Bennet released Harry at two and he wasn't supposed to meet Snape until three thirty so he headed to Knockturn, where he stood at the entrance of Payne Alley and stared down it. There was still plenty of light, though Payne Alley was shaded because of how narrow it was.

"You're not going down there are you?" Justin asked, coming up behind him with an armful of fliers and coupons.

Harry turned to look at him. "I was thinking about it. I already went down there with Silver once."

"Living with Sirius Black wasn't enough excitement for one summer?"

Harry looked at him carefully for a moment and then said, "I don't think he has it out for me. He would have killed me already if he did."

"Maybe, but you were a good hiding place. I mean, who would think to look for him in your room?"

"He could have killed me too many times."

"What do you want to go down Payne for anyway?"

"I want to place an ad."

"What? In the Lighthouse?"

"Yeah."

"What for?"

"I want to hire somebody."

"To assassinate Dumbledore? Good luck."

"No," Harry shoved him a little and Justin laughed. "To work in one of the businesses."

"Come on Harry, no one hires fae."

"I do. Besides, no one hires obnoxious thirteen year olds either but I got you a job didn't I?"

"Do what you want, but I didn't see you go down there. I know nothing about it."

Harry nodded. Good, that's what he wanted. The last thing he needed was Mrs. Ginger coming down the alley to drag him out by his ear.

"You're crazy!" Justin called after him as Harry stepped into Payne Alley and disappeared from sight, but Harry didn't feel as though he was crazy. He felt determined to do something right.

Harry stepped boldly into the Lighthouse office and as soon as the door was closed, Bellamy stepped out of the back room and frowned at him. "Where's Silver?" Bellamy asked.

"I came on my own," Harry said. "I want to place an ad."

"An ad? What for?" Bellamy took a quill from behind his ear and pulled out a sheet of parchment.

"I don't know how to word it," Harry said, "But I'd like to hire someone to work day shift at the Magical Menagerie."

"You're putting your ad in the wrong place," Bellamy said, not writing Harry's ad down.

"I want my ad here."

"Wizards don't read The Lighthouse, except you and a few others."

"I don't want a normal wizard. I want fae."

"Why?"

"I think it sucks that no one will hire fae. It's not right that people can't pay rent or have to go out into the Muggle world looking for work because they can't find work here."

Bellamy shook his head and began writing something down. "You're going to get yourself into trouble, you just don't know it yet."

"It's my business. I own it outright so I can hire who I want."

"The Ministry will do something like tax that business extra or make you have extra expensive insurance for hiring fae."

"I don't care."

"What are the qualifications for the job then?"

Harry frowned. He hadn't thought of that. He'd been into the Magical Menagerie to buy owl treats several times and had been in with Ron for rat supplies, but he'd never worked there. What would a worker need to be good at?

"It would be good if they've worked with animals before or worked in a shop before. They have to be good with animals. They have to be available to work the day shift."

"How do they submit an application?"

"Owl to me."

Harry waited patiently while Bellamy wrote down the ad, scratched several things out and re-worded them, and then read over it silently to be sure it looked right. Finally he read, "Help wanted at the Magical Menagerie. Open to fae. Qualifications: Must be good with animals. Prior experience in retail preferrable. Must be available to work the day shift. Owl applications to Mr. H. J. Potter."

"Great," Harry beamed, happy with Bellamy's skill at putting into words what Harry didn't know how to.

"Ten Knuts," Bellamy said, and Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the change to pay for the ad.

"I want to hire more than just one person, but only one is needed at the Magical Menagerie," Harry said. "I'm not sure where I can hire others though."

Bellamy looked at Harry steadily for a moment, as if he was trying to figure him out, and then said, "You're putting all this work into the alley, but who's going to maintain it once you go back to school?"

"I hadn't thought about it."

"You could hire a couple janitors to clean alleys at night. One for each alley. That's why Payne is so clean."

"Then shop owners wouldn't have to sweep in front of their own stores each day," Harry said thoughtfully.

"You'd probably need more than two in case someone can't come in or so people can have days off."

"Do you have a spare bit of parchment?" Harry asked.

Bellamy slid his notepad and quill over to him and Harry marked out all 7 days of the week.

"How would I do this so everyone gets equal hours?" Harry asked.

