Harry woke up laying on the couch, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around, but when he noticed the Potions Master sitting in his armchair, he quickly closed them again, and started thinking about the living nightmare that was the last few days. First, that bloody tattoo supposedly almost killed him, then Uncle Vernon nearly choked him to death, and the Ministry suspended him from Hogwarts. Then to round things off, Snape began to poke his enormous nose into his private life. Nothing on earth would make him tell anyone, especially the Potions Master, how the Dursleys had treated him. He seriously didn't need snarky comments, people laughing behind his back, or pointing fingers at him, or merlin forbid people’s pity and sympathy! Not to mention what would happen if that nasty Skeeter woman heard the whole story and it made the Prophet. The Gryffindor had no intention of risking humiliation in front of all of Wizarding Britain.

"Potter, you can open your eyes; I already know you are awake." His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of the Potions Master's voice. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes."

Not trusting the child's words, Severus pulled out his wand and cast a spell on Potter. The boy was suddenly surrounded by a green mist, which disappeared after a second.

"The fever is down, but tell me as soon as you feel worse. And I'm serious about it."

Harry nodded then looked at the clock standing on the mantelpiece. As soon as he saw the time, he jumped off the couch.

"Damn it! I'm going to be late for the practice. I've gotta go."

"Potter, what practice are you talking about?"

"Football. Er... I can go, right? I promise to come back.”

"Merlin, Potter sit down this instant. Just because your fever has dropped doesn't mean you're fit and healthy. You won't have the strength to run anyway."

"But..."

"You're going to give football practice a miss today," the man said in a tone that Harry knew it was pointless to argue about it.

At that exact moment, Theodore entered the room.

Severus looked at him, his mouth curving into a crooked smile.

"Has our Romeo met his Juliet today?"

Harry snorted, remembering a drunken Nott kissing a Muggle girl. However, he tried to cover it with a cough, surprised that he almost laughed at something his most hated teacher had said. 'Well, happens to the best.'

The Slytherin boy blushed.

"If you must know, professor, she's gone abroad on holiday."

Severus nodded.

"I'm going to make dinner. Would you care for something specific?" He asked, and to Harry's surprise, the man looked in his direction.

Harry just shook his head, completely baffled by the man's behaviour. Yes, the teacher did apologize to him yesterday, but Snape's politeness made Harry completely unable to fathom him now. The man was acting like a human being, not like… well, Snape.

"Theo?" The Potions Master turned to the other teenager.

"Spaghetti?" The boy grinned.

"Why did I even ask," Snape muttered. "Very well, but please, try to be a little more creative next time," he added and left the room.

"Do you play chess?" Nott asked.

"Yeah, I do, but I'm rather bad at it. Actually, only Hermione is worse than me."

"No way. Granger's bad at something?"

"Yeah, and she is even worse at flying. Not to mention Quidditch." Harry grinned.

"So, fancy a game of chess?"

When Harry agreed, Nott went to the chest of drawers and pulled out a well-worn set of wizarding chess. He set it down on the coffee table and sat down opposite Harry.

The Slytherin turned out to be a pretty good player, he was definitely winning. At one point, when Harry reached out to move one of his pawns, he heard a tut from the left side. The Gryffindor was so preoccupied with the game that he didn't notice when the Potions Master returned to the room, with three plates of hot pasta with sauce floating in front of him, and three sets of cutlery in his left hand, with his wand in his right.

"Potter, if you do that, you will expose the king." Surprised, Harry shot a glance at the man, then looked back at the chess. He reached out to the other chess piece. "Move it, and Theo's rook will beat your queen, and then in three moves, you lose. But look here, your knight can take his rook, which will open up the possibility of an attack on the queen.

"Ugh, I'm playing with Potter, not you. Where is the so-called Slytherin loyalty? I would like to win it," pouted Nott.

"Then you'll have to try a little harder. Put it down now, boys. Let's eat because dinner's getting cold."

Suddenly Snape winced. Harry had an impression that the Potions Master's left hand twitched several times, and his right hand moved towards it as if to grab it.

