Professor Snape acted immediately, whipping his wand around and stupefying Dudley before he could say a word. The thin man sighed as Dudley fell to the floor with a dull thud. Well, more of a crash, really.

“This complicates things,” he muttered.

With a bit of effort, Severus dragged Dudley into the room and shut and locked the door behind him. “Silencio. Ennervate,” Snape said, pointing his wand at Dudley.

Harry’s large cousin blinked stupidly for a few seconds, then began babbling, stopping when he realized he wasn’t making any noise.

“So,” Severus said softly, twirling his wand in one pale hand. “You’ve found me out. What are you going to do now? Run to mommy and daddy? Seal your title as a coward and a tattle-tale? Well I’m not going to stop you. I’ll give you your chance right now. Go, show who you are in the end.” He waved his wand and Dudley gained his voice back. He waved it again and the door swung open. He waved it a third time and Dudley was set on his feet. “Now go,” he hissed. “We won’t stop you.”

Dudley stumbled off, glancing back at Snape every few steps. Snape turned away from him with a scowl. “I thought so. He’s going to go tell. Oh well, I expected it. Might as well get it over with. Get your trunk, Potter. The Dursley’s aren’t going to like this.”

Harry threw open his trunk and began tossing all his things inside. Severus disappeared, apparently to retrieve his own already packed trunk, as he returned with it floating in front of him moments later. Harry shoved his homework in and then shut and locked his trunk. “Any minute now,” Harry muttered.

As if on cue, Uncle Vernon shouted, “HARRY POTTER!” and came stomping up the stairs.

“Oh, he’s not going to be happy,” Harry sighed. He dropped his wand in his pocket and braced himself for some yelling and possibly even a swing or two.

Vernon Dursley slammed into the room much like his son, but unlike him faced the cold eyes of a ready Professor Snape and expectant Harry.

“You had something to say?” Severus asked in that soft voice he seemed to have perfected.

The broad man yelled, “How dare you dirty my house?! How dare you attack my son?! Get out! And take the boy! Now!”

Severus bowed mockingly. “Gladly,” he sneered. “If only you’d get your fat arse out of the way.” He levitated both his trunk and Harry’s, and blasted them through the doorway, narrowly missing Mr. Dursley. Harry followed his tutor in a stupor, amazed at what he had just done. Severus led him past a shocked Petunia and Dudley and out the front door, which slammed behind them. He led Harry right up to the street, where he stuck out his wand after checking to see if the street was clear, which, indeed, it was. Soon the all-too-familiar Knight Bus came crashing down.

“Not my most favored way of travel,” Professor Snape said to Harry, “but at least it’s cheap.”

He seemed used to this method of traveling despite his aforementioned dislike, because he silenced the conductor with a wave of his hand and shoved some gold in his hand without asking how much.

“Snape Manor,” he said smoothly, pushing Harry ahead of him to a seat and leaving their trunks for the conductor to manage.

Harry sat in the seat Snape pointed to without saying a word. Snape Manor? Snape had a manor? Snape was taking him, Harry Potter, the boy he loathed, to his manor? But why?

Severus watched the play of emotions on Harry’s face with a smirk on his own. The boy was so easy to read. Surprise, disbelief, curiosity. Snape picked them out easily while Harry sat there, oblivious to his watchful eyes. Why was he taking the boy to the Manor? To protect him, he told himself. But you could do that at Hogwarts...Added protection at the Manor. No one knows where it is. Even the Knight Bus can’t get past the borders... Severus shook his head to clear it of thought. No use dwelling on decisions already made.

Soon enough, and without too many falls out of their chairs, they made it to the edge of Snape’s land. After a few minutes hold up when someone puked in the aisle, they were alone with their trunks and the prospect of a long walk ahead of them. Snape pulled out his wand and levitated the trunks again, not speaking to Harry. About halfway though their walk, it started to rain. Harry groaned, but Professor Snape put the trunks down and created a bubble around them so they wouldn’t get wet. Harry reluctantly admitted to himself that this sure did make walking easier. It seemed that the bubble eradicated all moisture, so even the grass they walked on was dry. After half an hour of trudging along, they were looking up at a stately old manor, perched proudly on the hillside.