Bellamy took the quill from Harry and marked the letters A, B, C and D on the schedule. "Four shifts," he said. "Person A works Sunday to Wednesday, B works Monday to Thursday, C works Thursday to Sunday and person D works part time only on Friday's and Saturday's. If everybody works ten hour shifts that's full time work for shifts A, B and C, and person D can cover anyone who's sick on the other days to pick up more horus."

Harry nodded. He didn't know how to make a schedule and had never worked full time and was glad Bellamy knew what to do. "Can we add this to the advertisement or should I pay for another one?"

"We'll add it," Bellamy said, and after messing with the wording for a few minutes, he read aloud, "Four night custodians for the alley's wanted. Open to Fae. Three full time positions, one half time position. Must: be able to perform strenuous labor, have a good work ethic, be able to work unsupervised. One of these positions is for a supervisor, to be determined after one month of work."

Harry looked up at Bellamy. "Supervisor?"

"Unless you want to ask for permission to leave school and come check in on their work every week."

"One supervisor," Harry agreed.

"After a month you can choose one of the people to be supervisor over the other's work. That person would be responsible for making sure the alleys stay in good condition and would report to you on the other's work performance," Bellamy explained. "And you'd pay the supervisor extra. You could hand over scheduling responsibility to the supervisor in case someone has to call in sick. Then you wouldn't have to deal with it."

Harry nodded and after they read over the entire ad one more time, he thanked Bellamy for his help, received the smallest of smiles in return, and left the newsletter office, being sure Bellamy was in the back room before he opened the door and let the light in.

Feeling light and satisfied with how the ad and his plan to hire fae had turned out, Harry walked out of Payne Alley with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face, not taking notice of anyone around him. If he had been paying attention he would have seen Snape and the angry look he wore. Instead he was startled as Snape stalked up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side of Knockturn Alley the moment he stepped out onto it.

"Payne Alley Potter? Have you no sense of self-preservation?"

Heart pounding from being grabbed so suddenly and dragged to the side, Harry stared up at Snape with wide eyes for a moment and stammered, "I- I went to talk to Bellamy."

"Bellamy-"

"My friend at the Lighthouse," Harry said quickly before his Professor could yell at him in front of anyone who might be passing by or wanting to listen in. "I went to place an ad. I've been down Payne before with Silver to see the businesses I have shares in and to see what state the buildings I own are in."

"You are aware there are vampires, goblins and werewolves down Payne Alley and that wizards are not generally welcome there?" Snape spat. Harry thought the man looked as though he was trying to recover from a heart attack.

"Bellamy is a vampire," Harry said. "And one of the barristers is too, and some of the people that work at the inn. And I met every business owner down the alley. And Bellamy is responsible for filling the orphanage library with books. Everyone down Payne Alley chipped in to buy them."

"Books?" Snape asked warily, letting go of Harry's arm.

"Bellamy wrote about me fixing up the orphanage and asked for donations for a book drive. They raised a lot of money and Bellamy bought all the books from Barrow."

Harry watched as Snape pinched the bridge of his nose and then rubbed his forehead hard.

"You are not to go down Payne Alley Potter."

Harry bit his lip, thought about saying something and opened his mouth to do so, and then closed it.

"You are not to go down Payne Alley," Snape repeated forcefully.

"Yes sir," Harry said quietly, wary of having his arm grabbed again. He thought Snape looked like he might want to shake sense into him, and Harry wanted to avoid that experience if at all possible. He knew that never worked when Uncle Vernon tried it.

* * *

Harry was certain Snape had told Dumbledore about his journey down Payne Alley, but Harry had yet to hear anymore about it. Dumbledore hadn't come to take him on another day out yet, but he had taken to sitting next to Harry at dinner if Harry ate dinner in the Great Hall, which he usually did. It had been several days since Harry had been caught coming out of Payne and he figured if Dumbledore hadn't said anything about it yet, he wasn't going to.

"What do you have there dear boy?" Dumbledore asked one evening at dinner as Harry sat reading over applications that had come in to him for the jobs he'd advertised for.

"Job applications," Harry said.

"I hope you are not advertising to replace myself and Professor Snape so soon." He'd meant it as a joke but Harry only smiled weakly. It was still a sore spot for him and Dumbledore seemed to realize it as he looked away and quickly busied himself preparing a cup of tea.

"I put an ad in for night janitors on the alleys and a position at the Magical Menagerie."

