They appeared moments later in some alleyway. Harry stumbled and would have hit the pavement had Snape not steadied him. After a moment, Harry looked up at the man, eyes wide “Did we just apparate?”

Snape scoffed “I apparated, you were just along for the ride.”

Harry nodded slowly “I still like brooms better.”

Rolling his eyes, Snape flicked his wand towards Harry’s trunk, shrinking it before putting it in his pocket. “It takes some getting used to but it’s the fastest way to travel.”

“Yeah well, it’s worse than flooing.” Harry grouched, doing his best to push down the nauseousness and not sick up.

Snape snorted in silent amusement. “Flooing takes grace, I doubt it will ever get better for you. Apparition on the other hand, just takes practise. Even you can do that.”

Harry decided not to comment as he followed Snape out of the alley. As he looked around, he noted that this looked very much like one of the old factory neighbourhoods Harry had read about. By the looks of it, the factories had closed and the people had left. It was dark, and not the normal dark, the kind of creepy gloomy dark that made shivers run down your spine. Harry ran a few steps to catch up to the Potions Master and asked “Where are we?”

Snape looked down at him with narrowed eyes, as if he really wished Harry to shut up. “Spinner’s End.”

Harry pursed his lips, that was rather useless information. Decided not to ask where that was, considering it would likely lead to another useless answer, he asked “And why are we here?”

“Because you will be safe here.”

Giving a pointed glance around him, Harry raised his eyebrows “Doesn’t look very safe to me.”

They’d reached the front door of the house on the corner and Snape surreptitiously tapped the handle with his wand. Harry glanced from the house to the street, slightly panicked. “Why aren’t we at Hogwarts?”

“As you said during that little discussion with the headmaster, you aren’t any safer there as you are with your relatives.” Snape sneered the last word, obviously agreeing with Harry’s thoughts on the designation.

Harry frowned, he hadn’t actually said that but he supposed it made the point, especially since Snape’s assessment of Harry’s home life appeared to have changed. As Snape opened the door and motioned Harry inside, he hesitated. Snape was a death-eater, and Harry had never trusted him. Dumbledore was always adamant that the man was on their spy, but at one point, he had willingly agreed to become what he was. Spy or not, Snape was dangerous. And he had hated Harry for a long time.

Biting his lower lip, he tried to think quickly. He’d never known why Snape held such hatred for him. He’d figured it had something to do with his father, since he was always going on about him. But he didn’t really know for sure. What he did know was that the man never said a word about Harry’s mother. He’d never noticed it before but Aunt Petunia knew Snape. There had to be some connection. Normally, he would have tried to find out what that connection was by himself, but there was no time. He needed to know if following the man was a good idea, and he had a feeling this would give him a definitive answer. So he asked “How do you know my aunt?”

Snape gave him a murderous glare that almost had Harry stepping back, than he sighed and the mask slip back on. “I’m not going to hand you over to The Dark Lord. Come inside and I might answer some of you questions.”

That wasn’t really what Harry had hoped for but he did as asked anyway. He just couldn’t pass up the chance to get some answers. He’d always liked solving mysteries but the emphasis was always on the solving. He couldn’t stand not finding the answer to a question. With Voldemort back, his need for information had only gotten worse while his sources for information got smaller.

The house was rather dim and dusty, and obviously rundown, but it seemed like it would hold up. Snape led him into a small sitting room and told him to sit. Unlike in his office, he didn’t warn him not to touch anything. It gave Harry a strong urge to peruse the bookshelves that lined the room on all sides, there had to be something good in there, but he decided against it. It wouldn’t do to piss the man of at this stage.

Snape came back a few minutes later, holding two cups. Handing one over to Harry, the man sank down in the armchair and took a few sips of his own tea. Staring at Harry all the while. Following his example, they sat in silence for several long minutes before Snape finally said “Ask your questions.”

Harry didn’t look up from his cup as he tried to hide a smile, slightly taken aback by the fact that Snape was actually keeping his word. “How do you know my aunt?”

“They lived close by when I was a child.”

Harry looked up at the man, eyes wide. “You grew up near my mum?”

When Snape just nodded, he asked “Did you know her well?”

“We were friends.”

Harry sat forward so abruptly, only his seeker reflexes stopped him from dropping his cup of tea. “Can you tell me about her?”

