"It doesn't fly mind you, I think Ginny would have a fit if it did." Harry watched as Teddy went to it and ran his hand over the blue finish. He'd been in Ravenclaw when he was in school, so Harry had painted it blue. He always thought Teddy would have done better in Gryffindor with all the trouble he'd been in though, or even Hufflepuff with all the friends he had throughout the four houses.

"It's perfect," he said. "I'll ride it to work every day." Harry knew he wasn't just saying it either, because he looked enamored. He was sure Teddy's girlfriend would be on the back of it by night's end.

"Got two helmets," Harry said, going to the work bench behind the motorcycle. "One for you and one for Hadley."

He took the larger blue helmet being offered to him. "I wouldn't mind you taking a ride, but Ginny said you'll have to take classes first and get your Muggle license. The boys might try to goad you into something too, so be mindful."

Teddy shook his head. "No I won't take them out, promise."

Harry grinned. To him Teddy was still that grinning little baby he used to bounce on his knee, or that too courageous little boy who got stuck on the second story roof because he'd secretly amped up the power to his kid broom with Ginny's wand when she wasn't looking. Even though he was 20 and had just moved into his own flat, Harry still saw the little boy in him.

He ran his hand over the motorcycle one more time (it was old but Teddy knew his uncles had worked hard on it to get it running and take the dents out), and then set the helmet on the work bench and turned back to Harry.

"C'mon. Boys are probably having a fit upstairs since you're still here and it's past their bed time."

"You know Sam probably doesn't keep a bedtime at school. I never did."

Harry gave him a look as they crossed the darkening yard. "I know, I got enough owls about you sneaking around in the night."

"I wasn't sneaking," Teddy corrected him. "I was planning."

Harry opened the back door and they entered the kitchen. "Planning, that's something Fred and George would say. Let's see... planning on bewitching Professor McGonagall's desk, so any time she touched it it meowed?"

"And her chair," he reminded him, going to the counter to pour himself some coffee.

"Uh huh. Planning on switching Grandpa Sev's shampoo so it turned his hair brown like yours?"

"That wasn't a prank," Teddy insisted then. "No one believed he was my grandpa and I was going to lose my broom in a bet to Alvin Knott."

Harry nodded. "Planning on being out late brewing potions you could bring home to stick Elias and Samuel in their beds?" He was grinning now.

"You were in plenty of trouble when you were in school," Teddy pointed out as he set his coffee on the counter. "I seem to remember grandpa telling me you held the record for most detentions in one year."

"You know what happened," Harry said, setting his own coffee down, and Teddy nodded. That had been in third year and Snape had given Harry 45 detentions for cursing him in the shrieking shack to protect Remus and Sirius. Those 45 detentions, one for each day left in school, sat on top of the 10 he'd received for ‘running away' at Christmas. It had taken almost another year for Severus to figure out that that one had been a lie.

"What happened at Christmas?" Teddy asked then, looking up. Harry had told him he'd gotten detentions for being caught at the castle when he wasn't supposed to be there, but he'd never told any of the boys why he was there. Only that he'd lied to Professor Snape.

"You really want to know?" Harry had a small smile but the rest of him had turned serious, including his tone. His godson didn't fail to notice.

"Well you know about all of my rule breaking and grandpa was always tight lipped about most of yours except that you were always in trouble."

Harry was quiet for a moment. He supposed Teddy was old enough to know now. Earlier that night he'd told Elias and Samuel the story of cursing Severus in the shrieking shack, but that was mundane compared to what had happened at Christmas.

"I've told you before that my aunt and uncle weren't nice and that Professor Snape adopted me. I didn't tell you the details though."

"I've heard bits," Teddy said seriously. Harry knew that like Eli and Sam he'd heard stories here and there of Harry's time in school.

"I think maybe that Christmas in my third year was when Severus started to look at me a little differently. I always thought that was why he was so hard on me when I cursed him in the shrieking shack, because he'd been trying to be nice and I'd gone and taken the other side."

"But Sirius and my dad were innocent."

"Yes, but he didn't know that then, or he didn't care. The man he is today isn't who he was then. Take Christmas for example..."

* * *

Harry was soaking wet and shaking. He supposed he'd been shaking for days as he crossed the countryside in secret, hopping the Hogwarts Express, and then on foot when the train suddenly stopped in a little village miles from Hogsmead. He shook from the cold, but also from exhaustion and maybe a little from fear. As he stood in the snow looking up at the castle through the darkness, he knew he wasn't supposed to be there. He was supposed to be with the Dursleys, where he'd been sent home for the Christmas Holiday for ‘safe keeping' from the escaped convict Sirius black, who'd broken into castle. Harry had protested at the Headmaster's plan but hadn't told him he would rather face down the murderer of his parents than the Dursleys at Christmas time. Maybe he should have, he thought as he trudged up to the castle. If anyone found out he'd gone cross country alone with a murderer on the loose, he'd have detention for the rest of the year he was certain. Worse than that though, he'd have to explain why he'd gone cross country in the first place.