"May I see?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry slid the pile of applications for the Magical Menagerie over to him and said, "Those are for the store. I'm going to send them to the manager tonight. She's going to hire one of them."

After flipping through several of the applications Dumbledore said, "many of these people are werewolves and elves."

"I advertised in the Lighthouse," Harry said.

"I did not realize you knew of the publication."

Harry looked at the Headmaster sideways and tried not to look guilty.

"I know Professor Snape caught you coming out of Payne Alley."

"I went in the daytime," Harry said, hoping he wasn't in too much trouble. "I know all the shop owners. I just went to place an ad."

"I trust that Professor Snape has given you a suitably stern lecture on the dangers of going down that alley, so I see no need to give you another."

"Yes sir," Harry said.

"May I ask why you chose to place an advertisement seeking fae for employment?"

"No one will hire them. It's not fair. They don't have money for housing or food or legal representation. Did you know some of them aren't even fae? My friend Bellamy wasn't until he turned 17 and his parents turned him into a vampire. So there are regular wizard kids whose parents can't take care of them because they don't have the money."

"I did know that," Dumbledore said with a smile. Harry wondered what he was smiling about but didn't ask. "So you decided to hire a few?"

"Yeah but Bellamy said I'm going to get myself in trouble with the Ministry. He said they'll tax me extra or something."

"That is a possibility."

Harry slid the other stack of parchment over to Dumbledore and he looked through them. "Astor Baran was a very organized young man when he attended Hogwarts," Dumbledore commented.

"I thought fae couldn't attend school."

"A few have come in secret. I believe he was bitten by a werewolf during his first year as an auror apprentice however."

"Is there a school for fae?"

"There's one in Drunkerny, though most don't have the money to attend or to buy a wand or school supplies. It's only a day school."

The Headmaster commented on several other applicants and their strengths before he made mention of an upcoming Quidditch tournament and asked Harry if he'd like to go.

"You'll be too busy," Harry said quietly, picking up his many separate piles of parchment.

"I would not have asked you if I had planned on being busy Harry," Dumbledore chastised him gently.

Harry bit his lip and then nodded.

"I will tell Severus not to make plans with you for Saturday morning then," the Headmaster said happily, and bade Harry good evening as he stood up and left Gryffindor table where they'd been sitting and eating dinner with various other staff who pretended not to be listening in on their conversation.

* * *

Snape seemed to be in a mood with Harry over the next few days though Harry wasn't sure why. He took him back to Diagon Alley each day to work at Flourish and Blotts but only for a few hours each morning and Harry was no longer allowed to wander on his own it seemed. Harry wasn't sure if Snape was still mad at him for the Payne Alley thing or for something else entirely, but Harry was glad to be able to get out of the castle without him by the time Saturday morning rolled around.

Dumbledore came to the Dungeons to pick Harry up before breakfast and led him to the kitchens where the house elves had prepared a breakfast to go for both of them (mugs of hot chocolate and egg and sausage sandwiches with melted cheese on croissants). Harry and Dumbledore ate their sandwiches on the walk down to the front gates, and Dumbledore apparated them both to a secret location away from the prying eyes of Muggles on the other side of the country. Harry was surprised by the noise that greeted them when they reappeared. Even though it was barely eight in the morning, there was already a crowd of almost a hundred people. They'd appeared in the middle of an aisle of tent stands and booths selling Quidditch gear and team memorabilia as well as various foods.

Someone handed Harry a pamphlet as they walked and Harry opened it up. "Quidditch Stunt Expo," he read aloud. It had a list of teams underneath as well as times they'd be playing.

"We'll be here for the day," Dumbledore told him. "Pick which teams you'd like to see play." He handed Harry what looked like a Muggle pen and Harry circled several games. The Falmouth Falcons were set to face off with the Appleby Arrows at nine. The Chudley Cannons were going to be playing at nine against the Montrose Magpies, but Harry had never liked the Cannons like Ron had and preferred the Falcons. Harry also wanted to watch the Harpies square off against Puddlemere United at eleven. There were games going on at two and four as well that Harry wanted to see, but there was also some sort of stunt competition and skill expo at those times and Harry circled those on the pamphlet instead.

