School started. Harry was so happy to be back home, where everything made sense. After his first year he stopped thinking that his relatives were his home and believed that Hogwarts was. Hogwarts was where he could be himself. Hogwarts was where he didn’t have to hide who he was.

Though the last three weeks of summer weren’t that bad. He enjoyed being on his own. He was actually able to do his summer homework. He got his shopping done. And just relaxed and not worry about anything. He met up with Ron and Hermione on their way to the train.

“Harry,” Hermione called out.

“Hey ya, Harry,” Ron said, when Harry got closer to them.

“Hey,” Harry said. “How were your summers?”

“It was good,” Hermione said, giving Harry a hug.

“We didn’t do anything noteworthy,” Ron sighed as they climbed the stairs on the train.

“What have you been doing?” Hermione asked as she walked down the small corridor looking for an empty compartment.

“I’ve been okay,” Harry said, opening the sliding door. “Here,” Harry called out, stopping Hermione. “I left my relative’s house.”

“You did?” Hermione gasped.

“Why?” Ron asked. “I mean I can understand why, but why now?” Ron closed the door to their compartment so that no one else could overhear.

“I just couldn’t take it anymore,” Harry said.

“Well, where have you been staying?” Hermione said, pulling Crookshanks on her lap.

“I got a room at the Leaky Cauldron,” Harry said. “I was only there for three weeks.”

“Why didn’t you come stay with us?” Ron asked, sitting next to Hermione. “You know Mum would have took you in.”

“I know,” Harry said. “But I just wanted to be alone for a bit. I felt like the walls were closing in on me and I just couldn’t be around anyone. With everything that happened last year, losing Sirius, being possessed by Voldemort, I needed to be alone with my own thoughts. To really think things through.”

“I can understand that,” Hermione said.

The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was quiet between the trio. They talk sporadically to each other but mostly they just enjoyed the ride. When the train got to the stop, everyone started piling out of the train. First years went with Hagrid while the older years took the horseless carriages.

“Harry, where are you going?” Hermione asked when she saw Harry turn and walk back to the train.

“I forgot something,” Harry called back. “I’ll catch up with you. Go ahead.”

Harry walked back onto the train. He knew he had a few more minutes before the train left for London since there were still a few students on the train. He walked into the compartment where he, Hermione and Ron just left and heard voices coming from the neighboring compartment.

“Are you ready to do this?”

“I told you I could handle this. Leave me alone.”

“You know you only have until the end of the year to accomplish what you have to do.”

“I know. Stop pestering me.”

“Just make sure you get it done. I don’t want to have to tell him you failed.”

“I won’t. Now can we go.”

Harry stayed quiet during that entire exchange. Because the voices were muffled he couldn’t recognize the voices, but he knew that it was three people talking. Whatever they were planning, he just hoped that it wasn’t something bad.

Harry grabbed the small satchel that he left behind and walked out of the compartment, running into Draco, Theodore, and Pansy.

“What are you doing here, Potter? Draco asked.

“Minding my business. What are you doing?” Harry retorted.

Draco stepped up in Harry’s face.

“Don’t get snarky with me,” Draco growled. “Or you’ll end up just like your precious godfather. Where is your godfather? Oh yeah, I forgot.”

Pansy and Theodore laughed at what Draco said.

“Whatever you’re planning, you won’t succeed,” Harry said.

“Who says I’m planning anything?” Draco said, stepping back. “Let’s go.”

Draco stepped pass Harry bumping his shoulder against the smaller boy. Pansy and Theodore followed.

Harry tried to calm his temper. The last thing he wanted was to start the school year off being in trouble. Oh, he wanted to hex Draco’s tongue out of his mouth for talking about Sirius. Harry still wasn’t over grieving over the death of Sirius. It still stung that he was the reason Sirius was dead. If he hadn’t slacked off in Occlumency, if he had listened to Hermione, if only if only.

Harry knew he needed to get off the train, so he put his satchel on his shoulder and got off. There was one more carriage. Harry looked at the thestrals at the front of the carriage. He rubbed his hand down the side of the animal and then got on. The ride to the castle was a stressful one. He couldn’t stand this feeling. It was the reason he left his relatives in the first place. Harry lifted his head and took a deep breath. He tried to get himself to calm down. He would be strong. He would show that he wasn’t weak. But oh, did he miss his godfather.

When Harry got off the carriage, he was met by another he didn’t feel like hearing another bash against him. Snape was standing at the entrance to the castle.

“Wanting to make a grand entrance, Potter?” Severus drawled. “Why are you just coming in now?”

“I forgot something on the train,” Harry said.

“You will show me some respect,” Severus growled.

“I’m sorry, godfather,” Harry sneered.

Severus stepped closer to Harry. Harry had to look up to see Severus’ livid face. Severus grabbed Harry shirt.

“I told you not to mention that again,” Severus growled. His voice was low so only Harry would hear.

“Why,” Harry asked, coolly. “You asked for respect; I’m giving it to you.”

Severus opened his mouth to let loose a blistering retort, but quickly shut it.

“Who have you told?” Severus said, letting Harry shirt go.

“What? No one.”

“You better not be lying to me, Potter.”