"Boys, eat dinner by yourselves, don't wait for me. I have to take care of something," the man said, putting down the cutlery and getting to his feet. "Don't leave the house. Don't open the door to anyone. It would be best if you stayed in this room. Nothing will happen, but in case anything happens, go straight to my private quarters at Hogwarts. Theo, show Potter how to do that.” He looked at them solemnly. "You will enter the fireplace together at the same time. And I'm serious, Potter, no idiotic or seemingly heroic antics." With that, the Potions Master hurriedly left the room. They heard footsteps on the stairs, and after about two minutes, the crack of Apparition.

Nott rose from his seat.

"I'm going to put this in the fridge." He said, taking both his and Snape's plates. After a moment, he returned. There was silence in the room. Harry watched the other teen. Nott stared at one place, biting his fingernails as he did so, then started pacing back and forth around the room.

"It was Voldemort who summoned Snape, wasn't it?" Harry asked. Nott looked at him and nodded. "You're worried about him." This time it was not a question but a statement.

"Of course, Potter, I'm worried. He has just gone to meet the world's most powerful, sadistic madman who wants absolute power. And on top of that, he currently has in his home, one of said madman’s greatest enemies. And if that wasn’t enough, it turns out that this enemy is his secret brother!”

"Er... yeah, I know. I didn't want it to turn out that way. Not that I have any say in who I am related to." Harry looked at his untouched spaghetti, for which he had completely lost his appetite. "You don't support him?"

Nott hesitated.

"Potter… damn it. I... maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but ... Can you swear it'll stay between us?" Harry nodded. "I'm talking about you taking an oath. Maybe not the Unbreakable Vow, but you won't be able to share what I want to tell you with anyone anyway."

Harry pondered for a moment, having no idea what the Unbreakable Vow was. He could also guess what Nott wanted to tell him, but he had to make sure.

"So which oath do you mean? And how does it work?"

"It's Sine Nuntius. You just have to swear that you will not tell anyone what I am going to say to you now, and I will seal it with Sine Nuntius. That's it. The oath will make you physically unable to tell anyone, speak about it, write it down, and so on. It will even protect this secret from Veritaserum, and memories viewed in the Pensieve will be blurred and muffled. You will immediately see that there is something wrong with them, but an outsider will not be able to do anything about it.”

Harry nodded. In the last two weeks, he had started to like the boy and even trust him a little. But not yet enough to take Slytherin's word for it.

"Okay, I'll take the oath. But only if you swear to tell the truth and only the truth for the next five minutes," Harry said, and Nott merely smiled and nodded.

The oath was very short indeed, and the boys performed it quickly. They didn't even need a wand for it.

"You probably figured it out by now, but I don't support the Dark Lord's agenda."

Harry nodded his head.

"And what does your father say about it?" he asked.

Nott grimaced. "That's why I asked you to take an oath. My father can't find out. About anything. What I think about the Dark Lord, about Severus living in a Muggle home, about you, about Chloe. He is a very dangerous man. He really is one of the worst fanatics."

"Do you think he would do something to you?

"I know he wouldn't hesitate to kill his own child." Nott looked down at his nails.

"And what about your mother?"

"She is dead. That is why Snape persuaded my father to let me spend my holiday here studying Potions.

"Oh ... Er ... That's pretty cool of Snape. And you don't have to worry, seriously, I won't tell anyone."

"I really don't want to kill. I don't want to torture. I don't want to join him. Shit, Potter, I'm sure you'll be one of the main figures in the upcoming war. I don't want to be your enemy if I'm to be on the same side as you."

"So, you're offering something like an alliance." Nott nodded. "You're a Slytherin. What will the others say about it?"

"I know who I am, Potter. But even though the entire school, and most of the wizarding population, believe so, being a Slytherin is not synonymous with being a Death Eater."

"Hey, it wasn't an accusation." Harry huffed, even though he meant precisely that.

"Sure," Nott said sarcastically. "Just admit that you have always considered us evil, compared to you and the rest of the saintly Gryffindors."

"No." When Nott raised one eyebrow up at him doubtfully, he added: "Okay... a little bit. But, well, when I returned to the wizarding world at 11, someone told me that not a single wizard or witch went bad who wasn't in Slytherin house and that Voldemort was in it. Then the first Slytherin I met was Malfoy, who only confirmed that theory."

