Severus was surprised to see Minerva at his office door rather than one of his Slytherins. He had expected a floo call later, but she should know that he would still be with the boy.

"Severus," she greeted as he let her into the office.

"Minerva," he acknowledged. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You know why I came here. I want to know what is wrong with the boy," she said. "I have had him in class for over a month and have never seen him react like that."

Severus sighed. He really didn't want to have this conversation right now. Minerva had been so ecstatic about Harry coming to Hogwarts; she had been so sure he would follow his parents into Gryffindor. He had known the women for a while and while in the past resented her, he now considered Minerva to be one of his closest confidants. Telling her of the boy's home life wouldn't be pleasant.

"I never took your complaints of the muggles seriously." He watched as she narrowed her eyes.

"What exactly are you saying?" She asked.

"Only that you were right to be weary of them. Potter's family has no love for him." Severus didn't want to get into the details so he only said, "Potter had to stay overnight in the infirmary after the welcoming feast."

"They hurt him?" She cried out. "They really, truly hurt him?"

Severus could only nod. He couldn't bring himself to even look at her after all the times he had just scoffed over any worry that she had about Harry's home life. How different would the boy be if they had only gone to check on him? He thought of Dumbledore's knowledge of Potter's troubles and his lack of intervention.

"Albus can't be allowed have any say in Potter's life." He said, these thoughts circling in his head.

"You're not telling me he knew?" Minerva asked, anger now radiating from her. "Are you?"

"I'm not completely sure to what extent," Severus told her, "but he wasn't surprised when I informed him of results of Poppy's tests."

Minerva looked ready to punch something and he couldn't recall a time she had looked this infuriated. Severus certainly wouldn't fancy being Albus at this very moment.

"Potter won't be going back there." She said, leaving no room for argument.

"I've already gotten Albus to agree to that. The only problem is finding a suitable guardian for the boy."

Minerva gave him a long look. "I'm sure we will find someone," she said before starting towards the door. "I assigned Ms. Granger a detention for this Tuesday night and Harry is more than welcome to join her."

Severus nodded and bid her goodnight before extinguishing all the lights and walking back to his quarters. He checked his watched and sighed. He had spent more time talking with Minerva than he thought and it would probably be best to just send Harry to bed and talk with him in the morning.

Upon entering his rooms, the first thing he noticed was Harry sprawled out across his couch. He still had his glasses on but was obviously fast asleep. Severus took note of his slight shivering and went to the cupboard to grab a blanket. He took off the boy's glasses and threw the blanket over him, tucking it around the boy so it wouldn't fall off.

Severus studied him for a moment. He looked so much younger when he was sleeping, as if he was just a young child. He shook his head and noxed the lights before heading to his own bed.

SHSHSH

When Harry first woke the next day he wasn't sure where he was. He opened his eyes and groaned as he remembered everything that had happened the night before. He didn't think there could be anything more embarrassing than having a panic attack in front of a girl. Hermione must think he's such a wimp.

As he stretched, another thought dawned on him. He had fallen asleep in his professor's quarters and now his friends were sure to miss him. Besides that, Snape still hadn't talked to him about punishment. His stomach was in knots by just thinking about it.

He heard someone moving around in the other room so he called out, "Professor?"

Snape walked into the living room and gave him a once over. "Bathroom is the third door to your right. You'll find fresh robes and a toothbrush on the counter. As soon as you are ready come meet me in the kitchen."

Walking to the bathroom, Harry thought about the strangeness of being in Snape's quarters. They were completely normal and he snorted at what his friends would think of them. Surely no one would believe that a man so into Slytherin wouldn't have his rooms decked out in green and silver.

He got ready quickly and was walking towards the kitchen sooner than he would have liked. He still didn't have an excuse for Snape but didn't want the man to become angry because he had to wait all day for Harry to get ready.

"I trust you slept well," Snape said with a smirk.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied. "I'm sorry for falling asleep. You could have woken me, you know."

"Yes, well, you had already been up half the night wandering around the castle. I figured you could use a few hours of sleep." Severus said, placing two plates down on the table. "Now eat before it gets cold."

"Yes, sir." Harry replied.

They both sat down and Harry waited for Snape to take a bite before picking up a forkful of eggs to put into his mouth. He could feel his professor's eyes on him but the gaze didn't worry him as it had at the beginning of term. After all of their talks he knew that Snape had no intention of hurting him. He didn't know why but the man seemed to care about him as much as his other students.