Snape led Harry through the large garden on the stone pathway. Harry glanced around and saw many herbs he recognized from Potions and Herbology. At the door, Snape made the bubble vanish, dropped the trunks, and began to pick apart the wards he had set on the door. Finally, after about ten minutes of standing in the cold rain, Professor Snape pushed the door open and walked inside, trunks floating behind him. Harry hesitated, then followed. He was led up a set of creaky stairs, down a dark hall, and then into a bedroom.

“This one’s yours,” Professor Snape said. Harry’s trunk dropped with a clunk. “The bathroom is attached, that door over there.” He pointed. “The bottom floor is my lab, and across the hall is my bedroom. Never go in either without my permission. Dinner is served at six; don’t be late. We’ll resume lessons tomorrow. I’ll see you in half an hour.”

Harry nodded and the potions master left the room. Harry was confused. At the end of the year, he had despised Snape. Now, he wasn’t sure. He never would have thought he’d be saying it, but Snape wasn’t all that bad, really. He seemed very moody; one moment he was explaining something and the next he was yelling. Harry supposed if you were respectful to him, at least he wouldn’t yell. The tiny unbiased section in Harry’s brain realized that most Gryffindors really were quite rude to Snape. Once he thought about it, Harry realized he had hated Snape since first year, when he had mocked Harry for being a celebrity in the first Potions class. But he had never given Snape a chance...And now that he had worked over his grief for Sirius, he realized Snape had done nothing to him all year except stop giving him Occlumency lessons-but that was Harry’s fault-and be hateful towards him. But Snape had to act like he hated me, thought Harry, or the children of the Death Eaters would think he wasn’t loyal...

Harry sat up in bed, gaping. That was it. That was why Snape had always been so mean, so unfair, so favorable to Slytherins, especially Death Eater’s children...because he was a spy, always a spy, always wearing a mask.

Severus Snape sat at the table in the dining room, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair. The boy was late. It was 6:05 and he had not yet arrived. Just as Snape was about to check his watch again, Harry skidded into the room.

“Sorry sir! I lost track of time,” he explained as he seated himself.

Professor Snape merely nodded, and warned him, “Don’t let it happen again.”

Harry nodded and stared at his empty plate hard, as if he was expecting food to fall from the ceiling. Severus, however, snapped and a house-elf appeared, carrying a tray of enough food for two.

“Here is the food you is asking for, Master Severus,” the house-elf said quietly, putting it on the table.

“Thank you, Binky,” Snape said, quite politely. The house-elf smiled shyly and vanished from the room. After a moment of silence in which neither Harry or Snape moved, Snape finally said, “You may help yourself to whatever you wish any time, Potter.” At the faint look of surprise on the boy’s face, Severus explained, “Manners dictate that a host allow his guest to be served first.

Harry nodded and carefully scooped up some mashed potatoes, a portion of chicken and vegetable pie, and some applesauce. Then he politely waited for Professor Snape to get his food before starting to eat. Snape nodded at the show of courtesy, a tiny smile on his lips.

About halfway through the meal, Harry put down his fork and quietly asked, “Why did you bring me here, sir?”

At this, Snape also placed down his silverware, swallowed his bite of potatoes, and then glanced at Harry’s face. “Protection,” he finally answered. “The only two places you could continue your lessons were Hogwarts and here. Surprising though it may be, this manor is more protected. Only a select few know of its existence- myself, Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, the driver of the Knight Bus, Ernie, and now you. And of those select few, even fewer know where it is- myself, Ernie, and, again, you. And I am the only one who can come here anytime I so desire. Ernie can come only if I ask him to take me here. You can come only if I bring you along. So you see, it makes perfect sense to bring you here.”

Harry nodded, “I understand, sir,” and returned to his food. The two were silent until the end of the meal, right after Snape called Binky to clear the plates.

Severus cleared his throat. “Now that I can work with you extensively for the next ten days, is there anything you’d like to work on besides Occlumency and Potions? You may select two things.”

“Umm...Defense and maybe Herbology? It’s not required for Auror Training, so I won’t be taking it next year, but it might help, especially for Potions.”

Professor Snape nodded. “Good choice. Now I need to floo to Hogwarts to talk with the headmaster. I’d like you to come along; I don’t know how long it will take.”

“Yes, sir. When are we leaving?”

“Right now, if you’re ready.”

Harry just shrugged, so Severus stood and led him to a sitting room where there was a tall fireplace made of stone. He knelt and scooped a handful of floo powder out of a china bowl on the hearth.