"Well, imagine that. It's not as if a hat determines that a quarter of eleven-year-olds are downright evil."

Maybe it was a mistake that Harry never really thought about it, just took it as the obvious truth. However, he had the excuse that everyone around him, everyone he trusted—the Weasleys, Hagrid, even McGonagall—seemed to believe the same. The Head of Gryffindor didn't say it outright, but she sneered a little every time she was saying ‘Slytherin’. On the very first day, in the corridor off the Great Hall, just before the sorting ceremony, when she was talking about the sorting, she pronounced the name of the snake's house with open disdain. This behaviour was definitely something he remembered. Snape, Voldemort and Malfoy seemed to confirm that only a particular type of people landed in Slytherin—the ones who were malicious by nature. No other Slytherin stood out enough to raise any doubts in Harry's mind.

"Of course not, but you have to admit that Malfoy is not making your reputation any better. Besides, you always go everywhere in a group and attack students from other houses."

"We don't attack them. It's them who attack us. And we walk in groups because it is not safe for Slytherins to walk around the castle alone. There will always be a self-proclaimed hero who will want to avenge his family members or just out of principle because Slytherins are the easiest target. There is always an excuse because everybody thinks that we are the bad guys and they are the good ones. Everyone always assumes that it's us who starts fights."

"Yes, of course, you are so innocent," Harry said sarcastically. "Somehow, it's always Malfoy that starts."

"Merlin, Potter. Stop talking about Malfoy! Draco is an arrogant, spoiled kid who has yet to grow up. Anyway, just as you can't stop talking about him, he can't stop talking about you. For four years, I've only heard Potter this and Potter that. Give it a rest!"

"Hey, don't compare me to him!

"Then notice that there are about a hundred students in Slytherin, not a hundred Malfoys. Have you ever spoken to any of us?"

"Of course I have."

"And I'm not talking about Malfoy."

"I'm sure I have. Anyway, it doesn't matter now," said Harry. One point in Nott's speech got his attention. The Slytherin was speaking about his house as the suppressed one. According to the teen, every eleven-year-old who ended up there was doomed to prejudice from the other houses. "Listen, I had no idea Slytherins were afraid to walk around the school alone. I've never seen any of you getting attacked, and neither I, Ron or Hermione have ever started any argument first. And yes, I know, I'm mentioning Malfoy again, but you must have noticed that he is the one who always starts arguing."

"What about the Weasley twins?" Nott folded his arms.

"The twins? Well, they like to have a laugh. They don't even spare their own family."

"Sure, they like to have a laugh, but maybe their victims aren't laughing with them. And it is the Slytherins that they focus most of their attention on. A funny joke is when both sides laugh." Harry grimaced, knowing the boy was right in this particular case. Even though the twins never harassed him, their jokes were sometimes overdone, and the victims had the right to feel humiliated.

"If you want, I can talk to the twins," Harry said. "But if you didn't notice, Snape isn't helping your case either by bullying students."

Nott shrugged.

"True, Snape is no saint, but he is not the only biased teacher or Head of House. It's the same with McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick. They each favour their own houses, but they only discriminate against Slytherins, even if its unknowingly. Not to mention Professor Sinistra, who openly oppresses us. It's frustrating."

"Somehow, I haven't notice that." ‘Sinistra?’ Harry tried to remember any such occurrence in the Astronomy lessons that would confirm Nott's words, but nothing came to mind.

"No offence Potter, but you don't pay any attention in class. Either you daydream, or you are working out your next adventure to the Chamber of Secrets or to fight dragons."

Harry ignored the Slytherin's comment as it was not far from the truth. Astronomy was the second most boring subject, behind Binns' class, taught at Hogwarts. How much can anyone stare at the sky and watch stars, that all look practically the same, when they should be in bed sound asleep.

"You're not going to tell me they treat you as badly as Snape treats Neville or me."

This time, it was Theodore who felt a little uncomfortable.

"No, Snape is crossing the line a little bit in your case."

"A little bit?"