Dumbledore asked if Harry wanted anything from any of the stands, but Harry shook his head. They walked around for half an hour before finding the right Quidditch Pitch and sitting to watch the first game Harry had circled. People were selling snacks throughout the game and Dumbledore offered to buy him sweets several times, but Harry politely declined each time. At ten thirty, after the Falcons had won by only 50 points, they left the stands and Harry stretched, glad to be able to walk around for a few minutes before the next game.

"What did you think of the match?" Dumbledore asked.

"I like the Falcon's Chasers," Harry said. "They pass the ball so fast you can barely keep track of it. They'd all make good Seekers."

"Or perhaps Seekers would make good Chasers."

"I like Chasing," Harry said. "There's never any spots open on the Gryffindor team though. Once I got to stand in during practice for Alicia Spinnet because she had Dragon Pox."

"Did you score a goal?" Dumbledore asked.

"No but I didn't drop anything that got passed to me and Oliver said I could be a decent Chaser if I wasn't such a good Seeker."

Harry spotted a group of people around one of the Chudley Cannon's Beaters and asked if he could stand in line to get his autograph for Ron. Dumbledore nodded with a smile and waited patiently for Harry to get an autograph. They also stopped to get the autograph of the Falcon's Seeker for Harry on their way in to the next game, and after that game while they were waiting in line at a food cart to get fish and chips for lunch, Harry was able to get the Arrow's Keeper to sign a napkin. Harry felt bad for bothering the Keeper as she was standing in line waiting to get her own lunch, but she didn't seem to mind. Maybe she'd been expecting it considering the event they were at.

They took their lunch to the stands and waited for the stunt competition to start. Dumbledore pulled a box of Every Flavor Beans from seemingly nowhere and gave it to Harry as soon as Harry had finished his lunch.

"Thank you," he said quietly, but felt awkward taking it. The man had already spent enough money on him. The tickets to the event must have cost a fortune just by themselves.

The stunt competition started with Seekers from various teams going into daring dives that took them dangerously close to the ground in order to catch Snitches charmed to hover inches above the turf. Next Beaters showcased just how accurate they could be by batting Bludgers through hoops of fire barely bigger than the Bludgers themselves, as well as batting Bludgers through the legs of more than ten players lined up in mid air standing on their brooms. Chasers did fancy tricks with a Quaffle and tried to outdo each other and Keepers stopped balls from going into the hoops as they were fired in rapidly from eight Seekers at a time.

Later that afternoon they watched the skill expo, which was more about accuracy than the stunt competition was. Instead of players trying to outdo each other's wild stunts, they were all required to do the same tasks and see who could be more accurate or who could outperform the others. At the end of the skill expo each of the twenty players who had participated gave their brooms away to random audience members, and Harry was only a little jealous when the man two seats down from him received the broom from the Appleby Arrow's star Chaser.

There was one more match they could have gone to late that afternoon, but Harry and Dumbledore opted to walk around the many stalls instead. Dumbledore must have caught Harry eying a rack of Falmouth Falcon's shirts, because he asked if Harry would like one.

"No, that's ok," Harry said.

"Harry, I will be buying all of your clothing from now on. I thought a boy as interested as you are in Quidditch and who seems to like the Falcons as much as you do might like a new Falcons shirt and sweatshirt."

Harry eyed the dark blue and silver zip up hoodies longingly and reached out to run a thumb over the soft material and then pulled his hand away again.

"I insist Harry," Dumbledore said.

Harry bit his lip, but then shrugged. "I guess it's all coming out of my accounts anyway, so why not." Harry reached forward to grab the hoodie off the rack, but was surprised when Dumbledore's hand gently touched his wrist to stop him.

"I will not take anything from your accounts to provide you with necessities such as clothes or gifts."

Harry frowned for a moment. But Dumbledore had been paying the Dursleys a stipend to take care of him hadn't he? That had come out during the hearing. Harry assumed it was from his accounts. It was, wasn't it? So why was Dumbledore saying he wouldn't take money from his accounts now.

"Pick out a shirt and sweatshirt," Dumbledore said. Harry looked up at him and noted that his eyes looked sad. Harry didn't want to see the look on his face, especially since he didn't know why it was there, so he turned and began looking through the designs on the shirts. It was only a few minutes before Harry had picked out a blue t-shirt with the Falcon's symbol in shiny silver on the front, and a dark blue Falcon's zip up hoodie with light gray drawstrings and the logo painted in gray across the front. Dumbledore paid for the purchase and they moved on to other stalls where Harry was offered several other items such as posters, books and notebooks with team logos on them, and he politely declined each time.