Snape closed his eyes for a moment before his shook his head “I take it your aunt never spoke of her?”

“No sir. Nobody does really… I know only the basics about my parents. What they looked like, which classes they preferred, that sort of thing.”

“I will tell you some things about your mother another time. There are other things to discuss tonight, do you not agree?”

Harry sighed but nodded, the man had a point. There was a war coming after all. Reminiscing about his mother would be nice but not very productive at this point. Besides, he had waited for years to know more about his mother, he could wait a little longer. Especially know that he knew whom to ask. “What is happening with Voldemort?”

Snape’s arm twitched, causing him to spill some tea. Letting out a frustrated growl he put the cup aside and grabbed his wand to clean the mess. Then he glared at Harry and snapped “Don’t say his name.”

Looking down, Harry mutter “Sorry, sir.” Looking up at the still snarling face he asked “Does it hurt you when somebody says it in your company?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Glancing down again, he was about to apologize when he rethought his action. Shaking his head at himself, he looked up and said. “No, it is not. But if you want me to stop saying his name, I’d like to know why.”

Snape sneered at him “You are in my house, you’ll do as I say whether I give you a reason or not.”

Harry shook his head again. “Yeah, I’m sorry, but that’s not going to work. You interfered before my uncle had a chance to do anything really bad. You won’t hurt me, not unless I give you a really good reason. Which this isn’t.”

“There are other ways of punishment Potter.”

“Maybe, but there is nothing you can do that would be worse than staying at the Dursleys. The only punishment that would make this a bad summer is taking me back there.”

Snape narrowed his eyes “I can make you scrub cauldron for the rest of the summer.”

Harry shrugged “Are you going to keep me from eating if I just sit there and not do anything at all?”

Snape just stared at him, not saying anything.

Harry smirked slightly “As long as I don’t have to go back to Privet Drive, I have no problem following rules. I will do my punishments if I deserve them. But I will not follow somebody around like a puppy and blindly obey orders as if I’m a sheep. I’m done with that.”

“What makes you think I won’t just return you?”

“I told you, you stopped my uncle before he could do anything.”

“He nearly dislocated you shoulder.”

“So?”

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think I’m starting to see why you lack any respect for rules.”

Harry cocked his head, wondering what the man was thinking. “How so?”

“Your family Potter. Their punishments are harsh, on the brink of outright physical abuse, and they do so for no good reason at all. Combine that with the general neglect and emotional abuse and you are left with a complete lack of foundation.”

Harry blinked a few times, not certain what exactly the man meant by lack of foundation. In the end, the only thing he could think to say was “I’m not abused.”

Snape sighed and shook his head “In many ways, you are. What I’ve seen and heard, they treat you like a house elf, belittle you at any opportunity, lock you away anytime you’re not convenient and encourage others to treat you as badly as possible. Don’t pretend it’s not true, I saw the encouraging smile that pig gave his son when he hit you with that stick. Just because the adults in the house refrain from outright hitting you does not mean it’s an acceptable environment.”

Knowing that the man was right, Harry refrained from commenting. Instead he said “This is rather of point though. We were talking about Vol..” Harry paused and shook his head “we were talking about why I wasn’t allowed to use his name. If the mark hurts you because of it, I will try to remember that. It’s not like I have any intention of hurting you…”

Snape threw him an incredulous look, before he snorted “Your father would have loved something like that to lord over me.”

“Well, I’m not my father.” Harry snapped, then sighed and looked down. Snape hadn’t actually sounded like he was berating him. Harry was just so used to defending himself whenever Snape mentioned his father, he couldn’t help it. “Sorry for the tone sir. I don’t know what happened between you two. I have a feeling that whatever it is, it’s much more complicated than what I have heard. But I’m not my father, or my mother. I never knew them, so how could I be? It’s not like arrogance is a hereditary trait.”

Snape scoffed “I’m surprised you know what that word means Potter.”

Sighing, Harry sat back and drank some more tea. This conversation was going nowhere pretty quickly. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t harp on about it.”

Harry raised his eyebrows at the man “So I should just continue to use Voldem…”

Snape interrupted him with a growled “No.”

Smiling, he waited for the man to answer the question. It took longer than expected but in the end. Snape did answer.

