It was a warm morning when Harry woke up. Little beads of sweat fell from his face as he slid out of bed. Harry was nervous, as today was the day that he would be leaving Grimmauld Place, to stay at his Professor Snape's house. Sirius Black was slowly stirring his coffee in the kitchen with a frown. Harry came walking into the room wearing his pajamas, with messy bed hair. 'Hey kiddo' Sirius said trying to sound cheerful. 'Hey' Harry replied softly, before sitting down and pouring himself some cereal. This morning was hard, for both Harry and his Godfather. After eating breakfast Harry went upstairs for a shower, then decided to pack his bags. He packed everything needed for his summer, however he left a few things behind just in case Snape let him stay over here for the night; which he doubted.

Sirius came upstairs just as Harry had finished packing his bag, to tell him that Snape would arrive in 2 hours. Having finished packing his suitcase, this left Harry wandering aimlessly through the halls. All of a sudden he felt a tingle on his neck, turned around, only just noticing a door he had never noticed. "Hey Sirius, what's through this door?" Harry yelled, pointing towards the black locked door. Sirius silently came up to the door and whispered a password that Harry could not hear. Within a few seconds the door creaked open, releasing dust into Harry's face.

"This room was my old study. I used to store a lot of stuff from when I was a kid. I would sometimes get your father's house elf to bring things to store in this room. I was the only one who could open the door, many of us friends stored our old books, clothes; just random things really. You can look around, but call me if you want to take a peek at something. Like I said, not everything belonged to me, some items might be cursed" With that being said, Sirius left the room; leaving the door wide open.

As Harry made his way around the room he peered at different bookshelves. He saw many old school textbooks, as well as some quidditch magazines. There were abandoned quills and parchment left on the table. Something however caught his attention on the floor under a blanket. It was a large Hogwarts trunk, with the initials peeled off; it could have been anyone's. Going against Sirius' orders, Harry went to open the trunk when Sirius cam barging into the room. "What do you think your doing?! I told you to tell me before you touch anything. You could have gotten yourself hurt!" Harry flinched at Sirius' unusually strict voice. Harry tried to make an excuse, however it died on his lips. After begging Sirius to check for spells, Sirius agreed that the chest was not cursed; Sirius left the room angrily whispering to himself. In this study there was numerous trunks, however the reason Harry was so drawn to this specific one, was the stickers on the sides. On the sides of the trunk there were stickers of old music bands, which wouldn't have peaked Harry's interest, if they weren't muggle bands. Once the lid was open Harry saw a Gryffindor robe and Head girl badge. Whilst sifting through more stuff, Harry tearily realised that this trunk belonged to his mother. There were school books, quills, diaries and empty chocolate wrappers. Harry's eyes wandered over the trunks contents longingly. Both of his parents were dead, however the more he looked at these objects, he felt a closer connection to them. Having the courage to pick something up, he decided to pick up an old charms book. As he flipped through it's pages, a few letters fell to the ground. Harry looked at the letters in excitement, hoping that they were from his mother to his father; or vice versa. He picked up other books that were in the trunk and riffled through the pages, only to find more letters. He hastily put the letters aside when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Not knowing why he was so worried that Sirius might find out that he had taken the letters, he decided to hide them in his jacket.

Thinking that it was Sirius coming upstairs to check on him again, Harry was relieved when Remus' head came poking through to doorway. "Hello Harry" Remus said with a warm smile. Harry returned the greeting, and slowly pushed Remus out of the way, and out of the room. With a click of the door, it was once again sealed. "How are you holding up? You know Sirius is really upset, he's sulking again downstairs." Harry responded with a snort. "Yeh, he's all charm this morning. I don't know what's wrong with him, it's not my fault that I have to leave Grimmauld Place. He's acting weird and withdrawn, just before, he got me into trouble for almost touching something in that room." he sighed, pointing back to the sealed door.

"Look Harry, Sirius is trying to be strong, but he's cracking. He was really looking forward to spending this entire summer with you. Only for you to now have to spend it with Professor Snape, it's eating him up Harry. From what Professor Dumbledore told me, Professor Snape will be here in 30 minutes. Why don't you spend your remaining time with Sirius. Just talk to him Harry, he would appreciate it." Remus and Harry both walked down stairs in order to find Sirius, who was now seated in the lounge room, looking ever glum. Remus hugged Harry goodbye, leaving Sirius and Harry alone.