At five Dumbledore took them back to the castle and asked if Harry had had a good time.

"Yes sir, thank you for taking me," he said.

"It was my pleasure dear boy."

Harry went down to the Dungeons with plans of putting on his new t-shirt right away. Snape was at his desk in the living room of his dungeon quarters when Harry got in and seemed to be in a snarky mood.

Snape threw a look at Harry and then at the two shirts in his hands and sneered before going back to whatever he was working on.

"Enjoy yourself Potter?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Harry said.

Maybe he should have toned down the happiness in his voice. Uncle Vernon never liked it when Harry was too happy, and it seemed like Snape was the same way because the next thing he said was, "You must enjoy asking for expensive items when you know the Headmaster has to buy them for you."

Severus scribbled several things down on his lesson plan angrily while he waited for Potter's response, and when none came after a moment he turned and found the boy looking stricken. Without warning Harry dropped both items of clothing on the floor and turned and walked quietly down the hall, presumably to his room. What was that about?

Severus huffed in irritation and turned back to the grading rubric for his incoming first years. The boy and his tantrum, and the telling off he was going to get for his disrespect would have to wait until he was done with what he was doing. Severus wasn't going to drop everything to cater to the boy and his mood swings, though he really wanted to jump up and tell the brat off now for being so dramatic and for leaving his things on the living room floor. Severus hated a mess and as far as he was concerned there was no room for Potter and his mess in his living room.

It wasn't long before Severus was done with his work for the evening, but his stomach was growling and he decided to put off chastising the boy until he'd had dinner, so he left for the Great Hall. When he came back, he noticed that Potter had gathered the discarded garments and taken them to his room.

Severus went down the hall and looked around the doorframe into the boy's room. Harry was sitting on the bed with his back to the door and running his thumb and forefinger over the soft fabric of the dark blue sweatshirt.

"It surprises me to see you looking at your belongings like that when you treated them so poorly only two hours ago."

Harry didn't respond, but he did still and pull the sweatshirt to his chest.

"I expect a response when I speak to you Potter. If I have to keep reminding you of that I may begin taking points before the term starts. I would hate to be the one to explain to my housemates why they are starting the year in the negatives."

Harry mumbled something Severus couldn't hear, which only made him more irritated. "Speak up Potter."

"I can't remember anyone buying clothes for me before."

"Your relatives-"

"I just got Dudley's old things." Severus thought Harry was done speaking to him and was ready to turn away and go back to his desk to work some more, not wanting to grow more irritated with Harry than he already was, when Harry said, "I know the Headmaster didn't buy me clothes because he cares about me. He only did it because the Justice said he had to." He turned suddenly and Snape was taken back to see wetness in Harry's eyes, though the tears hadn't fallen yet. "Maybe you could quit reminding me that I'm only here because people are forced to take care of me, not because they want me."

Harry turned back around and when he didn't say anything else, Severus backed out of the door. He didn't know what to say to that. He had only taken Harry because there was no other reasonable choice. It had been for Harry's own good, but not because Snape wanted to help him, it was because of the promise. Dumbledore on the other hand adored the boy. It was one of the things that irritated him to see how the old man doted on him.

Severus was unable to return to his work that evening and ended up going to bed early, though his sleep was broken (partly by Harry's nightmares waking him several times in the night and partly because he couldn't get the sad look of Harry's unshed tears out of his mind as he tried to fall asleep). Dumbledore took note of the circles under Severus' eyes the next morning at breakfast (a breakfast Harry was absent from).

"Did you sleep at all dear boy?" he asked

"Who needs sleep when there's coffee." Severus poured himself a cup and started drinking it before he decided to put anything on his plate. Suddenly he looked up and asked Dumbledore, "Why did you have to spoil him at the Quidditch Expo yesterday?"

"Spoil him?"

"He came back with an armful of expensive clothes."

"It's my job to provide him with clothing."

"You couldn't wait and take him to a clothing store? You had give in to his begging for expensive Quidditch memorabilia?"

"I believe you have the wrong impression about our outing Severus," Albus said. Severus looked at him like he doubted it very much but the Headmaster continued. "I offered to buy Harry many things yesterday, but he kept saying no. Candy, posters, toys... I had to convince him to get the two shirts, and that took several minutes to get him agree to take the two. I believe he only agreed to take them because he believes the funding was coming out of his vaults. I tried to tell him this was not the case, but I'm not sure I convinced him."