"Okay, a lot. I agree that he shouldn't behave that way, taking his anger out on you. But it's just him against you, and we have a hard time with almost everybody else. Even with the Headmaster himself. Do you remember the end of our first year? At the leaving feast, when we were going to win the House Cup and the hall was decorated in Slytherin banners?  At the very last minute Dumbledore took it from us, giving you and your friends exactly enough points to beat us. He had days to award those points in private, rather than wait for that painful, public announcement."

"I never thought of it that way." Indeed, he was only interested in Gryffindor's win back then because that meant the other Gryffindors stopped ostracising Neville, Hermione and him for losing points due to the Norbert incident. He had been really badly affected by the rejection of his housemates. He really believed McGonagall on the first day when she said that their house would be their family at  Hogwarts. Still, for over a month, everyone in Gryffindor but Ron, Hermione, Neville treated him like persona non grata. He felt a bit like he was back at the Dursleys, except no one locked him in the cupboard under the stairs.

"Of course, you didn't. But it's not your job to think about it. Just... Do you know how angry everyone in Slytherin was? And how wronged they felt? All because of the Headmaster, who is supposed to be the most impartial person in the school. We had been working hard all year, and he took the House Cup from us, at the last minute only to give it to you. And from what I've heard it was for breaking a thousand rules and risking your life. Snape would kill us for anything like that, not reward us with nearly two hundred points."

Harry shrugged.

"Okay, I agree. It wasn't fair to you. I mean the way he did it. But on the other hand, McGonagall took a hundred and fifty points from us a month earlier for being in a hallway in the middle of the night. And don't tell me, the amount was fair."

"Yeah, I remember. I must admit that made us all quite happy."

Nott looked at his watch and started pacing the room again. Seeing the other teen's nervousness, Harry decided to keep him talking to distract him a little.

"Look, only the good die young so Snape will be back soon," he said. Maybe it wasn't quite tactful, but he tried.

Nott snorted.

"That's the problem. Snape is one of the good guys." When Harry looked at him sceptically, he added: "We have already established that he is a bit unfair and malicious. And he can hold a grudge like no one else."

"And again—a bit?"

"Okay, okay, very much. But he's still a good man.”

Until a few weeks ago, Harry would argue fiercely with Nott. But now, he wasn't quite sure what to think about Snape, so he decided not to continue the discussion. It wasn't going to change anything anyway.

"Are you going to give Snape a chance?" Nott asked, pausing and looking at Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"I overheard your conversation last night," saying that, Nott blushed a little. "He apologised to you."

"Yeah."

"And?"

"And what was I supposed to do? I'd be an idiot if I told him to shove it. Maybe it will make him stop treating me like shit, at least for the moment."

"But ... you don't believe him?"

 "Sooner or later, he'll change his mind." Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Why do you think so?"

"I don't know; that's just the way it always is. He found out that we are family, so probably he thinks that he has to behave that way now. But you know, sooner or later, he'll get over it."

"Maybe not? Maybe it's worth giving him a chance?" Nott looked unconvinced.

"No... The fact that I'm his brother doesn't change anything. Soon, he will get used to the thought, or I will botch something up, and he will hate me again and act like he always did."

"I don't know... he helped me. And it seems as if he wants to help you as well."

Harry laughed bitterly.

"Listen, you're living in Snape's house; that's different. Me? Well, I'm still Harry Potter, a stupid, insolent, arrogant, worthless Gryffindor. I bet, soon, I'll do something stupid again, and he will get mad at me, and him playing nice with me will be over. Actually, I'm a little surprised he’s kept me here. Anyway, I don't want... I don't need any help. Two more years, and I'll be of age. Until then, I'll be fine. I’ve managed up till now.”

"I know we're not friends, and maybe it's not my place, but you look like someone who could use some support."

"Look, Nott, I have Ron, Hermione, the twins and… whatever. We have been friends for years. We care for each other, and that's enough for me. I already found out that blood ties mean nothing," he said, and the bitterness was easily recognised in the tone of his voice. First, Eileen gave him up, the Dursleys treated him like a house-elf, and Tobias was getting furious with him all the time. "Snape wigged out a little, but I'm sure he'll get over it soon. And it will end like it always does. So, I'm not going to pretend this change is permanent or something.”

"Like always?" Nott raised his eyebrows up.

