Love Thy Neighbour by Alexannah
Past Featured StorySummary: The Dursley family move house, and Harry is horrified to find that they are now living opposite his most hated Potions Master. Between Snape and the Dursleys, will Harry make it to the Burrow in one piece?
Categories: Healer Snape, Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape, Fic Fests > #18 Summer 2015, Teacher Snape > Professor Snape, Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Dumbledore, Original Character, Petunia, Vernon
Snape Flavour: Snape is Kind, Snape is Mean, Snape is Secretive, Snape is Stern
Genres: Angst, Drama, Family, General
Media Type: None
Tags: Alternate Universe, Snape-meets-Dursleys, Spying on Harry! Snape
Takes Place: 4th summer
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Physical Punishment Spanking, Neglect
Prompts: Neighbors, Grounded!
Challenges: Neighbors, Grounded!
Series: None
Chapters: 23 Completed: Yes Word count: 39258 Read: 274431 Published: 07 Aug 2015 Updated: 01 Sep 2015
Grateful to Snape by Alexannah

Crap, Harry thought. If Dudley came looking for food he was going to have to scarper quick.

“Not now, Diddy, you know what your sheet says.”

Dudley stamped his feet. “I want something to eat now!

Petunia held her ground, though she sounded tearful. “I said no, Dudley. Now go and play somewhere else, please.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as Dudley stormed back upstairs, making as much noise as possible while he was doing it. When it died down, Harry realised he hadn’t been able to hear the resumption of Snape and Petunia’s conversation.

“… effective,” Petunia was saying in a thoughtful tone.

“Not as effective as you would think, unfortunately. But the students don’t like it.”

“No, I certainly wouldn’t. How disgusting.”

“Detentions are supposed to be deterrents, but alas, Potter and his groupies don’t have enough brain cells between them to realise that their little escapades are not worth the hours spend in my dungeon. Of course, if we could bring back some of the older forms of punishment …”

“You mean like caning?”

“That is definitely an option. There are many others as well, some rather creative. Sadly the Headmaster is vehemently opposed to all forms of corporal punishment, and he is my boss. It’s a shame; I believe a good few whacks would do Potter a lot of good.”

“Oh, I don’t know, it’s never worked before.”

There was a slight pause. “It hasn’t?”

“No. We did try that, back when he was younger, but he still kept doing freaky—I mean … m-magic things. Nothing would get him to stop, not even a stick to the behind.”

Harry winced at the memory of its sting on his bare flesh. He wondered what Snape was thinking—was Snape trying to gauge whether he could get away with caning Harry?

Maybe not—he had said Dumbledore was opposed—but still …

There was a long silence in the living room. “That must have been very hard to live with.” For the first time in Harry’s hearing, Snape actually sounded sympathetic.

“Oh, it was. Still is. Last summer he blew up my sister-in-law!”

“Yes … I, er, heard about that—”

The conversation was cut off as the kitchen door opened behind Harry, and he overbalanced, looking up into the looming face of Vernon Dursley.

There was no time to dwell on how stuffed he was as his furious uncle grabbed him by the arm and, without letting him get to his feet, dragged him into the living room.

“What the blazes are you doing out of your room?” He spat, unfortunately literally.

“Vernon!” Petunia said sharply. “We have a visitor.”

Vernon ignored her and shook Harry so hard he felt like his teeth were rattling inside his head. “Was ‘stay in your room and don’t come out’ too much to grasp? Do you want to go another week without any food?”

“N-no,” Harry stammered.

“Then get up those stairs!” Vernon shoved Harry towards the hall door, and unsteady from lack of nutrition, he fell.

As he got to his feet, he saw Dudley coming down to see what the disturbance was. “Aren’t you supposed to be in your room, freak?”

“I’m going—oof!”

Dudley had punched him in the stomach, and Harry curled up on the floor, completely winded. It took about eight seconds for him to get his breath back. By the time that had happened, Vernon had pulled him to his feet again and was dragging him up the stairs. Harry glanced back and saw Snape on his feet, one hand in his robes.

Probably looking for a camera. Show the wizarding world how pathetic the Boy Who Lived really is.

Harry was dragged into his room and the window resealed.

“Leave your room again,” Vernon threatened, “and the cane will be back.”

Harry flinched. “I-I won’t.”

“You’d better not.”

Vernon stormed from the room, locking the door behind him again. Harry collapsed into bed, pulled up the covers and buried his head in his pillow.