"Do you want to try again to explain why you thought it would be a good idea to gallivant around the castle in the middle of the night?" Severus asked, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"I already told you," Harry tried to explain. "I needed to talk to Hermione."

"Yes," Severus responded, "You did say that, but I was wondering what was so important that it couldn't wait until an appropriate time."

"I wanted to tell her about Professor Quirrell, sir," Harry told him. "I just can never get a chance to talk to her during the day."

"Harry," Severus sighed, "You can't just go off in the middle of the night; you know of the dangers. If you want to talk to Ms. Granger without troubling your friends I'm sure you can meet sometime during the day."

Harry felt as if Snape was reading his mind. How had the man known that his friends didn't approve of Hermione?

"Mr. Potter," Severus brought his attention back to the conversation at hand. "I am aware of the prejudices that Slytherins have against others just as I am aware of the prejudices people have about us. Your friends will come around in time but you shouldn't risk your life just because you don't want to upset those around you."

"I know," Harry mumbled.

"You don't need worry about not being able to see Ms. Granger as you two will be serving detention together with Professor McGonagall on Tuesday evening." Severus declared. "Besides that, I want a three foot essay on the dangers you face while in the castle. You need to think about these things especially before you decide to do something like going off on your own."

"Yes, sir," Harry said as he let out a breath of relief. Well, at least that was one less thing to worry about. A detention and an essay weren't terrible considering he had expected much worse. He deserved it anyway, it was pretty dumb to think that meeting up with Hermione the way he did would be a good idea.

"Come now, I'll walk you to the common room so you can get started on that essay."

SHSHSH

"Harry," Draco called out when he saw him, "you already went for breakfast?"

"Something like that," Harry replied. He didn't want to lie to his friend but he knew that if he told him everything that happened Draco would not take it well. "I fell asleep on Snape's couch and had breakfast there."

"What?" Draco exclaimed. "The professor let you into his personal quarters? I thought you were in your own bed last night!"

"Err, it's a long story," Harry said, rubbing his scar. He knew he was being purposefully misleading but couldn't see a better solution.

Draco looked from his scar to his face before saying; "Alright then, if it was anything serious you would tell me right?"

"Of course," Harry reassured him.

"Harry!" Theo called as he came down the stairs. "You're up early."

"Yeah... Well…" Harry shrugged.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Theo asked.

"What's tonight?" He asked.

"What's tonight?" Theo exclaimed. "It's the Halloween Feast!"

"Oh yeah," Harry replied. He remembered everyone talking about the holiday the other day. He had never been much of a fan of Halloween and now that he knew it was the date of his parent's death he didn't see much reason to celebrate.

"Why so glum?" Draco asked. "I mean its one of the best nights of the year! Just think of all the sweets."

Harry looked up and said, "I just don't find it to be that great of a day, okay?"

"Chill out," Draco said. "I didn't mean to make you all mad. I mean who doesn't like Halloween?"

"I don't," Harry snapped. Sometimes Draco could be so draft sometimes. The boy couldn't wrap his head around the idea that something he finds enjoyable someone else might hate.

"Come on," Theo said, grabbing Harry's arm. "Let's go for a walk."

Seeing the pink splotches growing on Draco's cheeks, Harry nodded and let himself be led out the door by Theo.

"What was that all about?" Theo asked.

"My parents died on Halloween," Harry snapped. "I'm sorry that I don't find that to be a reason to be gorging myself on sweets all night."

"Oh Harry." Theo tried to grab his shoulder but he shrugged him off.

"Look, I never knew them but they died for me, alright? I just can't disrespect them by pretending they never existed." Harry stopped walking and turned to face Theo. "I know what you all think of my parents, especially my mother. I'm not an idiot."

Theo leaned back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. Harry followed suit and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Blood matters," Theo tried to explain, "but it's not everything."

"Sometimes it seems like it's the only thing that does to all of you. Even listening to the way you guys talk about muggleborns and muggles ticks me off. Just because you are born to someone without magic doesn't mean you are any less a person." Harry's voice rose as he talked. "You don't know what it's like to be hated just because of who your parents were! To be discriminated against for no other reason than your blood is one of the worst feelings in the entire world."

Harry sprang up and started down the corridor. He heard Theo coming after him so he broke into a run. He knew he shouldn't be going off alone but on a rainy Saturday like this one the halls were crowded.

He dodged around a group of Hufflepuffs and sprinted the rest of the way to the library. He knew Hermione would be there and she was the only person he wanted to talk to at that moment.

He walked to the back and took a deep breath before taking the seat next to her.