“Here,” he said, pouring half of it into Harry’s hand. “I’ll go first. Just say ‘Hogwarts, Great Hall.’”

“Hogwarts Great Hall. Right,” Harry said.

Snape tossed his powder into the flames and then stepped inside, calling, “Hogwarts Great Hall!”

Once he had disappeared and the green flames had died out, Harry dropped his own dust into the fire, walked into it, and shouted, “Hogwarts Great Hall!”

After a few minutes of choking on ash and spinning, Harry tumbled out into the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He fell falat on the floor and felt his glasses snap.

“Oh darn,” he groaned, pushing himself up.

Once he was standing, Harry found himself being watched by Professor Snape. “Here, let me see your glasses,” he said, taking out his wand. “Reparo!”

He handed them back and Harry put them back on. “Thank you, Professor,” he muttered.

Snape merely nodded and said, “Come along. The Headmaster should be in his office; the staff dinner will have just ended.”

The two men that looked more alike than the realized strode sided by side towards the gargoyle that marked the Headmaster’s office. Once the reached it, Snape said the password, “Blood-flavored lollipops,” and the gargoyle jumped aside. Severus stepped on the staircase first, and it took them up to the round office that had grown familiar to both Harry and Snape over the years. The first thing that Severus noticed was that Albus had refurbished his office. He had acquired a handsome set of crystals and had them set out on a table. As Snape looked at them, one caught the light and sparkled.

“Please, sit,” came Albus’ voice.

Harry jumped; he hadn’t noticed the elderly man. Both he and Severus found a seat close to the desk.

“I was found out,” Snape said immediately. “Dudley Dursley saw me about to practice Occlumency with Mr. Potter. I didn’t wish to erase his memory; I preferred to give him a chance to redeem himself, much like the chance you gave me, on a much more minor scale, of course.”

“I see,” the Headmaster said quietly. “So you are both returning to Hogwarts then?”

“No. I would like to stay at Snape Manor for the duration of Mr. Potter’s tutoring session. He still needs to learn Potions and Occlumency.”

“He could do that here, Severus.”

Harry glanced at Professor Snape to see his reaction. He, of course, already knew why the manor was a better place to stay, but he had thought Snape would’ve cleared it with Dumbledore. Apparently not.

“I think the Manor would be safer. So few people know of it; the wards are practically impossible to penetrate.”

Dumbledore gazed at Severus and they had a silent battle of wills. It seemed that Professor Snape won, because Albus finally nodded and said, “Alright then.” Then he turned to Harry. “Harry, do you agree with this arrangement?”

“Yes, Professor, I really want to be an Auror. Professor Snape has to teach me Potions for that to happen. And I don’t want what happened las- last time to happen to someone else. I have to learn to prevent it.”

“Then it is settled,” Snape said. “Good evening, Albus.” He placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder as if to steer him from the room.

“Actually, a moment if you please, Severus,” the Headmaster said smoothly. “Harry, if you’d step outside please.”

Harry nodded and slipped outside, thinking he’d listen through the door. A moment later that wish was shot by Dumbledore muttering, “Silencio.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t trust his own students,” he murmured and leaned against the wall to wait. A moment later, a thunderous Severus and a sulky Harry slipped from behind the gargoyle outside Dumbledore’s office. Harry quickly decided to just be silent and hope that Snape wouldn’t notice him, because at the moment he looked like he could have violent tendencies. The pair stomped through the castle to the Great Hall, where Severus brushed off a flustered looking McGonagall, saying, “Not now, Minerva,” and then chucked some floo powder from his pocket into the fireplace, grabbed Harry’s elbow, stepped inside, and called, “Snape Manor!”

Traveling by floo powder alone was uncomfortable enough, but doing it with another person was hardly worth the time it saved. Harry kept knocking into Snape and his throat burned from all the ash he had swallowed. Finally, the fire spit them out into Snape’s sitting room. Harry groaned from where he was sprawled on the floor and rubbed at his newly acquired carpet burn. Severus, still clinging to his dignity somehow, picked himself up and then waited for Harry to slowly rise. Once they were both standing, Severus marched up the stairs followed by Harry. At their doors, he told Harry, “Good night. Breakfast at 8:00,” and then disappeared into his chambers.