“Yes Potter, it burns when the name is spoken.”

“I didn’t see anyone flinch when I used it in the graveyard, but then I suppose I was rather focussed on Riddle.”

“It’s not debilitating. It’s simply annoying, especially when holding something.”

Harry nodded again “I will try to remember to call him Riddle in your presence.” Pausing he thought it over for a moment then added “In fact, I think I will use that from now on. It’s about time people stopped using that ridiculous moniker.”

“I doubt others will follow your example Potter.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

“The headmaster ones told me to call him by his name. That fear of the name instils fear of the person. But Voldy isn’t his name, Riddle is…”

“So?”

Harry shrugged, it seemed obvious to him. “Well, he doesn’t want to be known as Tom Riddle because it’s his father’s name. Worst yet, it’s a muggle name.”

“Again, I ask. What is your point?”

Harry looked at his professor “I thought you were supposed to be Slytherin. How can you not see this?”

“See what Potter?” Snape was starting to sound rather annoyed. Though, Harry couldn’t tell whether it was because he was being obtuse or because Snape didn’t get it.

“He hates his name, so he changed it to something else that sounds rather creepy. Everybody starts fearing him and he becomes You-Know-Who. Now, personally I have never like the moniker Boy-Who-Lived, it’s not who I am. But Riddle is an egomaniac, he probably loves the monikers they gave him. He likes that his name alone can strike fear into people’s hearts.”

“The point, Potter.” Snape snapped

“Tom Riddle is a muggle name and it isn’t very scary. People forget that he’s just a man because they are all afraid. They need to remember that no matter how powerful, he’s just a man. It will help people gather the courage to fight, not to mention what it will do to his whole pure-blood fanaticism.”

“People should be afraid, it will keep them alive. As for him being a half-blood, most of his inner circle knows.”

“You really think knowing the truth will take away enough of their fear to get them killed?”

Snape’s lips thinned a bit “No, I suppose not. I don’t think it will make much of a difference either way.”

“Maybe not. But wouldn’t it be better for people to know the truth? Do you think Malfoy will want to grovel at the feet of a half-blood?”

“Malfoy is out for power.”

“I mean Draco.”

“Lucius and Draco are much alike. But you may have a point. I doubt either of them like the reality of being a Death-Eater.”

It was Harry’s turn to scoff “Does anyone actually like it?”

Frowning, Snape was quiet for a moment. “The Dark Lord is very powerful. There are those that will follow power no matter what the cost. Then there are the insane and disturbed.” Pausing he looked Harry over for a long moment before he said “I did it for the knowledge.”

Harry opened his mouth to say something but he was momentarily stunned silent. Snape became a Death Eater for the knowledge? That was just weird. What kind of knowledge could one get from following a maniac?

Apparently understanding his confusion, Snape explained “The Dark Lord is not simply powerful because he has a lot of magic. He is smart and used to be rather charismatic. He convinced me to join shortly after I graduated by promising me the opportunity to become a Potions Master as well as plenty of research projects.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Harry couldn’t help but ask. It was so out of character for the professor to reveal any personal information. Hearing the man talk about something so personal by choice was simply… strange.

“Because you need to understand that there are many reasons why people follow him. More importantly, you need to understand that he is a master at manipulating people. He knows what people want and knows how to use it to get his own way.”

Biting his lip, Harry nodded. He knew what the professor meant. It was easy to succumb when you were offered your heart’s desire. “There must have been more to it than just knowledge…” He doubted becoming a Potions Master was the man’s heart’s desire, no matter how much the man seemed to like being behind a cauldron.

“There was, but that is of no importance.”

Harry just nodded slowly. He didn’t really need to know what the reasons were for him to go that direction. People made mistakes, especially when they were young. If Snape had just graduated, he would have been 18 or 19. Barely an adult. So, instead of hammering on about a subject Snape clearly wasn’t willing to discuss, he asked “So what’s going to happen now? Am I to stay here for the summer?”

“No. We will go speak to the headmaster tomorrow morning and find a suitable solution.”

“Is there somewhere else warded well enough? I mean, the headmaster said that there were no wards as strong as the blood wards.”

Snape raised a brow “You didn’t seem to care about that when you decided to stay at Hogwarts.”