-

“I’m sorry about that,” Petunia said, turning back to Severus, who was having a hard time keeping his face neutral.

“That’s all right.” He slowly released his wand. “I do understand.”

His mind was whirling, trying to process this information and decide what he could do about it. A light flicked on.

“It must be incredibly difficult keeping him in line, especially considering …” He hesitated, glancing upwards to where Vernon Dursley was. “Considering you cannot counter his magic,” he said in a hushed voice.

Petunia flinched at the word ‘magic’, but she nodded.

“I might have a solution,” he said. “I can keep him in line, if he is right in front of me. I could also do with an extra pair of hands this summer to assist me.”

“I thought you needed the summer as a break from him.”

Severus cursed himself. “Yes, but I have a few ideas about how I could … neutralise him, so to speak. He cannot bother me much with a silencing charm preventing him speaking and a puppet charm to control his body movements. My boss wouldn’t approve of course, but … well, he’s not here, is he?”

Petunia looked hopeful. “You would really take him off our hands?”

“During the day, certainly. And I am willing to pay whatever the others were.”

“Ten pounds an hour.”

“Done.” He held out his hand. “If he could start tomorrow morning? I’ll pick him up at say, eight?”

Petunia shook his hand, and he tried not to cringe at the contact. “Deal,” she said.

-

Harry was awoken by someone opening his door and placing a rough hand on his shoulder.

“Wake up,” Petunia said sharply. “You’ve got work to do today.”

Harry blinked groggily. “Work? What work?”

“You’re now in Severus Snape’s employ. He wants you to help him.”

Harry tried to sit bolt upright, but fell back as the room span. “Help him? With what?”

“Never mind what, just get your clothes on, he’ll be here to get you in five minutes.” Petunia pulled his covers off and then left the room.

The room didn’t stop spinning for four minutes, so Harry was still getting his clothes on when he heard Snape’s voice downstairs.

“Where’s the boy?”

“Still upstairs,” Petunia replied. “BOY! Get your lazy backside down here!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get him.”

Harry stumbled out of his room just as Snape was coming up the stairs. He frowned at him. “Come on then, Potter, I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

He wanted to protest that his aunt had only just woken him up, but had a feeling there wasn’t any point. “Yes, I’m coming.” He made his way downstairs as quickly as he dared, leaning heavily on the banister. When he caught up with him, Snape gripped his arm firmly. It was a painful grip, and Harry didn’t like being touched by anyone but his friends, but he was actually grateful—it kept him standing upright.

“I’ll return him this evening,” Snape promised, and marched Harry out of the front door.

After yesterday’s overheard conversation, Harry had a very bad feeling what was coming. Snape opened his own front door and half-pulled Harry inside before steering him into a kitchen.

On the table was a large jug and glass of iced water, a steaming mug of coffee, and a plate filled with slices of thickly buttered bread. Snape steered Harry to the chair and said, “Sit.”

Harry sat, the water and the bread in front of him. As much as he longed to, he didn’t dare touch it, but Snape had other ideas.

“Drink up, you look parched.”

Harry didn’t need telling twice. He seized the glass and took a great gulp. Cold, crisp water hit his dry throat and his head throbbed from the shock. He was halfway down the glass when Snape gently tugged it from his hands, spilling some. “Easy, Potter, you still need to breathe.”

“Thank you,” Harry gasped, and continued taking slightly more sedate gulps when Snape returned the glass to him. He would never have believed he would ever utter those words to Snape, but he was grateful.

As he refilled the glass, he realised Snape was busy at the stove, placing rashers of bacon into a frying pan. He didn’t ask, just continued drinking, making his way through most of the jug. After a while the bacon began to sizzle and a gut-wrenching smell filled Harry’s nostrils. Snape stood there turning it in silence and Harry took his cue from there. Eventually Snape turned round, brandishing the pan.

“Do you like rind?”

“Pardon?”

“Rind. Yes or no.” Snape held a piece of bacon out over the plate with his tongs.

“Um … yes,” Harry said uncertainly.

Snape transferred all the bacon onto one of the slices of bread and replaced the pan. “Do you have any sauces?”

“Um, sir?”

“Yes?”

“Not that I’m complaining, but why are you cooking me bacon sandwiches?”

“Because, Potter, you look as if you will keel over any minute. I cannot have you passing out during the brewing of a potion, it’s dangerous. So, sauces?”

“Um, ketchup. Please. Thank you.”

The End.


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