When he was finally outside the oak front doors, he wondered how to get in. They would probably be unlocked, but what if Filch or Snape were waiting on the other side? He knew it had to be late, maybe after midnight, but there was always a chance of running into somebody, wasn't there? There were still students inside and that meant teachers patrolling the corridors. Knowing he couldn't stay outside forever, especially in his tattered wet clothes and the snow coming down, Harry pushed the heavy oak door open just enough to peer inside. Warmth hit his face as he looked around the dim Entrance Hall, candle light flickering from high torches. It was empty so he slid in and closed the door.

Wary eyes darted from shadow to shadow to be certain he was alone, and then he sprinted to the stairs as best as he was able and up to the first floor. He would have loved to have gone up to his common room to change into something clean and dry, but there was no chance of that. He'd have to wait until breakfast tomorrow because Dean had stayed for the break and was likely up there sleeping. At least Harry had had the insight to leave his trunk there and had only taken his backpack with a single shirt and pair of pants to the Dursleys.

Legs aching from walking and being bruised, Harry cast his mind about for where he could stay the night. A classroom was out of the question, because Filch gave those a deep cleaning over the breaks, and he didn't know the password to get into any of the guest rooms that sat near each house. A familiar Ravenclaw banner caught his eye and he hurried to push it aside and climb into the narrow secret corridor that lead up stairs to the next floor. This would have to do, he thought glumly as he sat gingerly on the third step up. No one would bother him here and he could have a chance to dry off and rest, even if there was no place to lay down. He put his elbows on his knees and took his head in his hands. Some Christmas, he thought. No presents from his friends (he'd insisted they wait until they all returned from the break), and a whipping from Uncle Vernon for showing up at home. Well, not home, Harry corrected himself as he continued to shiver. Harry had only stayed one night before he'd taken off for London to see if he could catch the Hogwarts Express back to the castle. He clenched his eyes shut trying to remember exactly how many days it had been since he'd left Four Privet drive... four? Five? His mind was fuzzy and he wasn't sure.

He drifted in and out of a fitful sleep, plagued by dreams that told his mind he was still out stumbling in the darkness and snow, and just as he tripped over a log buried deep in a drift, he was startled awake by a loud shout.

"POTTER!"

Harry jumped so bad he found himself shaking again and accidentally knocked his elbow on the hard stone wall of the narrow stairwell. He looked around wildly, wondering where he was, and then his eyes found purchase on a seething Potion's Master, who was holding the blue tapestry aside and staring at him. Harry stared back.

"What is your sorry Gryffindor carcass doing here when it is supposed to be at its home?"

He tried to work out what had been said to him, but his mind was fuzzy. He hadn't eaten in a long time and he was still tired, wet, and achy all over. Harry watched instead as the Professor's eyes raked over him, taking in his black eye and dirty face.

"Out, now," the man ordered, and Harry got up and came down the two steps to the bottom and out into the light. It must have still been night because the castle was dark.

"The Headmaster is gone and so is Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall," Snape spat as he stared down at Harry. "That means I am in charge of both the school, your house, and the infirmary. You will come with me."

Harry's heart fluttered. There was no one there to save him now. Maybe if he made a dash for Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff and tried to find Sprout or Flitwick... no, Snape was waiting for him to lead off and he'd never be able to run with his foot hurting like it was.

It was a quiet, tense journey to the Hospital Wing and Harry continued to shake, all the hairs on his arms and neck standing straight up. His mind raced for any way out of this situation but he couldn't see one.

The door to the empty Hospital Wing slammed open with a force that made Harry startle again as he approached it, and the lights waved up as he and Snape went inside.

"Sit," Snape ordered, and Harry sat on the bed nearest the door, feeling odd to be there instead of his usual bed on the other side of the aisle and closer to the windows at the end of the ward. He watched as Snape went to a cupboard and pulled out a blanket, and could hardly believe it was for him. Suddenly the man waved his wand and Harry's filthy, soaking, torn clothes were gone except his underwear, and he was too shocked to do anything. Snape threw the blanket at him and Harry wrapped it around himself, but not before the man had seen the bruises on his torso and arms.

"Why are you here Potter?" Anyone else might have asked it with concern, he thought, but not Snape. It was a demand, and the man stood there towering over him with his arms crossed waiting for an answer.

