear the loud pounding that Harry was pretty sure was his heart. "I just haven't had a chance to go about ordering the new prescription. I'm going to do that soon." He said, hoping to get them to drop the subject.

"Why did you not inform me Potter?" Snape asked in a calm voice that underneath Harry was certain he heard a hint of steel in the silky tone.

"Huh?" Harry said flabbergasted. Inform Snape?

"Potter," Snape began, pinning him with an irascible look. "Astounding as this may be for you, I am your Guardian for the duration of our stay in this hovel." Snape sneered giving an acid glare at the surroundings of the Black kitchen before turning back to glare at Harry. "Had you informed me Potter, I would have ensured you were able to settle the matter. Without leaving it to the last minute." Snape glared as he finished.

Harry looked at Snape blearily while internally kicking himself. 'Damn it.' He thought mentally smacking himself. He tried to diffuse and dismiss the situation and instead it backfired on him.

"Well?" Snape snapped at him bringing Harry out of his internal scolding.

"Well what?" Harry snapped back before he could think.

"Manners, Mr. Potter. There is no need to lose your temper. And you as well Severus." McGonagall scolded to both occupants turning a stern look at Harry and then directing the same to the Potions Professor.

"Why didn't you see fit to inform me you needed new glasses Potter?" Snape asked, barely controlling the vitriol he felt at the dunderheaded brat for neglecting to mention something of that importance.

Harry swallowed before scowling at Snape to hide his unease at the turn of the situation.

"It slipped my mind." It was the best excuse Harry could come up with. Slipped his mind? Of course, it slipped his mind. He'd be hard pressed to bring it up if it didn't even occur to him himself that he needed an eye exam, let alone new glasses. Unfortunately, Harry had a feeling he made things worse for himself.

He wasn't disappointed.

"Slipped your mind?" Snape said in a frighteningly calm voice. His black eyes staring piercingly at Harry. The look in Snape's eyes told Harry that he was in for it. He had a strong hunch that Snape knew he was lying.

"Well, we'll just have to ensure it is properly sorted out tomorrow, now won't we?" Snape said in a deliberately light tone.

"Huh?" Harry said. What's happening tomorrow?

"Eloquent, aren't you Potter?" Snape said sardonically.

"Severus," McGonagall said in a warning tone. Harry had honestly forgotten that she was still there. Receiving only a lifting of a brow from the Potions master, she turned to Harry answering his unspoken question. "Professor Snape and I were finalizing arrangements earlier for your outing to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

Harry stared for a minute in disbelief before he broke out in a wide smile. He could go out. Finally! "I can go to Diagon Alley?" he asked excitedly.

McGonagall gave a small, almost unnoticeable smile at Harry. "Yes, Mr Potter. You will be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow. However, you will be accompanied by Professor Snape." Harry felt his excitement dim a little. Snape was going with him to Diagon Alley? Why couldn't he just go by himself?

"While I am certain you would prefer to go by yourself or your friends Mr Potter," McGonagall started to say, as if she knew what he was thinking, "It would be safer if you were in a more discrete group where you would not stand out."

Harry still must have a look of confusion of his face because McGonagall continued.

"It is well known among many people that you are great friends with Mr Weasley and Miss Granger. Especially among You-Know-Who's followers. They will expect you to be with them wherever you go. And vice versa. The Headmaster thought it would be safer if you went incognito and with an adult guard. It will prevent you from being an open target."

"But if Ron and Hermione or the others go to Diagon Alley, won't they then be a target if Voldemort-" both Professors flinched at the name "-decides to go after them?" Harry asked, seeing a flaw in this plan.

"Molly and Arthur already got everything for them and their children earlier when they went with a guard. Discreetly, of course. Molly was going to get your supplies as well but the Headmaster said to leave it as you would be getting your own later with a guard. Is the arrangement agreeable to you Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded reluctantly. He would have liked to go with Ron and Hermione but as that wasn't likely now, he'd take what he could get. Even if it meant going to Diagon Alley with Snape. He grimaced internally at the thought.

"I understand you would have liked to go with your friends. However, you may be pleased to know that the Weasley twins have decided to join you and Professor Snape."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "Fred and George are coming?" he asked excitedly.

"Unfortunately," Snape said with an irritated look letting Harry know that he wasn't pleased with this but apparently had no choice.

"Yes," McGonagall continued giving a pointed look in Snape's direction. "They said, well, in their words that it would be 'interesting' and they wished to 'have a day out'. As they are of age, Professor Dumbledore didn't see anything wrong with it."

'Meddlesome old fool would find it delightful.' Snape groused internally, miffed at having to guard Potter and the devils split in two.

Snape gave a piercing look to McGonagall. While this was apparently necessary to tell Potter, he allowed her indulgence. But she had stalled enough and he let her know that.

Minerva no doubt knew what he meant because she cleared her throat and turned back to Potter who caught the look Snape gave her. Had Potter always been this observant? He had no recollection of Potter having such skill in previous years. Certainly, not to this extent.

Snape found himself more intrigued by this new Potter and some of his old perceptions chip further away.