“The only people at Hogwarts in the summer are Professor Dumbledore, Professor Sprout, Hagrid and you. You can all defend yourself if it is necessary. Besides there are layers upon layers of wards around Hogwarts, some of them as old as the castle itself. Besides Gringotts, I don’t know of another place with that kind of protection.”

“And how is it you know all that?”

“I read.” He left it at that, not willing to talk about the map.

“I was speaking of the summer residents as you well know.”

Harry shrugged “I don’t think that is important right now.”

Snape sat forward, an intent look on his face “Ooh, but I think it is.”

“If I don’t need to know everything, why do you?”

“Because it might be important.” Snape hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Harry wasn’t intimidated though. He meant what he had said earlier, Snape has lost his fear factor. He knew the man was dangerous, and pushing him was a bad idea. But they were just talking right now, as long as Harry kept his cool, Snape wouldn’t do a thing. “Professor Dumbledore knows, sir. Don’t you think he would tell you if you needed to know?”

Snape sat back, his eyes still narrowed slightly. “I can see why the hat wanted to place you in Slytherin. It’s a shame you don’t use that brain of yours more often.”

Harry just shrugged, not at all bothered by the insult. It was interesting, how much his behaviour had changed since the man had saved him from his family. Besides the momentary doubt when he was asked to enter the creepy house, Harry wasn’t nearly as on edge as he used to be around the dour man. It wasn’t just on Harry’s side either. Snape’s insults were less frequent and lacked the malice they normally held.

Cocking his head, he looked at the man for a long minute, wondering if he should just be completely honest. After all, Snape already knew his most embarrassing secret. Eventually, he decided against it. Giving away any personal information when it wasn’t asked for wasn’t very Slytherin, and Snape only respected them. It would do no good to go all Hufflepuff and volunteer anything, even if it would wipe that smirk of the professor’s face. So instead, he went back to the original subject “So… Do you have any idea which place might be safe for me if I can’t go to Hogwarts?”

“There are a few safe-houses under the fidelius, I suspect you will be placed there.”

“My mum and dad were in a safe-house like that, it didn’t help them…”

“They were betrayed by their secret-keeper. I doubt that will happen again.”

“Do I get to choose the secret-keeper?” His parents had, and they chose wrong. He had to make sure he didn’t make the same mistake.

Snape scoffed “Of course not. We are not going to set up a whole new house just for you.”

Harry nodded slowly, he could understand that. He wasn’t happy with it, but he understood. “So, that’s the only option? Going to a house under the fidelius charm?”

“There are a few other options but they are highly unlikely in this particular situation.”

“Options such as?”

Snape let out a long, possibly aggravated, breath. “Most pureblood families have at least one home that has been in the family for generations. Those houses have the same kind of layering of wards Hogwarts has.”

Biting his lip, Harry shook his head. “I don’t think staying with a pureblood family is a good idea. They’d become instant targets if it came out.”

Snape gave a curt nod “Indeed. Now, it’s late and we must get up early if we wish to speak to the headmaster. Do you wish to eat something first or go to bed straight away?”

Harry smiled happily at the offer of food and followed Snape into a small kitchen. Like the sitting room, it was rather dark and dilapidated, but it looked clean enough and the appliances seemed to be working fine. Snape made both of them some sandwiches and they ate in silence.

Harry still had a million and one questions he would like to ask, but knew he wouldn’t get answers. Somehow, Snape had directed their earlier conversation so smoothly that it took Harry a whole sandwich before he realized that he hadn’t actually got an answer to his most important question. What was going on with Riddle? Sighing in aggravation, he ate his other sandwich while mulling over the best way to actually get his questions answered. He needed to come up with a plan for the next time he had a chance to ask questions of the potions master.

As soon as they were done, Snape led Harry through a secret door behind one of the bookcases in the sitting room. Harry followed him up the stairs and was directed to the second door. Snape told him to be in the kitchen at 8 am and left him there. Under normal circumstances, Harry would have looked around the small bedroom, possibly snoop around a bit too. However, these weren’t normal circumstances and Harry was tiered. So, instead of doing what he normally did, Harry feel face down on the matrass and dozed of almost immediately.

Tomorrow would be a new day and he expected it to be a marvellous one. No matter where he ended up for the rest of the summer, it wouldn’t be Privet Drive and that meant the world to the raven haired Gryffindor.