"Hey," he said.

"Harry!" She exclaimed as she looked up from her book. "Are you alright? I mean last night..."

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I just lost my head for a minute. Snape calmed me down though. We talked about everything afterwards and he was pretty decent about it actually. I just have to write an essay and go to detention with you on Tuesday."

"Professor McGonagall assigned the detention and she took points," she told him. "But something else is still upsetting you, Harry. What is it?"

Harry told her about his fight with Draco and Theo. "I just don't understand how they can judge people without even knowing them."

"Me either," Hermione said with unshed tears in her eyes. "Me either.

SHSHSH

A knock on his office door distracted Severus from the essays he was grading.

"Come in," he called.

Theodore Nott walked through the door looking troubled.

"Sit down," Severus said, pushing aside the paperwork coving his desk. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure," Theodore said. "It's about Harry."

"Mr. Potter?" Severus questioned. He had only let the boy go this morning; how could he have already found trouble?

"Yes, sir," the boy said. "We had a fight and then he ran off. I followed him to the library but he was with Granger so I just left."

"What did you fight about?" The man probed.

"It started off about Halloween. Draco was being a prat and kept talking about the feast even when it was obvious Harry didn't want to hear about it. Then we went for a walk and he started going off about his parents dying and how we are always putting mudbloods down."

"I don't want to ever hear you say that word again," Severus growled before reining his temper in. He had known it would only be a matter of time before Harry started to stand up for what he believed in. "What do you think of what he said?"

"I don't know. He got so upset so fast, it just doesn't seem right. I know he was mad because we insulted his mum, but it was more than that. He said something about being hated because of who his parents were. I know things aren't right with his family, sir, but how bad is it?"

Severus ran a hand through his hair. "I can't really discuss that with you, Mr. Nott. I'm sure he will tell you about his home life when he is ready."

The boy looked as if he would argue but thought better of it. "Do you think he has a point, though? I mean about mud- I mean muggleborns?"

Severus thought about the role he had to play. Like it or not he was a spy and he should to protect his image as a Death Eater in front of a boy whose father followed the Dark Lord. On the other hand, this could be a chance to save the boy from making the same mistakes he had when he was young. There wasn't really a choice to be made.

"I think you should take what your friend said very seriously. Think about all the times you have been put down just because of your parents, of your friends, and of your house. Do any of these things make you evil? Of course not, but people may judge you as such because of them." Severus watched as understanding came over the boy's face.

Theodore got up from his seat. "Thank you for speaking with me, sir."

"Anytime, Mr. Nott," Severus replied and waited until the boy was on his way before he got up from his own chair to go and find Harry.

SHSHSH

It didn't take the potions master long to find the boy because Harry was still in the library. He stood, watching him interact with Granger and felt a pang in his chest. He had so much of Lily in him, even the way he was talking with the girl reminded him of his old friend on a rant when she was talking about something close to her heart.

"Mr. Potter," Severus said, letting his presence be known. "I was wondering if I could have a word."

Harry looked up, seemly surprised to see his professor in the library. "Yes, sir." The boy got up and followed him to another table nearby.

"I've just spoken with Mr. Nott," Severus started but the look of outrage of Harry's face kept him from continuing on his original train of thought. "He was worried about you."

That one statement caused an array of emotions to go across the boy's face before it went completely blank. "Why? I'm fine." Harry replied, trying to sound indifferent.

"Yes, well," Severus said, "he didn't seem to think so. He took what you said seriously and perhaps is starting to change his views."

Harry shrugged. "I don't think he will ever change."

"I think you should give your friends time. They have grown up their entire lives hearing that muggles and muggleborns are inferior to them. They can't just shift their views overnight."

"I suppose," Harry replied.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Severus switched to a new topic. "I heard that you don't wish to attend the feast tonight."

"No, sir," Harry whispered.

"You are welcome to come to my quarters for dinner then, if you haven't already made arrangements." Severus said. "I don't think I've told you this before but I was quite close with your mother at one time."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Really, sir? You knew her?"

"I just said as much," Severus drawled. "Did I not?"

"Do you think you could tell me about her?" He asked. "I mean over dinner?"

"Yes," Severus replied. "I believe that would be acceptable. I'll come and collect you from the Slytherin common room at the start of the feast."

"Thank you!" Harry exclaimed.

"I'll see you for dinner, then." He said, taking his leave. Harry had come a long way and while the man knew that he still had a long way to go it was good to see him opening up, not only to Severus himself but also to his friends.