Severus sighed heavily and set his coffee down. Damn. "He believed you." Albus raised a brow and Severus said, "He told me it was the first time anyone had bought clothes for him. He made it clear he was well aware you were only doing it because you had to because the Justice ordered it."

Albus shook his head, looking dismayed. "Is he in your quarters?"

"I believe so."

Albus left the table without finishing his breakfast though Severus wished he wouldn't have. Now that he was alone he would have to wrestle with his guilt over how he'd snarked at the boy the night before. Clearly the boy believed he was unwanted and unloved. If the Headmaster had to convince him to get the clothes, then he must have seen Severus' comments to him as making fun of him. He was really, or he had been goading him. Damn. At some point he'd have to seek the boy out today as well and apologize to him. He hated apologizing.

* * *

There was a knock on the door and Harry left the kitchen table and his half peeled orange to answer it. It was the Headmaster. He wasn't coming to take Harry out for a second day was he?

"May I come in?" the Headmaster asked.

Harry turned to look to be certain Snape wasn't there and said, "I'm not sure. It's Professor Snape's quarters."

"They are your quarters now too," Dumbledore said, and Harry bit his lip to keep himself from saying, ‘just let Snape hear you say that'. Harry stood back to give Dumbledore room to come in and the aging headmaster sat down on one of the two couches as if it was his favorite seat and he'd sat there a dozen times before. Maybe he had, Harry thought, and went to sit nervously on the other sofa. He wasn't used to spending time in the living room. Snape was always in here and Harry tried to stay away from him as much as possible. Aside from that Harry really didn't think Snape wanted him in his home at all, so it seemed logical Harry should stay out of sight and out of mind. That principle had served him well at the Dursleys.

"Harry, Justice Araminta Abbot is a very caring and compassionate woman. Her disappointment in me and how I handled your care was a reminder of how I've failed you as your guardian. I chose to take guardianship of you and then did not honor those sacred duties. I am sorry it took her disappointment in me to remind me of what I should have been doing for you all along. I want you to know that I am not doing these things for you because I have to, because I should have been doing them before, but because I want to. I have always been fond of you. Fondness apparently does not negate foolishness however, and that is exactly what I have been: foolish."

Harry was looking at his hands and fidgeting with them.

"Do you believe me?"

Harry shrugged and didn't look up.

"Then I will make it my mission to prove to you that I care, and to make amends for how poorly I have shown you that care in the past."

"You've been real nice to me," Harry finally said.

"I want you to believe that I care about you and your wellbeing. I realize that will take time. If there is anything I can do to prove that to you, I want you to tell me."

Harry shook his head.

"Harry?"

"I want to believe you."

"In time perhaps dear boy."

Albus Dumbledore stood and gave another look at the forlorn looking Gryffindor, and wished not for the first time that time travel beyond a few days was possible. He would do things differently if given the chance. All he could do now was try to make things right now that circumstances had changed, and hope it was enough.

* * *

Harry had not been prepared for one apology that day, let alone two. He was still trying to figure out what Dumbledore was playing at, if he was playing at anything at all when Snape came to his bedroom door after lunch and asked Harry to come out to the kitchen to eat instead of going to the Great Hall.

As soup and sandwiches appeared on the table and the two sat down to eat together (a first in the two weeks Harry had been back at Hogwarts), Snape cleared his throat. Harry looked up and noted a strained look on the man's face. He frowned, wondering what that was about and then took a bite of his soup.

"I apologize for what I said to you last night. I did not know that you did not ask for the clothes. Even if you did, it is within your right to ask your guardian for the necessities of life. I am still learning to... readjust my thoughts and beliefs about you."

Harry was surprised to hear that the man was trying to readjust at all. After his first year he'd never thought to attempt to get on Snape's good side ever again. It just wasn't possible being a Gryffindor, and it wasn't possible for him especially. Everyone knew that Snape hated him above all others, though no one was really clear on why. It was just a fact Harry had accepted. It was a fact as much as Uncle Vernon being mean or Aunt Petunia being unable to smile when she looked at Harry. Snape hated him and was always going to be unfair. It was a fact, wasn't it?