"Never mind," Harry said, annoyed that from all of his speech, Nott have picked up on exactly the part which he had accidentally said. He didn't want to share this with the Slytherin. "It's just fine as it is. Snape wants to play nice, that's fine with me. But let's not pretend that when we go back to Hogwarts, anything will change. And I don't care at all," he added as if Nott dared to think otherwise. "I don't want to talk about it. Maybe we can play something? Do you have another game or just chess?"

"As you wish, Potter. But I really think Snape has started to care about you."

"Cut it out." Harry clenched his fists. "Do you have a game or not?"

"Don't get angry, man."

"I'm not angry; I just want you to finish that stupid discussion, alright?"

Nott snorted.

"No. Don't get angry, man is the name of the board game."

"Oh, okay then," Harry smiled a little.

HPHPHPHPHP

Saturday, August 5th, 1995

Harry once again woke up in the comfortable bed in the room in Snape's house that he had been occupying for several days. He rubbed his damp forehead as he recalled his dream about the mysterious door again. The teen closed his eyes, trying to remember more, but all he remembered was the strong urge to open it and go inside. He sighed, knowing it wasn't normal, and it had something to do with Voldemort. Suddenly, Harry realised that the last thing he remembered was watching some stupid sitcom on Channel 4 with Nott and waiting for the Potions Master to return. He didn't remember going upstairs to lie down, Snape must have levitated him upstairs. He cursed under his breath and dragged himself out of bed and got ready for the day before going downstairs.

HPHPHPHPHP

Snape and Nott were already in the kitchen. There was breakfast waiting for Harry on the table. Apparently, the Slytherins had already finished eating because the man was reading the Prophet while sipping his coffee, and Nott was scratching something out on parchment.

"Good morning," Harry greeted and walked over to the table hesitantly. He still wasn't very comfortable around Snape. It wasn't as bad as two weeks ago, of course, but he still couldn't fully relax. As for Nott, Harry had already noticed that the boy was quite alright, and the previous evening had somehow brought them even closer.

"Good morning, Potter". Snape replied. "Sit down and eat. How did you sleep?"

"Okay, thanks." The man nodded, then went back to reading. Harry looked at Nott; the latter had just put down one piece of parchment, picked up another, and kept on scribbling.

"What are you writing?"

"Don't ask!" the Slytherin said in a miserable voice.

"Tell him, Theo," Snape droned in. "Share the obscure knowledge that both of you haven't manage to acquire and so, acted like teenage morons recently."

Harry looked at Snape in surprise, then picked up the parchment Nott held up to him and began to read:

I will not drink alcohol (or take any other psychoactive substances) at least until I am seventeen, and even then, I will be cautious. There is a reason why it is illegal to drink until one comes of age. Alcohol causes irreversible changes in the teenage body and may cause further issues with thinking, controlling one's feelings, coordination, short-term memory, and experiencing emotions. Besides, the amount of alcohol drunk is inversely proportional to rational thinking and control at any given moment.

Harry winced as he read it.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, and Snape got up and went to answer it.

"How many times?"

"One thousand."

"Ouch. I thought he let it go."

"Potter, this is Snape we are talking about," Theodore looked at Harry as if he were from another planet.

"Potter!"  They heard Snape calling from the hallway.

"Shortie, you're alive!" As Harry walked to the front door, he was greeted enthusiastically by Oasis.

"Obviously." Harry grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"Your friend does not want to believe me when I say that you are not chained in stocks and hidden somewhere in the basement."

"Ugh, as you can see, Oasis, I'm still alive. Barely, but I'm alive." Harry smiled broadly.

"You have two minutes Potter, and then you're going back to your breakfast. And to answer your question, No, you won't be going anywhere with your foolish friends because you had a high fever yesterday." When Harry opened his mouth, Severus added: "And no, you won't be going back home tonight. Tomorrow, when Tobias returns." Saying that, the Potion Master turned around and headed for the kitchen.

"Gee, despotic much? I feel sorry for ya," the taller boy said as soon as Snape was out of earshot.

"Yeah, he is." Harry rolled his eyes. "So, what's up?"