They were silent for 5 minutes before Sirius had the courage to speak. "I'm sorry about how I acted before Harry. I really wanted this summer to be just us. Me telling you about your dad, and what we used to get up to. You will come visit won't you Harry? Don't let Snape force you into staying at his dumb old house. I mean Grimmauld Place might not be the best home, but I mean, if this place looks like this, can you imagine what Snape's home will look like! He probably lives in Dracula's Castle." Sirius imitated someone vomiting, and which harry laughed at.

"Of course i'll come here Sirius, you just try and stop me. I'm sure this summer will be ok, I just hope he makes potions the whole time, and forgets that i'm living with him." Looking longingly at his Godfather he heard the floo flair. Deciding that he did not want to see Snape just yet, Harry let his Godfather talk to his potions master for the time being. Walking up the stairs, Harry retrieved his wand from the bedside table and put it in his jacket. Only just remembering about his mother's letters, Harry quickly yet carefully stowed them away in his trunk. He grabbed all of his belongings and took Hedwig's cage with him, he proceeding to walk down the stairs; dragging his luggage behind him.

At the bottom of the stairs Sirius could be seen having a heated argument with Severus Snape. Harry's thumping of his suitcase brought Sirius and Severus' attention towards him. 'Potter' Severus greeted Harry tersely. "Well Potter, it looks like I will have the privilege of caring for your wellbeing these holidays. Won't you say goodbye to your dogfather?" Snape said sarcastically trying to get a rise out of Sirius; which he succeeded at doing. Without waiting, Snape snatched Harry's luggage from his hands and walked towards the floo network. Harry stayed behind with Sirius for a second to say his goodbye. It was a teary goodbye between godfather and godson. 'Give him hell Harry' Sirius whispered whilst ruffling Harry's hair. Not wanting to show Snape that he was crying, Sirius waved to Harry goodbye and ascending to his bedroom. Harry took Hedwig's cage in hand and walked into the other room to find Snape waiting patiently by the floo network. Snape looked Harry up and down and grunted. "In order to get to my home Potter, we will floo to the Headmaster's office first, which is when we will walk to the outside of the Hogwarts gates. From there we will apparate to my property." 'Why don't we just floo to your house?' Harry asked the Professor with a frown. The Professor made a look which said he was impressed. "Well Potter, why didn't I think about that? That would be so much quicker" Harry smiled, then lost said smile after looking at Snapes smirking face. "Do you really think if it were that easy, that we would go to all this trouble to get to my home. My house is warded with numerous spells, which keeps intruders out, and which will now will keep you in. That means no wondering off Potter" Snape snarled at Harry. Without so much as another word, Snape threw in the floo powder and walked briskly into the fire; hauling Harry along with him.

What greeted Harry, was not at all what he expected. Normally the floo network connected to a fireplace inside someone's home, however he was greeted by a breeze on his face. Stepping out of the fireplace, he realised that he was in a garden; the grounds of Snape Manor. Professor Snape had walked out of the network and was seen quickly lugging Harry's suitcase into the house. Harry stood in front of the house staring at it, up and down. It was a three storey large country home. As the wind started to pick up, Harry dashed inside. The room he now stood in was a rather cosy lobby. Walking throughout the house and into the lounge room, Harry noticed that the house was very nicely kept. The walls were a deep timber, with white windows and furniture; it created a very calming environment. The Professor however, was nowhere in sight, "Um Professor?" 'In here Potter' the Professor replied. Harry followed the Professor's voice, and walked into a small room with a winding staircase. The Professor was waiting by the stairs looking like his normal self, cross and upset. "Instead of wandering about my home, listen and follow closely, this is the only time that I am going to show you around."

Both Harry and the Professor walked around the ground floor of the house. The ground floor consisted of a living room, large study, very large reception hall, a formal dining room, kitchen and informal dining area. The ground floor also contained a bedroom which the professor pointed out was for the house elf that lived permanently at the house/manor. The more they looked at each area on the ground floor, the more Harry became confused. Snape was someone had quite a temper, and lived in a dingy dungeon. He was always referred to by students as the bat of the dungeon, so how come his home was so normal? The formal dining room was the most different from everything else in the house. Every room contained very dark wood, however the formal dining area was pure white, and had creamy accented furnishings. The house was very old, from the cornices to the stain glass windows, it had a lot of character. Finally walking to the second level, there was a fireplace and a few cabinets in the hallway. The Professor opened the door in the middle of the hallway. The room was rectangular with a seated area at the bay window. Every single wall was a bookshelf, which contained books vertically and horizontally. There was a master desk which was empty save for the quill and inkwell. On the other side of the room, there was a smaller desk. "This is the Library, I expect you to come in here multiple times throughout the Summer. I expect all of your summer homework to be completed to a standard that satisfies me. This will be your desk, therefore, when you unpack your suitcase, place your books on this desk straight away." With a final look over the room, the Professor swept out of the room beckoning Harry to follow.

