Harry looked up from Hatchet, the book he'd finally picked up to read. It was the day after Draco had come to visit, and boredom had finally gotten to Harry enough to make him pick up the book.

"My clothes?"

Severus nodded. "They are not exactly fit for a young man of your stature." He held up his hand at the frown that had come over Harry's face to forestall a misunderstanding. "I am not criticizing your choice of clothing, I am only suggesting that they are too large for you and perhaps it is time to buy clothing that will fit your frame. Since you have regained most of your strength, I thought you might enjoy a trip to Diagonalley and Muggle London in order to procure new clothing."

Harry bit his lip. He was getting a bit bored, but he wasn't sure if he felt up to going out and being seen with his father just yet. He was certain by now that the whole world knew and would be staring down their noses at him as other students at Hogwarts had done.

"If you prefer to spend the majority of the trip in Muggle London, I will not be opposed," Severus said, sensing his son's anxiety.

"Ok," Harry said hesitantly.

"Good, gather your wand and money pouch then."

Surprised that his father meant they were leaving right then, Harry did as he was told and put his wallet in his back pocket, a gift from Hermione a few months before they had found out that their Potion's Master was Harry's father.

"Here," Harry looked up to see Severus holding out a handful of Muggle notes and a handful of Galleons."

"For me?"

"You will need money for clothing, will you not?"

"I have a vault at Gringotts-" he started, but Severus raised a hand to quiet him again.

"As well as a clothing and supply allowance from me," he said.

Harry closed his mouth. He was not accustomed to being given money freely. He had always been careful with his parents- with his mother and James' money because he knew he might really need it someday to rent a flat or something.

He took the money quietly and put the Muggle notes in his wallet and the Galleons in his money pouch, trying not to think of how strange it was to still consider James Potter his father when in reality his father was alive and well standing there before him, ready to take him on an outing.

Thankful that they weren't using the floo, which always made Harry queasy, he waited patiently as Severus explained the basics of apparation to him as an impromptu lesson, before motioning for Harry to take his arm so they could leave.

A moment later and they were in a deserted Alley of London.

"This is an alley hidden from Muggle eyes by magic," Severus explained. "There are several others throughout, which I may show to you once you are well enough to begin apparation lessons."

They made their way out of the alley and into the bright sunlight and down the street. Harry had never been shopping in Muggle London before. Aunt Petunia sometimes took him along to get Dudley's clothes, but made him sit in the car outside and watch as Dudley came out with large bags of name brand shirts and pants.

"I don't know where to go," Harry said, and Severus waved his worry off with his hand.

"I know of a few places," he said. "I grew up in London down the street from your mother and aunt, and when I was old enough to get a job, I began purchasing my own clothing."

Harry looked him over briefly and wondered if he was being lead to a store where they only sold black slacks and black button up shirts. After a five minute walk down the bustling street, they entered a small clothing boutique that appeared to only sell young men's clothing, and thankfully, there were more choices then black, although there was an entire section dedicated to it.

"I believe this is where Draco gets some of his clothing," Severus said, and as Harry looked, he saw the same pair of khaki cargo shorts he had seen Draco in a few days before.

"We will stop at other stores before we go home, but try to pick out clothing to get you through the summer as well as the next school year."

Harry nodded, remembering the wad of cash in his wallet, and moved off to browse through the store. He felt strange, as if the clerk and his father were both watching him, but when he looked back the clerk was occupied with a newspaper, and his father was looking at pairs of shoes along one wall.

It wasn't long before Harry had taken a variety of short and long sleeve shirts, a few pairs of shorts and pants, and some socks and underwear up to the counter. He had spied a red and tan hat that he wanted on a rack of hats, but had decided against it because he didn't want to squander the money on things he didn't need.

"Are you finished?"

Harry looked up at Snape and nodded, before noticing the same baseball cap he had been looking at in his father's hand. So he had been watching him.

They paid for the purchases and outside in another alley, Severus shrunk the three bags down to the size of a business card and stuck them in his pocket, leaving the hat out for Harry, who gratefully crammed it onto his head to hide his scar and unruly black hair. At least this way if they did go into Diagonalley he wouldn't be so noticeable.

Severus took him into another clothing shop, where he told Harry to pick out a pair of sneakers, a pair of hiking boots, and a pair of sandals. While he could tell that his son was sorely tempted to pick out a bright red pair of sneakers, he thankfully refrained and instead bought a white and blue pair. They also purchased a winter jacket, gloves, another red hat, this time a beanie, and several lighter sweat jackets.

"We will go to one more store down the street before we venture into Diagonalley for lunch and a few more items of clothing and supplies."

Harry was unsure just how much clothing one person could have. They'd already bought more new clothes than Harry had ever had in two or three years combined in his time at Hogwarts, and he wondered what was left to buy except pajamas maybe.

The next store they went into had nothing to do with clothing however. It was a department store called IKEA, and Severus led Harry over to the large furniture section.

"The desk and other furniture in your room were spares from Hogwarts that I must return. You will need to pick out a bed, a desk and chair, a lamp, a side table, and perhaps a comfortable reading chair. You may also pick out any posters or other decorations you see fit, such as an area rug, blankets and sheets, and curtains."