"I wanted to ask if you wanna go with us to our sandbox in the evening. The guys and I were a little worried. You have already missed two practices."

"Did you tell the coach I was sick? And what about your father? I was supposed to report to him, and I completely forgot."

"My mother and I told him that you showed up and I told the coach you were sick. But you will be back on Monday, right?"

"Sure"

"Potter!" They heard Snape calling him.

"It wasn’t even two minutes!” muttered Harry.

“Maybe you'll come out tomorrow, huh?" ask Oasis.

"Sure, I'll be there. See you."

When Harry returned to the kitchen, Nott was collecting his parchments, and Snape was standing up.

"How do you feel, Potter? And I want the truth. Do you feel like you have a fever?"

"I'm fine." The teenager gritted his teeth, unable to understand why Snape had insisted on asking him all the time about his well-being. Harry knew it wasn't because Snape was scared that he might accidentally infect Nott. Even when he had a fever, Snape had not locked him in isolation, much less sent him home. In any case, Harry didn't feel comfortable hearing the question, let alone answering it. It made him anxious when an adult knew he wasn't feeling well because usually, the outcome was even worse for him.

"I'm going to brew potions with Theo. Would you like to join us?" When Harry involuntarily made a face, Snape added: "Yes, of course, you have an allergy to cauldrons. In this case, go to your room or the living room and get yourself a book. Maybe you will find something that will interest you."

"Oh, thanks." It crossed Harry's mind that Snape hadn't even hesitated when he called a room in his own house 'Harry's room.' It was just a slip of the tongue for sure, but it made the boy feel strange.

"Have you already written your summer essays?"

"Almost." The teen hesitated. "Can I turn on the TV?"

"I would prefer if you picked up a book, but of course, you can."

"Er... thanks." Snape nodded and went into his lab, leaving Harry confused.

He had no idea what had happened to Snape and where the cruel Potions Master had disappeared to. It crossed his mind that maybe the man was plotting something utterly vile that he needed to lull Harry into a false sense of security. The Gryffindor couldn't think of any reason that would make the man change his behaviour completely. The kind, caring behaviour Snape was displaying disturbed the teenager. But for a moment, he thought that there might be a tiny kernel of truth in what Nott had said the day before. However, this was far less likely than a plan to dull Harry’s inane sense of constant vigilance.

The teen sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. While changing the channels, he came across The Mysterious Cities of Gold cartoon, several episodes of which he had already seen. It was about Esteban, the Child of the Sun, who, together with some others, set out in search of these Cities of Gold in South America. Travelling by boat to another continent seemed as impossible to Harry as magic had once been. Maybe one day, he could set off on such a journey into the unknown as well? He watched two episodes of this series, after which a teleshopping program began. As he was completely disinterested in that, he decided to see what Snape had on the shelves. To his surprise, he did not find just scientific books there, but also quite a lot of fictional novels. Harry picked up one of them. The Bourne Ultimatum, he read. The cover featured recommendations from some famous people and the New York Times. There was nothing to do anyway, so he might as well start reading it.

HPHPHPHPHP

Ever since Severus broke into Vernon Dursley's mind and saw the man's memories with his own eyes—the way the Dursleys treated Potter and how they felt about him—he couldn't stop feeling guilty. Long ago, the Potions Master swore to himself that he would help maltreated children, and it turned out that he himself had mentally abused one of them for four long years. It wasn't like Severus hadn't seen anything wrong with treating the Gryffindor the way he had. However, the Potions Master had always been able to find a justification for it. If he were, to be honest with himself, the way he dealt with the child was mainly caused by his desire to get back at his supposed father and lookalike, James Potter. Looking back, Severus saw his immaturity, hypocrisy and a complete lack of professionalism. His only excuse was that Potter—behaving the way he did—didn't even try to correct his assumptions. Of course, it did not diminish the Potions Master's fault. The man’s stubbornness and faith in his own infallibility deterred a child, who had been a victim of abuse and neglect from an early age, from trusting him. A child who also turned out to be his little brother and, if only the circumstances were different, could have been very close to him if his mother had only trusted him.