The final stop was Harry's new room. When the Professor opened the door, Harry once again was surprised. He thought that the Professor would have given him the worst room of the house. However, looking around the room, he noticed how spacious it was. To the far right of the room stood a large King size bed, bigger than anything Harry had ever slept in. "Lunch will be at 12pm, therefore I expect you to finish unpacking your bag by then" Snape sneered at Harry then left the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry looked about the room smiling to himself. While he did not want to be here, this was probably the best room he had ever seen in his life; and it was all his for the summer. There was a large window which overlooked the luscious grounds. Harry dragged his suitcase to the wardrobe, opening the door, he was shocked. The doors were not for a wardrobe, instead they were doors into a concealed room. Wondering why there was a secret room, Harry only just realised that the room was a walk in wardrobe, when he saw coat hangers on the far side of the room. Opening his suitcase, Harry took his folded clothes and placed them on the shelves. He then hung up his robes, and placed his shoes on the floor so they sat side by side. After he put away all his clothes, Harry realised that only ¼ of the room was taken up by his clothes.

Walking out of the closet Harry touched random furnishings in the room, whilst looking around foggily. Even though he was 15 years old Harry was so excited by his new room that he ran across the room and jumped onto his bed. Flipping over he faced the ceiling and started to tear up. Harry felt emotional thinking about the life he could have had if his parents were alive. Would his room be as nice as this? Would he be able fly around in his garden. Sitting up and wiping his eyes, Harry realised that he forgot about a door that was across the room. Opening the door he realised that he had his very own ensuite bathroom. It contained a separate shower and claw foot bathtub. The room was very Slytherin like, the tiles from top to bottom were dark green. Harry moved to the window to see birds flying freely outside, when out of nowhere he heard a pop. Turning around, in the middle of the bathroom stood a small house elf. "Sorry Master Potter, Trixy is not be meaning to scare you." Blinking, Harry smiled at Trixy. "Oh, hello, and no you didn't scare me." Trixy started to blabber saying how kind Harry was, and how she had heard what a kind, and smart wizard Harry was. "Professor is be looking for you Master Potter, lunch in served" With a pop, Trixy left to go down to the kitchen. Harry quickly made his way downstairs, worried that Snape would get mad that he was late.

"Glad to see you're on time Potter" Snape sneered at Harry from behind. Harry was only 5 minutes late, however he could tell that his Professor was annoyed. They both walked into the informal dining area and sat down. Snape started placing food on his plate, whilst Harry merely stared, his mouth watering. The food looked exquisite, there was a mixture of salads, sandwiches, soup, and various cakes. After eating their food in silence, the potions master asked Harry to follow him to the study. "Sit down Potter, and grab a piece of parchment and a quill." Harry cautiously sat at his table, and did what he was told.

"Alright Potter, I'm going to go over the rules for the Summer and you will write what I say. You will be living in my home for this whole summer, however you will be allowed to visit your dogfather once a week; which day I am not certain as of yet. You will not treat my home as you do Hogwarts. Like Hogwarts however, you will have a curfew, now don't interrupt me, listen. You will be in your room by 10:00 pm every night, and lights will be out by 11:00 pm. We will eat breakfast at 8:00 am each morning, besides weekends which will be 8:30 am. Lunch you may eat wherever on the property you wish, as I will most likely be in my potions lab. Dinner we will eat together at 6:00 pm every night. If you get hungry throughout the day, you may ask Trixy, and she will bring you food. Now, whilst I have a house elf you will not abuse her. I expect you to make sure that your room is constantly clean. Any dirty clothes that you have better not be lying on the floor. There is a hamper in your bathroom, they will be sent to Trixy where she will have them washed and layed out on your bed; you will however put your clothes away." Harry sat looking at Snape not having written anything. Snape looked pointedly at Harry's parchment, signalling him to start writing.

Harry wrote what time his curfew, meals, and what his chores were. Having spent his whole life living with the Dursleys, these chores were a joke; but he wasn't about to tell Snape that. The potions master sat down on a chair opposite Harry. He looked wearily at Harry, then said something that startled Harry. "I need to offer you an apology Potter. I have not been the kindest person to you, i've belittled you and said that you lived a…. Well I was wrong, and your relatives were not your personal house elf; but the other way around. I think that since our Occlumency classes I have figured out what your problem is. You act out, or lash out when you don't know things, or aren't included. You said that you looked into my pensieve because you wanted to know what was happening in the order. I disagree with Dumbledore, maybe if you had been told something about what was going on in the Order, what happened at the Ministry would not have happened." Snape stood up and starting to pace backwards and forwards on the carpet.