"C-came back," Harry said. He couldn't help the stutter. His teeth were chattering.

"From Surrey?"

He nodded.

"By yourself?"

Another nod.

"And why pray tell would you pull such a dunderhead move? Ignoring the fact that it's the dead of winter and there's a murderer on the loose who is searching specifically for you."

Harry looked away, knowing his cheeks were turning red. There it was. He only had two choices... tell the truth or lie. A lie looked more appealing at the moment though. The man expected him to give a ridiculous answer, not an answer about being beaten and starved and shoved into a cupboard to spend the holiday. So a ridiculous answer was what Harry gave him.

"I ran way because I was pissed that I wasn't getting what I wanted for Christmas," he turned his face up to look right into the Potion Master's eyes.

"You what?" his voice was low and deadly.

"I wanted a faster broom and they said no, so I left." The look on Snape's face at that moment made Harry positive that he was going to reel back and smack him, but he didn't. In fact, he looked rather restrained and Harry could tell he was working hard to keep his temper in check.

"And the injuries?" Snape closed his eyes briefly while he asked. Maybe he couldn't stand to look at Harry at that moment.

"Got into a fight in London," Harry said, feeling less bold now than he had a moment ago. "On the way to the train."

"Fool," Snape spat, opening his eyes. "Be lucky hypothermia and a beating is all you got. You could have died. I've never met such an insolent child before. Asinine is what you are."

Harry watched him as he went back to the cupboard and pulled out two potions and a tin of something. He made Harry drink the potions and tossed the tin onto the bed. "Spoilt brats can put their own bruise balm on," he spat. "And they can also serve detention for every day for the rest of the break until the Headmaster returns. You'll be very lucky if he doesn't expel you for your foolishness." He waved his wand again and a pair of the normal striped blue and white hospital pajamas appeared folded on the bed next to Harry.

"Get dressed and go back to your common room. You are to stay there except for meals and detention, which will be served from lunch to dinner with me, every day, and from dinner to nine pm." Then he turned on his heel and swept out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Harry there to sort things out for himself.

While the potions had stopped the shaking and taken some of the ache out of his body, he was still careful as he put the bruise balm on gingerly and carefully got into the pajamas. Then he walked barefoot through the castle to Gryffindor and up to his warm bed.

* * *

"He made me serve every detention, despite that I was sick with a cold," Harry said. "Dumbledore came back on the last day of break and sent a letter to my aunt and uncle but I don't know if he ever heard back or not. I didn't get expelled but they did put a note in my record."

Teddy was silent for long moments before he looked up and asked, "I thought you said Grandpa Severus started looking at you differently... until the shrieking shack."

Harry got a thoughtful look and tilted his head slightly. "I don't know why, but he seemed a little nicer after that. He didn't give me any more detentions until the shack and he didn't give me the usual venomous comments either."

"Grandpa venomous?" Teddy laughed. He was stern yes, but he'd never seen him be downright mean like Harry was describing.

"People change," Harry reminded him then, and Teddy nodded.

"I better get home," he said then. "I have to be up early for work tomorrow and Hadley's probably wondering where I am."

"Bring her by next time," Harry said. "And then you can tell us about the wedding."

Teddy froze and then turned slowly to look at his Godfather. "We're not really getting married," he said, "I mean, not yet. We don't have plans or anything."

Harry held up his hand. "Relax, I know how Hermione is."

Teddy let out a sigh. "She cornered me and said she didn't think Hadley and I should live together unless we were planning on getting married."

Harry laughed. "Ok, you don't have to explain to me. Go home. Maybe you can bring her by for dinner next week."

"Eli and Sam will already be at school by then."

"That's ok. I think you'd rather bring Hadley when they aren't here to tease you about her."

Teddy grinned.

After he was gone, Harry went upstairs and peeked into his son's room. They were sleeping and he found Ginny reading a book in bed.

"Teddy go home then?"

"Yeah, he had to get up for work early."

As he lay in bed that night, Harry thought back to the time between Christmas and the shack in his third year. Occasionally he'd caught Severus looking at him at meal times or in classes, and the look had almost looked like pity, but he'd never understood why. Maybe it had been pity because he'd thought Harry so spoiled that he'd run away just because he hadn't gotten his gift of choice. There was no way for him to know that Harry never got gifts from his family for any reason. As he drifted off, he also remembered the horrified, betrayed look Severus had had as Harry's curse had struck him in the shack, and the coldness and nastiness with which he treated Harry after that night, continuing into the start of his fourth year. For the first time in years, Harry had a restless sleep.