Now he wasn't sure how to deal with the kid. He had to do his best to fix both the damage done by the Dursleys and his mistakes towards him. The situation was all the more difficult because the boy did not trust Severus by a long shot and the man was not at all sure if there was any chance for it in the future. Aside from the fact that Potter had virtually no faith in adults, the only interactions between him and Severus were the ones were the Potions Master had publicly humiliated and insulted him or taught Potions, taking a jab at him at every available moment. The child had not seen or heard of any different side of him.

Severus also knew that his own hot-tempered personality would not make the task any easier, and Potter's behaviour still left much to be desired. Yes, the behaviour was caused by experiences no child should ever have, but still he was quite annoying. He will undoubtedly need endless patience and even more litres of calming draught to deal with the teenager. Besides, there was also the problem of Tobias. The man could destroy all the good changes Severus could potentially have worked out with the boy.

Despite all these obstacles, the Potions Master, not for one moment, thought of leaving Potter on his own.

When Severus re-entered the room with two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands, the teenager was standing by the bookshelf and was looking at one of them. Typically, he would have made some snide remark about the boy being illiterate. However, he stopped himself at the last moment. He had to work on controlling his impulses as well if he wanted his plan to work.

"If I were you, I'd start with the first book in the series." The teenager jumped in surprise, hearing his voice. "The Bourne Identity is right there."

The boy pulled out the indicated book, and Snape set the drinks on the coffee table and sat down in his armchair.

"Sit down and help yourself to a drink. I think we need to talk." The boy groaned at his words.

"About what?" Potter asked and reluctantly took the indicated place on the couch across from his professor. He picked up the mug and drank. Severus noticed with some satisfaction that the kid, for the first time, hadn’t shown any suspicion of the drink and did not accuse the man of poisoning it. 'Yes, small steps.'

"There are quite a few topics to talk about, don't you think?"

"Not really," Potter shrugged.

"Maybe we'll start with Thursday's situation."

"Hence the chocolate," the boy muttered.

"You didn't seem particularly hurt by the way your uncle treated you. And not even surprised."

"He was in shock. He didn't know what he was doing." The boy said dismissively, shrugging his shoulders again.

"Don't make excuses for him. He had no right to do that. If your accidental magic didn't save you, he could have permanently damaged you or even killed you," Severus growled, looking at the fading bruises in the shape of the large hands on the child's neck. "Tell me, Potter, has he treated you like this before? Did he blame you for everything ? Did he regularly use physical violence?" Of course, the man already knew the answers to these questions, but he wanted the teenager to get it out of his system. Severus knew very well from personal experience that talking about abuse helped. This was not the first time he had encountered an abused child in his teaching career, and it was not the first such talk he chose to have. However, for all his experience both personal and professional, the man still did not feel competent enough in this regard. He had no psychological education, let alone patience especially towards dunderheaded children. Unfortunately, wizards were utterly ignorant of this subject. In their world, there were no such professions as psychologists, therapists or mental health specialists.

"With all due respect, this is really none of your business." Severus massaged his temples. Of course, Potter wasn't making anything easier. "Besides, accusing the Dursleys of mistreatment sounds a little hypocritical, doesn't it?" On Potter's face appeared a sardonic smile.

Severus pursed his lips and after a moment said: "Yes, Potter, I shouldn't treat you the way I treated you for the last four years. For which I already apologised yesterday, I don't know if you remember. And I still adhere to that. However, please do not compare my behaviour to the Dursleys."

"Why not? They hated me because I existed, and so did you. They yelled at me when they felt like it, and so did you. They locked me up, and so did you."

"Tell me, Potter, when did I lock you up?" He asked, deliberately ignoring the other two most accurate examples.

"Hmm… let's think." Harry pretended to ponder. "Now? I can't go home; I can't see my friends ..."

Severus took a deep breath. Keeping his nerves in check wasn't easy with this kid.

"I've already told you why you won't go home until Tobias comes back," the man drawled, although he doubted his father's care was much better, than Harry being on his own. "As for the fact that I'm not letting you go outside, I'm only doing it because yesterday you had a fever of 102.2 degrees fahrenheit, and I want to keep an eye on you. What about your aunt? How did she act when you were sick?"

The boy's swarthy complexion turned slightly pink, and he turned his head and stared at the bookshelf.