"I want you to understand something. I sympathise with what happened with your relatives, but I will not pity you. Considering how the dark lord has such a large interest in you, think of your past situations as character building. I am not going to lie, the headmaster wished for me to be your caretaker, I didn't beg to have you here; the headmaster however was adamant. Let's just say I can understand better than some people, what your relatives did to you. That being said, I think, and Dumbledore thinks that it is important that you not keep your feelings bottled up, but that you talk about what transpired between you and your relatives. You don't necessarily have to speak with me, you will be at Black's once a week, meaning you can talk to him. However, my door so to speak is always open should you wish to talk. And you will, talk that is, before the holidays are over. You cannot let your anger fester and boil up inside of you, eventually you will explode and hurt someone; trust me." Snape looked at Harry, seeming surprised that Harry had not yet interrupted his ranting.

Harry merely nodded in acknowledgement to what Snape said. Whilst looking out of the window, Harry asked "So is that all the rules you have? Just to clean my room…" Snape went on to telling Harry that he would have to do an hour of school work every day, which included, reading textbooks or writing essays. Harry would be allowed to fly out in the garden, however he could only go as far as the property's border. Harry made a promise that if he was going to go flying he would tell Snape, before he went outside.

"Before you leave Potter, there is one more thing. I would like you to give me your invisibility clo..."

"No! You can't have that, that was my dad's. No! no! you can't have it, get lost Snape!" Just having heard what he had said, Harry was wide eyed as he waited for Snape to start screaming back at him. The potions master on the other hand took in a deep breath and a long pause, he walked towards Harry and said in a very soft yet chilling voice. "I will pretend that I did not hear what you just said to me. I am not taking it to get back at your father. I do not want you getting into mischief around my home. I am in-charge of your wellbeing, therefore I need to make sure I know where you are every minute of the day, and that you are safe. As for your outburst, and language, go to your room!, and don't come down until dinner… Oh and no using your wand!" Snape fled the room, and down the hall to his potions lab. Severus sat on a stool in front of his cauldron and put his head between his hands; and sighed.

Harry sulked whilst walking to his room, where he slammed his door shut. Harry spent the majority of the day walking around his room bored, reading a month old quidditch magazine; having forgotten all about his mother's letters. Trixy had come into the room 2 hours later to retrieve Harry's invisibility cloak for Severus. Feeling angry Harry sat by his window looking out at the garden. He then stood up and started pacing backwards and forwards, talking out loud to himself. "I'm in-charge of you this summer!" Harry said trying to imitate Snape's voice. "Snape thinks he's in charge of me?! Alright, so he's actually shit at assigning chores, and I won't have to do anything near as much to what I was forced to do at the Dursleys. But to take away my dad's invisibility cloak?! And I will definitely not talk to him about the Dursleys….. There is nothing to even talk about!." Harry was getting more and more riled up. He started to open and close his draws and cupboard doors, in order to make a continuous banging noise; it was all that helped him not start crying. As he walked around his room he stumbled and tripped over his Hogwarts suitcase. With a pop his trunk opened and out fell his broom, It gleamed at Harry enticingly. Even knowing that it was a bad idea, Harry was very annoyed at Snape, and didn't want to follow his rules. Harry grabbed his broom, pushed open his window and jumped. He flew around the grounds for 2 hours, the first 60 minutes calmed Harry. However, the more he flew the more he realised that he had made a terrible mistake. Snape was actually being very good to him, he had even apologised for his past behaviour. And all Harry had done was go behind Snape's back, even when he just told him not to fly without getting his permission first.

Deciding that he should head back inside, he quickly made his way back to his bedroom. As the window was already open, Harry flew inside and hopped off of his broom. Harry thanked Merlin that he got inside without Snape noticing that he was flying outside. He truly felt bad that he disobeyed Snape. Not wanting to think, he decided to have a shower. He walked over to his walk-in wardrobe and placed his broom into his trunk, then his trunk deep inside his closet. Harry closed the doors shaking his head at what he had done. Turning around to head to the bathroom, his eyes shifted towards his bed. There sitting on the mattress was the potions master with his arms crossed and a furious expression on his face. 'Potter' Snape said in a very grave voice. "You have some explaining to do".