"There is another reason I called here today Mr Potter." Minerva began delicately. Which wasn't surprising, as it was a topic that could never be addressed easily.

Harry looked questioningly at his Head of House.

Professor McGonagall clasped her hands together, resting them on top of the table, looking over her spectacles at him.

"Quite frankly Mr Potter, one of my main reasons for coming here today was to ask you if there was anything that I could do for you."

Harry just looked more confused. He wasn't sure what McGonagall meant. Seeing that, she continued.

"You underwent a tragic ordeal recently Mr. Potter." she said. "Such events can have a great impact on a person and leaves its mark and it helps to talk about it."

Harry saw with sudden clarity where this was going and froze. This was unexpected on his part to say the least. He did not want to talk about this, especially in front of Snape. They may be getting along 'A miracle in itself; must be God's work somewhere' he thought, he didn't want Snape to see him vulnerable. Something bound to happen especially if he had to talk about Cedric.

'He's already seen you vulnerable,' his conscience decided to make itself known.

'He has not,' Harry growled back internally.

'No? What with you being sick and having that migraine? You don't think that was you in a vulnerable state? He was decent about it, if you ask me. More than decent.' His conscience shot back.

McGonagall must have seen some of his thoughts before he began his internal battle because she started speaking again before he could come up with an answer to himself.

"I am not forcing you to do or say anything at this moment Mr Potter," McGonagall said. "But I strongly encourage you to speak about the Tournament with someone."

"What's there to talk about? I'm fine." Harry shot out before he could clamp his mouth shut.

"You will forgive me if I don't believe that," McGonagall said looking at him piercingly. "You saw Cedric Diggory die before your very eyes, Mr Potter. Given the tragedy of his death and then the ridiculous rubbish from the Prophet that-"

"I'm not crazy!" Harry cut his Professor off rather forcefully before she could finish her sentence. He could feel his temper starting to rise at that.

"Potter," Snape snapped out startling Harry. He forgot Snape was still there. "Control yourself and sit down." His eyes flashing flinty.

Harry's temper had risen so quickly that he was unaware he had risen from his seat and that it had fallen over. Harry thought about mouthing off but a hard look from Snape stilled his tongue and he begrudgingly sat down.

McGonagall also gave him a stern look but there was something in her eyes that Harry was still too angry to decipher or pay any attention to at the moment. He turned his attention to the table top, refusing to meet McGonagall's eyes.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall began again. Harry still refused to raise his eyes.

"Eyes up, Potter, and show your Professor some respect." Snape snapped out, his black eyes glinting fiercely. Harry's head snapped up and he opened his mouth to retort when Snape beat him to it.

"Utter whatever vile thought you have in your head Potter and I will not hesitate to put you in detention and take points on the first day when we return to Hogwarts and find something loathsome for you to do here." Snape said with frost. Seeing that Harry closed his mouth, Snape continued. "Now, however impossible it may be to you, try to control that rash impulsiveness of yours and let Professor McGonagall finish speaking before you interrupt her with your objections. Now, apologize." He said.

Harry slowly turned to Professor McGonagall feeling ashamed of his temper and rudeness, now that he had calmed down. And to think, Snape of all people chastised him for his behaviour. That was almost...parental.

Harry froze at that thought. Snape and parental in the same sentence, on top of his conscience pointing out Snape taking care of him when he was sick in bed, this was too much. He shook his head clearing it of such odd thoughts.

"Sorry, Professor." Harry apologized, looking Professor McGonagall in the eye to ensure her of his sincerity.

McGonagall was silent for what seemed like an eternity. "Apology accepted, Mr Potter." She said finally though the stern look on her face and the disappointment in her eyes made Harry feel worse than before. "However, if you do show such disrespect and poor behaviour again, not only will I allow Professor Snape to follow through with his punishment but you will be facing a detention with me as well, along with a probation from the Quidditch team until after the first match, am I understood?"

"Yes, Professor." Harry said, wishing he could be swallowed into the centre of the earth. He couldn't even muster the energy to be outraged at the potential ban as he had already pushed both his Professors in a short amount of time.

"May I continue now?" McGonagall asked coolly. Harry simply nodded.

"I know that you are not crazy Mr Potter." McGonagall continued from her previous train of thought. This made Harry feel even worse hearing his Professor saying she didn't think he was crazy and he had accused her of such. "No one in this room believes for an instant that you are in any way going around the bend."

Harry gave her an incredulous look, finding that difficult to believe given present company, excluding McGonagall. He couldn't help but turn to see Snape. Who was watching him and didn't even twitch and raised a brow at him as if to say "Yes, you have something to say?" If Snape thought McGonagall was being ludicrous, he gave no sign of it. He simply helped himself to more refreshments.

"Yes, even Professor Snape, Mr Potter." McGonagall said seeing the direction of his gaze. "He would not have defended you to the Minister if he didn't believe you."

Harry started at that. Snape defended him to the Minister? When? Then he remembered the meeting in the Hospital Wing when McGonagall and Snape had come into the wing after Barty Crouch Jr. had been kissed and the Minister refused to believe Voldemort had returned. Snape had even showed Fudge his Dark Mark as proof of his return and Fudge turned a blind eye to it.