“Believe what you want,” Harry said. The fight was out of Harry’s voice. “You asked me not to say anything. I didn’t say anything. You want to believe that I don’t exist, then fine. You won’t be the first or the last.”

Severus stepped back from Potter and looked at the boy.

“May I go inside, now?” Harry asked. “Sir.”

Severus looked at Harry for a second before stepping aside and letting the boy pass him.

___000____0000____0000____0000

Harry walked into the Great Hall and sat across from Ron.

“Oh, Harry, you made it,” Hermione said.

“Yeah,” Harry said, reaching out to get him some food. “I got caught up in something.”

“Is everything okay?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, everything is fine.” Harry gave Hermione a small smile and then concentrated on the food in front of him.

“Well, one good thing,” Ron said between bites. “Not having Potions, we don’t have to worry about having the Bat of the Dungeons.”

Harry hummed but didn’t reply to Ron’s statement. If it was anytime in the past years, Harry would have agreed and been just as excited as Ron with not having Snape for a teacher.

Professor McGonagall hit the side of her goblet with her knife, signaling to the students for their attention. All four houses stopped talking and looked up at the dais. Professor Dumbledore stood and walked over to the podium.

“Welcome to another year at Hogwarts,” Albus said. “A note to all students, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. I would like to introduce a new Professor.”

“Well, here comes the new Defense Professor,” Ron whispered to Harry.

“Professor Slughorn has agreed to come back and take his previous position. He will be taking the Potions position.”

The jaw dropped in every student in the Great Hall. Murmuring started with all the houses. Albus raised his hands to try and silence the students, but it took Minerva tapping on her goblet to get them all quiet.

“Your Defense Professor will be Professor Snape.”

The Slytherin House cheered the loudest. Learning that their Head of House will be their Defense Professor was a great surprise.

“Not having Professor Snape as a teacher this year,” Harry teased, whispering back to Ron.

Ron looked like he was turning green at the news.

The tables cleared of the dinner and the pudding came up. Ron looked at the pudding and quickly pushed his plate away.

“I never thought I would see the day that Ron turned down pudding,” Seamus said, spooning a small amount of pudding on his plate.

“Yeah, he was just so sure that we wouldn’t have Professor Snape this year,” Ginny said. She was sitting across from Seamus and Neville.

It wasn’t the best news to learn that they learned just now, but it was the look on Ronald’s face that had the Gryffindor table laughing.

___0000____000___000___000

It was the middle of the night. Harry couldn’t sleep. He looked over at Ron who was laying in a strange position. Harry was sure Ron would be stiff when he woke up. Harry looked up at the top of the canopy. His chest started to feel tight. He sat up in the bed and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Looking around the room, he saw that all his roommates were still asleep. He felt like the walls were closing in on him. Harry stumbled out of the bed. Frantically he reached for his glasses, hoping he didn’t break them. He fell against his trunk. Pulling out his invisibility cloak, Harry rushed out of the dormitory.

Wrapped in his cloak, Harry rushed up the stone steps to the owlery. When he got to the owlery, he ripped off the cloak. Tears were streaming down Harry face. Leaning over the ledge, he started screaming.

___0000____0000____0000____0000

Severus was looking forward to finally teaching Defense. He was actually getting antsy. He figured a walk around the castle would calm his nerves so that he could get some sleep before the first day.

Normally, he didn’t walk the corridors of the school on the first night. He wasn’t expecting to run into any students. Not so early in the semester. While he was thinking about his first class as Defense, his mind wandered to the letter he still had in his pocket.

After receiving it from Potter, he couldn’t just throw it away. Severus pulled the letter out of his inside pocket and looked down at the writing on the letter. He remembered when he went to Potter’s and Lily’s wedding. He was surprised that he even received an invitation. After the wedding, his shock didn’t stop. Potter had insisted that he be in a picture with the other Marauders.

Severus’ thoughts then went to the younger Potter. He remembered the dejected look on the boy’s face when he first refused to read the letter. It looked like the defeated look the boy had on his face when he got off the carriage.

Severus was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a breeze rush past him. It startled him that he stopped walking. Now that his heels weren’t clinking against the stone floor, he could hear a mild slapping sound.

There was only one person that could possibly get pass him without being seen. He hated that Albus gave Potter that blasted invisibility cloak. Severus followed the sounds until he ended at the bottom of the stairs to the owlery. As he climbed the stairs, he heard a loud wailing.

Severus rushed up the final steps to see Potter leaning out of the opening, screaming at the top of his lungs. The more that Potter screamed; the further he hung out the window. As much as he didn’t really care for the boy, Severus could not leave the child in this bad state.

To not startle the boy, Severus quietly but quickly went to the boy’s side. When he was arm’s length away, Severus reached out and grabbed Potter by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back in the room.

Without thinking or seeing who was there, Harry latched himself to the body that was next to him. Not once did he open his eyes or look up to see who was there. Severus was clueless about what to do. The child had a firm grip on his person, and he was wailing like the whole world was going to end that night. Severus didn’t say a word. He just put his hand on Harry’s head and let the boy cry. Severus could tell that deep-down Potter really needed this. It was a soul-cleansing cry that after everything the boy has been through these past years, Potter really needed this.

TBC