"I-" he wasn't sure how to say what he wanted, or even if he should say it at all. Snape wouldn't want to hear it if he did say it. He'd just make fun of him. But he'd just apologized hadn't he? It wasn't a trick was it? Instead of trying to tell him all the jumbled up feelings he had about what Dumbledore had said to him earlier, Harry said, "I can pay the Headmaster back for the shirts... they were expensive."

"You should not have to," Snape said, feeling exasperated with the boy already despite it being the very beginning of the conversation. "I will try not to- misjudge your acquisition of items again. You should ask for things that you need."

Harry bit his lip and stirred his soup for a moment.

"Did you have something else you wished to add?"

Harry shook his head.

"Spit it out Potter."

Harry looked up and bit his lip again. He looked like he was debating whether or not to say anything and Severus tried to school his features to neutral so he didn't put the boy off when he'd been trying to pull words out of him for weeks already.

"I can't see very well. I know glasses are expensive though. I'll get money from my vault for new ones. I just wondered if, if you could tell me where to get new ones that might work better. I know you're busy... maybe I could get the Headmaster to take me on the next day he plans on taking me."

"You cannot see?"

"I couldn't see much of the Quidditch matches yesterday, and I can't see the blackboard unless I sit right up front. It's hard to take notes."

"When did you last get your eyes checked Potter?"

"I've never- Aunt Petunia brought these home from the grocery store."

"You did not go to an eye doctor?"

Harry shook his head.

"We will go to see Madam Pomfrey after lunch. New glasses will not cost you anything. She can change the lenses to whatever prescription you need and the frames can be transfigured to look how you wish."

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

Severus finished his lunch, and as he did so, he thought about the conversation they'd just had. It wasn't so bad, and Potter had thanked him. There was a lot more to the conversation than what had been said though. If Potter couldn't see the blackboard, it might explain why he sometimes added the wrong ingredients to his cauldron. It might also explain why his handwriting was so terrible and why he wasn't a stellar student in most of his subjects. There was one question that needed answering though...

"If you cannot see the blackboard, how are you able to see the Snitch across a Pitch during games?"

"It's hard when it's cloudy or raining. If it's sunny the sun shines off of it. I just look for a glint of gold."

Severus thought back over the matches the boy had lost. If he remembered correctly, almost all of them had been on days with inclement weather. As he watched the boy finish his sandwich, Severus wondered how the boy had made it through two years of school without being able to see properly.

* * *

"Poppy told me you took Harry to have his eyes looked at."

"He could barely see. His glasses were not even prescription."

"Perhaps his grades will improve now that he has glasses made just for him," Albus said.

"Perhaps."

Severus and Albus waited in the empty staff room for the other staff to arrive. They had several things to discuss about the upcoming term. Albus noted that Severus was playing with a thread in his pants and brushing lint from his pant leg. Something he often did when he was thinking over something important he wanted to talk about.

"Is there something you want to discuss before the meeting?"

"I know why you took me to court with you."

"Oh?"

"You took me so I would decide to take Potter and keep my promise."

"I took you dear boy because you are my closest friend."

Severus looked up at him, startled. His closest friend? Surely not. Surely Minerva or Nicholas Flamel or even Newt Scamander.

"I can see from the look on your face that perhaps as I have neglected to show Harry how much I care about him, I have neglected to show you over the years how much your friendship means to me."

"I- didn't know," Severus said quietly. He'd counted Albus as a friend... a mentor even. He was one of Severus' very few friends in fact. He had less friends than he could count on one hand and most of them taught there at the school. He'd never considered that he was Albus' best friend though, or even that he himself had a best friend. Not since Lily...

"Something else I must work on then," Albus said as the door opened and Sprout came in with Hooch.

When the meeting started several minutes later after the rest of the staff arrived, Severus found it hard to focus on what was being said. He was too busy mulling over the information that he had apparently been invited to court to be Albus' moral support and not a character assassin for Potter. Eyes drifting up to the Headmaster as he listened to Minerva talk about student curfews, Severus wished he had been a moral support to the Headmaster during the trail. As much of a toll as it had taken on Potter, it had affected the Headmaster equally as much. The man cared far too much for Potter... more than he had ever let on, and hearing the things that had gone on in the Dursley household had upset him more than the others in the courtroom. Even now the Headmaster seemed drawn and older than he had before. Maybe it wasn't too late to be that moral support, though Severus wasn't sure how he was supposed to be one or what that was supposed to look like.