"Normally." The teen shrugged. “She wouldn't let me go out either."

"Hmm... Out of where?"

Harry shook his head, and his eyes grew slightly moist. He wiped them angrily with his sleeve.

"Outta nowhere. What do you want from me? Do you feel some sick pleasure hearing how the Dursleys didn't like me very much!? I won't tell you anything! Nothing bad was going on there. Anyway, I practically never got sick."

'Potter's having a tantrum,' Severus couldn't say he was surprised.

"No Potter, I just want to help you."

Harry laughed bitterly. "I don't need help anymore. A little late for that, isn't it? I don't live with the Dursleys anymore and I am almost of age."

"You're still a long way from adulthood." Snape tapped his fingers on the back of the chair, then asked: "How about a deal? You tell me this one thing, and I'll do something for you."

"Not a chance."

"Yesterday, you asked me if I was going to tell Tobias about your stupidity."

Harry folded his arms over his chest. "That doesn't seem fair."

"You know very well that life is not fair."

There was a moment of silence. Severus didn't push it, letting the boy consider his options. The man wasn't sure if it was a good idea to force the boy to talk, whether it will backfire. He wouldn't say anything to Tobias anyway. He just wanted Potter to start talking about the Dursleys at last, to share at least a little of the burden from his messed-up childhood.

"Fine," the boy snapped and crossed his arms as if hugging himself. "But not a word to your Slytherins, or Malfoy, or anyone. And you will not use it at Hogwarts to publicly ridicule me."

"Of course, Potter. I promise not to share with anyone what comes out in our conversation."

"Sine Nuntius."

"Excuse me?"

"Take the Sine Nuntius oath."

Severus smiled crookedly. Apparently, the child wasn't the complete fool he thought him to be. He nodded and spoke the oath while the boy sealed it.

"So? I'm listening. How did your aunt treat you when you were sick?"

"Well, she ... the normal drugs were bad for me, so she didn’t give me any of them."

Severus nodded. But he said nothing as he saw Potter struggle with himself to bring out his following words.

"She didn't want Dudley to get infected as well."

"Potter, I told you not to make excuses for the Dursley's behaviour. Please, continue."

The boy closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them, but they were filled with anger this time.

"She locked me in a cupboard under the stairs and waited for it to pass. Are you happy now?"

Severus tried to look neutral as if the information didn't affect him, although he was fuming with anger inside.

"For how long?"

"I dunno. Depends on when it passed. A few days, maybe a week."

"Petunia was a monster. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Harry shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"It does."

"I've finished!" Theodore practically ran into the room. "Professor, I made it! I've finished Heliuotion!" He looked around and saw the two mugs on the table and the expressions of Severus and Potter, his face fell. "Oh, chocolate. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine; we've almost finished. Just give us a moment, and we will come to the laboratory.” When Theodore left the room, Snape asked "What about Tobias? Tell me, how did you land at his door?"

"Well, it wasn't a big deal. My aunt found my birth certificate, and she could finally get rid of me. Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay?" muttered Harry, suddenly feeling very tired. "The deal was about one thing. Tobias is fine. I'm much better with him than with the Dursleys." Then the boy looked at his professor as if he wanted to add something.

"Yes, Potter?"

"Never mind. Forget it"

"Potter. Tell me."

The boy looked at him as if he was struggling with his thoughts.

"Can I ask you something, er.. sir?

"Technically speaking, you just did. But go ahead, keep asking."

"Do you remember that party?

"The irresponsible party with loads of teenage, giddy, drunk, and stoned morons that you threw while Tobias was away?"

"Yes, that one. If I bring that broken mirror, would you fix it sir?" Potter waited tensely for an answer.

"I can see that if you want something, you can address me respectfully." The boy shrugged. "I've already taken care of it, Potter. The mirror is intact."

Severus watched with satisfaction as an expression of disbelief appeared on Potter's face, and then a weak smile replaced it. The first one, the boy, had ever given him.

"Oh. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Potter," Severus said. He considered the conversation with the child a success, and to his surprise, there were no screams, major tantrums or slamming doors. "Let's go to my lab now. Theo has something to show you." he said, rising from his chair.