"Uh," Harry said, looking around, "I don't know where to start. I don't really have any money left in my pocket." In truth he wasn't sure he liked having this much money spent on him because he didn't think he deserved it.

"Do not worry yourself over the money. The room needed to be furnished regardless, and you should have furniture to your liking."

Harry nodded slowly, still feeling overwhelmed. Seeing this, Severus lead him to the twin beds and started pointing out benefits and disadvantages of certain frames.

"This one's ok," Harry said, coming to one with wooden drawers underneath. He could put his books in there, he thought, and at a raised eyebrow from his father Harry said, "I like this one."

Severus made a note of the model number on a small pad of paper withdrawn from his pant pocket, and they moved onto the desks where Harry picked one out along with a blue chair on wheels, a red desk lamp and wooden bedside table, Severus making notes as they went.

At Snape's insistence they went through the décor isles and Harry was made to pick out a rug (large red and tan checkers), an overstuffed red chair, and two new posters, these ones of baseball, which Severus learned that his son also liked. They had just finished picking out bedding (also red and tan) and were about to leave the store when Harry froze and Severus turned to see what was wrong.

Following his son's gaze, he found a large, beefy man and a large beefy boy staring at electronic Muggle game consoles.

"But I want them both father! I have to have them both to play all of the games that you're going to buy me for my birthday next week!"

"But how will you play them both with one TV in your room Dudders?"

The large boy gave his father a suggestive look and his father nodded. "Of course we'll have to buy you a second TV for your room, and an entertainment center for them both now that the wall has been knocked down to make your room bigger."

The boy gave a smug smile and turned in triumph to see Harry watching them, mouth wide open. He didn't seem to recognize him at first in the newer clothes and red hat, and said, "What are you staring at punk?"

His father looked over at Harry and Snape now too, and his eyes narrowed in recognition.

"Take off that ridiculous hat boy, and who did you steal these clothes from, huh?" He was advancing on Harry, but Harry was frozen to the spot, unable to move as he had been taught not to when he was in such trouble. The more you struggled, the more lashings you got, he remembered, and braced for an impact that never came.

"Excuse me, are you talking to my son?" Severus was in between them now, speaking in a deadly tone that took Vernon a moment to register.

"You're son? This boy is my nephew and I know for a fact his father is dead. The worthless little whelp didn't come home for the summer so that the could shirk his chores!"

Harry watched in awe as Severus took a step towards uncle Vernon without even drawing his wand, and uncle Vernon took a step back. "This is my son, and you are never to threaten or speak to him in such a way again, lest you find yourself turned into something irreversibly unpleasant, do I make myself abundantly and overwhelmingly clear?"

Vernon's nose crinkled in disgust and he grunted something Harry didn't hear before grabbing Dudley's wrist to a loud protest and stomping off and down the stairs to the first floor of the department store.

Once he was sure the unpleasant man was gone, Severus turned to Harry, who was still frozen to the spot. "That was your uncle?"

Harry nodded.

"Are you fit to continue?"

Harry nodded again, and they made their way downstairs where Severus placed and paid for an order of all the things they had looked at before they left.

Meeting Vernon Dursley had not been a pleasant experience, and judging by the way he had treated his nephew, Severus began to see why the boy was wearing rags compared to the way his cousin was dressed. Never in his life had he seen a parent be so controlled by their own child, and it was wonder that Harry had not turned out like his beefy cousin. Perhaps it was a miserable blessing in disguise he decided, miserable for the way he had been treated, and a blessing for the way he had turned out in Severus' absence.

They apparated quietly to Diagonalley where Severus tried to persuade Harry to pick out some Quidditch posters, but the boy had closed in on himself again and was no longer interested. Severus picked out several posters anyway including one of the Weird Sisters, a band he knew many of his older Slytherins liked, and one with the Gryffindor lion on it, which happened to list the current Gryffindor team with Harry as it's Captain.

After a subdued lunch, Severus left Harry to his own devices outside while he went into an apothecary to pick up some supplies he was low on, and looked out the window a few minutes later to see Harry conversing with Ronald Weasley. It was a short conversation ending in Weasley making a rude gesture and stomping off, leaving Harry staring at his shoes. Severus finished his transaction quickly and made his way back outside.

"Am I to assume he still wishes nothing to do with you?"

Harry shrugged, hat in his hand now instead of covering his hair. Apparently it hadn't worked to conceal his appearance.

"Then allow me to make a suggestion that is for your own peace of mind: perhaps it is better to let him go than to continue to be hurt by someone that doesn't have the decency to care."

Thinking back on his words later in the evening, Severus would realize that perhaps saying that yet another person didn't care about Harry might not have been the way to go, but the message still got across he hoped. Harry needn't put up with having his feelings stamped on in such a way, and before Harry went to bed that evening, he told him so again.

Later in the night Severus was woken by a muffled shout coming from Harry's room. He stood in the doorway for ten minutes watching as his son struggled in a dream, begging not to be beaten by his uncle, begging for forgiveness when he need not from his former friend. At that moment, silhouetted in the doorframe as Harry finally fell back into a peaceful sleep, Severus realized that much like himself, his son had a hard time letting go of old wounds.