He had forgotten that Snape had done that. And that McGonagall had been present as well. Harry felt his respect rise for the man even more than before. Not that he would admit it.

"No matter the fact you are now fifteen years of age Mr Potter, you are still a child. And no child should ever have to go through what you have." McGonagall said, breaking Harry out of his train of thought. "I thought it would be helpful to you if you knew you could speak about last year to us. Be it myself or even Professor Snape. Or any other adult you wish for that matter. Even Sirius Black."

Harry sat in shock at all that was said. He wasn't certain he could take any more shocks today. He hadn't recovered from the previous shock of Snape being, well nice in taking care of him and even starting conversations. Then with all his thoughts fluctuating with everything that he learned today and heard and reflected, this was getting too much for Harry.

He mulled over what McGonagall said. He couldn't find it in himself to wonder at Snape listening to him about the Tournament and Cedric. But with everything that's happened since the end of last year and what he learned about Snape since living under the same roof as him, Harry wasn't ready to simply think it impossible anymore. There were many sides to Snape as he was learning, this entire conversation being an example that there were a lot of sides to him. He decided to put all thoughts about Snape to the back of his mind. But the idea of talking to Snape about last year, it strangely didn't seem absurd. Not like it would have before.

As for talking to Sirius, Harry wasn't entirely sure he wanted to do that. Throughout the majority of his third year, he thought Sirius was the murderer of thirteen people and the betrayer of his parents. It was only towards the end of the year he learned the truth about Pettigrew and what really happened that night. Looking back, he was alarmed at the how quickly he accepted Sirius' offer to live with him. While seeing Pettigrew alive did help to believe Sirius' innocence and he helped him escape from the Ministry, he still spent the majority of the year believing him to be a cold-blooded killer and a supporter of Voldemort.

In a way, Harry was somewhat glad things turned out the way they did as it took a good part of the summer for him to fully accept and get used to the truth. The gift for Ron in the form of his owl Pig helped. Though Sirius was able to send two letters following Harry's third year, it was mostly telling Harry he was alright and not to worry and that Harry could call on him if he needed to.

That did mean a lot to Harry and he was grateful for it. But even then when Harry needed advice, Sirius had been a last resort after a process of elimination. When he did contact Sirius, it had always been Voldemort related. Even in fourth year with the Triwizard Tournament, Harry was still reluctant to turn to Sirius as he was still on the run and he was fearful on endangering him through any means. And even when Sirius was hiding in the mountains nearby Hogsmeade, their letters were still brief and contact minimal.

He was grateful for Sirius being there for him when he could but the truth of the matter was; he hadn't really had a chance to really get to know Sirius on a more personal level. And he wasn't certain that with their past interactions, however limited, he was comfortable talking to Sirius about last year. It didn't help that with this summer, with the brief, unhelpful letters it didn't make him want to talk to Sirius about his thoughts and feelings regarding everything. His first night came back to mind as well with Sirius' behaviour at the forefront of his mind. While there was plenty of blame to go around, that night didn't help with making Harry want to confide into Sirius, given how quickly his temper flared.

McGonagall seeing Harry deep in thought spoke softly. "You do not have to make a decision right this instant Mr Potter."

Harry looked at both his Professors. McGonagall had a compassionate look on her whereas Snape, looking closely, seemed to be watching him intently.

"Can I think about it?" Harry asked softly.

McGonagall nodded and with a final look at both Professors, Harry got up and left. He had a lot to think about.

He didn't figure anything out that night. Though Snape dropped by his room to give him letters that had arrived for him sometime before, he didn't see Snape the rest of the night. The letters were from Ron and Hermione and the twins. He was disappointed that there was nothing from Sirius but didn't get to dwell on it too long once he started reading the rest of his letters. Ron was going on about how he tried to get his parents to come with Harry to Diagon Alley but they weren't budging. The rest of Ron's letter consisted of 'survival tactics' in surviving shopping with Snape. Harry had a good laugh at some of the suggestions. Hermione wrote expressing her concern over him and her own attempts to try to come with Harry to Diagon Alley but had no luck. She instead to compensate for her absence, wrote three pages on safety measures and spells that she researched in the off chance Harry ran into trouble. Then she included a page of advising Harry to keep calm and try to get along with Snape. Harry's eyes bugged out at the length of her missive.

The twins also included their own funny anecdotes about what was going on with them and how they were looking forward to shopping with Harry and Snape. Harry wasn't quite sure he believed them about all of that. They did mention that they had some business they would see to when they went to Diagon Alley but asked Harry not to mention it. Harry wondered at that. Fred and George had also included in a post script that they would be arriving at Grimmauld Place in the morning and leave together with Harry and Snape from there.

Harry wasn't any closer to figuring out all of his thoughts out from the conversation with both Head of Houses but at the moment, it was the furthest thing from his mind.

"Potter!" Snape snapped out from below.

Harry gritted his teeth and slammed the bathroom door on his way.

'This is gonna be hell.' Harry thought as he made his way downstairs.